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Smart Home

Gidjit Beacons know their place in the smart home

Outfitting a home or apartment with connected technology seems like a good idea until the simple action of turning on a light means unlocking a smartphone, searching for the connected light’s specific app, launching it – you get the idea. Despite the noble intentions behind connected tech, a lot of them actually end up making what used to be simple tasks way more involved.

Team Gidjit thinks its Gidjit Beacons can help in this regard. Each beacon is a small, disc-like device that can be placed in any room and associated with whatever connected devices are present, like Nest thermostats, Philips Hue lightbulbs, or even Apple TVs. As users move from room to room and in closer proximity to different Gidjit Beacons, the Gidjit iOS app displays a constantly updated list of available devices and services that can be directly controlled, all without having to go on a wild goose hunt every time.

Continue reading “Gidjit Beacons know their place in the smart home”
Categories
Podcasts

Backerjack Podcast #24: Security, Safety and Screens That Show It All

In Episode 24 of the Backerjack Podcast, Steve and Ross check out some of the latest products seeking funds and preorders, including:

  • Angee, a hybrid home monitoring system that can capture video in any direction.
  • Skreens, a small TV add-on that lets multiple vide sources go up on the TV at the same time..

We also mentioned a few other products we wished we had more time for, including the Holapex hologram visualizer.

Download the episode or listen below, subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and subscribe to the Backerjack Daily Digest to make sure you catch all the gadgets we’re covering. Also check out Steve’s great work on Apple World Today!

Categories
Organization

Recoil Power Maze cuts the cord clutter

Life today comes with strings attached. And those strings are cords that plug into the wall. While some devices are going cordless, laptops, monitors, modems, and phones all need to be plugged into the wall. This leads to an unpleasant tangle of cords below the desk that no one wants to see or deal with.

The Power Maze gets the cords off the floor and organizes them on the top of a desk or table. It’s designed to fit a full-sized power strip and up to fifty feet of cords. Plug into the power strip as normal, then wrap the cords around the “Cord Lock Patches”. These spaces have alternating polyethylene protrusions that hold the cords in place. The Power Maze also has space in the sleek design to house the large blocks that come on many laptop chargers to protect from power surge. The campaign hopes to raise $40,000 by August 17, 2015, and is selling the Power Maze for $40, with expected delivery in October 2015.

The Power Maze is great for fixed objects like desktop PCs, but might not be very practical for anything you might need to charge on the go like a laptop given the amount of wrapping around that has to happen to fit the cords inside the small box.

 

Categories
Home

Loogun uses high power water stream to replace nasty toilet brushes

Everyone hates toilet brushes. They’re universally gross but they’re a necessity for keeping the toilet clean.  Although some companies try to make single-use pads to cut down on the gross factor, they’re horrible for the environment and can cost over $100 a year buying refills.

But for $42, the Loogun is a sleek and elegant solution. It features a reservoir and a motor that creates a powerful stream of water that can handle the toughest bathroom messes.  The design is absolutely more attractive than a typical toilet brush, and because it never touches the toilet, it’s free of bacteria.

The creators of the Loogun are in the UK, and they’re hoping to ship worldwide by January 2016 if they meet their $62,850 goal by August 9, 2015. As far as toilet brushes go, the Loogun seems like a pretty and efficient alternative to the usual nasty bristles.

Categories
Smart Home

Ola uses touch sensor, fingerprints to rock the smart lock

Smart locks have become one of the more popular components of the smart home product category. The one drawback of some of them is that they rely on the user accessing a smartphone app in order to open up a door, and that can sometimes take a while –- especially if the smartphone is buried at the bottom of somebody’s bag or, worse, the phone has been forgotten somewhere.

Ola is a smart lock that uses Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and capacitive fingerprint technology that makes it not only a keyless solution, but also a phoneless one. It’s able to store up to 1,700 fingerprints and takes less than one second to open the door once the fingerprints are read by the touch sensor, according to its maker. Ola is powered by four AA batteries and doesn’t require a Wi-Fi connection, so it will continue to work even if the power goes out. It costs $179 as part of its Kickstarter campaign and will ship in March. Retail pricing hasn’t been set, but is expected to be about 30 percent higher, said its maker, who set a campaign goal of raising $125,000 by July 23.

Ola is bound to appeal to a wide audience. Although it doesn’t require a smartphone for users to open a door with the smart lock, there is an app for Android and iOS devices (and soon Windows) to facilitate registration for new users. The “masters” of the house can also use the app to give or deny access to guests or manually unlock the door via Bluetooth. The only minor drawback is that it’s water resistant, but not waterproof, so if it’s submerged in water for an extended period of time that would break the electronic components of the lock. Its maker also warns that it’s best to dry off one’s fingers before opening the lock because water can impact the sensor’s ability to recognize fingerprints.

Categories
Smart Home

Presence home security system keeps the sensors, skips the fees

Everyone wants to keep their home safe. Not everyone wants to pay the sometimes steep monitoring fees associated with doing so. The result? Houses everywhere essentially are left unprotected.

The Presence home security system gives both renters and homeowners peace of mind without taking a piece of their wallet with it.  It uses the cameras and Wi-Fi connectivity of the spare smartphones and tablets most people already have, and puts them to use alongside a variety of sensors, like motion and temperature, to keep any household safe from intruders, flooding, and a variety of other problems.

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Categories
Food and Beverage

Fizzics makes beers fizzier, can go anywhere beer can

Store-bought beer is just fine, most of the time. But sometimes one just craves the delicious tap taste of beer at a bar.

Fizzics allows beer drinkers to take any store bought beer can, bottle or growler and run it through a tap. It’s lightweight and portable, resembling a Keurig machine. To use, stick the bottle or can into the holder. Insert a tube inside and close the lid. Then place a glass below the spigot and pull the tap handle for enhanced beer. Fizzics is designed to create the perfect foam head. It runs on standard AA batteries so it can be used anywhere including the beach or on a boat.

This may be just the thing for beer connoisseurs. Many other beer makers at home, like the Synek, need to be filled at the local pub. It’s definitely appealing that Fizzics works with any beer. One will cost backers a donation of $119. Fizzics is looking for $50,000 of funding on Indiegogo.

Categories
Home

The Nanda Pivoting Gutter System rains gutter gunk down upon you with nature’s mushy fury

Cleaning out gutters is one of the most tedious tasks that homeowners face. Not only is it disgusting seeing what gets scooped up, but it can also be quite dangerous.

In order to combat safety hazards, the Nanda Pivoting Gutter System offers a clever solution. Instead of forcing homeowners to climb up to the gutters, Nanda works with hinges and a pole to bring the gunk down with gravity’s help. The gutters remain upright until they’re tugged on by the accompanying pole. When the pole, which can reach up to two stories, is used the gutters flip, pouring their contents down.

All in all, Nanda provides a clever solution to a common problem, which is all a backer can really ask for. It’s great for older people who don’t want to climb up ladders to clean out their gutters. The campaign provides a helpful photo story of an old man getting hurt on his quest up a ladder, which is actually a little bit more comical than educational. The only question left is: Will the pole be long enough to avoid a gutter contents shower?

For their own, backers can donate $3,000 which will get them the system for a house 2,500 sq ft or under in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virgina only. Estimated delivery is currently set for December 2016 and Nanda is looking to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Cooking

Fourneau Bread Oven cooks bread at home, saves dough at bakery

Despite the current war on bread, most people eat bread every single day. Unfortunately, this gluten-infested treat is slightly complicated to make. Those with bread makers may take the plunge, but everyone else usually opts to visit the bakery instead.

Now, the Fourneau Bread Oven lets timid bread-lovers make their own. This little metal hatch goes straight into the oven. When preheating is done, stick the loaf into Fourneau and close the door. The Fourneau Bread Oven provides the type of tight steamy space the loaf needs to bake without any hassle. The folks at Fourneau also offer a peel (otherwise known as that giant wooden spatula bakers use) and a book of bread recipes.

There are plenty of DIY methods out there to designed to cook bread at home without a bread machine, but they’re all fairly makeshift. Fourneau is a good option for those looking for an easier alternative. The device appears to only cook baguette-type bread, which may limit its appeal going forward. Still, backers who would like one can donate $195 for delivery in August 2015. Fourneau is hoping to raise $90,000 on Kickstarter by April 7.

Categories
Features Lighting

Out There: Slap It butt light lets you get a piece of that double without any trouble

Out There is a feature that highlights weird, wacky or woeful projects.

So many people see a big jiggly butt and just can’t help but slap it! It’s human nature. Unfortunately, society discourages this type of behavior citing “personal space” as something that must be respected.

Now, the wet blanket of society can suck it! Slap It is a light shaped like a butt. Mount it on the wall, step back, and marvel at its beauty. It’s made from some mystery material that produces a life-like jiggle. To turn on, simply, slap, squeeze or grab. The light comes in ten different colors and a dial lets the user choose which one they’d like to see.

This British-made product will surely find success donning the sound studios of many butt-obsessed rappers. Other than that, it’s actually not a particularly shapely or alluring butt. Still, backers can get their slap on for a donation of £195 (~$295) with estimated delivery set for June 2015. Slap It is hoping to raise £58,000 (~$87,800) in funding on Kickstarter.