One of the most frustrating moments occurs when it starts to rain and you’re stranded without an umbrella. Raincheck wants to alleviate this woe with an elegant umbrella stand that doubles as a rain forecaster. The beautifully-designed device wirelessly connects to your home network and updates every 15 minutes, using the same hyperlocal weather information that powers the popular Dark Sky app.
One of the core goals with this product is to change where we apply information–by keeping it concise and directed to the place where it should be consumed. For a weather forecast, it makes sense to have it near your shoes, outerwear, and accessories. “With connectivity to the internet, we can now think of product design with a completely new dimension,” explains Nick Jonas, a creative technologist for Google and the inventor of Raincheck. “Why have a phone tell you that you need your umbrella when the stand can?”
Raincheck operates on a clean and simple design. It’s hand-crafted from walnut wood with glowing lights along one of the sides. Each dot represents a different time, with the top light being “now,” while the bottom light projects the forecast eight hours later. The colors change from blue to white to red and will blink to signify inclement weather.
The product recently launched on Kickstarter, where you can preorder your own Raincheck.
Raincheck: Website| Kickstarter
via [Core77]