Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central gets our CES channels fired up with a primer of what is to come in the coverage department from the 20 team members of the Tech Podcast Network who start preparing to head to Vegas in a couple of days.
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Home automation is a growing and popular category of tech, but the problem still persists that most of the products out right now are fragmented, in that they don’t speak to each other or to one universal system. There are only a handful of solutions doing that, and we can now add WeMo to that list.
WeMo is a home automation system under the Belkin umbrella. With over 25 products under its belt already, ranging from switches to lighting to sensors and coffee makers, you can absolutely WeMo anything. The difference with WeMo is that you don’t need an overly-expensive kit to get started. You can simply begin with the devices that you want and grow from there.
Beyond the simple light switch turning on and off, WeMo is scalable so that if you want your electricity, temperature and even water being monitored and controlled by WeMo, it can all be achieved, giving you a fully smart home.
All of the products live in the same WeMo app. By partnering with top manufacturers in several categories, WeMo can make the smart features for the product, while companies like Osram Sylvania can continue to make the best lights, which is what they’re good at. It doesn’t stop there, as appliances like coffee makers, crock pots, heaters and air purifiers can now all be smart with the help of WeMo.
Unlike most systems, WeMo uses if this then that (IFTTT) technology, which it will be rolling out to almost all of its devices throughout the year. Using IFTTT, WeMo’s Insight Switch allows you to monitor energy usage, which can be activated based on different events, like it being too hot outside.
Lastly, WeMo Water is a device that installs easily under your kitchen sink without any professionals required. It monitors your water usage from one single point in your home, including all your sinks, toilets and even sprinklers. WeMo Water can also detect leaks, which is especially useful while a user might be away from their house and not have the ability to get home right away. Home automation is not only convenient, but it keeps you safe.
Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.
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Welcome to the Eureka! Factory, where great programs, projects, events and creative spaces and places happen!
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A trip through Eureka Park at any CES is always bound to lead to new and exciting products and individuals who are passionate about those products. That’s the exact case with Kiband, a company that formed around a direct necessity and problem that impacted its CEO.
Kiband started with its CEO that lost his child at a 4th of July event for about 15-20 minutes. After trying leash solutions and other methods that really didn’t work out for him, he created his own company to try a change up the market.
The key with Kiband is prevention and less of informing you of when your child actually gets lost. Using the parent’s phone, the Kiband sets up a local geofence around the smartphone, and as the child approaches the perimeter set by the parent, the Kiband will first vibrate. If they then venture outside of the proximity, the device will then use an audible tone to alert the parent.
The distance is totally customizable by the parent and allows them to give the child as much leeway as they deem safe. The Kiband is also easy to set up, as it instantly connects to the phone and the app is made for those who are less tech savvy.
Still in research and development, the kids who have tested the device have really taken a liking to it and didn’t want to remove it because it looked cool and was minimally invasive. Pricing will be around $100 to $120, with pre-orders available through an Indiegogo campaign, and delivery estimated to be in the summer.
Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.
Sponsored by:
From laptops and Lumia to Surface and Xbox, get it at the Microsoft Store.
Welcome to the Eureka! Factory, where great programs, projects, events and creative spaces and places happen!
Follow F5 Live: Refreshing Technology on Twitter: PLuGHiTzLive; Facebook: F5 Live; Google+: PLuGHiTz Live
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The retro-style record players are coming back with a bit of flare, all thanks to Crosley, a name that has been around since the 1920s. During the ’20s through ’40s, it was pretty much the household brand when it came to spinning some vinyl. The brand was then sold and brought back as a retro radio company, and now has started to join in on the resurgence of vinyl in the new millennium.
At CES 2015, Crosley launched a couple of new products aimed at getting people back into records again. First, the Cruiser turntable will make it easy for someone who wants a plug-and-play way to enjoy their favorite records. No longer do you have to buy components and piece them all together. The Cruiser comes in dozens of colors and styles, and some even feature your favorite cartoon characters or TV shows. The turntable will generally run you about $69 and is available at all major retailers, including specialty stores.
For those who want more added functionality or features, Crosley has launched a myriad of different turntables to fit different needs and styles. Things like Bluetooth, CD players, nicer speakers, wood housing and more can all be found in several different product lines from the company. Prices range depending on the flavor, but typically run between $150 and $400. All of the products can be found at Crosley’s website.
Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.
Sponsored by:
From laptops and Lumia to Surface and Xbox, get it at the Microsoft Store.
Welcome to the Eureka! Factory, where great programs, projects, events and creative spaces and places happen!
Follow F5 Live: Refreshing Technology on Twitter: PLuGHiTzLive; Facebook: F5 Live; Google+: PLuGHiTz Live
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When it comes to making a house a “smart home”, there’s no shortage of products on the market. Many are piling into the space in an unfocussed way, without clearly thinking through what problem needs to be solved. Contrary to this scattergun approach, iSmartAlarm identified a problem, solved that and then expanded out to make a home smarter. Don discusses iSmartAlarm’s approach with Zac Sutton.
While home security systems with external monitoring can provide reassurance, the reality is that there’s a costly monthly fee, alerts are often triggered by false alarms and by the time the monitoring company has gone through the list of keyholders, any housebreaker will be long gone. The iSmartAlarm is an expandable home security system, built around a central hub (“CubeOne”) which can be expanded with cameras, motion detectors, magnetic sensors and smart power switches. It’s all wireless and it’s very easy to setup.
Alerts are sent to the home owner via several different methods, including email, push notification and texts. If present, the camera can be reviewed remotely to see if it’s the dog, a child arriving home from school or a ne’er-do-well taking off with their belongings.
The iSmartAlarm can be purchased now with second generation products becoming available soon, including smoke alarms and multi-sensor units. The “Preferred Package” costs $199, which includes the central hub, motion sensor and door/window sensors.
Interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor for the TechPodcast Network.
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Smart homes and the Internet of Things are very much in vogue at CES this year with vendors offering a wide range of products, some of which hardly deserve the name “smart” and others that are genuinely innovative. In the latter camp, there is Oort which tries to “make your world smarter”. Don learns more from Radek Tadajewski, Wizard of Oort.
The difference between Oort and many of its competitors is that Oort has been designed to work openly with Bluetooth devices from the start. By using Bluetooth profiles as the integration mechanism, Oort can use any Bluetooth device that has the necessary profile. To get you started, there’s a $350 starter kit which includes the Oort hub, light bulbs, sockets and a tracker beacon though other devices can be added as needed. As you’d expect there’s a smartphone app for Android and iOS which communicates with the hub and the connected devices. You can view the status of devices and sensors through the smartphone app, whether you are inside the house or sitting in the office, and you can turn devices on and off as needed.
There’s more in the interview by Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.
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When you think of NFC technology, you might not immediately think of usages for an oven. That is why NXP Semiconductors employs some smart people to think about new usages for their technology. In an oven, it turns out there are some great usages, both for consumers and repair.
As a consumer, the idea of being able to use a recipe app on your phone, like MSN Food & Drink, you could not only plan your meal, but program your oven. In fact, you could program various levels, and automate temperature variances all with the tap of a phone.
As for maintaining your appliance, think of the possibilities of an oven that could tell you what was wrong. With NFC, the chip receives power from the receiver, not from the device that programs it. That means, even if the oven’s power supply has failed, the NFC chip could still pass along its final readings. That could prevent a lot of guess work for technicians, and end up costing you a lot less.
Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.
Sponsored by:
From laptops and Lumia to Surface and Xbox, get it at the Microsoft Store.
Welcome to the Eureka! Factory, where great programs, projects, events and creative spaces and places happen!
Follow F5 Live: Refreshing Technology on Twitter: PLuGHiTzLive; Facebook: F5 Live; Google+: PLuGHiTz Live
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Fulton Innovation introduced us to the Wireless Power Consortium in 2012, and since then, our team has become big supporters of the Qi wireless power standard. Since its beginnings as an inductive charger for mobile phones, the technology has continued to improve.
Today, the standard supports higher amounts of power transmitted over longer distances than ever before. The Wireless Power Consortium is not complete, though. They showed us a prototype of an enhanced coil that supports 1 kilowatt and can be transferred through a kitchen counter. The same coil will be able to support over 2 kilowatts in the near future.
That type of power is obviously not designed for charging phones and tablets, but instead for powering real-life devices. In their prototype, they use a food processor being entirely powered through the countertop. They even show off controlled amperage levels, which increase and decrease as different modes are chosen, or as the distance from the coil is increased.
The prototype gained the Wireless Power Consortium F5 Live: Refreshing Technology’s TPN Pick Award.
Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.
Sponsored by:
From laptops and Lumia to Surface and Xbox, get it at the Microsoft Store.
Welcome to the Eureka! Factory, where great programs, projects, events and creative spaces and places happen!
Follow F5 Live: Refreshing Technology on Twitter: PLuGHiTzLive; Facebook: F5 Live; Google+: PLuGHiTz Live
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We first met Nexia Home Intelligence at CES 2012, and were immediately impressed with their system. Allowing you to control and automate your home, either local or away, through a single connected dashboard.
Since our first meeting, the company has added new partners and new products, and this year the company is showing a whole collection of new products compatible with the system. Ranging from home security to home automation, there is a little bit of everything available in the system.
Some of the products shown off include:
– First Alert smoke detector ($49.99)
– Linear Siren & Strobe ($69.99)
– Linear LED Bulb ($54.99)
Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.
Sponsored by:
From laptops and Lumia to Surface and Xbox, get it at the Microsoft Store.
Welcome to the Eureka! Factory, where great programs, projects, events and creative spaces and places happen!
Follow F5 Live: Refreshing Technology on Twitter: PLuGHiTzLive; Facebook: F5 Live; Google+: PLuGHiTz Live
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Oomi home automation president Chris Hall stops by the TPN.tv Tech Podcast Network Live booth at CES 2015 to chat with Health Tech Weekly host Jamie Davis, the Podmedic about their recent new releases. Oomi makes your home smarter, easier with a home that looks after itself, intelligently. Oomi provides you a smart home solution that you can install yourself, simply. A smart home that you can control, anywhere. A home that learns how you use it, automatically.
Chris demonstrates the ease of pairing the Oomi Cube base station to a mobile device or tablet. Once you live in the smart home you have a home that’s perfect when you wake up. You have a home that’s perfect when you walk in the door and a home that manages itself, gets to know us, and makes life much easier. It’s not a new idea, but smart homes haven’t actually been smart before. That changes now.
Introducing Oomi, the first smart home system that is truly easy to setup and that is truly intelligent.
Oomi is the first smart home system that is truly easy to setup. It’s also the first that learns how you use your home and then manages it for you.
Make sure you follow Jamie’s picks and coverage over at HTWeekly.com and the Tech Podcasts Network live CES 2015 coverage over at TPN.tv during the show where our entire CES team will be bringing you the best, the most innovative, and newest tech gadgets to you from the conference! And don’t forget to check out his shows for at NursingShow.com, MedicCast.tv, and the brand new Health Tech weekly show at HTWeekly.com.
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