Categories
Toys

Carbon Fiber Tiles add more fun to Lego time

Many kids, and even adults, love building with Lego bricks. The idea of enhancing a Lego-made building, vehicle or other design with tiles made from sheets of high gloss carbon fiber seems like a welcome addition to Lego fun time.

Mark Carpenter of Grand Rapids, Michigan, developed Lego-compatible Carbon Fiber Tiles with his Lego brick-loving sons. He initially began designed black ones sized at 1 x 2 inches each. Backers of the Kickstarter campaign who pledge $14 as part of an early bird special will get a pack of 10 tiles expected to ship this month. The Carpenter family is looking to raise $8,000.

There is certainly an audience for the tiles. But carbon fiber isn’t cheap and it’s questionable how many consumers will spend so much for a handful of tiles when they can opt to get cheaper individual bricks made by Lego at one of its stores that will accomplish much the same thing. There have been other Lego accessories made by third parties in the past, including TinkerBots and Brickmania Track Links. But those two products had more unique purposes and TinkerBots could also be used independently of Lego bricks. The Carpenters will need to push the envelope a little farther in order to make their idea successful.

Categories
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.

Categories
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.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Virtual Reality

Get comfy with the Viewbox neoprene virtual reality headset

If it wasn’t already apparent, virtual reality, or VR, is here to stay. Events like Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus Rift prove exactly that. As such, the future is one where both augmented and virtual reality will be as commonplace as the smartphones and tablets are in our lives now. For now, though, the industry is still in its infancy.

Currently, the most inexpensive and popular route to a full VR experience is with the use of smartphones alongside headsets designed to facilitate a user’s experience, with Google Cardboard being the most popular example. Company evomade has taken up a notch by creating the Viewbox, a product remarkably similar to Cardboard but with minor differences that end up making all the difference.

Instead of being made from cardboard, the Viewbox is made of soft neoprene which allows it to fold up and be easily transported from one location to the next. In addition, the material makes wearing the product comfortable even with glasses on, and ventilation holes prevent moisture and fog to build up within the viewing area. The kr350 (~$45) product is expected to ship in April of 2015 with a successful campaign goal of kr80,000 (~$10,197).

Although users can easily create their own VR headset, the Viewbox is a very streamlined and low-key way to enjoy a wide variety of VR apps already available now, and the fact that it works with smartphones with screens as big as 5.7″ ensures many can use it. The AirVR looks kind of wacky to wear practically, while the Samsung Gear VR offers a similar experience to the Viewbox, but with a steep premium and bulkier design.

Categories
Tablet Accessories

Proud To Play covers iPad for the young and elderly

IPad covers that increase the usability of the tablet are valued accessories. Most are sleek and work mainly on flat surface, everything the Proud To Play iPad cover isn’t. Instead, the cover offers a sturdy and bulky EVA foam construction. The Proud To Play is no looker, but it makes up for its appearance by being usable in the lap along with on any flat surface thanks to the sphere on its back.

The device was originally designed for elderly people suffering from dementia so the iPad’s physical buttons are shielded by the cover to cut down on mistaken button presses and physically limit the device to a single app. The company envisions the cover’s use in child and work environments, but the cover’s bulkiness makes it hard to believe anyone would want to transport it around. The attempt is admirable, but the Proud To Play ultimately doesn’t do anything a Sevastone, or many other alternatives, couldn’t. Backers can buy one cover for €35 (~$43), or buy one and give one for €65 (~$80). A donation of €20,000 (~$24,693) will get the product out and shipped by February 2015.

Categories
Tech Accessories Technology

MicroJib camera holder boosts GoPro’s creative possibilities from all angles

The popularity of GoPro cameras has been a boon for the makers of camera accessories. The new MicroJib from a Denver, Colorado, inventor adds pan and tilt functionality to the GoPro, expanding the creative possibilities of the action camera.

Panning and tilting enables freedom in camera motions that weren’t previously achievable with other extension poles. Backers of the Kickstarter campaign who pledge amounts starting at $79 will be able to get a MicroJib when it ships in April. Backers who pay $99 will still be getting one at less than the expected $109 retail. Backers who pay $129 can get a  limited edition green and black model. The campaign is hoping to raise $24,000.

MicroJib seems like a good bet for GoPro owners. The accessory’s mount is only designed for GoPro cameras, which limits its potential appeal to owners of other cameras. But MicroJib’s maker is planning to offer a mount as an add-on that will let users mount any small camera to the device.

 

Categories
Input Technology

101touch keyboard gets rid of manual typing; uses touch instead

One drawback of traditional computer keyboards is that there are a significant number of keys some users need to use on a regular basis that are not easily accessible. Another negative is the huge number of shortcuts that must be learned on a traditional keyboard for each new software program.

The new 101touch keyboard from the Czech Republic-based company of the same name addresses those issues by replacing the traditional keyboard with a completely touch-screen based solution. The keyboard allows the user to shift around keys to whatever positions they want them to be in and add frequently-used functions so that they no longer require any shortcuts to reach them. Playing a computer game will be easier with the 101touch because of the keyboard’s customizable intuitive controls that do away with the need to use a mouse to look through menus or memorize short-cuts and hidden functions. Although it was built using Android, the keyboard is compatible with any computer operating system, including MS-DOS, Windows, Linux, OS X and BIOS. New keyboard layouts can be installed quickly, the company claims, whenever the user shifts to a new program. To help parents limit the amount of time that their kids are spending on a computer, there is a time lock feature that sets how long the keyboard will be active for and when that time is up, the keyboard shuts down and cannot be reactivated without a password.

The keyboard uses an emulator that makes it possible for users to connect the 101touch to a computer and have it immediately start working, without any installation. Keys that computer users don’t use regularly have also been replaced with the most commonly-used computer functions, including open, save, save as and print.  Although the keyboard presented in photos at the Kickstarter campaign website has two screens, that is only a prototype and the final version of the device will have only one display. Backers who pledge £99 (~$154) will get the keyboard when it ships in November. The company is looking to raise £180,000 (~$279,400).

One drawback of a touch-based keyboard is that the user doesn’t get the tactile feel of a traditional keyboard each time a key is pressed, unless the 101touch’s makers can come up with a way to duplicate that experience. Gamers and other computer users who want to get some of the same benefits of the 101touch, but without the touch keyboard, will find the customizable Optimus Maximus keyboard a more appealing option.

 

Categories
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.

 

Categories
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.

Categories
Smart Home Technology

Linkio offers affordable home automation solution

Mobile home automation systems offer the undeniably appealing ability to turn off your appliances and other electronic devices when you forgot to shut them before leaving the house from anywhere. French newcomer Linkio is yet the latest company to enter the growing category with an affordable and simple solution.

The company isn’t shy about celebrating native language with the system’s components. The main component of the white Linkio system is “Le Hub,” a central control unit resembling a router that communicates with the rest of the Linkio system and wirelessly links the user’s mobile phone to their electronics in conjunction with “Le Remote,” a remote infrared controller that looks somewhat like a typical smoke detector. A separate “Le Plug” connector allows any electronic device that it’s plugged into to be turned on or off via a free mobile app. Also part of the system is “Le Switch,” a component designed to replace mechanical wall switches that enables lights and ceiling fans to be controlled manually and through the app. The targeted price of a full Linkio system package is €99 (~$123), and it includes one each of the Linkio components.

Linkio’s system is targeted at consumers who aren’t interested in buying an entire smart home ecosystem, but instead want the ability to control just a few of their electronic devices from outside the home. Linkio will also sell plugs individually at €19 (~$24) each. The company’s Kickstarter goal is to raise €50,000 (~$60,000), in order to mass produce the finalized versions of the Linkio components. Linkio expects electrical design optimization to be finished in January and for the finalized product to follow in October.

There’s been similar home automation system concepts before. The Webee smart home system is just one of many competing products to seek crowdfunding. Belkin’s WeMo Switch, meanwhile, is a competing product that’s already widely available. An advantage that Linkio has over some of its rivals is that it’s an independent system that requires no server dependency. Also, unlike at least some rival devices, Linkio supports Windows Phone in addition to the more ubiquitous iOS and Android. But the home automation category is just too crowded to expect Linkio will become a major mass-market consumer product.