SOOT’s debut product
From the brains of California talent, John Whaley and Mani Razaghi, the newly launched startup, SOOT has designed an ingenious stand for the Kindle Fire, an often overlooked device in light of the iPad. The team sought out to build a simple, cost-effective product with a quick production time, and developed the acoustic kickstand that channels sound forward toward the user while holding the device in place.
A “chamber” pops on to the end of the Fire, is non-electric, and simply props the device up with a removable stand that is the size of a credit card which is inserted into a slot, thus creating a kickstand. The design allows for landscape view for watching a movie, portrait for reading news or blogs, and a low, tilted angle for typing.
The company says “The SOOT Kickstand plays well with elastic-cornered book-flap cases so there’s no need to remove the chamber when you’re on the go. Simply remove the card and tuck it in the groove between the chamber and the Fire.”
The SOOT team intends to develop more products in this line after funding the acoustic kickstand, in an effort to bring more complex accessories to market.
“Oh, and by the way,” the team notes, “it works great as a cradle for the iPhone 4s! The angle is perfect for watching movies and FaceTime — and you can even charge the device while it’s in the dock. The fit is loose, which makes it extremely easy to remove from the cradle.”
Getting to market
Kickstarter.com is “the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects,” wherein projects are posted to the site and anyone with a credit card can pledge money to fund the projects, but the twist is that a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands because “creators aren’t expected to develop their project without necessary funds, and it allows anyone to test concepts without risk.” The site also allows project creators to keep 100 percent ownership over their work and offer products and incentives in return for pledges.
Soot has only just recently launched their fundraising page on Kickstarter, so they have a long way to go toward meeting their goal, so they will need the support to achieve funding in order to make it to production. The project is open for backers, starting at $5, and pledges of $15 and over get a first edition stand with free shipping, plus fundraisers help the company reach their goals – win/win.
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