Remember when your nightstand used to just hold a book, a glass of water, and an alarm clock? Wait, it still does? (Mine, too).
The Sobro side table/nightstand would scoff at such simplicity. The latest furniture item from Storebound, the folks that brought you the ultimate mancave coffee table, just reached the halfway mark on its $500,000 funding goal on IndieGoGo.
The sleek side table looks like a slightly chunkier version of what you’d find in IKEA. And it’s seriously pimped out: connected Bluetooth speakers, wireless charging for two phones, a storage drawer that locks, app-enabled mood lighting, and all the power outlets your 21st-century heart could desire. Which all sounds pretty useful to me, except for the app-enabled colorful mood lighting, which seems like a last-second add-on to make the Sobro table seem more “hip.”
Though it markets itself as an end table slash nightstand, its special features definitely skew towards the latter. For one thing, the table has a motion-sensor-activated LED light (separate from the mood light) on its front that’s meant to function as a nightlight, guiding your path as you stumble to the bathroom.
The product’s connected app also has an “intelligent sleep mode” that can help you create good sleep habits. If it’s anything like other sleep apps, presumably you enter your bedtime and approximately when you need to get up, and the LED light bar simulates a sunrise to wake you at an ideal time in your REM cycle. The app also offers a variety of white noise sounds to lull you to sleep, controls the brightness of the nightlight, and can manage the mood lighting feature of the table.
I know, I know—we’re a smart-kitchen site, what are we doing covering a side table/nightstand?
Well, there’s a hint of kitchen built into the Sobro table in the form of its built-in cooler drawer. Really, though, the table is just an interesting addition to the smart home sphere; one that aims to fit a bunch of tech perks into one piece of furniture. And measuring 24-inches wide and 19 inches tall (with adjustable height if you want to make it taller), it does it in a pretty sleek size, too.
The Sobro side table has reached $250,000 of its $500,000 funding goal on IndieGoGo, with about a month left to go. Purchasers should expect to receive their nightstands sometime around October 2018. There are still a few of the Super Early Bird editions available for $299. Once those go, the price will jump to $349. According to the IndieGoGo site, the nightstand will eventually retail for $899.
I’ll probably stick with my no-frill nightstand setup, though it would be nice to be awakened by gentle LED lights and never have to hunt for a charger again. If they add an ice cream freezer drawer, though, the Sobro table may be too tough for me to pass up.
If you want to hear more about Storebound, the company which also brought you the PancakeBot, check out our podcast with their creator Evan Dash.
