REDWOOD CITY, CA, Apr 18, 2013 - (ANTARA/ACN Newswire) -- HAPILABS, a company whose mission is to help individuals in the 21st century take control of their HAPIness, health and fitness through applications and mobile connected devices, today announced the start of their Kickstarter: http://hapilabs.com/kickstarter to raise funds for the manufacturing and distribution of HAPIfork the world's first connected fork.
HAPIfork transforms people's relationship with food as it monitors how fast the user is eating and helps them slow down. Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, HAPIfork was the recipient of the CES Innovations Award, Health & Wellness category. The word quickly spread in over 50 countries globally culminating in hundreds of articles, blog posts, tweets, television and radio appearances as well as a fun shout out from The Colbert Report.
"While our product is still a prototype, we're thrilled by the global response so far," says Fabrice Boutain, HAPILABS founder. "We believe this is affirmation of the growing consumer health awareness movement to gain better control of issues impacting weight and digestive issues as well as more serious issues such as diabetes and other chronic conditions."
Keeping in line with Kickstarter rewards at various funding levels, the HAPIfork will be offered as a perk for up to 2,500 people funding $89, and at the $99 level for anyone else who would like to be in the first commercial batch. In addition, the opportunity to be part of the beta testing program, receiving the HAPIfork at the earliest possible availability date, is offered at the $300 level perk. The campaign, which starts today and runs until May 31, 2013, has a fundraising target of $100,000.
HAPIfork was designed by French entrepreneur and inventor Jacques Lepine whose idea was based on research which shows that by eating slower, people can improve the way they feel, improve their digestion and lose weight. HAPIfork aims to modify eating behavior by slowing down how fast people eat and being more present with when and how long it takes to eat, leading to an overall healthier state of being and living.
Unlike other health related tools, the HAPIfork is inconspicuous and appropriate for out of home use. The Bluetooth enabled smart fork also collects information for future analysis or monitoring in clinical settings. All data is transmitted to a 'personalized online dashboard' when the HAPIfork is connected to the users computer or mobile device making it easy to monitor eating habits and health improvement at home or on the road.
HAPIfork will be released in three colors (blue, green and pink) and will ship to Kickstarter funders first before the general public. HAPIfork comes with an color coordinated case making it easy to carry everywhere. The product will initially go on sale in the US and EU in the fourth quarter of this year.
About HAPILABS
HAPILABS aims to help individuals in the 21st century take control of their HAPIness, health and fitness through applications and mobile connected devices. HAPIfork is part of suite of devices, applications and services from HAPILABS aimed at improving overall health, well being and happiness. Products in development include the HAPIwatch to help people sleep better and the HAPItrack to help people stay in great shape. Offering elegant and simple solutions, HAPILABS helps people achieve a healthier and happier lifestyle. www.hapilabs.com
HAPIfork the world's first connected fork. The personal technology tool monitors how fast a person eats and helps them slow down. HAPIfork is slated to retail for $99 and start shipping in blue, pink and green to the general public in the US and EU in the fourth quarter of this year.
Contacts:
HAPILABS International
Dakota Communication
Camille Petit, +33 1 55 32 10 40
camille@hapilabs.com
HAPILABS North America
Brand Communications
Barbara Franzoia, +1 415 734 6834
barbara@hapilabs.com
Corporate Marketing
Renee Blodgett, +1 617 620 9664
renee@hapilabs.com
Press release: http://www.acnnewswire.com/clientreports/598/0418_EN.pdf
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Source: HAPILABS via Thomson Reuters ONE
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
