Categories
Smart Home

Droplit drops a remote control for your entire home

The rash of smart home automation solutions all think having a proprietary app is a fantastic idea, because why wouldn’t you want to have quick and easy access to total control of different parts of your home? As well-intentioned a thought that is, it quickly becomes apparent that having 12 different apps for disparate parts of your home actually isn’t that useful after all and makes decidedly analog action of flicking on your light switch that much more attractive again.

Droplit is a smart home solution that allows you to control all of the different connected objects in your home through a single remote control or iOS, Android, or Windows phone app. The app will allow for quick and easy access to all of your homes connected objects using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, or an optional z-wave attachment. Both the remote and the app have the capability to set timers and capture “scenes,” or pre-set lighting and device states, that can be recalled with a single button press, making that one perfect set-up for your home entertainment system easily accessible anytime. The Droplit system is available with a backing of $129 and can be expected in June of 2015. The campaign is looking for $50,000 to hone their Bluetooth implementation and put the product into production.

Droplit expands on what Apple is doing by employing their own cloud service as an intermediary so that devices can be controlled from anywhere in the world almost instantaneously. Bluetooth devices within the home will also benefit, too, being that Droplit doubles as an access point which extends their range of communication. The company confusingly recommends multiple remotes to get the most out of their system, but that kind of seems counterintuitive to what they’re trying to do. In any case, cloud implementation is a clever move and could be what separates them from the pack.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Smart Home

Aria detects radon and IAQ, reports it to your smartphone

Pollution is a big problem, but it’s not one that’s limited only to big cities or industrialized areas. The truth is that indoor air quality, or lack thereof, is the cause of thousands of deaths each year, whether it’s carbon monoxide or the harder to detect and deadlier radon.

Aria is a home air quality monitor that can detect radon and other pollutants and report on air quality in real time, giving homeowners plenty of time to react and protect themselves from harmful gases. Aside from the colorful light indicating air quality on the device’s exterior, Aria can also push notifications using a Wi-Fi network to owners’ phones, alerting them of an issue with the air at home even from a distance.

While Aria’s light functions with some basic indicators (green means good, red means bad), more detailed information is uploaded at all times to the app, letting users know when to ventilate or call for outside help if necessary. Aria breaks this information down hour by hour, giving a detailed report of when pollutants are entering the home. Aria developer RSens is asking for $95,000 to offset manufacturing costs. The device itself costs $99 for early supporters and is expected to launch September 2015.

It’s hard to be overly cautious when dealing with something that could be potentially life-threatening and hazardous to an entire family. That being said, asking a device to provide hourly breakdowns of air quality on demand seems a little hypochondriac. It’s nice that the device offers this level of performance, but many users might not need to be so plugged in to what the air is like at home at all times. Either way, there’s some peace of mind to be gained in knowing Aria is looking out.

Categories
Smart Home

Point offers simple home security without putting sensors everywhere

The conception of home security in the connected age is one full of cameras and the complex systems that go along with them. Cloud storage and daily app interaction combine to make the use of these systems more tedious than it should be. The team over at Form Devices, Inc. believes that implementing security measures in your home should ease worries, not give you more to worry about. Their inaugural product, Point, is a representation of that thinking.

Point is a subtle, circular device that attaches to a wall in your home with design cues let it blend easily into most any aesthetic. Once installed, the device multi-tasks by listening for unusual sounds in your home and analyzing the air for disturbances. With the onboard Wi-Fi chip, Point can communicate a variety of information to your smart device, such as when a window breaks, guests arrive, when humidity levels are abnormal, or when there’s smoke present. In addition, Point uses a combination of lights and speakers to facilitate notifications to you or guests so that you can gently remind guests to keep it down when they party too hard. A Point can be had for $79 with an expected date of delivery in July 2015. Form Devices, Inc. is looking for $50,000 to complete manufacturing.

Unfortunately, Point’s most glaring lack is the inability to to detect carbon monoxide, something that should be standard at this point and is a severe oversight. In addition, it comes with a speaker but users can’t communicate through it which would be a nice touch. All in all, the Canary offers a much more robust feature set that includes the ability to sound a 90dB alarm to ward off intruders and respond to emergencies with a one-touch call to the appropriate authorities. Although Point emphasizes the removal of the camera in an effort to reclaim the feeling of one’s home, the capability for HD video most of the time is welcome. In any case, Point is a low-cost way to introduce some connected aspects to one’s home without going overboard.

Categories
Connected Objects Music

Skoog is a squishy cube that makes music with its app

The MPC board made famous by the decades of innovative rappers and producers has gotten a 21st century makeover with the Skoog. Originally designed for education, the Skoog is a squishy foam cube that acts as a controller for the two Skoog apps, Skoogmusic and Mogo. Everything together allows you to play any instrument and the sounds associated with it to musically express yourself without limits.

The product connects to supported iOS/Android tablets using Bluetooth LE and to desktops and laptops as well, providing the interface to be as expressive as your mind will allow you to. One of the Skoog’s defining features is its ability to employ ‘physical modelling’ when reproducing an instruments sound. This takes into account not only the instrument’s sound, but also the nuances of a stringed instrument, for example. This makes for exciting possibilities especially when combined with the Skoogmusic and Mogo software that allows you to customize every aspect of your experience.

In any case, Skoog is also compatible with other, leading music software like Ableton or Logic, so you can more deeply connect with your creations on software you are already familiar with. However, the device and the eco-system it creates may prove to be more of a novelty than anything else, and may fit education more than serious music making. Play bass lines and melodies, create your own sounds, and add effects on the fly for just £139 (~$218) by March 2015. Skoog is looking for £75,000 (~$117,600) to get their final production costs down.

Categories
Imaging Tech Accessories

Photography turntable offers PC-connected 360-degree photos

In the artistic world, 360° photography is really taking off for photographers, and companies like PanoCam 3D and Ricoh are offering both professionals and casual users options to take advantage. Companies who want to fully want to display their products and make all angles available to consumers are out of luck, often having to fork over at least $2,000 for 360° photography solutions. Lower-end solutions are just out of the question with their lackluster quality.

IconasSys’ 360 Product Photography Turntable and Software is a middle-priced option compatible with major DSLRs, and offers companies the most bang for their buck. The system is easy to use, and the software allows for on-the-fly adjustments to camera parameters. When users are done, the software is able to stitch together a full 360° of the product to increase online engagement and convert that engagement to sales.

Other options take panoramic pictures of the world outside and cost a fortune to do so, so the IconaSys system doing so for products and being available for just $409 is a big deal. The campaign is looking for $12,500 to introduce this product to market by February 2015.

Categories
Tech Accessories Technology

Dragonfly Futurefon blends Android, Windows, tablets, folding keyboards, insanity

We live in an amazing age where communication, information, productivity, and entertainment are never far away thanks to laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Yet, for reasons beyond explanation, we somehow have a need for all three, each offering a slight edge over the other two but feeling incomplete all the same.

The Dragonfly Futurefon by Idealfuture is a product that is attempting to merge these similar tech niches into one single device. Folding, twisting, and transforming, the Dragonfly can function as a standalone phone, fold out into a tablet display, or flip again to provide a full keyboard and a dual screen display in a single portable device. The Dragonfly comes in two versions: one that runs entirely on Android and one that splits the Slingshot (the detachable phone) onto Android and the base on Windows, creating a dual OS device that can sync up to a single OS when connected together.

The Dragonfly offers all of this without missing key elements as well, with an illuminated keyboard, slide out touch pad beneath that, smart pen that nests perfectly in the device’s side, and all manner of charging ports. Even with those ports, it only takes one cord to charge the Dragonfly when the Slingshot is connected. Idealfuture is asking for $10,000 to show interest in their design and make a statement to existing mobile manufacturers. Models start at $300.

Taking just a short look at the Dragonfly makes it hard not to see the future in this all-in-one approach, much like Microsoft’s Surface managed to blend two products together. At the same time, having to fold the device this way and that, connect or disconnect the Slingshot, and keep track of all the different options make the Dragonfly somewhat daunting. It would be a little easier to believe in the Dragonfly if they were closer to actual production. Purely on speculation however, there’s a lot here to be excited for.

Categories
Camping

All Terrain Cover offers basic shelter designed for fast, easy setup

For those who like camping excursions of the extreme kind, here is a portable shelter that is designed to withstand snow, sleet, rain and the pounding sun. The All Terrain Cover (or ATC) is made of carbon fiber or aluminum poles connected by a 550 pound paracord. This military-minded covering is designed to stand up to the harsh weather typical of the tundra and wilderness area mountains that are far, far away from the nearest gas station or convenience store. The covers are touted as offering living-off-the-land enthusiasts a shelter with flexibility, as well as being freestanding and blending well into the environment. They’re also very lightweight, making for easier hiking with gear.

Based on the fairly open design, it appears that a tent would still be needed when it’s time to settle down for the night, but this product will likely be appreciated by hunters, nature photographers and others who spend a great deal of time during the day in the great outdoors. This campaign seeks to raise $12,000 by December 9, 2014. For $150, backers get one product with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Kids/Babies Lighting

PopSwitch turns light switches into simple animations

It’s quite possible that kids are the only ones who pay attention to light switch covers – but maybe that’s because your average cover is pretty boring and little kids are actually fascinated with the result of flipping the switch, which adults tend to take for granted. PopSwitch takes the idea of pop up story books and creates an interactive light switch that may very well double as a child’s newest “toy” if installed. For those who won’t mind the constant on and off flickering, the only instillation involved is the base plate, which requires a screwdriver. After that, the sliders get placed on top of the base plate, and the magnetic cover mounting holds both pieces in place.

This constant switching of scenes means that the pieces may get lost when mom or dad’s back is turned. Nevertheless, the product does seem like a fun one to own. This campaign seeks to raise $5,000 by December 10, 2014. Early bird backers get one single switch scene for $30, or one double switch scene for $40 with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Technology

Dark-Ingress Wi-Fi adapter keeps you anonymous online

We unfortunately live in a world where every single activity we engage in on the Internet is surveilled, recorded, and stored without restriction. As much domestic and international outrage this behavior stokes, no amount of it will affect what has been the norm for decades, especially when any new opportunity to augment its scale is immediately enacted without checks.

The Dark-Ingress is a portable Tor Wi-Fi adapter that allows anyone, anywhere to encrypt and anonymize the data coming in and out of their hardware over Wi-Fi. The adapter uses Tor, an Internet communication method to enable anonymity online, to change your IP address every five minutes. In addition, it is automatically configured never to use an exit address in one of the Five Eyes nations or Germany, a group of countries with an agreement between them to cooperatively spy on each other to get around strict domestic spying laws.

The open source software itself isn’t particularly user-friendly, but casual users need not install or configure anything themselves. This gives users the ability to bypass portals like those at coffee shops and airports, and access the Deep Web in confidence. In addition, the hardware-based design is USB powered and offers more security versus being strictly software-based. The Dark-Ingress is slated to be delivered by February 2015 for $120. The campaign is looking for $25,000 to help users stay hidden.

Most Tor hardware, like the recently covered anonabox, work by connecting themselves to a router directly, which eliminates portability. The Dark-Ingress is a lightweight, powerful solution that lets you take your digital safety blanket no matter where you go. There will always be an arms race for privacy on one side and complete surveillance on the other, but it doesn’t hurt to make it harder for them, does it?

Categories
Television

AirTame lets you get your mobile device onto the big screen

Streaming content from a laptop or a computer to a TV is a great way to share presentations at work or photos and video with family. Unfortunately, for many people, setting it up is still as complicated as it was to set up a projector slideshow or hook a camcorder to the TV decades ago.

AirTame takes advantage of modern technology to remove this headache quickly and easily. By simply plugging the device into a monitor’s HDMI port and using the USB cable to power it up, any computer or smartphone with the Airtame app installed can quickly stream its display to any configured Airtames nearby. This creates a combination hardware/software solution to streaming video that takes only seconds to achieve once it has been set up.

Airtame is flexible as well, in that it does not simply mirror the display, it can also be used to extend it, creating a multiple display setup in any location without installing drivers or pulling out and connecting cables. The Airtame functions over standard Wi-Fi, and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Windows phones, so there are no complex network or compatibility issues to resolve either. It’s going to take $160,000 to make Airtame a reality, and anyone that can use one can grab one for $134 in January 2015.

Airtame takes a process that should be as simple as plug-and-play and makes it just that. As long as there is a monitor with a free HDMI port and an Airtame available, using that display to share, present, or collaborate on content is a snap. This is certainly a handy tool to keep on hand no matter where it could be used.