The Tempescope Is a Weather Widget for Your Desk

You've probably never looked at the weather widget in your phone, and thought, "that's cool, but what I really want is a version of that I can keep on my desk." We've certainly never had that thought. But Ken Kawamoto, the Tokyo-based creator of the Tempescope Indiegogo project isn't like most people, because he figured out a way to do just that, and bring a slice of the outside world into your house.

The Tempescope pairs with your smartphone to get the weather information and it can produce a physical representation of different weather conditions. That description doesn't really do justice to the Tempescope however, and you really need to see the video below to understand how stunning this display is. It's like having an animated 3D weather widget you can place on your desk at work, if you wanted to, and the Tempescope can show you when it's raining, cloudy, if lightning is expected, or if a sunny day is forecast.

You can customise the location with the smartphone app, so if you're missing home, you could keep a slice of its weather on your desk. And if you're in the mood, you could also manually set the weather on the Tempescope.

You can see the full explanation in the video below:

The Indiegogo project, which is accepting funding until November 10, has reached about $141,115 (Rs. 92.5 lakh approximately) against a funding target of $398,000 (approximately Rs. 2.6 crore). If you back the project, you can get a Tempescope for $199 (just over Rs. 13,000), with worldwide delivery expected in April 2016.

About Kickstarter of the week
In this weekly column, we look at crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter, to try and find the coolest new projects from the world of crowdfunding. Not everything we find here is going to be the next Oculus Rift or Pebble Smartwatch, and of course, with any crowdfunded project there's the risk that it won't actually ship, even after being funded.

Still, if you can afford to set a little money aside, some of these projects can be really cool, and worth backing.

For example, there's the GlowGene, a DNA altering kit that any mad scientist would be proud of; the Skarp Laser Razor lets you shave with the power of lasers; and the Site: 1 is a handmade wooden Bluetooth speaker.

To see more from the world of crowdfunding, check out our previous Kickstarter of the Week stories.