Categories
Connected Objects

LifeStyleLock zero5 lets you know when prying hands attack your drawers

Many people keep certain items in a desk or nightstand drawer that they don’t want their kids or others to get their hands on. It could be medication. It could be a gun. It could be money.

The LifeStyleLock zero5 connected furniture lock uses Bluetooth and proprietary sensing technology to connect to an Android and iOS device. The zero5 leverages a proprietary solenoid locking mechanism, and it was built in the same way as locks built for industrial uses. If there is an attempted breach, the owner will be immediately notified. It should only take about 15 minutes to set up, and the lock and accompanying drawer assembly accommodates a large amount of imprecision in the installation, the company says. The zero5 attaches to the user’s nightstand, dresser or desk, but the front and side appearance of the furniture is unchanged.

The two main components of the zero5 are the locking mechanism and the housing. Both components are already fully engineered, its maker says. The zero5 uses on-board sensors to provide its owner with security awareness:  Early backers who pledge $250 will get a limited first edition version of the device in April. After that, backers who pledge $250 will get a lock one month later. LifeStyleLock is looking to raise $500,000 by Jan. 19.

The device will come in handy for many consumers, as long as it is as easy to set up as its maker claims and as long as the consumer actually has items that need to be locked up. Including both strengths and smarts makes for a pricier product. However for those who want remote notification, it may be worth it.

Categories
Food and Beverage

Evolve 3.0 offers three ways to brew coffee, not just in theory

There are lots of ways to brew coffee and even more devices that go with each brewing method. French presses, espresso machines, Keurig machines, coffee makers and more clutter our homes all in the name of brewing that perfect cup of coffee.

The Evolve 3.0 is a three-in-one coffee maker. This simple product allows the user to make coffee using either the stovetop method, pour-over method or plunger method. With different parts, it makes it possible to enjoy a cup in three different ways depending on your mood or time constraints.

With each method, the Evolve 3.0’s kettle design makes it easy to serve the coffee. Best of all, this device doesn’t require any kind of paper filter as it uses metal filters of its own. This product is stovetop and dishwasher safe.

The Evolve 3.0 offers three great options for coffee lovers. However, in the morning the last thing anyone wants to worry about is boiling water, which the Evolve can’t do on its own. Perhaps with an integrated water heater, the Evolve will truly be unstoppable. One will cost backers a large donation of $300 NZD (~$234 USD) for delivery in October 2015. Evolve 3.0 is hoping to raise a whopping $160,000 NZD (~$124,800) on Kickstarter.

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
Pets

Catzmat adds artistic flair to your kitty’s feeding time

Keeping the floor clean around the area where kitty feeds can be a challenge. Many of the mats on the market are, well, boring. So Catzmat aims to add some interest to the whole process. Using an attachment clip to the wall, the mat comes in tons of different designs ranging from flowers, to Renaissance art to a photo of pet owner and kitty. The mat even works in a corner area if preferred. It appears to be easy enough to clean with just soap and water and a dishcloth or paper towel.

In terms of aesthetics and artistic appeal, Catzmat may have a bit of an advantage over other products on the market. Honestly, though, a cat mat is a cat mat. Other products in which cat lovers may have an interest are Mousr, Automatic Kitty Groomer, and WindowKitty. This campaign seeks to raise $8,400 NZD (~$6,500 USD) on Kickstarter. For $18 NZD (~$14 USD) backers get one Catzmat with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Furniture

Stance Desk rises to challenge of the war on sitting

The war on sitting in is full swing as the new year has begun. Stance Desk is here to add some additional artillery to the armory. This particular standing desk works with a toggle and weight system. Release the toggle to adjust the desk up and down, and the weight on the back of the desk balances with the weight on the front of the desk. The idea is that when those tedious tasks that come with every desk job begin to make one’s eyelids feel heavy, there is the option to stand up rather than remain seated and risk falling asleep in front of the computer.

While Stance appears to be a quality product, it doesn’t really seem any better than other standing desks trying to make their way into the marketplace. Interested backers might also want to check out the BU Desk, and ReadyDesk, not to be confused with the RediDesk campaigns. Those who think laterally may also be interested in Wrap. This campaign seeks to raise £6,500 (~$10,000) on Kickstarter. For £200 (~$300), backers get one Stance Desk with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Cooking

Rotissa-Fry cooks, bakes, fries, roasts your dinner on the fly

The hurried pace of life often makes cooking meals that are tasty but still healthy a challenge. So the more multitasking a kitchen cooking gadget can do, the more attractive it often looks to those who want to have good food fast.

Rotissa-Fry offers a variety of cooking options all in one device.  The small but effective energy-efficient cooker uses 360°F heating to make certain that things are cooked evenly and in half the time of other options such as an oven, grill or fryer. Since it doesn’t require any oil and is made of non-stick material, foods are lower in fat. Some of its capabilities include frying bacon and eggs, baking breads and cakes, steaming fish and veggies, grilling sandwiches and burgers, cooking stir fry, roasting chicken, beef, pork and lamb, rotisserie cooking and defrosting. Since Rotissa-Fry is portable, food can be cooked anywhere that there is a power source to plug it into.

Certainly anyone who enjoys entertaining, is a cooking enthusiast, or sees cooking as a hobby will enjoy this product. There doesn’t appear to be any assembly necessary, nor any special tools for switching it from one type of cooking to another, although that is not clearly indicated. Other fun kitchen gadgets in which backers may have an interest include GrillOven and MasterPan, and those looking for a way to cut fat and still have some flavor may like to check out Fab. This campaign seeks to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter. For $150, backers get one product with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Health and Wellness

Vitastiq smartphone pen measures vitamin, mineral levels

Keeping our minds and bodies in check in our modern times of lazy food ordering and Uber rides is a pickle. Wearables have made it so most can have access to their basic physical vitals, but when it comes the levels of other harder to measures traits, people are out of luck unless they head to a doctor and pay the associated fees with the visit.

Among other techniques, doctors currently use expensive EAV, or electroacupuncture according to Voll devices, to check up on the body. The Vitastiq is looking to make the action of checking a person’s vitamin and mineral levels a routine one by using an iOS or Android smartphone as the brains behind an attachable, stainless steel pen.

Connected to a smartphone, the pen can gather information from specific acupuncture parts on the body whose electrical levels can be analyzed to let users know where they are with the vitamin and mineral levels. This gives them clear guidance as to how to act on it, and keeps bodies healthier in the long run. The device can be had for $99 and is expected to ship in March 2015 provided it reaches its $49,000 campaign goal.

Vitastiq can be a promising device, but that depends how much the users confide in the alternative realm of acupuncture and energy medicine. Studies show that EAV devices do exhibit effectiveness in analyzing vitamin and mineral levels, but for some that just might not be enough to sway them.

Categories
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.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

Kairos Watches balance mechanical, smartwatch capabilities with style

Up until now, watches have either been mechanical or, more recently, they’ve abandoned their mechanical construction to become more intelligent. Bluetooth capabilities have allowed smartwatches to communicate with the devices in people’s lives, relaying information about everything from exercise results to e-mail notifications. The smartwatch problem is a thorny one, though, and as much as people want their watches to be high-tech, watches aren’t smartphones that last for a few years. People expect quality that will last for a lifetime.

Kairos Watches is attempting to bridge the chronography gap by offering a hybrid mechanical smartwatch that gives users the best of both worlds. The watch’s two versions, the MSW 115 and the SSW 158, offer Japanese and Swiss construction and movement, respectively. Both of these models are outfitted with a touch-sensitive, full-color, transparent OLED display, or TOLED, that lets users check time normally while still being able to receive and act on notifications, text messages, or e-mails. Bluetooth LE connects the watch to an iOS, Android, or Windows Phone, and an embedded GPS in tandem with a three axis accelerometer helps in tracking fitness progress, amongst other applications.

Since the watch is a hybrid, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it needs to be charged every week or so. It also comes with other caveats, like components that become rapidly outdated. To address the issue, Kairos Watches offers an upgrade program that has owners pay $99 to ship their unit back to be updated with current parts.

The company presents a solid solution to problems unique to smartwatches and, along with quality construction options like stainless steel and gold, may prove enough to sway serious watch owners over in the face of the impending Apple Watch. The many models are currently enjoying a 40%-50% off their respective MSRP in their pre-order phase, ranging from $549 to $1,249. The Kairos Watches will ship in spring 2015.

Categories
Podcasts

The Backerjack Podcast, Episode 3, with Ross Rubin and Steve Sande

Steve and Ross, your two favorite crowdfunding connoisseurs, check out three innovative products in this leaner Episode 3 of The Backerjack Podcast:

  • The promising Neeo thinking remote that turns an Android app into a true universal remote.
  • The ambitious, Immersis entertainment projection system that turns your liing room into a half-sphere of video entertainment.
  • The potentially useful Vikaura e-paper displays that turn a pricey Kindle-like screen into a home for helpful messages or other information.

All the campaigns are still active so check them out our thoughts before signing up to back them.

Not an iTunes user? You can download the podcast by saving this link, subscribe via RSS, or listen to it with the player below:.