Tag: smartphone

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Chargers/Batteries

Ampere wirelessly charges smartphones, tablets in sleeve form

To most people, climate change isn’t the world’s most pressing issue, but the dying smartphone in their pocket or purse is. With smartphones batteries experiencing none of the fantastic leaps forward every other component of modern smartphones have had, people are stuck with incredibly advanced pieces of technology that can’t stay on for a full day.

Power banks and other products like Mophie cases have enjoyed popularity as mobile solutions to the problem, but the folks at Novelsys think it can be so much easier. Their Ampere charging sleeve fits most smartphones and phablets and wirelessly charges them using the Qi inductive power standard along with a 2700mAh battery. This product also features a USB outlet to charge other devices four times as fast. Its companion iOS/Android app allows users to control when charging happens, monitor battery life, and track their device using Bluetooth LE.

The Ampere’s main draw is the lack of external attachments, wires, or connections, making the process of charging a smartphone on the go super easy, unlike similar products like the MyQi. Pretty much anyone with a smartphone will be interested in the $79 product, although some untested models may not work. The $60,000 campaign is looking to ship Ampere in August 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Connected Objects

Bluewire Bluetooth headset recorder puts the “call” in “recall”

Recording conversations on a smartphone, tablet, or a computer can be an awkward process filled with all kinds of programs that need to be installed and run in a very specific way. While one method may indeed work well enough for one platform, it won’t always work for another. In this space, the need for a one-size-fits-all solution is apparent.

The Bluewire smartphone and VOIP recorder are looking to streamline the process of recording conversations with their Bluetooth-enabled headset from up to 33 feet away. With this device, a user can pair any Bluetooth device capable of making a call and have both sides of a conversation recorded and stored onto its 16GB internal memory. If a user has their own Bluetooth headset they’d rather use, Bluewire can be used as an intermediary instead.

A companion smartphone app unlocks even more functionality. For example, a quick double-tap on the headset or tap of the headset onto an NFC-enabled phone will instantly sync the conversation to the device and email the file. When synced, the app allows users to manage their recorded calls, enables a tracking feature for both keys and device, and activates the BlueGuard burglar alarm. When Bluewire isn’t being used, it supports wireless Qi charging. Early birds can score a Bluewire headset for $149, a significant portion off of its $269 retail price. The $40,000 Indiegogo campaign is looking to ship the product in July 2015.

Bluewire is a promising product that offers tons of functionality in an attractive package for professionals, journalists, and business types looking to make sure they never miss a single detail. It provides a great service for those who may have to keep detailed accounts of calls such as salespeople, interviewers and journalists. While apps exist that can record conversations on smartphones, they aren’t universal solutions like Bluewire, a trait that will ensure Bluewire’s success on the market.

Categories
Aquatics

Hydropacer swim trainer guides swimmers, lights up laps

editors-choiceSwimming is a great way to stay in shape. Not only is it challenging and beneficial, but it’s a low-impact way to get some much-needed cardio.

Swimming workouts can be hard to keep track of, which is why the Hydropacer was developed. Hydropacer is a smart swim trainer that works with an accompanying smartphone app. Simply hook the smartphone up to the device and then set Hydropacer up along the side of the pool. It has a string of LED lights that go into the pool and rest along the bottom of the lane. The lights indicate how many laps must be done. With a rechargeable battery, this product can be used for a long time. It’s also portable at about the size of a tissue box so it can be brought to public pools.

In order to use, the swimmer selects which workout they want from a variety of choices and hits play. They have the option to pause, slow down or speed up any workout they choose. The app’s workout library is vast, spanning from Iron Man training sessions to speed conditioning. Hydropacer’s creators have compiled many routines from lots of different swimming professionals.

This product is certainly a cool concept, great for swimmers who need some help with their training. However, it isn’t executed that well. There isn’t any indication of how deep the pool can or cannot be in order for the lights to reach to the bottom and the design is lacking in style. Currently, it can only be used in 25 yard long pools. Still, swimmers can enjoy a wide variety of workouts which is a huge plus. For their own, backers can donate $360 for estimate delivery in May 2015. Hydropacer is hoping to raise $35,000 on Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Toys

RC Brick moves building toys, couples smartphones with fun

Building blocks are the, well, building blocks of spatial learning for children. These toys are not only fun, but also allow kids to be creative while they learn to work with their hands.

RC Brick lets kids combine the fun of building things with the convenience of technology. This product works with most brick toys already on the market. It consists of motorized wheels that can move brick creations around. Using a charging cord, RC Brick plugs into any Apple or Android smartphone. The accompanying app lets the user control the movements of their RC Brick.

While this is a fun product that many kids will enjoy, it’s limited by the cord. RC Brick would do well to experiment with Bluetooth technology in order to make their device wireless. Backers will need to donate £27 (~$40) for the base model for estimated delivery in May 2015. RC Bricks hopes to raise £65,000 (~$97,400) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Displays

E Ink cloud display Vikaura lets your smartphone blow off some steam

Our smartphones are carriers of so much valuable information. So much, in fact, that much of it gets lost in the bowels of camera rolls, or in the depths of the rows and rows of apps. As useful as having that many photos and information may be, they’re worthless they can’t easily be accessed.

The Vikaura Screen is a 4″,6″, or 9.7″ E Ink display that’s capable of linking with multiple iPhones or Android smartphones at once. Once linked, information like photos, weather, or simply messages can be pushed to the device using Bluetooth LE technology. This enables situations where things like recipes can be displayed on the screen while running around in the kitchen, or messages can be pushed from a child’s smartphone to a screen to avoid a no cell policy at school.

At-a-glance information can be set up by subscribing to feeds on the Vikaura, always ensuring important information like news is available right by the bedside, for instance. An open API will make sure that more uses will continue to be developed too. Impressively enough, there aren’t any sort of wires as its internal, replaceable batteries support a vague “thousands” of screen updates; feasible given E-Ink’s low power requirements. Early birds can score the 4″ model for $99, the 6″ for $129, and the 9.7″ for $199, all sizable discounts on their eventual retail prices. The $125,000 campaign goal is looking to have the Vikaura Screen shipped by June 2015.

Second screen experiences are slowly becoming more and more popular, and given the wealth of information our devices contain, it makes sense. An E Ink styled display is a novel idea, and echoes the InkCase Plus in its use of E Ink. As energy saving as E Ink can be, though, it robs photos of their color, making a product like Fireside so much more attractive.

Categories
Chargers/Batteries

Get a tan and power your devices with the SolarPad

The impressive functionality of the smartphones, tablets, and wearables in people’s lives makes it an absolute bummer when they die. Usually, power banks swoop in to save the day, but even those need to eventually be plugged in themselves. In response, products have emerged that charge devices with solar energy, but take a long, long time to do so.

The SolarPad solar charger comes in an iPad Air form factor and is outfitted with monocrystalline cells that are fully charged in just three and a half hours of direct sunlight. The product’s use of coated bamboo is attractive and keeps it that way, making it a worthy addition next to the beautifully designed devices everyone totes around. SolarPad features 2 USB ports for dual charging, and a USB in for daisy chaining or wall charging as well.

Every solar charger tries to pack solar panels onto something new, like the SolarHug and the SunnyBAG, so it’s refreshing to see it designed to be on its own. The SolarPad boasts a seven year warranty, so users won’t have to worry about anything but soaking up some sun. The product goes for $97, and its $35,000 campaign is looking to have it shipped out by March 2015.

Categories
Sports Wearables

You got game with Hoop Tracker wearable training system

As key as making consistent shots are in basketball, for most players it isn’t the easiest thing to practice. Sure, players can shoot around from all over the court and do so for hours, but that gets old really quickly. And even if someone has the motivation to put the practice in, there’s no way to really track sessions.

Hoop Tracker combines the training regimen for basketball players with technology to provide in-depth statistics like shooting percentages and locations, for example. A shot detector magnetically mounted to the inside rim of a basketball hoop works alongside a downloadable app for Pebble, Android Wear, Apple Watch, and popular smartphones. All of these stats can be uploaded for review to track strengths and weaknesses over time, or to be shared on social media.

To keep motivation up, training programs and games like Score 100 and Three Point contest have been incorporated, and an open API will ensure a steady stream of new ones. A coach mode allows the simultaneous tracking of up to 15 players. Basketball players are getting a lot of love with training products like this and the Shoot Natural Glove, so in combination they should all be a positive influence on their game. A donation of $50,000 gets Hoop Tracker out of the door and onto the court for a $39 early bird backing.

Categories
Chargers/Batteries

Hydra phone charger increases talk time, stores files too

The fast and furious plethora of phone charges hitting the market doesn’t look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. So it’s more important than ever for consumers to consider what is going to work best for their lifestyle.

The Hydra phone charger has features that will be appreciated by busy professionals and students alike. Some of these include a lithium battery that offers over two hours of talk time, and a flash drive and USB charging cable that can connect to any Android or iPhone 4, 5 or 6. Hydra also features an LED flashlight and emergency hammer. This is another charger that easily attaches to a key ring. So unless one leaves their car keys at home, it’s going to actually be there when it is needed.

For those who often take their laptop or tablet with them, a flash drive backs up computer files and pictures, and holds up to 64GB of Micro SD memory. While Hydra is a good product, there’s not much that sets it apart from similar products. And the emergency hammer feature is a little random.

This campaign seeks to raise $1,800 on Indiegogo. Early bird backers get one product for $20 with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Television

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.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Virtual Reality

Pinć VR smartphone case offers portable virtual reality, Minority Report-like gestures

True, accessible virtual reality seems so tantalizingly close yet so very far at the same time. Big names like Oculus Rift are mentioned in the news every day but are never actually seen outside of events like trade shows, limiting the kind of effect VR is supposed to have on technology and culture.

The Pinć VR is a virtual reality kit folded into a 15mm smartphone case that, when unfolded, can be worn around the head. The system is really a marvel, managing to tuck away a pair of glasses and the necessary optics to allow users to manipulate virtual elements with the help of Pinć Rings. These small input devices are worn on the finger and allow gestures like scroll and rotate while in the virtual world. With help of the introductory Pinć apps like Browser, Video, and Mall, the grander possibilities of the true portable virtual reality system are getting closer and closer.

Pinć VR is already an engineering marvel, but the company behind it has a lot of work going up against the cultural rejection Google faced in their bid to introduce a similar, wearable, augmented reality in Glass. As impressive as it is, it isn’t sure to be a hit, although curiosity is at an all-time high. The $99 CAD (~$85) case can be purchased for iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and an array of popular Android devices. A successful $50,000 CAD (~$21,500) campaign will see Pinć VR shipped in July 2015.