Even if you love the iPad, you're probably not keen to write your
next novel using its on-screen virtual keyboard. You may not be
thrilled to type up a lengthy email with it, either.
Steve Isaac felt the same way. So the Seattle-based software
designer got to work on a way to make the iPad easier to type on. Using
a stretchy silicone, he invented a keyboard that sits atop the tablet's
on-screen keyboard when the device is turned on its side. He called it,
TouchFire.
Isaac, who worked on an early tablet at computing startup Go in the
`90s, isn't unique in dreaming up this type of device. But his
invention has garnered intense support on Kickstarter _ a website where
entrepreneurs and artists solicit funding for their projects and often
give rewards in exchange, such as a limited-edition poster or first
version of a product.
In Isaac's case, he turned to the site to raise money to transform
his prototype into a real device, offering the first run of TouchFires
to Kickstarter backers. His effort raised $201,400 by the time it ended
last week. That was more than 20 times the $10,000 that he and his
business partner had hoped to snag.
The TouchFire's birth as a consumer product shows the growing
importance of sites such as Kickstarter. They offer a new way to
finance bright ideas and usher them to the masses. Kickstarter visitors
can search through a bevy of proposals for everything from graphic
novels to consumer electronics, coming from creators who must meet
their stated funding goal in a specified period of time in order to
actually use the money.
About 45 percent of the projects meet or exceed their goals, Kickstarter said.You can get your favorite coach bags from any Sunglasses mp3 players
which can provide you best service. This year, site visitors pledged
about $79 million to projects that either succeeded, including Isaac's,
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