Home 2017

Energous receives industry-first FCC certification in the over-the-air, wireless-charging field

A couple years ago, we told you about wireless charging from Energous Corporation.  They created the WattUP wire-free charging technology that allows over-the-air, wireless device charging from a distance of a few millimeters to up to 15 feet away.  In a press release on December 27, 2017, Energous announced their WattUp RF-based Mid Field transmitters had received FCC certification, the first certification in this field.

Energous has developed three power transmitters.  The Far Field energy transmitter can be placed in a TV’s bezel or a soundbar, or it can be placed on the wall or ceiling of your room to extend charging coverage into the room.  Multiple Far Field transmitters can even create a charging network, to extend coverage even further into your space.  A Mid Field transmitter embedded in a monitor or speaker could offer coverage to the devices over the 2-3 feet of your desktop, where all the small devices on your desk could be charged without cables or charging pads.  Near Field transmitters would be the smallest and cheapest wireless charging option; embedded into a laptop or a piece of furniture, it could replace a USB cable to charge a mobile device.  Using software control, the Far and Mid Field transmitters could charge multiple devices simultaneously, and you could even use software controls to prioritize which device gets charged quickest and first.

Of course, devices must have a WattUp receiver to collect and convert the RF energy into electrical energy for charging.  WattUp receivers have multiple antennas that use “pocket-forming technology to accurately direct energy to the receiver. The technology dynamically adjusts the shape and content of the RF waves so they can be directed to a specific location in 3D space. There, the energy is gathered by the receiver’s special antennas where WattUp® ASICs convert the RF signal to DC current, delivering a charge to the battery.”

On December 26, 2017, Energous announced they have been granted “Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification of its first-generation WattUp Mid Field transmitter, which sends focused, RF-based power to devices at a distance. As the first FCC certification for power-at-a-distance wireless charging under Part 18 of the FCC’s rules, this development represents a new era of wireless charging, and opens up a tremendous opportunity for the electronics industry.”  This certification was granted after months of rigorous testing for safety and efficiency of WattUp devices.

Energous announced in the same press release, that they will be demonstrating their very latest WattUp technology at CES 2018, in Las Vegas, NV, January 9-12. They urge you to learn more about Energous, by visiting Energous.com or by following them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

Air Sling bag, AKITA IoT watchdog, Magnet Driver, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

This week we are featuring five crowdfunding campaigns from Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Click through to read more details about these seven crowdfunded products.

Magnet Driver™ DDN: The Total Tool to Drill, Drive and Nail.

Blurb by Bob Patterson

What is it?
The Magnet Driver is a sleeve that slides over the bits on your screwdriver or power driver. A magnetic ring in the sleeve keeps your screws in place for easy driving.

Why do I like it?
I was sent the full MICATON Driver Set which includes 5 different sized Magnet Driver sleeves, plus a set of 10 color-matching bits (hex bits, Phillips heads, and a square bit). It really does make driving screws a lot easier. The screws click securely into place when inserted into the sleeve, and don’t waggle about while you’re trying to drive them smoothly into the desired surface. Since the screw head sits in the sleeve, your surface is also protected from scratches. And the magnetic sleeve keeps your screws from falling out, making it much easier to manage tasks in difficult to reach places.

As an added bonus, this it also includes an extension for holding nails in place. Attach the extension to your screwdriver and slide the magnetic sleeve in place. You know have a magnetic clip for holding your nails in place, protecting your fingers from getting squashed by an errant whack with the hammer!

Where can I find more info?
The Magnet Driver campaign ends on 2/5/2018 and they are just beginning their trek towards their funding goal of $20,000. You can pre-order a Magnet Driver starting at $9. After the Magnet Driver campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Morphcooker | The World’s First Electric Camp Stove

What is it?
The Morphcooker is a battery powered collapsible cooking pot.

Why do I like it?
I don’t camp or cook outdoors, but if I did, I’d consider a Morphcooker because it’s battery powered and can morph into a frying pan, pot, and even an oven. It also functions as a flashlight and a backup battery for your other tech gear.

Where can I find more info?
The Morphcooker campaign ends on 1/9/2018 and they have already met their funding goal of $14,100. You can pre-order a Morphcooker starting at $96. After the Morphcooker campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Air Sling: The World’s First Cutproof Sling Bag

What is it?
The Air Sling is a small wearable EDC gear bag that holds only the gear you need and can be worn cross body style.

Why do I like it?
I like the Air Sling because it reminds me of a much smaller version of the Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L bag that I just reviewed. But the Air Sling features cut resistant waterproof fabric, magnetic latches, and pass through charging port.

Where can I find more info?
The Air Sling campaign ends on 1/9/2018 and they have already met their funding goal of $5,000. You can pre-order an Air Sling starting at $55. After the Air Sling campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in April 2018. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.

The World’s Smallest Phone – Introducing The Zanco tiny t1

What is it?
The Zanco tiny t1 is a miniature mobile phone that’s not much bigger than a USB flash drive or a lighter.

Why do I like it?
I like the Zanco tiny t1 because it’s…. tiny! It reminds me of a simpler version of the Jelly Pro phone that I reviewed a few weeks ago. It makes me wonder if tiny phones are going to be a trend for 2018. The Zanco doesn’t have a touchscreen and can’t run apps, but it’s perfect for an inexpensive back up phone for those times when you just can’t carry a phablet.

Where can I find more info?
The Zanco tiny t1 campaign ends on 1/18/2018 and they have already passed their funding goal of $33,444. You can pre-order a Zanco tiny t1 starting at $47. After the Zanco tiny t1 campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

AKITA | Instant Privacy for Smart Homes

What is it?
AKITA is a plug and play IoT (Internet of Things) watchdog hub that monitors all the smart home devices on your network to make sure they are secure and have not been hacked from the outside.

Why do I like it?
If you’re like me, you have more than a couple IoT devices in your home. You probably have security cameras, tablets, smart thermostats, voice assistants like Amazon Echos and Google Homes, and more. AKITA scans your home network for your connected devices looking for any unusual activity and immediately blocks the activity if it detects a problem and notifies you. You can then get live help from AKITA support on how to fix the problem if you want to pay for the monthly subscription which will be priced between $15 – $25 a month. This subscription is not required though.

Where can I find more info?
The AKITA campaign ends on 1/13/2018 and they have already more than met their funding goal of $30,000. You can pre-order an AKITA starting at $89. After the AKITA campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in April 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Bellroy has a woman’s wallet perfect for minimal EDC

It seems that most of the wallets featured on The Gadgeteer are men’s wallets or unisex wallets that basically hold some cards and cash and really nothing else.  That’s not a problem for men because their clothing tends to have usable pockets, unlike women’s clothing which usually have decorative pockets if any at all.  That lack of pockets is why some women carry a small purse, even when they don’t want to.  The Clutch from Bellroy is a wallet designed for women, and it has many of the things I personally look for in a minimal bag.

The Clutch measures 7.9″ X 5.3″.  It’s zippered closed, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything, and it has a wrist strap so you don’t have to worry about laying it down and losing the Clutch itself.  A central pouch, which can serve as a coin purse, divides the wallet into two sections.  There’s room inside for cards, cash, a phone, and even your keys and a few other small items – making the Clutch a perfect wallet to take when you run out for a quick lunch or some errands and don’t need a big bag weighing you down.

The Clutch, in Bellroy’s own words, is made from “premium hides tanned under gold-rated Leather Working Group environmental protocols, then dyed through so they age gracefully. The woven fabrics we use are sustainably produced and chosen for their durability and lightweight performance.”  The Clutch is available in alabaster (shown), navy, black, and deep blush for $189.95 from Bellroy.

Fossil Q Explorist (& Q Venture) Stainless Steel smartwatch review

Since Fossil sent me two of their latest GEN3 smartwatches, one much more masculine than the other, I thought it would be fun to do a joint review. So I drafted a longtime gal-pal of mine to try out the bedazzled rose gold Venture since it was just too bling for me to handle 😉 . Kati isn’t the classic Gadgeteer tech-geek but does know and like her electronic gear to work when & where she needs it. We’ll see how the latest smartwatches from Fossil fair in a relatively niche and unforgiving market.

Dave’s comments are in black and Kati’s are in blue. Dave will be discussing the Q EXPLORIST SMOKE and Kati will be looking at the Q VENTURE ROSE GOLD-TONE both made from stainless steel.

Dave: the Q Explorist and Q Venture are both GEN 3 Android Wear smartwatches by Fossil featuring a solid list of features you’d expect in a modern wearable. Though there are a few features that are sadly missing as well.

Kati is a founding member and has been part of my wife’s Friday evening Wine Club forever. Sadly she’s had to listen to me go on about countless tech-toys I’ve reviewed over the years. Very glad she has agreed to join me on this review, cause, no matter how high-tech or futuristic something is, pink bedazzled just ain’t me…

Kati: Long-time reader, first-time reviewer, I am what you might consider a ‘late adopter’ of tech products, I like them to be well vetted and easy to use. My wearable tech experiences are mostly wireless earphones or Fitbit products. I am currently on my third iteration of Fitbit, using the Alta which I wear pretty much 24/7 to track exercise and sleep. Even for the tech I have, I use them sparingly (other than the Aervana electric wine aerator…but that’s a different review) and don’t want to work too hard to reap the benefits of my products, this is where I feel the Venture falls short, if I could access the tech faster and more intuitively, I might be more inclined to wear full-time. (see below for Apple vs Android comment)

Tech details

  • Storage: 4GB
  • Operating System: Android Wear™
  • Sensors: Light, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Optical
  • Compatibility: Android™ Devices 4.3+ and iOS 9+ / iPhone 5+
  • In the Box: Wireless Charger (USB Type), Quick Start Guide
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth® Smart Enabled / 4.1 Low Energy, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n – Powered by Android Wear™
  • Battery Life: Estimated all day

Functionality

  • Outside Temperature: Yes
  • Heart Rate: No
  • Activity Tracker: Built-In Fitness Tracker
  • Touchscreen: Yes
  • Notifications: Social Media / Text / Email / App Alerts / Multiple Time Zones / Alarm Clock / Calendar Alerts
  • Timer: Yes
  • Text and Voice: Yes

Physical details

  • Case Color: Black
  • Case Size: 46mm
  • Case Shape: Round
  • Case Thickness: 12.5mm
  • Case Material: Stainless Steel
  • Strap Closure: 2 Pusher Foldover Clasp
  • Strap Color: Black, Gunmetal
  • Circumference: 200 +/- 5mm
  • Strap Width: 22mm
  • Strap Material: Stainless Steel
  • Weight:

Wearability

Dave: Neither smartwatch is small by any stretch of the imagination. But the Explorist is HUGE, measuring in at 46mm in diameter, 12mm thick, and weighing a hefty 5.6oz (aka 1/3 of a pound). This behemoth makes my already small wrist look like a toothpick. Though I’m pretty sure I could stop bullets like Wonder Woman with this slab of tech.

Kati: The Venture is smaller than the Explorist but still bigger than I would normally wear and heavy, but after a while, you get used to it. I did need to shorten the band, but no instructions on how to do this unless you go to the internet. Eventually, I used the tool that came with my Fitbit to shorten the band and it fit like a charm.

Dave: I needed to shorten my band as well. This is something you typically do once and you’re done with it. Many folks would just have a jeweler take care of this. I took mine to an actual Fossil store in a nearby mall. The guys there were happy to help me out and took care of it in about 5 minutes. They were all very interested in my Gadgeteer review lifestyle. Bottom line is that I was impressed Kati adjusted her band by herself…cause she has people who do this sort of task for her (aka me) but has been truly embracing her first Gadgeteer review.

Setup

Dave: The Fossil GEN3 smartwatches run Android Wear 2.0 and are compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3+ or iOS 9+. I’ve set up my fair share of smartwatches over the years, using both Android and iPhone alike. For me, setting up the Q Explorist went well and was uneventful. Basic watch functions, notifications, music, and fitness tracking all happened quick and easy (15 minutes).

Kati: This is where my non-tech world collides with Dave. I typically rely on Dave for most of my upgrades (ok, all) and I use a mix of ‘read the instructions’ and ‘push buttons until something happens approach’. This was good for this particular watch as the instructions were minimal, at best. I easily set up the app and connected / synced both, however, the app was silent on all the bells and whistles this watch has to offer. It assumes I know what I am doing…I don’t.

Dave: As Kati said, she typically gets her tech support from me. It usually involves “here please fix it or could you get this working”. But we thought it would be more “fun” for her to jump off the cliff to see if the parachute would open…guess it didn’t. 

Kati: I did add my email (I think) but still looking to download music so I can have only the watch and no phone when out for a walk. And I don’t even know all the other cool things this could do to improve my life. Hmmm – maybe I am in the vortex (of pain) between iPhone and Android apps…**looking at the help section I think this may be my issue…everything related to Google products and not my prime music or apple apps…might be good at the outset to mention it is Google-centric and not universal – unless I am missing something.

Dave: Yes, Kati is correct…it is much easier to use this watch if you lived completely in the Google ecosystem. But its no worse than if you had an Apple Watch & an Android smartphone.

Hardware

Dave: Other than size, color, and a bit of bedazzling, the main difference between the Explorist and Venture are the two programmable buttons on the right side of the Explorist.

Kati: uh, it has two buttons??

Dave: No, not yours… Though both smartwatches are made from stainless steel with a brushed gunmetal and rose gold finish on them. Both bracelets are more of the same and have a 2-pusher foldover clasp to keep them securely on your wrist. Both are well made and have a classic wristwatch appearance (other than the front face that is). The stainless steel is thick and heavy with a quality heft and feel to it.

Kati: I like the rose gold and would wear this as a work or ‘fancy’ watch, but cannot see it as a daily experience as I fear I would bang it up as the face is so large. (I do like the whole ‘change the look of the face on a whim’ option of the digital watch – who knew?) 

Dave: The front face has a large touchscreen that is responsive, vivid, and can be seen in daylight conditions. The watches also have a built-in microphone and speaker that is surprisingly loud and clear considering its size.

Both the Venture…

…are available in a multitude of colors and band choices.

Functionality

Dave: The Explorist and Venture are definitely smart wearables giving you the all the basics of time, date, notifications, fitness tracking (aka steps), music, swappable/tweakable watch faces, etc. But Fossil has excluded what I consider some key functionality: heart rate monitor, GPS, waterproofing…what I “need” for my epic workouts. The GEN3 of Q series smartwatches are much more fashion focused and a lot less fitness based. A choice that definitely bucks the current generation of other wrist-based devices.

Kati: I pretty much only use it for time, date and looking at steps taken. Obviously, this is me as I can’t figure out how to download music to take up the 4gb of space, but for what it has/I use, I like it. I kept a ‘review diary’ and multiple times I wrote something to the effect of “it’s different than I expected, but I like it.”

Dave: Both Kati and I found the battery life lacking. Kati’s experience worse than mine. On the days I worked out with it, I streamed music for about an hour over lunch and it was down to approximately 20% by dinner time.

Kati: Where mine rarely lasted a full day worth of use.

Positives

  • Quality stainless steel casing and band
  • Feels like a classic timepiece
  • Bright, vibrant color screen
  • Android Wear 2.0
  • Will be upgraded to Oreo

Negatives

  • Heavy and huge
  • Lacking heart rate monitor/GPS/waterproofing
  • Instructions are nearly nonexistent
  • No LTE option

Final thoughts

Kati: I’m like a magpie, easily distracted by sparkly things. This watch is all that and more. Anytime I wore it, I received positive compliments and I have to say, as a fashion watch, I quite like it. As a functional, everyday watch, I can’t commit as I want something that can take me from morning to gym, to work, and then bed to track sleep. Since this is ‘smart’ the charge did not last enough to track sleep. Plus there is no way that I would wear this gem to the gym for fear of damaging it and ruining what makes it so lovely. I do think if I was able to fully unlock all the functionality of the watch then I would use it more. But for now, it will be relegated to a beautiful, functional work or evening watch that is pretty, but more jewelry than high-tech wearable.

Dave: Fossil’s GEN3 Smartwatches are decent players in a crowded field but I say that with much subjectivity. It really boils down to what type of person you are and wearable you want/need. I completely agree with Kati about fashion vs function and perhaps features. As the workout enthusiast, I am, I want heart-rate, GPS, waterproofing (or at least sweat-/rain-proofing), to even consider a wearable on my daily wear list. Plus considering it’s size, the Explorist (or Venture) should have better battery life, all the additional features I mentioned, and heck LTE too. Apple, Samsung, and Huawei can do it…why can’t Fossil??? That said, as a smart fashion watch the entire GEN3 Q series of wearables would meet most people’s needs as a wearable but more as jewelry than fitness tool.

Price: $275.00
Where to buy: Available at Fossil or Amazon
Source: The samples of this product was provided by Fossil.

Never lose your pen again with the Journal Bandolier

If you have trouble keeping up with a pen or pencil for writing in your journal or planner, you’ll be interested in the Journal Bandolier.  The Bandolier straps around your notebook, journal, or planner, and it keeps your pens, pencils, or markers corralled in loops.  You’ll always have your favorite writing implements handy when you need them.

In addition to the reclaimed rubber and elastic version shown here, the cleverhands Etsy shop offers the Journal Bandoliers in leather and fabrics, and they are sized to hold just a couple or many pens, depending on the style you select.  Journal Bandoliers are available from about $17 to about $26 in the cleverhands Etsy shop.