The Backed Pack: A VPN secure box, a comfortable keyboard, & a clever waking solution

Each week, our friends at Backerjack bring us updates on some of the most successful gadget crowdfunding campaigns.

Shellfire Box

There’s nothing positive about a censored Internet, so solutions that can provide easy to access VPN service can embolden many more users to take action and keep it free. That’s the mission of the Shellfire Box. Users need only connect the Shellfire Box to their router to encrypt all traffic accessed on its Wi-Fi network, all without a single screen of configuration. A worldwide infrastructure ensures speedy connections no matter where users choose to connect.

Backers have flocked to the Indiegogo campaign of this German product, helping it reach 116 percent of its original goal with plenty of time still left to raise funds.

ErgoDox EZ

Two criticisms can be made about today’s standard computer keyboards. One is that they don’t offer much comfort while typing. The other knock is that the lack of an audible clicking noise when a key is struck can sometimes lead to less accurate typing.

The ErgoDox EZ keyboard addresses both of these issues. The keyboard itself is split in half, allowing each side to be placed at a slight distance from each other or angled to provide greater comfort to the user. The design can therefore help prevent issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress caused from typing. Because the product is a mechanical keyboard, it has individual switches under each key, which promises to make for a more accurate and faster typing experience. Backers are hopping on board, helping this product exceed its $50,000 goal already on Indiegogo.

Wakē

For a better way to start the day, Wakē swivels to project a light and parametric speaker (one that can focus a beam of sound) that work together to gently owners and their bedfellows individually. The product mounts above the bed on a wall. From there, a companion smartphone app communicates when and how the sleeping should be awoken with a combination of light and sound. Wakē can hone its spotlight and audio beam on bed occupants even if they are spooning. And to preempt concern about (unwanted) cameras in the bedroom, the product relies on heat seeking to identify which person should receive its stimuli.

While an unconventional product, Wakē is still enjoying some success on Kickstarter. While it hasn’t reached its goal yet, this product is well on its way, with plenty of time still left to go.