Ostrich Pillow: Power Nap Anywhere Anytime

A new unusual project has made its appearance on the famous crowdfunding website: Kickstarter. It's name: Ostrich Pillow, a comfortable cushion that protects you from the chaos of the outside world. 

Ostrich Pillow is a cushion which will allow you to nap in any environment, public or private, with the utmost comfort. Ostrich Pillow protects the head from hard surfaces and the circular holes allow for breathing space. This isolates you in your fluffy cocoon away from noise or distraction and gives the ultimate sleeping experience.

According to its inventors, taking a short nap at the office can improve the productivity by 34%. Ostrich Pillow can also be used in the library, travelling on plane, bus, or in the subway.

The designers were seeking funds ($70,000), using KickStarter. To this day they have already exceeded their goal by an astonishing $125,000.

You can order your pillow here 

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor at Creative Tech Reviews

Sharing is Caring

Slide' em - Perfect SmartGloves for this winter

The Smart Gloves from Slide‘em solve the very pressing winter problem of using your smartphone without having to take off your gloves. When your teeth are clattering and you’re shivering your way through a cold winter day, it’s extremely painful to have to take off your gloves every time you want to use the phone. Slide‘em solved this problem with their high-end smartglove that offers an industrial and robotic design, innovative 100% silver plated tips in all 10 fingers, heavy duty rubber protection and silicone grip, for some of the models such as the Moto Racing-Pro Smartglove, to take on challenges in performance racing requiring touch screen devices.

  

You can use not just your fingertips, but any part of the glove. You could use the open palm of your hand to slap the phone around, or you could feed it a healthy diet of knuckle sandwiches. The Slide‘em Smartgloves come in different colors to match all your outfits. You can find these awesome gloves, starting at $6.50 here

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor at Creative Tech Reviews

MetroNap

MetroNap alerts subway riders when they’ve reached their destination. Because GPS doesn’t work underground, the app makes use of the phone’s accelerometer, which detects when the train is moving. With info about the typical commute time between stations, the app sets off the ringer upon arrival. (free)

By Creative Tech Reviews

Garmin Watches for Runners

Garmin has just announced two new GPS watches for the race on foot: the Forerunner 220 and 620. These two watches replace previous models Forerunner 210 and 610. The main new features are the color screen and Bluetooth connectivity 4.0 ; two small details that are big in importance. The Bluetooth (4.0 ) allows you to transfer the data of your sessions to Garmin Connect, a more user-friendly version. Both models will be available a little later this fall.

Garmin Forerunner 220

size of 4.5 × × 4.5 1.2 cm and a weight of 40.7 g.
Screen of 1" with a resolution of 180 ×180
water resistance up to 50 m
Li-Ion battery with a battery life of up to:
10 hours in training mode
6 weeks in mode shows
cardiac monitor available in option
Auto Pause, Auto Lap and Auto Scroll
Mode
Display interval customizable
race Mode/market
Bluetooth 4.0

Price
US $250 found here
$300 USD with the heart rate monitor


Garmin Forerunner 620 

Size: 4.5 4.5 × × 1.25 cm for a weight of 43.6 g.
touch screen of 1" with a resolution of 180 ×180
Resistance to water up to 50 m
Li-Ion battery with a battery life of up to:
10 hours in training mode
6 weeks in mode shows
Cardiac monitor available optional
Auto Pause, Auto Lap and Auto Scroll
Mode
Display interval customizable
race Mode/market
estimate of VO2max
estimate of the recovery time after a workout
Prediction of the time on a competition
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0

Price
$400 US found here
$450 US with the heart rate monitor.

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in Chief of Creative Tech Reviews

Sprng: Finally, someone fixed the Apple EarPods Flaw

Do you own an iPhone 5, a 7th generation iPod nano, or a 5th generation iPod touch? If so, then you probably also own a pair of Apple EarPods. If you’re like me, you like the sound of the EarPods but hate the fact that they don’t always stay in your ear. 

TheSprng may be the way to solve this annoying problem. Designed by Ohm Industrial Design, the Sprng is a flexible device that slips onto the stem of your EarPods and seems to use tension to keep the EarPods in place. 

The minimalist design in white and light grey works well with the EarPods. At $10 with free shipping in the US and Canada, the Sprng is definitely worth a try.

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor of Creative Tech Reviews

How Darth Vader Charges His iPhone

Between solar energy, hand cranks and even heat from fires, there are lots of green ways to charge our phones. Some don’t work that well, while others work, but are bulky. Then there are those that are just plain silly. The AIRE mask falls into the latter category.

First off, it makes you look like some kind of comic book villain. Second, it makes you look like a comic book villain. The AIRE concept comes from Joao Paulo Lammoglia and uses the power of your breath, which it converts to electricity, using tiny wind turbines. Just keep it connected to an iOS-powered device, breathe normally and you are charging. Good idea, but let’s not do this one.

Via Techabob.com

Caterpillar Cat B15

Do you work with a bulldozer and you want to update your Tumblr? What to do when one wants to mix communication and demolition, without the risk of ending up with a phone in pieces? Rogers has a solution for us: the Caterpillar Cat B15.

Intelligent, ultra robust and inherently resistant, the Cat B15 is IP67 certified, which means that it will withstand immersion in one meter of water for a duration of 30 minutes. He will resist also to a fall of 1.8 meters onto concrete. It supports the dust without ever flinching. The camera can operate a firming -20 degrees Celsius up to a radiating 55 degrees celsius.

The Cat B15 has a more of a Man look with its metallic sides and its rubber rims. Using the same colors as the famous brand.

The B15 has a WVGA screen (480 ×800 pixels) of 4 inches, covered with a sheet of Gorilla Glass. According to Caterpillar, the touch screen will work even when operated with the wet fingers. The technical sheet does not indicate the type of processor it uses. One (1) Gb of RAM just bear the processor in its tasks and a stack of capacity of 2000 mAh will ensure that the processor will be able to continue to work throughout the day.

The back of the camera has a discreet (even almost invisible) CAT logo.
The embedded device has a 4 GB internal storage but, by chance, it also offers a microSD slot. The latter can serve as a perfect place to save the masculine photos taken with the 5 megapixel camera on the B15. For the selfies and other duckfaces, the Cat B15 is equipped with a front camera with VGA resolution.

The Cat B15 will be available exclusively from Rogers from mid-November, for $99.99 with a 2 years agreement. Rogers

By Mehdi Zerouali, Creative Tech Reviews

Sony raised the bar with the new Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra

I have had the chance to manipulate, the new high-end smartphones from Sony: the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra. Previously, Sony seemed to be following the parade, now we can say that they will dictate the market for the next few months. Let's start with the specs ...


A few technical details:

Resistance to dust and water (IP55 IP58)
Camera front of 2 Mpx (1080P)
Quad Core Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 cadence to 2.2 GHz
2 Gb RAM memory and 16 Gb internal. Possibility of a microSD card up to 64Gb
connectivity ANT , aGPS, DLNA, MHL, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0
cellular networks: UMTS HSPA , GSM GPRS/EDGE and LTE
Android 4.2.2
Now, let us separate the two beasts.

Xperia Z1

Weight of 169 grams with dimensions of 144.4 73.9 × × 8.5 mm
Full HD screen Triluminos of 5" with a resolution of 1920 ×1080 and 16 million colors
Stack of 3000 mAh with a autonomy up to:
14 hours in conversation
880 hours standby
110 hours of music playback
6.6 hours of playback of videos
Camera rear of 20.7 Mpx and 8x digital zoom
Sony G Lens: F2.0 wide angle 27 mm


Xperia Z Ultra

Weight of 212 grams with dimensions of 179.4 x92x 6.5 mm
Triluminos LED Screen TFT of 6.44" with a resolution of 1920 ×1080 and 16 million colors
Stack of 3050 mAh with a autonomy up to: 16 hours
in conversation
820 Hours standby time
110 hours of music playback
7 hours of video playback


To begin, the look of these devices is definitively very classy, you can feel the quality of the unit; comparable to an iPhone. With one of these devices in hand, you note immediately: they are beautiful and very thin!

Offered in 3 colors: black, white and purple.

The Android system is very fluid and the Sony applications offer nice possibilities. For example the camera application of the Xperia Z1 offers modes of Info-eye (a Google Unit carried out its most recent trials more evolved) to find info on a place or a bottle of wine for example, Timeshift Burst which takes 61 shots in 2 seconds, Social Live, which allows the broadcast of live on Facebook as well as the display of comments on the screen.

These devices also have their batch of compatible accessories: charging cradles for the magnetic look permenently (DK30 and DK31), the famous SmartWatch 2 (my article on Geekbecois), Bluetooth handset intelligent for the display of notifications (SBH52), removable goals really impressive (QX10 and QX100).  All of these accessories, connectable via NFC, and much more will be offered at launch as well as in the months to come.

The Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra have everything to please and were available as of October. The Xperia Z Ultra is exclusive to Bell while the Xperia Z1 will be offered at Bell, Rogers and Telus. A launch offer will allow you to have 5 great films and a laissez-passer to exclusive digital broadcast of the film of the summer of Sony Pictures, a free trial of two months to Music Unlimited and 10 games of PlayStation Mobile

These devices are currently available with Bell
By Creative Tech Reviews

Breathe better with the new Sharp air purifier

Today's technology greatly improves what the purifiers are capable of doing. The usual method is to simply place a "small grid" which blocks some particles such as dust. 

To do this, Sharp adds a second system, this time electronic, called the Plasmacluster. The plasma what? From what I could understand in the documentation provided, the system creates a Plasma zone, in which ions are generated, surrounded by water molecules and disseminated in the air. These ions will, subsequently, stick to allergens and particles of mold and viruses. The ions suppress the hydrogen of the surface of proteins,therefore destroying them

The camera has 3 settings. Only the first can really be considered silent (as indicated by the advertising "Library Quiet" .) 

The other two settings are rather noisy. Small disappointment in this regard because, I don't think that the air flow is sufficient to be really useful. Perhaps for a small room?


there are 3 stages of filters, a dust screen, particle filter and then HEPA. you will never need replacement filters.

We live in a dusty environment and we can " taste" the difference in the air with this running, it does an awesome job.

We had them running on automatic and to give you an idea about how sensitive they are to odors and particles in the air, in the morning when we sprayed deodorant ( in the connected bathroom), the unit detects it and goes overdrive!

We would recommend this air purifier, as we are surprised how much they have improved our quality of living in such short time.

This unit costs about $399 and is available on Amazon

By Creative Tech Reviews

LG G Flex : Who doesn't like curves?

 While the Samsung Galaxy Round is currently entering the south Korean market, the curved screen signed LG, the G Flex, is unveiled in photos. 

The two Koreans screen manufacturers are again trying to be innovative. This time it is to propose new smartphones filled a singular design, thanks to the implementation of curved screens. Thinner, lighter, less fragile, the OLED screen sees in addition the glass plate replaced by sheets of flexible plastic, less shiny and more resistant. 

The G Flex should have all or part of the technical data sheet of the G2, the current top-of-the-range model of the manufacturer, while displaying a 6 inches screen. 

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in Chief at Creative Tech Reviews

The New Motorola Moto G

More accessible than the Nexus 5 from LG, the Motorola Moto G wants to provide a premium experience for the best price. Thus, for $ 179 ( 8 GB version,16 GB version for 20$ extra), it will offer a phone screen, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 to 1.2 GHz, 1 GB RAM CPU, a rear sensor 5 megapixel camera, a front sensor 1.3 megapixel camera. 

It will take on a slightly curved design, and it will be possible to customize it. To a lesser extent than the Moto X course. Motorola announcing not less than 19 possibilities of customization.

Moto G will be launched this week in Brazil, and few weeks later in Europe. In the United States, it will be sold unlocked via www.Motorola.com.

Check out the funky video:

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in Chief at Creative Tech Reviews

Not surprised by the SmartWatch? Meet Sony's SmartWig...yes you read right!

One wonders if brands think sometimes, like Sony and its strange concept that will make you scratching your head...

For now, high-tech companies are looking for smart watches or even Google glasses, any small devices that may be worn constantly.

Sony hopes one day that you would wear a kind of wig called SmartWig which sends you electric shocks when you get a notification. You can even differentiate them based on the location.

Sony has even patented the idea of integrating a touch pad in your hair. Raising your eyebrows will allow you to do an action, making you a remote control on feet. The gadget would be also used to monitor brain waves, blood pressure, temperature and other stats related to health.

Not crazy enough for you yet? The patent indicates that SmartWig could also incorporate a built-in camera, GPS, and a laser pointer. Don't laugh, Sony is considering hair extensions or false moustaches to pair with the wig... If a user is excited, the hair would change dynamically...

For the record, it doesn't seem to be an invention that will land in stores anytime soon. Technology companies are constantly trying to drop more or less strange patent applications. Many of these ideas are ridiculously exaggerated and totally bizarre, makes you wonder where people get these ideas from.

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in Chief of Creative Tech Reviews

Griffin PowerDock 5

We’ve all been there: you want to charge your five iPads, but don’t have enough plug sockets free. The PowerDock 5 is the answer, letting you juice five devices from a single source, and it only takes up the footprint of a standard iPad.

Each device has its own backrest, so they all look like they’re chilling together, and it’s compatible with all recent iPads, iPods, and iPhones. Good good. Now you just need five iPads to fill it up, otherwise it’d look empty.

Price: $100 | Griffin | Out now

By Creative Tech Reviews

Ballo Speaker

It looks like the head of a microphone , although it is intended to amplify the sound of an iPod or other portable devices . The object in question is a portable speaker designed by the Hong Kong-based brand: Objects You Obsess.

To design its latest speaker, Oyo uses the design duo BERNHARD | BURKARD . Roughly the size of a golf ball , Ballo Speaker consists of two hemispheres polycarbonate maintained by a colored band . It serves as a protection when the accessory is placed on a surface. Offering its good quality, the enclosure has a 3.5mm jack to connect using the supplied cable (1 meter) . It is compatible with most audio devices, once plugged in automatic mode. Inside is a rechargeable lithium battery. .


Ballo Speaker is priced at about 30 dollars and available in ten different colors.

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in chief at Creative Tech Reviews

Zooka wireless speaker bar

The Zooka wireless Bluetooth speaker bar is designed to work best with your iPad but it’ll also fit on your iPhone or laptop, too. Made of soft medical-grade silicone, it slides right into place on your device & gives a substantial upgrade to the sound. What it won’t do is block your camera lens nor will it scratch or scuff your iPad or other devices in any way.

By Creative Tech Reviews

Incase Box Case

As you can see, this rubberized iPhone case is square. Innovative, right? You could also say the design is quite minimalist except for that giant embossed INCASE logo. If you’re cool with that though, it is a pretty clean case for your beloved device.

By Creative Tech Reviews

Kevo: Access your home with a finger touch

At this point, one would expect home automation would be more widespread and that our homes would be at least as smart as our phones. But although this is still an unresolved question of the century, we start to see gradually more and more that it's interesting to automate our homes.

So to add to the existing wish list, that many of you must already have, including solutions such as the Nest thermostat, Belkin Wemo and the smart bulb by Philips;  Weiser came up with an electronic lock Kevo able to pair with your iPhone so you can open or close the door simply by touching it with your finger without even taking your phone out of your pocket.

The lock works via Bluetooth 4.0 and that application is available for iPhone 4S / 5 , making your phone a virtual key. When touching it, the lock automatically connects to your phone using military grade encryption to verify public and private key.

 

I was able to put my hands on a unit and I must say, it’s pretty neat!

The box contains all the items you need to install the lock, along with the manual and a map giving you options on how you can setup different types of accesses.

 

The system comes with four AA batteries that last up to one year , the Kevo also has the possibility of using a normal key to unlock the door. 

The cases in which this can be useful are multiple and varied . Allow a family member to stop by the house to pick up or leave something , turning your place to a bed and breakfast spot or if you are looking to sell your house and don’t want to give keys to your real estate agent.

 

Price : 249$

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in chief of Creative Tech Reviews

Your new office dashboard

Don’t have a personal assistant to share with you all the info you need? Do you like to consume numbers? Numbers of emails, traffic time, miles left to run this week?

This Numbus Personal Dashboard will give you a visual of the data you decide to display. All you need is to set it up with your iOS device or android app, you can choose where the info can come from (email provider, health bands, such as FitBit and most of the social media sites ).

Price is about $130 and can be bought fromQuirky.com

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in chief of Creative Tech Reviews

An MP3 player that works with your jaw

A new system out of the ordinary that you can control your mp3 with your jaw.

Split is an MP3 player consists of two in-ear headphones which are composed of a magnet so you do not lose them. To use the device , simply tighten the jaw.

A revolutionary system that proves to be very simple, since you just tighten once the jaw to change the song and twice to increase the volume ...

The MP3 player has unfortunately a hard disk with a capacity of 256 MB Still under development , the company has yet to collect more than 430,000 dollars to launch on the market.

The weak point of the device is obviously the fact that when listening to music , it is not advisable to eat a chewing gum or any other food.

The price of this gadget will run at around $ 155. Pretty expensive for a unit of this size that still has some flaws .

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in chief of Creative Tech Reviews

Curved screen, not weird enough?

If the future of our mobile devices seems to be more flexible, some manufacturers also seem to consider other avenues. Samsung, for example, would work on a phone with screens on its sides.

It is the Bloomberg news agency that revealed this information: the Department of research came up with a flexible OLED screen that wrap the sides of the device.

The notifications would be visible at multiple angles and would allow many innovations in terms of ergonomics.

This kind of technology could well end up on a future Galaxy Note, S, or a new line. Of course, no information was released on a possible release date. 

By Mehdi Zerouali, Editor in chief at Creative Tech Reviews

ION glasses: another step towards wearable technology

ION Glasses are the first-ever glasses — (optical or sunglasses) — which interact with your smartphone or tablet. They offer you several functions, such as notifications, remote control, alerts in case of loss and customization. All of this is possible because ION Glasses incorporate a Bluetooth 4.0 chip, a battery, a multi-color LED set, a buzzer and two buttons. All these components are inserted into one of the frame temples. But you will be the only one that knows it, because ION Glasses boast a fashionable and appealing design, whether used as optical glasses or as sunglasses.

It's no where close to the google glasses but it's a first step

Price tag:99$

By Creative Tech Reviews

Kinsa: Smart thermometer for your iPhone

An American company called Kinsa presents its " Kinsa Smart thermometer", a thermometer module that connects to an iPhone (for now). 

How it works? Simple, the smart thermometer should be connected to your iPhone in order to measure the temperature of the user, but also to share (anonymously, let's hope so) with friends of the Kinsa community. It also invites the user to share its data with other users! 

The concept is explained on their website: it must allow its users to know of any possible epidemics nearby. The app allows you to upload videos and photos, in order to transmit the symptoms by image to a doctor. A feature also allows you to find medical centers nearby. The thermometer is not yet available for sale, Kinsa still seeks funds for the launch at the end of the year. This cool gadget will cost about 30$. You can download the app which will let you know when it will be available and also advise you of any epidemics near by. 

Post written by Mehdi Zerouali, Editor of Creative tech reviews

Review: Coin card, no more wallet!

Earlier this week, the company Isis launched its wireless payment system nationwide, which uses NFC on your phone to pay for stuff in shops. Paying using your phone this way hasn’t taken off, at least not in the US and Europe, and now there’s another option for those who think cash and multiple cards are outdated. It’s called Coin, but it should really be called Card, because it’s a card which stores all your other cards in one place.

This would be a pain if there was no way to tell which one you were about to use, unless you like to gamble with your company’s account, so there’s a little digital display which provides the last four digits of the card number, the bank name, and the expiry date. A big, friendly button underneath lets you cycle through the stored cards, until you get to the one you want. 

With the right card selected, Coin swipes through payment machines just like any other, and it even works in ATM machines.

All that sounds pretty good, but it gets better. Coin uses Bluetooth Low Energy to connect to your phone, and should you leave it at home or in a store, then your phone lets you know. The security benefits of this alone make Coin a better prospect than carrying a regular credit card.

Coin can store up to eight different cards, and each one is swiped through a reader attached to your phone before being zapped over to the master card. Credit cards, debit cards, bank cards, gift cards, and membership cards work with Coin. The little battery used to drive the display and Bluetooth connection should last for around two-years, and there’s an emergency setting which renders the whole thing useless should it get lost.

You can pre-order Coin right now for $55 including shipping, but it won’t be available until summer next year. If you wait and don’t order now, Coin’s price will rise to $100. You can find it here, but be warned, you’ll have to pay for Coin right now, not when it’s ready to be delivered.

Post written by Creative Tech Reviews

Pong Anti-radiation case review

If you are a parent or want to be one in the near future, then you must have seen the name “Pong cases” in few websites.

Pong Research is a mobile device technology company that focuses on providing your tech gadgets some type of protection and they do take it seriously.

What makes Pong a reputable company, is that they focus on providing cases for Apple, Blackberry & Androids that not only protect your devices but also limit the amount of radiation that comes out of them.

 

Pong Research promises a lot : to improve the scope and quality of cellular signal, increase autonomy and protect the user from potential harmful effects of radiation . While protecting the phone.

 

A cool case
Before becoming a scientific miracle , the case of Pong Research is a case. Made of polycarbonate , it is rather small in absolute terms, even if it is a little heavier than the thinner shells and lighter . It adds 1.4 mm to the iPhone 5 , which does not seem to be prohibitive and , for some , a positive point : it improves the grip of the phone sometimes a little too late .

The degree of protection will depend on how the iPhone falls. The case protects the back of the phone, just the upper and lower sections, which may be affected in case of a fall on tar or gravel.

A case that also protects the user
The first of these strengths , in fact, is to reduce the exposure of the user to the alleged harmful waves . The Pong case is composed of three layers: a coupled antenna system sandwiched between two plastic sheets. It is suppose to " redirect " the radiation and greatly reduce the exposure.

In the absence of access to specialized equipment , we have not been able to verify the level of radiation ourselves. Wired magazine was able to test this twice, the first time for the Pong iPhone case , the second time for the iPad case . The results are clear: the Pong case reduces indeed the SAR ( specific absorption rate ) of a third to two thirds of radiation . This allows access to a level of  95 % below health limits in some cases. In short, if you are particularly concerned about exposure to waves , this case will satisfy you.

Scope and quality 
The same antenna system is suppose to improve the reception quality of 20 % . We perfectly recall the shady vendors that were selling miracles stickers that are supposed to improve the signal on your devices . In practice, the Pong case works a bit better than these scams , but not much more.


Conclusion
In short, the Pong case fulfills most of its promises, it may be a bit expensive for a nice case, but not really different from its competitors . However, if you are particularly sensitive to the issue of wave exposure , this case is for you.

By Mehdi, Editor at Creative Tech Reviews