The computer potato is all about digging out promising, emerging technologies in anything electronics. We won’t have lived up to our reputation if we didn’t bring you nifty, tiny devices that make us wish for more!
We present to you the WonderCube!
Yup, the device looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, but then again what new device doesn’t nowadays! This tiny device will make you do away with lots of your daily devices and it is just the size of a key ring! This makes WonderCube a device that makes our list quite literally in any category!
You can now preorder WonderCube here. This indicates it will soon be seeing commercial production.
We say kudos to the inventors of this tiny, tiny “cubey” thing that will make life a lot easier and a whole lot less heavier.
Many companies and service providers are trying to give us mobile connectivity without the need for a SIM card. This could mean the beginning of seamless connection everywhere you go around the world, without needing to worry about signal bars or that massive roaming bill when you get back home or carrying around one of these.
In the US, Google has recently launched its own “mobile network” of mobile networks called Project Fi. For one paid plan, you can use the many phone networks that Google has partnered with around the world!
How it works?
You simply get one of the Project Fi enabled phones, sign up for one of the packages with Google, and you are good to go! The plan is you can go around the world with your phone with no roaming charge, and you will be able to seamlessly make calls over wifi or any of Google’s partner networks in the country you are in, all these without losing the call during change of networks! Google boasts this is possible in over 120 countries! Sounds like freedom!
Another startup company – GoTenna – has also made a revolutionary device that connects to your phone via bluetooth to send messages without needing a network signal, either mobile or WiFi, or even a SIM in your phone.
Man With GoTenna In Remote Location
How it works?
The GoTenna comes in pairs, you buy one and get one for a family member or friend. This way, a network of GoTenna is built around the world with each connected GoTenna. If you were to lose signal, say you are in a desert, and another GoTenna is less than 4 miles away (depending on the terrain), you can send messages to the nearest GoTenna and through it. Or you can simply send your location so that you are easily found. Not convinced? Watch video below.
Slowly, it seems we will no longer be needing a SIM to communicate with each other if technologies like these are allowed to pick up! We will have no need for roaming charges! And best of all, all networks will serve everyone no matter their individual chosen mobile provider!
Don’t throw away your phones yet though, before we can enjoy these services in full capacity, there is much work to be done to the current infrastructure, and we are sure, tonnes of contracts signed between the mobile providers!
We recently wrote about how the future is slowly staring us in the face and how soon we will interact with technology in different ways. 2016 is seeing an increase in demand for virtual reality or augmented reality and tech giants are ready to deliver.
Our definition of virtual reality will be when an electronic device represents reality electronically and animates the simulation of the environment. Augmented reality goes a step further by representing the reality virtually, but also adding a layer of a simulated environment on the real environment. So you can control reality, virtually! Confused? You are not alone.
Meet Augmenta!
We are slowly moving from typing, to talking to devices, and in the near future air gestures might control all our devices and life. Thanks to the hard work of techies, augmented reality is becoming a reality and could be the norm of computing sooner than we think.
It doesn’t stop there! Companies like Google, Lenovo and makers of Augmenta glasses are still working bring to us augmented reality without need for glasses! See video below.
The future surely looks like it will be in our hands!
If you didn’t understand from the video, the Wifi connection to the phone is being powered by the burning fire against the boulder! When connected to your device, you can also browse a survival guide. Welcome to the New-Old-Age!
Never fear though, this won’t be replacing your “faster-than-light” router at home in anyway (at least not until an apocalyptic event). This creation is by Aram Bartholl and it was done as art! We thought it is a cool, creative and might one day be useful! Why? Because you just never know. You might end up in the woods with no signal, needing a survival guide! You will need a crane to carry the rock around with you though!
Now a phone is in works that makes good use of the bendable screen making the phone itself bendable without breaking. In fact the bending is measured and used to control the phone! You can flip through an electronic book like you would with a paper back!
Amazing isn’t it?
We really don’t have to wait much longer for devices we can roll without breaking them!
You wouldn’t believe your eyes if you saw the screens being paraded by panasonic at a tech show last month.
Yes these screens are real but still in the development stage and many other screen tech giants like LG, Samsung are working on getting them to us consumers pronto! Imagine the possibilities with screens like these. One use as shown in the video is you can have your living room shelf be your tv and showcase your decor when not on.
We can’t wait to see the kind of devices that comes out of this when it finally catches!
In the advent of alternative ways of paying like Applepay and Samsungpay. The financial technology market or “fintech” as it is now dubbed are looking for new simple ways to get us spending.
Meet Curve. A payment card that promises to be the only card you will need.
How it works, you simply download the phone app and order the card (yes it comes with an actual card). You add all your payment cards on the app, choose a default card, and viola! You wouldn’t need your phone for anything else until you decide to change the default payment card or want to see a break down of your outgoing and incoming transactions.
The card itself is a Mastercard, so you can use your it anywhere Mastercard is accepted. It can be used as a chip and pin, magnetic strip swipe or contactless. So it really is a well rounded solution for someone with many cards. You can leave all other cards at home and just have your Curve card with you.
Don’t cut up your cards yet though, as the Curve is not yet out for use. The idea is out there and they are bringing it to reality soon! This means these types of services will be flooding the market soon enough!
Plastc, a competitor is already coming out with its own card and is a real contender and a bit more style to it. However, it needs to be charged electrically every month! see below!
We call this innovation meets simplicity! Kudos to the inventors of this brilliant idea. We do hope they stay ahead of the curve!
Tired of your kid’s nightmares keeping you up? There is a device that helps with this!
Meet the Sleep Guardian. This device claims to help stop nightmares by making sure you don’t sleep too deep ( the point where nightmares occur).
It is used by placing the device under the mattress and it is controlled from your smartphone. According to the makers, the Sleep Guardian “uses a smart algorithm to find just the right time to partially wake your child and gently vibrates each night (only once a night and less than 3 minutes) so that your child’s night terror is prevented but his or her sleep isn’t totally disturbed.”
See it as a night nanny!
Why did this device make our list? Anything that keeps kids occupied is a genius idea to parents. We say kudos to the makers of this nifty device and want to see more devices that help parents have their own time!
We all know how easy our mobile devices lose battery juice and leave us hanging just when we need them the most! Well, someone thought that was a big problem until they invented the mobile charger – some even using the sun’s power to charge your phone – ensuring you get going without finding the nearest wall socket, if you kept the mobile charger charged that is!
Now, even better, a company MyFC has devised a slick solar charger that doesn’t use electric power to charge itself or your phone! It uses salt and water! Yes, salt and water!
We have all heard the story and we feel the evidence around us, conventional electric power we use needs to be cut down, not just to reduce our energy bills, but also to save our planet for ourselves and our descendants! As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, this holds true as we have seen more and more innovations that help us curb our wasteful, destructive energy consumption to help us better harness less environmentally toxic and more efficient clean energy.
JAQ is a small device, but it is part of a movement to reduce our negative impact on our environment!
The sun is the biggest ball of energy we know of in our solar system. There is so much power in our sun that can last us a life time only if we find ways to use it. We are very keen on harnessing such immense and long lasting power because we have evidence around us that burning fuel is hurting our environment.
Solar Panel
Converting solar energy into electricity, since discovered in 1839 has been in research, and we are getting better at getting power from the sun. However, today we are still theorising that solar panel used to harness the sun’s power will only be 50% efficient in the nearest future. So when there is an applied advancement in solar power generation, we take a step closer to 100% efficiency harvesting the sun’s power and a greener earth.
Meet the GoSun stove!
It is simple, the GoSun cooks your food without gas or fire! It boils, fry, or bake your food using the heat from the sun! It works by transforming solar light into heat to evenly make that delicious meal. Oh yes and it works at night or cloudy days! Amazing right? Don’t just take our word for it, take a look at the video below.
We need more of innovations like this if we are to save our planet from ourselves! We say kudos to the inventor of this nifty device, and wish to see more applied solar energy devices. One day, every electronic device we use might just run on solar power! A green world indeed!
