Martin Sokolowski

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GE Link Light Bulbs: A Bright Idea

It’s quite fascinating how much control we possess in the palm of our own hand. Smart devices have really changed the very world we live in, giving us custom settings and accessibilities to absolutely everything around us. General Electrics offers LED light bulbs able to be remotely controlled via a smartphone/tablet, making a typical home that much closer to that of a smart home.

Offered in various watt capacities, GE’s state of the art LINK light bulbs use 80% less power than traditional bulbs and have an unbelievable energy efficiency lifespan of over 22 years (based on 3 hours/day usage— $1.20/year of the $87.99 6-pack value). The bulbs are linked to a smart device, able to control and schedule the bulbs in any way possible via a Wink HUB app/connection. The user now has the ability to control the light capacity inside the room, in any room, from the palm of their hand, making energy saving that much more simpler for the every day person.

http://gelinkbulbs.com

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Brookstone Virtual Keyboard

Here’s a neat device that science fiction movies have for so long developed in their futuristic settings. Having a virtual device project onto a surface and have a user interact with it.

Brookstone is selling a virtual laser keyboard accessible with Apple and Android devices that projects the image of a keyboard onto a flat surface, having the user easily interact with the technology as if it were a real life thing. The set up is quick, linking the projecting device via bluetooth wireless technology to a personal smartphone, tablet and other device.

Criticism of the device have been neutral with both parties expressing valid pros/cons statement— regardless of the criticism, the Brookstone keyboard is quite exciting, lightweight, and tiny enough to be carried around in ones pocket for that writer on the go. The future is here and only getting better.

http://www.ctxtechnologies.com/products/vk-200-keyfob-virtual-keyboard/

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Instaprint: The 21st Century Photobooth

Having camera’s on all our carryon smart devices these days makes sharing our everyday activities that much simpler. Having accessibility to various online social media sites, everyone now has the ability to share the events of their day-to-day lives on the web with everyone that follows them. But what if someone wants to be a little old fashioned and have their shared photographs physically printed/developed rather than have it in electronic form?

Instagram has developed printing stations, a “photobooth where the camera’s in everyone’s pocket”, adding extra fun during parties and events where the hostesses can rent printing stations and have the attendees print their fun. The hostess would set up a location tag and a unique hashtag for their attendees to tag, allowing the machine to wirelessly grab the information and instantaneously print out images (and videos in a picture-by-picture set up) based on those specifications. A standard kit includes four ‘Instaprint’ stations connected by daisy chains to share power and data connections.

The device is an added appeal to an app that over 150 million monthly users use.

https://instaprint.me

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The Mercedes F015: The car of the future!

Although just a concept vehicle at the moment, it is interesting to see where the technology of self-driven cars are heading. Mercedes-Benz has introduced their latest futuristic concept, the F015 Luxury, a vehicle running entirely on electrical power (up to 700 miles per electrical charge) and controlled via touchscreen and mobile devices that sets stages of speeds and of course, the destination. Six display screens create a ‘digital living space’, giving the passengers the ability to interact with the car through gestures or touch. The F015 allows passengers to relax and/or take control of the vehicle on their own, all in a large luxurious space— four lounge chairs that can face forward to the wheel or swivelled to face the rear seats, creating a more interactive setting. Sensors and laser projection systems surround the vehicle to sense traffic and obstacles around along with audio and acoustic settings to instruct pedestrians outside when necessary. 

This is the way to a much safer future for the auto industry; design that can trump functionality.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/20/8263561/mercedes-benz-f-015-self-driving-video

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Livescribe Smart Pen

This is the note taking of the 21st century! 

How many times have we dropped down quick notes only to retype them afterwards? Personally, lots. Introducing the Echo Livescribe Smart Pen, a device that instantaneously records your notes, digitally, into your computer (and cloud) via wi-fi, having it accessible for your own personal records and clients/team members. The smart pen even acts as an audio recorder, syncing audio from meetings or lectures right, attaching them to the very document that you are writing for added details. The pen uses a special pad of digital paper with microdot patterns, mimicking gestures and keys normally seen on mobile/tablet devices but are now just printed and located on top of the paper. The user would punch in their password using the smart pen, setting up specific options for that ideal setting/task (all done in the pen), and immediately syncing up signal to a linked computer/cloud. Pretty impressive stuff.

http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/echo/

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SMARTthings Kit

Now everyone can live like a millionaire! 

SmartThings turns your ordinary house into a Smart home with numerous devices meant to provide you peace of mind, home security, and limitless possibilities. The state of the art technology can monitor/regulate movement, locks, settings and even adjust temperature to ones preference. Gone are the days where the average person would wonder if the garage or the front door is locked and secure— now it can easily accessible and checked with your standard smartphone. 

Notifications can also be sent to notify the owner who has entered or left the property, giving additional comfort. The SmartThings kit varies in prices and the amount of sensors that are given in each package, but ideally is still fairly inexpensive considering the technology that is attached to it and its do-it-yourself simple/fast set up.

http://www.smartthings.com/product/

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IKEA's Wireless Qi Furniture.

Because we are so connected to the digital world, we are constantly checking our phones for news, updates, statuses, connections…etc. etc. the list goes on and on. Doing that, our phone take a large hit on battery life— to a point where most people carry their chargers around with them wherever they go to charge up their phones whenever the time presents itself.

Introducing IKEA’s take on solving that problem; household furniture equipped with wireless technology that charges your phone. The list mostly includes several variety of lamps (and only that at the moment) because lamps need a plug in to access power to charge your phone.

“Want a world without wires? IKEA wants to make that dream come true, too.”

Many smartphones have the technology built inside them to charge wirelessly, called ‘Wireless Qi’ (IKEA’s wireless charging tech of choice). The user would simply place their phone on a built platform and the phone would instantly begin charging. Though accessible to major smartphone companies (Nokia, HTC, LG, Samsung), the biggest downside is the exclusion of Apple’s iPhone. Because this technology is fairly new and just making its trial run for the market, along with many food/coffee establishments thinking about introducing Wireless Qi platform for its customers, we are sure to see that Apple will most likely adapt the technology itself or create a whole new one for themselves to compete against its peers.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3043049/ikea-releases-furniture-that-wirelessly-charges-your-phone#1

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The Apple Watch!

It felt appropriate with the sudden hype surrounding the ‘Apple Watch’ that a post needed to acknowledge it. The smartwatch allows you do everything that your typical smart phone product does— the only difference is that it is in the form of a watch around your wrist. It allows you to control music like your typical iPod, send/receive emails, keep track of your health, even allows you to make payments via Apple Pay (just to name a few). The product is quite impressive and a huge step forward for Apple becoming the ideal technological platform for the world as it is only accessible with Apple mobiles and only with the recent models (5, 5C, 5S, 6, 6Plus). It is meant to be paired and connected with your iPhone continuously via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, has a lasting battery life of 18 hours and comes in various sizes and styles. You are constantly in eyes view of staying connected in the digital world and have accessibility to it without even pulling out your phone.

The amount of specs that are featured in this little device are never ending and most definitely a step forward when it compares to other competitors of the same type that haven’t yet adopted the technology of the Apple Watch. For styles, specs, prices, features… etc. click here:

http://www.cnet.com/products/apple-watch/

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Virtual Reality is here! (Samsung Gear VR)

Since the beginning of the digital age, people have dreamt about living in the virtual world. We have seen countless science-fiction stories, films, comics throughout the ages demonstrating the fascinating possibilities that VR (virtual reality) has to offer. We’re living in a time where technology is advancing so quickly that it is beginning to shape and change our every day life. Science-fiction has become a reality!

Samsung has introduced the Gear VR system— compatible with their Note 4 mobiles, allowing users to place their mobiles in front of the gear system and running VR videos. This grants the user to experience places, exhibits and countries from the setting of their own space. Although there have been other VR systems introduced in the past few years (such as the Google Cardboard), the Samsung head set focuses primarily on the experience of virtual reality for the user, at full view, something that its competitors are largely lacking. Very fun and very impressive.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/gaming-accessories/samsung-gear-vr-1263308/review

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Transcutaneous Immunization

How often do we hear about people being afraid of needles? Often! Doing some research on the topic it came to my attention that twenty percent of the general public have an morbid fear of sharp objects, needles and injections (a phobia called ‘trypanophobia’). Intercell has created a ‘Vaccine Patch’ (designed by IDEO) to eliminate the fear of needles and make immunization shots a little less frightening— and at the same time delivering the same amount of medicine for the general public. “The transcutaneous immunization patch provides a needle-free alternative to injected immunizations.” The biggest challenge for pharmaceutical companies that deliver immunization shots during flu-season is to have people actually attend to get their shots. By eliminating the fear of needles this creates a potentially larger percentage of people (most importantly, children) attend session to get their vaccine. The device containing the patch would simply just be placed on the persons arms and then with one push downwards a patch would be delivered onto the arm. Ultimately, this gives the public a little more comfort in knowing that they can get the medicine that they need without puncturing skin.

http://www.ideo.com/work/transcutaneous-immunization-delivery-method-for-iomai

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XSENS MVN System is here!

It is mind-blowing how far motion capture has evolved within the last ten years! With a background in filmmaking, I studied the old “traditional” method of motion capture. An actor would essentially act out a scene alone (on set), providing all the necessary gestures and movement, and then production would film the opposing actor (CG character) in a motion-capture facility to later be composited into the shot/scene. XSENS introduced the ‘MVN system’, allowing the actor to be motion-captured on live set, opposite of the action and other actors—providing all the necessary gestures, for easy post-production composition. The design, price and technological value is beyond belief, and many high-budget Hollywood films such as Ted, Paul and X-Men (to name a few) have grasped the technology to ultimate heights. Pretty neat!

https://www.xsens.com/products/xsens-mvn/