Month: March 2016

Categories
Chargers/Batteries Wearables

The NiftyX Lifesaving Bracelet’s puny power bank is more jewelry than joules

The specter of a near-death smartphone battery is the type of first-world problem that needs an immediate solution lest the existential dread of being cut off from notification set in. Power banks can be a key aid in this regard, helping many smartphones avoid an untimely (if temporary) fate. However, they can sometimes be clunky and those cables can get pretty messy. In other words, shouldn’t there be more wearable power banks?

The team behind the NiftyX Lifesaving Leather Charging Cable Bracelet sure think so. The wrist-worn portable charger and cable boasts a hand-braided, genuine leather construction set off by a stainless steel buckle for maximum fashion appeal. But while it may look great, the NiftyX Lifesaving Bracelet’s 210m  Ah battery won’t be saving much. While it will certainly come through in a pinch, a more powerful solution is still needed if, say, one forgets to charge a phone overnight and needs to get through the day.

Continue reading “The NiftyX Lifesaving Bracelet’s puny power bank is more jewelry than joules”
Categories
Maker/Development

KeKeBoard wearable platform lets makers clothes the gap to smart apparel

In creating smart textiles, a lot of materials, soldering and sewing are needed. At this stage in smart textile production, though, the materials are large, the amount of soldering needed on delicate materials gets in the way of the garment’s form, and the amount of sewing needed is oftentimes tiresome. In short, making more comfortable, better looking smart clothing is missing something that could take the process of making it up a notch.

The KeKeBoard is a plug-and-play wearables platform designed specifically to address the many pain points found in smart textile creation and offer a wide range of options for makers, artists and engineers. Its use of proprietary, Teflon-insulated Ke cables come in at just .3mm in diameter — far smaller than the standard 3-pin JST connector cables common now. This allows for many more options in terms of textile selection and design.

Continue reading “KeKeBoard wearable platform lets makers clothes the gap to smart apparel”
Categories
Automotive Cell Phone Accessories Connected Objects

Bluejay mounts a campaign for a more connected drive

Smartphones are an indispensable part of daily life. Unfortunately, so much so that they’re often the cause of injurious or even fatal accidents. With so many innovative solutions to far less pressing issues all around, it’s a shame there aren’t better solutions for this one.

The Kiwi Company’s Bluejay smart mount combines high-grade materials with robust functionality for a more seamless phone and driving experience. Three different attachments secure the carbon fiber and high-grade aluminum body to the window, dash, or air vent while a phone safe magnet keeps smartphones sturdy on the road.

Continue reading “Bluejay mounts a campaign for a more connected drive”
Categories
Connected Objects Displays Maker/Development

Looking for a sign? Starling lets you connect one to the Internet

While some consumers are aware of advancements in LED TV technology, the same thing can’t necessarily be said for the use of LED lighting in signs. Signage just doesn’t usually tend to excite people in the same way that TVs do.

But that hasn’t stopped the makers of Starling from putting a creative spin on LED signs. Starling is an open source LED display that features a modular design and is Wi-Fi-enabled for easy connection to the Internet. The accompanying mobile-friendly Web application enables simple configuration and usage, allowing users to select the font appearing on the signs, as well as the scroll speed and other features. There’s also a mobile app for Android and iOS devices.

Continue reading “Looking for a sign? Starling lets you connect one to the Internet”
Categories
Personal Transportation

Row, row, row your board gently down the street with the Braap Stik land paddle

The craze of land paddling has sprung up in many cities around the world, leading confused pedestrians standing idly in confusion. A common issue with a lot of land paddles centers on stiffness, lack of contact and lack of portability, making it hard to truly incorporate the activity into everyday life.

The Braap Stik’s small design cues are big on solving these issues. It uses a bouncy, fiberglass arm to not only maintain contact with the ground but also provide riders with more balance, power and distance with every stroke — all with less effort. In its closed, retracted position, the Braap Stik measures 30 inches long while it reaches 6 feet when fully extended.

Continue reading “Row, row, row your board gently down the street with the Braap Stik land paddle”
Categories
Personal Transportation

The future is back: ArcaBoard is a genuine, extra chunky hoverboard

Hoverboards have been on the tip of the nation’s tongue for a long time now, particularly as the misnomer for balance boards that have led to their eventual yanking off of Amazon. It’s no doubt been a precipitous fall from grace but, at least, the term ‘hoverboard’ can be reclaimed and bestowed on something that actually hovers — something like the ArcaBoard.

Let’s be clear: the ArcaBoard is a true blue hoverboard, not the type that needs an entire park to be built in order to make it work. By using 36 high-powered electric duct fans, the rectangular board can support up to 243lbs and pump out a whopping 272 hp for a top speed of 12.5mph. A built-in stabilization unit helps riders float safely, with an option to control it either using an iOS or Android smartphone or only the body — which the team at the ARCA Space Corporation recommends for a more authentic experience.

Continue reading “The future is back: ArcaBoard is a genuine, extra chunky hoverboard”
Categories
Connected Objects Music

The Solo plays the guitar for you, lets you focus on burning the dessert

Live music is a great help to practicing singers and musicians wanting accompaniment or as entertainment at a dinner party or in a club. The problem really lies in getting people together consistently who want to play, especially on short notice.

The Solo is looking to resolve that difficulty. The product is a mahogany or ebony guitar attachment that transforms any guitar into a self-playing version of itself. To do this, retractable pegs push down on the strings of a guitar’s fretboard while a row of picks down by the guitar’s base strums them, essentially creating a modern digital equivalent of a player piano.

Continue reading “The Solo plays the guitar for you, lets you focus on burning the dessert”
Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Virtual Reality

2VR foldable VR glasses lets you keep whole worlds in your pocket

The recently priced HTC Vive will join the Oculus Rift this year in rolling out the red carpet to the world of virtual reality, or VR. Until then, consumers have the choice of grabbing something like Samsung’s Gear VR or go cheap and grab themselves some Cardboard. The one problem with these options is their absolute lack of portability, limiting where these types of immersive experiences can take place.

The 2VR is out to change perceptions of the VR world with a pair of fold-up glasses with small arms that can hold a smartphone with a screen size between 4.7″ and 6″.It boasts biconvex lenses for both virtual and augmented reality content and the cleverly created ear grips that make sure the 2VR don’t become loose or fall off while being worn. Each pair is going for $25 and is expected to ship June 2016. The 2VR’s Kickstarter campaign is looking for $30,000 by March 25th, 2016.

Continue reading “2VR foldable VR glasses lets you keep whole worlds in your pocket”
Categories
Robots/Drones

Aijia Pro smart robot monitors your home, tells you what a pen is

The age of the robot is upon us. Take a gander at any social media feed and be met with dozens of stories about how they’re all going to either radically improve humanity or completely decimate it. While popular opinion lives in the extremes, robots still need to achieve a lot more to get there — although it’s certainly not stopping some from trying to some robotic presence into our lives sooner.

The Aijia Pro is sequel to a previously successful Indiegogo campaign (whose link doesn’t exist anymore) that peddled a ‘smart healthcare robot.’ Wisely, Delong Tech has decided to eschew any claims to healthcare features because they don’t exist in this version. Instead, the robot can monitor a household by moving around and rotating, using its motion detector to identify suspicious activity. This triggers an alert mode that sets up a real-time video call to the user’s smartphone.

Continue reading “Aijia Pro smart robot monitors your home, tells you what a pen is”
Categories
Chargers/Batteries Smart Home

Orison smart home battery takes charge of off-grid power needs

High energy costs continue to put a strain on the budgets of many families. The U.S. energy grid is also overburdened and sometimes unreliable, especially in the summer when many people are running air conditioners. Renewable energy sources including solar and wind, meanwhile, are widely considered to be major parts of the solution, but they tend to be intermittent -– limited to when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.

Orison patent-claimedis a plug-and-play energy storage system that’s designed to work in any country, whether the user gets energy from the grid, the sun or another source. The battery system automatically stores energy when utility rates are low, and then uses that energy to power the user’s home or business when rates are high. During a power outage, it can automatically power a home or business and make sure none of the stored energy is sent back to the grid. By localizing energy distribution, users can save money while lowering peak demand on the grid.

Continue reading “Orison smart home battery takes charge of off-grid power needs”