The rabbit hole of crowd funding caught me again when I caught sight of the PIX connected backpack.
PIX includes lighting panels in the front of the pack to allow users to display images, animations or widgets from a library, or creations of their own. A range of games can also be played using your phone (connected via bluetooth) as a controller.
A bonus for cyclists is a controller designed to be mounted on the handlebars which is currently in development, that will allow them to display turning signals or braking indication when commuting to improve safety.
There are some really great fun ways to animate the pack from emoji, colour patterns, flames and adding your own customised art to the pack via the app. Outside the display function, the pack itself is splashproof and designed to be a “day pack” for commuting or day trips with storage for a laptop (up to 15-inch), tablet, documents, a drink bottle and other miscellaneous storage compartments. All in all, a useful sized bag with appropriate storage for the needs of a large number of users.
There’s a couple of downsides to the PIX, the first being the cost being a deterrent for a lot of potential buyers at $229 making it far from a cheap bag. The second is the requirement for power. The light up panel of course requires power, but can be powered by any USB battery bank. The PIX team have however designed one specifically for the backpack but it does cost an additional $39.
Being fair though, if you’re looking at one of these it’s not about cost – you’re a free spirit who wants to have a unique style and present it to the world.
The Kickstarter campaign has already reached its funding goal, and in fact has tripled it, so while it’s a tough sell, it’s piqued a lot of interest out there including my own.
When you carry your gear during the day, how do you organise it in your bag?
