- Memoto Cam
The Memoto is a tiny wearable, GPS-enabled camera that you clip on and wear. Unlike other digital shooters, this piece of engineering, automatically takes two snapshots per minute and tags them with GPS data. Later, when you connect it to your laptop to recharge via USB — the gizmo has a battery life of two days — it automatically uploads your picture to Memoto's servers.
The app on your iPhone and Android device then organizes the photos on a timeline, complete with information on when you took it and where you were, to work as 'photographic memory' even after many years. And you can even search for specific instances.
Of course, like any social network, you can choose to share specific pictures with friends. Nice? Yes, if you're wearing it yourself. But it can prove to be a contentious device for privacy advocates.
Still, if Aamir Khan had this in Ghajini, he wouldn't have to roam around with a clunky Polaroid camera. Besides, its looks like something we'd like to have.
Ships Aug/Sept 2013 at $279 (Rs 16,500).
- Gtar
Musicians like BB King and Eric Clapton make the guitar seem so simple. Unfortunately , many aspiring guitarists soon discover that it isn't as easy as it seems. gTar to the rescue. This digital instrument allows anybody to play music quickly and easily with the help of LEDs and an iPhone.
All you have to do is dock the handset in the body, load up the gTar app, and an array of interactive LEDs along the fretboard will show you how to play. And that's not all. The instrument comes with an intuitive feature called SmartPlay that mutes incorrect notes to encourage you to play through difficult songs.
This digital axe hasn't started shipping yet, but you can pre-order it for $399 (Rs 23,500) - small price to pay for rock star fame.
Ships late 2013
- LIFX
The humble light bulb gets the smarts. The LIFX is a Wi-Fi enabled, multi-colour, energy-efficient LED that you can control with your smartphone!
Installing it simple. Just replace your existing bulb, flip the switch 'ON', and launch the LIFX app on your smartphone. After which you will be guided through a process of choosing your home Wi-Fi network from a list and then entering your password. The LIFX bulb will auto-configure itself to your router - and if you've installed more than one bulb, the slave bulbs will auto-connect to the master.
The best part, each smart bulb can be controlled individually: Using your phone, you can adjust its brightness, change the light colour — every LIFX bulb can create millions of colours — control individual bulbs, rooms or even the entire home. If you're wondering, LIFX bulbs use just 10 per cent of the energy that standard bulbs consume, and are rated for 40,000 hours or 25 years of use. Now imagine your home, where smart algorithms control LIFX's brightness so you can wake up naturally with automatically increasing light in the morning, or drift off to sleep with slowly dimming lights. Or, better still, a romantic evening with that someone special where your mood lighting automatically matches the soft serenade that's playing on your stereo system.
Ships in Aug/Sept 2013; prices starting at $79 (Rs 4,700) per unit.
- GlassUp
Even if you want Google Glasses, you might not be able to pick up a pair because of its forced exclusivity. And even if you do manage to get your paws on one, there's this thing where Google has threatened to deactivate the glasses that you've "paid for", if you lend it to anyone else. Hah! Well, who needs the fussy Google Glasses when you can pick up a pair of GlassUp. These spectacles, currently being developed by an Italian company, will come in a variety of designs, and with prescription lens, if required.
The eyewear will be equipped with low-power Bluetooth technology to connect to your smart devices so you can see your e-mails, SMS, tweets, and even Facebook updates. Future plans include heads-up info for athletes - as well as augmented reality applications in tourist spots like museums where visitors can see captions of the paintings, and more.
Also, since GlassUp uses low-power technologies and displays notifications in monochrome, it will have a battery life of 150 hours standby and eight hours of constant use. The best part, it isn't equipped with a camera like Google Glasses, so privacy experts can stop worrying.
Ships February 2014 at around $399 (Rs 23,500) a pair.
- Pocket TV
This pendrive-like device boasts a 'Midas Touch' that's capable of turning any idiot box into a Smart TV. Connect the Pocket TV to the HDMI port of any regular television set and this fully functioning micro-computer — running Android, Ice Cream Sandwich — will allow you to download apps, stream videos, play games, connect with friends on Facebook, or simply surf the web.
The Pocket TV has a 1GHz processor, 4GB internal storage; uses Wi-Fi to connect to the internet, and can be controlled with either a standard IR remote or the more interactive Air Remote. The latter uses a gyroscopic sensor to allow you to control your Pocket TV just by moving it around like a Wii controller. Sweeet!
And it also has a USB port so you can attach an external hard drive, a wireless keyboard and mouse, or a video camera for Skype video calls. Oh, and did we mention it also has a microSD card slot so you can add extra storage?
Shipping now with Air Remote at $139 (Rs 8,200).
- 3D Doodler
What if you could draw something, and then, instantly see it as a 3D object. The 3D Doodler is a pen-shaped device that extrudes heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies into a strong structure.
In videos on its website (the3doodler.com), its inventors use the pen to create a 3D model of a dinosaur, and even the Eiffel Tower.Using the Doodler, you can trace objects on paper, and peel them off. And after a few hours of practice, you'll probably be able to create more intricate objects in a 3D space. Using the pen, you can create toys, wall hangings and even jewellery.
Of course, the 3D Doodler does not seem to be of any practical value. But then, we weren't going for practical. It's a cool concept that lets you do cool things - and that's more than enough for us.
Ships in February 2014 at $99 (Rs 5,900).
- Oculus Rift
The Oculus Rift is an immersive headset that promises to put you bang in the middle of any 3D game. It takes the place of a regular computer display. And the wearer — visually isolated from the real world — is presented with stereo screens, one for each eye. Present-day head-mounted displays give users a diagonal field of view that's limited to around 40 degrees - with absolutely no peripheral vision.
With the Rift, you get a whopping 110 degrees. Move your head horizontally, and the Oculus Rift, using nifty sensors, makes it seem like you're actually moving your head around in the virtual world. In effect, you can turn your head around to survey your surroundings in the game. Currently, this device is already in the hands of developers who're working on specialized content: Imagine yourself in a post-apocalyptic , zombified world, fighting the undead - and from the corner of your eye, you detect someone staggering towards you. Dammit fool, run!
Dev kit ships in August 2013 at $300 (Rs 17,700).
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