HIDIZS launched a Kickstarter for the AP30 Music Boy, a hi-res audio player styled after the classic Game Boy, seeking just $5,100. The campaign closed having raised roughly $504,311, nearly 99 times its original target, with shipping expected this October and late backers still able to join.
At a Fast Company event, executives from WeTransfer, Kickstarter and the Fashion Institute of Technology discussed how artists, designers and other creative professionals remain central to innovation even as AI and advanced technology draw massive investment. The panel, moderated by Fast Company's Kc Ifeanyi, examined how creative industries can maintain influence and funding in a tech-dominated landscape.
Syitren launched the RM1, a $109 wall-mountable CD player encased in clear acrylic that exposes its disc, read head, and internal mechanisms. The device supports Bluetooth playback, a rechargeable 2000 mAh battery for six to eight hours of use, USB-C charging, and a 3.5mm output jack, and it can play both standard CDs and MP3 data discs. The Kickstarter campaign has raised over $540,000, far surpassing its original $3,000 goal.
Arduview, a fully see-through handheld gaming device built on the open-source Arduboy platform, has begun shipping to early backers and is now preparing a Kickstarter campaign. Created by Babson College student Louis Huang, the device features a transparent OLED screen, circuit board, and shell, running on an ATmega32u4 microcontroller with just 2.5KB of RAM. It weighs about 50 grams, charges via USB-C, and plays hundreds of community-made 8-bit games without any app store or Wi-Fi connectivity.
WebFPGA has introduced a web-based development environment that lets users program FPGA devices directly from their browser after purchasing a compatible board. The project, which originated on Kickstarter, also offers a command-line option for Linux users and includes community-shared demo projects.
The Slice 10, an ultrasonic craft knife that uses high-speed vibration instead of heat to slice materials, has surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal and remains available for backers at $119, roughly $100 below retail. A reviewer tested it on 3D-printed PLA and ABS, leather, DTF plastic, and cloth, finding it excelled at plastics and leather but performed weaker on fabric.
The Mecha Comet, a modular handheld Linux computer built by Shoaib Merchant, has secured over $1.19 million from more than 3,300 Kickstarter backers and is now slated to ship in October or November. The device features a 4-inch AMOLED display, dual USB ports, mini HDMI, a SIM tray, hardware kill switches for wifi, microphone and camera, and snap-in open-hardware extensions like a keyboard and gamepad.