Month: January 2016

Categories
Television

Blipcast lets you cast any headphones as your TV audio player

Trying to watch TV at night can be a major hassle when there are other people in the house trying to sleep. A pair of wireless headphones can sometimes solve the problem, but not if more than one person is watching a TV at the same time.

Blipcast is a solution to the late night TV blues, enabling transmission of audio from a TV, home theater receiver or other source to smartphones and tablets via an accompanying app. The audio can then be heard using just about any headphones or earbuds. The small, black device hooks up to TVs and other sources via USB. The device ships in November at future pricing of $99, although early bird Kickstarter backers have been able to get one at pricing that starts at $49. Its makers are hoping to raise $100,000 by Feb. 1.

Blipcast seems to offer a pretty good solution for at least some late night TV watchers. But, as with all audio products, it’s hard to tell from a Kickstarter campaign just how good the sound quality is. Users must also have Android or iOS mobile devices to use the app, so those with other operating systems need not apply.

 

Categories
Apparel Fitness Wearables

The Hexoskin Smart is a Bluetooth-enabled second skin for your second wind

More and more, wearables are trending towards clothing with embedded technology versus additional and mostly cumbersome devices that ultimately get in the way of an efficient exercise, for instance. 2013’s Hexoskin, a sensor-embedded shirt able to generate data on heart rate, calories burned, movement, etc., was a sneak peek at the idea. Now, the company is back with their second generation Hexosin Smart.

In addition to the shirt’s ability to analyze exercise intensity, fatigue, recovery, breathing, and sleep quality, it is now outfitted with Bluetooth Smart technology, allowing it to work on a wide array of the most popular exercising apps like Strava, MapMyRun and Argus.

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Categories
Robots/Drones

The Gravitron v2 lets you experience drone races at 50 mph

The sport of first-person view drone racing is growing, and growing quickly. With it, the demand for faster, lighter, and more durable drones that can outpace the competition.

The Gravitron v2 is the second iteration of the original, and its specs show. This time, 3k Japanese carbon fiber — some of the strongest and lightest — is joined by powerful 2300kv brushless motors alongside a lithium ion battery that gives the Gravitron a top speed of 50mph for anywhere between five to eight minutes. And with that blazing speed, all pilots are bound to crash their Gravitron in some brutal ways.

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Categories
Connected Objects Sensors/IoT

Use the Droppler to drop your rate of H2O waste

Every year, the problem of water waste continues. It’s imperative to do whatever possible to slow the rate of waste, and while people usually think of large scale solutions when it comes to these equally large problems, everything really begins in a more familiar place: at home.

The Droppler is a connected device that lives in the kitchen or the bathroom, riding the coattails of the heightened use of voice-controlled gadgets like Amazon’s Echo by constantly listening to instances of running water. It was born out of a desire to more readily understand water usage, and to do so pairs with an accompanying smartphone app to monitor water usage and allow users to set goals in dollars versus other, indecipherable standards.

In addition, its modular construction can be upgraded easily or even expanded upon depending on what becomes available for it. The Droppler can be had for $99 and is expected to ship in June 2016. Its $70,000 goal needs to be met by $70,000 to be successful.

The Droppler is a novel solution to saving water in the home. Unfortunately, its core functionality is something a majority of mic-equipped connected devices would be able to replicate with programming. Still, it definitely can help, especially combined with shower specific water-saving solutions like the Cullector or EVA.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Toys

It’s your very own light show with the GLOW smart cubes

If someone didn’t know any better, they’d think cubes were the only form crowdfunding campaigns were aware of. With such a large variety of already clever cube-shaped devices like the Sugr Cube wireless speaker to the LED-studded Cuberox, it takes something truly innovative to stand out.

The GLOW interactive smart cubes try to do so but fall a little flat. They react to music and gestures, lighting up in a wide array of colors at various levels of luminosity depending on the stimulus. The company behind GLOW, Yume Cloud Inc., envisions it being used as a device to be played with, a piece of decorative flair for the home or even larger events like weddings, or simply as a visual accompaniment to music at, say, a concert. A set of two GLOW cubes is going for $106 and is expected in April 2016 should its $20,000 goal be met by February 3rd, 2016.

While the accompanying iOS/Android app can be used to play games with the cubes, the product seems like a throwaway. It doesn’t bring anything completely new to the table. Backers would most likely want something with a bit more functionality, and the GLOW doesn’t quite deliver.

Categories
Connected Objects Personal Transportation

This compact scooter can take you wherever you Zar

That pesky last mile: the scourge of all commuters worldwide. After a long day spent working, the last thing anyone wants to do is extend their trip by another 20-minute walk. Fortunately, the last few years have seen an explosion of options. The Zar by Crazyfire Technology is another.

While claims of having created the world’s best anything is usually met with doubt, Crazyfire’s Zar might just be the lightest, smallest e-scooter to date. Weighing in just 8.8lbs, with a length of almost one and a half feet and a height of almost 4 feet, the Zar is tiny enough to be folded up into a bookbag. This is due to the aluminum and fiberglass construction of its frame. The Zar boasts a 6.2 to 12.5-mile range depending on the battery configuration, with both being able to reach a top speed of 12.5mph.

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Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

A modular smartband is what’s Nex

One of the biggest criticisms about most smartwatches and smartbands is unsurprisingly similar to smartphones: they can’t be upgraded. Consumers are forced to buy products with a static set of features that, while they may be expanded on slightly using OTA updates, they eventually become fundamentally outdated after a certain time.

The Nex Band is looking to outfit consumers with a bit more choice. The modular smart band allows users to fully customize it with Mods, small little blocks each with their own functionality. This makes it possible for users to use the iOS app to program hacks in combination with IFTTT, so opening and closing the garage door, turning up the A/C, and controlling every other connected aspect of life is possible — all from the wrist. A community aspect is present where users can share mods with each other.

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Categories
Kids/Babies Smartwatches/Bands

Keep an eye on your tykes with the video calling dokiWatch

Parents are constant concerned about their children’s wellbeing. In this hyperconnected world, though, giving them a full-featured smartphone is often a bit of an overkill, especially since parents may want to avoid the excessive screen time younger ones are exposed to.

The dokiWatch introduces a happy medium. The kid-centric smartwatch is made out of colorful, soft, and flexible plastic that house a GPS tracker along with GSM and Wi-Fi technology to allow parents to accurately track their offspring’s every move. dokiWatch one-ups Apple with the ability for children to video call, voice and text message their guardians or any other friends that might have shared a contact with.

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Categories
Connected Objects Nutrition/Hydration

Hydrate Mate helps maintain a fluid performance

For runners, hydration bladders are undeniably better than having to stop and grab a sip of water through a bottle. One of the biggest drawbacks is not having a clue how much water is left. In many cases, it isn’t a problem but for more serious runners, the last they’d want to happen is to have empty hydration bladder with miles left to go.

The Hydrate Mate is a simple solution to what can be an annoying or even dangerous problem. It’s a small, Bluetooth-enabled attachment placed at the end of the hydration bladder’s tube and it’s opening that measures the pressure of the bladder itself, with an algorithm to maintain accurate readings no matter its orientation. These measurements are fed into its iOS/Android app to inform users of water levels through their run.

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Categories
Kids/Babies Technology

This mechanical canine is a CHiP off Aibo’s shoulder

As devoted owners of the  Sony Aibo face the mortality of their precocious robo-pups, the rest of the world realizes how close a mechanical companion and their human caretakers can really be. Aibo isn’t the only case of digital attachment: everything from the Tamagotchi to, a certain extent, the AI we interact with every day in the form of Siri and other virtual assistants all kindle this unlikely connection.

WowWee, an established company that specializes in creating intelligent robots, is looking to assuage fears of post-Aibo loneliness with its CHiP robot dog. Instantly, the charming four-wheeled, dual stereo-ed computerized canine barks, whimpers, and growls its way to the heart by showing affection to whoever is sporting the included smart band. With it, the user can have CHiP follow him/her around, control it directly or issue it a ‘sic ’em’ command. Crucially, the band contains a like button to reinforce behaviors and change its personality over time.

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