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IoT Is Here to Stay

The Internet of Things connects every device with a mother-app

It seems that the IoT is here to stay, at least that’s the first impression that Paris’ Connected Conference created. The event featured a home filled with interconnected gizmos. Some seemed incredibly useful for the modern, tech enthusiasts, while others were more suited for Global Sensing than everyday use.

The Internet of Things is an innovative concept with a poorly chosen name. Even though the hype about IoT started months ago and it seemed that everybody was informed about the subject, there are still plenty of people who confuse the actual Internet with the IoT, not being able to make the difference between the two.

We all know what the Internet is, we surf it on our mobile and desktop devices, we use it to stream movies and TV-shows, connect to social media websites, and plenty of other activities. However, the Internet of Things is another concept.

Imagine a house filled with standard appliances and accessories that are all connected to a master hosting app. You can set your alarm clock, start your coffee filter, make toast, turn on the AC, turn on the shower, the TV, open the garage door, and even start your toothbrush from the press of a few buttons.

That’s exactly what the Connected Conference presented. Attendees were able to browse the high-tech home that was equipped with smart everything from the now-known Echo, Nest, Dropcam, and smart lock to the new concepts of “smart” speakers, shutters, boiler, heater, mirror, umbrella, shower, toothbrush, bed, and, the surprise of the convention, an alarm clock driven by scent.

While some seem to be things that could make an individual’s life considerably easier, others are built with Wi-Fi technology just so that they could be monitored.

It may sound very Orwellian, but the concept will help people when they are in trouble, and nobody else is there to help. The makers argue that individuals who are prone to suicide, or those who suffer from acute disorders could be reached in time in case of an emergency, as opposed to the regular system.

Echo is, for the moment, the only app that allows people to toggle the entire array of recently-developed smart devices. And since the IoT is here to stay, the company can enjoy the monopoly, at least for now.

Image source: Pixabay

Sony’s E – Paper FES Watch Is Hidden in Plain Sight

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In the last few days, Sony was rumored to have been working on an e – paper smartwatch, but now we have proof that the rumors were indeed true. Sony’s e – paper FES Watch has been hiding in plain sight on the Japanese crowdfunding website Makukake since September this year. Nobody noticed its presence there, as Sony’s name was nowhere to be found. Instead, enthusiasts supported a project called Fashion Entertainments Watch.

The e – paper FES Watch is being developed by a company named Fashion Entertainments, which is associated with Sony. The experimental wearable device borrowed the e – paper and e – ink technologies we are familiar with from our Kindle or Pebble devices. However, Sony took them to a whole new level. The FES Watch sports the e – paper principles not only for the watch face, but also for the wristband. This allows the watch to change its entire look, as it was designed to feature 24 different designs.

From a monochrome elegant design and a light – colored one, to an alligator skin composition, the watch cycles patterns in a very attractive manner. Almost all tech journalists agree that this is basically everything the watch does in terms of “smartness”, but specialists admit that the 60 days battery life is something to take into account.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Sony hid the e – paper FES Watch in plain sight on purpose, as it wanted to test the public’s reaction to the device before any official release.

“We hid Sony’s name because we wanted to test the real value of the product, whether there will be demand for our concept, said a person familiar with the matters.”

We can say the public welcomed the smart gadget wholeheartedly: the crowdfunding goal was around $8,500, but the project rose a little over $20,000.

Sony seems to follow the footsteps of other major tech companies which are now entering the tech – fashion market. Analysts consider that this field does not only have an immense potential, but it will also see fierce competition in the years to come. Some enterprises focus on developing smart accessories and jewelry, while others like Sony, experiment with e – paper gadgets. Reports suggest that Fashion Entertainments is working on other e – paper prototypes involving shoes and bow – ties.

The price for this highly fashionable and interesting e – paper FES Watch is not impossible to afford: people supporting the crowdfunding project paid $167 and are expecting to receive the device around May 2015. However, we don’t know yet whether Sony will make the watch widely available as a consumers’ product.

Motorola KeyLink Finds Your Lost Valuable Possessions

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We have to admit, Motorola looks like a winner in the world of intriguing tech devices and smart gadgets. The company comes with newer and more innovative products at a constant pace. If you recall last week’s news, Motorola was the first to boast the Android Lollipop for its Moto X.

This second gen smartphone gained itself a lot of attention, as it proved to be better and more capable than its predecessor. Motorola also features some interesting smart devices, such as the Moto Hint Bluetooth headset, ear buds that whisper to you. Now Motorola is offering new gadgets and solutions, this time dedicated to people prone to losing their most prized possessions.

Meet Motorola KeyLink, a small Bluetooth device that can casually hang on your key chain. The smart gadget syncs with the Motorola Connect app on your phone and becomes a whistle blower in case your phone goes missing. If you somehow manage to misplace your smartphone in a range of under 100 feet , you can press the Motoroal KeyLink button to call your own phone and find it.

Say you misplace your keys, with the KeyLink on them. You can reverse the search process by using the Motorola Connect app from your phone to make the Motorola KeyLink ring. If both your phone and keys get lost, misplaced or stolen, there is probably little left to do, besides locking everything that can be locked.

One of the best parts of KeyLink is that it comes with an extra feature for the customers already running Android Lollipop or having Moto X or Droid Turbo phones. If you fall into one of these categories, the KeyLink can also be used as a trusted device in the Smart Lock feature that comes with the Lollipop or the two handsets. According to specialists,

“You can use your phone settings to keep your phone unlocked if it detects your Keylink nearby. That way, you get ease of access on your own device, and anyone trying to access your phone when you’re not in the vicinity will stay locked out.

The device is also splash – resistant (but not full water – proof) and the battery is said to hold you for an entire year. While you should keep in mind that it is not recommended to swim into the pool together with your key chain, the standard coin cell battery powering the device can be found at any drug store.

The device’s price is decent too: the Motorola KeyLink will dig into your pockets for only $25 and is available at Motorola.com and T-Mobile in the United States. If you’re outside the U.S., you need some patience before purchasing the gadget, as there are no news related to the worldwide availability of the product.

The Vessyl Smart Cup Keeps You Fit and Healthy

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Not long ago, we were super – excited to present you with the smart lighter that helps people track down their smoking and eventually help them cut back on smokes.

Recently, the family of smart devices just got larger with a new member, the Vessyl smart cup, a device that is appealing to all those wanting to monitor their health.

What is the Vessyl smart cup and how does it work?

The cup determines how much of a certain liquid you drink, what that liquid is and how many calories (and other components) it has. You heard it right. It works pretty much like the lighter, but this time it keeps track of your liquid intake and the dangers you expose yourself to.

If you fill up the cup with coffee, the cup will tell you the caloric, caffeine and protein content and, more importantly, it will track these information and more throughout the day. If you want to keep your beers under control, take it to the bar after the work hours. If you want to lose some weight or keep it within some limits, drink your sodas and other beverages out of the Vessyl smart cup in order to know when to stop.

The cup has also the great skill of following your hydration habits and encourage you to keep yourself hydrated all day long:

Along with nutritional information, Vessyl also keeps track of your hydration throughout the day. The cup takes into account your nutritional needs and location, creating an optimal hydration score for you it calls Pryme. Much like you might use a fitness tracker to ensure you’re moving enough, Vessyl displays Pryme as a line on the side of the cup to make sure you’re drinking enough. The white line creeps up the side the more your drink, and turns blue when you’ve hydrated enough. Wait a few hours, and the line will start creeping back down, encouraging you to grab another glass of water.

The Vessyl smart cup works together with an app, of course, and is a very promising health smart device. It is not ready for mass production, though. The developers of the Vessyl just launched a pre – order campaign to make the money necessary to roll out the first line of cups. If you order one now, you will get it at $99. If you wait until early next year, the Vessyl smart cup will be available for around $199.

Given the fact that many control what they eat, but not what they drink, the Vessyl smart cup may be the best next thing in dieting, excess coffee / alcohol tracking and hydration encouraging.

Digital Lighter Helps You Reduce Smoking

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One of the most famous and most controversial gadgets dedicated to smokers is, without a doubt, the electronic cigarette. While it still is a very hot subject to debate, in the last 10 years people grew very fond of these vaping devices which apparently helps them reduce smoking or even quit it altogether. The e-cigs aren’t the subject of today’s article, but we cannot overlook the fact that technology has a major impact on how we deal with nasty lifestyle habits and strive for a better health.

In this trail of thought, today we will present you with a new gadget dedicated to people who want to have control over their smoking routine: the Quitbit. This digital lighter helps you reduce smoking as it records and delivers extensive data regarding your habit.

It counts the number of cigarettes you smoke per day and it can also limit this number when you exceed the self – imposed threshold. Simply put, if you want to light up the tenth cigarette of the day and your pre-set limit was nine, the Quitbit lighter won’t work. Of course, you can use another less smart lighter, but that is not the point, is it?

This digital lighter helps you reduce smoking, but will not actually help you kick the habit as nicotine patches or other medically – approved methods will. According to the reviewers covering the topic,

Quitbit co-founder Ata Ghofrani, a seven-year smoker who used the device to quit smoking six months ago, says the product is meant as a complementary tool, rather than a replacement to those methods.

We think that our product is very much like a scale. You can use Quitbit to reduce your smoking completely, if you want to do it based on will power, or you can also use it to slowly reduce, while using other things to help.

On the bright side, the Quitbit lighter has some perks the nicotine patches or the electronic cigarettes don’t: it connects via Bluetooth to your Android or iOS smart device and delivers you the cruel reality in a very intuitive manner: you will find out how many cigarettes you smoked that day and how often you light up a coffin nail after another.

Let’s see together the presentation video for Quitbit!

Also, the lighter sports the ability to be tracked down by your phone, so you never lose or misplace it. Moreover, the lighter also tracks down your finances and tells you how much money you saved while cutting back on the cigarettes. If you need help or advice in reducing smoking or you just want to talk to other people like you, the Quitbit smartphone app features a support room leading to a community you can chat with.

If you are rushing over the stores or the online marketplace to buy this ingenious gadget, the bad news is that the Quitbit is still a project waiting for funding on Kickstarter. You can support its funding with a $79 donation and wait until December 2014 to receive your very own digital lighter.

New Kickstarter Smartbell wants to reinvent the doorbell

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For a lot of people, answering or even hearing the doorbell may be a hard task, one made 100 times harder when your actually not at home. Scrambled Brains Tech wants to change that and push doorbells into the 21st century, by adding some smart functionality.

The Kickstarter wants to add a smart doorbell into the world, named Smartbell. Instead of getting up to answer the door, Smartbell will connect the person knocking on the door to the owner of the house with their smartphone.

This will solve a number of problems, not least of which making sure lazy people don’t have to always get up to answer the door. The main advantage of the Smartbell is being able to see who is at the door when your not at home and being able to interact and tell them when to call back.

For postal deliveries, the owner can also tell the delivery guy to put the parcel somewhere and makes life a lot easier then scheduling a date or waiting for another week until the package is re-delivered.

On the technical side, the team say it is easy for the most novice tech user to set up and only takes connecting Smartbell to a WiFi connection and then making sure you download the Smartbell app on your Android or iOS device.

Once a connection has been established between Smartbell and the owners smartphone, a video call is initiated, allowing the owner to speak to the person at the door. Smartbell also has a do not disturb function that will show on the doorbell interface.

There is a big cost for the Smartbell, all the $149 early bird options are gone and Kickstarter backers will now have to pay $179 for the electronic doorbell. The crowd-funded attempt has already surpassed half its funding goal.