Tag: Bluetooth

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Connected Objects Pets

Take your dog on a walk with the CARLOS smart leash to see how the other side lives

Nothing escapes the inevitable fusion of the mundane with Bluetooth technology. It’s in everything from wallets to car diagnostic boards, giving smartphone owners far greater control over things that previously were beyond their wireless reach.

CARLOS tends this trend in a much furrier direction, combining smart design with wireless capabilities to transform the dog walk into a truly 21st century activity. The sleekly designed smart leash with a host of built in characteristics setting it apart from the norm.

Physically, the handle of the leash houses various implements that make any walk easier and safer, things like a night light, bag holder, treat compartment, and an ultrasound insect repellent. Users can even charge their phone with the USB port present at its base, so dog lovers can give their phones one last bit of energy before the day starts.

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Smartwatches/Bands Sports

Pulse Play wearable for racket sports keeps score, doesn’t do much else

Racket ball sports such as tennis, badminton, squash and pingpong delight upper-crust players around the globe. Pulse Play is a wearable used for just such sports. Worn on the wrist, this product monitors each match and records data to an accompanying app via Bluetooth. It keeps and announces the score, remembers the stats of each match, ranks players, and can even match players up with those near them who match their playing level. The wristband comes in a rainbow of colors and is made of lightweight material perfect for working up a sweat in.

Pulse Play only really seems mildly useful. Yes, it keeps score, but the data it provides won’t help one improve their game and it’s doubtful that many are interested in being matched up with other strange players. People only want to meet strangers with the help of an app if they’re going to hook up. Perhaps if the wearable pushed a bit further and provided feedback on speed and swing, like the Arcus fitness wearable, it would enjoy some success.

Still, interested backers can have one of their own for a donation of $75 for delivery in October 2015. Pulse Play’s Indiegogo campaign has a fundraising goal of $75,000.

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Connected Objects Imaging

Radian 2 makes regular cameras cool again, provides wireless time lapse effect

Many opt to use their smartphone cameras in lieu of actual cameras. DLSR cameras, however, still produce better quality shots, even though many don’t have the same cool effects that smartphone cameras have.

With the Radian 2, the follow-up to a successful Kickstarter project, photographers get the real camera quality with a fun time lapse effect. This small black and round product attaches to many different types of cameras via a USB port. Using Bluetooth, it connects to one’s smartphone via the accompanying app. The app helps to program the effect including the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. It also receives real time thumbnails of the shots being taken to ensure the camera is capturing what the photographer wants.

This product has lots of potential, especially as it adds extra features and capabilities to its menu. The myriad of camera mounts are quite appealing as well. One will cost backers a donation of $220 for estimated delivery in September 2015. Radian 2 will only enjoy success on Kickstarter if it raises $153,471 in funding.

Categories
Music

HearNotes offers hi-fi earbuds from out of the Bluetooth

Historically, enjoyment of hi-fidelity images has conjured up rooms with racks of equipment, speakers as tall as an NBA guard, and a deep seat that evokes memories of vintage Maxell commercials. But even audiophiles have not been immune to the demands that being on the go places on listening pleasure. There are many contenders among high-end wired headphones that cater to the discriminating listener, but most of the wireless products have been plagued by a range of issues, including that they’re often not truly wireless.

HearNotes has sought escape from the constraints of Bluetooth by tapping a dormant audio technology called Kleer. Kleer was developed expressly for the purpose of transmitting uncompressed hi-fi stereo music at low power. Beyond quality improvements versus Bluetooth, it claims better resistance to interference. However, because Kleer isn’t ubiquitous in smartphones the way Bluetooth is, the company has had to develop a tiny transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack. This also means that, unlike with some Bluetooth earbuds, you won’t be able to quickly switch into a phone call should one disturb your jam.

To minimize the inconvenience of transmitter, the company has created a little storage box that charges the transmitter and completely wire-free left and right earbud for about four hours of blissful listening. HearNotes has also put a good spin on the need for the transmitter, noting that it offers virtually universal compatibility, even with devices such as some MP3 players  and even old portable CD players that lack Bluetooth.

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Automotive Connected Objects

Fuel Book piles on the features to make your car a smarter ride

One of the biggest fears of drivers is running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere and not having any idea where the nearest gas station is.

patent-claimedFuel Book is a small, white plug-and-play on-board diagnostics device that alerts users when they are low on fuel and tells them where the nearest gas stations are. In conjunction with an Android, iOS and Windows Phone app, Fuel Book creates a smart environment through the diagnostic port of a car. The device costs $169 and will ship in November. Its maker is trying to raise $50,000 by June 21 to use towards production tooling, Bluetooth certification and large-scale production,

The device faces competition from several OBD-II devices, including Automatic. But Fuel Book has a few features that help it stand out from the pack, including park tracking that will enable users to find their car if they forgot where they left it in a huge parking lot.

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Tech Accessories

Tye mobile security device protects your stuff, saves the day when they stray

There are many products on the market track a lost pet or stolen smartphone. There are also many devices on the market that can be used to lock up a bicycle or other object so that it can’t be easily stolen.

patent-claimedTye is a new three-in-one, patent-pending device that can do both of those things, and also serves as an alarm system for electronic devices in much the same way that a car alarm system is used for vehicles. The device’s hub gets attached to any device that its user wants to protect. The hub communicates constantly with a small remote that the user hangs onto. If somebody attempts to take the protected device, Tye will sound an alarm.

An app for smartphones and the Apple Watch alerts others that there’s been an attempt to steal a protected device along with the exact transgression spot . Tye can operate up to 90 feet from the device via Bluetooth or up to 400 feet away using ZigBee wireless technology. It is expected to cost about $59-$64 once its Kickstarter campaign ends and will ship in September. Its maker is hoping to raise $60,000 by May 19.

The nice thing about Tye is that it can be used to prevent valued property from straying and find it if it does. Its use of Zigbee helps extend its local range but a cellular option would make the offering even more powerful.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Pets

Where’s Nellie? This GPS locator mixes radios to pinpoint your pooch

It’s a common nightmare for dog owners: their beloved pet has run out of the house and they can’t find the pooch anywhere.

Where’s Nellie is a GPS tracking device designed to ease a dog owner’s mind if their pet runs off and can’t be found. The Nellie Beacon attaches securely to a dog’s collar and works in conjunction with an iOS and Android app. The beacon communicates up to six miles away with the included Nellie Base unit. If a dog is missing, the owner just has to press the locate button on the app and, in a few minutes, Where’s Nellie will pinpoint the location of the dog on the smartphone. It costs $179 and will ship in January. Its maker is hoping to raise $100,000 by May 16.

The device has promise despite coming along after several similar products, including Lucky Tag and WUF. However, Nellie seems to be superior to several rivals in a few ways. First, it makes use of several radio technologies. If the base unit is near the beacon, it uses Bluetooth LE technology. But if the dog is out of range, Semtech’s LoRa long-range wireless solution is used instead. If the pet owner wants to pinpoint exactly where the dog is, GPS is used.

Second, there are no monthly fees involved. Third, its batteries will last more than 365 days because the Beacon’s patent-pending technology uses low-power components and software, according to its Kickstarter campaign. That’s far more battery life than most rival products.

Categories
Connected Objects Sleep

Chrona slips in your pillow to size up your sleep

A good night of sleep is one of the most important things to maintain a healthy life. But all too often people have issues when trying to sleep, sometimes without even knowing it.

Chrona is a thin foam insert that transforms any pillow into a smart pillow. Combined with an app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone mobile devices, Chrona serves as a sleep optimization system that tracks and optimizes sleep using sound. The Bluetooth Low Enery device not only tracks users’ sleep by movement, but it also improves their sleep through the use of acoustics. Depending on where users are in their sleep cycles, Chrona uses low-frequency sounds to help them sleep more deeply or high-frequency sounds to prepare them to wake up. Chrona costs $169 and ships in December. Its maker has set a Kickstarter goal of raising $50,000 by May 18.

One of the product’s advantages is that it doesn’t require an uncomfortable wearable. But it faces competition from a growing number of products that promise pretty much the same thing, including Proper Pillow Plus and SliiP.

Categories
Sensors/IoT

Air Mentor shows the lighted sides of contaminated environs

The carbon monoxide detector is a must-have device. But there are many potential toxins in the air other than carbon monoxide that can be dangerous to people also — especially the very young and elderly and those with compromised immune systems and respiratory ailments.

Air Mentor is a Bluetooth Smart device with built-in industrial grade sensors that measure home air quality and can detect pollutants including carbon dioxide, particulate matters and volatile organic compounds such as carbon monoxide, aromatic hydrocarbons and organic acids. The triangular device can be placed on any flat surface in the home or office, and is used in conjunction with an Android or iOS app. Cloud computing software automatically analyzes indoor air patterns.

One of five colors lights up on the device to signal the air’s quality: green for good air quality, yellow for moderate, orange meaning the air is unhealthy for sensitive people such as those with asthma, red meaning the air is unhealthy for everybody, and purple signaling very unhealthy air. The device costs $249 and ships in May. Its maker is hoping to raise $15,500 by May 8.

Air Mentor holds promise, especially for consumers with compromised immune systems and those with chronic respiratory conditions including asthma. But consumers looking for a more portable device that performs some of the same functions might opt for something like the Scarab wearable air pollutant detector.

 

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.

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