Wristker makes looking like a secret agent talking espionage into your wrist possible! Wristker is a large white, blue, pink or yellow device that lives on your wrist. With Bluetooth capabilities, a speaker and microphone, Wristker allows the user to listen to music on an SD card, listen to the radio and even speak on the phone. While not the most sophisticated wearable speaker out there, Wristker is good for simple consumers, who only want the bare minimum of techy flash. On Indiegogo, one Wristker goes for $20 with an estimated delivery date of April 2014. Wristker hopes to raise $4,000 in their 46 day campaign. More information can be found on their Web site.
Tag: Bluetooth
What do you get when you cross the hobbyist Arduino platform with Bluetooth and the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) port found in every vehicle? Nobody really knows yet, but the developers of Freematics (a portmanteau of “free” and “telematics” aim to find out by opening up the combination to open source developers. One thing’s that certain is that the device can handle a lot of data about your car’s vital statistics such as its speed and engine RPMs. Turning that into something more meaningful for people will be left to developers who will be the main audience for the data collector. Freematics should be available in March 2014 to backers who pledge at least $89 AUD.
One of the benefits of digital communications that we take for granted is the (optional) notification of new messages. Postifier brings what many have a love-hate relationship with to physical mailboxes via a Bluetooth-Arduino mashup. While there’s an element of “because we can” to the product, the creators appeal to the utility for those who have a hard time getting around having to go down to the driveway to pick up their mail. Another option would be to ask neighbors to pick up mail when one is on vacation. However, the Postifier uses Bluetooth, so notification is confined to a relatively short range for now. On theo other hand, the battery is expected to last around nine months. It’s not much to look at now, but should be available to backers in June 2014 for $35 AUD plus another $10 for shipping outside of Australia.
The Premise. Technology has evolved by putting more power directly at the tips of our fingers, but there hasn’t been much breakthrough in the way we input information since the first iPhone and Kinect came out. Touchscreen devices and motion sensing appliances put control directly into our hands, but there hasn’t been a gadget that’s been able to unite these devices until now.
The Product. Fin allows you to take control of your entire digital world with a small ring that transforms your palm into a touchscreen of sorts. One edge of it flips up like a hairdo with tips. Small taps and finger swipes control the functions of Bluetooth devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, smart homes, and cars all through one sleek and handy (pun fully intended) device. Fin uses low amounts of power while also being both dustproof and waterproof, so it’s a practical way to make technology more ergonomic in the way that we interact with the world.
The Pitch. There’s a sentimental aspect connected to using our fingers for everything, and Fin’s video does a good job of capturing it, even campaigning for it as a fashion statement. Fin’s creatoors show how adaptable it can be by using the awakening the sense of touch to improve the quality of life, and end the video by urging the user to “wear the world.”
The Perks. The price seems a little steep for such a small device at $99 for the early bird price. The technology that it packs is worth it, but they won’t deliver it until September 2014. There are different packages for more Fins, but one is more than enough to get you started as the technology of it continues to develop and improve.
The Potential. Right now, there simply aren’t enough devices that the Fin can effectively control. It definitely has the potential to be a device that can control the way we interact with technology, but it will need more developer support. They also still haven’t completed their design and the nine-month waiting period before shipment gives cause for pause. If you want to get your digits dancing on the cusp of technology, it could be worth pledging.
There is a veritable ocean of Bluetooth speakers out there, but how many can be used in the ocean? If the creator of Drytunes has its way, you’ll be able to pack up your troubles, or at least a few of your valuables, in music-spewing suitcase enclosure and toss it straight into the water without worry about damage. Project creator Michael Applebaum uses his radio-friendly voice to tell the story for the submersible speaker system. This includes having people express surprise at how good it sounds, although such demonstrations are of course hard to appreciate through whatever speakers you may be using. Drytunes is being made offered to backers for $315, or $299 if you catch the early bird and should be available in March 2014.
The Premise. News flash: People lose things. Whether it’s a wallet, cellphone, bag or pet, we’ve all misplaced something or left it behind by accident. Tracking devices have always been subject to high prices and the world of spy movies, leaving the average “loser” stuck relying on memory to find the wayward object.
The Product. Bringrr hopes to prevent people from losing anymore items. The original concept is a normal car USB charger—with a twist. On top of being able to charge any USB device, Bringrr will notify the driver if their phone is in the car or not. For every other item, there’s BringTags. The small circular pieces have a small and simplistic design that makes them easy to pair with any commonly lost item. With a very initiative and sleek design interface, Bringrr’s iPhone app can also help to locate lost items by providing information about distance and direction.
The Pitch. The Bringrr video very simply demonstrates the practical uses of the USB port and BringTags. By showing many different real life scenarios where the Bringrr helped people avoid losing their items, it becomes pretty clear how much it can benefit everyday life. There’s also a cute storyline to follow of a girl who uses the Bringrr community to reunite her with her lost cat, which leaves a nice hint of “happily ever after.”
The Perks. For the person who loses just about everything, $89 will land a Bringrr and four BringTags with the color of their choosing. For $49, you’ll be able to keep track of your phone and one other item with a BringTag, and for $39, a Bringrr USB charger will always remind you if you drive away without your phone. The price of the items you’re scared of losing in sentiment or monetary value probably far outweighs the dent in your pocket these pledges will make.
The Potential. This is a very cool idea, that’s useful for just about anyone, right? Well, Unfortunately for the Bringrr folks, at least half a dozen other companies have also thought so, creating products such as the Zomm, Kensington Proximo and Stick-n-Find. O Nearly 50,000 people have already pledged to receive The Tile. Essentially, BringTags and Tiles have the same features except one is circular, and the other is a rounded square.
A key to these tracking devices’ success is the involvement of the community when items are lost. Therefore, the larger the community, the more likely you are to find that item. Tile has a bit of a head start building a community, but Bringrr has a snazzy USB charger for your car that could help prevent having to head back if you left your phone at home. At nearly identical prices, it’s going to be a battle, with many other players vying to find your misplaced objects.
The Premise. Nighttime can be rough for dog owners — especially owners of skittish dogs. If a dog runs away under the veil of night, how are you supposed to bring it back to safety?
The Product. A team in Boulder, CO has created a Bluetooth LED dog collar to hopefully make these situations less stressful. While still early in its development and may be useful for those who own multiple dogs, it seems a bit trivial in the grand scheme of things. Upon first glance, the generically named collar looks like any other dog collar save for the LED studs. Once activated via the smartphone app that it talks to, however, the collar quickly illuminates, becoming something out of a science fiction movie. You can create custom profiles for each dog, ensuring that you know who is where if you’re dealing with multiple animals at once. The collar is waterproof and runs off of standard AA batteries. The custom profiles feature is perhaps the most valuable part of the offering. It allows you to create a digital dog tag, and you can share your profiles with others via the Web.
The Pitch. The very basic video — music, poor lighting and artifact-filled audio — sets up the idea that the project owners view the dog collar as something of a frivolous stepping stone before moving on to bigger and better things. The campaign page goes on to show closeups of the product and accompanying Android app; there’s no iPhone support for now.
The Perks. Because the collar uses Bluetooth, it’s perfect for those who use smartphones on a daily basis. Due to ship in March 2014, the collar will ship to backers for #30.
The Potential. For fawning owners of finicky dogs, this could be a fun product that might end up getting a lot of use. Turn your dog’s collar green for Christmas and orange on Halloween, or your favorite team’s color on game day. For a connected product, it’s pretty inexpensive and one could easily see it or something like it showing up on the shelves of Petco.
The Premise. Photographers often have to choose between the simplicity and accessibility of an iPhone or the quality of a DSLR camera. It can take a myriad of cords, set up procedures, and a small army to remotely control the camera shutter of a DSLR, and the state of high quality photography and video would be much higher with a simplified solution to this problem.
The Product. The MaxStone is not a film noir detective but rather a beautiful combination of intuitive technology and minimalist design. Compatible with virtually any DSLR camera, the MaxStone turns the iPhone into a remote control for the camera shutter. Simply attach the dongle to the camera shutter, turn the camera to IR mode, open the app, and you’re ready for action.
The Pitch. The video does a tremendous job of emphasizing and highlighting the simplicity of the Maxstone. They also took the opportunity to show that the MaxStone can help to avoid disaster by reminding you if you stray too far from your camera, and also that the MaxStone can control your iPhone camera as well. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the video was that the MaxStone was used to record the entire pitch.
The Perks. Project backers quickly claimed three pledge categories that would have landed you a MaxStone for under $30. However, for $35, you can claim their Kickstarter special and receive a vivid green MaxStone, or for $39 you can choose between ore black or indian red. For a cool sum of $3999, you can visit MaxStone’s home city of Beijing, China (round-trip ticket and 7-day stay in a five-star hotel included).
The Potential. The MaxStone has come along way since its inception, and it still has room to grow in areas such as energy consumption and range. Depending on how often it’s used, the battery can last anywhere from six to 12 months, and it only works reliably within a 100-foot range. It’s truly a tool that aims to improve photo taking efficiency, and it even offers in-app explanations and advice for learning photographers. Therefore, it’s a must have for anybody with a DSLR and an iPhone.