Month: October 2016

Categories
Smart Home

Put a Gate on your front door for smart lock-level protection

The cornerstone of any truly connected home is the smart lock letting everyone that walks in know the house is indeed on the forefront of technology. And with the front door as prime real estate, many companies over the years have come up with wildly different interpretations of what the best smart lock is. Now, the Gate smart lock is up to bat and currently funding on Indiegogo.

Technically, the Gate isn’t one product, but three in one: A smart lock with key cylinder for physical entry, a keypad for coded entry and a motion-activated camera with 2-way audio and video. Together, the Gate offers users the versatility of other smart locks out there while expanding its features. Like others, users can assign temporary keys to Airbnb visitors, for instance, while its system of registered visitors help automate deliveries so that a one-time use code is sent to delivery personnel for scheduled drop-offs.

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Categories
Automotive Displays

Hudly HUD gives drivers a heads-up, even in bright daylight

Heads-up displays (HUDs) have become increasingly popular devices because they allow drivers to access valuable information and data without turning their eyes away from the road.

Hudly is a heads-up display that uses a mounted projector to access notifications, navigation and vehicle information including driving speed and gas levels. It projects the user’s smartphone content on the windshield, in his or her line of sight, and provides the ability to access favorite Android or iOS apps. Hudly works in any car that has either an On-board diagnostics (OBD)-II port or cigarette lighter adapter. The powerful projector is capable of 14,000 nits, allowing it to be viewable in even bright daylight, according to its makers. Hudly ships in January at future pricing of $299. But Indiegogo backers have been able to order one for a pledge starting at $199 for early birds. Its makers hope to raise $50,000 by Oct. 28.

The main challenge facing Hudly is that there are so many similar products, including the similar-sounding Hudway Glass. Features that might give Hudly an edge over at least certain rival devices is its optical glass combiner that its makers say makes the device’s image crisp. The special coating and curved lens improves optics and displays a virtual image size of 10.8 inches that appears as if it it’s 7 feet ahead of the driver. A potential negative is that Hudly is only compatible with a limited number of smartphones: iPhone 4+ and higher or Android OS 4.2 and higher.

Categories
Imaging Smart Home

The SENS8 is aware of your abode so you don’t need to be

The internet of things is all about securing the home. Every week, some newfangled security system starts a crowdfunding run sometimes peddling new features, sometimes not. In the end, the urge to want to keep a family safe usually wins out despite lack of innovation.

Sometimes, innovation isn’t needed, but rather a solid design, slightly tweaked and offered at the right price. The SENS8 is that product: It’s an all-in-one solution designed to protect the home through its combination of high-quality 1080p-capable HD camera and set of sensors. Together with its motion detector and 95dB speaker and alarm, users are alerted to break-ins and other mischievous behavior with the constantly recording device coupled with a siren to deter intruders. Or, users can use the speaker to engage in two-way conversation.

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Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness

The U-Gym Mini offers less stress at your desk

There’s nothing worse than the aches and pains generated the stresses of the workday slowing someone down. One of the best tools for relaxing the body and relieving this stress is massage. Most of the time, though, they aren’t readily available.

The U-GYM Mini is a great alternative to a traditional massage. It works by generating medium-frequency vibrations to simulate a deep-tissue massage for shoulder and lower-back pain relief in as little as 15 minutes.

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Categories
Connected Objects Lifestyle

The Nailbot combines tech and beauty to print pretty nail art

editors-choice-300x96One of the more lamentably defining features of the tech industry is its lack of women. While there are a variety of reasons for why that’s the case, it doesn’t mean something can’t be done. With the Nailbot, inventor Pree Walia is merging technology with art and beauty to create a product that serves as an introduction to the world of tech for girls and women of all ages.

The Nailbot is a smartphone-equipped nail art printer that prints a wide variety of designs directly onto a nail in less than five seconds. It works quite simply: First, users prep their nails by painting it with a base color. Second, users choose an image from their camera roll, one of 3,000 preloaded icons and emojis in its companion app or one of their own designs. Finally, the Nailbot prints the selected image or design right onto the nail. The Nailbot encourages a person’s own artistic impulse with its ability to print custom-made designs as well as fermenting an interest in coding with the ability to code art that can be printed later. With all this functionality, girls will no doubt be intrigued with everything the Nailbot can do for them. 

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Categories
Robots/Drones

The Robelf is the least threatening home alarm system ever

The vision of the autonomous robot in the home is a long-time marker of the crowdfunding world. Years ago, teams around the world were trying to peddle that idea and now, it continues with better equipment and more robust feature sets.

Another entrant into the segment is the Robelf from Taiwan, an odd-faced roving home robot that features a range of abilities to help facilitate everyday life. For one, its main purpose is to serve as a home alarm system. Its moving monitoring function has it patrol the home and notify users through its Wi-Fi connection of abnormal activity with the help of its 5MP front camera. When it is low on battery, its iBeacon-based Bluetooth transmitter signals Robelf to return to it charging dock and continue monitoring from there.

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Categories
Personal Transportation

Go and stow quickly with the Elos mini-longboard

Early in the morning or directly after work are not the times one wants to walk to the bus or the train to get to work or back home. That’s why last mile solutions are so attractive: They offer a way to cut down what can be a 15 to 20 minute or more journey to something a lot more manageable.

Looking a bit like a giant guitar pick on wheels, the Elos is a tool for those last miles that offers a familiar, longboard-esque build in a much more compact frame. A few thoughtful design decisions allows users retain control without worrying about its durability. Its wide deck allows riders to easily access lots of angles when steering, while metal protection both at its front and its nose gives it the strength to last through high-speed rides. After some feet-on time with it in Elos’ backyard in Silicon Valley, we think even the balance-challenged may have a shot with it.

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Categories
Television

The Remix IO remixes Android into a TV superstar

For the past few years, Jide Technology out of Beijing, China has taken Android and ran with it, first creating its Remix Ultratablet and then its Remix Mini. Both offered interesting Android experiences tailored to certain demands in the market, something that the company is continuing to do today with its currently funding Remix IO.

The Remix IO is a natural evolution in Jide’s mission of developing new Android experiences that solve problems in the market. With the IO, the television is the goal. As a combination 4K Android set-top box, gaming console and Android PC, users can enjoy the wide range of versatility it offers. As a set-top box, its Android TV mode can pump out 4K resolution at 60fps, which makes its bigger app icons, recommended Android apps and all types of visual media look that much prettier.

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Categories
Connected Objects

The ZEI makes the task of tracking time less tricky

editors-choice-300x96Whether it be to improve one’s productivity or ensuring billable hours are accurate, managing time is essential. And while most digital
and non-digital time tracking solutions offer lots of versatility, they usually take a lot of time to use effectively themselves, resulting in a loss of time in the long-term — something which is ultimately counter-intuitive.

Timeular, the team behind the ZEI time management tool currently funding on Kickstarter, is looking to change all that. The simple, octagonal device sports a wireless connection to the computer and proprietary software that allows users to assign a project (using labels or an erasable marker) to each face of the device. Like this, they can track time spent on a project by repositioning ZEI to the corresponding project face up or stop tracking by either changing it to another face or turning it off. This simple action shaves off lots of time from the process of managing time, especially since it Pro version is integrated with existing time tracking solutions like Toggl, Timeneye and many others for easier use.

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Categories
Connected Objects Imaging

Miops Mobile offers new ways to operate your camera from your phone

editors-choice-300x96Accessories that allow a photographer to access all the controls of their interchangeable lens camera from the palm of their hand have become increasingly popular.

Miops Mobile is a wireless camera remote that uses a smartphone’s capabilities to offer creative trigger modes including vibration, sound, motion, distance, and time-lapse. It connects to the shutter release port of the camera and communicates with a smartphone over Bluetooth. The app works with unspecified mobile operating systems.

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