Category: Connected Objects

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Connected Objects

Liif could be life saver if you forget to take your pills

Many people have trouble remembering to take their pills, especially when they are on the run and there are multiple medications that need to be taken at different times of the day.

The Liif smart pill box from Sunnyvale, California-based company Tricella is designed to address that issue. The device connects to smartphones via Bluetooth and through an iOS and Android app. It then tracks when pills are taken or not taken, and sends the user and members of that person’s family reports to make sure the medications aren’t forgotten about. Users only need to tap Liif to an NFC-enabled smartphone to establish the Bluetooth connection.

The company also developed a Tricella Hub so that Liif can be used by consumers who don’t own a smartphone. That device relays Liif’s information just by using an Internet connection. Tricella isn’t using one of the crowd funding sites because it already funded Liif development, it says. The company is selling a four-chamber Liif Today at the discounted price of $44.99. It’s also fielding a seven-chamber version called Liif This Week at the discounted price of $54.99. The Hub is being sold for $89.99 on the Web site.

Liif is a promising product that should appeal to a large base of consumers. The price seems about right for the pill boxes themselves. But the Hub’s price seems excessive– especially when it’s likely that the target customer for that device is a senior citizen or other consumer who doesn’t own a smartphone and might be more budget-conscious than an iPhone owner. Liif’s name could also potentially confuse consumers. It was designed to resemble a leaf and that’s precisely how the device is pronounced. But the spelling could confuse some people and it’s not clear what a leaf has to do with a smart pill box anyway. Similar products have included Hi Pills, a pill dispenser box that also connected to iOS and Android devices.

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Connected Objects

Green Lantern got nothin’ on anyone with an IRring remote control infrared ring

Sometimes, even getting up to manually turn off the lights can be a hassle, especially after a long, tiresome day. It’s funny how that can happen, and as a result most can admit to that feeling of pure laziness. Smart devices have pretty much made this an option, though, provided enough of the home is connected.

This is why the IRring remote control ring is a bit of a puzzle. The product is an Arduino-based, infrared ring that can control all types of electronics, appliances, and lights. For those parts of the home without infrared capabilites, an appliance module can help bridge that gap. A point and a click will set anything programmed on and off without much effort.

The ring itself is a bit of a clunker, though, and its lack of Bluetooth LE (although it’s being worked on) along with being relegated to only the home seems limited in use when other smart devices can trigger parts of the home through cellular networks. But, at $20 a pop, the device is inexpensive. A successful $15,000 campaign will see the IRring shipped in June 2015.

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Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries Connected Objects

PERI Duo case is a combination battery case, wireless speaker, style statement

Bluetooth speakers have exploded on the scene and readjusted just what consumers expect from their audio companions. Although features like weight and long-lasting battery for maximum portability are on the top of the list, a dead iPhone battery will render any speaker completely useless. Luckily, the PERI Duo case solves both problems with a single, compact solution.

The case is a combination battery charger and wireless speaker that works over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. When attached, its 2500mAh battery ensures the iPod Touch or iPhone 5, 5C, or 6 is always full of juice and that the three and four watt speakers amplify any tunes a user might want to hear. When not attached, a user can stream music from the iPhone to the PERI Duo using Bluetooth, or multi-cast their audio to multiple, other speakers using the case from up to 100 feet away.

It’s slim profile is pretty attractive even if there is no iPhone 6+ nor any Android compatibility at the moment. Backers can take advantage of an early bird special of $79, a price that will rise to $99 after initial supply is sold. A successful $100,000 campaign will see the case expected to shipped in April 2015.

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Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries Connected Objects Tech Accessories Technology

PowerLite provides more powerful smartphone camera performance

The multi-functional PowerLite from Australia serves as a power charger, as well as a light accessory for iPhones and Android smartphones. As a charger, the PowerLite provides six extra hours of battery life, while the thinner PowerLite Slim version adds three hours of battery life. The device uses 14 light emitting diodes (LEDs) to generate up to 630 lumens of brightness, about equal to a typical 40-watt light bulb. The light is controlled through an app for iPhones and Android phones. Users can opt to keep the device in flash mode or have the LEDs stay on constantly to record a video or illuminate a shot. PowerLite also serves as a remote selfie camera shutter. The device can also be used to find a misplaced smartphone. Pressing a button on it sets off an alert for the phone to make a sound.

Backers who provide $19 for the Kickstarter campaign will get either SKU of the device when it ships in June. That’s 58% less than PowerLite’s maker expects it to cost at retail. Its maker is looking to raise $60,000 Kickstarter.

PowerLite’s multi-functionality and slim design gives it a clear advantage over rival devices including the Lume Cube. The relatively low pricing is also a plus.

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Connected Objects Travel

Keep those eyes in the sky focused on your luggage with the Smart Unit tracker

The point at check-in where control over luggage is relinquished to the airport can leave anyone with an queasy feeling that’s hard to shake no matter how much alcohol is consumed on the flight. Most of the time, nothing happens. Those times when something does, however, can ruin an entire trip.

The Smart Unit is a GSM-connected luggage tracking device that takes the ride with a piece of luggage through the bowels of airport travel, keeping users informed about their location the entire time. It shuts off while in flight, avoiding any possible interference with FAA regulations, and powers back upon landing just in time to alert users to the bag’s arrival onto the baggage claim belt. Alerts can also inform users of luggage tampering as well as a separation of more than 100 feet. Early birds can grab the unit now for $59 before it goes up to $99. The $50,000 campaign is looking to ship the Smart Unit in May 2015.

Since its battery only lasts one week, the Smart Unit may be a bit of a pain to be charge. A more comprehensive version of this idea is the Bluesmart, which incorporates a tracking solution and so much more into the luggage itself.

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Connected Objects Cooking

ChefBot helps you whip up your next delight; prevents burning

Generally, there are two ways a kitchen can be thought of. It can be the soothing, relaxing part of the home where delicious, homemade meals are prepared. Or it can be the part of the home where the refrigerator, toaster oven, and microwave are located. Unfortunately, the latter rings true for most. As easy as any cooking show makes it seem, the process of creating a meal from scratch is loaded with subtlety essential to the recipe itself. However, most people don’t have the magic touch, making cooking difficult and arduous.

The ChefBot may look like a regular kitchen scale, but hiding within is a Bluetooth-enabled kitchen assistant. This device weighs ingredients, provides a running calorie count of them, and leads users through any recipe uploaded into the device with the ChefBot companion app for iOS or Android, all while streaming music through Bluetooth. The device’s stainless steel construction houses multiple voices or a TFT display that communicates this information a user, and everything is built to be water-resistant to avoid unseemly accidents from seriously damaging the unit. The Bluetooth version of the ChefBot is $99, while the Wi-Fi unit is $149. ChefBot is expected to ship April 2015 provided the campaign raises $50,000.

The glut of connected kitchen objects makes it seem like no one in America can cook. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, but there is certainly a variety of them. The ChefBot’s design is underwhelming, but the actual product is priced well, offering just enough functionality to be valuable. Its choice of material makes it superior to Drop, another scale that seeks to lend a helping hand but it does so while connected to an iPad, a device people might not want in the kitchen at all.

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Connected Objects Technology Wearables

Multifunction dog tag boosts luck of finding lost pooch

Dog owners dread the idea of losing their pooch. So, the idea of a smart, wearable device is a no-brainer for many pet owners.

The new Lucky Tag, developed by Los Angeles-based Beaconpliance, is a dog wearable device that combines three main features into one. The on-collar tag can be used as a tracking device to find a missing dog, but also offers location-based service social functionality among nearby dog owners, along with pet healthcare functions. The tag uses beacon technology to help users find their dogs. Each device has a unique ID configured for each dog and constantly sends out a Bluetooth signal as far as 250 feet for Android and iOS smartphones nearby to detect and locate the ID.

The “Find My Dog’ feature helps users locate their missing pooches with the collaborative efforts of Lucky Tag devices nearby. Lucky Tag owners can also exchange contact info with each other, enhancing the device’s social functionality. The device, meanwhile, tracks and logs each dog’s activity level and ambient temperature, and syncs the data with the user’s smartphone. Early bird backers can get a Lucky Tag by pledging as little as $29 and are expected to get the device in February. Beaconpliance is looking to raise $40,000.

Lucky Tag supposedly consumes less power than similar devices like Pawda and Tagg that use GPS technology. But GPS devices cover a much larger area. As Beaconpliance concedes on its Kickstarter campaign, the biggest challenge with beacon technology is that it relies on the collaborative support and power of a mass community. That means unless many consumers buy the device for their dogs, a key part of its functionality will not work well. That is a major downside of the device. But the relatively low pricing may be enough of an incentive for some consumers to buy one.

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Connected Objects

Carbon Flyer rugged drone can dive-bomb into anything and live to tell the tale

Everyone enjoys some good old-fashioned drone action, until the drone in question is located in about three different spots on the ground. Although most people fly their drones in open areas, the danger of having it succumb to the environment is ever present due to unknown geography, user error, or just plain bad luck.

Renowned crowdfunding star Trident Design, LLC bills the Carbon Flyer as the “ultimate tech toy”, perhaps rightfully so. The paper plane look-alike is anything but: its 100% carbon fiber construction down to its carbon fiber infused bonds affords it a level of strength and resistance others drones dream of. Long range Bluetooth connects it to an iOS or Android smartphone at distances of up to 240 feet and allows users to control speed, altitude, and steer it, documenting it all with the onboard 640×480 camera.

A rugged plastic nose cone does double duty by both protecting and balancing the unit out, although it won’t have much time to with the Carbon Flyer’s embarrassingly useless three minute run time. The camera also doesn’t support streaming, but may be able to with future upgrades. Instead, the Game of Drones offers Go Pro possibilities along with indestructibility, but is nowhere near as sleek or affordable as the $99 Flyer. Expected ship date for the unit is August 2015 provided a fully-funded campaign of $50,00o before then.

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Connected Objects Technology

Splitter resurrects Wi-Fi dead zones

It can be frustrating when an expensive router can’t provide Wi-Fi to the garage, a far corner of a large house or another Wi-Fi dead spot. Vancouver company ANTLamp has created a relatively low-cost solution.

The Splitter is a device that connects to a Wi-Fi router and splits power and data on a single network cable, enabling the user to place the router on a ceiling or anywhere else in the house where the best Wi-Fi coverage can be provided. There is no need for an extension cord or power outlet. The device can also be used to power small devices such as cable modems, security systems, lamps and some small TVs. ANTLamp is looking to ship the Splitter in August and backers can get one then by pledging $59. It is trying to raise $17,000.

There are certain applications where the device will certainly come in handy, especially if attaching a router to the ceiling is indeed the best location to provide Wi-Fi coverage for an entire house. But at least some consumers may be better off just buying a wireless range extender or wireless repeater at a lower price.  The product’s unoriginal name likely won’t help either.

 

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Connected Objects Imaging Video

ZANO drone zigs and zags, zooms upward from the palm of your hand

The drones we all know and love are usually large, intimidating machines that seem to be more a part of a Terminator movie than anything else. That’s why the recent trend of their miniaturization is a welcome thing.

Torquing Group’s ZANO continues that trend with its 6.5cm x 6.5cm, fits-in-the-palm-of-the-hand construction. The nano drone offers everything a larger drone can, from HD picture and video capture to a follow me mode, to ensure any high-action events can be captured. Its image stabilization ensures the moments are captured without the presence of blurring or anything else unsightly.

Smartphone tethering allows for gesture control, a back-to-user feature, and a free fly mode when users want full reign over the drone’s operation. Black and white options go for £149 (~$232), while a limited camouflage or glow-in-the-dark option are all available to interested backers, and currently go for £215 (~$335). The £125,000 (~$194,625) campaign is looking to have more ZANOs in the air by June 2015.

As previously mentioned, the ZANO is a reflection of the miniaturization of drones. Other products like the Anura or the Pocketcopter offer similar functionality, but with it are also burdened by a drone’s chief problem: battery life. The ZANO itself only lasts for 10-15 minutes before needing a battery swap, an impractical amount of time for anything other than short bursts of use, rendering something like a follow me mode pretty useless. Its size may be impressive, but users won’t be able to marvel for too long.