As the crowdfunding incumbent, Kickstarter still has plenty of life left in it. But it's interesting to see that crowdfunding newcomer Christie Street's first project, the DoorBot, has teamed up with another product design that sidestepped Kickstarter: The Lockitron. (We wrote about the latter project and how they pulled it off without Kickstarter here.)
To refresh your memory, Lockitron is a remote-operated keyless entry system that can be retrofitted to existing doors. It therefore seems the perfect match for the DoorBot, a wireless, Wi-Fi-enabled video doorbell. Both systems can be linked to your smartphone or tablet, enabling remote operation. And while the DoorBot seems marketed towards suburban homes, I can think of plenty of urban uses for it: I'd love a way to inexpensively monitor the front door of my apartment building, which is notorious for missing deliveries due to its poor buzzer system, and I'd also like to be able to remotely admit shooters into my nearby studio without needing to be there.
(more...)