Month: January 2015

Categories
Automotive Connected Objects

Sync your ride up with the miaLinkup auto dongle

It’s surprising to think about how even the newest cars can’t boast the amount of technology seen in smartphones. Over the years, this has been reflected in the union between the two: cradles, connectors, and all kinds of other accessories have made the car a smartphone’s second home. Unfortunately, they also create clutter that ultimately ruins a car’s interior aesthetic and contributes to a more dangerous environment that requires driver attention at the wrong moments.

The team behind the miaLinkup ultra-long wireless module wants to get rid of this unnecessary mess by combining all of these features and more into one compact device. The device takes the form of a a dongle for the On-Board Diagnostic Port II, or the OBD, and utilizes Bluetooth 4.1 to offer complete control of a vehicle with a smartphone. With the miaLinkup installed, things like streaming music wirelessly, unlocking doors, or rolling up windows are all possible in vehicles previously lacking the technology. In addition, an onboard GPS can help lost drivers to their vehicle and prevents unauthorized movement, a tire pressure monitoring system helps avoid unfortunate blowouts, and real time usage and diagnostic reports help users save money over the long run.

The device needs a Bluetooth extender to function at ranges up to 2,500 feet or up to 1,000 feet with buildings in the way, but in either case, its versatility can’t be understated. To top it off, miaLinkup requires no monthly fee for this impressive set of functionality, so interested backers need only spend $199 for the device along with four tire sensors. Provided the campaign reaches its $50,000 goal, the product has an estimated delivery date of September 2015.

Currently, there are a plethora of OBD devices that provide things like GPS tracking or engine monitoring, but the combination of functionality in the miaLinkup is rare, especially considering its open API. A prior Indiegogo campaign, the Drivebot, is similar in that it offers diagnostics but without tire information, or Bluetooth streaming capabilities. The miaLinkup is fully featured, instantly providing value and technology to vehicles that may need one or the other.

 

Categories
Fitness Watches and Jewelry Wearables

Mira fitness tracker boosts ego, blasts laziness

Many fitness devices and trackers offer the same thing. They track activity and create graphs and charts to see progress. Few, however, really take on the motivation of a trainer in order to push users to do more.

Mira is the first wearable fitness device designed just for women. The tracker itself is small and black and either fits onto a stylish bracelet, clips onto clothing or fits in a pocket. With its accompanying smartphone app, it measures steps taken throughout the day along with other activities put in manually. In addition, it tracks food and water intake. Mira makes it easy to see activity and calories consumed per day all in one place.

Perhaps the most unique thing about this product, however, is the tips and tricks it provides, called boosts. These boosts can range from advising users to drink water when they get up in the morning to saying that sweat is really “fat crying”. Anyone using Mira can ask for a boost when they need it. At the end of the day, you can look through how you did in order to determine what to do more or less of.

All in all, Mira is a great product for women, or men too for that matter. Mira should be careful, however, not to fall into the Bic Pen for Her trap, making their product a caricature of what women really need. The boosts are borderline at best, some reminiscent of what a mean girl would say with a sneer, like the above crying fat comment. Even so, the intent behind the product is definitely good. One package including tracker, bracelet and app will cost backers $149 with an estimated delivery of January 2015. Mira is looking to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Camping

TableSnugg keeps tablecloths hanging on by a drawstring

Picnics can be a great deal of fun until it comes time to figure out how to put great food out on a table that isn’t so clean. While many people will choose to use a tablecloth, there are times when keeping it from blowing off the table and into the wind can be a pretty major challenge. TableSnugg is a tablecloth with a builtin drawstring that allows the user to tighten the table cloth around the edges of the table. There’s not a great deal of detail on what this product is made of, but it is washable and recyclable.

While this product is certainly convenient in some ways, in others it doesn’t make sense. Usually the tablecloth is held down by the food that it holds, isn’t it? For $375, backers get a picnic basket that includes one TableSnugg and assorted other items, provided the campaign can reach its $30,000 goal.