Shapeways has announced it has partnered up with Kapture, the company behind a wearable always-on audio recording device, which is currently looking for funding on Kickstarter. Interestingly, the 3D printing company’s influence is not to be seen in the basic models of the 60-second buffered loop recorder, but rather exclusively in the high-end only – an approach not perceived as communicating added value to the potential customers. Kapture’s standard customization options include several different colours for both the wristband and the replaceable speaker grill with a combination of glossy and matte tones. With the Shapeways collaboration, however, they’re now also offering chrome and gold plated brass for the interchangeable microphone grill, which both look quite good – in the promotional material at least.
Choosing to (at this point) back Kapture through these options does require paying a premium, but will likely find users in the end-market – assuming it reaches its target. Whether or not this project is successful, recent high-end examples from the mobile device manufacturing industry have shown that colours are the way to go, including the more expensive metals as well as bright standard colours – even outside the Chinese and other Asian markets traditionally more appreciative of publicly showcasing the shine of precious metals wherever they may roam.
Whether or not Kapture will actually see the light of day by hitting the production lines is yet uncertain – with 15 days still to go, the project has already gathered an impressive $67k in funding but is still far away from the $150k crowdfunding goal. If this is the first time you’ve ever heard the name Kapture and became interested in taking a closer look at what the device is all about, you can do so by visiting their Kickstarter page.
Source: Shapeways blog
