Month: March 2015

Categories
Podcasts

The Backerjack Podcast, Episode 10: making music, cooking books, and thwarting thieves

It’s a bit of deja vu as Steve and Ross check out a very different kind of connected lock from the Sesame lock and a MIDI alternatives to Opho Keys, both discussed in Episode 9, In this first double-digit episode, the podcast takes on

  • the Artiphon INSTRUMENT 1, a MIDI instrumen t that not only offers a symphony full of sounds, but a multitude of ways to play
  • a new connected lock and alarm for bicycles and motorcycles called the Nokē U-Lock from the team that successfully funded (but has not yet shipped) the Nokē Lock
  • Rocketbook, a cheap and simple alternative to cloud-connected writing systems like that of Livescribe that lets you start anew by zapping the whole notebook in a microwave oven
Continue reading “The Backerjack Podcast, Episode 10: making music, cooking books, and thwarting thieves”
Categories
Apparel Winter Sports

Achieve your NHL and Olympic dreams on the cheap with the Sparx Skate Sharpener

The dream of being in professional sports shared by many but achieved by just a few.  The road to becoming a professional athlete is unquestionably challenging and can be rather expensive at times. Hockey in particular is a notoriously expensive sport for aspiring athletes to pick up. Nonetheless, when hockey players finally land that lucrative contract in the NHL or win an Olympic medal, all of the time spent training and the money spent on expensive equipment instantly becomes well worth it.

Sparx Skate Sharpener is a device which aims to cut down the typically high costs of hockey training by offering professionals and amateurs alike the ability to sharpen their skates at home and avoid the hassle of driving to a hockey store. The device’s automatic sharpener is touted as being extremely easy to use. Indeed, users need only to place their skate on the sharpener and push a button. Just two minutes later, their skates are sharp enough to be used on a professional level.

The product utilizes the same type of grinding technology that hockey shops use. Additionally, it comes with a replaceable grinding ring so that users can customize the sharpness of their skates to their exact needs. All moving parts on the device are housed internally, with sliding guards included as an added safety measure. That being said, internal parts may ultimately complicate repairs for do-it-yourselfers. Backers who love skating might also like to check out Glo-Blades.

This campaign seeks to raise $60,000 by April 18, 2015. Backers get one product for $549 with an expected delivery of October 2015.

Categories
Health and Wellness Wearables

Kanega Watch provides emergency connections for seniors on the go

Many traditional personal emergency response devices are limited in that they they traditionally keep seniors tethered to their homes. That’s an outmoded way in the era of powerful wearables.

Kanega Watch was designed to replace traditional emergency alert devices for seniors and doesn’t require a smartphone to operate. As an added plus, it’s more fashionable than many standard watches on the market. The company claims that focus groups have called Kanega a wearable version of OnStar for seniors because it provides discreet support for falls, medication reminders, and a guard against wandering, according to its Kickstarter campaign.

Kanega uses an easy speech interface rather than buttons and also features Bluetooth Smart technology and patent-pending quick-swap batteries that peel away from the watch for charging. The product costs $299 and will ship in February 2016. A separate charging cradle with two additional batteries is included. Replacement batteries are provided free with a  monitoring service that costs $35 to $85 a month depending on the service level chosen.

Kanega mostly relies on emergency notification but there have been other products that focus more on passive monitoring. Lively focuses on monitoring independent seniors in their homes although the company has come out with a wearable.

Categories
Connected Objects Music

Instrument 1 gets your groove on no matter how you play

The power of music apps have opened the door to a wide range of controllers — things that look like keyboards and disco floors and guitars. The incredible variety of sounds they offer when paired with the right software, however, pales in comparison to their relatively limited ways of producing those sounds.

That’s not the case for unfortunately named Instrument 1, a bold MIDI controller and musical instrument that allows mixing and matching of sounds and play methods. One can strum it like a guitar with its “digital strings” that don’t break, pluck it like a bass, tap it like a drum machine or play it a bit like a piano keyboard. There’s even a way to emulate guitar playing when used with an iPhone or watch. About the only traditional way of producing sound from an instrument that isn’t supported is blowing into it.

The compact Instrument 1 can run for about three hours off its built-in battery (alas, it uses too much juice to charge via USB) and i1s companion app  allows owners to define their own sounds. The versatility can keep backers’ hands occupied for $349 come January 2016. Artiphon  seeks $75,000 by April 12th. Curiously, particularly given how many organizations helped in the product’s development. the company is shying away from committing to producing more Instrument 1 units after fulfilling its Kickstarter obligations

The Instrument 1 is reminiscent of the Zivx Jamstik that was successfully crowdfunded on Indiegogo back in 2014, but that product — while also portable and less expensive — is more focused on replicating a guitar experience on the go for learning and practice. But this latest MIDI-compatible plaything should evoke a lot of fun for newbies who want to experiment with different methods of producing music as well as experienced musicians who want something compact and versatile.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Stesco imaging device captures three dimensions from two iPhones

3D was the laughing stock of the TV industry a few years ago. Despite all the ridicule and lack of content hurled at it, though, all of those 4K televisions  flying off the shelves can support 3D. In addition, new TVs in development promise improved quality 3D without glasses.

For those who’d like to take advantage of the second (or extended first) coming of 3D television using today’s devices, Tel Aviv-based Moebius Industries has created Stesco. The clever pocket-sized bracket  holds two iPhones adjacent so that they can each capture part of a stereoscopic image Its price is so low that the campaign can be forgiven for its gratuitous use of selfie sticks in its videos. The company offers a free app that stitches together the two photos or video streams after establishing a communications link, presumably via the Lightning connector. Moebius seeks to raise £30,000 (about $44,000) by April 13. Stesco costs £8 (about $12) for either the iPhone 5(S) or 6 and should ship in July.

While  iPhone photography add-ons have proliferated, most have focused on the convenience of the device that happens to be in your pocket. Unfortunately for Stesco, few people carry two iPhones in their pocket. And even if you have a friend willing to lend you one, it must be of the same generation to work to the product. While it produces smaller images and costs more than three times as much, Poppy 3D does the 3D capture trick with one iPhone. However, for partners, families, or amateur video crews who have easy access to a matched set of Apple smartphones, Stesco is a ridiculously inexpensive way to create stereoscopic photos and video.

Categories
Connected Objects Writing

Rocketbook connected notebook erases scribbles in microwave, literally cooks your books

As popular as tablets have become, many people prefer the experience of writing on paper. After all, the medium is tough to beat when it comes to cost and ease of sharing. But of course it’s difficult to distribute electronically.

The Rocketbook notebook uses paper with an invisible array of markers (dots) to allow the transfer of handwritten text and drawings and transferring them from the notebook to a companion app. On the surface, it’s similar to Livescribe, another system that uses dot paper. However, there are some distances between the two products. While the Livescribe system requires its own pen that can include audio, the Rocketbook can work with any pen. Also, the Livescribe system can relay information to an iPad or the cloud in real time as you write.

In contrast, Rocketbook pages must be scanned by the book’s app at some point  via a camera-like interface during or after their creation. A series of seven icons, including things like an airplane and a fish, can be designated to route scanned documents to different folders and cloud services, but good old letters or numbers would be a welcome alternative.

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Categories
Connected Objects Music Tech Accessories

Keys MIDI keyboard gestures create new wave with a hand wave

MIDI controllers are already hugely popular with music making aficionados, from lone bedroom creators to DJs dropping beats in front of enthusiastic crowds around the world. Typically, music makers are extremely creative types who are always open to  different ways of interacting with their homegrown sounds.

Keys, a product from Team Opho, provides a new way of doing just that. Keys is a modular, LED-equipped MIDI keyboard designed for both novices and pros alike. Along with being compatible with widely used music software suites like Logic, ProTools, and Ableton, Keys can also be hooked up to computers and smartphones. The weighted keys on the keyboard offer users a comfy and responsive touch.

Additionally, Keys incorporates gesture controls and an embedded proximity sensor which enables users to control a number of different parameters like octave and pitch while giving them the ability to sustain them with different movements. If that’s not enough, Keys are modular and can be linked together immediately. In other words, without any wires or configuration, 24 keys can become 48 or 72 keys instantly. Keys can be had for just $92, and Team Opho, which previously created the gTar,  is looking for $50,000 in funding to get it off the ground.

Unlike other illuminated keyboard controllers, Keys needs to be charged. Its slick quick-attach networking happens without Bluetooth, so backers will need a Keys dock for its magic to take place (semi-)wirelessly. Still, the product’s gestural control, modularity and feedback truly makes it a stand out. Advanced musicians and deejays will appreciate that it’s compatible with many products already popular today even as the company preps its own apps. Those interested in this sort of experimental product can look to Skoog for another colorful take on the MIDI interface.

Categories
Connected Objects Cycling

Noke smart U-lock protects your two-wheeler from a stealer

There have been no shortage of smart locks designed to protect the home. But many feel most at home on the road with two wheels hitting the road and a desire to protect what moves them there.

Just last fall, Fūz Designs introduced the Noke smart padlock that kept lockers closed to all but the right iPhone owner. Now the company has returned to Kickstarter with the Noke U-Lock. Evolving the electronics of the original into a shell that it calls “virtually indestructible,” the protective device  accommodates both bikes and motorcycles.

After pressing the unlock button on the device, the lock seeks out a smartphone with the right code in the companion app and disengages. Noke has also built functionality for lending a bike into the app and for revoking those lending privileges. Consumers can also track their bikes via GPS built into the product. Apple Watch compatibility is in the works. And bucking a trend, the company is even supporting Windows Phones in addition to iPhones and Android devices.

Continue reading “Noke smart U-lock protects your two-wheeler from a stealer”
Categories
Camping Cooking

Tegstove helps to keep bellies, cell phones full while camping

While some people like to go camping in the great outdoors to get away from it all, and away from electronic devices in particular, the idea of “roughing it” certainly isn’t appealing to everyone. For many, completely doing away with modern conveniences is too much of a hassle.

The Tegstove presents a nice solution to that dilemma. The Tegstove is a multifaceted camping stove designed for folks who like to camp but still want to keep the ease of modern day living within reach. The stove lets users cook meals via butane gas, store energy via a thermoelectric generator, and perhaps most importantly, charge their electronic devices.

Overall, the Tegstove seems like an interesting product worth checking out. Camping lovers might also want to check out Campfire in a Can, Charby, Mini-E Camping Stove and Propane Porter. This campaign seeks to raise $50,000 by May 6, 2015.  Early backers can get one stove for $99 with an expected delivery of September 2015.

Categories
Kids/Babies Wearables

Baby Check checks on your baby’s health so you can rest easy

When someone is sick, they tell the doctor what’s wrong. Babies, however, can’t communicate except through crying. So when there’s a problem, it can be hard to tell right away whether it warrants a visit to the doctor or not.

Baby Check is a wearable for babies. Like many adult wearables, it keeps an eye on health by monitoring temperature, sleep, position and medicine administration. It stays on the arm and is made from safe materials meaning that it’s fine for baby to wear all day and night. The information detected by the armband syncs up with an accompanying Android/iOS app. It tracks data over time and allows for high temperature alarms to be set so that parents know exactly when their baby’s fever spikes. Baby Check runs on a rechargeable battery with a life of about one year.

All in all, Baby Check appears to be another great product for helicopter parents, much like the Fever Smart. While temperatures and sleep patterns aren’t essential for parents to keep super close track of, there’s value in being able to keep tabs on sleeping positions as babies aren’t supposed to sleep on their stomachs. Parents can donate $50 for their own with delivery in June 2015. Baby Check is hoping to raise $35,000 in funding on Kickstarter by April 1.