Hasta La Gadget!

UK folks could soon be made aware of local emergencies via their mobile phone after the government announced plans to test its new alert system later this year. With support from O2, Vodafone and EE, around 50,000 residents across Yorkshire, Suffolk and Glasgow will be subjected to individual tests which will assess the Cabinet Office’s SMS and cell broadcast early warning systems and measure the public’s response. Currently, there’s no word on whether UK citizens will get to enjoy iOS support for emergency notifications, like their American and Japanese counterparts, but the Cabinet Office plans to publish its findings in early 2014 — that’s if the UK hasn’t already been enveloped by a massive fog cloud.

[Image credit: Sussertod, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

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Source: UK Cabinet Office (1), UK Cabinet Office (2)

Logitech’s Alert camera system has given security to Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows users alike, yet there’s been a conspicuously Mac-shaped void in support. Logitech is plugging that hole with a native OS X version of its Alert Commander app. So long as Alert system owners are running Snow Leopard or later, they’ll have an Orwellian view of live and pre-recorded video feeds from as many as six of the HomePlug-connected cameras. The control extends to 16 motion-sensitive zones, digital zoom, backups and desktop notifications for when an intruder disturbs the peace. As the app itself is a free Mac App Store download, the only cost left is a recent camera array like the Alert 750n to keep track of home from a MacBook Air.

Continue reading Logitech Alert security cameras get OS X support for mindful MacBook owners

Filed under: Household, Software

Logitech Alert security cameras get OS X support for mindful MacBook owners originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s plenty of sensor gear around for hobbyists to play with, but not so many polished products for the monitoring-obsessed. Cao Gadgets is attempting to fill that niche with its functionally named Wireless Sensor Tags — small devices which monitor movement and temperature, notifying you if anything’s amiss. A magnetometer registers movement by changes in its orientation, and can inform you of door openings or similar disturbances, while the temperature triggers are based on upper or lower thresholds. The $15 sensors (or $12 if you want three or more) have a battery life that should last several years depending on their setup, but there is one catch — you also need the Tag Manager hub ($50), which plugs into your router via Ethernet. It keeps in frequent contact with any subordinates in its 200-foot range, and if after several attempts it finds one MIA, a warning can be sent in case any of your home guards have walked or fallen asleep. The tags also have inbuilt beepers which can be pinged to track down any rogue possessions they’re partnered with, like your keys.

A lot of thought has been put into micromanaging the tags, which are customizable through web-based, Android or iOS apps, and will send out alerts via email, Twitter, or push notifications on slates and phones (text-to-speech is available if you’re too lazy to read). If you’re into your data, you can also access trigger statistics from the software, complete with graphs. The home monitoring kit is available now, and instead of crashing your browser with too many embeds, we’ve decided to point you to the source below for the half-dozen demo vids.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household, Wireless

Wireless Sensor Tags alert you to movement and temperature changes, fit on your keyring originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I have read tragic stories in the papers as well as on the Internet before, where some absent minded parents suffered unspeakable heartache when they realized their toddler or baby was left in the car, only to return to a lifeless body afterwards. Sometimes, we are just too preoccupied with our work that we even forget the extension of ourselves, and for those who firmly believe that prevention is better than cure, how about a $30 device known as the ChildMinder car seat sensor?

This particular device is capable of alerting you just in case you happen to walk away while leaving your helpless little one all alone in the car. Developed by Baby Alert International, the ChildMinder Infant-Toddler Elite Pad System has been described to be “a passive safety seat monitoring system,” where the Elite Pad is placed under the child’s car seat. This Elite Pad will then “talk” to your Key Ring Alarm Unit, should you move 15 feet away from it, will take half a dozen seconds of lapse before the alarm goes off.

[ ChildMinder car seat sensor could help save lives copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]