Basel Saleh, an Industrial Designer from Columbia, couldn’t find any unique and convenient Bluetooth speakers for his IPod.  After being unable to find speakers that weren’t clunky and a hassle to transport, he had an idea. Basel decided bendable Bluetooth speakers were exactly what the market needed. These speakers look awesome, can be attached to anything, and can even conveniently be worn as a bracelet for easy transportation. These speakers are an ideal way to play your tunes- now lets just hope the people around you have a similar taste in music.

Antonio Montemurro, a Podiatrist from Wisconsin, knows a lot about the many problems people have with their feet.  The people who suffer from aches and pains in their feet may only find relief from very expensive custom orthotics. Antonio noticed something interesting while on his Honeymoon- the sand on the beaches of Hawaii shifted and molded to his feet as he was walking. He decided applying this to an insole could be an alternative to pricey custom orthotics but wield the same soothing results. These sand insoles could be a game changer for those suffering with foot problems.

Our office is closed today. For all customer service inquiries, please email questions@quirky.com. We’ll be back to our regular schedule tomorrow. Enjoy the holiday.

In case you haven’t heard yet, Quirky is moving!

Yes, we’re moving from our current, cramped office in NoHo to a brand new, gorgeous, state-of-the-art facility on the West Side.

In preparation of moving an office of 80 people, we will not have Eval on Friday of next week. Eval will resume the following Friday (1/27) from our new office.

In lieu of Eval, any ideas that are currently Under Consideration will stay there for a little longer.

Additionally, customer service hours next week will end at 9pm on Thursday and resume at 8am on Monday. I repeat, there will be no Quirky customer service available Friday, Saturday or Sunday of next week.

If you have any time sensitive issues that need our attention, please make sure to call or email us by Thursday.

Thanks for your understanding!

Invention Ambassadors:
(a) Welcome to Katherine Druback, the newest Invention Ambassador.  Meet her in this Forum Thread.  She is the IA that will be taking on more of the newer submissions, for now.
(b) If you have an idea in production, remember to email your IA if you are wanting a more recent update.  They appreciate the reminder and will do their best to get you the latest news about your product.
(c) All Submitters: Please add your phone number (it will stay private) in “Edit your profile.”  If your submission makes it to Under Consideration, the phone call you could get will happen sooner, and will be more of an awesome surprise.

What to do about Similar Ideas: Quirky’s Conroy posted this thread to solicit ideas about how to mitigate/prevent problems around similar ideas, and also introduce and explain a new resource: similar@quirky.com.  That 180 comment thread has been summarized in this wikithread, with the tentative plan that the community solutions will be voted on and prioritized by the community.  You can continue to add your solution ideas on either thread.

Presale Influence Update: there has been discussion (in both this GS Topic and this Forum Thread) about what to do with certain products (those that had prior commitments) once they go into production in this post-threshold era. A decision has been reached, which partly indicated that “If people follow-through on their commitments, they will see the same influence they expected when they decided to make those commitments.” To jump to the full Quirky decision, click here.

Pimping: There is renewed discussion about what to do around unwanted submission promotion in the Forum (and within submission comments).  You can read the ongoing email dialog with Quirky in this thread.

Head of Community: continues to be a hot topic. Voice your thoughts here.

Other Noteworthy Forum Threads: (a) The Quirky Lounge, (b) Why do you Quirky?, (c) Forum Improvement, (d) Newbies welcome

In case you missed it: Ben’s Tweet (1/13): Move week officially upon us. Quirky is closing down broadway in nyc starting at 4am to crane out our equipment.

To discuss this report further, please do so in the corresponding Forum Thread.

If you have any comments or questions not better suited for the thread above, please email me at matt@quirkyinc.com (but please don’t use the Quirky messenger).

Our phone system has been restored. Thanks for your patience.

Nah ah ah…you didn’t say the magic word! The dinosaurs have escaped and have once again wreaked havoc on our phone system. We’ll be back shortly.

Let’s face it. Portion control can be a pain. Now you can pour out the perfect portions with Silo. Simply fill this container’s larger “reservoir” with dry ingredients, and each pour will measure out exactly what you need. Use the adjustable barrier to choose between 1 cup or 1/2 cup measurements. The hinged lid seals tight to keep your ingredients fresh. Take control of your mealtime with Silo.

Jan Habraken submitted an idea to Quirky that described an efficient system of measuring different types of ingredients. Out of that smart presentation came an smart solution – Silo. Over 1,416 influencers have helped bring this product to life. You can join them by heading to the Upcoming section and helping us find the perfect price point for Silo.

Features:
-Stylish clear container holds 3.25 quarts of dry ingredients
-Adjustable barrier allows measured pours of 1 cup or 1/2 cup. Perfect for most recipes. Removable for cleaning.
-Hinged lid seals tight to retain freshness and opens easily for quick pouring

Materials:
-Clear plastic body/barrier
-Plastic lid

Dimensions:
-276mm (10.8in) h x 158mm(6.2in) w x 110mm(4.3in) d

Price, qty and features subject to change during production process.

Hey all! We’re experiencing internet outages today at Quirky HQ which unfortunately means that our Brainstorm originally scheduled for 12pm EST will be have to be rescheduled for a later date.

We’ll provide you with more information when we pick a date and time to hold the Brainstorm. Hang in there!

-Collapsible Cookware

-Oil Dispenser

-Adjustable Baby Gate

With all the advances in technology we’re surprised that microwaves do everything except warm up food evenly!  AutoStir is designed to make sure that you don’t have a scorching hot bowl with cold food in the middle.   When AutoStir’s suction cup is attached to the ceiling of your microwave, the circular motion of the microwave plate forces the paddles in the bowl to stir the contents so you don’t have to risk burning a finger just to ensure even heating distribution   Down with cold soups and hot bowls!

Michelle Brewster hated burning her hands only to  find out that her food was cold in the middle.  To solve the problem, she thought up of a product that stirs food while it’s in the microwave to ensure even heat distribution.  With the help of Quirky’s designers and a community of 2002 influencers her idea will now make sure you don’t bite into any cold food.  Check out AutoStir in the Upcoming section now!

Features:
-Snap-on lid
-Microwave safe
-Dishwasher safe
-Easy disassembly for cleaning

Materials:
-Microwave safe plastic

Dimensions:
-132mm h x 200mm w x 200mm d

Price, qty and features subject to change during production process.

Every Wed at noon ET, QDS blows a few product ideas wide open to kick off the design process. You can take part in that. Here’s how:

1. Topics will be posted on Mon before the Wed brainstorm sesh. In your wildest dreams, what would be the perfect way to make that product? What should it do, and what problems should it prevent? It’s a brainstorm, so anything goes.

2. Visit the Quirky Brainstorm Channel at noon ET on Wed. Log in on Ustream and throw ideas at us in the live chat.

3. Can’t join the live brainstorm? Be sure to add your comments here before Wed at noon, and we’ll have them in mind.

Got all that? Great. This week’s topics are:

-Collapsible Cookware

-Oil Dispenser

-Adjustable Baby Gate