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Connected Objects Lifestyle

The Nailbot combines tech and beauty to print pretty nail art

editors-choice-300x96One of the more lamentably defining features of the tech industry is its lack of women. While there are a variety of reasons for why that’s the case, it doesn’t mean something can’t be done. With the Nailbot, inventor Pree Walia is merging technology with art and beauty to create a product that serves as an introduction to the world of tech for girls and women of all ages.

The Nailbot is a smartphone-equipped nail art printer that prints a wide variety of designs directly onto a nail in less than five seconds. It works quite simply: First, users prep their nails by painting it with a base color. Second, users choose an image from their camera roll, one of 3,000 preloaded icons and emojis in its companion app or one of their own designs. Finally, the Nailbot prints the selected image or design right onto the nail. The Nailbot encourages a person’s own artistic impulse with its ability to print custom-made designs as well as fermenting an interest in coding with the ability to code art that can be printed later. With all this functionality, girls will no doubt be intrigued with everything the Nailbot can do for them. 

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Robots/Drones

The Robelf is the least threatening home alarm system ever

The vision of the autonomous robot in the home is a long-time marker of the crowdfunding world. Years ago, teams around the world were trying to peddle that idea and now, it continues with better equipment and more robust feature sets.

Another entrant into the segment is the Robelf from Taiwan, an odd-faced roving home robot that features a range of abilities to help facilitate everyday life. For one, its main purpose is to serve as a home alarm system. Its moving monitoring function has it patrol the home and notify users through its Wi-Fi connection of abnormal activity with the help of its 5MP front camera. When it is low on battery, its iBeacon-based Bluetooth transmitter signals Robelf to return to it charging dock and continue monitoring from there.

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Personal Transportation

Go and stow quickly with the Elos mini-longboard

Early in the morning or directly after work are not the times one wants to walk to the bus or the train to get to work or back home. That’s why last mile solutions are so attractive: They offer a way to cut down what can be a 15 to 20 minute or more journey to something a lot more manageable.

Looking a bit like a giant guitar pick on wheels, the Elos is a tool for those last miles that offers a familiar, longboard-esque build in a much more compact frame. A few thoughtful design decisions allows users retain control without worrying about its durability. Its wide deck allows riders to easily access lots of angles when steering, while metal protection both at its front and its nose gives it the strength to last through high-speed rides. After some feet-on time with it in Elos’ backyard in Silicon Valley, we think even the balance-challenged may have a shot with it.

Categories
Television

The Remix IO remixes Android into a TV superstar

For the past few years, Jide Technology out of Beijing, China has taken Android and ran with it, first creating its Remix Ultratablet and then its Remix Mini. Both offered interesting Android experiences tailored to certain demands in the market, something that the company is continuing to do today with its currently funding Remix IO.

The Remix IO is a natural evolution in Jide’s mission of developing new Android experiences that solve problems in the market. With the IO, the television is the goal. As a combination 4K Android set-top box, gaming console and Android PC, users can enjoy the wide range of versatility it offers. As a set-top box, its Android TV mode can pump out 4K resolution at 60fps, which makes its bigger app icons, recommended Android apps and all types of visual media look that much prettier.

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Connected Objects

The ZEI makes the task of tracking time less tricky

editors-choice-300x96Whether it be to improve one’s productivity or ensuring billable hours are accurate, managing time is essential. And while most digital
and non-digital time tracking solutions offer lots of versatility, they usually take a lot of time to use effectively themselves, resulting in a loss of time in the long-term — something which is ultimately counter-intuitive.

Timeular, the team behind the ZEI time management tool currently funding on Kickstarter, is looking to change all that. The simple, octagonal device sports a wireless connection to the computer and proprietary software that allows users to assign a project (using labels or an erasable marker) to each face of the device. Like this, they can track time spent on a project by repositioning ZEI to the corresponding project face up or stop tracking by either changing it to another face or turning it off. This simple action shaves off lots of time from the process of managing time, especially since it Pro version is integrated with existing time tracking solutions like Toggl, Timeneye and many others for easier use.

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Smartwatches/Bands

The Sowatch so wants to be your life coach

Big names like FitBit and Jawbone have long offered people the possibility of tracking their level of activity and have become pretty successful at doing so. But while they offer most people a lot of options, people can always go for more. The Sowatch is trying to give it to them.

The Sowatch is a dedicated, fitness-oriented smartwatch similarly equipped with the connectivity and sensors one would expect from a product like this. The difference is how closely it works with its dedicated smartphone app to serve as much more than an activity tracker.

The device wears many hats, claiming to allow users to do everything from set fitness goals, track progress or just monitor the daily step count to design custom workouts and send highly detailed medical information  — parameters as granular blood pressure, heart activity, hypoxia, etc. — to family or a physician should they pass a pre-set trigger. This makes it the perfect tool to prevent injury and overtraining during activity or manage diabetes using its blood sugar tracker, for instance.

Categories
Connected Objects Music

Aalberg Audio’s Moon and Aero offer wireless stage presence

Performing on stage is a delicate interplay of musicians, the instruments they play and the equipment amplifying the soundscapes being explored. Oh, and the people enjoying it all, of course. But with more versatility and options comes a more crowded — and wired — stage, making the act of playing good music a lot more complicated than it needs to be.

No one is a fan of wires, especially the Aalberg Audio team based in Norway. Its selection of controllers to wirelessly control musical equipment proves that. In its MOON Switcher campaign, three products are on offer: the Aero, the Moon, and the Remote app. The AERO is a wireless remote controller that enables real-time control of up to eight Aalberg FX pedals and MOON-connected devices. It can store up to three presets across all connected devices which can be recalled from the controller.

Categories
Robots/Drones

The Xpider robot houses a neural network in its tiny shell

Day after day, robots increasingly become part of the everyday fabric of connected society. They can be found in the factories manufacturing goods shipped around the world to the internet connected homes across the country. As such, it’s never been more crucial to educate people on all the ways robots can be used so that breakthroughs can be made in the field.

While the Xpider itself isn’t a revolution in robotics, the diminutive, camera-equipped robot offers those interested a very capable canvas with which to play around and discover more. It comes in two flavors, one equipped with an Arduino processor and the other sporting Intel’s Curie processor.

Categories
Camping

The Sunda tent offers four ways to soak in the wild

For Kammok, a team of eight based in Austin , Texas, its mission is two-fold. First, it believes people should experience the big wide world as much as possible. Secondly, it believes in creating the most versatile camping equipment to better introduce the wilds to outdoor newbies and facilitate better exploration for enthusiasts. A company born out of Kickstarter, it has successfully brought to life three of its creations all focused on this mission. Now, the Sunda two person tent/all-in-one hammock is a culmination of all this experience.

The Sunda is a distinctive product in the camping world. While most tents prioritize cutting weight at the cost of durability, Kammok went the opposite route and made sure to design the Sunda to be as versatile as possible with four separate configurations. In tent mode, two or more people can sleep comfortably because of the Sunda’s 8’4″ long x 4’2″ wide construction that boasts 35 square feet of space within. Large crawl through doors, four corner pockets and nine gear loops for lights add plenty of options for everyone inside.

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Connected Objects

Set it and forget it: The Smart Cube makes anything a safe

editors-choice-300x96The makers of traditional and the more modern versions of safes seem to only understand passports, money, and guns are the only worthwhile things that need protecting. In today’s home, though, things like medicine, cleaning liquids and alcohol should be safely stored away because thieves aren’t the only curious types — babies, teenagers, and even roommates can give them a run for their money.

What’s needed is a solution that’s far more versatile, a solution that can transform any enclosed space into a protected space. The Smart Cube is that solution. It works by being attached to the inside of a drawer, a medicine cabinet, a guitar case — pretty much anything — with strong 3M tape that can withstand up to 100 pounds of force. It communicates through Bluetooth to its companion iOS/Android app so that its built-in proximity sensor automatically locks and relocks when the main Smart Cube user comes near.