As this rocky year comes to a close, step away from your woes for a bit and check out some of the more interesting new consumer gadgets and services hitting just in time for the holidays.
(Editor’s note: This has been a rather contentious year with the U.S. presidential race, Brexit, a volatile global economy, refugees fleeing many hotspots and other heart-wrenching news events. Perhaps a little retail therapy is in order, especially for those who are looking ahead to bonuses after a hard-fought year. Interesting gadgets, services and offerings that allow for a bit of pampering might ease the woes of this trying year. I have put together a sampling of the many items on display via two of Pepcom’s events — the Holiday Spectacular! East, a meet-and-greet between press and the makers of consumer electronics, held in New York in September, and last week’s Wine, Dine & Demo, also held in NYC. I will present more gadgets — and reviews from FTF colleagues — as we get closer to the winter holidays.)
FOR THE HOME
App Controlled Locking Device for Cabinets, Drawers and Doors
A San Diego, Calif.-based startup Smart Armor is on a mission to safeguard homes and its first product, Smart Cube, is a “Bluetooth-enabled locking device controlled via mobile app that can secure cabinets, drawers, doors, or anything else that closes.”
This very interesting gadget holds shut cabinets for guns, medicine or jewelry that might be opened by children, nosy guests and thieves. End-users can lock or open cabinets via a mobile app that works via Apple’s iOS or the Google Android environment. Beyond mobile devices, the Smart Cubes can be controlled from desktop computers.
The first Smart Cubes are slated to be available next year, probably during January, according to the vendor.
To propel itself forward, the company launched in September an Indiegogo campaign to raise $50,000, and early bird pricing (57 percent off): $129 for three Smart Cubes, officials say.
Roku Launches Five Streaming Players
Those eager to cut the cable are probably already familiar with the offerings from Roku, which stream movies, TV shows and games via the magic of wireless (WiFi) technologies.
The vendor is adding five streaming players, in addition to its Roku Streaming Stick, officials say. The effort will allow for a wider array of wares and price points.
The five new versions are:
- The Roku Express and Express+ offer: 1080p HD streaming for $29.99 MSRP. These versions represent the “low-cost way to start streaming” and they can be used to “extend TV streaming throughout home inexpensively.”
- The vendor has also released higher performance options: Roku Premiere and Roku Premiere +, which “offer a quad-core processor and the capability to stream 4K Ultra HD up to 60 frames per second (fps),” according to the vendor. “The Roku Premiere+ also supports HDR for vibrant picture quality and includes a point anywhere remote with a headphone jack for private listening,” Roku adds.
- The fifth offering is the “fully loaded Roku Ultra,” which supports HDR, Dolby Digital Plus decode, voice search and lost remote finder.
Roku devices use the Roku OS and offer access to 3,500+ streaming channels, including 350,000 movies and TV episodes in the U.S. It also offers features such as “Hotel and Dorm Connect,” which facilitate access to public Internet networks for streaming when away from home. Customers can use the remote control device or the free Roku mobile app for iOS and Android mobile devices.
NEW SERVICES
Uber Moves into the Meal Delivery Business
The Uber service for transporting people now wants to help you deliver dinner.
The UberEATS on-demand, meal delivery service uses the Uber platform and through its partnerships with local restaurants promises to “get you the food you want, delivered faster,” according to Uber.
Uber officials say they can leverage their transportation technology “to deliver more meals to more customers in minutes, creating reliable and flexible earning opportunities for more people in more places.”
UberEATS will assist local restaurants as they “reach new customers and satisfy loyal patrons at higher levels of profitability,” Uber officials. “Popular restaurants featured on the platform have more than doubled their daily orders selling through UberEATS, and some restaurants report their overall sales have increased by more than 20 percent since partnering with UberEATS.”
In a nutshell, the UberEATS system works as follows:
- Download the UberEATS app from the iTunes or Android app stores or head to ubereats.com
- Log in with your Uber account credentials or create a new account;
- Tell us where to deliver: Add your home, work, or any other address;
- Browse local restaurants: Search for your favorite spot or try something new;
- Check out with a tap and pay with your card already on file;
- And track your order by keeping an eye on your order as it is “prepared, picked up, and delivered right to your door.”
PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT
BrainCo Wants to Monitor Your Brainwaves
Somerville, Mass.-based startup BrainCo Inc. says that it is focused on the “development of portable wireless Brain Machine Interface (BMI) wearables, helping people improve their attention level, achieve peak performance, and assisting those affected with focus issues and learning difficulties.”
BrainCo officials say that their flagship offering, Focus 1, has the capability to “monitor and analyze brainwaves,” helping people improve themselves “by training specific brainwave frequencies.”
The vendor adds that Focus 1 “can also convert brainwaves into various commands that control different devices such as lights, prosthetic hands, toys, and appliances.”
Can Focus 1 help traders manipulate markets or Ops staff improve reconciliation activities? Who knows? More may become will become clear with the latest version of Focus 1, which will debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017, Jan. 5-8, 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“Our new Focus 1 has an elegant appearance, more accurate neuro-control and exciting iOS App games that provide users an integrated and engaging focus driven experience,” says BrainCo CEO Bicheng Han in a prepared statement.
JUST FOR FUN
You Just Might Need a Levitating Death Star Speaker
Plox, which is based in Australia, has unveiled its officially blessed set of Star Wars-inspired speakers, “including the highly anticipated Levitating Death Star Speaker.”
“The force is strong with our new range of official Star Wars products, just in time for the Holidays,” says Sean Andrews, founder of Plox, in a statement.
The speakers from a provider far, far away are:
- The Levitating Death Star: “Not bound by the laws of gravity,” the Plox Levitating Death Star speaker plays music as it levitates. Designed to look like the iconic Death Star, key features include:
- Gravity-defying orb rotates above a magnetic base;
- Up to 5 hours of continuous playback on Bluetooth
- Star Wars Siren: Aside from the Death Star, Plox offers “iconic Star Wars characters including R2D2 and Darth Vader plus non-character bright colors” via the Star Wars Siren. It’s a Bluetooth speaker that plays while “the Star Wars character animates.” Other key features include:
- Four exclusive Star Wars designs:
- R2D2
- Darth Vader
- Stormtrooper
- BB8
- Four additional plain colors (Blue, Pink, White and Black)
- Eight hours of battery life
- Four exclusive Star Wars designs:
The speakers are available www.getplox.com and were slated to go on sale via major retailers throughout Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific from Oct.1 onward.
Need a Reprint?
