Categories
Health and Wellness Smartwatches/Bands

IBeat smartwatch monitors every beat of your heart

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the U.S., and every minute that passes without defibrillation and life support intervention reduces the possibility of survival.

patent-claimedIBeat is a 24-hour, heart-monitoring smartwatch that can immediately notify the user, as well as his or her family and 911 in case of a heart-related emergency. Its medical-grade sensors constantly monitor heart activity and detect emergencies.

IBeat ships in July at future pricing of $459. But Indiegogo backers have been able to reserve one for a pledge starting at $99 for early birds. Its makers hope to raise $50,000 by Oct. 30.

There are many other smartwatches on the market already, many of them that feature heart monitoring, including Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2. But few rival products continuously monitor heart rate around the clock like iBeat does. Not all rival products include GPS and some that do, unlike iBeat, charge extra for that feature. Unlike most rival products, iBeat users also don’t have to use it in conjunction with a smartphone.

There are, however, potential negatives for some consumers. First, after a free year of monitoring service, the iBeat watch monthly monitoring fee becomes $17. It is, meanwhile, a single-profile device that’s not designed to be used by more than one person. It is also only being targeted at the U.S. market for now, but its makers say that, in the near future, they plan to offer an international version of iBeat with multi-language support.

Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness Smart Home

Fixo is a well-rounded smart home disc

Those who’ve made the leap to outfitting their apartments or homes with smart home devices can quickly recall the horrors of trying to figure out how make everything work together. The tired Internet of Things trope of disparate standards is anything but, still making things difficult years into the IoT craze. And to add insult to injury, each of these products can look so wildly different that choosing to put them all in a single space can result in a serious decorative crisis.

Some smart home systems, like the Oomi and Kasia, present potential backers with an all-in-one system that avoids these issues. Fixo, however, takes it up a notch with a stylish design that looks great presented on a table or on the wall anywhere in the home. The HD-camera equipped multi-face smart clock features a dedicated suite of apps along with a wide variety of integrations so that users can do everything from check weather forecasts, remind themselves of their next Google Calendar appointment, consult recipes in the kitchen, refer to the bountiful knowledge of Wikipedia, or just snap some selfies or video call loved ones and friends.