iOS-connected wearables, smart home devices take center stage at Hong Kong Spring Electronics Fair
Apple's ultra-popular mobile devices play a starring role in Asia's largest electronics sourcing show, as a plethora of companies attempt to strike gold with app-enabled accessories like a wearable metronome, a smart cup that monitors your water intake, and a miniature in-home air quality sensor.
Held twice each year --?in the spring and fall --?the Hong Kong Electronics Fair is a key stop for buyers from around the world. While America's Consumer Electronics Show is primarily a showcase for new technologies, Hong Kong's version is focused on connecting wholesalers and retailers with Chinese brands and manufacturers.
That doesn't mean there isn't anything new or innovative on display in Asia's World City, though. The show consumes most of the available space in Hong Kong's capacious waterfront convention and exhibition center, and AppleInsider was able to find a few impressive products among the sea of me-too power banks and Bluetooth speakers.
The Soundbrenner Pulse is billed as the world's first wearable device for musicians. It's essentially a metronome that musicians can strap to their wrist, with adjustable haptic feedback that inventor Florian Simmendinger says is up to six times stronger than the vibrating motor found in smartphones.
Users can adjust the tempo directly on the Pulse, or by using a companion iOS app that can store and retrieve multiple pre-sets. In an interesting twist, every member of a band can connect their Pulse to the same iPhone and their wrists will vibrate in unison.
Soundbrenner is currently raising money on Indiegogo, and at press time has reached just over $37,000 of their $75,000 goal. The Pulse is likely to ship this fall.
iPhone owners who are looking for a more high-tech way to stay hydrated should take a look at 8cups, a smart cup that knows how much water you pour in and how much you drink. The water tally is pushed to a companion smartphone app in realtime, and users can look back at their hydration history on a calendar and collect water-related achievements.
8cups will also remind users to take a swig when they haven't raised the cup in a while by flashing a built-in LED. The company has scored a partnership with Samsung, and will soon begin to sell the devices in Samsung stores.
8cups is available now for pre-order in one of 5 colors from 8cups.me, with a retail price of $69.
iBebot's AirComfort is an unobtrusive, battery-powered indoor air monitor that can run for up to a year on a single coin-cell battery. It can track temperature and humidity in realtime, reporting results to iBebot's iOS app instantly.
Users can deploy multiple AirComfort units around their home, allowing them to track metrics in many areas at the same time. There's no word yet on pricing or availability, as iBebot is still planning their rollout.
Taiwanese firm WirlessMe showed off the new version of their Talkase T1, a credit card-sized quad-band GSM phone that boasts an OLED display in a package less than 1/4 of an inch thick. While it can act as a mobile phone in its own right, the T1 is designed to clip into a specially-made smartphone case and connect via Bluetooth to the larger device.
Users can then use the T1 to place or receive calls on their smartphone, absolving them of the need to remove it from their pocket or bag. The T1 is available now for $70, with iPhone 6 models coming soon.
AppleInsider will bring you more coverage from Hong Kong as the spring sourcing season continues throughout the next couple of weeks.
Held twice each year --?in the spring and fall --?the Hong Kong Electronics Fair is a key stop for buyers from around the world. While America's Consumer Electronics Show is primarily a showcase for new technologies, Hong Kong's version is focused on connecting wholesalers and retailers with Chinese brands and manufacturers.
That doesn't mean there isn't anything new or innovative on display in Asia's World City, though. The show consumes most of the available space in Hong Kong's capacious waterfront convention and exhibition center, and AppleInsider was able to find a few impressive products among the sea of me-too power banks and Bluetooth speakers.
The Soundbrenner Pulse is billed as the world's first wearable device for musicians. It's essentially a metronome that musicians can strap to their wrist, with adjustable haptic feedback that inventor Florian Simmendinger says is up to six times stronger than the vibrating motor found in smartphones.
Users can adjust the tempo directly on the Pulse, or by using a companion iOS app that can store and retrieve multiple pre-sets. In an interesting twist, every member of a band can connect their Pulse to the same iPhone and their wrists will vibrate in unison.
Soundbrenner is currently raising money on Indiegogo, and at press time has reached just over $37,000 of their $75,000 goal. The Pulse is likely to ship this fall.
iPhone owners who are looking for a more high-tech way to stay hydrated should take a look at 8cups, a smart cup that knows how much water you pour in and how much you drink. The water tally is pushed to a companion smartphone app in realtime, and users can look back at their hydration history on a calendar and collect water-related achievements.
8cups will also remind users to take a swig when they haven't raised the cup in a while by flashing a built-in LED. The company has scored a partnership with Samsung, and will soon begin to sell the devices in Samsung stores.
8cups is available now for pre-order in one of 5 colors from 8cups.me, with a retail price of $69.
iBebot's AirComfort is an unobtrusive, battery-powered indoor air monitor that can run for up to a year on a single coin-cell battery. It can track temperature and humidity in realtime, reporting results to iBebot's iOS app instantly.
Users can deploy multiple AirComfort units around their home, allowing them to track metrics in many areas at the same time. There's no word yet on pricing or availability, as iBebot is still planning their rollout.
Taiwanese firm WirlessMe showed off the new version of their Talkase T1, a credit card-sized quad-band GSM phone that boasts an OLED display in a package less than 1/4 of an inch thick. While it can act as a mobile phone in its own right, the T1 is designed to clip into a specially-made smartphone case and connect via Bluetooth to the larger device.
Users can then use the T1 to place or receive calls on their smartphone, absolving them of the need to remove it from their pocket or bag. The T1 is available now for $70, with iPhone 6 models coming soon.
AppleInsider will bring you more coverage from Hong Kong as the spring sourcing season continues throughout the next couple of weeks.
Comments
Unless you're wandering through the Sinai desert for 40 years, you probably don't need to drink 8 cups a day.
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The air thing looks cool, but again it's been done. If they can make it cheap maybe they'll have a chance though.
The metronome thing could easily be done with a third party app on the Apple Watch.
There's no way the oscillator in an Apple Watch would be powerful enough for a band musician to feel consistently on stage.
The human body has a built-in app to let you know when you need to take a swig of water: you feel thirsty.
Unless you're wandering through the Sinai desert for 40 years, you probably don't need to drink 8 cups a day.
Actually that isn't true. When you're thirsty, you are dehydrated already. You really do need to drink 8 cups a day for a modern sedentary lifestyle - if you're active you must drink more. If your pee is a colour other than that of good champagne, you're dehydrated, so I suppose you do have a built-in app, it's just not the one you're thinking of :-)