Piper Is The Prettiest Way To Monitor Your Home From Afar

piper-grid


Ottawa-based BlackSumac may not be the first startup to try and revamp the home security system, nor is it the first to use a crowdfunding platform like Indiegogo to make it happen. What this batch of Canadians did do however is create one of the sleekest-looking bits of security hardware I’ve seen. The Piper is to security hubs what the Nest is to thermostats.

But what does it do?

The Piper unit itself is about the size of your average desktop computer speaker, and it’s hard not to look at it without being drawn to the user-controllable camera pod (complete with fish-eye lens) right smack in the middle of the thing. More importantly though, the Piper itself is loaded up with temperature, humidity, and motion sensors, and can also act as a base station that communicates with different external sensors thanks to its included Z-Wave support.

It’s also got a bit of an IFTTT streak, as users can tap into those sensors to create custom rules based on what they detect from the Piper iOS and Android app. Did something just make a loud sound in your apartment? You can create a rule that automatically kicks on the lights (assuming you’ve got some Z-Wave friendly controllers installed). Is something (other than Fido) moving around the bedroom? Piper can automatically start recording video, and if you spring for the cellular model, it can also fire off a text message to let you know what’s going on. Of course, different situations require different sets of rules, so the Piper app allows users to be lumped into categories for when you’re at home, at work, or on vacation.

Now is this thing going to replace a more traditional, professionally installed security system? No way. If anything, Piper is likely to find its niche among renters and tech-savvy home owners who want some level of security without having to shell out for a full-blown home monitoring scheme. BlackSumac has at least one notable competitor to do battle with in that space — Canary is yet another Indiegogo darling that wants to simplify home monitoring, but its lack of Z-Wave support means the system isn’t nearly as extensible as Piper.

And the Piper already seems to have to struck a chord — it’s only been two days since the Canadian startup behind it launched an Indiegogo campaign and the project has already made it a third of the way to its $100k funding goal. Just be warned if you decide to take a plunge on this thing: the cheapo early backer spots have all been filled, so you’ll have to shell out at least $209 to trick out your flat.

Canonical Ubuntu Edge smartphone production still a possibility

Earlier today, we reported that Canonical’s Indiegogo campaign to fund an Ubuntu-based smartphone missed its crowdfunding goal by a mile. However, we’re now learning that Canonical has every intention of moving forward in another capacity, calling the campaign a success and noting that the $12.8 million they did manage to raise was the largest amount […]

Ubuntu Edge misses crowdfunding goal by a long shot

Canonical set a bold goal when they launched the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the Ubuntu Edge phone, asking backers to collectively raise a total of $32 million, which would be the highest amount any crowdsourced project would raise. Sadly, the company didn’t meet the mark, but it ended up raising almost $13 million. The campaign […]

Insert Coin: Piper melds home automation and security in a simple hub (hands-on)

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Insert Coin Piper puts sensorbased home automation and security in one hub handson

Home automation and security cameras seldom combine elegantly, especially for apartment dwellers who can’t rewire their living spaces. Blacksumac, however, believes it can seamlessly meld those technologies through its upcoming Piper hub. The device links both a fisheye camera and environmental sensors to a Z-Wave-based home automation system. Out of the box, it can watch for intruders, listen for (or produce) loud noises and monitor local conditions like temperature. Once Z-Wave peripherals are involved, you can program sophisticated triggers and responses: Piper can send a warning when a door opens, for example, or turn on air conditioning when it’s hot. We’ve had a chance to see Piper in action, so read on for both our early impressions and details of what you’ll get if you make a pledge. %Gallery-slideshow73286%

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Source: Indiegogo

Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo campaign ends with over $19 million outstanding

Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo campaign closes with over $19 million in funding outstanding

When Canonical took to Indiegogo to crowdfund its Ubuntu Edge smartphone, the $32 million it sought seemed like an incredibly lofty goal. And, one that’s now proven unattainable. Despite quickly selling out of the lowest pledge tier that included a handset, reducing the price of more expensive tiers, then doing the same again as the deadline loomed, the campaign has closed over $19 million shy of its goal. Still, raising just over $12.8 million is a record of sorts, depending on whether you believe a failed effort qualifies. In total, a handful of high-cost bundles were pledged for, 5,674 backers coughed up enough for a lone Edge, and many more thousands offered small sums in support — or, some just really wanted a T-shirt. We’re not convinced the journey ends here, though. After all, there’s clearly some desire for the Edge. Will we see investors step in to make it happen? Or, perhaps Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth will finally see fit to pump some of his own substantial reserves into the project.

A project update from Shuttleworth can be found at the source link. In addition to thanking backers, he says that “the support and publicity has continued to drive our discussions with some major manufacturers,” adding: “Watch this space!”

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Via: Android Police

Source: Indiegogo

Ubuntu Edge Smartphone Fails To Hit Ambitious $32M Crowdfunding Target

Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo

Trying to raise $32 million via crowdfunding always looked overly ambitious. And indeed it has proved to be so. Canonical’s Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo campaign to build a smartphone designed for converged computing has fallen considerably short of its target, ending with the fixed funding project receiving nothing at all — which, when you’ve got pledges worth around $12 million, has got to hurt. The campaign ran from July 22 to August 21.

The Edge, which promised to be both a high end Android and/or Ubuntu-powered smartphone and also an Ubuntu-powered desktop replacement, never looked like it would climb its own crowdfunding Everest, as Canonical was forced to keep coming up with new tricks to try to eke out more backers. The price of the device was lowered, dropping from $830 to $695, plus additional price tiers were added. It even offered backers the ability to vote on the next model’s specs if the project hit its target. Which sounds like a nice carrot — but not a $32 million carrot.

The largest sum raised via crowdfunding to date remains the $10.2 million garned by the Pebble smartwatch (via Kickstarter) — a project which had a far more modest $100,000 goal. If Canonical had plumped for a more modest funding target it too could be taking home multiple millions of dollars right now. Albeit, the cost of building a high end smartphone is of course hugely higher than building a smartphone accessory like Pebble — as Canonical noted:

We’ve set such a high crowdfunding target for a good reason. Between design, certification and manufacture, the costs of building a new phone are huge — but the more we produce, the lower the final cost of each handset. Setting such an ambitious target means a more competitive price per device.

It’s all about scale. To offer the final product at a competitive price we need to produce enough volume to bring the unit costs down. At the same time, we want to be selecting parts that are not yet proven for multi-million-unit production. This is the balance we found. A lower funding target might seem more likely to succeed, but the individual perk amounts would have to be significantly higher. We believe this funding target and these perk levels give us the best chance of success.

In the event Canonical raised just over a third of their overly ambitious funding target, and generated plenty of publicity trying. Which may ultimately have been mostly what the campaign was about. We’ve reached out to the company to ask what their plans are post-Indiegogo unfunding and will update this story with any response. Their project page also notes: “If we don’t reach our target then we will focus only on commercially available handsets and there will not be an Ubuntu Edge. All contributions will be fully refunded.”

Update: In an interview with The Guardian, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth appears to confirm this is the end of the road for the top-end Edge ‘superphone’ concept but he told the newspaper that carriers and handset makers are interesting in building lower end handsets running Ubuntu Mobile.

The Edge received around 27,500 publicly listed backers, including Bloomberg which pledged $80,000 for 100 Edge devices — the sole backer at the top tier enterprise pledge level.

The project raises some interesting questions about the limits of crowdfunding for funding complex hardware projects. Many more modest hardware projects do very well on crowdfunding platforms but there is clearly a funding sweet spot considerably far south of the multi-millions Canonical was hoping to raise (suggesting Elon Musk probably shouldn’t bother trying to crowdfund a $6 billion Hyperloop). At the Edge funding level, investor/VC backing appears to be the only game in town.

FABtotum 3D prints and scans, mills, takes one step closer to self-replication

FABtotum 3D prints, 3D scans, mills, takes one step closer to selfreplication

Granted, the name’s a bit of a groaner (and we now have pictures of Bukowski sitting in front of a CAD program in our heads), but this box is capable of a pretty impressive array of maker activities. There’s a 3D Printer, 3D scanner and CNC router on board. You can capture objects and print them out on the same device and do some subtractive manufacturing by way of a dual-head engraving / milling tool that can cut into wood and do PCB milling for circuit boards. FABtotum is currently up on Indiegogo, if you want to get in early. A final consumer version will run you a $1,099 pledge. Those units are expected to be delivered in May of next year.

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Source: Indiegogo

Oton X Game Console Is An Indiegogo Project

Do you think that there are more than enough game consoles in the market as of right now? If you think that the Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Wii U are more than a wholesome threesome, perhaps it is time to take a look at the “second tier” of game consoles, where the Ouya would definitely fall under the same category, and in this case, EnGeniux’s Oton X game console that is right now an Indiegogo project, requiring three quarter of a million dollars to have the game console become reality. Basically, the Oton X intends to be the “first smart autonomous game console”, which translates to the ability to self-create games instantly within minutes without the need for any human input.

Just what kind of wizardry is involved in this, where it does not require any kind of drag or drop requirements? Well, the Oton X is capable of supporting Linux, Android and 3rd party games, and your modification of Oton X games will also let you create new worlds, new challenges and new characters before sharing it with your friends. So far, the specified hardware specifications include the OTON Operating System (Ubuntu Linux), a quad-core (4 + 1 power-saving core) 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, a HDMI 1.4a display output, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, stereo analog and multi-channel digital, 2GB of OTON cloud storage, 16GB flash storage, a couple of SD memory card slots, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Any takers for this matte black and two tone gray console if it becomes reality? [Indiegogo Page]

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    Indiegogo Project Launched To Create Steve Jobs Statue

    Indiegogo Project Launched To Create Steve Jobs StatuePeople always make jokes about how Apple fans are the most diehard kind of fans, and how they always try to convert people around them to using Apple’s products. While one can enjoy the use of a product without seeing the need to tell everyone about it, there are also fans who take things to the next level, and in this case a recent Indiegogo project has been started up where its creator(s) are currently seeking funds to build a statue of Steve Jobs. We’re not sure how serious they are, but according to the project’s description, depending on how much they can raise, they could end up with a Steve Jobs statue the size of the Statue of Liberty or maybe even the Colossus of Rhodes, which we’re sincerely hoping was said in jest!

    While we wouldn’t put it past some hardcore fans to do something like this, it does feel like something of a joke, but we guess you’ll have to be the judge of that! In any case the project has managed to raise close to $500 of its $50,000 goal and with 57 days to go, we wonder if it will be able to hit its goal! More information about the project can be found on its Indiegogo page where you can even make a donation if you wish. Interesting.

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  • Indiegogo Project Launched To Create Steve Jobs Statue original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding campaign trumps Pebble to become highest ever

    Canonical has announced that its Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo campaign has achieved a new world record, trumping other high-earning crowdfunding campaigns (we’re looking at you, Pebble) to be the “biggest ever.” Such has been achieved with $10,266,845 in funds, and the company doesn’t fail to point out that it has a tad under a week left, […]