Tag: android

Categories
Chargers/Batteries Wearables

The Baako One is a wearable charger for your mobile devices

The small but powerful Baako One is a convenient way to wear a charge on the go and be ready to juice up your device when outlets are unavailable.

The product is worn on the wrist and has a sleek, modern design. So far, comes in at least two brightly hued colors for your wearable fashion needs. The Baako One has a 1200 mAh battery and connects with either a micro USB connector or lightning wire for iPhones and iPads.

Besides the convenience that Baako One offers, the manufacturer suggests that we, “break the bonds between us and the wall socket permanently” – at least for your device. There’s no mention in the campaign, though,  if this battery itself is powered at home by plugging in or if you need to replace it after a certain amount of time. Those who pledge £22 (~$33) or more get the device. The campaign goal is £52,000 (~$78,600) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Sensors/IoT

WEPO CO₂ wearable watches the air so you don’t have to

The air quality in cities around the world is degrading. With the majority of the world’s population concentrated in ever-sprawling cities, this is only becoming a more severe problem as time goes on, only compounded by the lack of information about just how bad it is and will be.

Air monitoring systems in the world are too spread out and outdated to provide meaningful statistics, which is why wearable systems like WEPO are so valuable. Its CO₂ detector allows anyone to set their own level of desirable exposure and use it for up to 20 hours on a single charge to keep themselves informed of harmful levels. A Bluetooth LE connection connects with Android Wear devices along with the Apple Watch in the future.

Unfortunately though, the device only contains that detector alone, leaving out all other particulate matter, or PM2.5. The device is a bit clunky compared to other sleeker, more reasonably priced alternatives like the TZOA and AirBeam that actually take the data and put it to use in creating crowdsource, air quality maps. The $399 price tag for WEPO is tough to swallow even if it offers wearable compatibility. The $10,000 campaign is looking to ship the product in July 2015.

Categories
Sensors/IoT

Plant OS garden sensor and app gives your green thumb something else to do

Even if the exact scientific knowledge behind the processes behind gardening were unknown for thousands of years, deep human intuition would’ve figured it out anyway. As our understanding of the natural world continues to evolve, it’s been made clear how much the process is not only an art, but a science as well.

There’s a very intricate dance that plays out between light, temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide that contributes to a plant’s growth. High Tech’s Plant OS uses a family of sensors and controllers to keep an eye on all of these factors. Every minute, the THC unit records levels of each variable and sends that information back to a user’s smartphone. This works together with the Plant Tachometer camera to provide a high-resolution photosynthesis reading to use as reference for the environment.

What good is all this information if a user can’t act on it? The Plant OS Power Controller allows just that, providing a space where appliances like air conditioners, CO2 machines, and dehumidifiers can all be plugged in and controlled remotely using the companion app. The app gives users a space to check out and share all their data, something High Tech encourages as a way to gain more understanding of the intricacies of plant growth. An $899 Plant OS Starter Kit is suitable for a small garden, comes with a THC meter, a Plant Tachometer, and a Power Controller. The Deluxe version supports two and goes for $1,999. Backers can expect their kit in March 2015 should the campaign reach its $50,000 goal.

Technology has creeped into every part of our lives, and gardening is one of the few areas where this isn’t true. Others in the gardening space, like the Blossom Wi-Fi, Sprinkl, and Eve provide ways to remotely water a few plants or even a small yard, but no other product is as fully featured, covers as much space, or is as exhaustingly detailed as the Plant OS. High Tech wants the Plant OS to be the premier consumer-grade gardening system and it shows.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Tablet Accessories

printWifi lets you print hassle-free from your smartphone, tablet

It’s mind-boggling how difficult it can be to print something from a smartphone or a tablet. Companies have long offered ease-of-use with their smart devices, but that tenet was lost of them when they considered the concept of printing. As digital as we are, important documents will always need to be printed out and that need won’t go away for a very long time.

The ImageTech corporation understood this, leading them to create the printWifi. The product plugs into to any printer and creates an instant hotspot to which smart devices can connect to. Once connected, its companion iOS or Android app facilitates the printing of any document to pretty much any printer using the printWifi’s onboard database of 5,000 unique drivers. This ensures pretty much any printer will be able to be used, all without needing network access.

printWifi is extremely similar to the Lantronix’s xPrintServer, but costs $99 versus the former’s $69 price tag, and only works on iOS. The printWifi campaign is looking to raise $10,000 and is expected in February 2015.

Categories
Lighting

LIVING room lamp moves around at will, boasts presets and dimming power

Lighting can make a huge difference in any household. Great furniture and fixtures are lost when there’s not enough light to illuminate them.

Most households use lamps to provide that bit of extra light, but don’t move them once they’re in place. As we move around and use our rooms in different ways, light may have to move as well. That’s why the LIVING room lamp is a pivot lamp with integrated Bluetooth technology. It syncs up with any Android smartphone for complete control over the light’s position. Either move the light around at will or take advantage of the preset timed options available.

The light looks like a typical silver pivot light and reach up to six feet and ten inches. In addition to its height, it also boast a rotation of up to 120 degrees. There’s little information on how bright the light gets or what kind of lightbulb it calls for, but it is able to be dimmed. The creators hope that they’ll soon integrate iOS into the lamp as well.

As an added bonus, the LIVING room lamp is made up of modular parts which can be replaced easily if necessary. The creators of this product may want to consider adding some kind of detector that will prevent the light from smashing into walls if its preset demands it. This light is going for a donation of $850 (!) for delivery in November 2015. The LIVING room lamp is looking to raise $80,000 with the help of Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Cooking

ChefBot helps you whip up your next delight; prevents burning

Generally, there are two ways a kitchen can be thought of. It can be the soothing, relaxing part of the home where delicious, homemade meals are prepared. Or it can be the part of the home where the refrigerator, toaster oven, and microwave are located. Unfortunately, the latter rings true for most. As easy as any cooking show makes it seem, the process of creating a meal from scratch is loaded with subtlety essential to the recipe itself. However, most people don’t have the magic touch, making cooking difficult and arduous.

The ChefBot may look like a regular kitchen scale, but hiding within is a Bluetooth-enabled kitchen assistant. This device weighs ingredients, provides a running calorie count of them, and leads users through any recipe uploaded into the device with the ChefBot companion app for iOS or Android, all while streaming music through Bluetooth. The device’s stainless steel construction houses multiple voices or a TFT display that communicates this information a user, and everything is built to be water-resistant to avoid unseemly accidents from seriously damaging the unit. The Bluetooth version of the ChefBot is $99, while the Wi-Fi unit is $149. ChefBot is expected to ship April 2015 provided the campaign raises $50,000.

The glut of connected kitchen objects makes it seem like no one in America can cook. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, but there is certainly a variety of them. The ChefBot’s design is underwhelming, but the actual product is priced well, offering just enough functionality to be valuable. Its choice of material makes it superior to Drop, another scale that seeks to lend a helping hand but it does so while connected to an iPad, a device people might not want in the kitchen at all.

Categories
Technology

Sonim XP7 Android smartphone takes punishment in stride

The newest smartphones are absolutely gorgeous, but unashamedly weak. No matter what kind of materials smartphone makers claim will last, cracked screens continue being prevalent and yet conveniently ignored by flimsy warranties. After plunking down so much money on one of these beauties, isn’t it only right it outlasts a New Year’s resolution?

There’s a segment of the population that needs a phone stronger than a bad nail job. The Sonim XP7 LTE Android smartphone boasts an Otter Box-like appearance with an anti-glare screen, a 103dB loudspeaker, and drop/impact resistance to up to six feet. Its three year warranty protects against accidental damage, a difficult thing to imagine given it is 100% waterproof and able to withstand one ton of pressure. The Sonim XP7 does all of this while still being a fully unlocked world phone offering 40 hours of talk time or 1,000 hours of standby. The device is currently $579 and expected in March 2015 with a campaign goal of $150,000.

The Sonim XP7 is in good company with the Kyocera Bridgadier, but the latter’s build quality seems to falter compared to the former’s ability to withstand extreme temperatures and even oils and chemicals. Despite its cost, the Sonim XP7 is a solid choice for more intrepid users, especially considering the support and benefits of not being tied to a single carrier.

Categories
Imaging Technology Video

Ghost Drone disappears, returns with a tap

More and more, drones are starting to be seen in everyday life, but the process continues to be slow. One of the main obstacles in adoption is how unfriendly most drones are to users, usually requiring assembly and presenting users with bulky RC controllers with a million and one buttons that have to be learned for proper control.

The team behind the Ghost Drone has focused primarily on usability instead, ditching the big RC remote for an Android app that allows for easier control. A single tap will launch the Ghost into the air, tapping locations on a map of an area will prompt it to travel to that point, and another button will command it to return and land. A micro-control mode will offer users more nuanced control when needed, but they’ll have to be careful as the drone offers no obstacle avoidance technology just yet.

The Ghost Drone is Go Pro compatible with the addition of an optional gymbal, or attachment on which to connect cameras and other peripherals. Its SDK, or software development kit, makes it extremely customizable as well. The product is another worthy attempt to bring drones to the forefront similar to what the Anura is doing, and does so while being extremely sleek. The $375 Ghost Drone is expected to ship in January 2015 provided its campaign reaches the $100,000 goal.

Categories
Chargers/Batteries

Conkey hangs around to keep mobiles useful

On those especially busy days at work or while enjoying weekend activities, it can be difficult to keep a mobile from losing all of its juice. So Conkey can be attached to a keyring for those days when there’s no time to wait around for a mobile charge to be restored. Though the mobile battery backup only provides 30 minutes of extra usage and its micro USB connector is only compatible with Android and IOS, it does have a few other nice features. The built-in, universal power plug unfolds to plug into a wall outlet, and it has an internal SD memory card. A magnet fastener keeps the item’s short cables from getting tangled around the user’s car keys.

Since it’s roughly the size of a standard car key, it’s going to offer more convenience and portability than most portable chargers, but not as much power. Backers may also want to check out the ReelJuice and OneCard campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise $30,000. For $30, backers get one set.

Categories
Connected Objects

Programmable laziness is just a tap away with Flic wireless smart button

Ownership of a smartphone gives users control over their environment that at one time in the past seemed unimaginable. That awesome level of control is unfortunately tempered by the need to have to fish it out of a purse or pocket for every little action. Voice control was touted as the answer, but has only proven to be mostly ineffective.

Programmable one-touch button solutions have offered users a tactile alternative, and Flic is another entry into the space for iOS and Android. It uses Bluetooth LE to do whatever a user would like, from placing a usual phone call, ordering a pizza, sharing a GPS location, taking pictures, or skipping a track. A full list of the possibilities would be impossible, but suffice it to say the Flic is incredibly versatile. Hold options along with single and double clicks increase each button’s functionality.

The product featurs a reusable sticky base and a 150-foot range from the smartphone, so buttons can be placed pretty much anywhere inside or outside the home to streamline normally cumbersome actions. Contrarily, most wireless buttons like the Gyzmo or Qblinks aren’t made to be placed in the home but rather be taken with you. A single Flic is $27, while six can be had for $99, and is expected to ship in March 2015. The campaign is looking for $80,000.