Author: Jeff Berman

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Automotive Connected Objects

Vinli brings apps, cellular connections to your ride

There have been several onboard diagnostics (OBD) devices for cars introduced already. Some have focused on a single main function. In the case of GoFar, for example, it was fuel efficiency.

Vinli seems a bit more ambitious, coming with a wide range of apps. It’s an OBD-II device that’s been designed to quickly transform any older vehicle into a smart car. The device adds Wi-Fi to a vehicle using T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network, allowing the car to always be connected. Like other OBD-II devices, its maker is stressing how easy it is to set up, saying it takes only seconds to connect it to a car’s data port located under the dashboard. Drivers can then use the connection to stream media and send data.

 

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Categories
Smart Home

Ola uses touch sensor, fingerprints to rock the smart lock

Smart locks have become one of the more popular components of the smart home product category. The one drawback of some of them is that they rely on the user accessing a smartphone app in order to open up a door, and that can sometimes take a while –- especially if the smartphone is buried at the bottom of somebody’s bag or, worse, the phone has been forgotten somewhere.

Ola is a smart lock that uses Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and capacitive fingerprint technology that makes it not only a keyless solution, but also a phoneless one. It’s able to store up to 1,700 fingerprints and takes less than one second to open the door once the fingerprints are read by the touch sensor, according to its maker. Ola is powered by four AA batteries and doesn’t require a Wi-Fi connection, so it will continue to work even if the power goes out. It costs $179 as part of its Kickstarter campaign and will ship in March. Retail pricing hasn’t been set, but is expected to be about 30 percent higher, said its maker, who set a campaign goal of raising $125,000 by July 23.

Ola is bound to appeal to a wide audience. Although it doesn’t require a smartphone for users to open a door with the smart lock, there is an app for Android and iOS devices (and soon Windows) to facilitate registration for new users. The “masters” of the house can also use the app to give or deny access to guests or manually unlock the door via Bluetooth. The only minor drawback is that it’s water resistant, but not waterproof, so if it’s submerged in water for an extended period of time that would break the electronic components of the lock. Its maker also warns that it’s best to dry off one’s fingers before opening the lock because water can impact the sensor’s ability to recognize fingerprints.

Categories
Imaging

New Petzval 58 lens is out to ring in more bokeh fans

The company Lomography ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013 for a modern, 85mm version of the old Petzval camera lens that was known for its swirly blur effect known as bokeh. Lomography reinvented the lens as the New Petzval 85 Portrait Lens for Nikon F and Canon EF Mount analog and DSLR cameras.

patent-claimedLomography has now created the New Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens that it says offers more control over the bokeh effect and a more standard, 58mm focal length. The lens features a new bokeh control ring that allows the user to determine how pronounced the bokeh effect will be in each photo. The lens will start shipping to early bird backers in December and will cost non-early-bird backers $750 for a brass lens and $850 for a black lens when they ship in early 2016. Lomography set a Kickstarter goal of raising $100,000 by June 26.

The lens should appeal to the very niche photographer audience it’s aimed at. Minor drawbacks include the fact that the lens can’t be used with both Canon EF and Nikon F cameras because each lens is equipped with either a Canon or Nikon mount and will only work directly with one.

Categories
Imaging

Agua will help your camera make it through the rain

There are many weatherproof camera cases on the market. But it can be hard to quickly get a camera out of most of them, which means photographers could easily miss an important shot.

Agua is a weatherproof case that will protect cameras from a storm, but it’s been designed so that users can quickly pull it out and take a photo. There is no need for a separate camera strap because the camera gets attached to the bag via a quick-release buckle that allows the user to just pull it out of the bag to take a shot, but also protects the camera from falling. The bag is also padded on the inside, so users don’t need to keep the cap on the camera, allowing it to be ready for use at any time. There is also a special pocket for a lens cap to make sure that it doesn’t get lost.

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Imaging

SnapPal’s out to be a photographer’s best friend

There are many camera triggers on the market that are used to help photographers create time lapse photography. Some of them allow users to add their own sensor to a device, while others can also enable motion control or water drop photography. But it’s difficult to find one product that can do all of those and other functions, which means photographers who want all that functionality must buy different devices from different vendors at a potentially large cost.

SnapPal is a camera trigger that was designed to perform multiple functions and can be used for high-speed photography, time lapse, motion control, and water drop photography, according to its Kickstarter campaign. Other capabilities include bulb mode, allowing the user to increase or decrease exposure by varying the shutter’s opening time while performing time lapse. SnapPal comes with an infrared remote control, so there is no need for a smartphone app to control it as there is with the CamsFormer triggering system. The device costs $99 and will ship in August. Its maker set a campaign goal of raising $10,500 by July 9.

One drawback is that the remote looks a bit clunky. Some photographers will likely prefer to use a smartphone app. SnapPal also won’t work with every camera on the market. It does, however, apparently support many models, including most Canon and Nikon digital single-lens reflex cameras, Pentax K series cameras, Panasonic GH series cameras, and the A7R, A7S, A57, A58, NEX-3NL, NEX6, A65 and A77 from Sony, according to SnapPal’s maker.

 

Categories
Input

ProxLok locks your computer screen when you walk away from it

Computer security remains critically important, especially when in public places. Fingerprint readers are increasingly being used as a solution, but once computer users logs in using such a system, they must then remember to log out every time they walk away from the computer for even a few seconds.

patent-claimedProxLok is out to provide a better solution. It’s a proximity-based biometric login device that plugs into a computer via USB. It comes equipped with a fingerprint reader and uses Bluetooth to detect the presence of the computer user’s cellphone. When the computer user walks a few feet away from the computer, the device automatically locks the computer screen. If users don’t have their cellphones with them, after logging in, ProxLok will warn them that it can’t detect their cellphones and ask if they want it to periodically request a fingerprint scan to keep them logged onto the computer. ProxLok costs $179 and ships in November. Its maker is hoping to raise $175,000 by June 17.

Proximity technology has been used in several products already, including Loxet, which automatically locks a car as soon as the driver walks away from it. ProxLok’s most obvious flaw is that many computer users are smart enough not to walk away from their computer when they are in a public place. However, there’s always that quick excursion to the  cafe bathroom for which it may defend against prying eyes at least until more smartwatches can implement these features.

Categories
Imaging

Valo could have value for photographers needing flexible lighting

Getting the right amount of light is a frequent challenge for digital photographers, whether they are shooting still images or video.

The makers of Valo set out to solve that challenge by developing a programmable, modular LED flash for photography and video lighting. Photographers can use it as a flash or as a constant light source. It can be used as a main light, a hair light, a fill light or a background light. The open-source device is ready to use out of the box and features a micro-controller, and upgradeable firmware. Valo costs $189 and will ship in December. Its makers are hoping to raise $55,000 via Indiegogo by June 28.

Valo offers multiple lighting solutions in one affordable device, so it should come in handy for many photographers. One of the things that sets it apart is that the photographer can combine multiple units together to create a larger unit without wires, using the product’s internal magnets. Its wire-free nature extends to charging as each unit comes with its own internal battery and charges by USB. That may result in having to charge multiple units , but could take less time than charging a larger unit.

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Maker/Development

Musio robot may be music to the ears of AI fans, kids

The most widely-used personal assistant application remains Apple’s Siri. But, as many iPhone and iPad users know, it is pretty difficult to engage in a true conversation with Siri because its software can only do what it’s been programmed to do by Apple.

Musio is a cross between a robotic toy along the lines of Sony’s long-discontined AIBO and a personal assistant. The Android-based device features artificial intelligence and was designed to engage and grow with its user, while its Arduino-compatible board enables the device to do whatever the user asks, its maker says. It is being fielded in three separate versions, each featuring a different brain.

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Categories
Sleep Technology

SensorWake alarm clock helps you arise with aroma

It’s pretty hard to make a unique alarm clock. After all, no matter how many bells and whistles a manufacturer adds to such a device, it’s still going to wake people up using sounds –- be it the radio or more traditional annoying alarm sounds.

patent-claimedSensorWake, however, is an original twist on the alarm clock, using the sense of smell to wake users up. It uses patented technology that enables a scent to be released from fragrance capsules at a specified time. One capsule can be reused up to 60 times and the device will wake users up in less than two minutes each time, according to consumer tests that were conducted on more than 100 people, its developer says.

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Categories
Food and Beverage

Miito is a mighty quick and energy-efficient way to heat liquids

The standard method used to heat liquids including water has been with a kettle or pot. But that traditional system often leads to a lot of waste of water and other liquids because people tend to heat more than they actually use. The traditional heating method also requires a lot of energy.

Miito is a device designed to solve those issues. It is made up of a small, circular induction base unit that the user places a cup or any other vessel on and a heating rod that then gets placed inside the vessel and quickly brings the water, soup or almost any other liquid to a boil. Miito will cost about $100 when it ships in April 2016. Its makers set a Kickstarter goal of raising $167,383 by June 14.

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