Hey makers, the clock is ticking — Insert Coin submissions close in two weeks!

Hey makers, the clock is ticking  Insert Coin submissions close in two weeks!

Insert Coin: New Challengers was far and away one of the highlights of March's first-ever Engadget Expand, and we're excited to see what the maker community has in store for round two. Time's running out to get those projects in -- we're closing the door on submissions on September 27th. Think you've got what it takes to earn a trip to Expand to compete for the $10,000 Judge's Choice and $15,000 Readers' Choice awards? Check out the contest fine print after the break and click the source link to submit your project!

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Source: Insert Coin

Ziphius gets fully funded on Kickstarter, expected to ship in March

Now that's what we like to see. Our first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers winner has secured full funding over on Kickstarter -- and just in the nick of time. With just over a day to go before the end of its fundraising period, Ziphius has managed to pass its lofty $125,000 goal. That means we can expect to see the cool little aquatic drone shipping to backers in March of next year, just in time for the warm weather. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that you too can live the crowdfunding dream. We've opened up entries for our second Insert Coin competition, as of late last month. It may not get you all the way to a final product, but with $25,000 up for grabs, it's a heck of a head start.

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Source: Kickstarter

Submit your hardware to Engadget’s second Insert Coin: New Challengers competition

Roughly this time last month, we opened up our second Insert Coin: New Challengers competition to all you entrepreneurial makers. The first one was an unquestionable highlight of March's first-ever Expand event in San Francisco, and we're psyched to see what you guys have in store for us this time. Ten semifinalists will get tickets to the show and a $1,000 travel stipend. One Judges' Choice winner will walk away with $10,000 and one Readers' Choice winner will get $15,000. Both will also score a product review on this site.

Ziphius, which managed to pick up both prizes back in March, is entering the home stretch in its own search for $125,000 over on Kickstarter. The aquatic drone managed to capture the imagination of the Expand crowd and our online audience, beating out a number of impressive finalists, including the Make-a-Play, SmartPulse, Smart Knob and Snapzoom. Think you've got something just as good in the works? Well, now's the time to show us. Submissions are open now through September 27th. You can find all the necessary rules over on our event page.

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Source: Expand

Submissions for Expand’s Insert Coin: New Challengers competition now open!

Calling all makers, dreamers, inventors and entrepreneurs, Insert Coin: New Challengers is back for round two! We were absolutely blown away by the responses to our Expand San Francisco competition. We had a hell of a time whittling all of the submissions down to a group of semi-finalists and had a blast interacting with all of the finalists on the show floor. Ultimately, Ziphius' head-turning aquatic drone took home the gold, a well-deserved and hard fought win. This time out, we'll giving 10 semifinalists tickets to the show, along with a $1,000 travel stipend. One Judges' Choice winner will walk away with $10,000 and one Readers' Choice winner will get $15,000. Both will also score a product review on this site.

Think you've got what it takes to walk away with the big prize at Expand NY in November? Well, now's your chance. We're opening up submissions today through September 27th. Semifinalists will be announced on this site and the big winners will be unveiled at the show. Submissions rules can be found after the break and over on our event page. We can't wait to see what you've got cooking this time out!

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Source: Insert Coin

Live from Expand: Insert Coin Awards (video)

Live from Expand Insert Coin Awards video

It's all been leading up to this! We narrowed it down to 10 semifinalists, and you helped us whittle the list down to five -- and now we're ready to announce the winner of our first-ever Insert Coin competition! Join co-host Mark Frauenfelder and our panel of judges as they unveil the results.

March 17, 2013 8:30 PM EDT

For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.

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Live from Expand: Insert Coin New Challengers Demos (video)

You've seen plenty about our Insert Coin competitors on this very site -- and now it's time to see them in action. We've got some stage time with the finalists, who will be arguing for why they think they deserve that $20,000 grand prize.

March 16, 2013 6:00 PM EDT

For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.

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Insert Coin finalist: Snapzoom scope smartphone adapter hands-on

One of five finalists in our first-annual Insert Coin: New Challengers competition, the Snapzoom is an adapter that lets you connect a smartphone to a telescope or a pair of binoculars for some long-range snapshots. We gave you a brief look at the product earlier in our contest, but we went hands-on with the Snapzoom ahead of Engadget Expand -- with the San Francisco Bay serving as our test subject, no less.

The Snapzoom isn't the only product of its kind, but it stands out for being universal. Though we tested the adapter with an iPhone 5, it will work with virtually every smartphone, thanks to adjustable clamps. Connecting the handset (in its case) to a set of binoculars was seamless: we just attached the device via the self-centering clamps and tightened it into place. It's easy to get excited when the setup brings you up close and personal with Alcatraz, but Snapzoom basically assumes you have some stunning imagery to shoot. We'll have to wait and see how our elite panel of Insert Coin judges thinks this contestant stacks up. In the meantime, check out the video demo past the break.

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Announcing the Insert Coin: New Challengers finalists!

Hard to believe, but March is here, and with this lambing-lion of a month comes Engadget's first-ever Expand conference in San Francisco. It also marks the impending culmination of our first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers competition. Late last year, we asked makers to submit their projects for a chance to win $25,000 in prizes. We whittled that list down to 10 semifinalists and asked you to help up get it down to a final five, which will go up in front of our all-star panel of judges on March 16th and 17th. Finalist voting closed yesterday, and we've tallied the 5 projects that will be demoed on stage. Check them out after the break, and be sure to follow our coverage at Expand for a chance to help pick the Grand Prize and People's Choice winners.

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Announcing the Insert Coin: New Challengers judges!

Announcing the Insert Coin New Challengers judges!

You've already voted for your favorite Insert Coin: New Challengers finalist, right? What? You haven't yet? What are you waiting for? Seriously. The voting's nearly closed! We've already whittled the list down to 10 finalists and asked you to help us get things down to five. Of course, there can only be one big winner, and for that we're bringing in the big guns.

MAKE Magazine Editor-in-Chief and Boing Boing co-editor Mark Frauenfelder will be joining us at Expand to help present the top five projects, each of whom will be getting time on our stage to convince readers and judges alike that they deserve to take home the top prize of $20,000. As for the judges themselves, we couldn't be happier -- the list includes four of the biggest names from the world of design, DIY, crowdfunding and gadget blogging. Check out the judges, after the break.

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Insert Coin semifinalist: SmartKnob brings keypad access to your front door

Insert Coin semifinalist SmartKnob brings keypad access to your front door

Keys? Who needs keys? The Smart Knob is an attempt to do away with those pesky metal things for property managers and renters, attaching a keypad to your front door's deadbolt. Owners of the property can issue codes remotely for a chosen period of time. Visitors can also get codes by calling the service's automated phone system. The Smart Knob is compatible with all standard circular deadbolts, and its creators insist that the installation process takes under a minute. The battery should last "up to two years" with daily use -- and when it gets low, a warning will let you know.

Check out a video of the original plastic prototype after the break. The final version will, thankfully, be made of metal.

Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!

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Source: The Smart Knob