Author: Michael Radon

Categories
Kids/Babies Toys

Edwin the Duck smart toy teaches the old duck new tricks

No item is safe from becoming smart and connected. From lights and appliances to cameras and scales, everything is becoming connected.

For proof of this, look no further than Edwin the Duck, a smart rubber duck that offers companionship to children and peace of mind to parents. During bath time, Edwin the Duck goes right in the tub and can report when the water is too hot or when it’s just right, and can stream sing-along songs for cleaning. Once in bed, Edwin pairs up with a tablet or phone to read stories aloud complete with sound effects. Edwin also streams lullabies and functions as a night light.

This collection of features makes the part of the day parents and kids both dread a fun and easy experience. Inventor pi lab is raising $85,000 for safety certification, app development, and manufacturing. Parents can grab Edwin the Duck for their children at the $59 tier level, ready to hatch in March 2015.

Edwin the Duck is designed to give kids something positive to relate to bath and bed time, and the online features and interactivity should do just that. It may be strange shopping for a smart rubber duck, but that’s just a sign of the times.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Smart Home

Aria detects radon and IAQ, reports it to your smartphone

Pollution is a big problem, but it’s not one that’s limited only to big cities or industrialized areas. The truth is that indoor air quality, or lack thereof, is the cause of thousands of deaths each year, whether it’s carbon monoxide or the harder to detect and deadlier radon.

Aria is a home air quality monitor that can detect radon and other pollutants and report on air quality in real time, giving homeowners plenty of time to react and protect themselves from harmful gases. Aside from the colorful light indicating air quality on the device’s exterior, Aria can also push notifications using a Wi-Fi network to owners’ phones, alerting them of an issue with the air at home even from a distance.

While Aria’s light functions with some basic indicators (green means good, red means bad), more detailed information is uploaded at all times to the app, letting users know when to ventilate or call for outside help if necessary. Aria breaks this information down hour by hour, giving a detailed report of when pollutants are entering the home. Aria developer RSens is asking for $95,000 to offset manufacturing costs. The device itself costs $99 for early supporters and is expected to launch September 2015.

It’s hard to be overly cautious when dealing with something that could be potentially life-threatening and hazardous to an entire family. That being said, asking a device to provide hourly breakdowns of air quality on demand seems a little hypochondriac. It’s nice that the device offers this level of performance, but many users might not need to be so plugged in to what the air is like at home at all times. Either way, there’s some peace of mind to be gained in knowing Aria is looking out.

Categories
Tech Accessories Technology

Dragonfly Futurefon blends Android, Windows, tablets, folding keyboards, insanity

We live in an amazing age where communication, information, productivity, and entertainment are never far away thanks to laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Yet, for reasons beyond explanation, we somehow have a need for all three, each offering a slight edge over the other two but feeling incomplete all the same.

The Dragonfly Futurefon by Idealfuture is a product that is attempting to merge these similar tech niches into one single device. Folding, twisting, and transforming, the Dragonfly can function as a standalone phone, fold out into a tablet display, or flip again to provide a full keyboard and a dual screen display in a single portable device. The Dragonfly comes in two versions: one that runs entirely on Android and one that splits the Slingshot (the detachable phone) onto Android and the base on Windows, creating a dual OS device that can sync up to a single OS when connected together.

The Dragonfly offers all of this without missing key elements as well, with an illuminated keyboard, slide out touch pad beneath that, smart pen that nests perfectly in the device’s side, and all manner of charging ports. Even with those ports, it only takes one cord to charge the Dragonfly when the Slingshot is connected. Idealfuture is asking for $10,000 to show interest in their design and make a statement to existing mobile manufacturers. Models start at $300.

Taking just a short look at the Dragonfly makes it hard not to see the future in this all-in-one approach, much like Microsoft’s Surface managed to blend two products together. At the same time, having to fold the device this way and that, connect or disconnect the Slingshot, and keep track of all the different options make the Dragonfly somewhat daunting. It would be a little easier to believe in the Dragonfly if they were closer to actual production. Purely on speculation however, there’s a lot here to be excited for.

Categories
Television

AirTame lets you get your mobile device onto the big screen

Streaming content from a laptop or a computer to a TV is a great way to share presentations at work or photos and video with family. Unfortunately, for many people, setting it up is still as complicated as it was to set up a projector slideshow or hook a camcorder to the TV decades ago.

AirTame takes advantage of modern technology to remove this headache quickly and easily. By simply plugging the device into a monitor’s HDMI port and using the USB cable to power it up, any computer or smartphone with the Airtame app installed can quickly stream its display to any configured Airtames nearby. This creates a combination hardware/software solution to streaming video that takes only seconds to achieve once it has been set up.

Airtame is flexible as well, in that it does not simply mirror the display, it can also be used to extend it, creating a multiple display setup in any location without installing drivers or pulling out and connecting cables. The Airtame functions over standard Wi-Fi, and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Windows phones, so there are no complex network or compatibility issues to resolve either. It’s going to take $160,000 to make Airtame a reality, and anyone that can use one can grab one for $134 in January 2015.

Airtame takes a process that should be as simple as plug-and-play and makes it just that. As long as there is a monitor with a free HDMI port and an Airtame available, using that display to share, present, or collaborate on content is a snap. This is certainly a handy tool to keep on hand no matter where it could be used.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Writing

Writeboard Wi-Fi whiteboard lets you share your meeting scribbles

It may have taken the shape of an app or a notification popping up on a phone or a tablet, but human communication still relies heavily on the taking and sharing of notes. From the classroom to the boardroom, the prevalence of notes touches so many parts of everyday life that it deserves a modern spin.

The WriteBoard is essentially a 27-inch, LCD whiteboard, not unlike the kind many have at home or at work. What makes WriteBoard special is that it’s Wi-Fi connected and can share notes between connected WriteBoards or through the WriteBoard app. With an aluminum stylus reminiscent of a classic pencil and a 1080p display, WriteBoard offers no drop-off or compromise when compared to using a marker-based classic whiteboard.

Every aspect of the WriteBoard is designed to make using the device feel familiar without being held back by technological limitations. A small ledge at the bottom of the WriteBoard can hold the stylus, and the inclusion of wall mounts or stands will make WriteBoard as flexible regarding placement as it is regarding usage. WriteBoard needs $100,000 to find investment partners and create a plan for mass production. Supporters can get set up with their own WriteBoard for $299, with no release date planned at this time.

The main issue with a specialist device like the WriteBoard is that it functions essentially like a large tablet or touch display, with none of the extra features besides note-taking. Add to that a poorly conceived geo-specific advertising function that pops advertising onto the WriteBoard based on location and you have something that is caught between not performing as well as other devices and getting in the way of its solitary function. WriteBoard’s heart is in the right place, but may need to go back to the drawing board.

 

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

Tinbot Designs seeks to charge your iPhone with your movements

When it comes to a phone battery, the mere thought of running out of power is almost unthinkable for millions of people. Because of that, inventors have searched for any way to keep our beloved devices turned on at all costs. TinBot Designs is an Afghanistan-based company that has a unique new idea in this field: use ambient noise and movement to keep an iPhone battery charged little by little. Using a pizeoelectric effect that takes this noise and motion to stretch small rods, an electrical charge is created that can keep a battery charged.

All of this is accomplished in a small case that fits snugly around the iPhone without bulking the product up or creating something extra that needs to be carried around with the phone. This product is still in such an early stage that it lacks a name, and TinBot Designs are still looking for a transducer to make this project work at their standards. Their campaign is raising $5,000 to continue product testing to make this wonder charger a reality. At this time, no reward tiers offer the product itself. It’s a really interesting and unique idea, but there isn’t enough hard progress to consider for the average consumer.

Categories
Displays Video

Bleen promises to project 3-D images in midair

Plenty of science fiction novels, movies, and games have featured 3-D holographic imagery projected from a simple device. From Princess Leia’s plea for help in Star Wars to Cortana’s guidance throughout the Halo games, the transportable 3-D hologram projector is something humans have dreamed about for decades.

Bleen is almost identical to what many people would expect this technology to take form as. Appearing as a large egg or polyhedral rock, the Bleen projector opens up to display buttons and an upward-facing projector that can form a 3-D image over eight feet in the air above the device. With basic applications like movies and games, to interactive workouts and musical performances, Bleen is trying to give the hologram its place in the personal entertainment space.

Bleen has its own marketplace where developers and users can create their own content for download, recorded using the device’s hundreds of high resolution cameras and displayed with fast-pulse laser beams. Bleen is still in its concept phase and needs $225,000 to move forward. Donating $400 to the campaign ($225 now and $175 at the time of shipping) will get consumers a Bleen in the color and shape of their choice. The release date is not firm at this time, but is tentatively set for October 2015.

This is one of those science fiction-turned-reality kind of devices that is so exciting to imagine how it will work and become a part of daily life. As is usually the case, it may turn out to be pure novelty, but anyone wanting personal holograms will want to back Bleen. It may not be quite ready for the mass market, but holograms in the home and a background that dates to technology in the USSR should be enough for some.

Categories
Connected Objects Food and Beverage

Arist connected coffee maker promises a bespoke brew

Once upon a time, it used to be enough for people just to have an old, red-handled, glass coffee pot filled with basic black brew. Now, there are more ways to customize a cup of joe than there are days in the year, and everyone has their personal favorite.

Arist is an all-in-one connected coffee maker like those already on the market that attempts to recreate the gourmet, barista-brewed coffee experience any time and every time. With storage for beans, an internal cooler to keep milk fresh, a temperature regulator, and self-cleaning functions, all that needs to be done to get a cup of perfect coffee is tap on the app.

What’s more, the same app can recommend new recipes based on what kinds of coffee beans are being used or purchased, download the latest recipes from renowned baristas, and be customized ever so slightly across nearly a dozen brew steps to get the coffee perfect every time. Arist needs $120,000 to start the day, and coffee lovers can grab theirs for $349 in July 2015.

Arist is the perfect gift for true coffee lovers, opening up a whole world of new coffees, or just the comfort of the perfect cup every time. This is sure to be a must-own on many holiday wishlists.

Categories
Imaging Tech Accessories

Infinity Arm offers a variety of ways to mount your GoPro or other camera

Small mountable cameras like the GoPro enabled action sports enthusiasts and other filmmakers to take the craft to brand new angles and locations. The Infinity Arm tackles two of the biggest problems that GoPro accessories have. First, the Infinity Arm is lightweight and easy to mount on virtually any sturdy surface, creating even more opportunities for creative filmmaking. Second, the arm is incredibly sturdy, not breaking apart while being shaken or put under even the harshest conditions.

To make this an even better product for filmmakers, Infinity Arm works equally well with DSLR and other professional movie cameras. What this creates is a tool that anyone shooting a movie from amateur to professional will want to have on hand at all times. Infinity Arm has interchangeable mounts that are quick and easy to swap out without compromising the structural durability of the arm itself. Made out of aluminum and steel, Infinity Arm is tough enough to handle any assignment and turn out great, eye-catching shots in any and all environments. Creators 27Notch are asking for $50,000 to finish off the last bit of necessary funding to bring their product to market. Interested consumers can grab an Infinity Arm for $179, with an estimated delivery in February 2015.

 

Categories
Displays Tech Accessories

Packed Pixels adds extra displays to your sadly single-screened laptop

Extra monitors at a workstation seems like the height of excess at first glance, but once a second screen has been added for work or play, going back to a single-screen setup is like riding a moped. Unfortunately, laptop users have to deal with this situation every day on the road, unless they pick up Packed Pixels. Packed Pixels is a combination of quality technology and good old-fashioned simple rigging. Using brackets and an elastic strap, Packed Pixels wraps around the back of any laptop screen. From there, the included screen can be mounted and plugged in on either side of the device’s existing screen.

A third screen can be added as well if the laptop supports it, creating a sort of cockpit effect of one main screen flanked by two smaller screens. The displays themselves use the same technology as Apple’s retina displays and are up to the task of streaming video or even playing games. Packed Pixels is created by Dovetail Technology, who is asking for £60,000 (~$94,000) to attract suppliers and handle moulding and testing. Supporters in need of an extra screen can strap one on for £120 (~$194) in May 2015.