Fully Charged: Nike’s power-laced Marty McFly shoes might still release in 2015, AT&T gets BlackBerry Passport variant, and Netflix’s Daredevil dated

Nike MAG with power laces still aiming for 2015

One week into 2015 and we’ve already had our fill of people complaining that Back to the Future Part II‘s predictions didn’t all pan out – but there’s one that still might. Nike’s Tinker Hatfield, who designed the original power-lacing sneakers from the 1989 movie, told a crowd at the Agenda Emerge conference this week that his team is working to have the real shoes out before the end of the year.

Savvy sneaker fans will remember that Nike issued 1500 pairs of non-powered MAG shoes (pictured) back in 2011 to raise money for film series star Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s Research foundation, but these will apparently be the real deal, with a button that automatically secures the laces to the shoe. Last February, Hatfield noted plans for the power laces, but nearly a year has passed without an official announcement.

Luckily, there’s a patent for the tech, filed by Nike and its most notable designers in 2013 (and awarded last year), that details exactly how it’ll all work. Whether they get it done in time to make the movie-inspired deadline remains to be seen, but whatever the case: real, working Nike MAGs are on the horizon. Are you cool enough to wear them?

[Source: Nice Kicks]

BlackBerry Passport changed for AT&T

So this is odd: BlackBerry’s very large Passport, which is the company’s non-traditional device with the square square and hard edges, has been revised to be just a hair less distinctive for U.S. carrier AT&T.

The revised Passport was unveiled at CES this week, and while the screen and keys are the same, the new version has rounded edges and what looks to be just a tiny bit more space at the bottom of the device. Otherwise the price and functionality are unchanged, but it’s curious to see a phone hailed for its unique shape and build get a little watered down for a single carrier’s whims.

[Sources: BlackBerry, CNET]

Marvel’s Daredevil hits Netflix in April

Not only is Marvel continuing its immense success in film and pushing harder into network TV, but the comic company also has a few series coming on Netflix. Daredevil is first up, and it’s due to premiere a bit sooner than expected: all 13 episodes will hit the streaming service on 10 April.

Daredevil stars Charlie Cox (no, not Ben Affleck) as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who gains other enhanced senses and puts them to use fighting crime at night. It’ll be followed later this year by A.K.A. Jessica Jones, with Iron Fist and Luke Cage series also coming to Netflix before it all culminates in a Defenders miniseries.

[Source: Marvel]

Indiegogo launches post-funding service

So you’ve just successfully crowdfunded your dream project? What now, besides taking all of that money and turning it into something (hopefully) great? If you used Indiegogo for your campaign, now you can utilize its InDemand transition service, which effectively lets creators continue the momentum by taking pre-orders and building upon the exposure yielded by the campaign.

No doubt, Indiegogo takes a cut of all of this action – this isn’t philanthropy, after all. And there are concerns that extending the life of a successful campaign can take attention away from the latest crop of crowdfunding contenders. But for creators who just secured serious bank but aren’t yet ready to go it alone, this is an interesting new option to consider.

[Source: Indiegogo]

About

Andrew writes features, news stories, reviews, and other pieces, often when the UK home team is off-duty or asleep. I'm based in Chicago with my lovely wife, amazing son, and silly cats, and my writing about games, gadgets, esports, apps, and plenty more has appeared in more than 75 publications since 2006.