Category: Tablet Accessories

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Robots/Drones Tablet Accessories

EMotion helps move telepresence robotics into more affordable territory

editors-choiceTelepresence robots allow people who are away from home to check in on their pets and make sure burglars haven’t broken in. Regular viewers of the TV show The Good Wife know that telepresence robots can also be used to take part in office meetings when users are home sick or on a business trip. Such devices can also conceivably be used so that sick kids don’t miss important lessons at school. One major problem so far has been that these devices are too costly.

EMotion is designed to be a more affordable option for consumers who want a telepresence robot. The moving robotic device works in conjunction with iPads or Android tablets. Additional functions that can be done with it include video chatting with friends and family via services such as FaceTime or Skype. EMotion ships in June at $599, although early bird Kickstarter backers can get one for a pledge starting at about $178. Its makers hope to raise $48,146 by March 3.

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Tablet Accessories

Quarter keeps the Apple Pencil right by the side of the iPad Pro

The first six or seven iPads from Apple really didn’t change very much. Yes, they got faster, thinner, lighter and sported higher resolution as the software steadily improved. But after the launch of the iPad mini, the product didn’t really break into a lot of new territory.

That changed this fall, when Apple took the iPad to new new heights (and widths) with the iPad Pro. Boasting a 12.9″ display, its screen is larger than that of some MacBooks. Indeed, Apple has made its capabilities a bit closer to the MacBooks’ as well by announcing a keyboard cover that attaches magnetically. It also announced the Apple Pencil, a stylus designed primarily for creative work. There’s no issue keeping the cover on the iPad Pro (because it’s, well, a cover). However, the Apple Pencil — unlike the digital pen for the Surface Pro — lacks any way to connect to the device for which it provides input.

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Cell Phone Accessories Imaging Tablet Accessories

Holaplex is a tiny 3D stage for visualizations on mobile devices

Displays continue to get brighter and sharper, but most of them have a significant limitation. They can only display images in two dimensions. Even “3D” displays only provide an illusion of depth. You can’t, for example, see what objects look like from the side or rear.

Holapex is a small, pyramid-like device designed to sit on top of a smartphone or tablet and display holograms. It comes in two sizes optimized for a smartphone or tablet and of course uses a companion app to display them. Things seem pretty early for the project as creator Isaias J. Perez is still working out what the source of the holograms will be. However, the device is only $25 and is due to be delivered in November. Perez seeks only $600 by October 28th.

The Holapex is an inexpensive and possibly useful amusement but of course it’s a far cry from the degree of interaction one can experience with something as sophisticated as Microsoft’s Hololens. Still, it can provide exposure to holograms for a very broad audience in the way Google Cardboard provides affordable exposure to virtual reality.

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Music Tablet Accessories

The One is for the two hands playing an iPad-enabled piano

The history of interfaces and gadgets aimed at helping people learn to play piano stretches back at least 25 years to the release of The Miracle piano that worked with the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

Carrying on The Miracle’s tradition of educational digital pianos with names that include an article, The ONE digital keyboards can connect directly to an iPad or Android tablet. The pianos feature light-up keys that have been popular on low-end learning pianos for years. However, when paired with a tablet, apps — such as the one the company is creating — can do a more engaging job of teaching piano.. The ONE has been sold in other countries for some time so the campaign really marks more of its entrance into North America than a whole new concept.

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Cell Phone Accessories Food and Beverage Tablet Accessories Travel

Airhook makes airline trays useful when they’re in the upright and locked position

Anyone who flies knows that the tray table is an uncomfortable evil that food and drinks often claim at the expense of tablet-resident entertainment or productivity.

Airhook is a compact, portable solution that works with the existing tray tables but makes them more useful. The simple design features a collapsible hook that gets widged between the tray and the seat into which it folds. The cupholder portion folds down, making a convenient storage place for a drink throughout the duration of the flight – including take-off and landing.  The Airhook also features a docking station for a variety of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, with a bungee cord that helps lock the device in place from the top.

The design is well-executed, and the designers are selling Airhook for $20 each, to raise $15,000 by July 26, 2015, expecting delivery by December 2015. However, frequent travelers may find that the elastic may stretch with continued use, making the device less stable as time goes on.

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Arts Tablet Accessories

Sketchmi lets younguns sketch whatever on their tablets

Many artists have switched over to the tech side of things to become graphic designers. They use software and computers to make art. Still, many would prefer to have the convenience of technology, while still using good old fashioned pen and paper.

Sketchmi brings these two worlds together. This product is essentially a tablet case that’s most compatible with the iPad mini, iPad 2 and iPad 3, though it may still work with other models. To use, simply place on the tablet like a case. Add a sheet of paper over the screen to use for tracing a cool picture found on the Internet or from a personal photo library.

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Cell Phone Accessories Input Tablet Accessories

Stacking TextBlade slices through bulky Bluetooth keyboards

editors-choiceThe introduction of touch screen devices necessitated the use of touch screen keyboards, a pretty difficult problem even now. Most people, though, would agree they’re a necessary evil. They can be unreliable for anything more than short notes or messages, take up half the screen they’re being used on, and can’t be felt. For people whose jobs rely on any amount of typing, that last downside is a deal breaker, relegating the touch screen keyboard to the very last option on the list.

patent-claimedBluetooth keyboards have long been available for these platforms, generally to underwhelming response. They can be too big, or if they’re small enough, they aren’t practical for long typing sessions. WayTools’ TextBlade marries multi-touch functionality with a very physical, tactile typing experience to give users the best of both worlds — all while maintaining an incredibly slim profile with little tricks like a space bar/battery combo to save space. Indeed, the whole combo stacks neatly enough to fit into the coin holder of a jeans pocket.

Utilizing magnets gives the TextBlade its svelte construction along, but what it does best is reduce the standard 70 key QWERTY keyboard to just eight, intelligent multi-touch keys complete with full-finger spacing. The creators insist the keys are smart enough to know exactly what the users intend want to write, but those who purchase it will have to see for themselves. Some may want to take that plunge, while other may want a more certain solution like the FlyShark. The $99 keyboard is compatible with iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows platforms and is shipping on a rolling basis.

 

 

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Cell Phone Accessories Displays Input Tablet Accessories

Portable DAMO creates wall-sized touch screen for Android devices

While giving a corporate slide presentation, it would be handy to be able to control the images just by touching them on the wall or projection screen that they’re appearing on.

The DAMO from Taiwan is a portable accessory that connects via Wi-Fi to Android 4.2 and higher smartphones and tablets, and then displays whatever is on the Android device screen through any projector. The DAMO sensor connects to the projector via an HDMI cable. The touch screen that is created can be as large as 80 inches. When the user touches the wall or other surface with an included DAMO ring or pen device, an infrared signal is sent to the DAMO sensor and then back to the Android device. Interacting can also be done via hand gestures or controlled via the Android device screen.

The sensor can also be attached to a TV or computer monitor. Backers who provide $99 as part of an early bird Indiegogo special will get a DAMO system when it ships in August of this year. That’s $70 less than its expected $169 price. The money is going to be used to put DAMO into mass production. Its makers are trying to raise $90,000 by March 8.

DAMO holds promise. But the limited number of devices that it supports now will limit its potential customer base. It has some similarities to the cheaper Project Wedge, which supports more mobile devices, but otherwise pales in comparison to DAMO. The main customer for DAMO will likely be people who frequently make business presentations, although there could be some limited appeal among kids. The product’s name is a version of the Chinese name of a Buddhist monk, also known in English as Bodhidharma. Besides being credited with training Shaolin monks in martial arts, Bodhidharma is said to be the founder of Zen Buddhism, which is why charms in his likeness are popular in Japan. The green DAMO logo is a take on those charms, also known as Daruma dolls, the DAMO team says.

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Tablet Accessories

Gerp Mount alleviates tablet shoulders, has many more tricks up its sleeves

patent-claimedAs comfortable as smartphones are to hold, tablets unfortunately don’t enjoy the same reputation. With the increased size comes an increased strain on the arms, shoulder, and neck of the user holding it up, causing a sense of discomfort that can’t easily be addressed.

The Gerp Mount is looking to relieve the issue with its ergonomically-constructed, rugged utility mount. Although it’s primarily advertised as a tablet grip and hands-free stand, the Gerp’s versatility truly shines in the variety of ways a user can use it outside of a tablet. To be frank, using it as a tablet grip is pretty redundant in most cases, but using it as a makeshift clothes rack or attaching a GoPro or a GPS to the grip makes so much more useful in places like the home and the car. The downside to all the different attachments necessary to do so is the loss of overall focus, simplicity, and aesthetic appeal as a result.

Those who are attached to their tablet with welcome the $80 Gerp Mount and set of accessories with open palms. The $15,000 campaign is looking to ship the product by April 2015.

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Cell Phone Accessories Tablet Accessories

printWifi lets you print hassle-free from your smartphone, tablet

It’s mind-boggling how difficult it can be to print something from a smartphone or a tablet. Companies have long offered ease-of-use with their smart devices, but that tenet was lost of them when they considered the concept of printing. As digital as we are, important documents will always need to be printed out and that need won’t go away for a very long time.

The ImageTech corporation understood this, leading them to create the printWifi. The product plugs into to any printer and creates an instant hotspot to which smart devices can connect to. Once connected, its companion iOS or Android app facilitates the printing of any document to pretty much any printer using the printWifi’s onboard database of 5,000 unique drivers. This ensures pretty much any printer will be able to be used, all without needing network access.

printWifi is extremely similar to the Lantronix’s xPrintServer, but costs $99 versus the former’s $69 price tag, and only works on iOS. The printWifi campaign is looking to raise $10,000 and is expected in February 2015.