‘Shark Tank’ preview: PrideBites, Trobo, Coolbox, and NoPhone
After a two-week hiatus, “Shark Tank” is returning to ABC on Friday night in order to showcase some of the newest products, and they’ve got some interesting ones coming up. Our favorite episodes are the ones that have something different at almost every turn, and this one qualifies for that, even if we’re not sure all the products featured will get a deal.
Let’s kick things off now by sharing the official episode synopsis:
“Two advertising guys in New York try to sell the Sharks a cure for cell-phone addiction; emotions rise when entrepreneurs from Orlando, Florida talk about the inspiration behind their wireless cuddly toy that tells science and math stories to children; two pet lovers from Austin, Texas design and customize accessories for the most important member of the family: your one-of-a-kind pet; and two men from Huntington Beach, California hope they can lock up an investment deal with their high-tech “smart” tool box. Also, Lori Greiner takes 10 of her entrepreneurs – whose combined sales now total $188 million — to the Orgill Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, on “Shark Tank,” FRIDAY, APRIL 8 (9:00–10:00 p.m. EDT) on the ABC Television Network.”
NoPhone – When we first started to look at this product (which is basically just a chunk of plastic in the shape of a phone), we wondered what exactly this was supposed to be. Was it a joke? Maybe some will view it that way, but we think the messaging of this idea is what matters most: It’s basically a way for people to remember that communication is important versus the isolation we tend to get from being on technology all the time. We’re not sure they’ll get a Shark, but we give them credit for being creative.
Coolbox – There have been a lot of products on the show lately that serve almost as phone chargers / innovations for many of your devices. This just puts it in toolbox form. In some ways we do dig this since it could help to cure the boredom that comes with doing repair or construction work with your toolbox, but at $200 compared to $20-40 for many other toolboxes out there, is it really going to be worth the splurge?
PrideBites – It’s taken some of the customization attributes from many other recent products and applying them to the world of pets, which is a novel idea since people will spend a ton of money on them. We don’t love the name, though, since it sounds like a food product when it’s not. They still have a good shot at a deal.
Trobo – Really cool. We dig almost any product that strikes to make learning fun, and this is a storytelling product that uses a cute plush and your mobile / tablet device (right now it is for iOS) to help encourage young children to learn more about science, math, engineering, and technology. In between the concept and the idea of this being a subscription product for families who want more stories down the road, there’s a lot of value in the idea.
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