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Connected Objects Kids/Babies

The Snowfox trackerphone keeps your little cubs safe

editors-choiceBack before the advent of smartphones, kids used to go to this thing called “outside.” In this magical place, anything was possible. There were usually other kids out there, too, and together they were only limited by their imaginations. Times have certainly changed. Now, screens dominate children’s attention at the same time, parents can’t possibly imagine their children going off to do something by themselves anymore.

At the end of the day, parents would consider letting their child explore the world by themselves, but buying them a smartphone to keep track is an expensive proposition. This is why the Snowfox, a pendant-like trackerphone designed exclusively for children, is such a cool idea. Since it has a built-in SIM card and GPS, guardians can use a companion iOS/Android app to keep an eye on their little ones, receive push notifications if they leave home or school, and even call them if need be.

Categories
Aquatics

Breathe easy as you dive a bit deeper with the STEPDive SCUBA system

The beauty of SCUBA diving is undeniable — an underwater world full of wondrous, and oftentimes strange, environments and creatures that never fail to capture the imagination of any diver. The problem lies in actually getting to the point where the experience can be enjoyed as the complexity and heavy equipment involved with SCUBA diving has a way of scaring off newcomers.

patent-claimedTo help, the team at SnorkelDive Innovations designed the STEPDive, a lightweight and highly portable diving system for new and advanced users alike. The system is comprised of three parts: a base station raft that holds an oxygen tank and sports a deck and cargo net to hold gear, a floating depth control unit and a range control clip that controls how far an attached diver can go. Together, the system allows for a step-by-step SCUBA learning experience that eases newcomers into basic diving techniques and good habits and allows advanced divers to go along.

Categories
Camping

The Nomad Shadow Leaf leaves you made in the shade

The importance of proper protection from the sun at the beach cannot be understated. While it’s easy to have a good time and lose sight of protecting the body, most people usually apply some sun tan lotion once or twice, and call it a day. Others keep themselves under large, unstable umbrellas that are too small for the entire family and prone to being knocked over or blown away by strong winds.

Thanks to the magic of crowdfunding, even the beachside umbrella is due for a complete overhaul. Leaf for Life’s Nomad Shadow Leaf is that overhaul — a lightweight, portable sun shade with a wide variety of clever features for more beachside comfort. One of the parasol’s defining features is its anti-fungal, water-repellent canopy that uses a tensioning system to instantly open by simply unravelling it. When fully opened, the canopy seems small but is designed to sit at an angle that produces a larger area of shade.

Categories
Music

The cardboard DRUMKIT lets you carry the beat on your back

editors-choiceIt’s a universally agreed upon fact: Drums are awesome. What’s not is how cumbersome, expensive, and loud they are, not to mention hard to assemble and almost impossible to carry around. This doesn’t stop professional drummers from engaging in their craft but can serve as a huge barrier to entry for fresher drumming devotees.

OBILAB music’s DRUMKIT solves these five problems with a painstakingly researched, designed, and produced cardboard drum kit. It comes packaged in a five-pound box that can be worn as a backpack for easy transportation so that intrepid drummers can do their thing wherever they may be. When set-up, the DRUMKIT features fiberglass panels on each of the major drums not only for increased rigidity but also to help newbies drum correctly. 

Categories
Imaging Wearables

Recall your life’s greatest hits with Perfect Memory

Many of the awesome, curious and strange moments that happen on a daily basis end up being entertaining stories later on but are made better when they’re recorded for all to see. With a smartphone in everyone’s pocket, people have never been more capable of doing so. The only problem lies with actually pulling out the device in time. Since most of these moments happen so quickly, it’s hard to save them in time.

patent-claimedThe Perfect Memory is the perfect solution for this particular problem. The lightweight, Wi-Fi capable, microphone-equipped camera sports stunning build quality and can be worn around the neck, off a keychain, attached to a car’s dashboard, or anywhere else for that matter. With it, users can either continuously record their lives and tap the device to save the last five minutes of video or record at the tap of a button instead, with both modes able to be set to time lapse.

Categories
Connected Objects Imaging

Wow Frame seeks to bring social media into the pictures

Once upon a time, digital picture frames were among the most popular consumer electronic devices. But mobile photo sharing has largely killed the category.

The Wow Frame is a digital picture frame that receives photo and video feeds from social networks and mobile devices. Its maker intends consumers to buy multiple Wow frames and place them next to one another on their walls. Users would be able to share free or “premium” HD photos and videos with other Wow owners as part of an accompanying service.

Categories
Networking

Portal serves as your portal to faster, more resilient Wi-Fi

Many people rely on Wi-Fi for their everyday work and leisure needs. But the significant increase in Wi-Fi usage in recent years has created a traffic and congestion issue so bad that Wi-Fi service often slows to a crawl, making it unreliable.

Portal is a router that taps into unused spectrum to create faster, more resilient Wi-Fi that’s much faster than typical Wi-Fi service today. It also provides greater coverage throughout a user’s home. Portal’s proprietary spectrum turbocharger technology provides access to 300 percent more of the radio airwaves than other routers, improving performance by as much as 300 times, and range and coverage by as much as two times in crowded settings including city homes and multi-unit apartments.

Categories
Connected Objects Imaging

Tiny1 compact camera specializes in shooting stars

There are a lot of digital cameras on the market, but not many of them have been designed for one specific use, like taking photos of stars in the sky, for example.

patent-claimedTiny1 is a compact camera with patent-pending noise reduction technology that has been designed for astronomy. It helps users plan, capture and share stars from the palms of their hands. Tiny1’s interactive star map is a unique interface using augmented reality to help users easily locate and shoot celestial objects. It shows users the stars and constellations in real time and there is a search function built in to guide them.

Tiny1 works in conjunction with an Android app. The camera can be paired with a smartphone to easily share pictures via Wi-Fi. Tiny1 can also be controlled using Wi-Fi to reduce camera shake. Any lens available can be attached to the Tiny1 easily, including interchangeable camera lenses and telescope lenses, according to its makers Tiny1 ships in December at about $700. But early bird Indiegogo backers have been able to get one for a pledge starting at $349. Its makers are out to raise $100,000 by July 7.

Categories
Connected Objects Imaging Virtual Reality

EYSE live-streaming VR device transports you to somewhere more interesting

Every day, people around the world wish they were somewhere else: With friends on a trip, with family on a special day, on a tropical island relaxing, in the depths of a balmy jungle exploring — wherever. Usually, they feel this way to get away from the mundane of the current situation and while smartphone have given most people the power to live stream, it isn’t as immersive

patent-claimedIn the age of virtual reality of experience, it’s no surprise that the team at Vairdo developed EYSE, a VR-enhanced camera with dual 5MP cameras, an internal speaker and microphone that lets user live stream stereoscopic video others can enjoy with a VR headset. EYSE has a wide range of applications: It can be used to be present at far-off birthday parties and family gatherings, experience the wonder of drone flight first-hand, for better one-on-one instruction, to get an alternate, more aquatic view of the world, remotely monitor the home, and even treat phobias through immersion.

Categories
Displays

PaperLight projector and smart board makes presentations more portable

It would be nice to make business presentations while traveling from place to place without having to schlep around a heavy projector.

patent-claimedPaperLight is a patent-pending portable combination smart board and projector that works with any computer without the need for any software. The 37-inch desktop interactive projection display device features touch-screen functionality and enables users to make markups and write on documents with a stylus pen … or their fingertips. The device ships in December at $1,800. But Kickstarter backers have been able to order one for a $1,500 pledge. Its makers hope to raise $151,000 by July 7.

PaperLight’s portability, helped by a touch-screen display made of plastic rather than glass, is a key selling point, as is the fact that no software is required. It’s also a plus that the device tower can be folded in half. But there are so many portable and smaller pico projectors on the market now that PaperLight seems at least a bit dated.