The Backed Pack: An e-bike, smart headphones, and a USB charging coverplate

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

JIVR

The JIVR Bike is a folding, chain-less, beacon-enabled e-bike. Its sleekly designed frame houses a brushless motor and lithium-ion battery that offers riders 20 miles of pedal assist on a single charge with a top speed of 15.6MPH. Bluetooth integration allows riders to log everything from distance traveled to calories burned, not to mention other applications that will likely emerge through upcoming JIVR hackathons. When a ride is completed, it takes just four moves to take the JIVR from an e-bike to a piece of luggage weighing in at 33lbs, thus making it extremely handy in a pinch.

JIVR has raised over £100,000 in a Kickstarter campaign, proving that people are craving the portability and convenience of e-bikes.

Aivvy Q

Aivvy Q is a wireless Bluetooth headphone set which can provide up to 40 hours of continuous music playback, all without needing an Internet connection. Touted as headphones capable of tapping into the “Internet of Things”, Aivvy Q is essentially a self-learning music player: a user can swipe its side to skip a track, tap to favorite a track, or rotate the channel ring in order to change the genre or playlist. Sensors within the product learn which tracks are preferred, thereby making sure the music being played is always relevant and enjoyable.

With the help of over 400 backers, Aivvy’s campaign has surpassed its original goal and has now raised over $150,000 with time still left to go.

SnapPower

The best place to charge a phone at home seems to be “anywhere” but in many households stuffed with electronics and appliances, it’s difficult to sacrifice a whole outlet for the fraction of power needed to charge a phone. SnapPower addresses this issue with an outlet coverplate that includes a small “chin” to accommodate a USB port. While there have been other ways to add such a smartphone charging convenience, they have included undesirable tradeoffs between aesthetics and installation. SnapPower draws power from the screws used to connect the device. Simply remove the old coverplate, add the new one, and you’re done.

With a staggering $620,000 raised from over 14,000 backers, SnapPower is enjoying Kickstarter success with a month left to go in the campaign. SnapPower offers an affordable and easily installed charging convenience, thus explaining its success.