Here’s an interesting KickStarter project that veers from the crowdfunding site’s artsy, steampunk aesthetic.
Convergence Technologies, a consumer electronics company based in New York, is using KickStarter to raise money to develop and manufacture a device called The Bridge, “an all-in-one wireless keyboard, mouse and universal remote for computers, Smart TVs and home entertainment systems.”
The project, which already has 63 backers towards its $59,000 goal comes at the same time that Logitech’s CEO seriously dissed a similar-sounding universal remote for Google (GOOGL) TV.
This past Thursday, during a conference calls with investors and analysts, Logitech CEO Guerrino De Luca said its development of the Logitech Revue controller and partnership with Google TV contributed to losses of “Well over $100 million in operating profits.” Mr. DeLuca also announced he would let existing inventory run down with no plans to build another box.
At the time, Forrester analyst James McQuivey told Wired.com:
“They tried to make the Google TV experience too much like a computer. Companies like Logitech invested in these complicated peripherals, and they’re too complex for people . . . . It doesn’t make any sense to add another remote to people’s lives.”
Unlike the Logitech Revue, of course, the Bridge isn’t associated with a particular Web TV offering. It’s also shaped like a familiar video game controller rather than a keyboard and allows for “smartphone style typing,” according to the KickStarter video. Kogeto, another consumer electronics company that raised money on KickStarter, ended up with roughly $100,000 more than its stated goal of $20,000 to build a 360-degree video capture device.
So, will Kickstarter backers gamble where corporate titans floundered?
What is the Bridge? from Harsh Mody on Vimeo.
