Humans are a vain species, spending upwards of two weeks a year prettying themselves up in front of mirrors. The SmartMirror is looking to give people the option of making that time more informative and entertaining.
The 15 pound, 1920×1080 edge to edge LCD not only serves as a mirror but also serves up the time and date, calendar appointments, weather, news, Twitter mentions, sports scores, data from other connected products in the home, or even cat facts if the user is so inclined. And with its embedded Raspberry Pi B+ and Wi-Fi connectivity, widget possibilities are limited only by what people end up developing for it.
Gesture sensors enable control without the use of a camera, although the possibility of a camera is in the works for those with high demand for bathroom selfies. A SmartMirror is priced at $399, with an estimated delivery date of November 2015. The campaign is looking to raise a little more than $81,000 by June 25, 2015.
The SmartMirror’s use of Canadian maplewood for its frame makes it an absolute beauty. There’s no doubt in its sleek design but rather in its utility. While basic information like time, date, and calendar are useful in the morning, things like email and Twitter streams can be overkill during a time when people are most likely concentrating more on themselves than anything else. Still, design goes a long way and it’s applications are yet to be fully fleshed out, owing to curiosity at the very least.