Flyover Innovations’ first product, Blumoo, can stream music to a stereo system through a mobile device.
Would you want to use four remotes to control a home theater system? Of course not. So you may be enticed by what consumer electronics startup Flyover Innovations has going for their Indiegogo campaign.
The Lenexa, Kan., startup’s first product, Blumoo, is an open-source software and hardware platform capable of morphing any iOS or Android mobile device into a universal remote that streams music—iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, etc.—to your stereo and can control all home theater equipment, such as a TV, Blu-ray player or cable box. It’s been built with an open API to “allow the community of app developers to build new innovative apps” for it, said co-founder Jason Carman (right) in an email.
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Blumoo works by first downloading the iOS or Android app, which automatically loads the appropriate database of controls for the proper device through the software’s interface. The device then syncs with the Blumoo “pod,” a small transmitter that doesn’t have the line-of-sight limitations of most remotes.
It’s the very beginning for a young team with an old history: Carman and co-founder Mark Vogt met 10 years ago designing GPS equipment at Olathe, Kan.-based Garmin. They wanted to break away and make a difference in the technology world through user-centric products.
“We have cherry-picked former colleagues to come and join us in this startup venture with the ambition of building a great electronics company,” Carman said.
Flyover’s Indiegogo campaign has contribution levels from $5 to $1,000 available and nine days left to reach its base goal of $30,000—$17,020 has been raised as of publication. The initial push will be stereo control and streaming, as it is “such a common use case and yet no device exists on the market,” according to the Indiegogo page. But an app for a full universal remote will be sent to all donors if the startup meets its stretch goal of $40,000.
Credits: Photo and video from Indiegogo page. Carman headshot from LinkedIn.
