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If recent trends are any indication, there’s a strong possibility that a cylindrical computing device will be in your future. Canary is the latest curved component to make its debut this year — this one’s focused on security. The vertical computer includes a high-def camera and mic, along with infrared motion, temperature, humidity and air quality sensors. It’s an all-in-one solution for securing your home (or perhaps just a room in your home), providing video feeds and sensor readouts to your Android or iOS device in real time. You can automatically arm or disarm it when your device comes within range of a pre-selected location, and there’s even a siren that can be triggered remotely, should you need to wake up a roommate or terrorize a pet.

Canary is currently up for grabs on Indiegogo. The $149 and $169 early bird specials have already reached their 200-unit caps, so pre-ordering the device will now set you back a cool $199. That offer includes a white finish and shipping within the US — expect it to reach your doorstep by May. If you’re willing to jump up to $249, you can snag a Canary in matte black or silver, or, if you’re really feeling generous, you can pledge $1,000 and walk away with a beta unit, which should arrive in February. Hit up the source link for a video demo.

Filed under: Household

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Canary

We have seen our fair share of smartphones over the years, and right now, the major players in the mobile operating system arena would be Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry OS and to a certain extent, the fledgling Firefox […]

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Ubuntu’s plan to merge the desktop computer and mobile device is taking shape today in form of the Edge, which it’s aiming to bring to market in May of next year for $830 outright. True to Canonical’s community driven roots, the company is turning to crowd-funding to get the device on its feet. It’s aiming to raise $32 million, and to that end, Canonical’s launching a campaign on Indiegogo today, which provides early backers the opportunity to snag the phone for $600. According to company founder, Mark Shuttleworth, the Indiegogo route isn’t meant to compete with its strategy of courting carriers for its mainstream smartphone project. Rather, it’s meant to solve an “innovation gap” that’s arisen during talks with manufacturers over its grander vision.

The Ubuntu Edge is a very ambitious smartphone that’ll be capable of running a full-fledged Ubuntu desktop operating system alongside Android. While specs are currently tentative, the company is aiming to outfit the Edge with a quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Meanwhile, the phone itself will sport a 4.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display that’s constructed of sapphire crystal glass, an 8MP rear / 2MP front-facing camera and stereo speakers. As for connectivity, Canonical’s eyeing LTE, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC, along with MHL support.

If the converged device strategy strikes your fancy, you’ll find good incentive to be among the early backers. According to Shuttleworth, the Edge will only come to market if backers make it happen, as “none of the phone manufacturers are yet ambitious enough to try to put both things in one package.” Regardless of whether the Indiegogo campaigns succeeds — it’d be a record, if so — Canonical will continue pursuing its strategy to bring a more basic Ubuntu smartphone to market. Recently, the company announced the first of its partner carriers, which includes Verizon, Deutsche Telecom, EE, SK Telecom, China Unicom and others. We’re still waiting to see what type of smartphone might be offered through the carriers, but it’s now clear that if you believe in the open source / converged device philosophy, you’ll need to vote with your wallet.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Indiegogo

Smoke detectors are usually placed nearby a kitchen where open fires are typically found. It’s useful but at the same time, what if a fire were to be started in your bedroom, or the apartment next door? By the time […]

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There is nothing quite like taking something old and fashioning something new and updated out of it with a little bit of extra help from more modern technology, of course. Case in point, U.S. startup Xavage Technologies has decided to create a new kind of smartphone housing that will work in tandem with an app, and has christened it Xentry. Basically, Xentry is capable of transforming an older generation iPhone or even the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate into a door-mounted caller-display, letting you check out who is at the door at the moment, while allowing you to communicate with them via using a corresponding app. Since an older smartphone is used here, you need not worry too much that someone is going to steal a spanking new iPhone 5 from literally your doorsteps, which ought to provide some sense of relief to most of us.

Basically, with the Xentry, your old and retired smartphone will be mounted on the inside of your front door, where there will be a customized peephole attachment which replaces an existing peephole lens, letting the phone’s camera to come into play instead, staring out into the corridor so that you know whether your pizza has come a-knockin’.

The “smart door” system will be able to stream real-time video as well as audio thanks to your home Wi-Fi network, so you need not have to fork out extra each month to have a SIM card working in the door-mounted smartphone. Other than that, there is also the ability to disguise your voice whenever you speak to the the caller at the door, with the added functions of door movement detection via the phone’s gyroscope as an added security measure.

Xavage hopes to raise $200,000 using Indiegogo so that the two Xentry models will be able to enter production, with one of those being specially designed to house old iPhones (3GS/4/4S), while the other is meant for the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate, which was one of the most popular devices Stateside in 2010.

Xentry Page
[ Xentry transforms smartphone into electronic door caller display copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]