OS – Backerjack

The FOGO Adventure Gadget is a digital Swiss Army knife for outdoorsy types

Exploring the wilds of nature can be a truly rewarding experience. Trails leading to new discoveries alongside the pleasant musk of nature helps foster memorable experiences. Until, of course, someone needs to pull out a flashlight or some other tool from deep within a backpack for some reason — nothing ruins a quaint ambience like the sound of a befuddled hiker looking for their GPS device.

While many would prefer using a smartphone as an aid during such excursions, most smartphones, on account of their poor battery life and dainty construction, can’t ably survive the rigors of outdoor exploration. The FOGO Adventure Gadget solves this problem by incorporating a GPS, walkie talkie, and a 1000 lumen LED flashlight into one rugged device. The FOGO Adventure Gadget includes an embedded digital compass which can help guide users to points of interest and other FOGO users. Further, the device’s walkie talkie feature combines voice and text messaging functionality, thereby allowing users to effectively communicate with others. Additionally, the device’s LED flashlight sports dynamic light control which adjusts the level of brightness based on the object being illuminated and, in some cases, how fast the object (presumably an animal) is moving).

The FOGO employs some neat tricks with SmartCaps, interchangeable pieces of hardware that add different capabilities. For now, the only SmartCap available is the Digital Walkie-Talkie. Notably, a satellite modem and laser range finder are both in the works. With an app based OS, an open SDK, 128MB of flash memory, and a Bluetooth LE connection, FOGO can also act as a fitness monitor along with anything else the developer community can come up with. And its 6800mAh backup battery will ensure it will stay useful and operational for much longer than a smartphone. The $200 FOGO is expected to ship in November 2015 if the $125,000 campaign is successful by March 24, 2015.

New concepts for outdoor gear are always welcome, especially when the product in question does so much to lessen the burden for outdoor explorers. The FOGO Adventure Gadget, along with the All Terrain Cover and WakaWaka, is therefore an ideal product for nature enthusiasts everywhere.

Andromium OS unlocks Android’s big screen potential

It’s truly a marvel just how powerful the smartphones in our pockets are. Contained within their impossibly slim frames is the type of power that only absurd amounts of money could’ve bought just ten years ago. This type of power has penetrated the world much faster than traditional computers have because of their low cost and small size. At the end of the day, though, a smartphone will be a smartphone. Sometimes, a larger screen is needed for work or play.

The Andromium OS was created to give Android handsets the opportunity to live not only in your palm, but on a separate monitor too. A lightweight, proprietary app along with an HDMI dock for the smartphone itself work together to create an environment where real work can get done with just a few taps. What users are offered is not just a reproduction of the smartphone’s screen, but also a totally separate, full desktop experience. This way, spreadsheets and presentations can be created alongside games in progress, all in their own windows like a traditional computer.

Regular Android apps will continue to run in the back without having to worry about the phone’s battery because the dock doubles as a charging station. The standard $29 package includes the HDMI docking station and a serial number for the Andromium app from the Google Play Store. The $35 Expended Edition also includes a dock, but this one works for other popular Android phones. The product is expected to ship in February 2015 and has a campaign goal of $100,000.

As mentioned before, the Andromium OS is not solely focused on those who already have connected devices, but rather those who only have a smartphone. Another product that has tackled a similar approach is the TinyStic, but it doesn’t offer a full desktop like Andromium does. Both of these platforms, though, already need the type of income that can afford a decent screen, keyboard, and mouse, necessities that may hamper their success.