Hasta La Gadget!

We first met Andrew Chang — one of the co-founders behind LUMOback — when he approached us at the end of our panel at SXSW and offered to show us his smart posture sensor. He was wearing it right then and demoed it for us on the spot. We were impressed enough to stay in touch. Fast forward four months and the device has launched on Kickstarter and already surpassed its $100,000 funding goal. We recently caught up with Andrew to learn a little more about the device’s evolution from mockup to pre-production and to get some hands-on time.

While we didn’t get the chance to wear the smart posture sensor ourselves, Andrew gave us a thorough rundown and brought along various iterations of the device which you’ll find in the photo gallery below. LUMOback is an 8.5mm thick appliance roughly the size of a credit card that’s worn like a belt and rests against your lower back. It’s packed with sensors, a vibration motor, an iOS-compatible Bluetooth 4.0 LE radio and a Li-Ion battery which provides about 4 days of operation on a charge. The only visible components are a single capacitive button, an LED and a micro-USB charging port. It’s splash resistant and features an adjustable elastic strap.

The hardware may be interesting, but it’s the software that really makes LUMOback useful. Paired with an iOS device over Bluetooth, the smart posture sensor monitors if you’re running, walking, standing, sitting or laying down. When you’re standing or sitting, it knows if you’re slouching and optionally alerts you by vibrating. It even measures how much you’re slouching and to which side, and knows if you’re laying on your stomach, back, left or right side. Best of all, the app logs your posture over time, gives you feedback, and lets you journal how you feel. There’s a social networking component as well, and you’re able to share some of that information with others.

Andrew and his team are still tweaking the hardware and the software (nothing we saw is finalized yet), but the LUMOback smart posture sensor should cost between $100 and $125 when it ships this fall. Hit the break for our hands on video, and be sure to check out the screenshots gallery below.

Continue reading LUMOback smart posture sensor hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Wearables

LUMOback smart posture sensor hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While today’s videogames are bigger, flashier and more impressive than ever, it’s hard not to think that the golden era of console gaming is behind us. Back in the late ’80s and early-to-mid ’90s, when a new console came out every couple of years to cut its predecessors off at the knees and brutally savage the bank accounts of the hardcore gamer who had to have them all, there was genuine excitement. Now, with modern consoles showing their age and throwing on more and more gimmicks like so much makeup to compensate, it’s hard to really get properly enthused about any of them.

Out of nowhere came Ouya and, based on the $2.6 million it raised in 24 hours alone, it’s safe to say it has succeeded in renewing that excitement. That’s a stark contrast to the general feeling of malaise at this year’s E3. I’m excited too — but cautiously so.

Continue reading Editorial: Ouya’s success is opportunity missed for Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony

Filed under: Gaming

Editorial: Ouya’s success is opportunity missed for Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is an interesting little gadget called the blink USB. This is a little USB dongle has a RGB LED in the end that can glow different colors. The small light slips into a USB port and has lots of programmable functionality that can be used as a status light just about anything you can think of. The device will work with Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems allowing it to work with just about any computer you might have in the home or office.

The LED inside the little flash drive can be adjusted for brightness, pattern, and color. That means you can set one color or flashing pattern to warn you of Twitter posts with specific keywords and another pattern and color to warn you if there’s a problem with a server. This little thing sounds very flexible and interesting people who manage a lot of computers.

The downside is the network administrator at your office could plug one into your computer and make it easier to see if you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing in your cubicle. The device is on Kickstarter right now seeking funding with 32 days ago. So far, the product has racked up $20,779 out of goal of $29,000. You’ll need to pledge $30 or more to get a blink USB LED.

[via EverythingUSB]

Blink USB light can be programmed to alert you of just about anything is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When we first detailed the Ouya $99 Android-based game console yesterday, we had a feeling it would become a hot property over at Kickstarter. But still, there’s no way we anticipated this: the project has just raised $2 million in its first day, having sped past its initial $950,000 goal within a record-breaking 12 hours. Now, in an email to backers, the project has asked for feedback on its “stretch goals” — in other words, what it should do if it makes even more cash and is able to set its sights on loftier ambitions. If you’re a backer then check your email, if you’re a potential backer then check the source link, and if you’re a traditional VC then weep.

Filed under: Gaming

Ouya gaming console raises $2 million on Kickstarter, doesn’t know what to do with it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 03:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Pebble smartwatch has a challenge on its hands: Ouya’s highly-hackable Android console Kickstarter has crashed past its $950,000 funding goal in the space of less than half a day. A combination of slick, Yves Behar-designed looks, the flexibility of Google’s Android OS, and of course that alluring $99 target price brought out gamers in their droves.

The $95 reward band – the cheapest to get an Ouya console, and of which only 1,000 were available – was gone within a few hours, and the $99 band is roughly half sold. Most impressive, though, is that Ouya has already seen three takers for its $10,000 “Angel List”, backers of which get their name engraved on every console in the first batch, among other things.

Altogether, spread across the various backer tiers, there are 11,950 consoles up for grabs, and at this rate it seems all of them will be gone before the Kickstarter funding round closes. That’s due to happen on August 9, though at time of writing the project has already broken the million dollar mark.

Inside the sleek casing there’s a Tegra 3 chipset, Wifi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and 8GB of internal storage, along with an SD card slot and USB 2.0 connectivity; the controller has all the usual buttons and sticks you’d expect to see, plus a trackpad. The first consoles aren’t expected to ship until March 2013, however, which is likely to disappoint many.

Ouya Android console breaks $1m Kickstarter in hours is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.