Category Archives: Mobile

B-Line helps design better spaces using actionable mobility data



B-Line mobility analyticsConstructing and maintaining a green building is a difficult and expensive process. One of the more difficult parts is conducting the required mobility survey. This is because the results are often inaccurate and, overall, useless to the building owner. When people are asked about how they move and how they travel, their answers often do not represent reality. Fortunately, B-Line is here to help record useable data and made sense of what you have.

Rather than conducting interviews with people, hoping that they know what their travel pattern looks like, B-Line uses the occupants’ actual travel patterns. People from the building are given access to the mobile app on their phone, where the company can anonymously track the user’s behaviors and travel patterns. After the campaign is complete, the building owner is given access to a report detailing how their occupants actually move, making it truly actionable. All of this can be done for less money than traditional methods because no people have to be hired to conduct surveys and no manual data processing has to take place after.

One of the big actions that can be taken based on the data is an accurate assessment of how many parking spaces are needed. While this might not sound like a big deal, parking spaces are incredibly expensive to maintain. The average parking space costs about $100,000 and can be a lot more in places like New York City or Los Angeles. If a building owner can eliminate just one spot, it can be a huge cost saving.

To demonstrate the power of the platform, B-Line worked with a group of university students at the State University of New York in Syracuse. To start, CEO Aaron Short gave his presentation on how current methods are terrible. The students didn’t believe him, and so they conducted a traditional mobility survey with the students and then turned on the system. The students got to see first hand just how little they knew about their travel patterns, and how easy it can be to get false data using traditional methods.

The B-Line system can be used for more than just green building certifications. It can be applied to new community developments, universities, and even cities. The service is available now and you can get more information on their website.

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You’ve never had this much fun exploring a city in your life!



Driftscape Local GuideChloe Duesberg is the CEO and co-founder of an exciting new company called Driftscape. Driftscape is a mobile app platform for local cultural organizations to share their information and events. It enables them to reach a broader audience and, more importantly, gives users a great way to find in-depth information about local arts, culture, and history, all in one place.

Driftscape is a mobile app that provides a platform for local organizations that shares site-specific stories, tours, and events. It’s a great resource to find out what’s happening in a particular city. The easy to use platform even pairs nicely with augmented reality modes to provide a fun new way to tour, explore and discover hidden gems all around you. Simply hold your phone up and zoom around to find markers that represent places of interest and read all about them. You can find events that are happening along with places of 
interest as well as tours. There is so much to explore. It’s perfect when looking for new things to do in your home town and even better when you are traveling. Take Toronto, for example, where Collision Conference 2019 was located. There are over 30 local organizations already using the platform. This is perfect for tourists who are looking for points of interest and things to do, and also for business travelers who may not have a lot of time to see all of the sites and want make the most what’s around them during their downtime. And also great for locals to find something in their city that they never even realized was there.

The best part is, for Users, the app is free and it provides a great way to explore what’s around you. Simply select what you’re interested in it, and start walking. You’ll be notified when there’s something nearby. And for Organizations, Driftscape is a powerful tool that helps them get your stories out there, as well as potentially generate more interest and possibly revenue.

Learn more details by watching the full interview and visit their website to find out more about what Driftscape can do for you.

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Shopping for a new car just got easier with the CarHero professionals



CarHeroAre you in the market for a new car? We all know the process you’re about to go through and we are not envious. The beginning stages of car shopping can be extremely stressful from visiting numerous dealerships, to finding a car salesman that understands your needs. But what if we told you that there is an app that can take away most of that hassle? CarHero might be your savior in this scenario.

CarHero is a mobile application that connects clients with top tier automotive sales professionals in their local area. Every salesperson you’re interacting with through this platform has been handpicked and vetted by CarHero. The application also provides the user/client with a closer look into who they will be working with during their car search through professional profiles of each salesperson. These profiles include a biography with their experience level, average response times, and customer reviews to give you an overview of the salesperson.

All you have to do is launch the app, pick a dealership, choose your professional, and send them a quick message through the app letting them know what you’re looking for and how they can assist you. You do not need to exchange contact information with the salesperson because CarHero has it all. You can even video chat through the app with your selected professional to view cars on the lot and to get a quick demo without stepping foot on the property.

The number one goal of CarHero Co-Founder Ahmed Mourad is to ensure customer satisfaction. He has a lot of experience in automotive sales and knows the process can be tedious. CarHero puts everything you need in one place to help you make your best decision in this process.

CarHero will be launching late Summer 2019 starting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For more information about this application, you can visit their website.

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The DJI Osmo Pocket brings their 3-axis gimbal to a one-handed camera



DJI Osmo PocketWhen people think of consumer drones and multirotor copters, they almost certainly go directly to DJI. There is no name more synonymous with the product category, in fact, for both consumers and professionals. One of the reasons that DJI is so popular is the incredible stability of their cameras, care of a very sophisticated gyroscopic stabilizer. The stabilizer is so good at what it does, that the company has decided to bring it outside of the drone and into a new product, the Osmo Pocket.

This new product is a small, handheld video camera is able to record in full UHD 4K resolution, at 60 frames per second. It can record for 140 minutes on a charge, all in an incredibly small body. But, where DJI really sets the Osmo Pocket apart from the crowded is by bringing their 3-axis gimbal to the camera. This single feature makes the camera incredibly attractive for all sorts of video creators.

The most obvious usage is for amateur sports videography. Whether you’re running up and down your kids’ soccer pitch or filming your friends’ newest skateboard trick, this is a great camera. It’s because of the stabilization. You can literally run with the camera and the gimbal can keep the frame level and steady. All of this is made possible while still managing to pack everything into a single-handed design.

The gimbal is mechanical but digitally controlled. This gives the camera the ability to do some great capabilities that you simply cannot get with a generic gimbal. For example, ActiveTrack, a feature which allows you to tap on a subject on the screen and the camera will continue to follow the subject as it moves, as well as while the camera moves. Again, this makes following a kid’s soccer game or skateboarding video far easier to film.

The DJI Osmo Pocket is available now for $349, and can be found in accessory bundles, as well.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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The OPKIX One allows you to enjoy an event and share it with friends



OPKIX One cameraThere’s no question that social media has a big impact on most of our lives every day. For many, when they are experiencing something exciting, that want to be able to share it with the world. However, the biggest problem with that is it means that you then experience the event through the lens of a camera and the screen of a phone. It would be much better if you could experience the event and share it with your friends. That is exactly the problem that OPKIX is trying to solve.

The OPKIX One camera is small enough that it can be used just about anywhere, from a necklace to your eyeglasses. It is also that small size that makes it so that you can film and experience an event at once. Using some of these accessories, such as the glasses, you can easily record the exciting aspects of your day without having to lose yourself into a camera of a phone screen. Now, you can truly enjoy the thing that you are there to enjoy, whether it be a concert, competition, or conference.

In addition to the design of the camera itself, there are a number of distinguishing features. One of the most interesting is the inspiration that they take from true wireless earbuds. They ship with a docking “egg” which serves as a portable charging station, but there’s more than just that. When you’re charging the camera, it is also transferring the media from the camera into the egg. That way you only have to have a single device paired to your phone. That’s because the package ships with 2 cameras, as opposed to only one, so you can charge one while recording with the other.

The OPKIX One can be ordered now for $295 for the cameras, or $395 for the cameras and a pack of accessories.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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Jammy is a digital guitar that makes travel easier for players



Jammy guitarWhile the guitar is one of the most popular instruments to learn, it is also one of the most difficult to transport. The large size makes it nearly impossible to bring onto a plane, with several well-known incidents of professional players having their guitars damaged during transportation. That is where the Jammy portable guitar comes into play. Unlike a regular guitar, the Jammy can snap apart into 2 pieces, making it small enough to fit into a backpack.

The Jammy is a fully-capable digital guitar featuring real steel strings. Rather than using the strings to create sound directly, the Jammy is a MIDI controller, turning your actions into digital commands. Those commands can, naturally, replicate the acoustics of a guitar, but can be used to produce any number of collections of sounds. The best part of all of this is that all of the signal processing can be done directly on the guitar, meaning you don’t need a phone or tablet in the mix for the Jammy to work. This gives you the power of digital audio without the lag of external processing.

On the device is a collection of audio interfaces. The first is the obvious: a 1/4″ jack, which is the standard for connecting an electric guitar to an amplifier or professional sound system. If you’re not playing in public, you can use the 1/8″ jack, which is the standard jack for headphones. With that, you can play entirely privately, using your own choice of headphones. Finally, it also features a MIDI interface over USB-C, so that you can connect the Jammy to a computer. Jammy can then be used with any number of music programs to create beats and more.

The Jammy can currently be preordered for $399, with a future retail price of $499.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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SELFLY allows you to take the perfect selfie without a stick



SELFLY camera droneThe biggest trend in technology in the past decade might just be selfies. Encouraged by services like Instagram and Snapchat, and glamorized by celebrities, almost everyone has at least one. The problem is often that the angle of a camera held by the photographer prevents great framing. It’s even worse when there is a group. In fact, even on our team we only have a couple of people who can get a good group selfie. For the rest of us, we now have the SELFLY drone.

This tiny multicopter is actually designed to be part of a phone case, meaning that it is always with you. That means that the drone is always with you when you’re ready to take the perfect selfie or record the perfect video. How does the drone help with that, you might ask. Well, the answer is actually quite simple. Using your phone, you can control the drone like a standard multicopter, allowing you to aim the camera and frame your photo or video exactly as you want.

None of that makes the device a drone, however. The drone capabilities come when you use the copter’s ability to lock onto a target. Once the SELFLY is in the air, it has the ability to choose a person and follow them as they move around. This is a perfect feature for filming a video without a camera person. You can lock the camera onto yourself and move around, having the camera act as your camera person.

One of the best features, and certainly one of the things that set it apart from other drones, is the ability to use gestures. Rather than having to carry your phone to take a photo, you can actually trigger the shutter with a hand movement. That will keep your photos clear of the clutter of your phone.

The SELFLY drone is available now for $99.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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OV Loop makes texting with your voice easier and more usable



OV LoopAs we all know, texting and driving is a huge problem. Every tech company has seemingly worked to help solve this problem in various ways. The most obvious way to tackle the problem is via voice commands and messaging, but for anyone who has tried to use a service like Siri or Google Assistant for text message transcription knows just how poorly it can work. The team at OV Loop have a new and novel take on the problem: the OV App.

While using your device’s native voice service for messaging, the recipient receives a computer-powered transcription of what it thinks you said; the inaccuracies of which are well-known. With the OV App, OV Loop’s messaging system, not only does the recipient receive a transcription, but they also receive the original recording. This means that when you inevitably receive a message that makes no sense, you can still decipher the intent by listening to the original voice. The best part of all of this is that it can be accomplished with minimal interaction with your device. In addition to text and voice, the app can also do what you expect from a messaging system, like photos and videos.

The real standout feature of the platform, however, is the OV Pro headphones. While they look like standard in-ear Bluetooth headphones, they feature voice control capabilities on-board. When pairing the OV Pro with the OV App you can now send and receive messages completely hands-free. You don’t even need to press a button to summon the voice commands like a standard Bluetooth device. This makes using them in the wild a far safer experience. You can even use the OV Pro to trigger your device’s native assistant to perform all of the tasks you would expect.

The OV App is available now for free for Android and iOs and the OV Pro is available for $179.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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The Canon Rayo projector packs a large image into a very small package



Canon Rayo S1 projectorWhen most people think of Canon, their first thoughts tend to be of cameras, and for good reason: the company has been making cameras and lenses since at least 1940. But soon, some people might think of projectors first thanks to the Rayo S1 mini projector. While Canon is no newcomer to projectors, the S1 takes on a whole new market in a big way. This little device is able to produce an 84-inch image with only about 3 meters of throw distance while being only about the size of a portable CD player.

This projector is the perfect companion for any salesperson, as they can easily carry it in their laptop bag or briefcase and, since it has an internal battery, they won’t even need to find a power supply in the room where they are giving their presentation. Imagine being able to easily set up in a coffee shop without having to sit in just the right booth.

In addition, the S1 itself runs a version of Android right on the projector. Because of that, you can install apps directly onto the device and use it without any external device plugged in. A member of the Canon team discovered that if he strapped the projector to the side of his bed, he could use Netflix on his ceiling without any setup.

At $259, this mini projector can even be part of anyone’s travel bag. Rather than carrying every possible cable that a hotel television might have so that you can watch Hulu at night only to be disappointed because the hotel TV doesn’t have working HDMI ports, you can bring the S1 projector with you and know that it is going to work without any problems.

The Rayo S1 mini projector should be available this May from Canon.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology.

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Amazing and affordable sound to fit all of your needs from TCL



TCL HeadphonesNo tour of the TCL booth at CES would be complete without checking out the sound systems. We already know that they make amazing TV’s that get better every year. However, as the sets get thinner, the more difficult it gets to deliver good sound. Bruce Walker gave us the skinny on their new sound tech.

In the next couple of months, TCL will be introducing a family of sound bars that are designed to deliver a great audio experience. The line up will contain two families of sound bars called the Alto 5 and the Alto 7. Both will be available with or without a wireless subwoofer. The Alto 7 improves the audio of the Alto five by having separate woofers and tweeters in the main sound bar for better clarity. The 7 has a slightly bigger subwoofer and also has the ability to have HDMI connectivity. This allows for one cable connection to the TV for automatic communication between the two for easy control. The best part is that these sound bars that are under $200 but deliver very good and robust sound quality. There are also three preset sound modes including movie , music, and news to tailor the sound to what you’re watching and offer a great home theater experience on a budget.

Also in the sound section, this year is a new family of headphones that aim to appeal to a wider and younger audience. The lineup includes the SOCL for the inspired lifestyle, the MTRO for a bold sound, the ACTV that are perfect for any workout and their ELIT headphones that will deliver premium performance. And we have to say, the prices can’t be beaten. Prices range from $10 to $99 but don’t think that you will have to skimp on features. From 18-hour battery life to an integrated remote and everything in between, you will be able to match the perfect set of headphones to every aspect of your life.

To learn more about the entire TCL line, click here to visit their website after you watch the full interview.

Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

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