We are rapidly closing in on the end of 2015...and with all the security breaches, disaster preparedness, corporate hackings and everything else I've blogged about this past year, I thought we'd dedicate our last blog of the year to a fun, little review of the ten best "nerdy' gadgets of 2015...
So let's begin, shall we??!!
10. SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE EDGE
In Samsung's vision of the electronics future, curved is the new flat. Since 2013, the Korean conglomerate unveiled curved wearables , TVs and even a smartphone, the Galaxy Round . (Rival LG has two too .) Here, the Galaxy Note Edge -- first released in November 2014 -- furthers the curved campaign with a subtly arched "second screen" that's devoted to productivity. If a phone like the Edge could one day redefine the flat face of smartphones, Samsung wants to be at the crest of that wave.
9. SENGLED SNAP LED PAR LAMP
The light bulb is a low tech device right? A company called Sengled hopes to change all with with some innovative smart lighting products that are sure to blow you away. Sengled has reinvented the traditional dimmable LED light bulb by incorporating things like Wi-Fi, JBL sound speakers, microphones and even 720p cameras!
8. SONY a7 AND a7R FULL FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERA
Sony has just introduced two new revolutionary cameras—the a7 and thea7R—and with them have entered a new arena of digital cameras that has, until recently, only been alluded to: full-frame mirrorless digital cameras. Stemming from several past cameras, the new a7 and a7R mesh a wealth of technology from Sony's line of Alpha SLTs and their NEX mirrorless cameras, and present two mirrorless cameras that feature full-frame sensors along with a host of connectivity-related assets and performance-enhancing tools to render a truly professional-grade camera that is equally as portable as it is powerful. Complementing the two new bodies are three Zeiss-designed lenses: two primes and a versatile wide-angle-to-portrait length zoom, which mark the beginning of full-frame-compatible Sony E-mount lenses.
7. SPROUTLING BABY MONITOR
This ankle strap style monitor not only tracks but learns habits and sleep patterns to predict your baby’s schedule (what!) but also helps you identify her optimal sleeping conditions; room temperature, humidity, sound, and light are all factored in. Very Jetsons, right? The Sproutling even claims to predict when your baby is most likely to wake up — and, get this — will let you know what kind of mood she’ll be in when she is up.
The Sproutling will also alert you (rather kindly and gently) if your dinner party is getting a little too loud and you’re in danger of waking her; and it will send you an emergency notification if something suddenly seems wrong, like a sudden spike in body temperature or an irregular heart rate. It’s all kind of mind-blowing, right? And yes, it may be a little too much for a lot of people who don’t need a smartphone to tell them kind of mood their baby is in each morning. But there’s also something nice about estimating out how much nap time is left.
The monitor does look a little bit like a house arrest anklet, but it’s soft, breathable, washable, and it even charges wirelessly. Plus you get several sizes included, so no need to order another one as your baby grows.
6. SWIFTPOINT GT MOUSE
The Swiftpoint GT is a peculiar-looking thing. It looks more like a piece of Plasticine you’ve squashed between your fingers than a high-tech laptop
accessory – but therein lies its unique appeal. Rather than holding this tiny piece of plastic in a claw-like grip, as with most flat travel mice, you hold the Swiftpoint between your thumb and middle finger, almost like you would a pen.
A mouse that measures a mere 42.5mm across, 56mm long and 33.5mm high shouldn’t be usable at all, but the genius of this design is that it feels as comfortable to use as a full-sized mouse. And because it’s so small and sensitive, it can be used directly on your laptop’s wristrest as a more comfortable, more precise alternative to the touchpad.
5. THE DASH HEADPHONES
Through its comfortable interface loaded with a bunch of features, the Dash Wireless Smart In-EarHeadphones have set forth a benchmark in modern music speaker technology. They not only enable you to step out from the age old sphere of headphone cables but also brings a new angle to fitness tracking one could not have imagined before. The speakers are elegantly designed and fits comfortably in your ears with an additional option of letting ambient sound pass through if wanted. The embedded 4GB/1000 song music player nullifies the requirement of carrying a smartphone everytime you plan to travel with your speakers plugged into your ears. Together with this, the fitness tracking and heart rate monitoring features have just made the tiny device a gorgeous piece of music listening accessory you can’t avoid having today.
4. THE EYE TRIBE TRACKER
The Eye Tribe Tracker is an affordable eye tracker that comes with a software development kit. This enables you to integrate eye tracking technology into your applications and games.
3. VENUE 8 7000 SERIES
