Categories
Imaging

Axsy T-Set leaves photographers all set for camera motion control

Camera motion control accessories are often costly and clunky, relying on knobs and buttons to work. The Axsy T-Set from London-based Axsy is an affordable alternative that combines three devices in one and works in conjunction with a mobile app that lets users control their cameras via touch input on their smartphones.

The product will work with nearly any digital camera on the market. Axsy enables the user to control video, time lapse and stop motion effects. The Triaxis-set is made up of the Centric, Slide and three Spin smart motors. The Centric device, along with the Android and iOS app, serves as the brains of the product and uses a radio mesh network. It gets connected to a camera via USB or a standard shutter release cable. The T-Set’s Spin smart motor accessory and Slide work hand-in-hand to enable sliding, panning and tilting motions. The standard length of the Slide’s rails are 1 meter, but it’s extendable to any length with Axsy’s 50-cm extension rails.

Backers who pledge $230 will get one when it ships in July. Axsy is hoping to raise £35,000 (~$53,000) on Kickstarter.

The product seems promising and should prove appealing to many photographers. It compares favorably to more traditional camera accessories such as the Axis360 from Cinetics and costs much less.

Categories
Technology

Spin remote universally controls home’s devices, doesn’t point to do so

editors-choiceIt would be great to have just one remote control that could control all the devices in the living room. It would make things even easier for many people if that one remote didn’t have more than a dozen buttons, or, even better, didn’t have any buttons at all.

The Spatent-claimedpin remote from the Netherlands features six LEDs that enable it to send out infrared signals in every direction. This eliminates the need to point Spin at the desired device, which is what one has to do with a traditional remote that only has one infrared LED. Just touching Spin is enough to activate it and users can program it with up to 10 presets. Each of those presets can be used to program multiple devices. As such, the average home owner will be able to program all the devices in their home with just two or three presets. For example, the user can turn Spin to the left to lower the volume on a TV and turn down the thermostat, or turn it to the right to make the TV volume louder and turn the thermostat higher. Although the remote can communicate with smart devices via Bluetooth LE, it is mainly meant to be used with non-networked electronic devices, including TVs.

The presets can be set by downloading a free Android or iOS app. If the company gets more funding, they plan on supporting more OS’s including Blackberry and Windows. Backers who pledge $92 will get a Spin remote when it ships in September. This product is looking to raise $1,000 on Indiegogo.

The design of the remote is stylish and certainly far more advanced than such devices as the simplistic IRring. The remote will work with all infrared electronic devices, including Blu-ray and DVD players, a huge convenience. But users will not be able to turn on and off an unlimited number of devices with Spin. The number of devices in one preset for a function like turning on and off devices will be limited to only five. one major drawback of this product.

Categories
Home

Flood Covers help protect your water heater, furnace when flood waters rise

One of the most devastating natural disasters that a family can endure is flood. The expense that comes with the loss is often not nearly as tragic as the loss of many of the precious memories attached to personal belongings. To add salt to the wound, families are often left without a furnace, water heater, and other important big ticket items after the tragedy.

Flood Covers were created by someone who has personally experienced such losses on more than one occasion. He decided that it’s time someone invented something that could prevent others from having to experience that. The huge water-resistant bag extends over furnaces, water heaters, and boilers up to four feet. It’s fire and safety code compliant in all 50 states. While it does have to be installed prior to the installation of a water heater, furnace or boiler, once it is installed it can be easily cleaned, and if necessary, reused.

Seems like a quality product that may be worth checking into further. However, few people ever really see the installation of furnaces and the like, so it’s pretty unlikely that most will even be able to use this product. Interested backers might also like to check out Water Hero and Hydroguard. This campaign seeks to raise $27,000 on Kickstarter. For $250, backers get one product with an expected delivery of June 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

Ampere wirelessly charges smartphones, tablets in sleeve form

To most people, climate change isn’t the world’s most pressing issue, but the dying smartphone in their pocket or purse is. With smartphones batteries experiencing none of the fantastic leaps forward every other component of modern smartphones have had, people are stuck with incredibly advanced pieces of technology that can’t stay on for a full day.

Power banks and other products like Mophie cases have enjoyed popularity as mobile solutions to the problem, but the folks at Novelsys think it can be so much easier. Their Ampere charging sleeve fits most smartphones and phablets and wirelessly charges them using the Qi inductive power standard along with a 2700mAh battery. This product also features a USB outlet to charge other devices four times as fast. Its companion iOS/Android app allows users to control when charging happens, monitor battery life, and track their device using Bluetooth LE.

The Ampere’s main draw is the lack of external attachments, wires, or connections, making the process of charging a smartphone on the go super easy, unlike similar products like the MyQi. Pretty much anyone with a smartphone will be interested in the $79 product, although some untested models may not work. The $60,000 campaign is looking to ship Ampere in August 2015.

Categories
Kids/Babies

Phillup color-coded kids cups cut down on waste

It’s amazing how a cup collection seems to grow in each child’s room like a massive weed, and how that seems to sprawl into many others rooms in the house. Phillup was created to help control the outrageous number of cups that get used by kids on a daily basis and cut down on the frequency of washing them.

The hangable kid cup consists of a cup with a loop that can be hung on a matching hook. The cups come in several colors, so they can be color-coded and each child assigned a color. Then they can just reuse their cup throughout the day when drinking water. The cups are also BPA-free and dishwasher safe.

This does seem to offer a solution to a pretty common problem, though there is also the option of just buying plastic cups and writing each child’s name on it with a permanent marker. Backers with little ones might also like to check out WetHeads and Puggle. This campaign seeks to raise $30,000 on Kickstarter. Backers get one product for $8, with an expected delivery of May 2015.

Categories
Safety Travel

The Travel Guardian combines smoke detector and alarm clock for ultimate safety travel companion

Citing that 1.5 million homes in the UK are without a smoke alarm and that most people do not regularly check their smoke detector batteries the makers of the Travel Guardian suggest killing two birds with one stone with their product. They suggest that since most people regularly change alarm clock batteries, that adding a smoke detector to alarms will ensure that both are always ready to go.

Travel Guardian is a large clock display that comes in a variety of colors. Inside is the smoke detector. Backers that pledge £250 (~$380) will get a limited edition metallic gold edition unit.

If you are very concerned about the possibility of smoke or fire hazards while you travel, the Travel Guardian may be for you. However, it’s a little odd that this product is specifically for travelers since at least hotel accommodations definitely have both alarm clocks and smoke detectors. It’s also a huge drawback that the Travel Guardian doesn’t attach to the ceiling, so it really won’t detect smoke at the first opportunity. Backers that contribute £50 (~$75) get the regular edition of the unit. The campaign is seeking to raise £100,000 (~$150,700) on Indiegogo.

Categories
Imaging

Sidekick GoPro light attaches to camera, sheds some light on cool activities

Everyone knows that the best way to get adventure shot is with a GoPro. GoPros come in many shapes and sizes with different attachments making it possible to videotape or photograph any cool activity. Going bungee jumping? Attach that camera to your helmet. Rock climbing? Have it sitting on your shoulder for a cool view.

Any photographer knows that a photograph or video is only as good as its light. That’s why Sidekick was invented. This product is a companion light for the GoPro and provides a powerful 600 lumen flood beam to get a great shot. It mounts right next to the camera and is compatible with all current GoPro mounts. Sidekick has a rechargeable lithium battery with a run time of up to four hours and is waterproof down to 60 meters under water.

Backerjack has seen many products that have piggybacked off of the GoPro series’ success. Sidekick is one such product, but is quite useful and well-designed. It’s light weight and ease of use differentiate it from similar products, like the Triclops, and make it just the thing for any extreme backer. This product is looking to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter. One will cost backers $80 for delivery in March 2015.

Categories
Pets

Puppy Wand helps defend owner and pet while taking a walk

A dog is often the most faithful and loyal friend that a person can have. Pets cheer their owners when they are feeling down, rejoice with them when they are happy, and protect them when they believe their owners need it. Puppy Wand was invented by a boy whose beloved dog gave his life for his grandma while they were walking.

According to his story on the video, another dog tried to attack the elderly woman. While the precious family dog was successful in his rescue efforts, he ended up dying from dog bites in the end. The amazing young inventor decided to take the emotional pain of that experience and focus it in a positive way that would benefit others. The leash he created doubles as a means for dog owners to defend themselves and their pet if necessary. It instantly comes apart to form a long stick-like tube that can be used to fend off an attacking dog with one hand, while keeping owner and pet secure with the other.

If the product doesn’t really garner much excitement, the story is certainly enough to pull at the heartstrings of backers. This campaign seeks to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter. Backers get one product for $45 with an expected delivery of June 2015.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Wearables

Back to the Backers: Tempi wearable thermometer

Back in October 2014, Backerjack covered Tempi. Unfortunately, it was a losing battle as it eventually proclaimed defeat. Defiantly, Tempi creator Venicipio has decided to give it another go around, hoping for success this time.

Tempi is a smart, wearable thermostat that can be used to monitor the temperature in multiple locations at once using Bluetooth LE, an upgrade from the previous campaign’s model that could only monitor one. As such, the product has inherent limits in range, but confusingly still boasts being able to report back temperatures even on the go. A nine month battery helps Tempi recognize temperatures from -22°F to 185°F for a while. A backing of $30 will get those interested a Tempi in Silver or Red, to be shipped in Marh 2015. The campaign’s current goal of $45,000 is $5,000 less than the original campaign’s $50,000 goal.

Tempi may have experienced its initial failure because of just how unexciting it is. Granted, temperature readings are good information to have, but to purchase an entirely separate product to do so seems a bit excessive. The creators behind it have added a few more bells and whistles, but in the end it doesn’t seem that much attractive.

Categories
Health and Wellness Sensors/IoT

IDo smart thermometer measures temperature continuously, syncs with smartphone

The problem with a traditional thermometer is that it doesn’t continuously measure a sick user’s temperature. There is no way for it to keep track of fever spikes that can happen in the middle of the night –- especially dangerous when it’s a young child who is sick.

The iDo smart thermometer measures and monitors temperature accurately and continuously after being placed underneath an armpit using disposable patches. IDo Smart is the companion mobile app that the company is developing for the device. IDo is about the size of a U.S. dollar coin and uses Bluetooth LE to transform the data to the app. An open software development kit is also being made available for developers to build their own iDo integration into their products. Backers who pledge $35 AUD (~$29 USD) will get an iDo in March as part of a Kickstarter early bird promotion. Qodome is hoping to raise $10,000 AUD (~$8,200 USD) on Kickstarter.

The number of mobile devices that the app can be used with is still limited, which could limit its appeal. As of now, it will only work with the iPhone 4S or newer iPhones, fifth-generation iPod Touch 5G, iPad 3G or newer iPads, and recent Android devices including the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5. It also faces competition from rivals including the similar Fever Smart which goes the extra mile with cloud integration.