In this week’s episode of The Logic Pros, it’s the beginning of hardware month. As previously mentioned, we will be looking at a number of interesting hardware add-ons, instruments, controllers and more for Mac and iOS setups, starting with the puc+:
The Canary smart home monitoring system that started with a $100l Indiegogo goal and actually raised almost $2 million, is now available in retail stores for the first time, priced at $259.
Canary is a security camera that learns your living patterns, like when people leave and enter the home, and sends alerts to your iPhone when anything seems out of the ordinary. You can then view and listen remotely to ensure all is well.
Canary is now available in Best Buy, Home Depot and Verizon Wireless, and is also available on Amazon with free shipping. The company plans to make it available in other countries later this year.
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We know that health gadgets and apps are the new black, but you have to wonder whether things might be getting just a little out of hand when the latest one to appear on crowdfunding site Indiegogo is essentially a hi-tech way to determine whether your breath smells …
Ok, the Breathometer Mint is a little more than that, measuring your hydration level too, and the company behind it is keen to point out that the breath analysis can be an early pointer to risks to your teeth as well as your social standing.
Breath analysis specialists Breathometer says the device measures Hydrogen Sulfide, Methyl Mercapthan and Hydrogen Disulfide levels in parts per billion to determine whether you may have dental problems.
“Changes or trends in your breath quality can tell you a lot about whether your oral hygiene program is adequate, or if you need to do more,” says Charles Michael Yim, CEO of Breathometer. “Over time, low breath quality can be a signal that you need to visit your dentist or physician about other possible causes.”
Using the device couldn’t be simpler: place it in your mouth, wait a few seconds for it to analyse a sample of your breath and view the results on the accompanying iPhone app.
Intended to retail at $99, early birds can pre-order for $89, but note that delivery isn’t expected until August.
It’s not the first dental-related gadget we’ve seen – it’s almost a year to the day since the Kolibree connected toothbrush was announced (though we note that one is still ‘coming soon’).
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If you want to get quickly up to speed on the basics of creating an Apple Watch app following the release of WatchKit, developer Nick Walter has put a free 50-minute video tutorial online. You can also sign up for a full online course for just $39 on Kickstarter – saving $161 on the likely launch price.
Walter gained a certain amount of fame recently when Forbes reported that he made $66,000 in one month following a similar Kickstarter campaign for a course in making iPhone apps …
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We’ve already seen a few companies working to turn our current household appliances– everything from thermostats to crockpots– into smart devices controllable with our smartphones. The latest is a new crowd funding project looking to raise funds for a device that will make any window air conditioner an iPhone-connected device with temperature and other predictive climate control features.
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Logitech today announced that it acquired smartphone accessory startup TT Design Labs, a company that first received media attention for its ‘TidyTilt’ magnetic earbud holder and kickstand that raised over $200,000 through a Kickstarter campaign. As part of the deal, the two co-founders of TT Design Labs will be joining the Logitech team, while two of the company’s products will soon be relaunched and evolved under the Logitech brand.
The company will be launching the Logitech TidyTilt earphone holder and the Logitech JustMount in the coming weeks and is already accepting preorders through its website. JustMount is a magnetic cube designed to work with TidyTilt to hold up an iPhone vertically and store earbuds, keys, and more.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this deal is the fact that Logitech is keeping an eye on innovation that’s happening in the Kickstarter and crowd-funding space. Not only did Logitech tell us that it’s “excited to tap into this pool of innovation and talent” in the crowd-sourced funding area, it wouldn’t rule out the possibility of going the crowd-funding route for introducing its own future products.
“The big winners with today’s announcement are smartphone users,” said Derek Tarnow, co-founder of TT Design Labs. “In Logitech, we’ve found a true partner that shares our focus on creating great products designed to improve people’s experiences with the technology they love. We’re very excited to be working with Logitech.”
We reviewed and quite enjoyed the first iteration of the TidyTilt last year (the latest version includes a full case).
Last month, we covered the Kickstarter posting for the Zendock MacBook Pro docking station. As we profiled in April, the docking solution takes over your MacBook Pro’s ports in order to free up clutter on your workspace:
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Available through a campaign on newly launched crowd-funding website Makerlaunch, the Deohako is an iPad case with a built-in connection system for connecting various peripherals and attachments quickly and easily to the device. Its available for iPad 3, iPad 4, and iPad mini starting at $60. The first preorders will ship mid-December.
There are literally thousands of ways to use the Deohako iPad System at work but here are a few of my favorites. Click the Deohako Case inside of a notebook and throw in your bag. Use the Joby GorillaPod Zoom bendable Tripod to install the iPad on the back of a car seat hours of entertainment. Use the rigid suction cup to attach the iPad mini to the front windshield and use as a GPS device. Attach the adjustable clamp to a stroller and listen to your favorite audiobook while walking around town.
The Deohako combination kit includes the:
