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Connected Objects Music

Vinci is a smart headphone with a screen on the side

Apple’s removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 was a truly divisive move. Some see it a company prescient about the longer-term industry trends while others label it a cash grab. No matter what it really is, consumers are left to figure out what to do next. With the Vinci smart headphones, the choice is pretty easy.

The Vinci over the ear headphone is an internet-connected pair of Hi-Fi cans embedded with an AI-powered personal assistant (ala Amazon’s Alexa) to help facilitate a wide array of functionality. Users can interact with Vinci using taps and swipes on either of its colorful screens on either side or by simply using voice. Musically, Vinci’s AI continually learns about user preferences to recommend new songs, fine tune old playlists, or add a soundtrack to a workout session based on heart rate and pace. No matter the situation, though, the Vinci produces high-quality, immersive 3D sound and pairs it with 28 db of intelligent active noise canceling that still lets in important sounds to keep users safe and aware.

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Connected Objects Music

Spaco compact speakers save space and work via voice control

One problem with small wireless speakers is the quality of their sound. In other words, let’s face it: They tend to not even be all that great at the main function they were designed for.

patent-claimedSpaco is a line of 720-degree, voice-controlled speakers with adjustable lighting that also tout high-end audio performance. The speakers can be controlled by voice even in noisy situations and also offer a special levitation feature providing what its makers call uninterrupted surround sound. A 720-degree acoustics field is created by the combination of 28 dynamic and electrostatic diaphragm drivers that provide what they say is multidimensional, movie-theater grade audio. Music can be streamed from any device that has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and Spaco supports  Wi-Fi networks with any 802.11b/g, 2.4GHz broadcast-capable router. Set-up is done via an Android and iOS app.

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Categories
Connected Objects Luggage and Bags

The Travelmate suitcase stalks you through airports

One of the biggest hassles involved with flying involves the huge suitcases people have to lug over the course of the entire trip. The bigger they are, the more unwieldy it is to actually travel with, making the already exhausting process of traveling even more of an exercise.

For all those people ready to lighten the load, the Travelmate is the perfect solution. It’s the first suitcase that can follow users around autonomously using a combination of two rugged and two precise wheels with AI learning. Along with its ability to process data from other Travelmates, the robotic suitcase can easily navigate crowds of people and other obstacles it encounters in a vertical or horizontal driving mode. A slew of other helpful features rounds out the product.

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Connected Objects Cooking Food and Beverage

The Juicero takes juicing to a new level

While pressing vegetables and fruits into delicious, nutritious juice is an appealing prospect, all the work that goes into the process isn’t. From buying all the ingredients, washing them, putting together a juicer, using a juice, and then finally cleaning everything up, it’s honestly quite the hassle. That’s where the Juicero comes in.

The Juicero streamlines the process of juicing by combining raw cold press technology with no-mess pouches filled with organic fruit and vegetables sourced, inspected, washed, packaged and delivered by the Juicero company. In using tremendous force without creating heat, the Juicero extracts all the good stuff from live fruits and vegetables for nutrient-dense juice in a much quicker process.

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Maker/Development

PocketMaker 3D offers 3D printing for pocket change

The concept of 3D printing brings to mind images of large, very technical machines designed to print out intricate creations. The PocketMaker 3D is here to prove that smaller printers can be as good.

The small, almost handheld printer can be a low-cost introduction to the world of 3D printing or an addition to an experienced maker’s 3D printing arsenal. With it, users can either wirelessly transfer their own custom 3D models from their computers to the device or select a model from dozens of options in the PocketMaker 3D’s companion iOS/Android app. No matter how it’s done, the printer can spit out something practical like an ashtray or something more decorative like a Mickey Mouse figurine.

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Connected Objects Cooking

The CHiP is a dedicated cookie oven for sweet teeth

Cookie: Merely saying or writing the word instantly conjures up pleasing thoughts of chewy goodness. One can never go wrong with set of freshly baked cookies, which is why the team behind the CHiP wants to bring it to kitchens everywhere.

The CHiP smart cookie oven does one thing and one thing well: Perfectly bake cookies in under 10 minutes. It does this with its QuickConvect Air Flow System that uses a four-inch convection fan to blow hot air through special air channels, not only ensuring the tastiest cookies but also energy efficiency in baking them. Now by itself, this would make the CHiP no better than a standard oven, especially since it only can bake cookies. But combined with its companion app, users can set various baking modes sporting varying schedules and, more crucially, order ‘cookie pods’ similar to the coffee capsules used by products from companies like Nespresso.

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Networking

Hose down your digital connections with the Hosen network security hub

As the world is inundated more and more with connected objects, more and more personal information is at risk. The worst part about it: most don’t have a clue what information of theirs is actually at risk!

The Hosen is a virtual castle moat for your information, effectively filtering all the connections being made to and from every single device on your network for malware, advertising, viruses and hacking attempts. Hosen gives users a dashboard to make keeping track of every single connection easy using just a few taps, with the ability for users to block or authorize any of them as they see fit.

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Imaging Smart Home

The Mercu smart home orb falls short of groundbreaking

On any given day, another product promising to be the center of the connected home experience makes its way to the crowdfunding world. Most of the time, they suffer from lack of connectivity and features, forcing users to combine them with accessories to truly get the most out of them.

With the Mercu, Taiwan-based GalaThings promises an all-in-one product combining surveillance capabilities, sound and motion detection for intruders (and a siren to scare them off), and environmental detection keeping tabs on humidity, temperature, luminance, and smoke. In addition to these features, three other aspects of the Mercu make it particularly useful: Wi-Fi, ZigBee and BLE support, the option to save pertinent video locally with its SD card slot or on cloud storage with Dropbox integration, and an IFTTT interface on its companion smartphone to create custom events.

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Connected Objects

Bixi relies on gestures, lets you nix standard remote control

editors-choice-300x96The main problem with controlling music and GPS navigation in one’s car through traditional remote control devices is that it can be a dangerous distraction.

Bixi is a smart home and mobile device that allows users to control connected objects via simple hand gestures. The small smart controller can be placed on top of any surface in the home or car, or mounted just about anywhere as well. Bixi connects via Bluetooth Low Energy to smartphones, tablets and computers. The device is based around next-generation time-of-flight optical sensors, and works well in complete darkness.

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Categories
Toys

The Trickstick tricks the eye into seeing colorful treats

POV technology, otherwise known as persistence of vision technology, exploits the eyes penchant for completing images even without all the necessary information. Movies were built on that principle, having allowed generations of people to experience a new form of entertainment that is still dominant today.

The Trickstick by Electricks takes the idea of POV and applies it to an unassuming wand. Wave it quickly enough, though, and 128 LEDs work together to produce 60fps images that can be uploaded to it with the use of a companion iOS/Android app.

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