Tag: tablet

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Arts Technology

Unleash the tablet inside with a Modbook Pro X

The Premise. Creative types know that getting the most of the digital side of their work takes a very specific build of programs and hardware to make the most of them. A simple desktop or tablet may not be enough, and in those cases a little extra firepower comes in handy.

The Product. The Modbook Pro X is essentially a reconfiguration of the beloved MacBook Pro, turning a versatile laptop into an even more capable tablet that offers the functionality of a dedicated artist’s tablet with a vibrant HD screen that uses mind-boggling high resolution. By tearing apart a MacBook and fitting it into a new case with touch-screen display that offers 2,048 levels of pen sensitivity, the Modbook Pro X gives users the flexibility of a device that can run OS X or Windows, all the apps that any MacBook can run normally, and adds ease of use and an experience tailored to artists and designers to the package.

The Pitch. Modbook Pro X isn’t for everyone, and the pitch video doesn’t try to pretend otherwise. Focusing on those who require the full output from programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, the Modbook team showcases almost exclusively the ways in which their device can make the lives of those in the graphic arts that much easier. Modbook needs $150,000 almost entirely for manufacturing costs.

The Perks. Getting a functional Modbook Pro X is going to take a little bit of coin. For $1,999, an existing, owned MacBook Pro with a 15.4-inch Retina display (from no later than late 2013) can be sent to the developers, who will tear the device down and reassemble it as a Modbook Pro X. The Keybars on the back of the device are added at the $2,299 level, while those who pay $2,689 will also get the Keyboard Stand. Anyone without an existing and compatible MacBook Pro can get a complete package for as little as $3,999, going as high as $5,689 for a top-end system with all the bells and whistles. The base perks won’t ship until March 2015, while the higher-tier items will be out as early as December 2014.

The Potential. A Retina display combined with pen controls has never been attempted before, and for some people this will be the kind of dream machine that will be pinned to their corkboard as a sports car of rigs for work and play. The high price point and requirement of owning a MacBook Pro at lower levels will shy away all of the potential backers who might just be looking for some new tech to play with.

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Tablet Accessories Technology

iSpy protects your privacy, keeps your secrets from nosy peepers

ispySome people have a sixth sense for knowing when somebody is over their shoulder, reading their incoming texts or snooping on their app usage. iSpy is a new solution that mixes both low-tech and high-tech ideas into offering users a tablet that ensures their privacy. To the naked eye, iSpy looks like a bright white screen, but with the special glasses that come with the tablet, a regular display is revealed. Additionally, a special case made of the same material as the lenses can be put around the tablet to make it suitable for sharing. While the technology here is very cool, it may have been better as an accessory for existing tablets rather than a tablet of its own. iSpy is out in December 2014 for $99 with a campaign goal of $50,000.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Tech Accessories

ExxtremeKinnexx turns your smartphone into a tablet, extremely!

exxtremekinexxTablets are super popular and make one’s life easier in many ways. One drawback is that they take up extra space and you have to carry them around. ExxtremeKinnexx is hoping to cut down on that clutter by creating a smartphone case that can be stretched and expanded while connected to the phone’s Micro USB port to allow a phone to become a tablet and then go back to being pocket-sized when done. All they have to show at this time is a pretty standard PowerPoint presentation and none of the reward tiers include the actual device, but what ExxtremeKinnexx lacks in concrete details they certainly make up for in superfluous x’s and an exorbitant $433,000 campaign goal.

Categories
Music Tablet Accessories

Tuna Knobs should be a big catch among DJs and producers with iPads

tunaknobsEvery truly legendary party needs an in-house DJ, but transporting all that equipment and setting it up, or even just learning how to use it properly can be a major hurdle. Tuna Knobs combines the accessible, portable world of digital applications on touch-screen devices like tablets with the tactile, precise knobs of a physical device. These knobs can be affixed to a screen and twisted like the real thing to offer a more realistic feel. Tuna Knobs will be a great pickup for the casual music enthusiast, but those who are serious will scoff at this stopgap in lieu of a real deck. Tuna Knobs are €9 and launch in November.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Displays

TinyStic turns your smartphone experience into a PC

tinysticIt’s easy to forget just how powerful a smartphone really is sometimes. With the ability to run office programs, stream movies, and play 3D video games, who needs a computer? This line of thinking is the basis for TinyStic, a device that looks like the average thumbdrive. Instead of USB, TinyStic plugs into a TV or monitor’s HDMI port, then syncs up with the phone’s TinyStic app to allow full-screen display with drop down menus and Bluetooth keyboard support. The display looks fast and responsive, and this could be a great way to really get the most out of the latest, most powerful smartphones in hotel rooms or at the office. TinyStic costs $99 and will be out in December 2014.

Categories
Tablet Accessories Tech Accessories

PadBot lets your iPad roam around remotely to put you in two places at once

The Premise. The promise of robots that can replace humans is still thankfully just a pipe dream, but for now we have telepresence robots to at least be places that aren’t a possibility for one reason or another. Unfortunately, these devices are often very expensive for just the average, everyday person.

The Product. PadBot takes the idea of the telepresence robot and cuts down on costs by using a standard tablet computer as the brain and display of the device. Compatible with Android and iOS tablets for now, PadBot is easily controlled through a smartphone when it comes to driving, and can also angle and shift its display as necessary. The robot also has sensors on the base of the device to prevent being knocked over or bumping into things it can’t see. Designed to be simple to use on both sides of the interaction, PadBot has an intuitive, simple app and doesn’t get underfoot in the physical world at the same time.

The Pitch. Seeing the PadBot in action, developer Inbot Tech shows off a few basic ways the device can be of use. Whether collaborating at meetings in the office or attending birthday parties for out of town family, the PadBot seems versatile enough to tackle any indoor challenge (and even some light outdoor tasks). Inbot Tech needs $30,000 for production, molding, and testing.

The Perks. Starting in December, backers can get their very own PadBot for $329, iPad not included. Multiples can be purchased at higher tiers for families or retailers.

The Potential. Telepresence robots are exciting ways to interact with workplaces and loved ones remotely, and the market space is beginning to grow to reflect that. PadBot is essentially a high-end Telemba, opting for a dedicated robot instead of co-opting a Roomba, though both rely on a tablet for their “brain.” On the other hand, PadBot is significantly cheaper than similar products like the Double offered by Double Robotics, although the Double Robotics robot looks more stable and high-quality. This looks like an easy to set up, easy to use telepresence robot that offers fewer necessary components and a very attractive price point. Offices may want to invest in a couple for telecommuters, while the end user may have a harder time justifying the purchase.

Categories
Smart Home

Soap cleans your home of extra devices with an Android tablet home hub

The Premise. A smart home control hub is great for giving access to all the connected devices in a house or apartment, but why shouldn’t the hub be able to do more than just give access? Why can’t it give control to devices, usage, security, or any other important aspect of a home network?

The Product. Soap is a powerful Android tablet that also doubles as a smart home hub and a full wireless router. Designed to over complete control over all connected devices in the home and the people who use them, Soap is built with functionality, security, and complete control in mind.

The Pitch. Soap’s campaign video is a bit of an understatement when it comes to the kind of flexible power the device actually offers. The video shows the device mostly as a control for connected amenities and accessories, but downplays Soap’s qualities as a fully-featured Android tablet or its ability to work with other Soap devices, something that really sets this device apart from others. Soap is raising $42,500 to complete testing and begin production. The campaign is also implementing an incentive scheme that allows backers to accrue credits toward a free product by sharing links with a personal code.

The Perks. The basic Soap Solo is available to backers who pledge $240. For $5 more, the device will be delivered two months earlier. (December 2014 compared to February 2015) At $250, a beta Soap Solo will be sent out in October. The Soap Dual, with a dual core processor is available at $280 (beta at $350), the quad-core Soap Quad starts at $360, and the Soap 8.4 with a larger 8.4 inch display and a quad-core processor starts at $500, with the beta version at $550. Higher tiers include multiple devices for setting up a whole home or more, with the highest tier coming with a boggling 100 Soap units.

The Potential. Soap seems like a great way to really integrate the wireless router, smart home hub, and control center into one neat, portable package. What keeps Soap from being redundant in both the tablet and smart hub markets is that it fully functions as both, simultaneously even. The processing power and ability for Soap units to create a more powerful mesh network when used in tandem allow for something that works as a great in-home tablet for watching movies, listening to music, or being productive providing you don’t move it from its fixed location. However, it just as easily lets you move that content around across other devices while simultaneously allowing users to turn off lights, change the thermostat, or notify kids to get ready for bed without interrupting usage. Soap may just be blending two great technological tastes into one concoction, but it’s doing so with the necessary horsepower to not cut any corners.

Categories
Tablet Accessories Toys

Osmo blends digital and physical games for iPad fun

editors-choiceThe Premise. Tablets and online games have captured children’s imaginations so much so that kids don’t seem to have fun off screen anymore. It’s difficult for parents to get their children to explore the three-dimensional world while competing with digital wonders.

The Product. Osmo is a unique gaming system that combines the entertainment of an onscreen game with the interaction of physical objects. With three different game choices, kids can hook up Osmo to a recent iPad and play onscreen and off at the same time. The games included focus on tangram puzzles and patterns, drawing shapes, and word scrambles. The accompanying base attachment clips over the iPad’s camera and uses Artificial Intelligence and a built-in mirror to allow the iPad to reflect the child’s movements onscreen in real time. In simpler terms, the iPad shows the child moving the shapes, for example, on its screen and uses this information to determine if the child is on the right track.

The Pitch. Osmo’s simple video shows one, two, and then a bunch of kids flocking to play with the product. The children ooh and ahh at the game and seeing the product in action will elicit the same reaction from viewers. Pictures of children playing with the device in a myriad of ways pepper the rest of the campaign. Testimonials from educators and parents as well as logos from a number of respectable news sources give the product some authority. In addition, Osmo’s campaign exists on its own website as opposed to on a crowd-funding site. For this reason, they have no public goal set on their site. They will be accepting pre-orders for backers until June 22nd.

The Perks. Osmo’s site offers only one reward. For 50% off of the retail price of $99, backers will receive the Osmo kit for only $49 with the base attachment, and Words and Tangram games (iPad not included, obviously). The creators expect to ship by late summer 2014. 

The Potential. To put it quite simply, Osmo is really cool. It’s the type of game that would be glimpsed at in a movie set in the future. Not only is it rare that a product for children combines the physical with the digital, but it also uses games that help kids’ minds to learn and grow. The retail price seems extremely reasonable and the pre-order price is an absolute steal. Osmo also lets kids play together, using several two-player modes, cutting down on the type of social isolation that screen games usually cause. All in all, Osmo will enjoy great success on the market, creating fun for children and parents alike.

Categories
Input Tech Accessories

Qwerkywriter is the mechanical keyboard your tablet yearns for

QwerkywriterModern keyboards are functional and get the job done, but lack the pizzazz and flair of old typewriters. The Qwerkywriter is a mechanical keyboard that looks completely vintage, but connects via USB to computers or tablets and even has an integrated tablet stand. Right now, the Qwerkywriter features 84 keys, but the creator has plans to expand that in the future. One of these vintage-looking  keyboards will cost backers $289 at an early price or $299 regularly for delivery in August 2015. The Qwerkywriter hopes to raise $90,000 in a month-long Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Tablet Accessories

TabletTail offers a wide range of ways to keep your pad properly propped

TabletTailAs more amazing apps come rolling in, tablets have become increasingly useful. Whether you’re navigating, watching a show, leveling a picture, etc. it’s necessary to have your hands free, but simple stands don’t always do the trick. TabletTail attaches to the back of your tablet and suctions or clips to whichever surface you need. It uses different tail styles for if you need the tablet upright, angled to the side or even wrapped around a pole. For $90, backers can enjoy the complete TabletTail package which includes the attachment needed to secure the tablet, the tail to angle it and the clamp to attach it to the appropriate surface with estimated delivery in September 2014. TabletTail hopes to raise $20,000 in a 30-day Kickstarter campaign.