Nokia’s Home Assistant encourages you to live a healthy lifestyle

Posted on 10/04/2019 by Sarang Sheth

Now if a Google Home or an Apple HomePod could give me inputs on how to stay healthy, by collating my information and giving me tips on how to live a better life, I’d definitely consider it. If a home assistant could tell me if my sleeping patterns needed improvement, or that my diet could use some tweaking, or perhaps some outdoor time for my heart-rate, that’s what I’d really value in a home assistant. Nokia’s Home tries to be that guardian. Designed as a conceptual device by Rik Oudenhoven during his time at Nokia, the Nokia Home is a completely re-imagined device. Designed to do more than just connect you to internet-based services that collect data and generate revenue, the Nokia Home allows you to live a better life… aside from listening to music!

It collates data from all your devices, allowing the Home to map out your lifestyle, from your activity, to nutrition, to sleeping patterns. It then uses this data to give you advice on how to live better, from something as simple as sitting correctly or sleeping correctly, to more complex changes like suggesting dietary preferences. In short, it focuses its data collection around the overall wellbeing of its user… while respecting privacy! Yes, Nokia, a Finnish company, in compliance with European Union laws and the GDPR, works without compromising the privacy of its user. The Home, aside from protecting your data, gives you the ability to mute the Home Assistant whenever you want, making sure it doesn’t collect further data on you until you choose for it to do so!

Designer: Rik Oudenhoven

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Juvo Takes Sleep Monitoring to an Extreme

Posted on 19/11/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Every breath you take, every move you make, the Juvo sleep tracker will be watching you. With its unprecedented accuracy and smart home integration, this device takes sleep monitoring to a whole new level.

Juvo Labs, the Singapore-based company behind this sleep tracker, figured out that relying just on accelerometers to track sleep patterns simply won’t do it. According to its makers, Juvo is so accurate that it can track even your slightest movements 100 times a second. Since it needs to be placed under the mattress, it’s a lot more convenient to use than wrist-worn sleep monitors.

“The sensor technology is fiber optic,” explained company founder Toi Ngee in an interview with Gizmag. “So there’s a LED in the bedside unit that emits normal light that passes through the cable to the sensor under the mat. We then measure the amount of light lost within the mat a hundred times a second to extract out vitals such as movement, breathing etc. Therefore, there’s absolutely no radiation and even electricity from the sensor under the mat.”

The tracker even comes with a white noise machine that makes sure that you fall asleep quickly. Juvo really turns sleeping into a whole new experience, as it makes use of smart lights to wake you up when you’re rested. On top of that, it can be integrated with smart home devices such as Nest thermostats.

As mentioned before, Juvo Labs thought that for a precise sleep tracker, three-way accelerometers simply won’t do. More modern sleep monitors also include heartbeat monitors and skin temperature sensors, but that requires you to wear them around your wrist, fact that makes them uncomfortable during the night. Smart home integration and a entire host of sensors take Juvo to a new level, not to mention that its makers have also developed a software layer for data analysis.

The companion app collects the data recorded by the sensors and provides tips on how to make your sleep even better. Some of the advices you might get include “You achieve deep sleep fastest when your room temperature is set to 74° F (23° C)” or “You are typically in light sleep at 7 am, consider setting your alarm around that time.” That’s definitely something you don’t see when using sleep trackers developed by other companies. It’s not a mistake to consider the companion app one of Juvo’s most important selling points.

Juvo is currently featured on Indiegogo, where its creators are trying to raise $50,000 within the next 37 days, so that the sleep tracker makes it to mass production. Early birds can get it for as little as $149, while regular backers will have to pledge $159 or more to get their Juvo sleep tracker in April 2016. Various bundles are availables, including a distributor pack with 50 monitors selling for $6,000, in case you want to make sure that the entire neighborhood sleeps well.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Jawbone UP3 fitness tracker that includes a host of sensors, or the KidFit bracelet fitness tracker that keeps youngsters on the move.

[via GizMag]

I5 Plus Smartband Takes Simplicity to the Extreme

Posted on 30/07/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

While some wearable manufacturers prefer to make overly complex devices, Iwown teaches everyone a lesson in simplicity with its I5 Plus waterproof smartband.

1. Contents of the Box
2. Design and Build Quality
3. Connectivity
4. Menu and Navigation
5. Battery Life
6. Price and Availability
7. Conclusions

Contents of the Box

At a first glance, it might look like something is missing from the box, but in fact, there’s everything needed to get started. Upon opening the box, a logical question could arise: “Shouldn’t there also be a USB cable included?” Well, no, since the main part of the smartband also includes a USB plug.

Inside the box, you will find just the smartband and a user manual. Instructions on how to set it up and how to use it are available in both English and Chinese, fact that indicates the manufacturer’s desire to market this product internationally.

Design and Build Quality

The back of the Iwown I5 Plus looks a bit like it was made in a rush. Other than that, the smartband is impressively well built. The TPU band has a slot for the USB plug and two other holes for securing the main unit into place. Check out the following slideshow to get an idea about how the item looks.

Click to view slideshow.

It really would be something if all wearables priced this low were made out of so sturdy materials. The only thing that worries me is what would happen to the main unit if pressure is applied onto it while it charges. That being said, when it’s “plugged” into the bracelet, there are no chances the USB plug could ever get damaged. Add to that the fact that the smartband is IP67 certified, which means it is dust- and waterproof, and you have a rather impressive product.

Connectivity

As most wearables out there, the I5 Plus connects to smartphones via Bluetooth. In terms of operating system compatibility, it works with iOS 7.0+ or Android 4.3+.

Click to view slideshow.

The companion app, called Zeroner, is about as simple as the smartband itself. However, judging by the 2.3/5 score it has on Google Play Store, I’d say that most people aren’t happy with it, with the most cited reasons being bugs, connectivity issues with various smartphones, and loss of data after unexpected resets. Fortunately, I didn’t experience any of these problems, and the overall experience was very pleasant.

Right after launching the app, you need to set up an account using an e-mail address and a password, to make sure that your statistics get synced, should you want to pair the smartband with another device.

Menu and Navigation

If it’s versatility you’re after, Iwown’s I5 Plus might just be up your alley. Navigating through the menu is done by swiping to the left or to the right, while confirming a selection is done by pressing the touch screen for three seconds. Here are some of the things it can do.

Display time and date: There is no way to manually set the time and date, but the smartband syncs these details when getting paired with your smartphone using the companion app. To see the current time, you either have to tap the display or do a wrist gesture, as you would if you wore a conventional timepiece. On the other hand, to see the current date, you need to swipe up or down when the time is displayed.

Sleep and fitness tracking: Using the included accelerometer, the I5 Plus can tell when you’re sleeping (moreover, it can distinguish deep from light sleep), and when you’re moving around. When it comes to fitness, it counts calories, number of steps and distance. Of course, no fitness tracker out there is extremely accurate, so these are more like estimations. To make sure sedentariness doesn’t get to you, you can set sedentary reminders or move alerts, as Iwown calls these.

Push caller ID and notifications: When your phone rings, the caller ID will get displayed on the smartband’s screen. Similarly, when you’re getting notifications from certain apps, they are transmitted to the I5 Plus, provided that the Bluetooth connection is not broken. According to the Zeroner app, you can be alerted using vibrations whenever you’re getting a text, or when receiving messages on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or Skype. You’ll have to enable notifications for each of these apps in Zeroner.

Alarm clock: This is yet another feature that’s handled using the companion app. You can set up as many alarms as you want, and you can even establish a pattern for them, depending on the day they fire up.

Battery Life

The I5 Plus allegedly features a 75mAh battery that should keep the smartband up and running for up to a week. The manufacturer recommends charging the device for half an hour prior to using it. From my experience, the battery can last a week, but that will depend a lot on how the smartband is used. Setting up a lot of alarms and getting a ton of notifications will cause the battery life to drop dramatically.

Price and Availability

At $16.36, which is as much as it costs on GearBest, the I5 Plus competes against Xiaomi’s Mi Band. On the upside, this one has a display, but the lesser companion app and the poorer battery life rank it lower than Xiaomi’s wearable.

Conclusions

Iwown’s I5 Plus packs quite a few features for its small price. That makes it a good choice when compared to its mainstream counterparts, considering that the latter cost a few times more. It remains to be seen how and if this smartband stands the test of time, but so far, the

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the I5 Plus waterproof smartband, or the Mifone W15 smartwatch.

Vidonn X6 Tracks Sleep and Fitness on a Budget

Posted on 11/05/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Whoever thinks that fitness and sleep trackers must cost a fortune to be functional certainly hasn’t taken Vidonn’s products into consideration. The X6 takes care of these tasks gracefully, without forcing you to spend insane amounts of money.

This IP65-certified Bluetooth 4.0 smartband is affordable and highly-functional, which isn’t something you could say about the wearables of Samsung or FitBit, for example, which leave a hole in your wallet. At the end of the day, it matters more what a piece of wearable tech can do for you, and not which big brand made it. “A little stone in the way overturns a great wain,” says a proverb that seems to apply more and more in the modern tech world, as smaller names making good looking and well-functioning products can pose serious threats to the bigger players.

One of the many things that the Vidonn X6 can do is display notifications from the smartphone it’s paired with. Companion apps have been created for both Android and iPhone, to make sure that most people can use such a smartband. Incoming calls, texts, Skype, Whatsapp and Viber messages can be conveyed to the X6, so you don’t miss a thing.

It only takes a finger swipe to operate Vidonn’s latest wearable, and that’s definitely something to look for in such a device. After all, using a smartband doesn’t have to disrupt all your other activities, but complement them.

When it comes to fitness tracking, Vidonn X6 takes several parameters in account: number of steps, covered distance and calories burned. The fun fact about owning this smartband is that you can compete against other people owning one, and it gets even better when these people include members of your family or friends.

Although in theory you could also organize sleeping competitions, with the Vidonn X6 it’s not about who sleeps more, but who sleeps better. All in all, the smartband might actually be a way of improving the quality of your sleep, as you’ll know just how much deep sleep you got the previous night. It’s up to you to find ways of exhausting your body in order to get more sleep, but the X6 is great for knowing just where you’ve started, not to mention that it offers ongoing monitoring.

If you want to keep track of your sleep habits, the number of steps taken every day, and the smartphone notifications that you might miss otherwise, head to GearBest, where the Vidonn X6 can be purchased for $28.99 (or $26.73, if you apply the coupon code GBVX6 during checkout).

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Pebble smartstraps, or the SmartMio sports muscle stimulator.

Acer Liquid Leap+ Tracks Fitness without Breaking the Bank

Posted on 01/03/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

The more companies get involved in the wearable tech industry, the more affordable fitness trackers become. Acer’s touchscreen fitness and sleep tracker is a prime example of that, as it will carry a price tag of less than $90.

Acer has been the fourth largest PC vendor in the world for the past four years, and since it is a bit unlikely that it will occupy a higher position in the near future (that is, unless the SuperFish fiasco hits Lenovo’s sales), the Taiwanese company has decided to dip its toes into other markets, wearables being one of them. Liquid Leap+ is by no means the first fitness tracker Acer has made, but it adds a bit more functionality to the previous model at a much lower price.

Liquid Leap+ shares its design lines with wearables made by Garmin, Samsung and Microsoft, so Acer’s smart band isn’t revolutionary in this aspect. To make something different, you need to take the minimalistic route, as Xiaomi did with their ultra-affordable Mi Band, or do something as intricately-designed as Misfit’s Swarovski Shine.

Despite the simple design, the Liquid Leap+ abounds with functionality. Users have quick access to all the features via the included touchscreen, which is definitely something you don’t get too see that often in this price range. As a matter of fact, the one-inch OLED touchscreen represent the only way to control this fitness tracker, since it doesn’t include any physical buttons.

Acer’s fitness and sleep tracker syncs data with your smartphone over a Bluetooth 4.0 LE connection. As far as the compatibility with your smartphone’s OS is concerned, the Taiwanese company didn’t take sides, so the device will work equally fine with iOS, Android or Windows Phone. The tracker is compliant with the IPX7 waterproof standard, and while it might not handle physical shocks too well, it could be a trusty companion while swimming.

There has been no word on when the Liquid Leap+ will be available in the US, but for the time being, Acer plans to launch it later this month in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for €79 ($88). The Taiwanese company will have this fitness tracker on display at their MWC stand in Barcelona, so anyone visiting the exhibition will get the chance to see it in action and decide for themselves if it’s any good.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Liquid Leap smartband, or Acer’s Tegra K1 Chromebook 13.

Lumoid Lets You Try Wearable Devices Before You Buy: Fit Tester

Posted on 28/01/2015 by Lambert Varias

Lumoid is an online store that rents and sells consumer electronics, from prosumer cameras to the Google Glass. Recently the store opened up a new kind of service that’s solely for wearable devices. Lumoid can ship you up to five fitness or sleep trackers so you can try them out for a week. If you like any of them, buy them from Lumoid and your trial is free. Otherwise you’ll pay a $20 (USD) fee for the rental.

Lumoid has a good sampling of fitness and sleep tracking devices, including ones from Nike, Jawbone and Fitbit. Head to the store’s website if you’d like to avail of the trial. You should also check out Fast Company’s hands-on impression of the service.

[via UrbanDaddy]

Healbe GoBe: A Deceiving Body Manager with a Sleek Design

Posted on 05/01/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Activity trackers and calorie counters are taken for granted by most people, and few are the ones who actually care about the accuracy of such devices, the gimmicky factor being the one that matters to most.

Health and fitness gadgets have the role of helping us keep track of many parameters characterizing our bodies. The whole concept of the Quantified Self is based on how accurately the devices are able to monitor various bodily functions, so any manufacturer of wearables should back their gadgets with some relevant research in order to inspire trust. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Healbe Gobe, a “fully automated body manager” that relies on three sensors to monitor our body and daily (or nightly) activities.

The pulse sensor and the accelerometer are two sensors that have made their way into a lot of modern wearables, and while these do add some functionality, the innovation comes from the use of an impedance level that tracks fluid levels in the tissues. Besides calorie intake and calories burned, the Healbe GoBe can measure heart rate, stress level, hydration levels and sleep status. To be taken into consideration, a gadget with so many functions would need some proper certifications or reviews to back it.

Currently featured at CES in Las Vegas, Healbe GoBe hasn’t really been certified in terms of sensor accuracy by a high authority. When asked whether the results have been published in any peer-reviewed journals, George Mikaberidze, Healbe’s managing director, pointed out that the Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York and the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Health’s Medical and Sports Clinic have tested the gadget, and that further details are available on the company’s website. As a matter of fact, there’s no mention of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering on healbe.com, fact that makes you wonder how far this company would go to sell its product.

Healbe Gobe was featured on Indiegogo between March 5 and April 15, 2014, where it raised more than ten times the $100,000 funding goal, suggesting that some people truly believed in its potential. Even though backers were supposed to get the gadgets they had pledged their hard-earned money for in June of last year, the manufacturer now claims that the body manager will be delivered at the end of this month. The ones who missed the crowdfunding campaign can get it on Healbe’s website for $299.

I guess this stands to show that anyone can get to CES nowadays, regardless if their product is accurate or simply based on bad science.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Anonabox privacy router’s awry crowdfunding campaign, or the Jawbone UP3 fitness tracker and its many sensors.

Sense Helps You Regain Control Over Your Sleep

Posted on 26/07/2014 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Sleep still is a mystery to us (and most importantly, to scientists), but at least this crowdfunded device simply known as Sense will help us be better at this time-costing activity.

It’s impossible to improve anything without proper feedback on the factors that influence it. The same goes with sleep, and according to Hello, the San Francisco-based developers of the Sense system, providing feedback on sleep patterns could help people turn this into a better experience.

The Sense system consists of three parts: a nightstand accessory that monitors your sleeping environment at night, the Sleep Pill (a sleep tracking devices that clips to your pillow inconspicuously), and a mobile app that, by the looks of it, will only be available on iOS.

By correlating the data collected by Sense and the Sleep Pill, the mobile app is able to generate a Sleep Score for each night, along with details that need to be adjusted in order to zZzzZZ better. Sense also records the loud noises that might have disturbed your sleep and enables you to play them back.

Assuming that you’re the type that can only fall asleep at the sound of rain that pours gently on your window, Sense can help you with that, even when the sky is clear. Its speaker can play white noise, pink noise or the sound of rain, so that you can slide easier to the other side.

The same speaker is used for the smart alarm that wakes you up when you’re the most relaxed, even if you haven’t had 8 hours of sleep. By tracking the sleep patterns, Sense can tell when an REM phase has ended, and hence, you can wake up completely refreshed, without feeling groggy.

The Sense sleep pattern tracking system is currently featured on Kickstarter, where it literally crushed its initial goal of $100K by having raised more than 9 times that. Moreover, at press time there were still 26 more days until the campaign’s end, so the tremendous success of this project cannot be denied. Pledging $99 will secure backers a Sense and a Sleep Pill. Considering that the pre-order price will be $129, it’s no surprise that thousands of people concerned about their sleep helped the developers of Sense to make the device a reality.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the KidFit bracelet fitness and sleep tracker for kids, and the Cafe Amazon Drive Awake app that prevents drivers from falling asleep.

Xiaomi Mi 4 and Mi Band Wearable, or How to Use Tech for World Domination

Posted on 22/07/2014 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Being called the “Apple of Asia” wasn’t enough for Xiaomi, and this Chinese company went to great lengths to prove that they’re even better than that. Xiaomi Mi 4 and the Mi Band wearable are the latest proofs of that.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun unveiled at a press-conference in Beijing the company’s latest flagship smartphone and its debut in the world of wearable tech. Xiaomi Mi 4, the Chinese manufacturer’s latest phone, features a metal back that could make some people think of the iPhone, but all similarities stop there.

Lei revealed his confidence that the Xiaomi Mi4 is superior to Apple’s smartphone: “Our product really is better than the iPhone. Even our white color is whiter!” Of course, his claim is backed not only by the ridiculously low price of only $320 (less than half than the $700 price tag of the iPhone in China), but also by the device’s performance.

This company made a habit from creating powerful devices, the Mi Pad tablet, which is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra K1 SoC, being one of the latest such examples. Xiaomi Mi4, on the other hand, is powered by Qualcomm’s 2.5 Ghz Snapdragon 801 CPU. On top of that, the flagship is equipped with a 5-inch FHD display, 3GB of RAM, an 8 MP front-facing camera and a 13 MP rear-facing one. In terms of storage capacity, Xiaomi Mi 4 will come either with 16GB or 64GB of internal memory. Everything is powered by a 3,080 mAh battery that should be more than enough for a work day.

Mi Band, the other piece unveiled at Xiaomi’s most recent press conference, is a wearable that while doesn’t impress with its functionality, it does so with its design. This fitness and sleep tracker is water-resistant (being IP67 certified), and has 30-day standby power, which is quite a lot in terms of wearable battery life.

Unlike typical sleep trackers, the Mi Band will also act as a smart sleep cycle alarm. In other words, it will wake you up when you’re the most invigorated. This piece of wearable tech will also enable you to unlock your smartphone without a password, and I tend to believe that it will work with all Android phones, not just with Xiaomi’s. Best of all, the Mi Band will be around $13, a fraction of the price of items made by more “reputable” manufacturers.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Xiaomi Mi3, the world’s first gaming phone with Nvidia Tegra 4, and 220K smartphones that Xiaomi sold in 3 minutes.

KidFit Bracelet Fitness Tracker Keeps Youngsters on the Move

Posted on 01/07/2014 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Who said that fitness trackers are built exclusively for the grown-ups? KidFit is such a device built specifically for the younger crowd, as they must learn the importance of physical activities from an early age.

“Thanks” to junk food, childhood obesity has become a real problem not only in the US, but also in other countries that follow the American model. Kids nowadays prefer spending their spare time on Facebook, Tumblr or Instagram, rather than going out and play. Mind you, I mentioned playing and not running, swimming or lifting weights, as that’s the first step in convincing your kid to stay in shape. Besides running and racquet sports, the others aren’t really recommended at an early age, since the excessively growing muscles might press on the bones, fact that could stunt the kid’s growth.

KidFit might turn things around, as it helps children set a goal, overtake it, set a new goal and so on. Attributing numbers to anything (the main idea behind the quantified self concept) motivates people (and children, in this particular case) to strive for progress at all times.

Developed by X-Doria, this bracelet fitness tracker enables parents to set goals for the little ones (goals that are realistic, hopefully, for the sake of the younger crowd) and then watch their progress on the companion app. Versions for both Android and iOS have been developed, to make sure that both crowds are happy, especially when each of the parents uses a different mobile OS.

Not only fitness goals, but also sleeping goals can be set using the KidFit bracelet. The lack of sleep is known to affect both physical and mental performance, so it’s vital to make sure that the kid gets enough sleep. The functionality is not much different from the one of fitness tracking armbands made for adults, but the design is definitely intended for children.

I regret not doing more physical activities as a kid, since this was reflected later in me being out of shape (ectomorph, not obese). Luckily, it’s never too late to start moving if you want to be in shape in the decades to come.

This bracelet fitness tracker is available for pre-order on X-Doria‘s website for $39.99, and after August 15, when pre-orders will be shipped, the price will go up to $50. It’s worth knowing that the company also ships its products outside of the US.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the GOQii fitness tracker that outsources your stats to an Indian personal trainer, and the sensor-packed Hexoskin shirt that acts as a fitness tracker.

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