Author: Jeff Berman

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Technology

Runcible is unique pocket watch-style mobile phone

For consumers looking for a unique mobile phone with a unique internal and external design, there aren’t many options available on the market today.

The makers of Runcible are out to change that with a mobile phone modeled on the look of pocket watches. Internally, the Runcible’s operating system is built on top of Mozilla’s open source Firefox OS. It features a fully round screen and a palm-sized form factor. Although it uses Bluetooth, LTE and Wi-Fi, Runcible will never beep, alert or otherwise interrupt the user, its maker says.

Runcible is certainly unique, so there might be at least a small group of consumers attracted to it on that basis alone. Beyond that, however, it’s too soon to predict how well Runcible might perform in the marketplace, largely because of the few product details available on Monohm’s website, the device’s manufacturer. The device will ship in late 2015 though product pricing hasn’t  yet been provided. Monohm, though, says the cost will be comparable to a premium, unlocked smartphone.

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Tech Accessories

InfiniteUSB lets your USB cables live out their Lego dreams

Laptop users with a limited number of USB ports often run into problems when they want to connect several devices to their computer.

patent-claimedInfiniteUSB solves this problem with a daisy-chainable connector solution which allows users to connect a theoretically infinite number of devices to a laptop with just one USB port.  As a result, InfiniteUSB can ably charge multiple mobile devices while still keeping other USB ports open for important peripherals like a mouse. InfiniteUSB is compatible with iOS, Android and any other device that offers USB connectivity support. Each unit costs $21 with an expected shipment date in June. Its maker is hoping to raise $10,000 via Kickstarter by April 22.

Infinite USB holds a tremendous amount of promise, solving a problem that many computer users are all too familiar with. Its small form factor and magnetized ends allow it to be folded over, thereby making it extremely portable. One possible negative is that it’s arriving just as the industry is starting to transition to USB-C cables which allow, among other things, greater charging capability (up to 100 watts) than current USB cables. As it stands today, InfiniteUSB doesn’t support USB-C though a USB-C compatible version is in the works with a working prototype expected by April.

Categories
Wearables

Reserve Strap charges Apple Watch while you wear it

The Apple Watch isn’t even out yet, but many people are already viewing the device’s 18 hour battery life as a point of concern.

Coming to the rescue is the Reserve Strap, a charging band for Apple’s new smartwatch that charges the device while its user is wearing it. Photos at the strap’s website, where pre-orders are being taken, show a design that features a silicon band with embedded lithium polymer cells and an inductive charging cradle located between the user’s wrist and the Apple Watch itself. The strap is similar in concept to the smartstraps recently announced by Pebble for its new line of smartwatches, including the Pebble Time.

Through prototyping, the Reserve Strap’s maker has refined the product’s design and has come up with a few other ways to charge the watch that remain undisclosed for the time being. Interested buyers should note that there is no ship date yet for the band. Nor is there a final price, for that matter, but the site lays out an estimated selling price of $249.99.

The Reserve Strap, featured in a Backerjack podcast, seems to solve an issue many Apple Watch users will likely face. As a result, this product has all the makings of a slam dunk — so long as the Apple Watch catches on, that is.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Peacetong interprets foreign languages so you don’t have to

The inability to understand foreign languages is often a major problem while traveling abroad. While this can be alleviated if a traveller learns a new language before arriving, not everyone has the time to do so.

The makers of Peacetong are out to change that with separate devices that will allow users to quickly interpret both live voices and other audio emanating from a TV. The Personal Interpreter portion works in combination with a planned app designed to work on both Android and iOS devices, two Bluetooth headsets, and one Bluetooth microphone to interpret conversations. The Video Interpreter, which is used to interpret any audio coming from a TV, is a separate device which resembles a portable radio. It operates by keeping the original sound intact and adding an interpreter’s voice over it. Users can connect the device to their TV via an HDMI port. The anticipated retail price of the Personal Interpreter is $400 while the anticipated retail price for the Video Interpreter is $465. A Personal Package which includes one of each is expected to cost $800. Both products will ship in September if Peacetong’s makers canraise $100,000 by April 23.

Peacetong’s concept is promising as there is undoubtedly a market for such a product. But the need for separate devices to achieve what one device could probably do seems to be a major drawback. Another negative is that the Personal Interpreter is unable to interpret audio from a phone call, even though it was designed to be used with smartphones. That said, its creators say that such functionality will be an option added later on via a free app update in the future.

 

Categories
Health and Wellness Wearables

Narbis trains your brains

Neurofeedback technology is being used in a growing number of consumer devices to help train the brain.

patent-claimedNarbis — itself an anagram of the word “brains” –- is a headset using patent-pending technology to help train users to better focus their brains. Attached to a set of glasses is a sensing device that touches the wearer’s head. When the user gets distracted the glasses darken and when the user focuses clearly the glasses clear up. The headset’s sensors measure brain matters and send the signals to the device’s electrochromic lenses. Narbis works with an accompanying app for mobile devices and costs $395 and will ship in December with a Bluetooth armband, a protective carrying case and software that includes five program goals: focus, performance, sleep, calm, and mood. Its maker is hoping to raise $150,000 by April 27.

The Kickstarter success of the similarly advertised Melon headband indicates that there is indeed a market for these types of products. The electrochromic lenses in particular are a nice touch offered by Narbis offers. Still, it’s hard to believe that such a device will get much long-term use after a few days or months. More likely than not, the product seems more like a novelty than a device most people really need.

Categories
Connected Objects Sleep

Proper Pillow Plus will help give you an amazing night of sleep

A comfortable pillow is just as important as a good mattress to provide a good night of sleep. Most pillows, even the best orthopedic ones, however, can’t quantify just how well the user is sleeping.

The Proper Pillow Plus is a smarter version of the existing Proper Pillow, created by the same inventor. The Proper Pillow was designed to support optimal alignment with both back and side sleeping positions. Proper Pillow Plus builds on that and adds the quantification of sleep patterns with the assistance of a mobile app. A sensor network of pressure receptors built into the pillow tracks the user’s sleep experience and relays that data directly to the Proper Pillow Plus app via Bluetooth Low Energy. Among other things, Proper Pillow Plus can gauge what sleeping position and head orientation generate optimal sleep conditions. Proper Pillow Plus costs $60 and ships in April. Its maker is hoping to raise $375,000 via an Indiegogo campaign by April 18.

The product holds promise if it can truly and accurately measure sleep patterns and, more importantly, if it’s comfortable. That said, these two variables are impossible to gauge from a campaign video. Those are two of the same issues faced by similar products that have sought crowdfunding, including ThinkPillow.

Categories
Technology

TurnsPro helps camera users shoot time-lapse photography like a pro

Time-lapse photography is a great tool photographers often employ in order to make it appear that time is moving faster than it actually is. Even for amateur photographers, time-lapse photography is a great way to spice up one’s photos.

TurnsPro is a camera mount that makes it easier to shoot time-lapse photography. It has two modes: Turns mode lets users shoot in real time or take time-lapse photos that can be edited together in post processing; Degrees mode lets users adjust the camera angle as to rotate the camera from 15 to 360 degrees, allowing for a single pan or continuous panning backwards and forwards.  TurnsPro can be used with action cameras like GoPro, small digital cameras, and even smartphones. TurnsPro costs £45 (~$69) and will ship in June. Its maker is hoping to raise £16,000 (~$24,400) by April 1.

While many cameras have time lapse functionality built-in, those options tend to be complicated to use. There are several other time laps camera devices on the market that assist in creating time- lapse photography, including Pico and Camalapse. It’s also worth noting that several rival products on the market require a smartphone or intervalometer to work, and they also tend to be more expensive. TurnsPro, though, offers more customizable options than a number of competing products. Slight drawbacks include the need for a separate thread adapter for GoPro use and the apparent hassle in getting the device to work with some of the larger digital single lens reflex cameras on the market.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

WonderCube is a multi-talented smartphone charger you won’t want to leave at home

One problem with smartphones is that they require users to carry around multiple accessories, most notably a charging device. Sometimes, this isn’t always the most efficient way to travel and go about one’s day.

The WonderCube — a tiny device featuring eight-in-one mobile functions —  aims to end that problem. The WonderCubs is small enough such that it can conveniently be attached to a key ring. Some of its features include a foldout flexible USB cord measuring 3 inches when extended; gold-plated connectors that allow quick charging through any USB port; USB On-The-Go (OTG) functionality that provides 64 GB of smartphone storage via a built-in microSD card reader; a battery charger that allows users to plug in a 9-volt battery in order to provide an emergency power boost to a depleted phone battery; a mini LED flashlight; and a phone stand function that can be used in either portrait or landscape mode.

WonderCube’s cable can be used for quick file transfers and backups, as well as for syncing photos, music and videos. Notably, transfers and backups can be achieved even when a network connection isn’t available. The device is scheduled to ship in August in two versions –- one with an Apple Lightning connector for iOS devices and another with a micro USB connector. Each version will set you back $69. Its maker set a goal of raising $50,000 by April 15.

The WonderCube has a lot of potential on account of its small size and its many mobile functions. To be fair, not all of those features are clear winners. Specifically, it’s debatable whether or not smartphone users really need a mini flashlight when there are already multiple apps capable of providing that feature. The OTG function also only works on Android devices for now, although iOS compatibility is expected to be added.

Categories
Smart Home

iSensor HD Patio outdoor security camera senses trouble in rain or shine

While there are many outdoor security cameras on the market, many are not specifically designed for outdoor use. What’s more, many of them provide mediocre images at best, in part because they are stationary and lack the ability to pan.

The iSensor HD Patio outdoor security camera stands out in this regard. The product was specifically designed for use outside the home and is housed in a clear, weather resistant casing. It can be controlled remotely by users via both Android and iOS apps. The camera comes standard with 4 GB of onboard memory and can remotely pan 170 degrees via a user’s mobile device. Further, the camera has a motion sensor and a 240 degree range of view without distortion, according to its Indiegogo campaign. If suspicious activity is detected, the camera will instantly inform users via notifications, snapshots, and HD-quality video that is automatically uploaded to the user’s Google Drive; all for no extra charge. It comes in a choice of black or white at $199 and will ship in May. Its maker is looking to raise $1,000 by April 5.

ISensor HD Patio holds great promise, offering clear advantages over many rival products.

Categories
Input

ODiN claims rule of virtual computer trackpads

There isn’t a whole lot of innovation being made in the computer mouse category. You might even say that if you’ve used one mouse, you’ve used them all.

patent-claimedBut the makers of ODiN are attempting to change that.  ODiN is a laser projection mouse that aims to help users whose arms and wrists tend to hurt after using a traditional mouse for extended periods of time. ODiN works by projecting a laser onto a flat surface, subsequently creating an area that can be touched with one’s fingers to perform functions ordinarily performed with a mouse or a trackpad.  Instead of expending energy and moving around a computer cursor with a mouse, users can simply move their fingers across a flat surface instead.

The mouse is compatible with both Windows PCs and Macs and can be easily connected via USB. It’s being fielded in a choice of three colors –- black, green and silver. It’s priced at $66 and will ship in June. Its maker is hoping to raise $50,000 by May 8.

The ODin mouse holds promise because of its innovative design and functionality. The campaign’s emphasis on the device’s portability, however, seems a bit over the top. Indeed, it doesn’t seem much more portable than a traditional mouse, especially when one considers that the ODiN is not wireless capable.