Category: Technology

Categories
Technology

Spin remote universally controls home’s devices, doesn’t point to do so

editors-choiceIt would be great to have just one remote control that could control all the devices in the living room. It would make things even easier for many people if that one remote didn’t have more than a dozen buttons, or, even better, didn’t have any buttons at all.

The Spatent-claimedpin remote from the Netherlands features six LEDs that enable it to send out infrared signals in every direction. This eliminates the need to point Spin at the desired device, which is what one has to do with a traditional remote that only has one infrared LED. Just touching Spin is enough to activate it and users can program it with up to 10 presets. Each of those presets can be used to program multiple devices. As such, the average home owner will be able to program all the devices in their home with just two or three presets. For example, the user can turn Spin to the left to lower the volume on a TV and turn down the thermostat, or turn it to the right to make the TV volume louder and turn the thermostat higher. Although the remote can communicate with smart devices via Bluetooth LE, it is mainly meant to be used with non-networked electronic devices, including TVs.

The presets can be set by downloading a free Android or iOS app. If the company gets more funding, they plan on supporting more OS’s including Blackberry and Windows. Backers who pledge $92 will get a Spin remote when it ships in September. This product is looking to raise $1,000 on Indiegogo.

The design of the remote is stylish and certainly far more advanced than such devices as the simplistic IRring. The remote will work with all infrared electronic devices, including Blu-ray and DVD players, a huge convenience. But users will not be able to turn on and off an unlimited number of devices with Spin. The number of devices in one preset for a function like turning on and off devices will be limited to only five. one major drawback of this product.

Categories
Technology

Luna personal robot juggles affordability, an open platform, your breakfast

Countless pieces of literature, television shows, and films have all hinted of a future where human beings live side by side with robots. For the most part, robotics of this kind are currently either too simple, or far too advanced and exuberantly priced as a result. As a result, there isn’t much of a middle ground, unless the something like Luna personal robot is considered.

Honda’s AISMO is a great example of a human-sized personal robot that has been attempted, but that was ultimately a dud in its potential for real-world applications. Luna differs in that its sole purpose is to exist as a personal, completely open, and affordable robotics platform for the home. Being that Luna is based on Linux, it presents developers with a familiar platform for creating applications for Luna’s app store. In addition to expanding Luna’s capabilities with apps, easily upgradeable internals along with its seven USB ports make it so that Luna can easily grow.

The Luna lasts about eight hours, making it useful throughout the day for a variety of purposes. With its movable arms and HD camera, Luna can watch over the elderly, provide light security, and even provide nursing assistance in a hospital setting. All of these functions are only limited by the community’s imagination in the kinds of apps it creates. Backers can enjoy a $300 discount on Luna’s $1,499 retail price with a reservation of $199, while a developer model can be reserved for $999. Luna is expected to ship in December 2015, should the campaign’s reach its $500,000 goal.

Applying the same apps, services, and accessories model for other smart devices to a robotics platform is a smart way to go in this category. Though its price will have to go down to get it as mainstream as it would like to be. The device is sleek and charming, but will face the same challenges most technology like this faces in its integration with the rest of people’s lives.

Categories
Technology

imp tiny PC and streamer lives in your living room, backs up data with a grin

Set-top boxes for the increasingly voracious consumption of media have grown to be near must-haves for the living room. These boxes offer simple ways to access content from Netflix and other similar video-on-demand services. One problem with these systems is their lack of traditional Internet access. They’re already taking up the biggest screen in the home, so why not use it for more? Conversely, other solutions give you the Internet, but are light on the entertainment.

Imp is looking to unify all of these components under one, tiny little roof. The open-source, Ubuntu-based box does triple duty as a fully functional desktop computer, a XBMC-powered media streamer that works with most VOD services, and a private cloud server that can back up mobile devices with the help of an external hard drive. All of these talents allow users to have access to the usual assortment of social media and email with the use of an optional wireless keyboard and mouse for $19, while streaming their content to and from any device and imp with ease. Early birds can pick one up for $129 now before the price eventually shoots up to $199. Imp is looking for $100,000 in funding.

One of imp’s biggest draws is the fact that it’s open-source, allowing compatibility with pretty much any iOS, Android, or Windows device. Adding the kind of versatility platforms like AirPlay provide without the burdensome ecosystem is something people will be interested in. Another tiny desktop PC is the slightly more powerful and customizable is the Tango, but its power comes at a steeper cost. Ultimately, the imp is much more straightforward and user-friendly, therefore that much more attractive for the average consumer.

Categories
Technology

VPEx is a new solution to combat Wi-Fi hackers

Wi-Fi attacks can compromise a computer user’s most valuable personal data. To fight them, is the VPEx, the Virtual Private Exonetwork: a relatively inexpensive twist on a VPN.

The two-part, easy-to-use solution includes the ExoKey, a small USB device that plugs into a laptop and encrypts its network interface. The ExoNet, its second component, is a gateway connected to the home or office network and provides a trusted connection to the Internet from wherever the user is. ExoKey will soon support mobile phones and tablets too.

Backers who donate $139 will get an ExoNet and two ExoKeys that will allow two people to use open hotspots without fear of their data being compromised. The product is promising if it indeed does what its creator claims it can do. Anyway to protect one’s data at a reasonable price is always welcome on the market.

The current estimated delivery date is in March. Once the Kickstarter campaign is over, the company will field the ExoKey at $39.95 each and ExoNet at $65 each. Exonetwork will only be successful upon reaching its $50,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Categories
Technology

YoBox remembers what’s in moving boxes, stores data digitally

The stresses of moving are endless. Putting everything in boxes can be tedious and finding them again is a nightmare. People label their boxes, but there always seems to be minutiae that gets lost in the move.

The YoBox personal storage management system was designed around an Android and iOS app that works in conjunction with multi-colored YoBox sticker labels that are NFC and QR enabled. The user just has to take photos of all the items being put in a box or list the items in the box using the app, seal the box with a unique YoBox sticker label, scan the label using the app, name the box via the app, and confirm it. Once registered, the YoBox info will be saved onto a secure cloud server and stored there.

For a $20 pledge, backers will get a set of 10 labels that each contain unique NFC and QR codes, allowing them to manage the storage of 10 boxes starting in April. The system’s Boston developer is looking to raise $20,000 on Kickstarter.

The storage management system seems cleverly designed. One downside is that the YoBox system may work better for Android device users than those with iPhones, which don’t provide NFC in reader mode. The QR code will still work on iPhones, but unlike NFC and other radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies, QR codes requires line of sight, so the QR code must be legible to the camera. QR codes can also be damaged by environmental elements including extended sun or water exposure. Still, the idea is a clever way to match the convenience of digital with the necessity of keeping track of YoBox remembers what’s in moving boxes, stores data digitallyphysical items.

Categories
Technology

WorldPenScan X gives you the power to scan, translate by pen

Instant translation of foreign languages to native ones is a luxury commonly thought impossible. Imagine being able to translate a menu written in Japanese into English while sitting in a restaurant in Japan. The new WorldPenScan X digital pen for scanning and translating from Fremont, California-based PenPower USA does exactly that.

Using Bluetooth 4.0, the device recognizes multiple languages, barcodes and bank fonts, and will immediately translate and edit items in multiple applications. Recognized languages include Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. The user can transmit the digitized data to an iOS device or Mac or Windows PC computer. Backers who pledge $99 as part of a Kickstarter special will get a WorldPenScan X when it ships in April 2015. That’s $70 less than the expected $169 retail price. PenPower is looking to raise $30,000 by the end of January. The same company’s WorldPenScan BT sells on Amazon.com in a similar price range, but doesn’t support iOS.

If it works as seamlessly as its campaign video claims, WorldPenScan X could be an appealing product for many consumers. However, some will likely feel that free apps available on their mobile devices already perform the same basic tasks using their built-in cameras. PenPower points out that several steps are required when using a mobile device’s camera to scan and translate. Sometimes, if the ambient light isn’t good enough, that could severely impact the recognition accuracy of the camera. In conclusion, WorldPenScan X will have to work flawlessly, especially when it comes to translating, for consumers to see the device as worthy of their time and money.

Categories
Technology Writing

Say a farewell to distractions with the Hemingwrite e-paper, cloud-syncing writing tool

Today’s completely connected world makes the focused act of writing much harder than it needs to be. With our smartphones, tablets, and laptops set-up as versatile, multi-functional devices, it makes the singular task of writing a difficult one.

For some, this is a huge problem to the point that even a good, old-fashioned typewriter can seem like a good idea. Disconnected from the world, it just works without manuals or special applications needed. That’s what the inventors of the Hemingwrite had in mind in creating their single-purpose, typewriter-shaped writing tool. The product combines the comfort of a full-size mechanical keyboard with more advanced tech like e-paper and automatic cloud syncing in order to help users focus on the end result, rather than constantly be led astray by Facebook posts and random tweets.

Its slim-profile is made of aluminum and features a built-in handle to ensure it’s easy to carry. The Hemingwrite’s instant on feature lets users immediately get back to writing on up to three active documents at a time, and that, along with the option to display timers and word counters, is reflective of its only purpose: to get users to write. With the product being as sparse as it is, it boasts a four week battery so that a dead battery can never be a reason not to write. The Hemingwrite is currently going for $399, and is expected to ship in September 2015. The campaign’s goal is $250,000.

The Hemingwrite is a capable tool for a pretty serious problem that affects many writers, but having to spend upwards of $399 or more is an unnecessary expenditure that doesn’t technically guarantee anything. Utilizing free or low-cost applications along with developing a strong writing routine is so much more beneficial in the long run as a writer. The Hemingwrite is a novel, pretty fun idea with an awesome name, but it’s a gimmick unless its price comes down.

Categories
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.

Categories
Technology

Get mic’d up with the Mikme wireless recording microphone

Inspiration can strike anywhere and at any moment for anyone, but what good is inspiration if it can’t be taken advantage of? Authors, journalists, and musicians all experience bursts of inspiration but don’t necessarily have the tools at their disposal to easily record their thoughts and melodies in high-quality.

Mikme is a wireless recording microphone designed to streamline the usually multi-step process of setting up an environment to record quality audio by reducing it a single button tap. As current processes are hobbled by poor smartphone quality or lots of inputs and equipment to set up with laptops, a portable device that enables users to quickly record up to 180 hours of studio-grade quality audio will ensure that inspiration will never go to waste. Mikme utilizes a Bluetooth connection to stream audio in real-back to its iOS and Android companion app where users can save, mix, edit, and share their creations. The $179 Mikme wireless recording microphone can be expected in May 2015 should its campaign reach its high goal of $217,000.

The team behind the Mikme claims their device captures 24bit audio at a 96kHz frequency. When being streamed, though, audio is compressed while transferred through Bluetooth but saved in its raw form within the device’s 8GB internal memory. When dealing with audio, wireless is usually a bad call and at some point, the Mikme’s audio will eventually be exported and quality affected. All in all, the Mikme is probably a much better call than other wireless solutions, but ultimately won’t be superior to hard-wired microphones.

Categories
Technology

Baseload Buster uses PV panels to lower electric bills

Who doesn’t want to reduce their electric bills? But shifting one’s house entirely over to a solar panel energy system from a fossil fuel-based energy system can be costly.

The Baseload Buster from Amsterdam company Sun Invention offers a third solution that uses photovoltaics (PV) to convert solar energy into direct current electricity. The system includes four solar PV panels of 250 watts each that collect sun during the day to create a maximum of 1,000 watts of pure energy during daytime harvesting. Excess energy is then stored in Lithium batteries to deliver energy during the night or during especially cloudy weather. The PV panels run with an extra cell optimizer to avoid large losses during energy production.

Users can adjust the storage setting on their own based on factors including the region it is being used in, what season it is, and personal consumption level. Sun Invention is looking to raise €20,000 (~$24,200). Backers who spend €2,950 (~$3,600) will get the four panels including a new solar cell optimizer, and a 20-meter connection cable that connects the Baseload Buster connection box to the user’s existing home grid energy system. Country-specific AC connectors are ready to order also and versions for both 50 Hz and 60 Hz grids can be offered by the company.

The system sounds promising. But while the Baseload Buster is clearly less expensive than switching over entirely to a solar energy system, it is still too costly to attract mass consumer adoption. It is also hard to gauge just how much savings the user can expect to see each month.