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
Automotive Connected Objects Imaging Safety

CarVi driving assistant lets you keep more eyes on the road

editors-choiceMany folks have been tempted by the high-tech safety features in newer cars, but wish there was a way to get them into their existing vehicles economically.

That is the goal of the makers of CarVi, a small, circular black driving assistance device that attaches easily via a bracket onto the windshield of just about any car. The device adds an extra set of eyes, monitoring a driver’s position in a lane and the location of the car in front of it. CarVi warns drivers if they are too close to the car in front, and if it senses any potential trouble will issue audible and visual warnings.

The device comes equipped with a camera capturing 720p HD video that CarVi analyzes in real time. Owners can set it to record 40-second to one-minute video onto a memory card whenever certain events occur, such as tailgating incidents. The user can then transfer that video to an Android or iOS smartphone for viewing later. Alternatively, CarVi can function as a full-time recorder if the driver desires. CarVi can also provide suggestions via the accompanying app on how to improve driver skills after the car is turned off. CarVi will cost $299 when it ships in August. Its makers are hoping to raise $100,000 by March 20.

The device holds some promise, especially for elderly drivers and the parents of new drivers. But similar products, such as Truvolo and Zubie, have already offered the same kind of functionality with varying degrees of success. While the warnings could indeed help drivers avoid accidents, it remains to be seen if many drivers will actually be willing to hear tips about how to improve their driving once they turn the engine off.

 

Categories
Food and Beverage Technology

SalivaScanner scans salads, sandwiches, soup for spit

If an order placed at a restaurant isn’t to one’s liking, there’s always the recourse of complaining or sending it back. Letting the food out of sight, however, leaves it open for all kinds of potential revenge if one has been something less than a gracious guest.

Tpatent-claimedhe SalivaScanner from San Diego-based Klein Electronics is a handheld device that scans food and can detect certain enzymes that are only found in human saliva. The company’s CEO notes that detecting saliva in one’s food has become more important than ever because Ebola can be transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids. The scanner’s LCD will indicate if there is saliva in food and, if so, how much. An accompanying Android and iOS app will display more details and track data including the location of the incident and potentially report it to social media sites. No pricing for the device is listed at the Kickstarter campaign and none of the three rewards for pledges that are listed include the device itself. But Klein says the target price is $199. He is looking to raise $85,000 in order to finish developing the product.

The device might have some appeal as a novelty. But using the Ebola outbreak to help sell the device borders on fear mongering. And consumers who are so paranoid that they need to scan their food for saliva would likely be better off not eating out at all, or at least consider complaining to restaurant staff in a more civil way.

Categories
Smartwatches/Bands

Wearable WyOki myOki uses light to communicate, socialize with others

Wearable devices can be used for multiple applications, running the gamut from fitness tracking to taking photos and videos. The Brussels-based maker of the new WyOki myOki have added communication with light to the list.

The wearable myOki device can be worn around the wrist like a watch, around the neck like a necklace, or even worn like a button or badge on clothing or on a backpack. There are 16 customizable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the device. Users can choose and customize colored rings on the device that fit the mood or situation they are in at a particular moment. As part of the device’s social functionality, the wearer can potentially meet new people by bumping into others wearing the device if they are displaying similar looking rings.

The accompanying WyOki app for iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones enables users to organize different social media profiles to display them on the myOki device in an organized and uncluttered fashion. For example, the user’s favorite shade of blue can be used for Facebook notifications, or red can be used to remind the user of an important email. Potentially, all the fans of a sports team can program their devices to display the same color at the same time as a show of support for the team. Backers of the device’s Indiegogo campaign can get a device at $115 when it ships in May. The device’s makers are looking to raise $160,000 on Indiegogo to help bring the device to market. The hardware is nearly done, with most of the functional and product design work already finalized. A successful campaign will enable the device’s makers to start ordering tools and parts that are still needed.

There is no denying that the device features an original and intriguing user interface. But it’s questionable whether many consumers will be willing to pay more than $100 for a device that doesn’t have a heavily in-demand application like fitness tracking. The social functionality is potentially appealing to many consumers, but only when and if a significant number of other people are using the device.

Categories
Smart Home

Domus home automation system regulates your domicile’s energy

Smart home systems are all the rage these days. People love the ability to control and keep and eye on their homes when they’re away.

Domus is another smart home automation solution that monitors electronic devices in the home via an app for Android and iPhones. But the product goes one step further, allowing the user to also save energy by monitoring power consumption and calculating what the energy bill will be. It notifies the user if a space heater or other appliance has been on too long, which not only conservers energy, but also could prevent an accident.

The black remote control unit that serves as the system’s hub has a built-in Wi-Fi repeater module that enables the product to also extend the user’s Wi-Fi range. The user plugs a smart iPlug into any standard power outlet, then connects a device to the iPlug and downloads the app to control that device. Backers who pledge $39 CAD (~$33 USD) will get one smart plug, while those who pledge $49 CAD (~$41 USD) will get one remote control unit when Domus ships in June. The Vancouver company, Domus Living, is looking to raise $100,000 CAD (~$83,600 USD) on Kickstarter.

Domus Living’s combined focus on home automation and energy consumption regulation, along with the added Wi-Fi extender function add value to the product. But, as is the case with similar products, including Linkio, one drawback is that the more devices the user wants to incorporate into the system, the larger the cost because each one needs a separate smart plug.

Categories
Smart Home

Neeo thinking remote is the one system that can control all devices in your home

editors-choiceHaving a smart automation system that can control all the devices in a home is something that a growing number of consumers are looking for. Neeo from the Cupertino, California, company of the same name combines some of the best features of a mobile app-based smart home automation system with those of a universal remote control. It also adds a few features that rival devices just don’t have, such as four antennas that integrate Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Z-Wave protocol functionality.

There are two main parts of the Neeo system: the “Brain,” a small hockey puck-shaped device made of solid aluminum and acrylic glass, that will command all of the user’s devices, including TVs and Blu-ray players; and the remote, which provides instant control of all those devices. Sensors in the attractive remote detect the user’s palm and matches it with that person’s profile. It then displays that person’s personal playlists, movies and favorites from connected devices instantly, the company claims. Also attractive is the remote’s 291 pixels per inch touch display.

If the user can’t find the remote, an SOS alarm function that is activated via an iOS or Android smartphone will help track it down. Neeo has a database of more than 30,000 devices that it can connect to and control, and is compatible with all major AV products made in the last 10 years. Kickstarter backers who pledge $148 will get one Brain in April and the free app. Those who pledge $219 will, in May, get the Brain and the remote in either the standard aluminum version or one of two limited edition SKUs, in black or white. The system’s maker is looking to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter.

As long as the Neeo remote is indeed compatible with as many devices as the company claims and the set-up process is as simple as it says, the system is among the most promising products to come along in the home automation and universal remote categories lately. It surpasses most similar devices including last year’s Droplit. As a universal remote, it also stands to be a major challenger to the popular Harmony remotes from Logitech.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

Kalt turns your mobile device into an infrared thermometer

One of the nice, convenient features of smartphones is their ability to tell users exactly what the temperature is outside with just a glance at an app. Kalt is for smartphone users who have wanted to take that a step further and be able to use the device to tell them the temperature of objects all around them.

The Kalt sensor, from Cleveland company Robogaia Industries, plugs into a smartphone or tablet and works in conjunction with an iOS and Android-friendly app. The sensor reads the infrared energy that an object emits without actually touching it and translates that into a readable temperature of the user’s choice between Fahrenheit, Celsius or Kelvin.

The sensor’s case is a semitransparent plastic that lets the user see some details of the internal components. It is being fielded in four color options: blue, green, orange and yellow. Backers who pledge $41 will get one sensor when it ships in March as part of an early bird Kickstarter deal. Robogaia is looking to raise $9,999.

The device holds some potential if its sensor is truly accurate. Certainly it would be nice to know the temperature of certain electronic devices that may be overheating, for example. But the company doesn’t do a good job of demonstrating any perfect use-case scenarios in its Kickstarter campaign video.

Categories
Wearables

FitLinxx device keeps you fit with a thin strip of adhesive

One downside of many wearable fitness devices is that they are too bulky to be comfortable, especially while exercising. Smart watches, rings and other wearable smart jewelry solve that issue, but some people either find them unattractive or don’t want to replace watches and other jewelry they already own.

The AmpStrip from FitLinxx in Westborough, MA eliminates both of those issues. The thin, waterproof device is only 3.5 inches long, 1 inch wide, less than one quarter of an inch thick including its adhesive, and weighs less than 4 ounces. Despite being as discrete and comfortable as a Band-Aid when stuck to the user’s torso, it’s able to track heart rate and activity around the clock with accuracy, the company claims.

The device is compatible with Bluetooth LE mobile devices including smartphones and tablets, and the company’s goal is to make it work in conjunction with smart watches, too, including those from Apple and Samsung. Backers who provide $119 in financing to AmpStrip’s Indiegogo campaign will get an AmpStrip when it ships in June, along with a wireless charging station and 30 adhesives, good for 3-6 months depending on how often the user opts to replace them. FitLinxx is looking to raise $50,000 to make further innovations to the device, which marks its first foray into consumer products.

It is a crowded market, but AmpStrip’s design and comfort level should give it a leg up on rivals. Even the LEO flexible leg band appears to be more bulky than AmpStrip. But the FitLinxx product does come saddled with necessary refills. On top of the initial cost, users will have to fork up $30 each time they need another 3-6 month supply of adhesives.

Categories
Connected Objects

AiFi speakers promise great sound, Lego-like stacking capabilities

It takes a lot to come up with an original concept in speaker systems anymore. The last major new speaker category to become a hit was the sound bar, which achieved popularity thanks to the growth of flat-panel TVs. The makers of aiFi (Artificial Intelligence Fidelity), however, seem to have come up with a somewhat unique twist.

AiFi is being positioned as the Lego of sound systems because the small, modular speakers can be stacked one on top of the other and used in conjunction with any audio source. Although one unit is enough to fill a room with sound, stacking them makes the sound louder and serves to enhance the quality of the sound in general. The speakers can be stacked together and built in any configuration the user wants. On the top of each speaker are two grooves that make the rubber feet on the bottom fit securely. Speakers placed next to each other connect magnetically.

A smartphone app for the speaker system turns the user’s mobile device into a remote control. AiFi’s Bluetooth solution is compatible with iOS, OS X, Android and Windows. When stacked, the aiFi speakers will inform the app about their configuration. The speakers use top-of-the-line ADC converters and a 192kHz/24bit digital sound processor. The standard finish of the speaker is brushed aluminum and backers can get one, along with various accessories and other extras, for $170 with an estimated delivery date of April 2015. AiFi is looking to raise $80,000 on Indiegogo.

There have been stackable speakers before, but they have tended to be low-end portable models designed to be used exclusively with mobile devices. The aiFi, however, is being targeted for use with any two-channel sources, especially flat-panel TVs. If the sound quality of aiFi is as strong as its maker claims, the product is enormously promising.