Category Archives: Entertainment

Soul Blade earbuds want to help improve how you run @ CES 2021



Soul Blade runner earbudsMany of us always take our music with us. Whether we have over-ear or on-ear headphones, or in-ear earbuds, a lot of people carry some sort of personal audio product with them all the time. However, one group often struggles to find earbuds that work for them – runners. The new Soul Blade true wireless earbuds helps to address the concerns of runners, while adding capability for others.

The standard consumer earbuds tend to not be designed to stay in during intense motion, such as running. Specific devices tend to treat a symptom, like running a strap behind the head to keep from losing it. The Soul Blade earbuds address this problem the way older sport buds once did – with little blades inside the ear to hold them in place.

But, this isn’t where the Soul Blades really set themselves apart. The truly engaging feature of these earbuds is the health features. Built-in to the earbuds is a collection of health monitoring sensors, which can be used to track running form and vital stats. The system is even able to provide warning before injuries.

When there is an area of your form that requires improvement, a voice will chime in through the earbuds and let you know. Some of the capabilities aimed at running form include head angle, body tilt, and stride distance. At the end of the run, the connected SOULFIT app can give you detailed information about your form and any mistakes you may have made. You can also see visual representations of potential injury. You also get more traditional information, such as time, speed, calories burned, as well as a map of your run.

The Soul Blade true wireless earbuds will be available around the start of Q2 2021, and will retail for $199. To learn more about the company and its full product line, you can head to the Soul website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

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VirtuItaly brings the art gallery experience to your home @ CES 2021



VirtuItaly virtual art galleryThe past year has stolen a lot from us, but one of the biggest losses has been the ability to travel and experience new places and cultures. Traveling is big part of life for many people of varying backgrounds. The experiences of going to parks, restaurants, and galleries is hard to give up. However, thanks to ArtCentrica, we can experience the art of Italy through VirtuItaly.

While VirtuItaly is designed to be an immersive platform that allows for in-person and remote experiences, the last year has certainly placed a focus on one part of the business. That aspect is a fantastic virtual platform that can help bring the experience of a classic art gallery to you, wherever you are. Through the platform, you can explore a large collection of paintings in a whole new way.

While normally, you must view the paintings from a distance, with VirtuItaly you can get up close and personal. In fact, you can use the platform to get so close you can see the individual imperfections in the paint. In our demo, we get to zoom into a painting to the point where you can see brush strokes and canvas cracks. The detail is absolutely stunning, and gives you the ability to experience the art in new ways.

One of the other things that sets the platform apart is the way they work to digitally restore the artwork. The art restorers research the materials that were available and popular for tinting paint in the time the work was created, and use that to determine what the colors would have been originally. This means that the vividness of the colors are likely closer to the original work than the reality is today.

VirtuItaly is available now, with a free trial to see what it is all about. To learn more or try it out, check out the VirtuItaly website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

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ScopeMedia gives online fashion retailers a boost @ CES 2021



ScopeMedia fashion assistantAs consumers, the overall process of bringing an already well-established line of products to market seems to be routine and relatively simple in our minds. For example, if we want or need a new suit, we visit retail stores (whether brick and mortar, online, or more commonly by some combination of both) to shop and ultimately make our purchase. As far as the supply chain, we inherently know there are designers, marketers, distributors, advertisers, and wholesalers/retailers involved in the process. However, we usually never stop to consider that, in this day and age, there are many other intricacies involved in helping us get to our final purchases. Actually, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes for any industry, and especially when trying to improve upon processes and sales growth. The fashion industry is no exception to this. We had the chance to discuss one of these industry improving technologies with Paul from ScopeMedia this year at CES 2021.

As a leading developer of visual-based personalization and recommendation services, ScopeMedia has conducted years of research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well as Computer Vision and has developed quite an interesting system. The result is a smart visual recommendation system that involves an innovative fashion index for e-commerce retailers. As internet shopping becomes more prevalent, adding a machine learning approach to all aspects of the design-to-purchase process is a smart path to take.

Their platform can easily be integrated into eCommerce stores to assist retailers to increase customer interest and sales, as well as improve the overall shopping experience. They have a unique Fashion Index model that is specifically designed for the fashion industry. It’s not only good to increase consumer satisfaction and increased sales, but it also helps retailers conduct trend analysis on the back end.

Be sure to watch the entire video to get more information and if you would like to give their technology a try for yourself, you can check out their demo store.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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Impulse Neuro-Controller makes you faster when gaming @ CES 2021



Impulse Neuro-ControllerFor gamers, one of the most important things is controlling your timing. Every fraction of a second in response time can be the difference between getting the shot or getting shot. Gamers go out of their way to find just the right mouse and keyboard to be able to speed up their reaction times ever so slightly. But, as Avram always says, you can also speed up the slowest part of your computer – you. One way to accomplish this is with Impulse Neuro-Controller from Brink Bionics.

The Impulse is a fingerless glove that works with your existing gaming mouse to improve reaction times. Rather than waiting for you to click, it literally reads your mind and acts early. It is able to read your impulses (hence the name) from your hand using biosignals. Using an AI algorithm, the glove is able to learn your behaviors and act on them ahead of time.

Just like any bio-feedback device, it takes some time to train. Everyone reacts differently to different stimuli. For example, if you are training a brain control headband, you need to determine certain things to think about and map those thought patterns to specific actions. With the Impulse, you simply set it up for training and plan like normal. The system is able to read your biosignals and connect them with your actions on the computer. Once the connections are made, it is able to work ahead of you to produce results before you are able to click.

The Impulse Neuro-Controller is ideal for players of first-person shooters, real-time strategies, multiplayer online battle arenas, and more. To learn more about Impulse and Brink Bionics, you can head over to their website, which currently takes you to their Indiegogo page, which has a lot of additional information.

Interview by Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

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Tovertafel brings joyful play to late-stage dementia patients @ CES 2021



Tovertafel interactive gamesSjoerd Wennekes is the co-founder of Tover, a Dutch company that specializes in interactive games for people with severe cognitive disabilities, and he joined us at CES 2021 to tell us about their signature product, Tovertafel.

Tovertafel, or Magic Table, is an interactive gaming system for people with late-stage dementia or other cognitive impairments. Using a ceiling-mounted projector equipped with computer hardware and sensors, the device projects images onto any existing table in a care facility, creating simple interactive games for life enrichment. The games are played by touching the projected images, for instance, the action of swiping away projected autumn leaves or bouncing the image of beach ball back and forth between one another.

Tovertafel is a care home-friendly system, requiring no connections to external computers, or any sophisticated installation process. The ceiling-mounted device has a wide-angle lens with an adjustable projection field that can be used on any size table. Family members or staff can easily use the remote and get right to playing together without the need for special instructions.

While the projection technology is not new, how Tover utilizes it is unique. The company focuses on late-stage dementia patients who lack the ability to activate themselves, those typically living in long term care facilities who are often subject to apathy – the total lack of feeling and emotions which is the primary cause of death in dementia patients. Tovertafel games are designed to stimulate the portions of the brain that are not damaged by diseases like Alzheimer’s so that even people in the last stages of dementia can experience some joyful quality of life.

Care professionals utilizing the system have noted that patients playing Tovertafel games are more physically active, engage in more social activity, and seem to experience more joy and less sadness while playing with the Magic Table. They’ve also found the system improves the relationship between caregivers and residents and increases happiness for care professionals, family members, and friends alike.

Tovertafel is used in over 5000 cognitive care facilities in 12 countries. The company is launching in North America this spring.

Visit the company’s website to learn more.

Interview by Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

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Fauna Audio is putting amazing audio into your glasses @ CES 2021



Fauna Audio GlassesListening to our favorite songs and movies, and even taking conference calls are all very important aspects of our daily lives. And it seems that we usually need to make sure that we aren’t disturbing coworkers and others around us. Now, we all love a good set of headphones. But, honestly, they can be quite bulky and even impractical in a lot of settings. Earbuds are great. But even they don’t always fit the best and, like headphones, aren’t always perfect in the office, while driving or even taking a walk, because many times you can’t hear what’s going on around you. Luckily Fauna Audio has been working on this very thing. Their new line of smart glasses is an excellent solution, not to mention quite fashionable.

It was a pleasure to have a discussion with Isabel from Fauna Audio this year during our coverage of CES 2021 and learn more about them. And even though the virtual nature of the show this year has made exhibiting some of the products a little more difficult, it was actually a great way for us to get a good look at the smart glasses in action, as she was using them for the interview. This sleek and stylish eyewear features MEMS loud-speakers that are produced by USound. With these speakers located in both temples, they boast technology that concentrates the sound around the ears to reduce audio leakage and are designed to only be heard by the listener. These easy to use glasses pair with your devices via Bluetooth, have a built-in mic and also a digital voice assistant, making them perfect for hands-free calls.

They didn’t stop their design process with only great style and sound, either. They also wanted the best for your eyes. They have included Zeiss DuraVision BlueProtect lenses in their regular line, as well as Carl Zeiss Vision for their line of sunglasses. These lightweight, high quality, and durable lenses are BPA free with more than 99% protection from UVA/UVB rays and offer distortion-free, clear vision. The frames are also designed to allow for the lenses to be easily swapped out with most prescriptions lenses.

Currently being sold in Europe, they are hoping to launch in the U.S. soon. To learn more about their convenient and stylish audio eyewear, make sure to watch the full interview and check out all the specs and designs on their website.

Interview by Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

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BOON Spotlight provides private and personalized shopping @ CES 2021



BOON Spotlight AI shoppingAt CES 2021, Todd Cochrane sits down to talk to Dylan Grey, founder of BOON, an award-winning startup from the UK that is revolutionizing online shopping with psychological research and AI technology.

The company has built the technology to create a personalized shopping experience using a unique combination of psychology and AI. The startup works with online retailers to deliver engaging experiences and increase their conversion rates, while also guaranteeing complete data control and privacy to the user.

BOON Spotlight leads consumers through a set of fun, image-based questions that use filtering and a psychology-backed AI to give meaningful product recommendations. The service uses groundbreaking AI and powerful filtering to shortlist the best products for each shopper, helping them discover their next purchase. BOON’s technology can be used as a personal shopping assistant or a gift finder. Shoppers can instantly replace any of their recommendations to curate a list of top picks. BOON’s AI continuously learns and improves from feedback like this, so each subsequent shopper gets a better experience and better recommendations.

The majority of consumers say they want better control of their data, but that can be a challenge for conventional tracking-based product recommendation technology. One of the benefits of BOON’s technology is that every consumer controls what data they provide and remains anonymous throughout. They took a new approach when designing their AI, building with privacy-in-mind from the ground up. Through the survey questions, users control what data they provide, and all responses are forgotten as soon as the window is closed – no cookies to track you for months on end.

Research shows that BOON’s technology will increase conversions by up to 85%. BOON has found that consumers love the experience: 96% participants complete all the questions once they start, they are up to 85% more likely to checkout, and they have a 35% larger basket size.

Improve your customers’ experience now by connecting with BOON via their website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

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Rendever is allowing seniors to get back into the world @ CES 2021



Rendever senior virtual realitySocial isolation has been a growing problem in modern life and has grown worse in the past year. It’s a particular problem for the older population, many of whom have had major life changes, moving out of their homes and into various versions of eldercare. While in younger days, they may have been used to going out for a day of fun or traveling the world, in older life, these abilities may have been lost. This is the problem that Rendever is looking to solve.

Rendever merges two surprising things into one – seniors and virtual reality equipment. Now, we have all seen prank videos where kids introduce their grandparents to virtual reality through shocking environments, but this is certainly not that. In fact, the company is using virtual reality equipment to create environments to reduce the social isolation that seniors feel. These seniors can explore the world, whether it be new places that they always wanted to see, or even revisit locations that hold special meaning.

The best part of this technology is the ability to go on these experiences together. Other residents of a facility or family members can come by, wear their own headsets, and virtually travel together. Imagine being able to have another family vacation or a recreation of a honeymoon, all without having to leave your facility or bringing staff with you.

The technology is already being used in some high-profile senior living facilities, through healthcare systems like UCHealth and Cleveland Clinic, and has commercial partnerships with AARP and Verizon. While the system was designed to be used in facilities, the oddity of 2020 has led the company to explore the future possibility of remote group experiences, as well.

To learn more about Rendever and its VR technology, check out the company’s website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

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Alango’s Wear and Hear products improve hearing and health @ CES 2021



Alango Wear and HearDr. Alexander Goldin is the founder and CEO of Alango Technologies, a 20-year-old Israeli company that specializes in personalized digital hearing amplification systems. If you use hands-free technology in your vehicle, wireless earbuds, or a speakerphone for business meetings, there’s a good chance, says Dr. Goldin, that you are using Alango technology. At CES 2021, Dr. Goldin joined us to talk about Alango’s own line of products called Wear & Hear.

Millions of communication products worldwide utilize Alango’s digital signal processing software, which aim to improve the quality of voice communication and audio experience in a variety of environments by providing high-quality noise cancellation, enhancing speech, and dynamically equalizing signal volume and spectrum in real-time response to dynamic acoustic conditions. Their devices can also improve health, by improving hearing, says Dr. Goldin.

Recent studies show that untreated hearing loss is the surprising leading cause of dementia in adults, increasing the chances of dementia by 8%, well above other risk factors. With 15% of the population suffering some degree of hearing loss, which also contributes to a number of other health and social problems, Alango’s Wear and Hear line of personalized hearing amplifiers hopes to improve health and well-being while bringing clarity of sound to the user.

Wear and Hear devices are disguised as Bluetooth communications headsets, stereo headsets, and other similar consumer electronics products. The first product they introduced at CES this year is an upgraded version of their CES 2020 Innovation Technology winner, the BeHear Access . The latest iteration of this device has several new features including Improved directivity and own-voice reduction that reduces the volume of the user’s voice in the headset.

Alango also has a new multifunctional Neck Speaker that can be used to perform personal hearing evaluations, includes attached earbuds to function as a personal sound amplification device, and can work as a speaker phone in conferencing situations.

The BeHear Access retails for $349 – 10x less than the cost of traditional hearing aids – and the neck speaker $189.

To learn more, visit the company’s website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

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WooBloo SMASH puts a smart projector anywhere you need it @ CES 2021



WooBloo SMASH smart projectorThe last 12 months has created an interesting new reliance on entertainment. Being locked in our homes has forced us to look for new ways to spend our free time. A lot of it has driven us onto services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video because there are large libraries of content to help us survive downtime. But, for many people, this has forced them to watch a lot of content on small screens, like phones, tablets, or laptop screens. WooBloo has a new product, called SMASH, which will help with that limitation.

The WooBloo SMASH is a small, portable high definition smart projector. Because of the wireless capabilities, you can take it into any room of the house and watch your content. Take it into the living room and watch a high-profile movie together, or take it into your bedroom and watch a TV show by yourself. You can even take it into the kitchen and use it to cook with your kids, using tutorial videos on the wall.

Unlike other smart projectors we’ve seen, SMASH has removed the biggest limitation on those platforms – software availability. This is because SMASH allows you to use Airplay and Chromecast to push content from your phone, tablet, or computer directly to the screen. In addition, the projector has an HDMI port to allow you to bring other devices, like gaming consoles and streaming sticks, onto the screen. But, you can also get in-built applications to reduce the strain on your other devices.

When WooBloo SMASH is not in use as a projector, it can also be used as a smart speaker, both plugged in and on battery. This is powered by Alexa, giving you access to all of the features of the Alexa digital assistant.

WooBloo SMASH is available now for pre-order on Indiegogo. For more information, check out the company’s website.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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