Category Archives: CES 2013

EnerGenie Saving Money and Energy

CES 2013, Home

Power EnerGenie makes products that helps you keep track of how much electricity you are using in your home and ways to control that usage. The basic product is a socket that plugs into the wall. You can then control any device that is plugged into it by your iPad or iPhone; turning the device on or off, setting a timer for either reoccurring or single phase. It can measures how much electricity is being used by individual devices. You can use it to do a cost relationship analysis. You can also compare how much is being used in the daytime and nighttime.

They also sell a Power Management System which you can set up either via USB or wirelessly. You can program it so each plug turns off and on different times. You can also group plugs together, so for example when you turn on your TV, your blu-ray player would come on. They are also going to be selling a portable charger which handles up to 40,000 mAh. The charger will be available at the end of Q2 for $250.00. The socket and power management systems are $50.00 and $150 respectively and are available now through Amazon and the Energenie website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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Tinké by Zensorium

CES 2013, Health

TinkéTinké by Zensorium measures heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen level and heart rate variability. It compiles the heart rate, respiratory rate and blood oxygen level information into a score know as the Vita Index. The Zen index uses the heart rate variability to quantify your stress level. It is a small device, 1.65 long inches by 1.26 wide by .0275 deep which fits easily into a pocket or purse. It works by plugging it into the iPhone and then placing your thumb on the device for 30 seconds. The iPhone powers it and so there is no need for batteries.

The device is $119 and comes in a variety of colors.The Tinké is available through the Zensorium website. They are looking for distribution partners. The app is free and available in the iTunes store. You can share your results thru the Tinké network or other social networks. Within the Tinké network you add friends and post comments on their scores. You also have the option to keep your information private.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network and by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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AfterShokz Bone Conductivity Headphones

Accessories, CES 2013

Aftershokz Aftershokz showed off their new headphones with up to 21 total improvements from the previous version. What makes these headphones different from most headphones is the use of bone conductivity. Bone conductivity was developed for the military and police, because they don’t go into the ear they allow you to be situational aware. You can wear them outdoors for such sports as running or walking and still hear what’s going on around you. Among some of the improvements that were made include sound quality, they fit better, are better looking and are sweat proof. They are 30% smaller and lighter than the previous version and they also included a reflective safety strip on the back. They fit most heads but for those with smaller heads there is a tension band included. Fully charged there is about 6 to 8 hours of playing time. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to do a full charge. You can control everything from the headset including volume, play, take calls and fast-forward and rewind.

There is a two-year no question asked warranty. The newest model is a wireless Bluetooth version which has an MSRP of $119 but should retail around $99.95. The wired version runs around $79.95 retail. The Aftershokz headphones won Design and Engineering Showcase Honors for innovation at CES 2013. You can purchase AfterShokz headphones at their websites and various online and off-line retail locations.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network, and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

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Hip Hop Producer Swizz Beatz is New Brand Ambassador, Co-Owner for Monster

CES 2013, Gadgets, , , , ,

Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz Officially a Monster
Just announced as Monster’s latest brand ambassador, business mogul and world-famous hip-hop mogul, Swizz Beatz, was in attendance this year at the Monster booth. He will also be signing onto the executive board as he’s purchased a co-ownership stake in the company. In this exclusive interview, we touch upon the deal with Monster, what he plans to bring to the table and more. Swizz also goes into detail about what’s in store for him moving forward and how he’s happy representing the Monster brand. Ironically, Swizz also created Monster Music Group a few years ago, featuring up-and-coming hip hop talent.

Seems like this was a perfect match.

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Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Accidentally Extraordinary Brings Touch-Sensitive Controls to Headphones

CES 2013, Gadgets, , , , , ,

Accidentally Extraordinary
Accidentally Extraordinary lets you really touch your headphones
Something really is accidentally extraordinary about some of the products and companies we see at Eureka Park at CES. Accidentally Extraordinary is one of those companies. The made-in-Oakland, touch-controlled headphones were one of the truly new ideas found at this year’s largest innovation event and they definitely turned some heads. The concept is simple: take your headphone cable and make it touch sensitive like everything else you own now. Swipe for volume up and down, tap to take calls and more on these extremely flexible and lightweight earbuds. And while the gadget was only a mockup, you could really tell something good could come from this idea, so long as it’s executed properly. Their web site right now is simply a call to investors, but if you categorize yourself as such, be sure to help these guys out. We love the concept.

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Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Ride with Style and Hop on a Zboard, the Electric Skateboard

CES 2013, Gadgets, , , , , ,

The Zboard, another Eureka Park work of art, is made by Intuitive Motion and is a new, fun way to travel. It’s a skateboard that is powered by a motor, but more importantly, is controlled by your feet. Simply lean on the front foot pad to accelerate and the back foot pad to brake, and how fast or slow you go is all dependant by how hard you press on the pads. The idea for Zboard came to the team while they were brainstorming for their senior project for the University of Southern California. One of the co-founders said he was tired of having bikes being stolen and was over having to push a skateboard around the hills and annoyingly uneven streets of Los Angeles. The Zboard is like a skateboard, except it’s faster and easier to ride, and it’s much more portable than a bicycle. You can reach speeds of up to 17MPH but when you ride it, it makes you feel like The Flash.

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Play Attention and Move Stuff Using Your Mind with Freer Logic’s Body Wave

CES 2013, Gadgets, , , , , , ,

Freer Logic's Body Wave
Freer Logic’s Body Wave Makes You Play Attention
Visiting the Freer Logic booth at Eureka park led us to discover a product called Body Wave, which allows you to increase your mental capacity, physical performance or even control objects around you, all by using your mind. While this may sound a little far-fetched, it actually worked, all from a device that we wore on our wrist that was slightly larger than an MP3 player. There are three sensors that are on the back of the Body Wave that touch your skin and begin looking for brainwave activity and patterns, which are then sent via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to a computer or mobile device. In our scenario, we were told to focus specifically on the object in front of us, the dolphin. Then, once Nick’s brain was in its focused, calm state (which is difficult for him), the dolphin would move to the bottom of the ocean. When he would get distracted from Allante poking at him, the dolphin would lift. It’s definitely something you have to see and/or try to believe, but we’re pretty skeptical about things like this and it actually works. Freer Logic says that Body Wave would expand in the future to be able to allow you to control things like turning on your cell phone or other home electronics with just your mind, and they also said the device would get a lot smaller before it becomes a mainstream product.

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Video by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live.

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Energenie Power Packs for Smartphones

CES 2013, Mobile,

Energenie logoIf your smartphone is not an Apple product, you may be in luck to be able to use the standard micro-USB connector for your power. This ergonomic adapter from Energenie combines a 1400 mAh or 2000 mAh power pack with a stick on surface and a holder that’s ideal for use on a train or during a flight to watch a video or play games. If oil and fingerprints accumulate on the surface, a quick clean with soap and water will restore the tackiness of the surface. The company also has portable power packs up to 40,000 mAh.
TPN Interview by Andy McCaskey, SDRNews and Jaime Davis, .

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Viotech Communications Creates New Way to Consume Content

CES 2013, Home, , , , , , ,

Viotech Communications introduces eHome
Viotech Communications introduces eHome
At Eureka Park we saw a really cool product from Viotech Communications, which allows a user to access all of their content, from any device, from anywhere there is an Internet connection. The service, called my eHome, is a set-top box type of solution (the box is called “HomeB”), which lets you, as Viotech says, multi-play your home. Essentially, it’s one unique way to use multiple screens, with multiple types of content, from multiple services, with multiple users, from multiple locations. Viotech created eHome because they understood that each user who is in a household likes to view their own content in their own way, and there was no service that currently allowed each individual to do just that, as well as maintain control of their own content without letting others see their own personal files. That’s only the tip of the iceberg though, as there are a ton of different features and capabilities to make this suit practically anyone’s home and needs.

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Thinkware Brings DVR Abilities to Your Car

CES 2013, Gadgets, , , , , , , ,

Thinkware's in-car DVR system
Thinkware’s in-car DVR system
Visiting the Thinkware booth allowed us to discover an in-car DVR system, useful for capturing the moments of an unfortunate accident or for sight-seeing. Thinkware’s FXD-700 is a front device recorder that picks up images, speed and time and starts recording as soon as you start the car, with help of a motion sensor. All of it then saves to an SD card, in a format which can be used on all computers, and will continuously record for up to 8 hours, unless you would like to expand up to 32GB. The full 1080p HD camera sensor is also impressive, allowing up to 140 degrees of viewing and the rear-camera (which is optional) gives you 120 degrees. Thinkware also said that the device is simply powered off of the car battery, which gives you the ability to record while the car is off, in surveillance mode, and will shut off if the device is draining the battery. The product isn’t available in the US yet but Thinkware is looking to make that happen within a few months.

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Video by Scott Ertz of F5 Live.

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