As mobile device owners, we've all been stuck in that annoying situation by which our need to play games, send emails and use apps outweighs the device's battery capacity. We write checks that our overworked smartphones and tablets simply cannot cash, and as a result, the peripheral market makes a pretty penny from developing new, convenient ways to boost the retention. From simple charging cases to full-on battery packs, there are plenty of solutions available, but while many forgo appearance in favor of practicality, this neat new wrist-worn charger serves as an inconspicuous accessory when not in use.
Phone cases that are also battery packs are nothing new, but they all suffer from the same ailment of being a bit on the large side of the fence. They might solve the problem of getting through an entire day without your phone dying, but it's far from ideal.
One of the reasons why Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and several other infotainment-based services are currently emerging is due to the issue of road safety. Sure, our smartphones offer a wealth of information at our fingertips, but when we're driving, we can no longer use them. Of course, some folks like to flout the law and put the lives of themselves and others at risk, but for the most part, the tech industry is looking for a middle-ground whereby folks and digitally engage without compromising safety. An interesting new dashboard-ready gadget attempts to achieve exactly this, beaming notifications and other useful info to drivers who can still maintain focus on the road.
Since the digital era is in full swing, there’s hardly any need for paper in our daily lives. Every passing day and every other gadget pushes us more towards a paperless system that’s not only more efficient in terms of management and storage, but also more environment friendly. However, time and again, we come across the need for hard copies of various items - from receipts to memoirs and whatnot. Since printers have virtually become a dime a dozen these days, it’s not really a challenge anymore, either, but what about on-the-go printing? What if you want to keep on paper whatever you have on your iPhone’s screen? That’s precisely what Rolto aims to do.
The Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock for iPhone brought the pastime of logging sleep data and behavior to the mainstream, and having seen a bunch of apps and technologies emerge since then, companies and start-ups are now looking to up the ante. One group of individuals have dreamed up a very alluring, orb-like product that not only glows in the dark and looks amazing, but also does a pretty good job of monitoring you while you catch those all-important Zs.
Although our mobile devices seem to offer an endless list of great features and perks that, even some five or so years ago, we could only have dreamed about, there remains a great deal that our much-lauded smartphones and tablets simply aren't capable of. Now thermal imaging isn't something that consumers are necessarily crying out for, but as anybody else who played Splinter Cell will be able to vouch, having such abilities in real life would be pretty darned cool. Thanks to one company, iPhone users will soon be able to experience thermal imaging by attaching a contraption known as a FLIR, or forward-looking infra-red device, to the back, and on first glance, we're certainly impressed.
We live in a time where even the faintest cellular - or data signal - is considered a blessing for our communication needs. Take that away from someone’s life and panic ensues.
Kickstarter can be the home to some rather weird and, frankly, abysmal ideas, but sometimes there's a little gem waiting to be discovered. One of those gems is the Cabin iPhone battery and charging system and, if we could be so bold, we'd have to say it's pretty damn awesome.
Although many new smartphones offer waterproofing as standard, they're not of a standard whereby they could be taken deep underwater for the purpose of, say, snapping photos or capturing videos. However, despite the fact that the Apple iPhone lags behind the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5 in the waterproofing stakes, one third-party accessory maker has come through with a waterproof case that, incredibly, remains semi-functional even when the user is some 300ft below the surface.
With Apple reportedly toying with the idea of bringing its own fleet of smart home products in the near future - a speculative project that may or may not see the light of day - more and more companies are looking to stake a claim to this emerging market. Google's acquisition of Nest has sparked a marked rise in start-ups relating to smart home technology, and Beddit, which started off as an IndieGogo campaign raising over half a million dollars last year with its sleep monitoring pitch, has since benefited from the guidance of established outfit Misfit. Today, we get an insight into 'Beddit', the fruit of this collaborative union between Misfit and Beddit, and on first impression, it's a product that could truly revolutionize the way we approach sleepy-time.









