Author: Jeff Berman

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Connected Objects Imaging

Wow Frame seeks to bring social media into the pictures

Once upon a time, digital picture frames were among the most popular consumer electronic devices. But mobile photo sharing has largely killed the category.

The Wow Frame is a digital picture frame that receives photo and video feeds from social networks and mobile devices. Its maker intends consumers to buy multiple Wow frames and place them next to one another on their walls. Users would be able to share free or “premium” HD photos and videos with other Wow owners as part of an accompanying service.

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Networking

Portal serves as your portal to faster, more resilient Wi-Fi

Many people rely on Wi-Fi for their everyday work and leisure needs. But the significant increase in Wi-Fi usage in recent years has created a traffic and congestion issue so bad that Wi-Fi service often slows to a crawl, making it unreliable.

Portal is a router that taps into unused spectrum to create faster, more resilient Wi-Fi that’s much faster than typical Wi-Fi service today. It also provides greater coverage throughout a user’s home. Portal’s proprietary spectrum turbocharger technology provides access to 300 percent more of the radio airwaves than other routers, improving performance by as much as 300 times, and range and coverage by as much as two times in crowded settings including city homes and multi-unit apartments.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Tiny1 compact camera specializes in shooting stars

There are a lot of digital cameras on the market, but not many of them have been designed for one specific use, like taking photos of stars in the sky, for example.

patent-claimedTiny1 is a compact camera with patent-pending noise reduction technology that has been designed for astronomy. It helps users plan, capture and share stars from the palms of their hands. Tiny1’s interactive star map is a unique interface using augmented reality to help users easily locate and shoot celestial objects. It shows users the stars and constellations in real time and there is a search function built in to guide them.

Tiny1 works in conjunction with an Android app. The camera can be paired with a smartphone to easily share pictures via Wi-Fi. Tiny1 can also be controlled using Wi-Fi to reduce camera shake. Any lens available can be attached to the Tiny1 easily, including interchangeable camera lenses and telescope lenses, according to its makers Tiny1 ships in December at about $700. But early bird Indiegogo backers have been able to get one for a pledge starting at $349. Its makers are out to raise $100,000 by July 7.

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Displays

PaperLight projector and smart board makes presentations more portable

It would be nice to make business presentations while traveling from place to place without having to schlep around a heavy projector.

patent-claimedPaperLight is a patent-pending portable combination smart board and projector that works with any computer without the need for any software. The 37-inch desktop interactive projection display device features touch-screen functionality and enables users to make markups and write on documents with a stylus pen … or their fingertips. The device ships in December at $1,800. But Kickstarter backers have been able to order one for a $1,500 pledge. Its makers hope to raise $151,000 by July 7.

PaperLight’s portability, helped by a touch-screen display made of plastic rather than glass, is a key selling point, as is the fact that no software is required. It’s also a plus that the device tower can be folded in half. But there are so many portable and smaller pico projectors on the market now that PaperLight seems at least a bit dated.

 

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Connected Objects Health and Wellness

OneCare Dori helps the elderly remember to take their pills

Dory is the famous fish who suffers from memory loss in two funny Disney Pixar movies. But, in real life, there’s nothing funny about memory loss –- especially when it comes to the elderly forgetting to take their medications to keep them healthy.

OneCare Dori is a device that works in conjunction with an Android and iOS app to remind elderly people when it’s time to take their pills and do other important things. It also provides real-time alerts to their families and other caregivers. The basic service allows caregivers to use the app to schedule reminders in an interactive voice call format that the elderly person can either receive via a landline or mobile phone call. Caregivers can also monitor in real time the status of each reminder, as well as the answers given by the elderly person to each reminder.

 

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Kids/Babies Wearables

EyeForcer forces your kids to have better posture while using mobile devices

Kids are spending an awful lot of time sitting in front of smartphones and tablets playing games and surfing the Internet. But all that slouching they are doing can result in terrible posture that leads to medical problems down the road.

patent-claimedEyeForcer is a patent-pending wearable piece of eyewear with an accompanying app that monitors kids while they are using smartphones and tablets, and encourages them to have better posture. It penalizes bad posture by reducing the amount of time that kids using it can spend using mobile devices. EyeForcer ships in November at future pricing of about $65. But Kickstarter backers can get one for a pledge of about $93. Its makers are trying to raise $154,580 by July 6.

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Sensors/IoT Smart Home

Knocki lets you turn surfaces into a remote for anything

editors-choiceIt’s 3 a.m. and it would be nice to turn the TV and lights off without getting out of bed.

patent-claimedKnocki is a short, cylindrical device that attaches to any surface and transforms that surface into a touch interface that can control other devices. Users set Knocki to perform specific actions through a set number of taps. It uses non-acoustic sensor technology to detect gentle surface gestures that are even a short distance away, but Knocki also has the ability to filter out random vibrations. The device works anywhere there is Wi-Fi, and there is a companion Android and iOS app for it.

 

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Cell Phone Accessories Imaging

Vyu360 lets you view 360-degree images, video on your smartphone

Capturing and viewing 360-degree video is becoming increasingly popular thanks to a growing number of virtual reality headsets and cameras.

patent-claimedVyu360 is a top-mounted, patent-pending smartphone accessory containing two panoramic lenses that capture 360-degree video and still images. It works in conjunction with Android and iOS smartphones, and uses their front and rear cameras. The accessory is made of elastic plastic housing, with a rigid rear and front lenses mount. A lens adjustment mechanism allows lenses to be aligned into position and work with different configurations.

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Smartwatches/Bands

Pebble 2, Time 2 come to the smartwatch field with integrated health monitoring

The smartwatch field has become crowded with players since the first Pebble model launched via Kickstarter in 2013 and demand exceeded supplies.

Now, Pebble introduces updated versions of its Pebble and Pebble Time smartwatches that add, among other features, integrated health monitoring. Each features an e-paper display, heart rate monitor, microphone, and built-in activity and sleep tracking, and are water resistant down to 30 meters. They are also each compatible with Android and iOS smartphones. Pebble 2 has a high contrast black and white display, while Time 2 has a 53 percent larger color display than its predecessor. Pebble 2 can last seven days on a full charge, while Time 2 can last 10 days.

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Automotive Connected Objects

IScout lets drivers scout out the road ahead safely

Heads-up displays (HUDs) are becoming increasingly popular devices because they allow drivers to keep their eyes on the road while getting navigation and other useful information about their cars and the road ahead.

patent-claimedIScout is a standalone, patent-pending HUD that provides information including car speed, fuel level and GPS navigation as a floating virtual image in front of the vehicle. It works in conjunction with an Android and iOS mobile device app, enabling iScout to also display incoming calls, messages, reminders and social media content.

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