Crowdfunding Roundup: upgraded Easy-Macro smartphone lens, smart electrical outlets and switches, more

Rather than make you sift through all of these projects, we’re rounding up the best or most notable projects from around the crowdfunding web and delivering them to you in a simple roundup. If there’s a project that you’ve backed – or even a project that you founded – be sure to leave a link below so it can be considered for the next roundup. Check out our complete list of roundups here.

• The Easy-Macro Smartphone Lens (Kickstarter project) – Taking close-up shots on the iPhone is near impossible, as the camera has trouble staying in focus. One option is to move back a bit then crop once the image is complete, but that usually results in a pixelated image. In comes the Easy-Macro Smartphone Lens.
  
  We’ve covered the Easy-Macro lens before, but now they’re making improvements to the design and keeping up with the demand by taking advantage of crowdfunding. Now’s your opportunity to grab one for just $10, which is $5 off retail – great for your new iPhone 5s. Disclaimer/another-reason-to-back-the-project: I personally backed this project.
  
• bRight Switch: The new way to power your life (Indiegogo project) – This product has made me more excited than any other smart device. In short, the bRight Switch makes your light switches and and outlets smart by making them all WiFi connected and accessible through an app for manual or automated actions. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for – indeed, it is the future.
  
  However, the project has been live for a few days and it’s yet to receive the true traction that it needs. With a goal of $400k and current funding at just $2.5k, the numbers aren’t too encouraging. This project is a lesson for other hopeful crowdfunding companies – explain your product in stupid easy terms. The company behind the bRight switch made the perks and product names extremely confusing. There’s a “base”, “eLine Outlet”, “eLine Switch” and “nLine Switch”. And I think that’s it. Of note, there is no actual product called “bRight Switch” – that’s the name of the system.The company has time to clean up the page and explain the product in better terms, but the current product line could do with some improvement.
• ilumi: the world’s smartest lights (Kickstarter project) – The Philips hue lightbulbs are great, but a starter pack will set you back about $199. The ilumi, on the other hand, can bring your home or office lighting into the “smart” world for a much lower cost. Right now, you can chip in $69 and receive one ilumi bulb – and with this system, there’s no “hub” necessary.The bulbs use Bluetooth 4.0 for communication with your phone, which means everything is easy to set up and hub-less, but that also means you can’t control the lights from anywhere using a remote connection.
• Everdock (Kickstarter project)
  
  This one sells itself. It’s an aluminum dock that, depending on which version you pledge for, can fit one or two devices. With an interchangeable port, you can charge up your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone/tablet. The company claims you can unplug your device with just two fingers, which is quite impressive given that the plug isn’t built-in.
• Pen/stylus made from MAGNETS. POLAR PEN – both tool and toy (Kickstarter project) – Okay, so this one isn’t exactly technology-related. However, this has blown past its funding goal and is mesmerizing to see in action. It’s a pen and stylus mashup made from magnets.
  The tool/toy has uses even beyond being a pen or stylus. The company shows the Polar Pen working as a compass, revolver, and spring. The pledges are shown in Canadian dollars, but Kickstarter will take care of the conversion for you if that’s not your currency of choice.