Tag: android

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands Wearables

Swimmo smartwatch tracks pool performance, encourages strokes of genius

Perhaps the advent of the Apple Watch isn’t the be-all and end-all of smartwatches after all. At least until its app library fills out, there’s still room for specialized wristwear to make a splash.

patent-claimedEnter Swimmo, a smartwatch focused solely on the swimmer looking to increase strength and improve form. The OLED-equipped wearable is designed to be fully waterproof so as to work perfectly while tracking the length and intensity of each session. To do so, it captures everything from speed, distance, lap times, and heart rate, vibrating to alert users when to speed up or slow down in order to maintain a beneficial level of intensity to achieve set goals — all without having to interrupt the swim to take a look. The multilingual device uses  a patent-pending Rotate&Tap maneuver to keep things as streamlined as its users wish to be.

Continue reading “Swimmo smartwatch tracks pool performance, encourages strokes of genius”
Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness

Insulin Angel medication tracker watches blood sugar, keeps insulin usable

Diabetes is a common but serious disease, requiring constant vigilance on the part of the diabetic in make sure their medication is stored and used at optimal temperature. If not, it can spoil and be rendered ineffective. What’s more, keeping the medication close is of utmost importance, because losing it puts users in a precarious situation.

The Insulin Angel is a product designed to alleviate the common worries associated with diabetes by incorporating a temperature and proximity sensors into one compact, tab-like device. The Bluetooth-enabled device works in tandem with an iOS or Android companion app to keep users constantly informed about their medication’s temperature, send timed alerts as to when to administer the medication, as well as to facilitate a wireless leash to make sure users never leave their it behind.

The companion app’s medication database currently contains information on a wide range of popular insulin medication, as well as a few asthma and rheumatism medications too — with an expanding library in the works. A single Insulin Angel runs $50, and the $55,000 campaign is looking to ship the product in August of this year.

Despite its name, Insulin Angel can be used with a wide range of temperature sensitive medication no matter the affliction, an incredibly handy utility for sufferers around the world. This makes it a much more broadly capable but ultimately less focused product when compared to something like Amiko, designed specifically for asthma sufferers and as a result benefits from its narrow focus.

Categories
Connected Objects

Noteu Wi-Fi display lets you know you have a message and not much else

Thanks to the Internet, there has never been a more abundant supply of information so freely available. As beneficial as this abundance is, the sheer amount can quickly become overwhelming without efficient methods of consuming it all. Smartphones do an amazing job of keeping up with the many Web sites and services people use every day to communicate, but sometimes there’s a desire for more passive notification, particularly among iPhone and Android holdouts.

For those times, the Wi-Fi connected Noteu smart clock helps out by constantly streaming information. Besides being a customizable alarm clock, the product uses widgets to push Facebook messages, tweets, e-mails, and RSS updates. In addition, IFTTT support lets users create custom alerts tailored specifically for them, such as shipping and stock updates. A single Noteu will run $133, with an expected ship date of September 2015. The campaign is aiming for $14,919 in funding.

This campaign marks the fourth go around for young inventor Jack Trowbridge, signifying a process of iteration that has led to Noteu’s current model. However, when compared to competing products like DISPLIO, it still falls short. It’s clunky, isn’t context-sensitive, and just doesn’t do enough especially considering it doesn’t seem like a user can act on any of the notifications from the device. IFTTT support expands its capabilities immensely, though, and may be its saving grace.

Categories
Connected Objects Cooking

Babs connected kitchen assistant helps keep both your gadgets and grub clean

A kitchen is only pristine when it isn’t being used to whip up a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner. When food preparation is on the agenda, kitchens can get real messy real quick, making it onerous to both cook and simultaenously reference resources like cookbooks and internet recipes.

Salted Wire’s Babs smart kitchen assistant is here to help out in that regard. The Bags smart kitchen is exactly what people need to prevent their recipe books from getting soaked with water and their iPad screens from becoming grease-laden cesspools. Bats utilizes voice controls, thereby allowing users to ask Babs for anything as varied as dinner ideas tailored to specific dietary needs to suggestions on making a current recipe better. To make up for its lack of a display, the device is capable of interfacing with Chromecast, Android devices, and iOS devices. As a result, users can send whatever information they’d like to smartphones, tablets, and TVs to truly provide for a hands-off experience.

Continue reading “Babs connected kitchen assistant helps keep both your gadgets and grub clean”
Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness

VIP sleeves monitor calves, keep the blood pumping to avoid clots

Between sitting for most of the day and sleeping for upwards of nine hours a night, the heart can have a rough time making sure the circulatory system is in tip top shape. What most people don’t know are that the calves play a crucial role in pumping the blood back up to the heart, which is why more and more articles and news reports reaffirm the danger in leading an inactive lifestyle.

The VIP pneumatic sleeve is engineered to allow wearers to be proactive even when they are forced to be sedentary. Designed to be worn on the calves, the device contracts and expands with air to assist with circulation, softening the impact of long periods of inactivity and ultimately decreasing the likelihood of blood clots. The VIP also uses Bluetooth LE in order to connect with a companion iOS or Android app, allowing users to set goals, set alerts, customize the rate of air flow, and track usage over time.

A backing of $199 will net backers their own sleeve and charger in November of 2015. VSS, the company behind VIP, is looking for $200,000 in funding by May 1. It should appeal to those concerned about conditions such as Deep Vein Thrombosis for situations such as long flights.

Categories
Connected Objects Cycling

KADALOCK connected bike lock offers steel cable protection

Keeping one’s trusty bicycle safe and sound is often easier said than done. Even when a bike is locked up, owners can still experience tinges of doubt as nothing can truly guarantee that a locked up bicycle will remain safe from enterprising thieves.

KADALOCK is a connected bike lock which aims to remove that layer of stress. In addition to being weather-resistant, it’s worth noting that the KADALOCK can easily be used with existing water cages. The lock itself uses a tough but thin steel cable to wrap up the bike’s wheel to keep it safe. The product features Bluetooth LE  connectivity and can alert users when any kind of tampering is detected — so long as they’re nearby, of course. If an owner is out of range, and thus too far for notifications to be transmitted, the device has an embedded 80 decibel alarm that will scare n’er-do-wells away instead. The lock’s connectivity also allows users to share keys to their ride too, adding some useful functionality outside of protection. The KADALOCK can be had for $199, while early birds can get it for $119. The campaign is seeking to raise $50,000 goal by April 20. If successful, the product has an expected ship date of September 2015.

Another connected bike lock system worth mentioning is the Noke U-Lock. The Noke U-Lock that does everything the KADALOCK does, but with a few extra features to boot. Not only is the Noke cheaper than the KADLOCK, it also boasts GPS integration, a USB connection for charging in emergencies, and a physical companion key fob to go along with the digital keys.

Categories
Personal Transportation

Monolith electric longboard updates your grandpappy’s ride, fits all kinds of modern tech

Browse any technology website and it’s easy to see how commonplace alternative modes of transportation are becoming. Most products in this vein marry eco-friendly power with sleek design, a combination which resonates with both urban city dwellers and extreme sports enthusiasts.

The Monolith is one such example. Within the Monolith’s deceptive veneer are electronic components transforming it into a fully functional and electric longboard capable of reaching speeds of 24mph. While there are other electric longboards on the market, most aren’t anywhere close to being as sleek as the Monolith. This is due to the product’s proprietary Manta Drive technology which incorporates the motors right into the wheels themselves. In addition, the product’s water resistant and unibody design weighs only 12lbs. What’s more, there’s enough room to fit in swappable batteries — each with a range of 10 miles. Lights on both the nose and tail round out the board’s design.

Riders can retain control over the Monolith through the RLFX remote, designed with a small joystick which allows riders to control both acceleration and regenerative braking. This also gives riders the ability to open their hands without the control falling out. And when those hands are free, a companion iOS or Android app allows riders to customize Monolith’s speed and acceleration, connect with other riders, and even generate reports on riding sessions. The app also offers different modes of operation which can be specifically tailored to new or experienced riders. There’s also an Eco Mode so that users can get more mileage out of every charge. Each Monolith is currently going for $1,199, with an expected ship date of September 2015. Inboard Sports, the brains behind the product, is looking for $100,000 in funding by April 4.

Products in the same space as Monolith include the Onewheel and the Movpak, but they ultimately end up looking more like gimmicks than serious contenders capable of transforming a user’s everyday transportation experience. The Impossible e-bike offers a similar, compact experience, but the Monolith is ultimately so much more feature rich. Urbanites, commuters of all types, and sports enthusiasts should be on the lookout.

Categories
Technology

Remix tablet offers a cure to Android users with Surface envy

When it comes to traditional laptop-style computing, Google has pushed Chromebooks for the world of keyboards and mice. Nonetheless, some companies such as HP have taken a few stabs at putting Android in a 2-in-1 laptop-style device.

Now, Beijing-based Jide Tech is looking to infuse Android into a device that’s a dead ringer for the Microsoft Surface with Remix. Like Microsoft’s spin on a tablet-laptop hybrid, the 11,.6″ Remix has a kickstand and a removable cloth-textured keyboard/trackpad cover that attaches via magnets. And the similarity doesn’t end there. The company has added the ability to run apps in windows as well as a Windows-like file manager and taskbar.

Jide Tech seeks $100,000 by April 24 and the Remix is available in limited quantities at prices up to $349. A ridiculous $39 early bird sold out quickly. Units are expected to be delivered by May 2015 and the company assures that the product is already in production in China and it simply needs to bring it to the U.S. and other markets.  What appeared to be a simultaneous campaign on Indiegogo turned out to be fraudulent and has been removed.

As noted, Android-based keyboard devices have not seen the level of success that Chromebooks have despite having so many apps available. It’s also somewhat surprising that the new device wlll not have the latest version of Android — Lollipop — that is rolling out to new devices. While the Remix  was a clear value-based alternative to the Surface Pro, the recent introduction of the Surface 3 at $499 makes the original far more competitive although that price doesn’t include the Type Cover.

Categories
Input

BeeRaider keyboard alternative stirs up buzz with efficiency improvements

In banging away on a daily keyboard, it’s easy to forget that the QWERTY keyboard isn’t the most ergonomic or efficient keyboard layout.

patent-claimedThis is the core message the folks behind the BeeRaider keyboard are championing. The QWERTY keyboard, believe it or not, was designed to slow typing down as a means to prevent typewriter jams. Consequently, BeeRaider claims that the QWERTY keyboard layout simply isn’t cut out for the modern demands of heavy data entry. BeeRaider’s alternative wireless keyboard is radially shaped, a design chosen because it lessens the distance between keys. As a result, the company claims that the shape of its keyboard and the more logical arrangement of the most used letters in the English language results results in a keyboard that can be comfortably used with either one or two hands.

What’s more, BeeRaider claims that its keyboard layout can be memorized in just 10-20 minutes. This type of keyboard design philosophy was first demonstrated on Android smartphones and tablets. BeeRaider’s first physical product will be English only and is set to be delivered in either Q1 or Q2 of 2015. A BeeRaider can be had in either a changeable QWERTY or Optimized model for $104.99 or $112.49.

Even though the QWERTY design is without mainstream rival today, that hasn’t stopped a smattering of companies from coming up with intriguing challenges. If its clai ms regarding increased memorization, speed, and accuracy are to be believed, its learning curve may be worth it, but inertia will likely keep the traditional layout as the dominant one for the foreseeable future.

Categories
Fitness Input Virtual Reality

Revisit your virtual stomping grounds and break a sweat with Stompz VR foot sensors

The promise of virtual reality is, at the same time, plagued with a number of real problems which can hinder the entire experience. The biggest problem yet to be solved involves how users can experience unlimited movement within very real, limited spaces. Because omni-directional treadmills and other wonky solutions aren’t ripe for the mainstream, reducing movement to controllers remains a necessary sacrifice.

patent-claimedStompz  is a product which allows VR enthusiasts to use their own two legs and avoid bumping into walls in the process. The product comes in the form of two sensors, each containing a nine-axis motion tracker, that attach to sneakers. Walking in place will map the same experience over to the virtual world, while walking slightly faster will translate into a run, providing a low intensity workout at the same time. The inputs themselves are fully customizable, so users have control over how to walk backwards, jump, sprint, etc. Stompz isn’t limited to the feet, though, as the motion trackers are versatile enough to be used with fitness equipment or as alternative controllers alá the Wii Nunchuks. Interested backers looking for a new way to use their headsets can shell out $125 for the Stompz kit, expected in December 2015. The campaign is looking for $100,000 in funding by April 10.

This product targets an extremely niche market of gamers looking to experiment with alternative forms of input when it comes to VR, something that is both very necessary but still a ways away from being successful. Products like Stompz and 3DRudder are the closest approximations to mainstream solutions currently available — and neither does a great job. Until a truly all-in-one solution comes along, these products will serve as testing beds until a product comes along and does it just right.