Geek News Central Special Media Feed

OrCam has a mission to help blind and visually impaired people achieve increased independence. The OrCam MyeEye 2.0 can discretely read text to a person who is wearing the device. Todd spoke with Rafi from Orcam Technologies at CES 2018. Rafi gave a demonstration that shows the range of useful things that the Orcam MyEye 2.0 can do. OrCam 2.0 is the world’s most advanced artificial vision device designed to help people who are blind, partially sighted, or who have reading difficulties. The device attaches to the arm of a glasses frame. The front of the device has a camera and a light. The back has a small speaker. OrCam takes a photo of text from any device or surface, converts it to audio, and discretely relays that information to the wearer of the device. OrCam 2.0 can also recognize people’s faces, identify products by their bar codes, identify colors, and discern denominations of money notes. It can also tell the user the time and date. OrCam 2.0 is available now from the OrCam website. It is priced at $4,500. You can request a free trial of OrCam by filling out a form on the OrCam website. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post OrCam MyEye 2.0 Discretely Reads Text at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Many people find it difficult to lose weight. Counting calories is tedious and you might make mistakes with your math. The amount of calories you consume does play a part in weight gain, but there are other pieces to the puzzle that you may be unaware of. Healbe solves these problems with its GoBe2 – the only complete smart-life band. Todd spoke with Artem from Healbe at CES 2018. The GoBe2 smart band can automatically measure the calories that you consume. It also keeps track of your hydration, your activity level, and how much sleep you had. Together, all of those factors play a role in weight loss or weight gain. The GoBe2 has an accuracy rate of 85%. The GoBe2 app can show you your data. At a glance, you can see how many calories you consumed, and compare that with how many calories you burned. The goal is to have a negative number at the end of the day. The GoBe2 makes it easier for you to reach your weight loss goals. The GoBe2 is available on Amazon and is priced at $199. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post GoBe2 is the Only Complete Smart-Life Band at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Diabetes is a disease that affects increasing numbers of people in developed countries where obesity, lack of exercise and genetics are causing epidemic levels of the condition. Simplistically, the pancreas becomes unable to manage blood sugar levels as it (usually) can’t to produce the right amount of insulin. Don and Nicholas discuss the problems facing diabetics and how DiabiLive‘s new app can help manage the disease. Winner of a CES Innovation Award, DiabiLive have a developed a smartphone app which calculates the correct amount of insulin to inject based on three parameters (physical activity, diet, sugar level). In addition, the app plans ahead based on past history to warn of possible low sugar levels. The app’s algorithms are based on medical science and protocols: the app is awaiting FDA approval, hopefully within 2018. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Manage Diabetes with DiabiLive App at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Tracking environmental conditions is important for many industries, particularly food & drink and pharmaceuticals. Often products have to be kept below a certain temperature and any deviation above this means that the product has to be disposed of. French firm Yes It Is is working hard to provide a continuous unbroken record of the environment surrounding the goods. Sandra shows Allante the prototype of their sensor tag module. Traditionally the recording of environmental conditions is done by equipment installed in the building or the refrigerator. To match the data to a particular product means that the time in and out needs to be recorded so that relevant periods can be checked. Wouldn’t it be better if the sensor was small enough and battery powered so that it could be packaged in with the product? There would then be a complete and unbroken record of the environmental conditions from production to use. Yes It Is are working hard on this problem and are developing tags that have a year’s worth of battery life, record the environmental data and can be scanned by a smartphone to retrieve the data. The plan is to have the tag small enough to fit in a label within a year! Allante Sparks is a video producer at PLuGHiTz Live Special Events. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Track the Supply Chain with YesItIs at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Today, many people use essential oils as part of their management of a variety of health conditions. Every person is different, and that means what works well for one person might not be the best choice for someone else. Oblend gives people the power to make their own, customized, blend of essential oils. Todd spoke with Nicole from Altoba. She pointed out all the things that the Oblend device can do. Oblend gives people the power to create a variety of healthy products that include essential oils and botanical oils. Oblend can create vapes, tinctures, culinary oils, massage oils, lotions, drinks, aromatherapies and supplements. Use the Oblend app to find a recipe that you want to try. You can search the app for specific medical conditions or issues. Select a recipe, and Oblend can blend it for you. The unique thing about Oblend is that you can customize and make your own individual recipes. Save the recipe on the app so you can use it again. If you like, you can share your recipe with the Oblend community. The Oblend device comes with 24 pre-filled essential oil cartridges that consumers can use to make hundreds of essential oil blends. People who have a specific health related issues may want to purchase additional cartridges of the essential oils they find to be helpful for them. The list price for Oblend is $949 (which includes the 24 cartridges). The company does offer discounts and promotions. Those who are interested can enter their first and last name, and their email address, into a box on the Oblend website to be notified when the Oblend pre-sale begins. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Oblend is World’s First Home Dispensary at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

When people say IoT, they are often thinking about the devices that they use in their smart home ecosystem. People tend to overlook the other aspects of IoT, including the businesses that are involved in it. Todd spoke with Keith from the IoT M2M Council. They are a non-commercial trade association that is based in London. They have 25,000 rank and file members, in 24 markets, and 300 new members every week. Their mission is to prove the business case for IoT. They bring buyers and sellers together in creative ways. IoT stands for Internet of Things. M2M stands for Machine for Machine. The IoT M2M Council uses those terms interchangeably. Keith pointed out the industrial side of IoT which has the potential to really change people’s lives in regard to IoT devices. He sees system level changes happening over time with important things that have a big impact on a person’s day to day life. These changes could involve water supply, power grids, the health care sector, and more. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post IoT M2M Council Proves the Business Case for the Internet of Things at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Smart homes can make your life a little easier because they allow you to do things through an app instead of manually. Problems happen when the devices in your IoT ecosystem are not all on the same protocol. This could result in multiple hubs in your home, with a separate app for each of them. B One Hub simplifies your daily living with one hub that can control all IoT products. Todd spoke with Sridhar from Blaze Automation at CES 2018. The B One Hub is a multi-protocol gateway. It is a combination of Z-Wave, Zigby, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and more. B One Hub can replace all your other hubs. The B One Hub also has IFTTT protocol, which means you are less dependent on the internet. If your internet goes out, you can still control your devices through the B One Hub. With the B One Hub, you can control different devices, with different protocols, with one action. B One Hub is currently on the market in Australia and Japan. It will be coming to the U.S. market by March of 2018 and will be priced at $199 USD. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post B One Hub Simplifies Your Daily Living at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

The products that are a part of your smart home ecosystem can connect to each other and work together. How does that happen? The simple answer to that question is Z-Wave. Todd spoke with Mitch from Z-Wave Alliance at CES 2018. Mitch gives an easy to understand explanation of what Z-Wave is and what it does. The internet of things (IoT) is powered by Z-Wave. Consumers can look for products that have a little Z-Wave logo on them. When you see that, it means that the product is going to work with all your other IoT stuff. In addition to explaining what Z-Wave is, Mitch and Todd discuss some of the ways it is currently being used. They also talk about how Z-Wave might influence products in the future. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Z-Wave Powers the Internet of Things at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Are you sure those leftovers are still safe to eat? You may have forgotten how long the food has been in the refrigerator. This causes us to throw away food – that might still be good – because we are afraid of getting sick from it. Ovie solves this problem with their smart food storage products. Todd spoke with Stacie from Ovie at CES 2018. Ovie created smarterware – smart food storage that is designed to help you track, remember, and use the food that is in your fridge before it goes bad. It is a system of smart tags, containers, clips, and bands. Put the tag on your food container and push a button. Tell your favorite digital assistant (Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri) to tell Ovie what the food is. This will trigger Ovie to track the food for you for four days. A green light on the tag indicates that the food is safe to eat. A yellow light indicates the food should be eaten soon. When that happens, you will get a notification on your phone reminding you to eat that food. In addition, you will get a recipe recommendation that uses that food and that is based on the foods that you already have at home. Ovie makes any fridge into a smart fridge. Ovie is planning a Kickstarter. Those who are interested can get on a list and be the first to know when the Kickstarter launches. They estimate they will start shipping product in fall of 2018. A set of three smart tags with the universal mount will be $59. A set of three containers (with the tags included) will be $89. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Ovie Smart Food Storage at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

People who ride their bikes on the street must share the road with cars. Wearing a helmet can protect your head. If you need to signal a turn, you have to take your hands off your handlebars. LIVALL has solved this problem with Helmetphone. It lets you keep your hands on your bike. Marissa spoke with You Cheng from LIVALL at CES 2018. A traditional bike helmet protects your head. Helmetphone can do that, and also has many other ways to help you stay safe on the road. Helmetphone has LED lights on the back of the helmet. Use a controller that is mounted on your handlebars to control the LED lights. This allows bike riders to easily let the people behind them know that they are about to make a left turn, or a right turn. Helmetphone has speakers and a microphone on the inside. This allows bike riders to take a call while they are riding, without having to take their phone out of their pocket. Use the controller to take the call, to end the call, and to control the music you listen to. The speakers allow you to hear your music and to hear what is happening on the street. If you fall, Helmetphone can automatically send a message to your emergency contact. Helmetphone is waterproof. Charge it for three hours and you can use it for a whole day. Helmetphone is priced at $159 and you can purchase it from the LIVALL website. Marissa Schiereck is a contributor to F5 Live: Refreshing Technology. Support our coverage sponsors The post LIVALL Helmetphone Keeps Your Hands on Your Bike at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

New parents have a lot of stress. It can be difficult to know if you are doing the best thing for your baby. How much should you feed your baby? Are you overfeeding? Has your baby’s caregiver fed him or her while you are working? BlueSmart can provide the answer to these questions with a product that is easy for everyone to use. BlueSmart Mia helps make you a better parent. Marissa spoke with Gisela from BlueSmart Media at CES 2018. They talked about the adorable Mia product. It is a sleeve that can fit over any bottle. The sleeve is made of the same texture and material that is used for pacifiers. The technology for Mia is hidden in a cradle underneath the sleeve. Both parts are washable. Mia connects to a phone app through Wi-Fi. It keeps track of when the baby was fed and how many ounces the baby drank. Use the app to keep track of your baby’s milestones, height, weight, diaper changes, and much more. Share the information in the app with caregivers, family members, and your pediatrician. Mia is on the market now and is priced at $149. Marissa Schiereck is a contributor to F5 Live: Refreshing Technology. Support our coverage sponsors The post Mia Helps Make You a Better Parent at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Digital assistants make our lives a little bit easier. They can conveniently save you some time. One problem with digital assistants is that your environment isn’t always ideal for accessing them. PH Technical Labs solves this problem with Jinni. It makes Alexa always available. Marissa spoke with Rebecca and Ram from PH Technical Labs at CES 2018. They talked about the multitude of things that the Jinni can do. Jinni is an ultra-portable device that you can use to connect with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri from wherever you are. Push a button on the device to interact with Alexa. Press another button to access Google. It is also possible to press a button on Jinni to connect it with your smartphone or the IoT of your home. You can clip Jinni onto your shirt, or attach it to a keychain. If you have a car mount, you can mount Jinni in your car. Jinni is waterproof, so you can stick it in your shower and listen to music or find out how long your drive time will be. Jinni is the smallest Alexa device that is currently on the market. PH Technical Labs is looking at an April time frame to launch Jinni. Marissa Schiereck is a contributor to F5 Live: Refreshing Technology. Support our coverage sponsors The post Jinni Gives You Always Available Alexa at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Stainless steel insulated water bottles are commonplace today and have largely taken over from the glass vacuum flasks – the latter are just too delicate, especially for camping and hillwalking. And while the steel bottles are good are keeping stuff warm, the liquid has to be hot in the first place….or does it? Cauldryn Fyre bottles have a built-in heating element which not only keeps liquids warm, it can actually boil water. Colten and Joe have a quick Americano. The Cauldryn Fyre water bottles feature a modular design, offering a 16-ounce, stainless steel, vacuum insulated bottle with the revolutionary Fyre heating element. The standard Cauldryn Fire is powered from AC but the Fyre Mobile features a rechargeable battery to heat the liquid and keep it hot all day. The mobile base has a couple of USB charging sockets too. There’s a DC base available for heating from 12V / 24V. The Cauldryn Fire system is modular. Want a smoothie? There’s a blender attachment. Need a light? Snap in the rechargeable battery. It’s even got integration with Ok Google. Seriously, I want one of these. The Cauldryn Fire is shipping now. The standard Fyre is US$69.99, Fyre Mobile is $129.99 and additional battery units are $69.99. DC base $9.99. Colten Clymer is one of the team at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors   The post Get Cooking with a Cauldryn at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Fibaro are one of the bigger names in smart homes with a wide range of products from simple light switches to complex controllers. Originally based around Z-wave, their accessories now work with Apple HomeKit, and integrate with other systems like Philips Hue. Allante and Rich take a quick spin through some of Fibaro’s new products. First up is a smart power plug with a USB charging port and a coloured LED which changes colour according to the amount of power being drawn through the socket. Although the colour-changing is fun, the measured power can be used within a smart home to initiate other actions or send a warning. Should the iron have been on for a hour? Next is the big The Button which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a big red button, though it does come in seven different colour. Press it and stuff happens. What happens is configurable by the user – turn on the lights, sound an alarm, play music. All the products are on sale now, priced between US$49 and $59. Allante Sparks is a video producer at PLuGHiTz Live Special Events. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Fibaro Doubles Up With HomeKit at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

We all know what it feels like to go to work after a night where you had poor quality sleep. REM-Fit has created the perfect pillow for everyone that can help you improve your sleep. The ZEEQ smart pillow can stream music, analyze your sleep, and even stop snoring. Marissa spoke with Miguel from REM-Fit at CES 2018. He explained all the wonderful things that the ZEEQ smart pillow can do. It was created to help people fall asleep. ZEEQ has speakers inside it so you can listen to music right through the pillow. Choose from music created by REM-Fit, or pick something else that you find soothing. After you fall asleep, ZEEQ starts analyzing your sleep and will give you a score on the quality of your sleep. REM-Fit sends your sleep data to HealthKit and Google Fit, making it easy for you to access what ZEEQ found whether you use iOS or Android. Do you snore? Your sleep partner might be bothered by your loud snoring. ZEEQ can solve that problem for you. There is a microphone in the ZEEQ Smart Pillow that is tuned to listen to the specific Hz range of snoring. When it hears snoring, it will make the pillow vibrate. This is done to encourage you to change position, and stop snoring, so both you and your sleep partner can get good quality sleep. You can purchase the ZEEQ Smart Pillow from the REM-Fit website. It is priced at $149.99. Marissa Schiereck is a contributor to F5 Live: Refreshing Technology. Support our coverage sponsors The post REM-Fit’s ZEEQ is the Perfect Pillow for Everyone at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

It’s always been easy to find text and even video-based information on the web. But for some reason, using search engines to find audio-based content is not as efficient. Countless outlets are posting podcasts and/or providing internet radio to millions of potential listeners every day. But the only way to find anything amongst all that media is to pull up your favorite podcast or streaming-radio app and hope you’re lucky enough to find something you really want to hear. Assaf from Audioburst stopped by the booth to speak with Marissa. He talked about how Audioburst is working to create a searchable index of audio content. Audioburst’s index can then be used by third-party platforms such as connected radios or speech-activated assistants to provide playlists that are based on users’ interests. Audioburst identifies the audio sources that users like, which makes it easier for the platform to automatically provide similar content of interest. Audioburst is primarily a business-to-business service. The company is working to be included in as many platforms as possible. Marissa Schiereck is a contributor to F5 Live: Refreshing Technology. Support our coverage sponsors The post Audioburst Brings Personalized, On-Demand Audio to CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Panoramic cameras are interesting because they can record in ways that other cameras cannot. The Pilot Era is a professional level panoramic camera from Pisoftware. They estimate it will be priced at approximately $3,000 after it becomes available. Don spoke with Adler, and with William, from Pisoftware. They discussed the Pilot Era panoramic camera. The device they brought to CES 2018 was a prototype. Those who are interested can request a trial of Pilot Era. There is potential you will be selected to test the Pilot Era panoramic camera. The Pilot Era can provide 8K panoramic video and image, at a quality that works quite well with VR goggles. It is an all-in-one machine. You don’t need a PC to do the post-staging of your video. Instead, you can interact directly with the camera through the screen. Your video finishes inside the camera. There are four cameras on the device, one on each side. They are slightly tilted up so they can see what is above them. The lenses stay in focus. The Pilot Era does real time live streaming with 4K or 6K stitching. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com Support our coverage sponsors The post Pisoftware Brought Pilot Era Panoramic Camera to CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

When it comes to PC computers, there are basically two styles to choose from: a plastic box, or a flashy case with LED lights for gamers. What if neither of those two options fits your personal style? Monkey Bidouille has an aesthetically pleasing solution for you. Don spoke with Antoine from Monkey Bidouille at CES 2018. The company is made of just two people. They have created a PC case that is made of wood and aluminum. It uses noble materials, and is handmade in France. Their PC case is designed to sit horizontally. You can put whatever components you want to inside the case. Monkey Bidouille brought a prototype of their PC case to CES 2018. They launched a Kickstarter shortly before CES 2018, with a limit of 50 units. Their plan is to eventually make it possible for people to customize the design of the PC case when they place their order on the website. The wood can be screen printed, in a similar way to how the designs are placed on skateboards. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com The post Monkey Bidouille Showcased Beautiful PC Cases at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Our shoes protect our feet from the environment. E-Vone has created a smart shoe that can provide a different kind of protection. These shoes send an alert when the wearer has fallen down and enables a rescue team to find that person. Don spoke with Anne from E-Vone. They have created a smart shoe with technology that can detect when the wearer has fallen. The shoe instantly sends an alarm through the secure cloud to a rescue team. After that, the smart shoe vibrates to let the wearer know that a rescue team is coming to help them. The shoe was designed for more than one population. There is a version designed for workers who work in isolated situations. This shoe is durable and has a steel toe. Another version of the shoe was designed for older people who want to stay in their own homes instead of in an assisted living situation. E-Vone makes comfortable smart shoes in styles for women and styles for men. To make this work, E-Vone is selling a service. It requires a service fee (of 30 Euros a month). The person pays for the service and leases the shoes. They receive a new pair of smart shoes each year. E-Vone will start selling this service in France and Europe in September of 2018. They intend to release the service in the United States and Japan in two years. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com Support our coverage sponsors The post E-Vone Smart Shoe With Falling Alert System at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Mobile gaming is fun, but there are limitations. While some video games are specifically designed to be played on a smartphone or tablet, most are not. This leaves gamers with the frustrating problem of trying to play a game that doesn’t function very well with touchscreens. Gamevice solves this problem by turning your smartphone into a console device. Todd spoke with Rob from Gamevice at CES 2018. Gamevice is the name of the both the company and the product. Gamevice is a controller that hooks onto the lightning port on your smartphone. It gives immediate feedback on any game you are playing. It turns games that are really poor on a touchscreen into games that actually have a chance to be played on a mobile device. Gamevice lets you easily play Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, MOBA’s like Lineage, Street Fighter, and more video games on a mobile device. They have about 1,000 games in their catalog. Gamevice can be tightened up in the back. It fits anything for a iPhone 6 to an iPhone X, is compatible with Android phones, and can be used on iPads and iPad minis. You can purchase Gamevice for $79.99 at Apple, Costco, or Best Buy. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Gamevice Turns Your Smartphone Into a Console Device at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Geiger counters are great for detecting and measuring ionising radiation but their biggest flaw is that they can’t discriminate between the different types of radiation; alpha, beta or gamma. Icohup‘s Rium detector addresses this with a compact and stylishly wooden unit. Allante and Billy discuss the benefits of radiation detectors without mentioning a single nuclear disaster. Winner of a CES Innovation award, Icohup’s Rium uses scintillation spectrometry technology to not only detect levels of ionising radiation but also the type. This means that the Rium can determine if the radioactivity is natural or industrial, or if it’s a Cobalt, Uranium or Cesium source. The Rium unit is about the size of a packet of biscuits and is tastefully made of wood. Not sure if there’s a scientific reason for this, though it looks good anyway, and the small size means that it can be carried by a drone to record radioactivity in potentially hazardous areas. Data is collected and displayed by a nearby smartphone and with geotagging of the radiation information, maps can be built easily to show radiation hotspots. The data can be transferred either by Bluetooth or by USB. The Rium will be available shortly from Icohup for €399 (about US$500). Allante Sparks is a video producer at PLuGHiTz Live Special Events. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Know Your Ionising Radiation with Icohup Rium at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

The popularity of craft beer has ensured a steady stream of smart gadgetry that helps ferment and brew the perfect pint. Here we have the HOPii personal microbrewery which successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter in the autumn raising US$380,000. Allante drinks it in with Jong, CEO of HOPii. The HOPii advertises itself as a one touch brewery – put the ingredient pods into HOPii device and press START. HOPii does the rest and brews the craft beer for you at its perfection. The HOPii beer pack contains all the ingredients needed – a three-litre bottle of wort, some dry hops and other flavors plus a pack of yeast. The pre-prepared wort gives the HOPii a bit of a headstart, as it were, and the smart features of the HOPii control the internal environment to develop the best beer. If you want to do your own thing, HOPii has a special “Brewer’s Mode” so you can ferment your own personal craft beer with your specific ingredients. You can put in your own custom recipe into HOPii and ferment your own wort, dry hop, flavours and once ready, set it to the beer’s best drinking temperature or your personal preference. Although the Kickstarter has finished, it’s now “InDemand” over at Indiegogo for US$399 and delivery in June 2018. Cheers! Allante Sparks is a video producer at PLuGHiTz Live Special Events. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Get the Perfect Pint with HOPii Personal Brewery at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Often there can be no outward signs of mental health illness but some people exhibit unhealthy behaviours such as hair pulling, skin picking and nail biting. The team at HabitAware are helping address these physical symptoms of mental health issues with a wearable device that picks up on these cues. Allante tries it out with Aneela. The HabitAware Keen is a wrist-worn wearable that’s very similar in style to a fitness tracker. The Keen uses gesture-detection technology to recognise when the wearer is engaging in behaviours associated with poor mental health. For most people, biting their nails is just a bad habit, but for many with mental health issues, it’s a symptom of something much more serious. The way Keen works is by initially training the device to recognise problem behaviours. Using a smartphone app (iOS and Android), the wearer replicates his or her behaviours for a short period. So if it’s hair-pulling, this is simulated for around 15 to 20 seconds. Once Keen has been trained, it vibrates when the behaviour is detected and alerts the wearer to their subconscious habit. The wearer can make the decision to stop and overtime, retrains the brain away from negative behaviours. The Keen bracelet is available now from HabitAware priced from US$149. Allante Sparks is a video producer at PLuGHiTz Live Special Events. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Help with Mental Health from HabitAware at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Being “in the zone” reflects that total mental focus and clarity that comes to people concentrating hard. For athletes and professionals, it can take years of practice and hard work. For us mere mortals, BrainCo offers a way to learn how to focus. How? Professor Don gets all brainy with Max. The idea behind BrainCo is to use their Focus One headband with gamification to improve mental concentration. The BrainCo band reads small electrical impulses in the wearer’s brain and picks up on changes in the frequency and amplitude of the impulses (EEG). As everyone’s brains are different the band establishes a personal baseline and works on changes from that baseline to understand when the person is relaxed, focussed or distracted. While wearing the Focus One headband, the owner plays a smartphone game which takes information from the headband and responds as the wearer mentally focusses. Simply, the person has to focus to do well in the game. Overtime, the person learns how to focus their mind. The BrainCo Focus One reinforces good mental behaviour and this can be especially useful for children who have learning difficulties such as ADHD, but it also has application in ensuring that teachers are engaging with their students. The FocusOne isn’t yet available to buy but if you are interested, you can register on the BrianCo website for an early bird discount. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Develop Mental Focus with BrainCo at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

OWC is one of the stalwarts of the Mac world, bringing enhancements and accessories to Apple devices year after year. Let’s be honest, this is the team that gives you back the ports that Apple takes away. This time round, OWC is expanding its range of Thunderbolt 3 products. Don finds out what’s new with AJ from OWC. Incredibly, OWC is celebrating its 30th anniversary: the company started when Apple launched the iMac – remember the ones with the fruitcoloured cases? Today, OWC offer products for both Windows and Mac, and in particular, there’s a new Thunderbolt 3 dock out with support for both OSes. The new dock “offers 12 ports including dual Thunderbolt 3, five USB 3.1, Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF, combo audio, Mini DisplayPort, SD Card Slot, and supports laptop charging”. Sadly, there’s no Firewire but if you need that, check out the older version. Available in Q1 2018, it’s priced at either US$279 or US$299. Video says one, press release says the other. Also of interest to speed freaks is the ThunderBlade v4, which is the fastest external drive on the market today, shifting an astonishing 2800 MB/s read and 2450 MB/s write. It’s pricey with MSRP from US$1,199 (1 TB) to US$4,999 (8TB), but you get what you pay for and I’m sure it’ll be in demand from video producers. Again, there’s a difference in price between video and press release. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Can You Hear the Thunder with OWC at CES 2018? appeared first on Geek News Central.

Remote controlled garage doors haven’t been particularly secure in the past and many people have disabled the feature because of the risk of break-ins to their homes through the garage. Todd and Frank discuss the problem and look at SkyLink Nova, a retrofit WiFi door opener. The SkyLink Nova is wired into an existing garage door opener using the standard connections used for the interior open/close button. Once connected up, the Nova can be remotely controlled with the SkyLink smartphone app (iOS and Android). Nova is also compatible with If This Then That (IFTTT) platform and Alexa so the garage door can be opened (or closed) by talking to an Echo. The Nova itself looks like an LED light fixture and works as a smart home hub too, communicating with up to 100 smart devices. In addition, it can detect sirens from smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the house. When one of those is heard, Nova will automatically open your garage door to aid in ventilation in the case of an emergency. (I can see how this might help with CO poisoning but surely opening the door during a fire could make things worse?) SkyLink‘s Nova will be on sale in the spring for under US$100. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post SkyLink Brings the Garage into the Smart Home at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Kicking off a range of smart hormone health care products, Mira Fertility helps couples maximise their chances of conceiving by measuring daily hormone levels. Four times dad Todd learns about the product and future plans from Yazan of Miracare. The Mira Fertility analyser measures the levels of hormones in urine to provide insights into fertility levels to help couples conceive. Like a pregnancy test, the woman pees on a “fertility wand” which is then placed in the Mira for analysis. The information is transmitted via Bluetooth to the Mira app on a smartphone, which uses machine learning to analyse the data and predict the best opportunities for conception. The app shows graphs and other data that can be useful for a couple wanting to have a baby. The Mira Fertility Analyser is expected in Q2 2018, priced under US$200. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Mira Fertility Helps Start a Family at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

According to their website, the Aurasens Lounger is “your trans-sensory vessel to audio-haptic pleasure“. That’s some claim for a massage chair with headphones. Todd relaxes with Olivier, CEO, to see if the Aurasens Lounger lives up to its promises. Calling the Aurasens a massage chair is a little like calling the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport a convertible. Technically it’s correct but the Aurasens lounger uses luxury materials and specially augmented pieces that co-ordinates the massage effect with the music. Think of a glissando complemented by waves of motion along the arms, all in sync with the music. Aurasens has a selection of sensations, from pop pieces to new music and ambient sounds. Currently the Aurasens is being marketed at hotels, airline lounges, events and high-net worth individuals. Usually rented by the day or month, it’s €10,000 to buy. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Massage Your Body and Mind with Aurasens at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Many Americans have difficulty falling asleep. The iHome Zenergy line of products can help you take control of your sleep and get some rest. In addition, iHome also created the Reflect Pro, a top of the line vanity mirror that has a Bluetooth speaker. Don spoke with Jennifer from iHome. She pointed out the important functions of iHome’s products that focus on wellness and daily rituals. The Zenergy Candle is a multi-sensory device that can help you sleep. This flameless candle has built-in light therapy and sound therapy. It also has a built-in breathing coach that can guide you through controlling your breathing patterns so you can calm your mind and body and be ready for sleep. The price point for the Zenergy Candle is $69.99. In addition, iHome has a Zenergy Aromatherapy device that can be used with the Zenergy Candle. The aromatherapy device is unique because it has a tray in the back where you can place some essential oil. You can mix scents if you want to. The Zenergy Aromatherapy device is priced at $99.99, and it comes with a bottle of Lavender oil. A new product called the Reflect Pro provides crystal clear reflection with no distortion. It is a top of the line lit vanity mirror that has a Bluetooth speaker. It lets you listen to music, or take calls, while you are getting ready. The perimeter of the mirror has LED lighting. It comes with a 10x magnifying puck that attaches to the mirror with a simple stick. The Reflect Pro is priced at $199. You can purchase iHome products at Bed, Bath & Beyond, or from the iHome website. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com Support our coverage sponsors The post iHome Focuses on Wellness and Daily Rituals at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Water is our planet’s most precious natural resource. We can’t live without it. With that in mind, it’s important that we do everything we can to conserve water wherever possible. In our daily lives, we don’t think much about water that we may be losing due to old or inefficient water-management systems. But these losses could be bad for our infrastructure, the environment, and in the end, our bank accounts. Don met with a representative of Robeau, a French company currently based in England. Robeau has developed highly efficient water-measurement technology that is currently being used by businesses in Europe to track their water consumption. Robeau uses wi-fi enabled meters that track water flow and then report back to a server. From there, customers can track water usage by day, week, month, or year. Robeau can also notify users thru mobile apps of issues like possible leaks, and users can then use Robeau to turn off problematic water connections remotely. Robeau is currently in the process of bringing its products to the US market. Don Baine is the Gadget Professor and gives lectures at TheGadgetProfessor.com Support our coverage sponsors The post Robeau is Bringing Accurate Water Usage Measurement to CES appeared first on Geek News Central.

One of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions is to lose weight. People start out with good intentions, but many quit after about four weeks because they cannot see any changes happening. ShapeScale is a 3D body scanning scale that can point out the small changes that you cannot see simply by looking at yourself in a mirror. Todd visited the ShapeScale booth at CES 2018 and spoke with Martin, who explained how ShapeScale works. Get on the scale, and it will take a full 3D scan of your body in less than 40 seconds. It creates a photo realistic 3D avatar of you. The avatar syncs to your iPhone or Android smartphone via the ShapeScale app. Look at your 3D avatar to see the small changes to your body that have been happening over time. ShapeScale uses color coding to convey information. It colors portions of your 3D avatar blue to show where body fat loss has taken place. It colors part of your avatar red to show where muscle gain has happened. The app can show you other health and fitness measurements including circumference measurements, body weight, height, body fat, and lean mass. ShapeScale is set to start shipping later this year. It will retail at $499. However, if you head to their website now, you can preorder your very own ShapeScale for $349. The post ShapeScale 3D Body Scanning Scale at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Just about anything that uses electricity produces heat. As computing devices become more advanced and more powerful, they can become true heat machines. But heat inside a computer can be destructive. That’s why it’s important for computers to have reliable heatsinks that help to dissipate the heat they create. Todd had a chat with Michael from Kulr Technology. (The company name is actually pronounced “cooler,” get it?) Kulr Technology specializes in carbon fiber heatsinks. The company is building on its 30 years of cooling-tech experience, where its products have been used on the International Space Station, the Mars Rover, the Mercury Messenger, and more. Kulr is also expanding its offerings to industries like AI computing, autonomous driving, and 5G wireless networks. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Kulr Technology Brings Carbon Fiber Cooling to CES appeared first on Geek News Central.

As serious wine connoisseurs know, you have to let red (and some white) wines breathe after opening, allowing them to aerate for the best aroma and taste. As a generalisation, the younger the wine, the longer it needs to rest before drinking. Very young wines might need a few hours, but half-an-hour is the minimum. And simply taking the cork out doesn’t count: the wine needs to be decanted (or double-decanted back into the bottle) for proper aeration. If this sounds like too much effort, then take a look at Aveine, a connected aerator and winner of a CES Innovation Award. Thanks to the connected aerator Aveine, you can immediately taste any wine in ideal conditions without having to wait 30 minutes or more. Place the aerator on the bottle, scan the label with your smartphone and serve. The smartphone checks for the wine in its database, connects to the Aveine and adjusts the aeration so that the aerator breathes the right amount of air as the wine is poured allowing it to breathe in an instant. Any red wine will benefit and there’s no waiting around or pouring into decanters. The Aveine aerator is launching on Indiegogo in March – signup for notifications at Aveine. Retail pricing is expected to be US$200 with deals on Indiegogo. Delivery in June. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Instant Wine Aeration with Aveine at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Tracking shots have traditionally been the preserve of the professional filmmaker or broadcaster, first with cameras on dollys and tracks, then with Steadicam and now there are cable or wire systems (SkyCam) that can move in three dimensions to get some really amazing shots. While these are all still expensive, the amateur filmaker can achieve a similar effect with Wiral Lite at a fraction of the cost. Todd hangs tight with Emilie. The Wiral Lite system consists of a steel cable plus a motorised camera mount – the cable cam – that hangs from the cable and it’s a little like a miniature cable car. The cable is strung between two strong points, say, a couple of trees or street lights, and the cable cam is hung on the wire under tension. It needs the tension so that the rubber wheels can grip on the cable and move about. Cameras up to 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb can be carried by the cable cam so it can easily hold a GoPro. The remote control moves the cable cam back and forth on the cable with adjustable speed. The Wiral was successfully funded on Kickstarter in the autumn raising over US$1,000,000 and is now also crowdfunding on Indiegogo. There are currently perks at US$239 with delivery expected in August. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Beautiful Tracking Shots with Wiral at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Lioness is both the name of the company and the name of their product. The Lioness vibrator is the platform for exploring and improving your sex life, alone or with a partner. The data on the Lioness app can be used as a conversation starter with your partner. Colton visited the Lioness booth at CES 2018 and spoke with Liz. The Lioness vibrator uses biofeedback technology to help you learn more about your own sexual response. It has several sensors, including two force sensors on each side and a temperature sensor. There is an optional Lioness app that can show you the data it collected while the Lioness vibrator was in use. The app can show you what your own sexual response looks like. You can add more information into the app if you want to keep track of additional variables. The data provides a conversation piece for people to use to discuss their sexuality with their partner. The Lioness vibrator is chargeable by USB. It is on the market now and can be purchased from Lioness.io.. It is priced at $299 (plus shipping). Colten Clymer is a a contributor to GeekNewsCentral.com. Support our coverage sponsors The post Lioness Helps Improve Your Sex Life at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

CloviTek is the creator of CloviFi – the world’s smartest wireless audio transmitter. It is ideal for consumers, seniors, people who struggle with hearing loss, and businesses in public places. Todd visited the CloviTek booth at CES 2018 and spoke with Vitaly. He discussed the CloviFi audio distribution device. It is a Wi-Fi transmitter that can transmit audio from your TV to your mobile phone. The device has a Bluetooth transmitter. CloviFi is a great solution for households where someone wants to watch TV while other people are sleeping or studying. Connect CloviFi to one of the audio inputs on your TV. Power the TV on, then connect CloviFi to your Wi-Fi home network. Launch the mobile app to start transmitting audio. CloviTek estimates that the retail price range will be from $100 to $150. They estimate that it will take about three months before they can start shipping. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post CloviTek Brought CloviFi Wireless Audio Transmitter to CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Nuviz has created the first all-in-one motorcycle head-up display with integrated navigation, communication, action camera, and music in a single device. It enables those who ride motorcycles to be less distracted and more able to pay attention to the road ahead. Todd visited the NUVIZ booth and spoke with Peter at CES 2018. NUVIZ has made the only all-in-one head-up display for motorcycle riders. It attaches to a motorcycle helmet. The device syncs to your phone through an app. It has a small remote control that can be mounted to the handlebar of your motorcycle. The remote control was designed to be used by a person wearing a heavy motorcycle glove. The device allows for integrated navigation with GPS. It lets you communicate via Bluetooth intercom, so you can easily find out who is calling you, make a call, or reject a call. It has a camera that enables motorcyclists to record while they ride. In addition, the device can be used as a media player. The NUVIZ head-up display has a replaceable and rechargeable battery. The battery life is eight hours for light use. It lasts for three and a half-hours if you are doing heavy video recording. The NUVIZ all-in-one head-up display retails for $699. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post NUVIZ Presented First All-In-One Motorcycle Head-Up Display at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

After the success of their smart helmet light for motorcyclists, Cosmo Connected are back at CES with a new version for bicyclists. For once the smart moniker is well deserved and it really could save lives. Todd goes for a ride with Emily. Winning three CES awards in 2018, the Cosmo team’s smart helmet for cyclists builds on bike version. With investment from Michelin, the new helmet light not only shows when the cyclist is braking but also when they’re going to turn. For braking, the light uses accelerometers to detect deceleration but for turns, it’s more sophisticated. The smart light is pre-programmed with the cyclist’s expected route and then uses GPS to anticipate upcoming turns, indicate either to the left or the right as appropriate. This is particularly useful for cyclists who have regular routes such as commutes. In the unfortunate event of an accident, the Cosmo smart light can automatically call for help via the rider’s smartphone (Android / iOS) using Bluetooth. The new cycle light will be available in the summer for US$59 – that’s amazing value and I’ll be getting one. As promised, here’s last year’s CES video for the motorbike light. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Cycle Safely with the Smart Light by Cosmo at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

HELPER is a drone that was designed with lifesaving in mind. It allows lifeguards to drop a self inflating buoy in close proximity to a victim that is in danger. Helper Drone is useful for lifesaving at sea. Todd visited HELPER at CES 2018 and spoke with Anthony. HELPER is a piece of technology that offers reliable and secure navigation. It is ultra stable, and helps save lives, even in winds of up to 50 km/h. With speeds of up to 55 km/hr, and its precision to the meter, it enables speedy and controlled recovery. HELPER can climb to an altitude of 10 m/s and weighs 3.9 kilograms. When a lifeguard sees a person in the water who needs help, the lifeguard can use an app to deploy HELPER. The drone will automatically launch and go to the location the lifeguard selected. The camera on HELPER will show what is happening at the scene. The lifeguard can view the video. When the lifeguard clicks on the victim, the HELPER drone will drop a lifejacket in close proximity of the victim. The lifejacket inflates once it hits the water. HELPER has been used in France, but has not come to the United States yet. In France, a municipality pays $700 USD per year per drone for the HELPER service. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post HELPER Rescue Drone was Introduced at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Your pet would love for you to stay home and play with it all day. Unfortunately, you have to go work. Pebby is a smart ball that entertains your pet while you are away. Best of all, the Pebby app allows you to remotely interact and play with your pet from anywhere. Todd visited the Pebby booth at CES 2018 and spoke with Thinesh. The Pebby ball has many ways to entertain your pet. It allows pet owners to talk to their pets, record videos, and snap photos. The Pebby ball has a camera in it that connects to the Pebby app. Pet owners can maneuver the Pebby ball via the app by using the joystick icon. The Pebby ball can make sounds. Press the cat icon on the app and the Pebby ball makes a “meow” noise. Press the dog icon and the ball makes a “woof” sound. Talk into the app, and your pet will be able to hear you through the Pebby ball. The Pebby ball has a laser on it that pet owners can use to entertain their cats. Put a Pebby collar on your pet, and it unlocks the auto-play function. The Pebby ball will follow your pet and encourage your pet to play. To recharge Pebby, roll it into the Pebby wireless charging dock. Four hours of charging time gives you two hours of optimal non-stop playing and 12 hours on standby. You can preorder Pebby for $189 USD. Pebby is expecting to deliver in Quarter 2 at $249 USD for the Pebby ball, Pebby dock, and Pebby smart collar. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Pebby Smart Ball Entertains Your Pet at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Riding a bicycle or motorcycle can be fun, but it isn’t always ideal if you are in an area with lots of pollution. R-PUR found a fun and effective solution to this problem. They created the R-PUR anti-pollution mask that can filter out the harmful particles that are in the air. Todd visited the R-PUR booth at CES 2018 and spoke with Matthieu. R-PUR has created an anti-pollution mask for people who ride motorcycles or bicycles. The mask is efficient, comfortable, and fashionable. The R-PUR mask is the result of a year and a half of research and development. It is the only one that can filter out nano sized particles. You will, at times, have to change the filter in the R-PUR anti-pollution mask. The filters last between four and six weeks. R-PUR created an app that takes into consideration your location, the weather, and the amount of pollution, and lets you know when you need to change the filter. R-PUR launched their first collection of winter filter covers for the mask at CES 2018. They want to release new collections every six months. Doing so will keep their filter covers fun, fashionable, and something that people want to wear. The R-PUR anti-pollution mask will be on the market in the United States in June of 2018 at $150 USD. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post R-PUR Debuted a Fashionable Anti-Pollution Mask at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Lexip is the world’s first gaming mouse designed to be an all-in-one solution for your gaming needs across all types of games. It is a high-performance gaming mouse which is intuitive, precise, and fast in all your favorite games. Todd spoke with Hugo at the Lexip booth at CES 2018. Hugo pointed out that the Lexip Gaming Mouse has won three innovation awards. The mouse has two fully mechanical joysticks. One is on the side of the mouse and can be moved with your thumb. The other is in the core of the mouse itself, which you move by tilting the shell of the mouse. Everything on the Lexip mouse is fully programmable. Lexip has a Kickstarter for the mouse. You can get the Lexip Gaming Mouse via Kickstarter for $109 USD. Retail marketing for the Lexip Gaming Mouse starts in July of 2018 at $149 USD. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Lexip Introduces Revolutionary Gaming Mouse at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Smell is one of the last human senses to be conquered by machines, with human noses still assessing and testing a wide range of products such as tea, perfume and body odour. French firm Aryballe Technologies are smell specialists with their new NeOse Pro, which aims to bring consistency to the market. Todd sees the end for Q Graders…. Aryballe’s NeOse Pro brings objective analysis to the identification and measurement of odours and smells. The NeOse Pro isn’t designed to suggest what’s a good smell or a bad one, but rather that a standard for a smell has been met. This could be for quality control purposes in a fragrance or to detect fruit ripeness. There’s a wide range of opportunities in food, beauty, medical and manufacturing. New car smell anyone? The NeOse Pro is intended for commercial uses so the hand-held unit won’t be on the shelves of stores anytime soon. Businesses will need around US$10,000 to get their hands on the device. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Smelly Garbage or Old Dumpster? NeOse Pro Knows the Difference at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

The smart home is where-it’s-at, and while there are all kinds of automated lights, plugs and switches for people, there’s a growing market for the “internet of pets” – activity trackers, smart beds, smartphone apps. Jenna throws Todd a bone and shows him the latest kit for the connected canine. The Wagz team have range of products which work round a connected collar. As expected, the collar tracks steps and activity, building up data on the pooch’s fitness and lifestyle. There’s LED lighting to avoid road accidents and the smart dog collar has an OLED display for name and owner info. Amazingly the collar has built-in GPS with 3G/LTE mobile connectivity, meaning it’ll phone home tell you where your mutt is when it gets lost. There’s even an option for a camera to get a dog’s eye view of the world that streams in real-time. Now you can watch Lassie come home as it happens. Here girl! Mind you, this isn’t cheap – the basic collar will cost US$295 – and for the camera version, it’ll set you back a cool US$495. Pre-orders are open for expected deliveries in Q2 2018. The Wagz collar will also be available in stores as it was recently picked up by Black and Decker. Integrating with the collar are a pet feeder (US$250) and a pet door (US$250) which will be available later in the year too. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Watch Lassie Come Home by Wagz at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

For relatively small devices, handheld hairdryers use large amounts of power for anything up to ten minutes at a time. As a result, it’s one of the last things you’d think to be successfully battery-powered. Nevertheless, the team at Volo Beauty have taken on the challenge to develop the world’s first cordless hairdryer, the Volo Go. Todd discusses the problem with Ryan and Jonathan. Their approach for the Volo Go has been to re-engineer the hair dryer, changing from heating the air to heating the hair via infrared. This reduces the power demand to only 600 W – that’s about a third of a traditional hairdryer – without increasing drying time. At this level, battery-power is feasible, and the Volo Go lasts 14 minutes on a charge. As the average drying time for a woman’s hair is 7.5 minutes, this is ample. Extra batteries will be available for extended use. The Volo Go will launch in summer 2018 priced at US$388, with a Kickstarter campaign in the spring. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors   The post Go Cordless with the Volo Go at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Flic‘s smart Bluetooth buttons will be familiar to GNC readers as I reviewed them back in 2017. To be honest, the buttons aren’t that smart but it’s the clever smartphone software that does all the cool stuff. Consequently, if the Flic button is out of range of the owner’s smartphone, it’s somewhat useless. Fortunately Flic recognised this and announced an Indiegogo campaign for a Flic Hub that would take away the reliance on a nearby smartphone. Todd clicks with Elin to find out what’s new at Flic. The new Flic Hub removes the need for a nearby smartphone in a home or office environment and lets Flic smart buttons integrate more closely with other automation and process management systems. Flic is looking to grow in the enterprise with customers focusing in the safety and hospitality industries. The Hub can communicate with more Flic buttons so in theory, there could be hundreds of buttons in a location, and the integrity of the overall system is improved without dependence on the smartphone vendors. This creates a more reliable and dependable platform that enterprise customers are looking for, taking Flic beyond smart buttons. The Flic Hub is expected to go on-sale shortly. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Flic Gets Smarter with Flic Hub at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

With the advances in medical sciences and technology, there’s often no longer the need to “Send it to the lab, stat!” to get up-to-date info on blood chemistry. Soon, readings will be given at point of care in a few minutes, if not seconds. Todd consults with Brian on their latest blood diagnostic device. Apollo Medical Devices has been working with Case Western Reserve University in Ohio to develop a point of care blood diagnostic unit that uses a drop of blood to give information in seconds on eight key indicators such as sodium, potassium, pH and blood oxygen. The new devices should be in production with 12-18 months and cost will be in line with industry norms for the test. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Just a Drop of Blood with Apollo Medical Devices at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

The leaky faucet in your home could be costing you money! Water is expensive, and 13% of the water that goes into a home is lost due to leaks. A drop of water every two seconds works out to a thousand gallons of water in a year. Flo has a solution that not only will detect water leaks, but also can help you save money on your water bill. Todd stopped by the Flo booth at CES 2018 and spoke with Gabe. Flo is trying to prevent loss, one drip at a time. They proactively monitor the integrity of your home’s entire water system from a pressure, flow, and temperature standpoint. This enables Flo to detect vulnerabilities before you even get a leak. It also allows Flo to alert homeowners when a leak has been detected. The Flo app has a dashboard that shows you how much water you’ve used every day, and what times of the day you are using water. It has a control panel where you can see in real time what the pressure is in the water system, what the flow is, and what the temperature is. Push a button on the app to remotely turn on and turn off the water. The Flo device has a useful life of between five and ten years. You do need professional installation to install the Flo device on your plumbing. You only need one device for the house. Flo has a list price of $499. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Flo Can Detect A Leak as Small as a Single Drop of Water at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.

Voice-activated digital assistant devices have become somewhat commonplace in recent years, with the most well-known being developed by Amazon, Google, and Apple. These assistants can be good for getting help with basic tasks. But we’ve all had disappointing experiences with these platforms where it just felt like they weren’t “smart” enough to do what we wanted. Todd met with Frank of Titan AI. Frank talked about his company’s up-and-coming “AI companion” device that can do much more than just turn on the lights or order a pizza. Titan’s device uses both voice recognition and visual cues (courtesy of its built-in camera) to determine a user’s mood. Come home from a rough day at the office? Titan might suggest entertainment options that’ll put you in a better place of mind. Pricing is not yet available for Titan’s AI device. It is expected to go on sale between the third and fourth quarters of 2018. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Titan Platform Brings AI Companion to CES appeared first on Geek News Central.

One of the problems people face when they travel is the security of their bags or backpacks. There is potential that a thief will open your backpack and steal your items while you are sleeping on the plane. Or, a thief might steal your entire backpack. Lumzag has a solution that can prevent both of these problems. Lumzag introduced the world’s most secure backpack at CES 2018. Todd stopped by the Lumzag booth to speak with Natalie. She pointed out the many wonderful features of the Lumzag backpack. It has mobile tracking so you will always know where your backpack is. A remote anti-theft alarm will be activated if your backpack is stolen. The Lumzag backpack has embedded cameras that can take a photo of the person who opens your backpack without your permission. The backpack has its own power bank that is charged with solar power. The Lumzag backpack also functions as a Wi-Fi hotspot. The price of the Lumzag backpack has not yet been determined. They are going to launch a crowdfunding effort. Those who want to be the first to know when the Lumzag backpack is ready can sign up on the Lumzag website and be put on a waitlist. Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com. Become a GNC Insider today! Support our coverage sponsors The post Lumzag Introduced the World’s Most Secure Backpack at CES 2018 appeared first on Geek News Central.