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RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

engadget.com

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Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#41

Post by tricuspid »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #39
overgard wrote: post #38

As a person that's bought an electric skateboard in the past and a lot of other dumb stuff, I feel like I have a decent grasp on the target market here... but I couldn't buy one of these, they just look so dorky. It's like wearing cement shoes or something. Way too bulky and garish. And the marketing video.. ugh. Like the shirtless dude and the weird slow-mo cuts and the obvious pandering to a male audience? It just…

>but I couldn't buy one of these, they just look so dorky. Congratulations you described why rollerblading really never took off in the 90s. As a rollerblader even I can admit that there is just something about the look that screams "not cool", I'm just not quite sure why.

It mostly has to do with the human tendency to discern an innate level of intuitive ass-kicking power that any given artifact might imbue upon or withold from the wearer.

Ask yourself: If I had to fight Chuck Norris, would this magic item improve my chances of winning?

When the answer isn't a resounding "yes", the prospects of coolness are in doubt.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#42

Post by laughfactory »

I totally want a pair of these for "commuting" to work! Sure they're a little chunky, but I think they've achieved something remarkable anyway. Besides which it simply takes space for batteries and motors and all the gizmos and what have you. I'm sold. I think these will be a big hit if they work as advertised.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#43

Post by laughfactory »

dublinben wrote: post #28
glitch003 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think they have to, since this is not a bicycle.

These are probably too fast (and powered) to be considered pedestrians. They'll like suffer the same limbo the Segway did, and end up with nowhere to go.

Naw, I'd be able to use them on the sidewalks here in San Diego without any issues. And with the range and ride time they have I could get most places I want to go. There are plenty of places which allow electric propelled scooters (for example) or bikes on sidewalks...just so long as they don't go faster than 15 mph.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#44

Post by zevyoura »

dalek2point3 wrote: post #36
zevyoura wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen a few Boosted boards in the wild, they're definitely real.

I rode one at SXSW in March 2013 -- they're yet to be made available commercially?

I think they've already shipped a fair number of the Kickstarter backer reward boards.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#45

Post by trhway »

the founder was a teenager in 198x - that explains "Back to the Future 2" design, etc. As another 40+ years old a&& i'd personally feel strange trying to push a "cool and fun" thing to the 20+ years olds. (Even such an unquestionably cool, in my mind, thing as a million bucks is far from being cool for these youngsters :).

Wrt. all these new devices, mostly electrical - they are victims of "uncanny valley" effect - unmoving/freezed human body at speeds less than 20mph looks spooky. Even electric bicycles look this way.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#46

Post by antonioevans »

nickgrosvenor wrote: post #4
antonioevans wrote: post #2

More kickstarter Vaporware.

Vaporware? Have you watched the video?

I have. It's a kids toy with a slow mo video. But I am sure the founders of this seeded this thread with enough fake accounts to make sure it gets its much deserved publicity.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#47

Post by peter-row »

overgard wrote: post #38

As a person that's bought an electric skateboard in the past and a lot of other dumb stuff, I feel like I have a decent grasp on the target market here... but I couldn't buy one of these, they just look so dorky. It's like wearing cement shoes or something. Way too bulky and garish. And the marketing video.. ugh. Like the shirtless dude and the weird slow-mo cuts and the obvious pandering to a male audience? It just…

I think their marketing is off.

It's 10-20% of the price of a segway, and you can climb stairs, and carry them much more easily. They also look easy to put on (unlike rollerblades).

If they can sell 500 units, they'll easily hit their stretch goals. I think they'll do OK.

They just shouldn't be afraid of being the next segway - segway didn't fail because it was "dorky". pg was using that as an example of the problems companies get when they run fat and are too cloistered. Segway had a lot of other problems (with the same root cause) - it was way too expensive, and it was too awkward outside a controlled environment (both of which these skates seem to solve). It also tried to sell 50,000 units on the first iteration, while these guys are selling maybe 1000 (for the kickstarter), and can then tweak things based on customer feedback.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#48

Post by gee_totes »

peter-row wrote: post #47
overgard wrote: post #38

As a person that's bought an electric skateboard in the past and a lot of other dumb stuff, I feel like I have a decent grasp on the target market here... but I couldn't buy one of these, they just look so dorky. It's like wearing cement shoes or something. Way too bulky and garish. And the marketing video.. ugh. Like the shirtless dude and the weird slow-mo cuts and the obvious pandering to a male audience? It just…

I think their marketing is off. It's 10-20% of the price of a segway, and you can climb stairs, and carry them much more easily. They also look easy to put on (unlike rollerblades). If they can sell 500 units, they'll easily hit their stretch goals. I think they'll do OK. They just shouldn't be afraid of being the next segway - segway didn't fail because it was "dorky". pg was using that as an example of the problems…

Not all rollerblades are difficult to put on -- check out Doop skates.

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#49

Post by ljsocal »

That video pitch may be the beginning of the end of Kickstarter...these wheelie things are not a safe, practical product and anyone who buys this wheeliebarrow of overpromises will be disappointed. Is it possible to short a Kickstarter project...maybe that's a Kickestarter project I should launch!

Re: RocketSkates let you zip along the sidewalk at a top speed of 12 MPH

#50

Post by jfoster »

antonioevans wrote: post #31
jfoster wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We'll never get cool things if we automatically dismiss anything cool as vaporware and refuse to engage with it. Granted, sometimes projects like this won't eventuate, but I'd rather be optimistic and get disappointed occasionally rather than cynical and always feel negative about cool new stuff.

Yeah and more crap like Yo! and Make a Potato Salad kickstarters will get funded by people who have 20 bucks to waste. I am not hating on the idea because this isn't new at all. Spend 15 minutes on Alibaba and you'll see most of what most hardware kickstarters are sourcing their stuff. .. And yeah I watched the slickly edited video, but they aren't getting my money. Also this has nothing to do with optimism vs pessim…

Vaporware is stuff that nobody can get. Alibaba hardware is stuff that anyone can get. It can't be both.
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