Author: Nicholas Echevarria

Categories
Automotive Technology

SoundRacer VX FM transmitter lets station wagons live their dreams

Although we may have cars that can easily push the speed limits most people are comfortable with, limits are placed on the road to keep them in check. This is obviously done with safety in mind, but there’s an unfortunate aspect to all of this as the daily grind reduces our powerful vehicles to boxes that merely transport us. As a result, most people never truly experience the thrill of true, unencumbered speed.

Inventor Kenneth Palmestål wants to spice up the daily commute with the SoundRacer VX FM transmitter. With it, anyone can experience the intense roars of Italian V10 supercars simply by plugging the product into a car’s cigarette lighter and revving up the engine. The included microSD slot offers space for multiple car engine profules, so users can switch over to an American muscle car or even a motorcycle with a tap of a button. The device can also transmit music from a smartphone or a music player whenever you’d like some smooth jazz as a counterpoint. Combine with the Pocket Jump to make sure the fun keeps going. The kr600,00 (~$79,530) campaign is looking to get the kr495 (~$66) product out to backers by May 2015.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Wearables

Breathe easy with the TZOA wearable environmental tracker

The more the world undergoes urbanization, the worse air pollution becomes. Unfortunately, the environment around us is largely invisible and therefore most people don’t pay attention to it even if our health is being adversely affected. The people who do pay attention to what’s going on feel generally powerless to do anything about it mainly because they don’t have the tools at their disposal to make their case, having to rely on spotty and infrequent monitoring by governments that don’t prove very much at all.

The team behind the TZOA wearable environmental tracker is looking to put some smarts in the hands of those concerned. The tracker is outfitted with a proprietary optical air quality sensor that’s able to detect particulate matter 2.5, or PM 2.5. These tiny floating particles are found in harmful pollutants, like car exhaust and the smoke that results from wood burning, and cause permanent damage to our lungs.

Keeping the levels of PM 2.5 in the environment manageable is key to fortifying air quality, so TZOA’s companion app alerts you to elevated levels of contaminants and suggests actions to clean up the air around you. The app also collects the data to create an air quality map so that others can easily see current levels, overtime composing an air quality timeline for reference. The TZOA environmental tracker is $150 CAD (~$130 USD), and backers will receive the device in August of 2015 should its campaign reach its $110,000 CAD (~$96,000 USD) goal.

The TZOA team has similar ambitions to those behind the AirBeam in that they aim to create a platform where people can stay informed using crowd-sourced data about pollution. The AirBeam includes a few more sensors at a premium, but it seems like it would be more worth it as people are already using the AirBeam versus the unreleased product in the TZOA. In any case, as much as the problem of air pollution is a problem of information, various disconnected platforms addressing the same issue in the same way will ultimately do no good in the long run.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness Lighting

Sunn smart LED fixture fights off winter blues

It’s been proven that natural light is key in maintaining the body’s internal clock. Unfortunately, most people don’t get the exposure necessary to keep their internal rhythms in check, which can lead to a myriad of physical and psychological health issues. The team behind the Sunn is looking to bring the sun indoors to address the issue.

The product is a smart LED light fixture that replicates the rhythm of the sun, bathing any room in a person’s home with diffuse light of gradual strengths throughout the day. Sunn gradually brightens to gently waken users in the morning, produces cool, white colors to stimulate focus and productivity during the afternoon, the lights wind down to during sunset, and at night Sunn glows warm like the embers of a fire, a natural indicator it’s time to go to bed.

A companion app places total control of Sunn in a user’s hands, and can be used to sync the light to a location, change lighting conditions, or set alarms using gradual light. It can also be used with Philips Hue and LIFX lighting, as well. The science to support a product like this is there, so the idea definitely warrants a backing. The standard 19-inch Sunn is $289, and the 24-inch Sunn Plus is $349. Backers can expect the Sunn in April 2015 provided the campaign reaches its $50,000 goal.

Categories
Cycling Safety

WingLights handlebar lights turn on with a tap, offer better visibility, signaling

Biking is an incredibly fun way of exploring any city, but is an activity full of danger when riding in traffic. Cyclists who are properly outfitted with the essential safety gear still have to be seen at all and the hand signals that are recommended simply cannot be seen most of the time, especially during inclement weather or at night. As such, the way cyclists have to grab attention has evolved and WingLights wants to make it easy.

WingLights are magnetically attached to ends of a bike’s handlebars. A single tap activates bright, flashing amber lights, mimicking the turning signal of vehicles already on the road. Most drivers won’t notice arms flailing to signal direction, but they’ll most definitely see the light emitted from the WingLights. When you’re done with your ride, they’re easily detachable and combine to create a keyring for easy transportation. The product’s aluminum structure makes it very resistant and durable—it’s just a shame that there isn’t a version for drop bars or bullhorns, some of the more popular handlebar designs on the market now. A set of WingLights during the campaign goes for £19 (~$30), estimated to be delivered by May 2015. The campaign is hoping to raise £8,500 (~$13,400) to complete mass production.

Categories
Smart Home

Amphiro b1 smart meter smartens up about showers

Every part of the home seems like a threat to your energy bill. The stove, the air conditioner, and the microwave are villains in the saga of undue energy consumption in our lives. Until now, not having enough information was the biggest problem in this battle. Now, devices like the amphiro a1 exist to provide information about temperature and amount of water used so that users can stay on top of things.

What it doesn’t have, though, is a Bluetooth LE chip to communicate with other devices, a lack their Kickstarter campaign wants to address. The amphiro b1 would be the next version of the flagship product, and its release would coincide with a companion app to take advantage of its new technology. With it, users will be able to compare consumption with others and set goals or alarms. A developer API will allow anyone to tinker around with the product itself, allowing all kinds of interesting applications. And considering that it’s powered by a micro-turbine within that spins with the water flow, the amphiro b1 itself is eco-friendly too. Right now, the product is going for £49 (~$77) and can be expected in May 2015. The campaign’s goal is a cool £20,000 (~$31,300).

Smart metering has become the cure-all for our consumption issues, and the amphiro has already proven successful with its a1 model. It’s b1 iteration with Bluetooth LE capability will only make the device better, but it ultimately seems like baby steps in territory already conquered by a fellow product in the space, the Eva Smart Shower. Eva already does everything the amphiro b1 does and adds a motion sensor alongside more customization, at a higher price point. In any case, more options can only be good, and the amphiro b1 is a solid one.

 

Categories
Cycling

SteadyRack bike rack keeps bikes orderly, powered

Bike racks can make or break the space their in depending on how exactly they tackle the challenge of storing the two-wheeled transport. Some can be cumbersome, and some can be almost too minimal as to threaten damage to the bike or the space around it. In addition, bikes are near and dear for most, so their storage is incredibly important.

The SteadyRack is a versatile solution that offers users lots of options. The product attaches to a wall and steel arms hold your bike up at a right angle, offering users the option to swivel the bike to the left or the right to save space. The sleek rack also sports three USB ports to charge biking equipment or even smartphones, recognizing that enthusiasts need that functionality to keep their gadgets topped up. A SteadyRack goes for $60 AUD (~$49) and is expected to ship in April 2015. The campaign is looking for $35,000 AUD (~$28,800).

Categories
Technology

Librem 15 open source laptop keeps your digital life liberated with quality parts

Ever since revelations of spying corporate and governmental have become widespread, the tech scene has become a hotbed for the privacy issue. For the most part, though, everything is business as usual. There are choices, but they either treat privacy with the same attitudes, or don’t and offer hardware that isn’t up to snuff. Hobbyists can build their own computers, but even loose components can have shady links to the companies that made them.

The Librem 15 is letting users have their cake and eat it too. Each and every single piece of hardware is specially selected to make sure it is completely devoid of any unknown code, because the company believes in respecting the fundamental right to privacy people have. The Librem 15 combines an open source approach with high-end, quality parts. The laptop runs with the best of them, sporting a 15″ 1920×1080 screen, a 720p camera, an 8 core Intel i7, 4GB of ram, 500GB of storage, 3 USB 3.0 slots, an SDXC slot, and a CD/DVD-rom drive—and it all weighs in at 4.4lbs.

Compared to products like the Novena, the Librem 15 is the pretty much the sleekest, most powerful Linux-based laptop available, and its price reflects that. But as there’s a market for high-end Apple laptops, there is sure to be one for a high-end open source laptop, too. The earliest birds can grab a base model for $1,149, while those later on can spend upwards of $1,899 for the same. Purism is looking for $250,000 in funding to have the laptop shipped by July 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Connected Objects

HIRO connected tag swoops down and rescues your lost things

Bluetooth tags or tiles that help people find their things are a dime a dozen nowadays. They come in an extremely small portable form and usually connect via Bluetooth or GPS in order to lead distracted denizens back to their misplaced goods.

The HIRO is another one of these devices that essentially fits the mold of most Bluetooth trackers, offering iOS and Android compatibility along with the option of using a loud buzzer to help find things in piles of clothing, for example. A proximity sensor works to inform users about HIRO’s Bluetooth signal range of 200ft. While it’s not as good as having full GPS support, packing these features in its extremely diminutive size is impressive. The HIRO Bluetooth tag can be had with a $10 backing, and is expected to ship in February 2015 provided the campaign reaches it $5,200 goal.

The HIRO doesn’t offer anything out the ordinary when compare to similar tags like Tile, TrackR, or FIND 2.0. What it does offer interested parties is a break in price, something anyone can agree with.

Categories
Lighting

Light Bandit captures sunlight, brightens up homes without electricity

Sunlight is incredibly important for all aspects of life, from quality of sleep to energy levels and focus throughout the day. With everyone’s general well-being as intimately connected to the amount of sunlight as it is, it’s a shame more and more people are living with less of it due to the prevalent lifestyles of the day.

The Light Bandit by Think Tekk, LLC is a box installed at a window’s edge that captures sunlight that otherwise may add unwanted levels of heat to a home, and redirects it to different parts of a user’s home with optical cables. This light can be used to provide more natural, soft lighting to darker corners, help indoor plants grow stronger, or simply for decoration—all without any electricity or power whatsoever.

With a 3×3 sq ft of sunlight providing as much light as 100 bulbs, the Light Bandit can capture enough to equal about two to three bulbs at once, and multiple cables can be used at one time to brighten up different parts of the home. Unfortunately, there is nothing installed that can save the sunlight for later. The Light Bandit can be had with a $299 backing, and is expected to ship in November 2015 should Think Tekk, LLC’s campaign reach its $200,000 goal.

Categories
Connected Objects

socialBrite connected light serves up synchronized light shows, mirth

Wearables usually offer something tangible to the user, like heart rate data or fitness results. The socialBrite is yet another wearable, but this one offers small, clip-on lights that offer the potential for synchronized light shows across devices. When many are in close proximity to each other, the one paired by Bluetooth LE to an iOS or Android smartphone will dictate patterns and colors to the rest through an RF mesh network, creating vibrant displays that can be set automatically to music or customized by the user.

The socialBrite not only offers an aesthetic treat, but doubles as a sort of Bluetooth tracker for little ones because it also functions as an anti-loss device. Whenever the distance between the clip and the smartphone becomes too great, an alert is sent to the phone to inform the user providing peace of mind for parents everywhere.

Ultimately, however, the product isn’t as appealing as other platforms like the Waves system of connected lights that, while not portable, offers more openness and personalization. The socialBrite campaign is looking for $25,000 in funding to get the $25 clip on the heads of little girls everywhere by March 2015.