Dinner Plate Which Lets You Know How Much Calorie You Are About To Consume

SmartPlate is hardware in a form of a plate which analyzes whatever the food that is put on it.  It is invented by a Philadelphia-based startup Fitly and it is currently being crowd funded in Kickstarter. The goal is to collect a funding of $100,000 before it is released to the market. You can pledge a piece for $149 whereas the retail price will be $229. If everything is going as per plan, it will start shipping in summer 2016.

The device comes with three digital cameras and image recognition technology which is able to identify the object which is placed on top of it. Furthermore, it transmits data to the corresponding apps installed in the Android OS or iOS. The data is transmitted by using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The difference of this product with the available apps in the market today such as MyFitnessPal is that this product collects the data automatically and accurately too. For example, when an apple is placed on top of SmartPlate, the details were shown on the apps almost automatically, including the weight and the ingredients inside the apple. It is displayed that the apple weighs 7.16oz, 21 grams of sugar, 106 calories and 28 carbs. Therefore, as a comparison, somebody weighs an apple on a weighing machine separately and it is shown as 7.2 oz.

The SmartPlate is coming with a variety of colors such as purple, fuschia and teal.

Dinner Plate Which Lets You Know How Much Calorie You Are About To Consume

Device to Track Fart Being Crowdfunded in Kickstarter

The fart-tracking device official name is “CH4″ which is also a chemical compound methane which is normally found in natural gas. The device is currently being crowdfunded in Kickstarter with a goal of $180,000. You can pledge a piece for $120. This unique device is developed by Brazilian user interface designer and wearable enthusiast Rodrigo Narciso by using a 3D printer. The device is his Master’s thesis for NYU’s Interactive Telecommunication Program. There are divided response for this product. Some will like it while some will not like it.

To use the device, you can place it at the back pocket of your pants or your belt and each time you fart, it will record the gas similar to the way that the car gauge works. Thus by using a dedicated app, you need to enter your food intake and the device will let you know what are the food that makes you extra gassy so that you do not have to consume the food.

Therefore, why do we fart? It is because when we consume our food, there is also a small amount of air that we take in. The food then will be broken into a certain gas in digestion process. The odor which produce during farting is caused by methane and hydrogen sulfide. Bacteria also can be another possible reason on why we fart.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney diseases, it is reported that vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and sodas can make you extra gassy. The delivery can be expected in March 2016.

Device to Track Fart Being Crowdfunded in Kickstarter

Virtual Reality Mask with Nirvana Helmet Allow Gamers Smell and Feel the Action

A new startup company, Feelreal has invented two interesting products which currently seeking for crowdfunding in Kickstarter. One of the products is a virtual reality mask. With this VR mask, it will allow the users to stimulate the smell of the environment shown on the screen. It comes with an odor generator which can take seven removable “smell cartridges” which will then be mixed to create the appropriate scent. The basic smell covers the jungle, flowers, ocean, burning rubber, fire, gunpowder and aphrodisiacs. On top of that, it also can come with special made-to-order scents with additional pricing of $300. The device will also have option to be mounted at the bottom of Oculus Rift VR headset.

The Nirvana helmet, on the other hand, allows user to experience a full sensory stimulation. It comes with a high resolution smartphone display, 3D audio system and a slot where the mask can slide into. On top of that, it comes with micro projection and fabric lining to ensure greater comfort for the user.

Both models connect wirelessly via Bluetooth to the digital entertainment source device. If used continuously, the mask should last about four hours on a single charge whereas the helmet should last about six hours.

For the mask plus software development kit, it is priced at US$250, the helmet at US$500 for the prototype version while the customer version will cost you $600. If it achieved the funding goal of $50,000, you can get the devices later this year.

Virtual Reality Mask with Nirvana Helmet Allow Gamers Smell and Feel the Action

An iPhone 6 case that energizes battery from external radio waves

Recently, Nikola Labs at an event in New York unveiled a different kind of case for the iPhone 6 which could charge the handset by gathering energy from the external radio frequencies. The company has found that more than 90 percent of battery power used by smartphones in data and voice connections gets wasted in air. This particular case shown by Nikola Labs can capture this energy which in turn can be used to charge the smartphone, thereby expanding the battery life by nearly 30 percent. In this era of extensive smartphone usage even a 30 percent of additional power can prove to be very useful.

The iPhone 6 case makes the use two different pieces of technology that is used by the Ohio State University. The first includes a “harvesting” antenna which can capture energy from radio frequencies around the handset and the other is the RF-DC convertor thereby transferring the captured energy into DC current which can be used by the handset. This case can even gather energy from Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and LTE frequencies. However, note that the case only does the conversion of energy continuously and does not store any energy.

Moreover, Nikola Labs also showed that the case can even absorb radio frequencies from nearby devices like a Wi-Fi Router and simultaneously start generating the DC current. The company is planning to start a campaign for this product on Kickstarter and is likely to start in a month or so. The case would be priced for $100 and would start shipping at the end of September. This is certainly a very novel idea demonstrated! Leave us your comments on what do you think about this.

An iPhone 6 case that energizes battery from external radio waves

Kickstarter Project Widerun combines Virtual Reality with Your Usual Cycling Workout

A team in Italy has invented a virtual reality device which is used on your normal bicycle and when you use it with Oculus Rift, it will change the environment surround you into a computer simulated environment including the feeling of it. Another good thing is that you do not need to buy another stationary bicycle; you can use your existing bike. The product is named Widerun.

To use it, you need to fit your bike into Widerun’s docking station. The docking station uses an embedded microcontroller to simulate steering, speed and resistance effects corresponding to your virtual environment. There are a few virtual environments that you can choose from, from the city center to a secluded mountain.  It also allows you to sweat without even leaving your home.  Therefore, if it is raining outside, you can still do your usual cycling habit indoors.

Apart from using Oculus Rift, the product also works well with Samsung Gear VR. However, if you do not want to use something on your eyes when you are exercising then you can connect it to your widescreen television. On top of that, you also can purchase a variety of biking environments. Therefore, it is really something that worth to consider especially for cyclist out there.

The Kickstarter funding goal targets about $44,000 with each device costs about $400. If everything goes as planned, the delivery expected in April 2016.

Kickstarter Project Widerun combines Virtual Reality with Your Usual Cycling Workout

Introducing HydraDock which can Compliment Your MacBook

Apple’s new MacBook which was released recently has a really superb design. It is slim and light but it still able to offer full-size experience to the users. On top of that, it comes Gold, Space Grey and Silver color. Unfortunately, it only comes with a single USB-C port. HydraDock is an accessory which works well with the new MacBook as it provides extra ports that the device does not provide.

HydraDock is basically a dock which is made of plastic and measured at 12.5-inch long. When you connect it to the new MacBook, it will provide expansions to your port.  It comes with a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, Gigabit Ethernet port, SDXXC memory card slot, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI port, four USB 3.0 port as well as two USB-C ports.

The dock is currently being funded at Kickstarter. It is selling at $99 for early bird special, however, it is selling $129 under normal price. If everything goes well, the customers will be able to get the accessory in June. The goal is to collect $35,000 and $5,750 has been collected so far.

HydraDock is placed under the new MacBook, therefore, it alleviates your MacBook. In this way, it will keep your MacBook cool as the MacBook itself does not have internal fan and hopefully, it makes it easier for you to type using the new flatter keyboard.

Introducing HydraDock which can Compliment Your MacBook

PonoPlayer Kickstarter Raised Over $6 Million to Play High-Res Audio

There are a lot of factors that affect how music sounds; a few of these factors are the type of audio equipment that the music is played on and the type and quality of headphones used for listening as well as the subjective factor since everyone hears differently.

A Canadian musician and entrepreneur Neil Young has started crowd funding project, PonoPlayer Kickstarter and managed to raise a total of $6.2 million from 18,220 backers.  PonoPlayer is expected to be able to play high-res songs which have more of the original audio data and larger files than the normal songs which we normally listen by using our CD players. The music that is played from the normal CD players is of sampling rate of 44.1KHz and 16-bit resolution and since our ear can only hear up to 20 KHz, therefore it is considered high quality sound. However, high resolution audio has higher sampling rate of 96KHz and 24-bit and can go up to 192KHz/24-bit.

The PonoPlayer does not have a sleek design as expected by most people. It looks like Toblerone shape which is thick and has a triangular design which coated with a cheese yellow color. However, it comes with a pretty decent specification, a 128GB storage which splits to 64GB internal and 64GB external storage. On top of that, it can hold up to around 800 high-res songs. A copy of Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” in high res can clock in about 133MB compared with the same song in iTunes which is clocked in about 6.8MB.

PonoPlayer is priced at $399.

PonoPlayer Kickstarter Raised Over $6 Million to Play High-Res Audio

Kickstarter Backers Going to Get Pressy in Upcoming Weeks

Last year, Pressy has revealed a project named Kickstarter for customizable hardware button. Finally, the project will be delivered to the backers of China within some weeks. According to the official report, Pressy has shipped the Kickstarter to the backers to China and that will need some time depending on the location of backers.

For those who do not have any idea of Pressy is a simple slot that can be used in the 3.5mm headphone jack for using the button as someone likes in the Smartphones. An android app will be used to customize the function of using the jack to any user’s interface. Earlier, Xiaomi, the manufacturer company of China has launched the same kind of product named MiKey that has drawn good attention from the users.

The primary estimated goal of Pressy makers was only $40,000 while they have reached to the $700,000 funds from this single product. Last year, August was the month when the project has started and finally, the backers are getting that Pressy for Smartphone. Also, the new customers can easily order for the Pressy using Smartphone at only $27. However, there is no announcement of the date when the customers are available to purchase and shipping to the addresses.

Kickstarter Backers Going to Get Pressy in Upcoming Weeks

Charge Your Smartphone Up To 92% Faster With Legion Meter

Normally the fastest way to charge you phone is through its original charger. A much slower way is using a USB port on a computer although it is a lot more convenient for most people.  USB ports charge very slow, especially charging when data is being copied takes a lot of time. The Legion Meter can help you charge your devices much faster when using the USB port on a computer.

The Legion Meter is a nice little device that comes with its own OLED screen which displays a lot of different information. This information includes:

• Watts delivered to the device


• Amps delivered to the device


• Voltage of the USB port


• Battery capacity in Milliwatt-hour

Legion Meter has its own multimeter which can tell how much power is being transferred to the device. Legion Meter has a mode for Android devices and another for Apple devices. There is a switch that can be used to change between Android and Apple charging mode.

It allows the phone to charge faster by letting the phone draw as much power as possible. This way the device can charge as fast as it can. This technology allows Legion Meter to charge devices in much less time than it would normally take to charge.

A test was conducted using Android phones that could only draw in 2.4 watts of power. After attaching Legion Meter the device was able to draw 4.5 watts. This made it charge 88 percent faster.

When connected to the wall USB charger, the Legion Meter still increases output. When connected to a 2A wall USB charger, it showed a gain of about 17% for most Android devices.

Technical Specifications:

• Voltage Rating: 2.0 – 6.0 volts


• Current Range: 0 – 3.7 amps


• Power Range: 0 – 22.2 watts


• Operating Temperature: 0 – 85 degrees Celsius


• Connector Type: 1 USB Male A, 1 USB Female A


• Display: OLED 128×32 pixels


• Dimensions: 6.1cm x 2.2cm x 1.3cm


• Meters: Voltage, Current, Power, mWh counter


• Intellectual Properties: PLX Intelligent Battery Monitoring and Metering, PLX USB Charge Accelerator


• Material: ABS Plastic


• Modes: Power Metering, Current counter, Charge accelerator

The Kickstarter Campaign for Legion Meter is currently underway. The goal is to reach $10,000 and with 20 days left right now. Every $39 you pledge gives you one Legion Meter unit which is to be shipped on October.

Charge Your Smartphone Up To 92% Faster With Legion Meter