Window blinds are the worst. You pull one cord too quickly and only one side pops up, leaving your window looking like a discombobulated mess. Thankfully, it’s 2013 and all solutions lead back to your smartphone. The SONTE digital shade is a ‘smart film’ technology that lets you adjust your window’s opacity with just a Wi-Fi connection.
The SONTE Smart Film is applied on your windows like regular films, except these ones use electric currents to recognize the user’s remote commands. Once the films are installed, the user can use a free iOS or Android app to control the transparency so you can go from see-through to opaque by just sliding the intensity level over. The films are an interesting and unique solution to blinds and curtains since they can be cut into any shape or size you need, giving you flexibility for wherever you need the coverage. You can also adjust the opacity remotely so you don’t even have to be home to blur out the views from the outside in.
Still, as a Kickstarter project, SONTE does have a few things it wants to note about this initial release of the product. It may not keep the sun entirely out of your room, but it’s intended to just give you an added sense of seclusion.
“Once installed, SONTE Film will have a slight effect on the clarity of windows when viewed from an angle. The digital shade currently blocks about 95% of light from entering windows when in “off” mode and in the “on” mode will allow 70% of light to enter,” the company describes. “The digital shade currently functions best as a privacy screen. We are working on product advancements that will eliminate effects on clarity and enhance light-blocking functionality.”
You can try the SONTE Smart Film for as low as $65 – that price range will get you a 1.64 by 1.64 feet square to test out. The full size 3.28 by 3.28 feet sheet begins at $199, but cheaper pledges may still be available as an earlybird Kickstarter backer. The product is estimated to ship in September of this year.
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