Tag: android

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Sensors/IoT

Duet won’t let your phone out of its sight

The Premise. There’s nothing quite as worrisome as the panic that sets in after realizing there is no longer a smartphone in the pocket it belongs in. There’s also few ways to figure out where a lost phone has gotten to without the help of somebody who wants to do the right thing. Now there’s a device to put an end to both problems.

The Product. The PROTAG Duet is a simple tag that uses Bluetooth Low Energy as it rests on any clothes, bags, wallets, or anything else. When the registered phone goes ten meters outside the Duet’s range, an alarm goes off to let users know that their phone is not currently with them. Once within range, a button on the Duet will cause the phone to ring, even if it’s in silent mode. There are privacy options to keep any alarms from going off in professional environments, and what’s best is the device works both ways. If a Duet owner puts the tag on their wallet and then drops the wallet, the PROTAG app on the phone will alert the user and tell them as they get closer and closer to where the item is located.

The Pitch. The campaign video features a likable yet forgetful young man who constantly loses his phone until the Duet changes things. The campaign itself goes into more details about the technology included in Duet and some of the other features such as the ability to track up to 10 tags with the iOS or Android companion apps. PROTAG wants to raise $5,000 to reduce production costs by ordering components in bulk.

The Perks. Duets are available for pledges as low as $17 plus $5 shipping outside Singapore, impressive considering the proposed $59 retail price. Higher tiers are available which offer a discount on batch ordering. Duet is expected to ship between May and June of this year.

The Potential. There are a lot of devices like these coming out that are designed to help people stop losing their items using Bluetooth, NFC, or just plain human decency. Duet looks to be a little more sophisticated than many because of its two-way performance. Whether losing a phone and getting an alert in time to grab it, or dropping a wallet and using a phone to locate it, Duet can handle it. It’s not the most precise method, and it might still require some hard searching, but it’s better than having no information on where to find lost items.

Categories
Fitness Wearables

SmartMove monitors all activity from the ground up

smartmoveOne of the main issues with the latest trend of activity trackers is that users just might not have them on at all times. Everybody knows that they need to stay active to be healthy, but how active is active enough? SmartMove is a new kind of activity tracker that monitors all movement and exercise because its sensor is embedded in an insole for a shoe similar to the original Nike+ sensor that started the activity tracking renaissance, SmartMove can tell when a user is sitting or standing, and tracks movement and activity data to report fitness habits to its own proprietary app. Available for $99, SmartMove will keep users moving as soon as August 2014.

Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness Kids/Babies

Gaming toothbrush invites kids to a dandy Grush saga

The Premise. Getting kids to brush their teeth might as well be pulling teeth. Whether it’s because they just don’t want to or because of the association with an approaching bedtime, enforcing good dental hygiene often becomes an intense battle of wits and perseverance.

The Product. Parents can now rejoice with the arrival of the gaming toothbrush, or Grush. This children’s toothbrush is chock full of motion sensors and accelerometers, designed to work in tandem with any Android and iOS devices to turn brushing teeth into a fun game. With multiple games to choose from, young brushers can chase monsters out of their teeth, conduct an orchestra, or groom cute animals while really fighting the true enemy: plaque. The brush has replaceable heads so that money can be saved when it’s time to change out the toothbrush, and the Grush also records data on how children are brushing their teeth. That data can be used by parents to know how children are taking care of their chompers and to show to the family dentist so he or she has a clear picture of the child’s brushing habits as well.

The Pitch. Grush co-Founders Ethan Daniel Schur and Dr. Yong-Jing Wang give a quick demonstration of the Grush and what it can do for everyone in the family, including the dentist. Outside the video, Grush gives a solid breakdown of what to expect from the games and how the device works. Grush wants to raise $50,000 to develop both the platform’s software and hardware.

The Perks. Parents can get a Grush Brush with 2 replacement heads, access to all of the games and the cloud storage for brushing data for at the early discount of just $30. Parents with multiple children can get a double pack for $115, while developers who want to create new features for Grush can get a developer kit for $360. The Grush system is expected to launch in March 2015.

The Potential. The Grush isn’t about to make children stop asking for an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4, but really kids just want to interact with the world and have fun. These two principles are what the Grush is about from the user perspective, so kids won’t mind that they’re brushing their teeth at the same time. However, as with any new toothbrush, one concern is the availability of replacement brush heads. Pediatric dentists will probably keep a handful of these at the ready to deal with their most stubborn customers, while parents will gladly pay up just to not have to argue with kids on a nightly basis. However, as with any new toothbrush, one concern is the availability of replacement brush heads.

Categories
Accents Connected Objects Imaging

Appnificent Eclipse digital frame shares shares photos with your social circles

The Premise. Sharing photos is something almost everybody likes to do. Doing so should be easily and unintrusive, combining the excitement of receiving a social media notification with the surprise of an unexpected gift.

The Product. The Appnificent Eclipse is an addition to the smart photo frame market that integrates the features that users are used to applying to their photos when sharing them through social media. This way, using the Eclipse app, owners can take photos, doctor them to make them more attractive, add messages or emoticons, and then share them only to invited users via their Eclipse frames, Twitter, Facebook, and Dropbox. The frame itself connects to a home wi-fi network with a simple push of a button and can hold up to 2GB of photos for viewing as static images or part of a slideshow.

The Pitch. Appnificent Co-Founder Rod Spongberg introduces us to the Eclipse, showcasing how easy it is to connect the frame to both a wireless network and users of the Eclipse app. The rest of the campaign’s site goes over how to use each of the Eclipses features, from applying filters and sharing to adding emoticons and messaging. Appnificent wants to raise $75,000 to handle the tooling and production of the Eclipse. At $100,000 a stretch goal to double the frame’s storage from 2GB to 4GB will be unlocked.

The Perks. The Eclipse is available to backers who pledge $115 in either Charcoal Grey or Optic White. The device is also available with a custom protective travel case at the $165 level. All frames will be delivered In August of this year.

The Potential. There have several digital photo frames posted to crowdfunding sites in the past, and the most common “new” feature is the ability to wirelessly send photos securely. In that, the Appnificent Eclipse offers little in terms of innovation, but what makes it attractive is the large, high-quality display and the Instagram-like features that can be selected through the app before sending out the photo. The Eclipse is a strong choice for anyone in the market for a digital photo frame, but doesn’t quite offer enough to make consumers want to replace their existing frame.

Categories
Music Wearables

Streamz headphones kick out streaming jams without the smartphone

streamzWhether on the commute to work or while doing chores around the house, listening to music on a good set of headphones seems to make the world a better place. It can be relatively cumbersome, however, to keep headphones handy and use a smartphone music player or app to get to those favorite tracks. The Streamz smart headphones have an Android processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, enabling it to function as the music player itself, even for streaming services such as Pandora. While there have been other music players built into even lighter weight (albeit non-networked) headphones, Streamz features navigation buttons on the side of the earcup, as well as intended voice control integration, Streamz allows users to get great sound quality and waste no time in setup. The basic 4GB model is available in August to backers who pledge $299.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands Wearables

Rufus Cuff is the wrist communicator we were promised

rufuscuffAny science fiction fan knows that a wrist communicator is the one device that truly will usher in the high-tech era. The Rufus Cuff, with a 3-inch screen, built-in microphone, speaker, and camera, makes those Android Wear watches cower in fear. Running a full Android OS and resembling the wrist computer on the old TV show Chuck, the Rufus Cuff can run all kinds of apps and function for internet browsing, fitness, and a whole lot more — alas, no laser shooting. With lots of capability, the only real concern is the device’s battery life and size as it looks a bit clunky and awkward in the campaign video. The Rufus Cuff should beam down in September 2014 for supporters providing at least $229.

Categories
Technology

HFC Canna lets Android call it in from home

The Premise. The landline telephone, once a necessity for any home, has steadily disappeared from homes in the past ten years. While cell phones have practically reinvented themselves monthly, the humble landline has virtually nothing new to offer.

The Product. The HFC Canna is designed to be the first smart landline telephone. Using the latest version of the Android OS, this product combines landline phone, smartphone, and tablet into something that can do much more than just take phone calls. The combination of VoIP and Wi-Fi allow the Canna to do anything an Android device can, which in the context of a home phone means it handles directory services, voicemail, and save contacts, without any added charges to your monthly bill. Compatibility with Skype makes the device equally capable for video calls.

The Pitch. A 9-minute video lays out the most relevant features that the Canna’s Android OS can handle, and includes some demos and testimonials. This information is reiterated and expanded upon as well in the campaign’s explanation, going over all the technical details and the differences between the six available models. The presentation is a little stiff and underwhelming considering these are features we already take for granted on our smartphones, but the product looks smart and capable. HFC needs to raise $50,000 to bulk order the internal components, complete tooling, and get necessary certifications. HFC’s Web site (currently only available in Chinese) has more coverage.

The Perks. The most basic, 7-inch model starts at $199, with the flashiest cordless model coming in at $399 complete with five DECT 6.0 handsets, a 10-inch display, and a quad-core CPU.

The Potential. Other tech giants like Panasonic and Binatone have released similar products (the KX-PRX120 and the SMART66 “phablet” respectively) in 2013, each opting to simulate something more like the smartphone experience. The sturdy display and stand make the HFC Canna a perfect fit for any office or den. Unfortunately, the main challenge with creating a smart home phone at this point is that it’s getting increasingly difficult to justify spending a lot of money on something that’s being used less and less.  At the same time, it’s getting harder and harder to find anybody who even has a landline anymore, so unfortunately this product is being aimed at a market we know is shrinking by the month.