Hasta La Gadget!

Yesterday, we told you about StickNFind, a nifty electronic sticker that lets you locate anything you tack it to, and MeterPlug, the smartphone-compatible power monitor with cost estimates and realtime consumption readouts. Now, the folks that brought you those Bluetooth-enabled tools have a new connected toy to share. It’s called BluTracker — a “StickNFind on steroids,” according to its creator. Both devices are tasked with sending location information to a smartphone app, but BluTracker adds GPS and a whole lot of power, offering a range of 2,500 feet or more outdoors, or a few hundred feet if you end up with some walls in between you and the compact rechargeable device. Inside the water-resistant housing, you’ll find a Bluetooth module that “uses WiFi chips” to boost the range, along with GPS for providing realtime location information and a battery that can reportedly keep the device powered for at least two months.

This isn’t a tracking device in the traditional sense — while it provides location info, it doesn’t retain coordinates, so you can’t pop this on a vehicle to see where your kids really go after school. It will help you find your dog that’s wandered a bit too far from the front yard, though, assuming he’s still within a half mile or so (like walls, trees can get in the way of the signal, too). An onboard motion sensor can trigger an alert on your smartphone, letting you know that whatever you’ve tagged is on the move, so that bicycle thief won’t get far before you’re on the trail. We tested the device indoors — located near a window, it picked up a GPS signal easily, and transmitted its location to a map within the iOS app even as we walked 100 or so feet away, past several walls. That figure may not be terribly impressive, but we didn’t exactly push the BluTracker to its limits during a quick Manhattan office demo. The device just hit Indiegogo with a $69 “pre-order” price and an estimated April ship date, and it’ll likely retail for just shy of $90. Check it out now in the video after the break, then hit up the source link to get your name on the list.

Continue reading BluTracker lets you locate your stuff within 2,500 feet, we go hands-on (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Mobile

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Source: BluTracker (Indiegogo)

In case you haven’t noticed, fitness gadgets are having something of a moment right now. The past year alone has seen the launch of Nike’s FuelBand, the ill-fated Jawbone Up and a refreshed line of Fitbit trackers. Now another product is arriving that promises to do basically the same thing — namely, track your activity, sleep patterns and food intake using a wearable gadget and mobile app. That thing you see up there is called Larklife and for now, at least, it works exclusively with iOS devices. It’s a splash-resistant (but not waterproof) band that has a pedometer inside, counting your steps throughout the day. It can also tell how long you sleep each night, as well as how long it takes you to nod off. There’s even a vibrating alarm built into the band — something we first saw on the Up earlier this year. (As it happens, Lark’s earlier products were sleep aids, so the inclusion of this feature actually makes a lot of sense.) As for monitoring your dietary habits, Larklife doesn’t automatically track your food intake, but the app does include a food diary where you can manually enter your meals.

Additionally, Larklife uses Bluetooth Smart to automatically sync with your iPhone so that you don’t have to plug the band into a PC just to update your fitness stats. (The new Fitbit trackers work this way this too.) Additionally, the band uses a proprietary technology that can discern when you’re running or walking, which means the app will log workouts even if you forget to enter them. The last intriguing bit is that the app dishes out smart, contextually aware advice. Didn’t get much sleep last night? Larklife will remind you to eat more protein than usual at breakfast, so that you have enough energy to get you through the day. The app also rewards good behavior in the form of iOS notifications and colorful on-screen badges, though competing products admittedly take a very similar approach when it comes to keeping users motivated.

Larklife is up for pre-order starting today, and is priced at $150 — a rather large premium over the new Fitbit One, which will sell for $100. As for precise availability, all we know is that retailers will start stocking Larklife “before the holidays.” Whether that means Halloween, Thanksgiving or some gift-giving celebration will be revealed some other day.

Continue reading Larklife fitness tracker syncs your data over Bluetooth, knows when you’re running instead of walking

Filed under: Wearables

Larklife fitness tracker syncs your data over Bluetooth, knows when you’re running instead of walking originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was about a year ago this time that Fitbit released a new fitness tracker, the Fitbit Ultra, so now would seem like as good a time as any for a refresh. Indeed, the company just announced the Fitbit One, which will replace the Ultra, and which adds a “silent” vibrating alarm to wake you up in the morning. (Hmm, where have we seen that before?) Though the alarm is clearly the marquee feature here, the One also steps up to Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, allowing the data to sync to your phone automatically. Additionally, it sports a slimmer, flatter design (read: it looks less like a clothespin). The tracker is also splash-resistant, though not water-proof, so don’t even think of taking it in the pool with you. Other than that, it does the same thing as the last-gen model: it counts steps, flights climbed, calories burned and tracks your total mileage. And, of course, the device syncs with a personalized website, where you can log your meals and view all your stats in easy-to-read graphs.

The Fitbit One will arrive in mid-October for $100. If that’s too pricey for you, the company also introduced the Fitbit Zip, a dumbed-down tracker that’s available now for $60. Though it’s every bit as water-resistant as the One, it offers just basic functionality (i.e., tracking steps taken, distance traveled and calories burned). Meaning, if the silent alarm or even the altimeter is of interest, you’ll want to shell out for the pricier Fitbit One. Oh, and one other big distinction: the Zip has a replaceable battery, rated for up to six months of use. As we said, the One won’t be around until later in the fall, but for now we’ve got a few publicity photos for your perusal.

Filed under: Wearables

Fitbit announces two new fitness trackers: the Fitbit One with a vibrating alarm, and the $60 Fitbit Zip originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember Mavizon’s plans for its Mavia car tracking device (formerly the AutoBot) from almost two years ago? The company promised availability sometime in 2012, and we’re here in earnest with the car companion ready for pre-order. The business model has changed significantly since 2010, however. It’s a cheaper $169 up front for the Bluetooth cellular OBD-II peripheral — $99 for the first hundred through the gates, or $299 for a two-pack — but the full tracking service will cost $5 a month, or $49 every year. Those who do make the leap can get a look at their car’s vital signs as well as set up geofenced notifications, track long-term performance and receive impromptu driving directions to a friend’s coffee shop check-in. The first batch of Mavia units should arrive within several weeks, we’re told, and should have both browser- as well as iPhone-based apps waiting in the wings.

Continue reading Mavizon Mavia tracker reaches pre-order at last, makes best friends of cars and iPhones

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Transportation

Mavizon Mavia tracker reaches pre-order at last, makes best friends of cars and iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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