Luzi is a smart lamp that will improve your sleep

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Luzi isn’t just a smart lamp that helps you sleep better, it may very well be the smartest lamp ever made.

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If it’s up to one Palo Alto startup, sleepless nights may finally become a thing of the past. That’s because they have developed a new sophisticated smart lamp specifically designed to improve an individual’s quality of sleep, while giving its users bedside control of the devices around them.

The Luzi Smart Lamp is an advanced sleep system that uses the combination of therapeutic light, personalized sound and voice commands to help users ease into their nightly slumber much faster and wake up more refreshed. What’s more, its creators have put an entire control station on the nightstand, enabling its users to light up the room, tell it the time that they would like to be woken, as well as sync the tower with other smart home appliances.

In addition to a touchscreen display that doubles as an alarm and a personalized clock face that can show things such as temperature, weather reports and the date, Luzi boasts four USB ports capable of powering multiple phones and tablets, Qi and PMA-certified wireless charging capabilities, and even a charging stand for Apple Watch owners. Embedded with LEDs, the lamp can adjust between various colors from a warm, orange glow to a soft, white light. According to its creators, the accessory emulates natural daylight to keep a user’s circadian rhythm in check and assist in soothing them to sleep. Throughout the night, the system functions by maintaining the user’s ideal sleep state, whereas by morning, Luzi uses new sounds and light to gently wake the user.

“Luzi is the most advanced smart lamp ever made,” explains Joel Burke, co-founder and CEO. “Studies have found a direct correlation between the quality of one’s sleep with various health problems. Our expectation is that Luzi will help to remedy these issues and promote better sleep habits.”

Meanwhile, Luzi is equipped with a microphone that listens to voice commands and automatically detects snoring, along with built-in Bluetooth speakers to talk back and a temperature sensor for measuring the ambient temperature of a room. Designed with the Internet of Things in mind, the unit is compatible with a plethora of third party smart gadgets like Switchmate, Fitbit, LifeQ, Lockitron and Luna, which means users can interact with their connected home by voice, too.

Ready for a good night’s sleep? Head over to Luzi’s Indiegogo campaign, where the team is currently seeking $50,000. Delivery is slated for March 2016.

SmartCap tracks your liquid consumption and reminds you when to take a sip

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By syncing with your FitBit dashboard, this smart cap helps record, remind and rehydrate! 

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Evident by the sheer number of health and fitness trackers on the market today, people are increasingly becoming focused on their general well-being. As fixated on eating right and exercising as they may be, it is often easy to overlook one of the most basic and vital things the human body needs: water. Though everyone is cognizant of the benefits of staying hydrated, a vast majority tend to neglect it with our busy lives. And so, a number of startups have emerged with innovative ways to remind us to sip on some high-quality H2O, including most recently Hidrate Me and Trago. Next on that list is SmartCap, the brainchild of Maker by night and software engineer by day Ben S.

What began as a mere idea for himself that he designed and continues to use has now transcended into a hopeful product with mainstream appeal. This smart cap, which fits any standard bottle, is capable of tracking water intake and updating a web-based dashboard by syncing with FitBit.

“I didn’t want to burden myself (or you) with yet another smartphone application. The SmartCap application does nothing more than ferry data between FitBit and allow simple configurations such as authentication, notification on/off and frequency,” Ben explains.

Like Hidrate Me, users will be notified to consume some water through an illuminated light, while also be able to choose to receive an alert on their smartphone or their Apple Watch. Sips of both water and Soylent (powdered meal replacement) are accurately tracked with a push of a button and registered into FitBit.

Based on an Arduino Micro (ATmega32U4), the cap features a flow meter and a Bluetooth module tasked with the pairing of devices and wireless communication of the collected data. It also boasts a battery for power, which is rechargeable via a USB port.

“Yes, competition is good. But I have killer features, such as FitBit integration and Soylent mode that others are not offering. I also hold provisional patents on these innovations. A defensive position is my only intention. I want my product to continue serving those who enjoy using it,” Ben shares with regards to the competitive marketplace.

Admittedly, the SmartCap is not market-ready. Currently in prototype form, the Maker is looking to beef up development for the next iteration of the project. This includes shrinking down its form factor, custom PCB etching and CAD design, along with the help of some 3D-printed parts. Intrigued? Head over to SmartCap’s Kickstarter page, where Ben is seeking $45,000 to make this all possible.

Report: Shipments of wearable devices triple as prices get lower

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The wearable market recorded its eighth straight quarter of solid growth, according to a new report by IDC.

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Even in the months leading up to the highly-anticipated release of the Apple Watch, the wearable space continued to show strong growth, IDC has confirmed. In its latest report, the research firm revealed that the worldwide market recorded its eighth consecutive quarter of steady maturation in the first quarter of 2015. During this three-month period, vendors shipped a total of 11.4 million devices — a 200% jump from the 3.8 million wearables shipped that time last year.

“Bucking the post-holiday decline normally associated with the first quarter is a strong sign for the wearables market,” IDC research manager Ramon Llamas said in the report. “It demonstrates growing end-user interest and the vendors’ ability to deliver a diversity of devices and experiences. In addition, demand from emerging markets is on the rise and vendors are eager to meet these new opportunities.”

The top five wearable vendors over the timespan included Fitbit, Xiaomi, Garmin, Samsung and Jawbone, in that order, each of whom have been able to collectively grow their dominance from two-thirds of the market in Q1 2014 to three-quarters Q1 2015. Fitbit’s extensive lineup of bands, such as the Charge, Surge and older Flex models, led the way by capturing just over a third (34.2%) of the space. Not far behind, Xiaomi made up about a quarter (24.6%), driven by the tremendous popularity of its Mi Band, primarily from China.

Meanwhile, Garmin’s health and fitness-focused devices, Samsung’s Gear smartwatches and Jawbone’s UP MOVE and continued demand of UP24 round out the list at 6.1%, 5.3% and 4.4%, respectively. Now with the Apple Watch in the equation, however, IDC expects that the wearables landscape will experience a seismic shift, one in which will “force the competition to up their game in order to stay on the leading edge of the market.”

Without question, helping to spur widespread adoption has been price erosion. As seen with many young forms of technology, gizmos and gadgets become much more affordable over time. In the case of wearables, more than 40% of devices are now priced under $100.

“Despite this price erosion, Apple’s entrance with a product priced at the high end of the spectrum will test consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for a brand or product that is the center of attention,” explained IDC research analyst Jitesh Ubrani.

Want to learn more? Download the entire report here.

Fashion meets fitness with new Tory Burch Fitbit collection

On Tuesday, designer Tory Burch officially launched her high-end accessory collection for the Fitbit Flex, giving the popular fitness tracker a little bump in the fashion department while bringing a style refresh to what has been typically deemed an unattractive wearable market. The collection’s debut comes seven months after the partnership announcement back at CES 2014.

Not all wearables are as fashion-forward as we’d like them to be, a problem which this partnership hopes to solve. In order to add some chicness to the band — giving it a bit more pizazz than something you’d only wear to the gym — Tory Burch worked with the company to develop four accessories that house the Fitbit’s core, which pops out of the wristband. The core is where the device is embedded with sensors that track activity, sleep cycle and other daily functions. The collection includes silicon bracelets that feature Tory Burch’s signature colors and prints, as well as a metal bracelet and pendant.

(Source: Mashable)