Tag: Bluetooth

Categories
Connected Objects Luggage and Bags Travel

Bluesmart connected luggage offers remote locking, weighing

The concept of luggage for all the travel we do hasn’t really enjoyed a major upgrade for the 21st century. With the idea that everything we own shouldn’t just fulfill one need but instead address every concern by utilizing technology, a piece of luggage that serves as just a bag is, frankly, very dated. The Bluesmart connected carry-on is a refreshing new take on what luggage can be and is a step in the right direction on the process of streamlining travel itself.

Bluesmart Technologies has created their product with a Bluetooth antenna that connects it to an iOS or Android smartphone, with smartwatch integration coming soon. With Bluesmart, gone are the days you pay extra fees for overweight luggage with its built-in digital scale. Locks and keys are no longer necessary to protect our valuables, either — it does so itself with an option to either automatically lock when you aren’t near using a proximity sensor, or remotely lock and unlock the carry-on with a companion app. The dread that comes along with losing luggage is also addressed with GPS, allowing you track to track the bag wherever it is in the world.

Easy access to electronics comes in the form of a compartment at the front of the carry-on where you can also charge up to two devices at once, ensuring you’ll breeze through security. All this is housed in a three layer polycarbonate construction that sports waterproof zippers to protect all this coolness. At the moment, the only option for a Bluesmart is a personalized version with custom engraving for $295, about $200 off the final retail price with delivery in August 2015. The campaign has absolutely demolished its funding goal of $50,000.

The Bluesmart is a solid, well-thought piece of technology. It eliminates some of the many hassles of traveling and finally gives some power back to the traveler. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also pretty stylish, although looks can’t hide the obvious privacy concerns something like this presents. Convenience and a sheer cool factor will probably win at the end of the day, though.

Categories
Sensors/IoT Wallets

Jayster wallet lets you know of its absence via Bluetooth

Losing anything valuable can put a huge dent in our day, throwing us off from what we need to do and causing unnecessary worry and stress. Instead of running around trying to get it sorted by retracing your steps or calling your credit card companies, Jayster wants to help you avoid that altogether with its wallet sensor. Without adding much weight or volume, Jayster gives your wallet all the functionality necessary so that you can get it back in your hands when it isn’t.

The slim insert comes in a variety of colors, and is outfitted with both Bluetooth and GPS technology that allows it to connect to your iOS or Android smartphone. If your wallet somehow strays further than 15 feet away from you, an audible alarm on the insert itself will sound in its Nest mode. If it ends up lost even after that, a companion app uses a hot/cold system or a more accurate GPS to find it. Jayster will continue to grow and be useful down the road with its upgradeable firmware and replaceable battery that lasts for two years as well. As much as this will avoid lots of headaches, its $20 price tag certainly reflects its limited functionality. The campaign is looking to deliver the Jayster by November 2014, with a campaign goal of $10,000.

 

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Moobitalk takes a low-tech approach to allow hands-free car conversations

Cell phone usage while driving is not only dangerous, but illegal in most states. Many people, however, must suffer a long commute to work and simply can’t remain silent during the whole ride, whether they’re talking to work or their families. Moobitalk seeks to give commuters a way to take on the phone hands-free. It attaches to the seatbelt once it is already fastened. Then, when a call comes in, simply hit speaker phone and attach the phone’s screen to Moobitalk. It uses micro-suction technology to keep the phone in place without damaging the screen. Backers can nab the Swedish-made Moobitalk for £18 (~$29) with an estimated delivery date of December 2014. The hands-free device is hoping to raise £34,000 (~$54,000) on Kickstarter.

Moobitalk is a good idea, but executed poorly. Like many other car-centric devices, GPS’s and DVD players included, Moobitalk requires some setting up before use. So, while the driver is talking there are no hands being used, an incoming call still requires some set up. An ear-attached hands-free device that only requires the push of a button for picking and hanging up calls may be more safe for chatty drivers on the road. In addition, many newer cars come equipped with built-in Bluetooth technology, meaning that pretty soon most hands-free devices will be deemed unnecessary.

Categories
Connected Objects Lighting Music

Playbulb is a connected light that plays music

Music is something everyone can enjoy privately, but all it takes is the right lighting to make it perfect for any party.

PLAYBULB color is another combination smart lightbulb and wireless speaker, offering multiple configurations of light shows, a spectrum of colors, and thumping sound to turn any room into a party room. Using Bluetooth 4.0, PLAYBULB color supports modern iOS and Android devices firmwares, and can also update its own firmware to allow for new features.

With a range of 30 feet, PLAYBULB color streams music from any smartphone or tablet and can change color on the fly or even every time a phone has been shaken, to create personal choreographed light shows. The PLAYBULB color can also be set up in any E26 or E27 lamp to stream ambient light and music for sleeping or as a wake-up alarm. Developer MIPOW only needs $10,000 to bring these bulbs to shelves, and backers can install one for $49 in January.

PLAYBULB color is neither the most innovative product on the market nor the most practical, as colored light often does very little illumination. That being said, it’s a great addition to any dorm room, bedroom, or any room where ambience is key.

Categories
Connected Objects Lighting

Waves connect with each other for elaborate light and sound shows

On any given day, there are a myriad of things that can and will stress you out, but what’s most important is how you deal with it. Drinking a calming tea, yoga, breathing exercises — there are a variety of ways to decompress when you need to. For inventor Frank Cohen, the colors, lights, and rhythms of a lava lamp helped him after particularly draining days. After so many years, he now feels the humble lava lamp deserves an appropriately modern upgrade.

Waves is the modern lava lamp that comes in the form of a Bluetooth speaker within a slim box that can sit desk-side or be mounted onto a wall. Thin diffusion filters stand atop the unit, allowing pre-programmed light shows to do everything from brightening up a space to soothing someone who may be feeling weary after a long day. The inexpensive diffusion filters are also easily cuttable, giving more artistic types the room to explore whatever designs might interest them.

The product is also incredibly social. Along with being able to sync up to most popular social networks and act as a push notification hub instead your buzzing phone, each Waves unit can talk to each other. This communication between five, ten, or even fifty units can facilitate light shows with all of them participating and gives the product the versatility to be used in ways that haven’t even been thought of yet. Fortunately, new ideas will be in abundance as Waves is supporting a strong communal aspect where members can create sell their own filter designs and share light shows, with the option of earning royalties on our show. Control everything with a Web app or your iOS or Android device. Two Waves are going for $149 and are to be delivered by December 2014. To do that, the campaign is looking for $10,000 in funding.

For now, Waves must be hard-wired which severely limits its aesthetic appeal. But, all in all, Waves is an imaginative product that will make a great conversation piece in any environment. Its open-nature also stands out as a great entryway to technology and its use of the Processing language will ensure it more converts. A product like this is only limited by how much interest there is in it, so only time will tell if this can be what Frank Cohen wants it to be.

Categories
Sleep Wearables

BodyEcho head band tracks vital signs to improve sleep tracking

Some estimates peg the number of Americans who experience problems sleeping at 70 million, although most would agree the number is even higher than that. Unfortunately, having trouble sleeping isn’t considered much of a problem at all and if someone decides to do something about it, the most effective technology to help is stuck in impractical and expensive sleep laboratories.

OxiRate Inc. is looking to take that technology out of the laboratory and onto your head with their BodyEcho sleep system. The system is comprised of a headband that houses a removable, quarter-sized chip almost impossibly packed with heart rate, temperature, and respiratory sensors, along with an accelerometer and an oximeter.

With the oximeter at its core, the combination of technologies allows the BodyEcho to track things like your sleep stages, sleeping positions, and breathing interruptions with increased accuracy. The data gathered can then be reviewed on a Web portal or a smartphone application so that a user can take a more active role in their sleep. An SDK in development will expand on the device’s capabilities too, so look out for those lucid dreaming applications. OxiRate Inc. is looking for $100,000 to finalize BodyEcho, and interested backers can pick one up for $100.

BodyEcho is interested in being the best possible at one thing: sleep tracking. By offering so much technology in a small package, the company is letting everyone else make it something more with the SDK. It seem like everything created with it will be a touch inventive and versatile than other headbands strictly for lucid dreaming, like the DreamNet or the Aurora. Its included oximeter is the star of the show with its ability to provide the refined data only a sleep lab can offer, but its effectiveness ultimately remains to be seen.

Categories
Smart Home

Smoke Audio smoke alarm sends alerts around home with Bluetooth

It’s a given that everyone reading this has a combination carbon monoxide/smoke alarm in their home. Likewise, it’s also a given that most of the time it does nothing at all. Does its potentially life-saving capability give it a pass? That’s the question the team over at Smoke Audio asked themselves, and, as a result, have set out to give the humble smoke alarm a makeover.

Smoke Audio’s take on the nondescript alarm combines it with Bluetooth audio capabilities so that user can stream audio from smartphones, tablets, and PCs. The product can work with existing wiring or already installed alarms, allowing it to be easily placed in any home. To all those who think a music-playing carbon monoxide/smoke alarm jumps out as irresponsible, the team made sure that all music functionality is switched off the moment anything strange is detected, ensuring users will hear the alarm when they need to. All those interested in the product can grab one for $90, 30% off the retail price. Smoke Audio is looking for $50,000 by November 2014.

Smoke Audio’s basic premise is an intelligent, if simplistic, one. By just adding Bluetooth audio capabilities, something that is required in all our homes becomes that much more engaging. The fact that it’s also attracts as you’ll never have to change out the battery. Smoke Audio also bills their device as a low cost alternative to multi-room wireless systems. While installation is probably much easier than those systems, its cost might still prohibitive for many. With each unit flaunting a retail a price of about $130 each, even having to purchase two for a product that isn’t portable by nature will be a hard sell. Its one talent may end up being a one trick pony, too, something Smoke Audio is sure to address with future iterations. We’ll see if their campaign will need their own alarm come mid-November.

 

Categories
Smart Home

Smart control kit lifts the difficulty in controlling window blinds

One of the biggest hurdles that home automation faces is the cost and complexity of installing devices for every small or mundane aspect of a house.

Tilt My Blinds thinks that smart blinds are a great addition to any home, and wants to make the process simple for anyone. Working with virtually any kind of existing blinds, Tilt My Blinds is a simple device that takes less than 15 minutes to install on each set of blinds and allows for scheduled opening and closing of the blinds as well as control via Bluetooth devices or wireless switches. The blinds are powered by a battery which can be charged using any USB outlet or with an optional solar panel to save even more time and energy. It’s going to take $50,000 to make a properly-funded endeavor. A Tilt My Blinds retrofit kit will cost backers $75 and arrive in February 2015.

For those automating their home piece by piece, Tilt My Blinds is a great way to add some futurism into even the most quaint of dwellings. The solar panel is  great for taking even more effort away from managing the blinds, and the TV plug add-on to reduce viewing glare demonstrates the kind of foresight that should make this product successful.

Categories
Technology

Fusion Writer concept fuses together laptop and e-reader

It was a dark and stormy night. And that being the case, writers or professionals working on a document were taking big risks using their laptops and saving more frequently than ever before.

Using the same principles behind e-readers and other products that use electronic ink, the Fusion Writer is a slim word processor that is waterproof and can stay powered for two months. With a 13” LCD backlit display, solar power charging, Wi-fi and Bluetooth compatibility, and an Android OS, the Fusion Writer may only do one thing, but it aims to do that thing better than any other product on the market. Fusion Writer creator Ivan Samokish has set a funding goal of $50,000 CAD to buy quality components and finish development and production on the device. Getting in on the Fusion Writer’s prototype stage takes a $600 CAD pledge and will be ready by April 2016.

Some may scoff at the idea of a dedicated word processor in this day and age, but the amount of foresight that’s gone into making the Fusion Writer a hands-down leader at handling this task will make it a tool of the trade for journalists, authors, and writers around the globe. The only thing missing is some hands-on demonstration to give backers peace of mind that this project will see completion.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Music

Core multiroom speaker system claims superior audio separation

Streaming audio wirelessly may seem like an old concept, but in terms of audio fidelity, convenience, and uniform functionality across multiple devices, the technology is only really starting to blossom. With options like Play-Fi and AllPlay beginning to come into their own, devices like the Sonos are starting to set the standard in home audio.

The Core is a similar multiroom audio solution that takes into consideration how technology has grown around it and how to interact with it rather than alongside. With Wi-fi functionality, NFC phone syncing with the tap of the device, and even Bluetooth gesture control, the Core is loaded with features. It can also handle answering phone calls in any room as easily as it handles streaming music, and can be used to charge devices using its 12-hour battery and USB port.

In terms of audio, Core delivers a uniform acoustic bubble in its space, giving depth and presence to the sounds without the use of multiple speakers in a room. Like Bose and other high-quality home audio products, Core sets out to do more with one speaker than many audio systems can do with two or more. Mass Fidelity, the company responsible for the creation of Core are looking to raise $48,000 to amp up their tooling department to be able to handle the extra load of creating the Core. The Core costs $389 to pick up, but for those who want a little more bass, they’ve added a wireless subwoofer to the package as well for $229. Products will begin shipping out in March.

What’s great about the Core is not only does it offer clear, sharp audio that fills any space, but it does so with a space-saving design and comes loaded with convenient features. Audiophiles will be quick to notice and praise the power of this speaker. In terms of an actual user experience, Core seems far, far more convenient than many of its competitors when it comes to syncing devices with and using the product.