Hasta La Gadget!

Locks are a necessary evil. They keep the bad guys out while allowing good guys in. The Lockitron aims to make the point of entry as safe as possible, but also as convenient as possible. Plus, it’s packed full of features including remote management, proximity entry through Bluetooth, and, even more fun, a vibration sensor that will notify the owner when someone is knocking on the door.

The original Lockitron Deadbolt was a hit. A graduate from Y Combinator’s 2009 summer class, the company sold $100k worth of units of the novel $299 kit since launching it in 2011. Put simply, it was a deadbolt that could be controlled by a smartphone. But it still had its downfalls. For one, it was a deadbolt replacement, requiring the hassle of installation including re-keying. And at $299 and up, it was rather expensive. But the company has a fantastic new solution. But they need your help (i.e. pre-orders).

Now just called Lockitron, the product piggybacks on top of existing deadbolts, awarding them all the features and more of the original model. This route allows the kit to retrofit nearly any deadbolt on the market including ones that are already installed on doors.

The company’s founders, Cameron Robertson and Paul Gerhardt, tell me installation is simple. Simply loosen the two bolts on existing deadbolt, slip on the Lockitron’s backplate and place the front cover over top of the deadbolt, tightening the Lockitron’s large knob to pair it to the deadbolt. That’s it. There’s no need to tear apart the door or re-key a lock. Once installed, the real magic begins.

Like the original Deadbolt, the Lockitron turns any phone into a key. There are Android and iOS smartphone apps, and the lock can also be toggled through text messages. But this model also offers several new features not found on the old model or any competing product currently on the market.

Say you’re walking up to the door, juggling kids, groceries and flaming chainsaws. But since your modern smartphone is in your pocket, the Lockitron will automatically unlock since it detected the presence of Bluetooth 4.0.

The Lockitron also employs a vibration sensor to recognize knocks on the door. The first knock wakes the sensor up; the second knock can send a notification to the owner. No word if the lock can be toggled by a pre-specified pattern of knocks. However, there’s a real possibility someone will add this ability since the Lockitron is designed with modding in mind.

Click to view slideshow.

The Lockitron is built on an Arduino-compatible ATMega microprocessor and the company plans to release an API. This combination should allow for some fun hacks and mods, possibly including the aforementioned secret knock unlock. Perhaps TechCrunch Disrupt SF Hackathon winner, Livebolt, could even integrate its system with the Lockitron.

The Lockitron, or even the Lockitron Deadbolt before it, were not the first smartphone-controlled lock on the market. Other products including options from giants such as Schlage and Kwikset have been on the market for sometime now. But unlike those options, the Lockitron does not require additional hardware or, in some cases, a monthly fee. The Lockitron is a standalone product.

The company plans to have the Lockitron on the market by March and, for the next 30 days, is accepting pre-orders now directly on its website. Kickstarter rejected the project on the grounds it’s a home improvement project, but that didn’t slow down the company’s co-founders. The YC-alums plowed forward and instituted a pre-order process which they feel is better for everyone involved then the Kickstarter model anyway. Since they’re not taking the pre-order money until it’s ready to ship, the consumer doesn’t risk as much and the company is encouraged to ship a quality product sooner verses later.

The Lockitron will retail for $199, but the company is only asking for $149 for the pre-orders. The key is a tried and true invention, but it’s time for it get locked out in the cold.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 25.8 million Americans (or 8.3 percent of the population) have diabetes, while an estimated 79 million people (aged 20 and older) have prediabetes — making it one of the most pervasive diseases in the U.S. Startups like Rock Health grad Omada Health and Glooko are addressing diabetes head-on, from prevention and intervention to making the lives of those who live with the disease better — through technology.

Glooko launched in late 2011 to bring those with diabetes a better way to collect and view the information they need to control their blood glucose readings, allowing them to download readings from their meter to their smartphone, for example. Essentially, then, Glooko is a digital logbook for those who regularly check their blood sugar levels. While you’ll find dozens of such logbooks in the App Store, most of them require the owner to manually enter their blood sugar data.

Glooko is differentiating itself from the pack by attempting to become agnostic to the type of glucose meters people use (of which there are many), allowing a wider set of people to connect their meters to their smartphones. That means that users don’t have to purchase and learn how to use a whole new measurement device.

Today marks an important step forward for the startup in its move toward being device agnostic: Glooko announced that it is releasing a new version of its “Glooko Logbook” app for iOS devices that supports six additional blood glucose meters, including those from Bayer, Walmart and ARKRAY.

This is especially relevant, as Walmart announced its new “ReliOn” meters back in July with the promise that it would save its customers $60 million annually. Supporting Walmart’s brand, Glooko co-founder Sundeep Madra says, goes along with its philosophy of innovating in conjunction with what people are already using. Succeeding in the health care space can mean having to go against what the tech-savvy startup mentality would do — if it’s too complicated and too new, too fast, it can be tough to succeed. But Walmart reaches a massive set of the population, and by supporting its meter, Glooko is opening itself up to a big audience.

But more importantly, with these new additions, Glooko now supports 17 different blood glucose meters, so now users can just connect their $40 Glooko cable to one of those meters and an iOS device and download all their readings into a Logbook with a few clicks. The app also gives users the ability to take notes about carbs, insulin, and other wellness factors, and lets them share their logbook summary with their doctors via email or fax.

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing diseases, so it’s good to see the startup making progress in helping 25 million Americans to manage their health. And while this news may seem somewhat incremental, it’s also a sign that the startup is getting closer to meter agnosticism, a critical part of bringing that better health management to all of those 25 million.

Glooko raised $3.5 million in series A funding earlier this year from The Social+Capital Partnership, Bill Campbell, Vint Cerf, Judy Estrin and Andy Hertzfeld, Venky Harinarayan, Russell Hirsch and Xtreme Labs.

Sex. We all have it, and most of us enjoy it.

But what do you do when your partner (assuming you only have one) moves out of town or goes on a business trip? Well, you could buy the tiniest Bluetooth headsets in the world and talk all day long (like Pam and Jim from The Office), or you could sext all day and FaceTime all night (with the investment of a Swivl), or… you could buy this LovePalz contraption.

This fascinating Dinglehopper is a WiFi connected love machine, that lets both the top and the bottom (I’ll refrain from using genders here — to each his/her own) simulate some sexy time. The two parts include a “Hera” for the bottom, which looks a lot like a Dildo, and a Zeus for the top. As each lover pleasures themselves with the toys, their partner feels their motions in real-time.

An app is also in play here, as the component that matches up your Zeus with his/her Hera (other partners can be added and paired with, if that’s how you roll). Unfortunately, the app hasn’t been submitted or approved by Apple in the App Store.

The LovePalz gadgetry works with multiple pressure and speed sensors (in both the Hera and Zeus), so that you can actually feel what your lover is doing to you in real time, even if there happen to be miles and oceans between the two of you. And, as expected, it’s completely waterproof. They are both rechargeable and come with an air pump and automatic piston.

As a duo, the LovePalz setup costs $94.95, but since the project was rejected from Kickstarter, the LovePalz team has created their own website for taking pre-orders and donations. In other words, the product isn’t quite out the door yet, but with enough horny long-distance lovers chipping in, perhaps it will come soon (#thatswhatshesaid).

[via Huffington Post]

The great thing about Hardware Alley at TechCrunch Disrupt is – apart from the fact that it seems to grow bigger at every event – is the sheer variety of companies exhibiting. There’s pretty much anything you can imagine, and only two feet can separate a robotics company from a mobile gadget. But it’s the opportunity investors look for I guess. Here’s a list of the companies featured in this break-neck video.

Double Robotics

Nomiku

Shisa Labs

sifteo

skyera

Sqord

Thermo Essence Technologies

Thimble Bioelectronics

Top Charms

Vers

Visible Energy

GolfSense

As if human interaction in the post-Internet age wasn’t weird enough, here’s RISR. It’s a web of sensors that connects to a cellphone and scans your “target” for body language. RISR then vibrates on your body telling you how to move in order to ensure maximum engagement.

The simplest way to understand this thing is to watch the above video but it’s basically a way to “mirror” social targets in various situations. Mirroring is the process of copying what your target is doing in order to encourage interaction. For example, RISR will buzz to remind you to face your target when he or she is facing you and to move your shoulders if your target is moving theirs.

The tool helps folks with social anxiety feel a bit more comfortable in social situations as well as postural cues to improve your general well-being. The company will also offer consultations for folks who need special tweaks to improve their body language.

RISR is coming soon and hopefully it will help some folks meet, fall in love, and eventually have kids with RISR-enchanced postures. It is the circle of life.

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