Is it that time of the year already? Bet it is – and yes the year has gone by quickly and here we are looking forward to another big year whether we get a reprieve from our bank’s on the interest rates or whether the world’s going into a ’round 2′ on the recession, but seems like one thing’s on the rise! YES, no prizes for guessing – the world of APPS & MOBILE TECHNOLOGY.
Interestingly so, what started off as being a ‘smartphone’ aka the iPhone or even the Android’s of today – some of the App developers have started to come up with really cool ideas and really taking the world of mobile applications to an altogether new. Not that long ago, I came across an App that was looking at directing the blind by way of sounds or signals which would recognize the size of object in front and hence aiding the blind to walk. Then, there was the app which was used by medical institutions to check patient records and access details on the go – replacing that daggy old sheets of papers hanging around in patient beds!
APPCESSORIES
But having said all this, what I really wanted to share was something I came across in the David Jones’ (or DJ’s as it’s referred to here in Australia) from their Xmas catalogue over the last week. They have a section called ‘APPCESSORIES’ and caught my attention as really I thought of it as ‘mobiDdiction….’ get it? uh…
Apart from the usual iPad iPhone, Android and the new Sony Tablet S – there are some interesting products in that catalogue that relate to using an App for some cool things to do over Xmas and add them to the wish-list! I dug out a few links that I thought might be useful – Have you been naughty or nice? Check em out…and by the way, don’t quote me on the prices – they’re straight off the catalogue.
iBaby Monitor:
You pay about $249.95 but you get to see you lil bub from your iPhone. So, whilst your wife thinks you’re monitoring the bub – you could be facebooking or watching some YouTube clips 😉
Withings Blood Pressure Monitor & Wi-Fi Body Scale:
Around $179 bucks gets you some kind of a thing that you wrap around your arm and measure your BP but using your iPhone, iPod or iTouch at the other end for the reading. Smart uh?
Withing’s also seem to have Wi-Fi Body scale. About $295 gets you this and registers your weight, fat and BMI calculation through your iPhone or iPad.
iBike Coach:
GPS measurement of speed, distance evaluation kilojoules and more on your iPhone. Think there’s a few out there like this, but I havent given this a go.
iGrill:
Nope — you don’t use this instead of the stove!! It’s a bluetooth cooking thermometer.
iKon:
Buggy remote control — guess what you control this with. Nah, no price for guesses!
iON:
Need piano lessons and need to learn to play the Piano just like the cat on YouTube? Shell out $149.95 and you get Audio Piano. Doesn’t play the piano for you but apparently teaches you how to play the piano.
GOPOINT BT1 Bluetooth vehicle diagnostic:
If you are not sure what the ‘Check Engine’ light in your car is about – this one claims to speaks to your vehicle in a language which your car understands, decodes and translates it back to you what exactly the “Check Engine” light means and in all in a human friendly language!
Gosh iPanda Speakers
iRemoco Remote Control Chopper
Last but not the least – there’s the GOSH iPanda speakers, Zeppelin’s @ $799 using Apple’s Air Play technology that allows music to be streamed wirelessly to your Zepplin Air from your Mac or iPhone and iREMOCO which is a remote chopper which you control with your iPhone, iPad or iTouch device. Just make sure you have enough charge in the device to avoid crashing into your Christmas pudding!
We came across all these as mentioned in the DJ’s Xmas printed catalogue so I’m sure if you’re somewhere in Australia and went up one of the DJ outlets you could check ’em out.
Not sure why, the “i” seemed to be quite a common theme across all these products. But nevertheless, if you do have any thoughts or comments or have come across any weird and wonderful toys that somehow use the mobile, do share them with us.
That’s about it folks, it has been a busy year and we look forward to bringing you a lot more interesting stories in the new year.
mobiDdiction 