Tag: Bluetooth Low Energy

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Connected Objects

Bixi relies on gestures, lets you nix standard remote control

editors-choice-300x96The main problem with controlling music and GPS navigation in one’s car through traditional remote control devices is that it can be a dangerous distraction.

Bixi is a smart home and mobile device that allows users to control connected objects via simple hand gestures. The small smart controller can be placed on top of any surface in the home or car, or mounted just about anywhere as well. Bixi connects via Bluetooth Low Energy to smartphones, tablets and computers. The device is based around next-generation time-of-flight optical sensors, and works well in complete darkness.

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Imaging

Snoppa M1 makes it easier to shoot video on smartphones

Gimbal stabilizers are among the most useful smartphone accessories for shooting video. After all, who wants to watch a video where the camera is shaking so much that it’s impossible to see what is happening?

Snoppa M1 is a connected three-axis gimbal for smartphones that eliminates camera shake with a vibration-free stabilizer system. It was created to allow any smartphone user to become a videographer without the need for luxury or professional camera equipment. Snoppa M1 features Bluetooth Low Energy and is controlled by the user’s smartphone.

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Automotive Connected Objects

YAB Bluetooth dongle helps find your car in a crowded parking lot

Two of the most frustrating parts of parking a car are not getting back to it before a parking meter has expired and not being able to remember where the vehicle was parked. The latter is especially the case when it’s a huge, crowded parking lot.

YAB is a small USB dongle that reminds users when their parking meters are going to expire and keeps track of where they’ve parked their cars. It automatically saves the car’s location on the user’s Android smartphone or iPhone when the engine shuts off. YAB communicates using Bluetooth Low Energy. YAB ships in December. Future pricing isn’t provided. But Indiegogo backers can order one for a $29 pledge. Its makers reached their targeted funding of $11,916 July 30.

This is a device that may appeal to any consumer who has ever received a parking ticket because they didn’t get back to their car before the meter expired, or who has been unable to find their car in a crowded lot late at night after seeing a movie or concert.

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Health and Wellness Wearables

Fitti Guard smartwatch helps keep you fit and safe

There are many fitness trackers on the market, but they tend to offer limited functions, have a short battery life and lack a display. Smartwatches tend to offer more features, but don’t necessarily do a great job with any specific feature. The number of environment trackers is also growing, but those devices tend to offer no additional features.

Fitti Guard is a health-focused smartwatch that monitors fitness and environmental factors including UV exposure. It features a total of 10 sensors, including UV, noise, air quality, humidity and radioactivity. Users get immediate alerts and helpful advice if their individual levels or dose rates for polluted air, noise nuisance, sunlight or even radioactivity are exceeded.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Kiba interactive camera captures fleeting memories, spontaneous selfies

editors-choiceMany people like to capture special moments, but often miss them because some of life’s greatest moments -– like a child’s first steps –- happen unexpectedly. Nowadays, we have a pretty good camera on us at nearly all times. However, even if we happen to be around for moments worth capturing, they can be over before we can fumble with our smartphones.

patent-claimedKiba is a voice-controlled, self-editing, interactive camera that captures joyful memories and unattended selfies. It captures 1080p HD video and 13-megapixel still images. Users can schedule the capture of recurring daily events like playtime activity or one-time events including a birthday party. They can then download the full recording or only 20-second “Smart Memories” that are automatically curated for them by the device. Kiba automatically cuts 90 percent of unwanted footage using patented Joy Ranking technology. The camera sifts through hundreds of interactions and picks the most interesting moments.

Users can interact and control Kiba hands free, using five simple voice commands for all the main functions: “Kiba Selfie” for high-resolution photos; “Kiba Record” for 30-second videos, “Kiba Remember” to capture the last 30 seconds, “Kiba Off” to put the device to sleep, and “Kiba On” to wake it up. Kiba uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy to automatically sync with the user’s connected devices.

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Smart Home

FlipFlic won’t leave you blinded by the light

It can be a major drag to face interruptions every time the window blinds need to be adjusted due to glare.

FlipFlic is a solar-powered, energy-saving device that adjusts window blinds based on sunlight, temperature or any schedule that is set via the accompanying app. An iOS app is already available and an Android version will follow soon. The automation device is easy to install. With one click, FlipFlic, which is about the size of a roll of quarters, attaches to window blinds magnetically.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Pulse remote trigger may set photographers’ pulses racing

Remotely controlling a camera offers photographers significant benefits, but can sometimes be a complex and time-consuming process.

Pulse is the latest remote trigger designed to enable Bluetooth control of a camera from a smartphone. It can control up to three cameras at once and is designed for use with digital single-lens reflex and mirrorless cameras via a USB port. Because Pulse uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), it’s able to communicate wirelessly with the smartphone from up to 100 feet away after being attached to a camera. Pulse ships in April and its expected future retail price is $99, although early bird backers can get one now at pricing as low as $69. Its makers are looking to raise $50,000 by Dec. 11.

There have been similar products, including MaxStone. But while that earlier product was targeted at iPhone users, Pulse works with Android and iOS devices and operates in conjunction with an app for both those operating systems. On the negative side, Pulse is only compatible with a limited number of cameras, including many Canon and Nikon models, as well as the Panasonic GH4. Users of cameras from other manufacturers need not apply, at least for now.

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Connected Objects Television

Klikr lets you replace all your electronic clickers with a smartphone

With the popularity of the Chromecast, many consumers are already controlling their TVs with their smartphones. But Klikr is a small Bluetooth LE device that takes the trend one step further.

By sticking Klikr on a TV, speaker, air conditioner or just about any other electronic device that uses an infrared remote control, a user can use an accompanying Android or iOS app to control any of those devices from their mobile device. Klikr gets stuck to a device next to that device’s infrared receiver using two sticky, reusable gel pads, and works as long as the user is within about 10 meters away. ,

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Kids/Babies Wearables

Starling helps babies’ vocabularies shine bright

There have been several wearable devices for babies. But Starling is a newcomer with a twist –- a smart device that tracks the number of words that a baby says and hears each day.

patent-claimedStarling is shaped like a star and can be clipped onto a baby’s clothes or wherever he or she is sitting. The small, patent-pending device has been designed for parents who want to take advantage of research showing that early vocabulary development can impact a child’s success in life because a significant amount of brain development happens before the age of three, according to its Indiegogo campaign.

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Automotive Connected Objects

SafFone was designed to keep drivers safe while making phone calls

Distracted driving remains one of the largest causes of car accidents in the U.S. The makers of SafFone are out to provide a solution to that problem.

SafFone (pronounced Safe Phone) is a small black device that easily clips onto a vehicle’s driver-side sun visor and allows the user to select any preset phone number at the touch of a button. The device uses Bluetooth low energy technology for RF communication using 2.4 GHz radio frequencies.

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