How to Spend Your Bonus

[from "Minding the Gap" of FTF News] [Visit us at: http://www.ftfnews.com/how-to-spend-your-bonus/ ]

April 11, 2014 by Eugene Grygo, chief content editor, FTF News

So, you have gotten your bonus and you are wondering if you might spend a little on yourself to celebrate another year of surviving the insanity of Wall Street. While I generally preach prudence in such matters, I stumbled upon some seriously interesting items on display at last night’s DigitalFocus event (sort of a mini-CES) in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. What follows is a completely arbitrary rundown of interesting gadgets, toys, apps, and practical stuff for fitness, home and health.

1.) A New Karaoke machine, Audio Apps, Martian Watches and Robot Toys

The Singtrix Karaoke Machine

The creators of the popular Guitar Hero have another offering, Singtrix, which promises to turn even lousy singers into good ones. The system takes your vocals, auto tunes them and then offers a variety of mixes and sound choices. You can opt to sound like Barry Manilow or Barry White. You can add harmonies or a choir. You can also add in your own digital music and that of your incumbent karaoke tunes. To help you project your newly dulcet tones, the Singtrix bundle, available via singtrix.com, includes the vocal effects unit, customizable microphone, professional microphone stand and a stereo speaker system. A special limited edition Singtrix Party Bundle is also exclusively available online for $345.

The Harman Clari-Fi Software

Audio and infotainment systems vendor Harman has created an algorithm that adds back levels of sound quality lost in the digital sound compression process. The Clari-Fi algorithm automatically analyzes audio signals – whether it’s via satellite radio, Internet radio, streaming video, an MP3 or other source – and suggests ways to enrich the quality. The Clari-Fi software can be integrated with music systems in cars, mobile devices and streaming services. I sampled before and after examples and the difference was impressive. It made me nostalgic for vinyl.

Martian Watches

Smart-watches are the rage now and Martian Watches, based in Irvine, Calif., is debuting the Notifier and Martian Voice Command lines of Bluetooth-enabled watches that accept text messages and interact with the Siri, the voice-support system from Apple. The new lines will be available in major retail outlets nationwide starting June 1. The company says that the Martian Notifier was designed for “the fashion- and cost-conscious consumer” in need of a notification-enabled smart-watch that also offers filter and customized vibration capabilities.

The Martian Notifier’s Smart Notifications App allows three levels of notification support: users can filter the notification types sent to the watch, narrowing them down to the most important ones. The app also allows customized vibration patterns for each type of alert, letting users know if they have just received an email, text message or news alert. The third new function is a way to recall the most recent message with a tap of the watch face or a scroll through multiple past notifications.

The Martian Notifier line works with iPhones with iOS 7 or higher, which interact with iPhone’s Notification Center. Android users can receive notifications from any app that is installed on their phone and provides a push notification. The Martian App and Watch menus will support English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Available at major retailers nationwide, the Martian Notifier will sell for $129 this summer.

TinkerBots

Kinematics, a Brandenburg, Germany-based technology and toy company, has just released TinkerBots, a building set with easy-to-add robotics that make it possible for young children to create toy robots. TinkerBots does not require wiring or programming and the “Power Brain” and kinetic modules can be snapped together with other TinkerBots pieces—and LEGO bricks. This allows children to create a wide variety of the customized playthings. The red, square, “Power Brain” module has an Arduino-compatible microcontroller and provides wireless power and data transmission to kinetic modules such as a motor, a twister, a pivot and a grabber. Preorders for TinkerBots are now being accepted on international crowd-funding site Indiegogo.com and are expected to ship in the fourth quarter of this year.

2.) Sports and Fitness

MobiCoach

A mobile sports performance technology vendor, Mobiplex have launched MobiCoach, a real-time, remote golf coaching and video analysis service that offers access to golf coaches. The system includes the free SwingTIP iOS app that helps golfers improve their game via live lessons. The new MobiCoach service features top golf coaches from Nicklaus Academies, Troon Golf Academy and Jeff Ritter Golf. A mobile, cloud-based software platform brings coaches and students together. Golfers can utilize the MobiCoach service either as a free standalone SwingTIP iOS app or by combining the same app with a SwingTIP motion sensor and the iOS app for richer analysis, officials say.

Polar

Polar V800The maker of heart rate monitoring and fitness assessment technologies, Polar had on display the Polar V800, its latest training computer featuring integrated GPS and 24/7 activity tracking with customizable multisport profiles. The Polar V800 also offers heart rate monitoring while swimming and altitude readings with a built-in barometric pressure sensor. The company also featured Polar Loop, a smart bracelet that tracks daily activity, exercise levels and sleep patterns and gives instant feedback and provides alerts to help users achieve personalize daily activity goals. The Polar Loops works with Polar Flow, a free online tracking service and app for the iPhone that syncs via Bluetooth. The Polar Flow app and web service provides additional analysis and guidance, including illustrative graphics that showcase cumulative daily activity and periods of inactivity.

3.) Garage Door Closers, Doorbells with Video Streams, Smart Toothbrushes, and Hair Growth

MyQ Garage

For those times when you are not certain if you closed your electronic garage door, there is Chamberlain MyQ Garage Smartphone Garage Door Controller, which works with “nearly every garage door opener manufactured after 1993,” say company officials. The gadget and system works with home Wi-Fi support, a free app, no monthly or ongoing service fees, a Wi-Fi hub, door sensor, mounting bracket, power cord and instructions. Users will be notified if they left the garage door open, and alerted when it is being opened perhaps by others. The DIY installation requires a smartphone, ladder, basic tools and a Wi-Fi signal in the garage.

Doorbot

From the garage door to the front door, Doorbot is a wireless doorbell that streams live video of a home’s front doorstep directly to a smartphone or tablet, officials say. The device, accessed from home or remotely, enables “residents to see and speak with visitors at their doorstep,” the company adds. Doorbot, which is accessed through the free Doorbot app, is compatible with Lockitron, which lets people enter homes remotely.

Smart Toothbrushes

Kolibree has launched a smart toothbrush that will help users analyze brushing habits by displaying them on a mobile dashboard accessible via smartphones that quantifies brushing behavior. The data can be used to improve habits over time. Kolibree doesn’t make any claims that it can keep cavities or gingivitis at bay, but stresses the importance of taking care of one’s teeth. The app can work with several toothbrushes per client family. The data collected can be monitored in a single profile on the phone if the individual chooses, officials say. The brushing data will also be available via an open API to let third-party game designers develop new apps to add to the fun and further enhance brushing time.

Hair Growth

Apira Science’s iGrow Hair Growth System targets hair growth in males with androgenetic alopecia who have Norwood Hamilton Classifications of IIa to V. The iGrow Hair Growth System, available by prescription only, works via a low-level laser therapy and LED light that was cleared by the FDA for use at home. The patented red light technology only works with live follicles and helps the scalp by energizing cells and promoting hair growth. The system can achieve “an increase in terminal hair counts up to 39 percent after 16 weeks of therapy,” officials say.
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