Roundup of Apple accessory Kickstarter projects

Sometimes Apple becomes so wrapped up in its secrecy that it declines to release accessories that its products obviously could use.

But that’s what third parties are for, and right now a bunch of start-up third parties are on Kickstarter trying to get seed money for some pretty cool Apple-related projects.

They range from iPhone cases and gadgets to a stand built to improve Apple’s iPad Smart Cover and Smart Case.

That project is the Smarter Stand, and it’s a pair of clips that help you get more stand positions for your iPad out of your Smart Cover by holding together two of the cover’s folds at the same time.

The Smarter Stand has already blown far past its goal of $10,000 with a current sum in excess of $46,000, and it still has almost two months to go.

Another item that has already secured its funding is called Twig, which is part iPhone charge cable and part iPhone stand. By using a super-short version of an iPhone cable along with two legs and hard cable material, the Twig functions as a stand while also charging your phone.

In its video, the Twig also serves as an iPhone stand too -- at one point propping up the phone while its user is on FaceTime.

The Twig had a goal of $50,000, but it’s already locked down more than $135,000 with more than a month left to go.

But neither the Smarter Stand nor the Twig have beaten their goal the way the Scanbox has.

The Scanbox is a simple cardboard stand that gives the iPhone the proper support and places it at the proper distance to scan documents in a more precise way than just holding up your phone and taking a picture. The Scanbox starts as a piece of specially cut, folded-flat cardboard that opens into a box into which you can toss documents or full-blown objects to be photographed.

It’s simple, but it’s apparently also heavily in demand -- it beat its goal of $12,500 and is at more than $141,000 with 15 days left to fund.

Among the projects that have not yet secured funding is the Hone, which is less than $2,000 from its goal of $46,000.

The Hone is a device that attaches to your keychain that you can activate from your iPhone to help you find your keys if you lose them. Activating the accompanying app makes the Hone sound an alarm, and the app has a proximity sensor that will let you know when you’re getting closer. The device works using Bluetooth and has a range of 150 feet.

And last but certainly not least is the Taktik, an iPhone case made by Lunatik, a company that has previously had two other projects funded from Kickstarter.

The Taktik is a super-heavy-duty case for the phone, and its retail price is going to be $100. But it’s waterproof, shockproof, adds an extra layer of gorilla glass and, best of all, it’s got a great design.

[Updated, June 22, 3:15 p.m.: The price of the Taktik jumps up to $125 when it comes with the extra layer of gorilla glass.]

At this point, the Taktik is a little more than $50,000 from its goal, but with a month left for funding and its maker’s past experience, the Taktik will likely secure funding.

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