Tag: Bluetooth

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

After devouring folding keyboards, FlyShark takes on the smartwatch

A common knock against most smartwatches is that their most significant functions, such as making phone calls, can only be used when a paired smartphone is nearby.

Following their successful campaign for a sleek folding keyboard accessory for smartphones, the makers of the FlyShark Smartwatch have set out to remove this codependence from smartwatches. Specifically, the FlyShark Smartwatch can make private calls and send and receive messages all without requiring users to touch their smartphones. Generally, the FlyShark Smartwatch can function independently so long as there is a Micro SIM card installed.

Like other smartwatches, it also functions as an exercise tracker and heart rate monitor. Unlike the soon to be released Apple Watch, FlyCatch also features a built-in camera. Other features include dual Bluetooth 3.0 and 4.0 support. The campaign, which seeks $10,000, will remain open until April 1, 2014.

FlyShark has some nice features, but the jury’s out on just how much appeal there is for a smartwatch whose main selling point is its independence from the smartphone. Many consumers on the market for a smartwatch, after all, likely already own a smartphone. It’s therefore a little hard to see how FlyShark can compete against popular brands like Samsung, LG, and Apple.

 

Categories
Connected Objects Lighting

Playbulb garden lights up your garden, saves you some green

Outdoor garden lighting tends to be pretty routine, offering little in the way of color. Few outdoor bulbs can also be deemed to be green, as in environmentally friendly, because they require the same electricity that indoor lights use.

However, the latest Playbulb LED lighting product -– the water-resistant Playbulb garden –- adds multiple colors, special lighting effects and smart functionality, and is driven purely by solar power. Each light is controlled via Bluetooth 4.0 by the accompanying free Playbulb X app for Android and iOS mobile devices. Users can change each light’s color with the app and also select from rainbow, fading, pulsing, flashing and candle light effects.

The built-in sensor detects lighting conditions and automatically turns on or off accordingly. The included monopod/spike allows more flexibility for installation. Once attached to the bottom of a Playbulb garden light, it’s easy to push into the grass to make the bulb secure. The monopod can also be removed if the user just wants to place the light directly on the ground. Each Playbulb garden costs $29.99 and will ship in May. Its maker set a goal of raising $10,000 by March 27.

Playbulb garden follows the Playbulb color and Playbulb rainbow, and will likely appeal to many homeowners with gardens. Other good features include its ability to run up to 20 hours on a full charge. One drawback is that its light might not be bright enough for some consumers. Customers shouldn’t expect to be able to use one to read a book outside at night. The product is featured in a recent Backerjack podcast.

 

Categories
Displays

Beam smart projector shows video, images from any light socket on any surface

editors-choicePico projectors that can be connected to Android and iOS mobile devices to display video and other content can come in handy at home and at the office when making presentations. Combining a pico projector with an LED light bulb into a device that can be connected to any light socket could make it even more handy.

patent-claimedThat’s precisely what the makers of Beam have created. It’s an always-connected 100-lumen LED projector that promises 20,000 projection hours, and comes equipped with an LED light, two 2-watt speakers and 8 GB of onboard storage. Beam features a tapered, cylindrical design that’s designed to accommodate any standard light socket. Any electronic device can be connected to Beam, including mice, keyboards, game controllers, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speakers, and smartwatches.

Beam turns any flat surface into a big screen, whether it’s a table, ceiling, floor or wall. It also enables users to listen to music via its speakers. Beam can be programmed to do a wide range of things, such as play music or display certain content at specific times each day, or whenever somebody turns on connected Bluetooth speakers or starts the Beam app. It will ship at $399 in October. Beam’s maker set a goal of raising $200,000 by March 24. That money will be used to complete Beam development and start production, according to its Kickstarter campaign.

Beam, which is featured in Backerjack’s Episode 7 podcast, holds a great deal of promise. Its multi-functionality and unique design help it easily stand out from the growing number of pico projectors on the market, including TouchPico.

Categories
Connected Objects Wallets

Where’s Wallet calls home to your smartphone to avoid being misplaced

Forgetting or misplacing a wallet can be a major inconvenience — especially if it’s left in a public place and has a lot of cash and credit cards in it.

Where’s Wallet is a twist on the increasingly popular Bluetooth item finder that solves that dilemma. It’s a wallet that features a hidden sensor inside. Users just have to download a free Android or iOS app, set a notification range, and their smartphone/wallet will beep to alert them the moment they step beyond that preset distance. Its maker is fielding the product in three versions: a $49 slip model, a $69 bi-fold version and a $99 clutch version. Each will ship in August. Its maker is trying to raise $30,000 through Kickstarter by March 22.

Where’s Wallet is a clever entry in the Bluetooth tracking device category. Applying the technology to a wallet is a no-brainer, and should be especially appealing to consumers with a tendency to misplace their valuables. However, the specific application has a drawback in that some consumers will prefer a small tracking device like TrackR Bravo that can be attached to the object of their choice. For example, folks who are more likely to misplace their keys than their wallet.

Categories
Connected Objects Music

BUHUEL Soundglasses use your bones to keep you aware of what’s around

At the height of the iPod’s popularity, a common news item was a warning about how unsafe it was to wander around the big wide world with headphones stuffed into your ears. A lot of it was fear mongering, but to a certain extent, the degree to which someone’s awareness is impaired while concentrating on their music is a very real thing.

Instead of hijacking ear canals, the Bluetooth-enabled BUHUEL SG05 Soundglasses use the sensitive bones in the ear to transmit music or voice so that the user can be free to hear what needs to be heard. As a result, the Soundglasses thrive in high noise situations which require earplugs or similar safeguards or in situations where hearing loss is a problem. In addition to the bone conduction technology, the Soundglasses also incorporate a bi-directional, noise-canceling microphone to facilitate clear phone calls.

Interchangeable lenses offer both aesthetic and actual versatility, offering different colors and the ability to use prescription lenses. A wide variety of mostly active types will find use in the Soundglasses, even if it boasts only three hours of talk/listening time.

The $165 glasses are a bit more practical than something like the Narwhal, and as such, its $80,000 goal has already been achieved—more than twice over. Backers can expect theirs in June of this year.

Categories
Lighting Music

BROOGS Smart Lamp charges devices, plays music, and lights the way with portable lantern

The beauty of the new, connected world slowly being forged is the transformation of ordinary parts of the home that are taken for granted into dynamic, living devices that can be interacted with in so many new ways. With this in mind, BROOGS has taken the humble lamp and pumped it full of interesting ideas.

The BROOGS Smart Lamp is minimalist and elegant in every way. The use of touch controls on the slickly curved device itself eliminates the presence of protruding buttons, while the portable LED lantern docked within gently lights surroundings. USB ports on its side allow users to charge their devices, and hiding within is a Bluetooth speaker that can interface with an iOS or Android device to stream music. It doesn’t only use the Bluetooth connection for sound, but also to push notification alerts from a device to the lamp, expressing them with the more than 16 million colors and the limitless combinations they that the lamp can create. A white BROOGS Smart Lamp is now $150, which is $49 off what it will be priced for retail.

The BROOGS Smart Lamp is a sleek addition to any home. The quantity of color combinations is mind boggling, and those who like reading before bed will find the gentle light much more soothing the harsh light of a ceiling light or tablet screen. Other interesting takes on smart lamps include the LIVING Room Lamp and LumiSmart, the latter being almost an assistant in the way it recognizes a routine after some time. When compared to other offerings on the market, the BROOGS Smart Lamp has looks, but lacks other factors that could truly separate it from everything else.

The $50,000 campaign is looking to raise its funding by March 13, and expects to ship the product in May of this year.

Categories
Connected Objects Food and Beverage

Tlinkle connected tumblers keep couples connected

Technology has the bad reputation of being anti-social, and it isn’t hard to see why. With the way the devices available on the marketplace dominate the attention span, most agree on the negative effects it can have on relationships and behavior. In response the growing trend of humanizing technology is springing up, offering products that aim to connect, rather than disconnect, those who choose to use it.

The Tlinkle is a prime example of this sort of technology. The product is a Bluetooth-enabled tumbler that lights up when another designated Tlinkle is used. By leveraging a touch sensor below the tumbler’s frame, the embedded LED lights up with the corresponding color of who’s drinking from it. The Tlinkle is ideal for couples, but also shines between friends or within a family, all in the name of letting loved ones know you’re thinking about them.

Although the product is well intentioned, the amount of sips taken throughout the day will quickly make each moment of lit-up refreshment lose their importance. The companion app aims to alleviate that with community features, but even those seem half baked. Something like Smartstones is a bit more ambitious, and because of that ultimately more exciting.

A Tlinkle is awarded for $70, and is expected to ship in October of this year, given a successful $40,000 campaign.

Categories
Connected Objects

‘On’ smart tape hugs all your curves for accurate measurements

Shopping online is one of the simple joys that this day and age has been able to offer so many. With one click, pretty much anything can be delivered to the doorstep within as little as a day. Where this model falls flat is the purchase of clothing, a traditionally risky online buy, since no standard exists across between all companies. This means that a small here isn’t necessarily a small there, and this leads can lead to confusion, mistakes, and orders being repackaged and sent back—all of which takes time, and generally makes the process unpleasant.

By combining their expertise in fashion and tech, XYZE Fashion has created the On digital measuring tape. With up to 160cm of circular tape, this Bluetooth connected device makes it easy for users to keep accurate body measurements in their own personal XYZE Size ID. This profile compares the saved measurements against each brand individually to suggest the best fitting garments using a proprietary algorithm and a companion app. As a result, online shoppers needn’t worry about their choices any longer and can expect garments that fit right out of the box. The €60,000 (~$68,000) campaign is looking to have the €59 (~$67) product shipped by May of this year.

On is a truly unique product that has gained lots of attention recently for its simple design and effective solution to a thorny problem. Measuring tape has always been available, but incorporating something automatic that can guide a user to spot-on measurements is invaluable, especially when considering its 3V, 48 month battery life. What remains to be seen is how many brands it can actually recognize, but chances are that fashionistas along with clothing designers will really enjoy On’s ease of use.

Categories
Connected Objects Health and Wellness

Track bites instead of calories with the Count Bites connected wristband

Counting calories is a drag. Common methods are usually pretty cumbersome, and apps don’t help as much as it seems. Plus, who likes having to do math every time they eat?

The Count Bites band and app aim to shift the user’s focus from calories to bites instead. While no one method is inherently superior, bites are far easier to track than hundreds of daily calories. Both the Bluetooth wristband and companion app feature a single button for tracking purposes, so dieters can use it to set goals and monitor portions over time. The campaign is looking to raise $25,000 by March 3, and have the $30 band shipped out in June of this year.

Although the campaign does admit to the potential of cheating, it insists that beginning a diet by focusing on reducing the amount of food rather than micromanaging the type of food being consumed is far more beneficial for those with a BMI over 25. Instead of other fitness bands like the Jaha or Arcus that keep fit people fit, Count Bites seems like it could be a good fit for a larger swath of the population that doesn’t have the healthiest of habits.

Categories
Connected Objects Toys

Arduino-based 3DRacer allows for 3D-printed racing

The rising popularity of electronics platforms like Raspberry Pi and Arduino, combined with the power of 3D printing, have added a new dimension to the racing toys of yesteryear.

The Arduino-based 3DRacer offers race junkies a bite-sized replica of the real thrill. Having designed their ride using the online 3DRacer tool, users can opt to print out the parts themselves, or have the company’s partner 3D Hubs print them instead. Once assembled, the pre-programmed Arduino board can be inserted to work in tandem with the companion smartphone app using a Bluetooth connection.

The included PVC mat makes any room in the home a racetrack, complete with app-controlled lap counter, pit stops, and a battle mode. Since everything is open source, more intrepid tinkerers have the option of creating an endless amount of cars, tuning the performance of each to suit their needs.

The product’s options seem unnecessarily complicated. The company would do well to simplify their offerings to appeal to a greater group of people. For youngsters, the product’s DIY nature may prove a little daunting, but it could end up being an effective stepping stone to light programming and robotics.

For $65, backers get their own customized car, and $129 throws in the track. The $25,000 campaign is slated to have the products out and shipped by September of this year.