Category Archives: Gadgets

Sproutel is a Wonderful Amazing Companion to Soothe Children with Cancer

February 10, 2018CES 2018, Gadgets, HealthPLUGHITZ Live

Sproutel Aflac duck Sproutel is a company that works with industry leaders to bring awareness to health but also help patients in a therapeutic way. This year at CES 2018, Sproutel is highlighting a partnership collaboration with Aflac and the outcome is the cutest little robot called My Special Aflac Duck. This small duck is adorable and cuddly, and can interact with child cancer patients to help them cope through their cancer treatment. My Special Aflac Duck has three major motor controls: he waddles, bobs his head and quacks. There’s even a soothing heartbeat for a wonderful calming affect.

To the kids, it feels like a stuffed animal, but it is also a robot with built-in sensors that can react to their touch. There’s a built-in microphone and also a light sensor to understand the environment around it, which allows it to actually change behavior depending upon the mood and surroundings.

Also, the kids can communicate their feelings by tapping a “feelings chip” to the duck’s chest. They can also have their cuddly buddy get chemo therapy right along with them. The companion app included augmented reality where you can feed and bathe your duck and also explore the world together.

My Special Aflac Duck will be available in the winter of 2019 and will be donated at no cost to children with cancer. We look forward to future developments from Sproutel. For more information, please visit their website.

Interview by Marissa Schiereck of The New Product Launchpad.
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Make Your Car Better Without Any Special Tools

February 10, 2018Auto, CES 2018, GadgetsPLUGHITZ Live

FenSens car sensors Have an older vehicle that doesn’t have sensors to assist with obstacle avoidance? FenSens is a license plate holder that is a smart wireless parking sensor. It sends the data directly to your smartphone. With installation time of just 5 minutes with no wires, It’s an affordable UPGRADE for any car. There are platforms for both Android/iOS and the hands free app launches instantly to provide convenient audio, visual, and vibration alerts when objects are dedicated in the path of the sensors. There’s no complex setup or installation fees. FenSens is perfect for all consumer and commercial fleet vehicles not exceeding 30 feet in length. You can use one both on the back and front of your car, to provide maximum protection.

There will soon be a magnetic version that can be attached to other places on the car, or even on your boat. And the company is also working on other add-on tech for vehicles. You can get yours here.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.
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Capture The Most Breathtaking Video On Your Next Fishing Adventure

February 9, 2018CES 2018, Gadgets, Mobile, SportPLUGHITZ Live

GoFish Cam Underwater Fishing Camera Take your fishing activities to the next level with the GoFish Cam! This is no ordinary underwater camera, it’s a versatile 1080p HD camera that goes where your fishing goes unlike any other fishing camera. The GoFish Cam simply attaches to any fishing line and captures the underwater experience that you need to see. The camera is made with a strong metal leader line that helps you catch large game fish.

But wait, there’s more. The GoFish Cam has a built-in hotspot that can connect to your phone through the GoFish Cam app. This application has so many possibilities for the sport of fishing that start with a creation of a profile and the activation of your new GoFish Cam. From the app, you can adjust the camera settings and the video quality, view the battery life, and refer back to previous fishing trips that were recorded. From there, you have the ability to edit and share out your footage to your friends!

Pick up your GoFish Cam today for $239.99 by going to the GoFish Cam website.

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Absolutely Brilliant Lighting and Smart Home Solutions

February 9, 2018CES 2018, Gadgets, HomePLUGHITZ Live

Brilliant Smarthome Solution We all love the technical/mobile revolution that has been transpiring over the last few years, and we’re happy that it is moving forward at full speed. And even though it is great to have apps on our mobile devices to assist with our smart home products, it would also be really nice to have a control built into wall mountable controls inside the home. For this very reason, Brilliant has developed the Brilliant Control. This smart light switch replaces an existing switch in the home and gives you and your family touch and voice access to lighting and your other smart products in the house. It connects with Sonos, Nest and more without the need for a mobile app. Amazon Alexa is built in, as is video capability that allows you to video conference between one or more controls that are installed in the house.

And don’t worry about not being super handy around the house. Installation is a breeze and only takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Once installed, you will instantly have voice and motion control. All of which can end up saving you between an estimated 5-18% on your overall lighting costs. There’s also a convenient touch screen that allows you to swipe up/down to turn lights on and off, as well as adjust dimming.

They also worked hard to make the design simple and elegant, to compliment your home décor. It’s available in multiple colors and switch configurations and they even include seasonal art that is automatically updated. The single switch starts at $199. There are also 2, 3 and 4 switch designs that increase in price by increments of $50 respectively. Their preorder sale exceeded their expectations and they are working hard to have them available in February.

Take a look at the available options and purchase yours here

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.
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Quartz: Great-Tasting Water Instantly, Smart and Easily Portable

February 9, 2018CES 2018, Gadgets, HealthPLUGHITZ Live

Quartz Water Bottle Quartz has an exciting development in the water bottle market. A self cleaning water bottle that will keep your water cold, but also ensures that you are drinking pure and clean tasting water every time. We caught up with Justin Wang one of the co-founders of this new product at CES this year, who explained the technology and process which makes this product such a great option.

This product is all made possible by their new UV light technology inside the bottle which cleans and sanitizes your water bottle, but also purifies the drinking water within. This is an exciting feature to anyone trying to reduce their impact on the environment, but also provides an effective solution to keeping your water chalice clean and fresh smelling. The new more condensed version of this UV light technology cleans the water bottle every 4 hours, or with the quick push of a button. The LED light is rechargeable and will last 2 to 3 months on a single charge, making the process very easy and efficient.

Now, with Quartz’s new product, it will make drinking clean great tasting water a lot less expensive, and the cleaning process a whole lot easier without having to use the dishwasher or sink again. Take it to the gym, camping or on the road. With the easy-to-use USB adapter for charging, it truly can go anywhere you need it to go with you. This product will be available on Amazon in April for $99.00, the last money you should ever have to spend on a water bottle forever.

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A Breakthrough Way to Make Freshly Brewed Coffee On the Go!

January 30, 2018CES 2018, Gadgets, HomePLUGHITZ Live

Cauldryn Fyre travel mug If you’ve ever been on-the-road and wished there was a way to brew your own coffee, then Cauldryn is for you. This seemingly standard insulated mug hides within it superpowers. Using a series of modular attachments, you can boil water, brew coffee and even sterilize water.

On the LED screen, you can set your target temperate and see how hot the water has gotten. Once it is to your desired temperature, you can make food, brew coffee or tea or even rehydrate dehydrated food. The portable battery pack can also charge your phone in an emergency. On a full charge you can boil water twice and brew coffee 7-8 times. The Cauldryn is a perfect accessory for camping or hiking.

In the control module they have added Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to use with Google Assistant, so when you’re at home, you can simply say, “Hey Google, brew some coffee” and Cauldryn will do all of the work for you. The price point for this is $129.00 for the coffee module and $139.00 for the fixed module. For more information go to cauldryn.com.

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Exciting New Technology for Safer Driving

January 30, 2018Auto, CES 2018, GadgetsPLUGHITZ Live

Hyundai MOBIS Safe Driving Technology All of us have gotten behind the wheel of our cars knowing that we were drowsy. Thanks to Hundai MOBIS, that problem is probably going to be a thing of the past. It is called Departed Driver Rescue and Exit Maneuver or DDREM. This is an intervention system that safely transitions the vehicle from any kind of accident or veering off the road when it detects that the driver is falling asleep.

Since there are over 7000 fatalities from falling asleep at the wheel, this innovation is a wonderful piece of technology to have available for our safety. It places sensors and an infrared camera into the car along with control inputs to help detect that the driver is no longer in control of the car. It then takes over and transitions the vehicle to get back on track and safely pull off the road and come to a safe stop. It will then send an emergency alert to whoever the OEM or the driver has chosen. Hopefully this technology will be available in cars by 2022.

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Perfect 3D Printing in a Great Design

January 30, 2018CES 2018, GadgetsPLUGHITZ Live

SprintRay 3D Printing The MoonRay Desktop 3D Printer from SprintRay is an all in one, high resolution system with a compact design that can fit into any workspace. It allows you to make a variety of different things from engineering to character design and everything in between. It’s also wireless with incredible accuracy, solid durability, and great print speed at an affordable price. It also includes advanced hardware, software, and materials.

Both of their printers offer 20, 50, or 100 Microns of Z Resolution, up to 1 vertical inch per hour Print Speed and use Standard, Castable, Dental Materials.

With MoonRay D, you are able to print features as small as 75 microns in size. It’s perfect for applications that demand the best in detail, precision, and accuracy. It’s perfect for dental labs producing crowns and bridges, and for jewelers who print pieces for casting.

The MoonRay S has a minimum feature size of 100 microns, combined with a generous build area. It’s ideal for creators and makers who need a larger build area, but still want great detail, accuracy, and surface finish. It is great for character designers, dentists, and engineers.

Interview by Jacob Cannon of FIRST Looks.
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Quanergy Engages Future with Unparalleled Technology

January 25, 2018Auto, CES 2018, GadgetsPLUGHITZ Live

One of the things that CES does best is encourage new and better developments out of existing tech. This year, Quanergy is showing off their precision technology in Fisker’s new car model (also unveiled at CES 2018), the EMotion. This autonomous vehicle is the first to have LiDAR Sensors built into the vehicle. Up until now, LiDAR Sensors have always been added on to existing vehicles, after the fact, to give them a certain level of autonomy.

Quanergy is the leading provider of solid state LiDAR sensors and smart sensing solutions. They lead the industry in all six key commercialization areas of price, performance, reliability, size, weight, and power efficiency, while meeting the mass deployment requirements of durability and dependability. The intricate design of their components are not only smaller to better fit into any design, but also more accurate than their larger counterparts.

The Fisker EMotion on display consists of five sensors staged throughout and provide it with an autonomous rating of Level 4. To find out more about Quanergy’s software, technology and product line, check out their website.

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Qi Charging Gets Even More Practical and Absolutely Easy

January 25, 2018CES 2018, Gadgets, MobilePLUGHITZ Live

Vivitar Qi This year, Vivitar is expanding their charging products in some really cool ways. Their new line, Tap Charge, is a group of wireless Qi chargers that include sweet new features. We especially like the one that is tilted up so you can see the screen while charging, instead of laying your smart phone down. This enables you to easily view and use the phone while its charging. It also has USB ports on the front to allow you additional charging solutions while charging your phone on the main pad.

There is a Bluetooth speaker with alarm clock that offers Qi charging on top. Perfect for your bedside to easily charge wirelessly without adding more devices to your night stand. And the Tap Charge Auto is the perfect accessory with Qi charging for the car. No more need to search for cords while driving, just leave the mounted charger plugged in at all times and drop you phone in whenever you need a to charge, and it’s perfect for looking at your GPS on the go.

The line of fabric-covered Qi chargers is really unique and a nice change from traditional black plastic chargers. You can get a single pad or a hub that charges three devices at a time. So whether more than one family member needs to charge at the same time, or if you want to charge your air pods, smart watch and phone all at the same time, you are covered.

They are also coming out with a line called Snap Charge. For on the go charging, they have the best design for a portable power bank. It has a wall plug that is built in and folds away perfectly in a compact design. You can charge by a standard cord, or you can Qi charge on the top surface of the bank that uses micro suction to adhere to phone. We find this a better alternative to adding a phone case with battery charger because you can keep the case that you love and only use the add on when needed. We loved the design so much that we hope they integrate this sleek design into their charging line for other products, such as camera batteries.

Although we were really excited about all of these new charging options, the most unique product they were showing off, by far, is a line of clutch purses that include power banks inside. They have multiple styles to choose from and can not only charge with a standard cord but they also offer Qi wireless charging. Ladies can simply lay the clutch down on the table in front of them and place their phone right on top to charge, making the phone accessible to them at all times.

Prices will vary and will be between $10 and $80 USD.

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