Noke the Bluetooth Padlock

Tech By on Aug 19, 2014

Master locks have slowly turned into a thing of the past. At least what we’ve accustomed to seeing. Now we have Bluetooth locks looking to fill their shoes. Here’s another one. Noke ($59). It positions itself as a do-all smartphone lock. Users unlock and lock the water-resistant through their smartphone. If you forget your phone, you use a series of short and long presses on the lock shaft to open it. Battery life lasts a year. $59 for a lock eh? Fun toy if you’re a tech head. Head over to their Kickstarter for the deets.

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Home Automation with Zuli Smartplugs

Home By on Dec 18, 2013

The internet of things. It’s the new buzzword. Cisco claims it’ll generate $14.4 trillion in value within 9 years. Exactly why a company like Zuli hopes to snag a small piece of that pie. They hope to do so with these new Zuli Smartplugs ($40). Use your smartphone to control each plug and automate your home appliance usage. Connect three and they’ll form a mesh network, where each plug can talk to each other. In other words, gossip about you while you’re out of the house. With greater usage, the smartplugs eventually learn your behavior and lights, tvs and stereos will magically turn on every time you enter the room. And to think people used to use a primitive device like the Clapper. 

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Smarty Ring: One Finger To Rule Them All

Tech By on Dec 13, 2013

Before pretty much anyone could get too deep into this whole smartwatch thing, BAM!… the smart ring is now a thing. Smarty Ring ($275 when it goes on sale) features a built-in LED screen that connects to your phone and shows text messages, caller ID, social network updates, and more via Bluetooth 4.0. Designed for use with iOS and Android devices, Smarty Ring also promises to let you manage your phone’s apps, like its camera, and even set off an alert tone if you stray too far from your phone. If you like it, you know what to do.

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Powerslayer: Smart USB Charger

Tech By on Dec 12, 2013

With all these ‘smart’ devices out there, one glaring component has been sorely overlooked in the electronics-with-a-brain category: the charger. Yes, the little thing that delivers your phone’s precious juice has been an afterthought… until now. The Powerslayer is billed as a smart USB charger that intelligently powers up your devices while eliminating energy waste and improving long-term battery performance. Thanks to the embedded software, Powerslayer powers off and on automatically, delivering energy only as needed to protect against over-charging. It’s made in California and they have some pretty smart people there if you subtract the Clippers management.

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Smart Mug: Don’t Drop It Cuz It’s Hot

Home By on Oct 25, 2013

‘Piping hot’ is how most of us like our coffee, hot cocoa, and severely spiked cider, but our tongues always beg to differ. Instead of precariously dipping your little pink flavor-taster into a steaming cup of liquid, let the Smart Mug (25 euros) help you out. Powered simply by the heat of the beverage, Smart Mug determines the temperature of whatever’s inside and lets you know when it’s safe to drink via a row of green and red light indicators. Something like this just might make drinking tea fun.

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