Hottest Tech Gear for 2015 - AARP
0 (0 Likes / 0 Dislikes)
[AARP
Real Possibilities]
[Andrew Zaleski, Tech Reporter]
What is the Internet of Things?
It's geek talk
for WiFi-enabled smart devices
that allow you to automate, control,
and track virtually everything.
It sounds cool, but a recent study
by tech marketing firm Affinnova
found more than 40% of people
think current smart products
are more gimmicky than useful.
Here's a roundup of some smart gadgets
that are more than just hype.
[Tech2015
New ways technology can improve life @50+]
Take the Insight Switch
from Belkin.
Plug this in between electrical outlets
and appliances like your lamp or TV,
and you can turn them off or on
using a phone and an app.
It also monitors electrical usage,
letting you know exactly
where you're wasting power.
[Vitality GLOWCAP]
Here's a bright idea: the GlowCap.
It's a smart cap for a pill bottle
that knows when
you're supposed to take a pill.
Set your schedule online,
and when it's time to dose up,
[GlowCap beeping]
it reminds you.
And you can input
your pharmacist's info
to call for refills
right from the bottle.
[Liftware SMART SPOON]
For the millions of people with Parkinson's disease
or a hand tremor,
this spoon is revolutionary.
It's called Liftware, and it's
an electronic motion-cancelling spoon.
There's a sensor in the base
that moves the spoon
in the opposite direction
of the tremor,
allowing the user
to eat unassisted.
Lift Labs, the company
that makes Liftware,
was recently acquired by Google,
so expect a lot more
of this assistive tech
in the future.
[Livescribe SMART PEN]
And check this out: the Livescribe 3
is no ordinary pen. This might be
the ultimate note-taking tool.
Not only does it
write and record audio,
but by syncing with an iPhone or iPad,
everything you write gets recorded.
With the swipe of a finger,
handwriting is digitized
and can be saved as a document,
emailed, or texted.
The only catch is
you need the Livescribe paper
in order to get the pen to work.
Technology has a way
of going from cutting edge
to commonplace
in a matter of months.
Maybe you don't need
an Internet-enabled pen right now,
but keep an eye on this new generation
of smart devices.