So it’s no surprise to find all sorts of creations providing shade and solar power more efficiently through the study of sunflowers. The “Sunflower” umbrella by Shadecraft is just the latest object to follow the sun as it arcs across the sky each day. Extending the “internet of things” smart home system to the outdoors, this umbrella does a lot more than you might imagine. For starters, the shade it provides moves to keep you cool all day long, so you’ll never have to get up and move yourself.

In addition to tracking the sun, the Sunflower harvests solar energy via photovoltaic panels and stores it to power itself. It fully charges within two hours, and thanks to its incredible battery capacity, it can function for 72 hours without sunlight. The Sunflower connects to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to offer users a strong internet connection outdoors.

You can use the Sunflower as a charging hub for your devices, and it’s got built-in lighting and speakers, too. That’s definitely a bonus for those of us who tend to lug a lot of stuff outside when we want to spend some time reading and relaxing. An integrated 360-degree high-definition camera captures security footage in the form of video and still images, so you can connect it to indoor security systems and keep an eye on your yard when no one’s home.

An accompanying app allows you to control all of the Sunflower’s functions right from your smartphone, or you can use voice control to deliver verbal commands. Talk directly to the Sunflower to control its movement, lighting, speakers, and other features. You can even use it to video chat with friends or livestream your activity. To top it all off, the Sunflower also functions as a weather station. Embedded sensors and motion detectors allow it to monitor weather conditions like humidity, wind, and even air pollution levels, sending alerts to your phone to keep you updated.

“Through the SmartShade app and integrated Wi-Fi, Cellular, or Bluetooth connectivity, you can play your iTunes library or jump to your favorite music app and stream directly through your SUNFLOWER,” explains Shadecraft. “Audio books, podcasts, live events, all at the touch of a button or via simple voice commands. SmartShade also controls SUNFLOWER’s lighting system. Four powerful LEDs with intensity settings you can control and schedule for optimum outdoor experiences.”

“With SmartShade, you can access insights into your outdoor world, and set up notifications & alerts — so you’ll know when to seek shade or ‘step outside’ and experience a perfect day.”

Winner of the IDA Gold Award 2017 and nominee of the Twice VIP Awards in outdoor automated devices, the Shadecraft Sunflower made its public debut at CES 2017. The company has already raised $2 million from private investors to fund production, and the Sunflower is set to be available for pre-order this fall for around $2,700, with orders expected to start shipping sometime next year.

The post Shadecraft Sunflower: High-Tech Umbrella Serves as an Outdoor Smart Home Hub first appeared on Dornob.

Despite all its promise, the MagSafe iPhone feature doesn’t get used for anything particularly exciting. MagSafe accessories are mostly limited to chargers, bike mounts, and the occasional wallet. So it’s kind of satisfying that the SnapGrip expands upon this functionality in a way that’s both fun and useful. Take it out of your bag, snap it, on and you’re ready to go.

The grip really does make the phone feel like a real, physical camera, and the wireless shutter button is a lot more convenient than trying to press the button on the screen without getting your thumb in the photo. It’s easy to rotate your phone from landscape to portrait mode, and when you snap it in place, it automatically opens your phone’s camera app. Compatible phones include a wide variety of iPhone models from the iPhone 8 all the way up to the iPhone 14 Pro; the Samsung Galaxy Note, Edge, S22 and more; Google’s Pixel 3 through 6 Pro; and various models from Huawei, LG, and Xiaomi.

It’s true that the SnapGrip itself is a little bulky, though. Is it worth it to carry around just for the ability to hang onto your phone a little tighter on the go? Not really, but thankfully, it does a whole lot more than that. The battery pack of the SnapGrip doubles as a portable charger, and it also works as both a stand and a charging dock. So if you need any of those functions and love to take photos, it has a lot to offer.

If there’s one downside, it might be that the SnapGrip is made of hard plastic, rather than the rubbery grip you might expect from the name. It’s also a little heavy at 4.9 ounces, but that’s standard for portable chargers. The grip is the thickest part at 1.25 inches thick, while the rest of the body is quite thin. It features four LED lights to indicate battery level, as well as lights for power on/off, and Bluetooth pairing. You charge it up via a USB-C port.

In addition to the SnapGrip, ShiftCam makes three other MagSafe accessories: the SnapShoe shoe mount for tripods, the SnapPod selfie stick, and a flippable SnapLight light ring that works in tandem with both the SnapPod and SnapGrip. A recent Kickstarter campaign successfully raised nearly $850,000 to bring the SnapGrip to life, and now it’s available for pre-order on the ShiftCam website alongside the other products.

The post Magnetic SnapGrip Makes Your Smartphone Feel Like an Old-School Camera first appeared on Dornob.

Using a helium balloon, a Styrofoam cooler, an extendable rod, and an Insta360 ONE X2 action camera, the students assembled a device that could reach into the limits of the Earth’s atmosphere. During that week of work, educational specialists from Hi-Impact, whose mission is to bring technology and media into the school curriculum, taught the children about how the helium in the balloon expands as the altitude increases (with most reaching a height between 60,000 and 100,000 feet above Earth). They learned how the atmospheric pressure decreases the higher it rises, finally forcing the balloon to burst. They also studied how to predict the flight path of the balloon based on wind forecasts and the size of the payload.

Based in Northern England, Hi-Impact has been visiting schools around the UK for over a decade now, teaching students to construct their own weather balloons and getting them excited about science. Their materials list has adapted over the years to provide better space flights and images of Earth. In particular, the addition of the Insta360 camera has been key to capturing awe-inspiring photos from the planet’s outer atmosphere.

“The 360-degree camera gives Hi-Impact the ability to see everything that goes on during the flight — from the excited faces at takeoff, through the rain as it passes into the clouds, and eventually the blackness of the sky and the burst of the balloon before drifting back down aided by a parachute,” explains Simon Sloan, the company’s Innovation Manager.

After the students launched this year’s balloon, it rose over 80,000 feet high over the course of two hours before popping and falling back to Earth roughly 125 miles from the launch site. The multiple trackers placed on the payload (and monitored by the students) allowed Hi-Impact to easily find the device and collect plenty of data. Thanks to its camera footage, students were even able to watch the balloon explode at the pinnacle of its climb.

While the balloon was certainly short of the 327,000 feet it takes to technically reach space, the St. Bridget’s floating camera was still able to produce professional quality photos of the full curvature of the Earth, complete with a layer of puffy clouds draped over the deep blue oceans. Plus, the Insta360 was able to withstand the extreme temperatures, which fell as low as -49 degrees Fahrenheit on this flight.

This isn’t the first year of weather balloons for St. Bridget’s, either. They began their relationship with Hi-Impact several years ago, and the students have looked forward to the annual event where Years 5 and 6 take control of the launch and run mission control. “This is always an exciting few days for the school,” St. Bridget’s administration says.

The post Elementary Students’ Weather Balloon Camera Captures Stunning Images Near Space first appeared on Dornob.

The “friendly flying camera” acts as companion to the Snapchat app. Unlike most drones, there’s very little learning curve to overcome in order to master the device. Instead of a controller, the app has a single button and four pre-programmed flight patterns accessed through a dial on top of the drone. That means nobody has to fuss with their phone or a separate video screen to navigate it (which would defeat the purpose of taking selfies and videos altogether).

https://youtu.be/cqIsDo-f670

In Hover mode, the Pixy floats in front of the user. Reveal mode pans the drone backwards at an upward angle to capture the scene, perfect for when you’re trying to show off a trip to a beautiful locale. In Follow mode, the Pixy will trail you as you walk, run, bike, or drive. Finally, in Orbit mode, the drone flies high up into the air and spins in a 360-degree circle around the user.

The propellers are firmly ensconced within the body of the device, reducing the potential for getting tangled. When the user wants to call the drone back, all they have to do is hold out their hand, and it’ll automatically land on their outstretched palm. It’s also compact and lightweight enough to tuck into a pocket or purse, and charging is easy with a standard USB cable. Just pair the Pixy to your phone, and you’re ready to go.

Pixy can float, orbit, and follow wherever you lead, with videos wirelessly transferred and saved into Snapchat Memories. “From there, use Snapchat’s editing tools, Lenses, and Sounds to customize what you capture,” the company explains. “With a few taps, you can automatically crop into portrait and apply quick Smart Edits, like Hyperspeed, Bounce, Orbit 3D, and Jump Cut. Then, share to Chat, Stories, Spotlight, or any other platform.”

Combining the functionality of a drone with the user-centric focus of a selfie stick is a smart move. The design of the Pixy is accessible and attractive, making it a great entry-level choice for the drone-curious. While many higher-powered drones capable of flying much higher in the air require licenses to operate, the Pixy does not. It’s also much quieter, which could make it more of a pleasure to use.

All of these factors could make the Pixy enticing to Snapchat’s 293 million active daily users around the world. The company says it’ll only be available as long as supplies last, and it’s only available in the U.S. and France. If you want one, you’d better order through the Pixy website ASAP.

The post Snapchat’s $230 Pixy Drone Goes Where Selfie Sticks Can’t first appeared on Dornob.

What exactly has changed? Very little to speak of. When stacked against an iPhone 13 Pro Max, the new phone is ever so slightly less wide at 77.6 millimeters (mm) versus the 78-mm width of the 13. It’s also a hair thicker (7.9 mm versus 7.7 mm) and about the same height. The camera array is where you’ll see the most visible changes. It’s clearly a bit larger than that of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, with each lens measuring 16.2 mm in diameter versus 15.5 mm on the old version. That might mean the cameras have wider apertures, enabling higher quality photos in low-light situations.

Internet sleuths previously reported that Apple plans to replace the notch on the front of the new iPhone Pro with two cutouts: one round, one pill-shaped. The notch is expected to remain on the standard iPhone 14, though. Unbox Therapy’s replica unit doesn’t have a working display, but we can see that the rumors appear to be true. Alas, iPhone fans who have been hoping for a full, uninterrupted display minus the notch will have to spring for the Pro. Getting rid of the notch altogether would make the iPhone a little closer to the full-screen experience found on many Android phones.

On the surface, almost everything else looks to be the same. The buttons, SIM card tray, speaker holes, and charging port are the same other than a slightly longer power button, and the bezels around the screen are marginally slimmer. However, other rumored changes include a new A16 Bionic chipset for the Pro models, while the standard models will likely keep a variant of the current A15 chip. That could account for the slightly thicker body.

Apple reporter Mark Gurman revealed that Apple is currently testing iPhones that get rid of the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, responding to upcoming changes in European legislation that might require all phone manufacturers to do the same. The legislation is unlikely to affect iPhones until 2023, so the changes are being tested for iPhone 15 prototypes. That indicates that 2023 might be the year we see a bigger overall redesign for the entire range. Apple is likely to make the change worldwide, and may re-release previous models with USB-C ports, affecting the market for secondhand devices.

YouTubers aren’t the only ones giving us an early look at the potential new design. Japanese artist Souta used the schematics to create unofficial renders of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max that are virtually indistinguishable from real Apple reveals. The hyperrealistic images show what the notch-free design might actually look like. One of the phones is even clad in purple, a color that’s rumored to be coming back this year.

How do all these leaks happen in the first place? Most of the time, they’re coming from accessory makers, who receive schematics for the new designs in advance of every new release so they can design their own cases and charging units. Unbox Therapy got its replica unit sent straight from a manufacturer in China, which made it to ensure that its new cases fit the new iPhone properly.

The post iPhone 14 Pro Leaks (Might) Reveal Apple’s New Design first appeared on Dornob.

The Astro (yes, that’s a nod to The Jetsons’ beloved dog) is part home monitor, part home assistant. The rolling robot can provide live views of your home while you’re away using two handy cameras. One is even mounted on a periscope for looking into higher spaces, allowing the bot to do things like make sure the stove’s turned off. Ring Protect Pro subscribers can even schedule house patrols while they’re away and have Astro keep track of everything it detects.

These cameras can also identify your family and friends through opt-in facial recognition software. You and any other willing parties can submit your biometric information to be instantly recognized by the pint-sized robot, allowing it to spot intruders and sound alerts. Amazon says this data is processed only on the device, not sent to the cloud, and that any scans of people who haven’t been encountered in the last 18 months will be automatically deleted, but any recordings or conversations with the built-in Alexa will go straight to the company’s servers.

When you’re home, Astro can find you to deliver calls, alarms, and reminders. This could be especially helpful with elderly people who need to take medication at certain times but may not always have their phone with them. Astro can also follow its owner from room to room playing music, podcasts, or movies. Even better, the robot has two drink holders and can be directed to deliver items to someone in the house. It has no arms, though, so real people are required to place items on top and retrieve them.

Astro was specifically designed to have a man’s best friend feel. While taller robots “came off as more imposing or intimidating,” Anthony Robson, a product lead for Astro, says that “people really appreciated the smaller, more pet-like form factor we ended up with.” The animal concept also helps keep expectations more realistic. People wouldn’t expect their dog to do the laundry, for example.

The robot’s swiveling head and expression-changing eyes have already proven to be a big hit with kids, who can ask Astro to follow them around the house, dance with them, or play their favorite shows.

Of course, you have to consider that bonding with a data collector might not be such a good thing for owners and their kids. The device requires a ton of personal information for day-to-day functioning. In addition to facial scans, it also stores scans of the owner’s entire home for its mapping and movement purposes, and sends voice and video recordings to advertisers.

The company promises that it has implemented safety checks to keep that data more secure. “At Amazon, customer trust is at the center of everything we do and is critical to inventing devices and services that help make our customers’ lives better,” reads an official statement. However, if hackers were to get access to Astro’s stored information, it could leave owners vulnerable to some dangerous attacks.

You could argue that people already regularly turn similar household data over to their vacuum robots, but because the Astro has cameras and microphones, the potential for personal information collection is much greater.

Amazon’s new home robot is only available for purchase by invitation (interested consumers can request an invite) for $999, but the price will increase to $1,450 when it becomes available to the general public.

The post Amazon Astro Robot: Cute or Creepy? first appeared on Dornob.

The Lumina webcam offers three essential features that set it apart from all the others. First, it uses artificial intelligence and a CMOS sensor to auto-correct for ideal color. The user simply holds up the included color card and it automatically pairs with the camera, giving the system a baseline “for realistic color which is used to repair color deficiencies, find the perfect exposure levels, and correct for lighting temperature.” Users can customize even further, if desired, by fine-tuning the camera’s 30-plus settings and parameters.

Second, it allows for a DSLR bokeh effect with its innovative blurring techniques. Inspired by the way 3D gaming engines use blur functions, Lumina can keep the user looking crisp and crystal clear while softly fading the background, allowing the focus to stay entirely on the person in the center. Users can manually adjust the amount of blur and even add RGB/HSV transformations if desired.

Third, Lumina includes an auto-framing “cameraman” feature that tracks the subject’s face and body position. This means the background will be ideally composed no matter how often a person moves around during a call. The ultra-wide 95-degree field-of-view lens works with the AI Cameraman software to “adjust everything from video framing, transition speeds, reaction time, and even the transition easing curve to be more fluid and natural.”

The camera’s compact body is made of aluminum, with a choice of four sophisticated colors: gold, rose gold, dark gray, and silver. And at just 2.75 inches long, it’s even smaller than a tube of lipstick. The Lumina package also includes a magnetic privacy cover “that snaps on like magic,” a camera mount, two USB-C cables, and a 17-patch color card for calibration.

Being able to appear perfectly photogenic on each online interaction is apparently a prevalent desire, as Lumina’s Indiegogo campaign raised over 5,000 percent of its funding goal from more than 4,000 supporters with six days left to go.

Lumina’s CEO Raymond Lei is no stranger to finding a need and filling it. After a frustrating interaction while trying to order t-shirts for his high school tennis club, Lei was inspired to improve the online shopping experience for everyone. Starting with just $2,000, he started his own t-shirt company “ooShirts.” After its massive success, he dropped out of UC Berkeley to create Scalable, a multi-million dollar firm that builds e-commerce infrastructure for entrepreneurs. After a year of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, he realized the universal lack of video quality for conference calls and decided to solve that problem, too. Together with Chief Technology Officer Mike Xia, they created the Lumina 4K webcam to give everyone a leg up on Zoom.

Early bird backers of the crowdfunding campaign were offered the AI webcam package for $170, a 32-percent discount from the intended price. The website says Lumina will start shipping sometime after mid-October 2021.

The post Lumina: World’s First AI-Powered Webcam Brings Hollywood Effects to Your Zoom Calls first appeared on Dornob.

YouTube’s EverythingApplePro Filip Koroy got a hold of leaked CAD designs for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, both of which show larger rear cameras. With their 3.41-mm higher lens and 4.81-mm wider base, Koroy says this is a “massive increase in size,” making the new cameras “very freakishly big.”

Koroy adds that all the phones in the Apple lineup will be getting the camera upgrades, with a new diagonal arrangement for the iPhone 13 Mini’s dual cameras.

AppleInsider Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that the iPhone 13’s cameras will be able to record 8K video, “an absolute must for the AR and mixed reality future.” Previous info disclosures have also confided that the company is planning to include better image stabilization and a new portrait video mode with the upcoming model.

In addition to the cameras, another major layout change will come to the current screen notch. “These CADs do confirm a smaller notch because they have a smaller earpiece that’s sitting up on the very top,” says Koroy. It will be roughly 30 percent smaller than the design that has been in place since the iPhone X.

Modifications are also being made to the volume buttons and mute switch, with a shift of 2 to 3 millimeters toward the top of the phone. This, combined with the larger, deeper cameras, means that although the overall size of the device will be almost exactly the same as that of earlier versions (the width is just 0.26 mm thicker), new phone cases will still be required to accommodate the adjustments. And Koroy reports that the sim card tray also will be integrated with the logic board to save even more space.

Ming-Chi Kuo has also leaked that the Face ID feature will no longer be housed in the notch (it’ll be too small) and will instead feature more high-tech under-screen facial recognition.

Most recently, Kuo related that the next-gen 5G modem going into the iPhone 13 would extend support for the 5G mmWave specs to its global market (an upgrade that was only available to its U.S. customers in the iPhone 12). This will allow Apple users all over the world to unlock ultra-wide bandwidths for blazing fast download speeds.

In his YouTube video about the new designs, Koroy divulged that this would be the last iteration of the iPhone Mini, with Apple planning to officially retire it with the iPhone 14 series.

And there are actually some rumors that the company may bypass the “iPhone 13” nomenclature altogether, based on the common stigma associated the “unlucky” number 13. For better optics, it may introduce the latest upgrades as the iPhone 12S, as Apple did with newer models of the iPhone 6. However, as the “S” has typically represented significant internal upgrades to an untouched exterior and Apple hasn’t used the “S” designation since 2017, those conjectures could just as easily be unfounded.

Some sources believe that the company will forgo releasing any new version this year and will instead jump to a revolutionary iPhone 14 conception (folding phone, perhaps?) sometime in 2022.

At this point, Apple fans are basically stuck in a kind of limbo, with no new phone models announced at the company’s April 20th Spring Loaded event. That makes the next most likely iPhone 13 release date sometime in September 2021.

The post Apple iPhone 13 to Get “Freakishly Big” Rear Cameras first appeared on Dornob.

Getting the perfect photo requires many things, including but not limited to: correcting the composure, checking the histogram, adjusting exposure, enabling bracketing, and adding filters. But what if there were an accessory that could harness the power of artificial intelligence to do all of that for you, automatically fine-tuning your camera’s settings to take stunning photographs? Not only does such a thing exist, but its 2.0 version will be available soon.

Startup company Arsenal has created a Kickstarter campaign to fund the updates for its Arsenal 2 and Arsenal 2 Pro, “the intelligent camera assistant,” and with less than 24 hours to go at the time of writing, has raised just over $4.1 million. Its initial goal was $100,000. That much support suggests there must be something to this AI-based camera device, right?

Developed by software engineer Ryan Stout as a way to improve his own photography, the Arsenal 2, like the Arsenal 1 before it, is a tool that uses complex algorithms to suggest the ideal camera settings for photos and time-lapses based on the individual subject and surrounding environment. Neither a lens nor a filter, it is an inch-tall accessory that sits on top of a camera and plugs in via USB. After taking in the scene, the Arsenal 2 uses its “advanced neural network,” utilizing image recognition and a database of thousands of pictures for comparison to optimize the shot based on 22 separate factors. If desired, the user can then make any additional tweaks before snapping the final shot.

The company asserts that Arsenal-assisted shots will be much sharper than standard ones, as the device can correct for weakness in aperture and adjust shutter speed based on the camera’s stability.

Stacking — the process of taking multiple shots and merging them into one — is also made easier with the Arsenal 2. It uses High Dynamic Range (HDR) to take multiple exposures and automatically fuses them into a single image that depicts all the best details from every one. Those pictures can then be saved to the Arsenal Micro SD slot or directly to a phone.

The Arsenal 2 touts itself as the “ultimate time-lapse tool,” utilizing its AI to modify the exposure as light transitions from day to night. Users can set up the perfect time-lapse and leave it alone, even previewing it on their phones while its recording.

The ability to remotely control the camera and instantly share pictures is another key feature of the newer Arsenal models. Users can be up to 100 feet away from the camera, manipulating the focus, aperture, and shutter speed entirely via smartphone. The images are immediately accessible for review and sharable in full resolution to sites like Instagram and Facebook.

After shipping over 100,000 units of the Arsenal 1, reviews were mixed. Most of the complaints cited connectivity issues, slow speeds, and the inability to save data to a phone. Lucky for us all, the company has addressed all these issues with the Arsenal 2 and Arsenal 2 Pro. In fact, they claim the Arsenal 2 is 300 percent faster than the original, while the Arsenal 2 Pro is a whopping 500 percent faster. Both include a new WiFi chip that should dramatically improve speed and reliability.

Both new versions include features like Night Assist, Panorama, Crowd Control, and Deep Color, which the company’s website says “creates balanced yet powerful shots, rendering bold images that flatter every photo without being over the top.” The Arsenal 2 Pro also adds a USB-C connector and is weather resistant. The device is compatible with many models of Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fuji.

Those who jumped in on the latest Kickstarter campaign should be receiving their new assistant photographers sometime in June 2021.

The post Camera Accessory Uses AI to Effortlessly Produce Insanely Beautiful Photos first appeared on Dornob.

Fictional Map Wall Art

Green-screen Zoom backdrops are so passé, so why not add a personalized touch to your meetings with a poster or map from your favorite movie or book in the background? Many come in various pre-cut sizes, are available custom-cut, and include materials and tools for easy framing.

Logitech C270 Webcam

For the most professional presentations anywhere, you’ll find that this reasonably-priced webcam from Logitech is ideal. The high-definition 30-fps camera self-adjusts to lighting conditions and boasts a noise-reducing mic that cuts out background sounds.

Logitech H390 USB Computer Headset

This comfortable headset not only enhances sound and speaking quality, but it also lets you easily mute the mic or adjust the volume with a handy in-line audio control button. No outside noises are audible with this bad boy on, even if you’re munching on snacks during your meeting.

Logitech C920 Pro HD Webcam

Avid Zoomers love this webcam model, which includes a 78-degree field of view and a 1080p HD picture, so your images are always crisp and clear. Combine that with mics on either side and a frame rate of 60fps, and you’ve practically got yourself a professional camera.

Memory-Foam Lumbar Support Pillow

Sitting for hours at a time can have devastating effects on your body. Zoom in comfort by lining your work chair with a memory-foam lumbar support pillow. Ergonomically constructed, it improves your posture and decreases pressure on your tailbone. For extra comfort, add an extra seat cushion to your chair, too.

Saicoo LED Lamp

If want to look your best for your Zoom meetings every time, it’s important to understand that lighting is everything. This LED lamp makes you look great in a flash: simply adjust its touch-receptive panel to control brightness and color temperature. No need to worry about a low laptop battery, either, since this lamp features a built-in charging port.

Shure MVS Digital Condenser Mic

This digital condenser microphone guarantees flawless sound, and its versatile USB and iOS connectivity let you link it to all kinds of electronic devices. Best of all, an accompanying app makes sharing, recording, and editing a total breeze.

TIJN Blue Light Glasses

Hours of Zooming will inevitably take its toll on your eyes before long. These blue light glasses keep them looking fresh and reduce stress, redness, and irritation by blocking 100 percent of harmful UV rays. Plus, the lightweight frames ensure hours of comfort.

UBeesize Phone Tripod

Nothing works better to keep your Zoom presentation focused like a sturdy tripod with rubber-coated bendable legs and non-stick feet. Even better, this stand comes with a handy remote control for your phone that works as far away as 30 feet.

UBeesize Ring Light With Tripod Stand

If you really feel like optimizing your images, consider splurging on the UBeesize combination ring light and tripod. It includes warm light, daylight, and cool light rings, each of which includes a whopping 11 levels of brightness. An added perk is a remote control that lets you turn on your camera from a distance with your smartphone.

Classic Travel Posters

Add a touch of esteem and cultural savvy to your Zoom profile with vintage travel posters. Choose a favorite vacation spot, a great shot of your hometown, or a dream destination from your bucket list. Keep people wondering by changing them every few months.

The post 11 Items Sure to Make Your Zoom Meetings Better first appeared on Dornob.

Bissell BarkBath

A clean dog isn’t just a happy dog — they’re also welcome in almost anyone’s home. This compact cleaning system lets you bathe your dog on the go and doubles as a portable carpet and upholstered furniture cleaner. Its one-of-a-kind spray nozzle gently reaches deep down to the dog’s skin and deposits the dirty water into a separate tank. For $200, you can easily keep your dog and home clean without bulky equipment or frequent trips to the groomer’s.

Fi Smart Dog Collar

No more fretting over where your dog is when they decide to explore the world explore outside your yard. The lustrous Fi Smart Dog Collar tracks their location with a real-time GPS and reports the data back to you on your smartphone. It also tracks how many steps they take and their total exercise time to monitor their fitness. The collar is $149, and the additional $99 annual subscription fee is a small price to pay for the serenity of knowing your pooch’s whereabouts.

Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0

With a minimal amount of training, the Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0 lets your dog alert you to their need to go outside and take care of business. Priced between $30 and $40, the system is wireless and needs no batteries, with a customizable ringtone that’s activated by the simple touch of your pet’s paw.

PetChatz Interactive Pet Camera

You don’t have to be Dr. Dolittle to talk to your pet. Thanks to this nifty invention, you can now have two-way calls anytime you’re away from home, and even toss them “treats” or calm them with light bursts and therapeutic scents. The basic system costs around $350, but for a bit more, you can add on “PawCall” buttons that let your pet reach out to you from afar.

Petcube Bites 2 Smart Pet Camera

If you just want to keep tabs on your pet’s secret life when you’re not home, Petcube Bites 2 Smart Pet Camera is the perfect gadget for you. You can reward good behavior with a virtual treat or talk to them with the two-way audio feature. Even better, this system is a little cheaper than others at just $249.

PetSafe Smart Feeder

With the PetSafe Smart Feeder, you’ll never have to feel guilty about not being home to feed your dog on time. Instead, a simple phone app lets you set up an automatic feeding schedule. Set it to dispense an eighth to four full cups of food, or use the “Slow Feed” option to dispense a preset amount of chow over a 15-minute span.

SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder

No more food pilfering between your dog and cat thanks to the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder. Using microchips, the food inside is only accessible to the right pet when they approach their respective dish. No worries if your pet isn’t microchipped, either: you can also use ID tags on their collars to activate access. At a price of around $150, you can make sure each and every pet gets the proper nutrition every day of the week.

SureFlap Microchip Pet Door

Instead of making repeated trips to the door to let your pet in an out, simplify life for a meager investment of $85. The SureFlap Microchip Pet Door reads a microchip or programmable collar to let the pet in and out without concerns about strays or wildlife getting inside. You can also set up pre-selected times for the doggy door to automatically be locked or unlocked from the outside.

VARRAM Pet Fitness Robot

No more lazy pets that sleep all day while you’re away. The VARRAM Pet Fitness Robot plays with your pet using 16 preset frolicking moves that carefully avoid obstacles throughout your home. The $100 price tag includes a program that monitors your pup’s activity and advises on changes you can make to further improve their health.

Whistle FIT Pet Health Tracker

Finally, this Fitbit-like gadget tells you if your dog is getting the proper amount of exercise based on its breed, weight, and age. Set incremental goals and adjust food amounts to match their activity patterns and keep them at the peak of good health. The tracker costs $80, plus an annual subscription fee of $35.

The post 10 Cool Trinkets and Toys That Will Make Your Dog’s Day first appeared on Dornob.

Google has been in the smartphone game for awhile now, but the company’s new Pixel 4a is drawing more interest to its cellular offerings than ever before.

The Pixel line of products goes beyond phones, in fact, all the way back to 2013 with the first-generation Chromebook Pixel. Soon after that, the line expanded to include laptops, tablets, and smartphones, with the latter in particular already having seen a few generations of mid-range offerings and subsequent mixed reviews. However, the much-anticipated Pixel 4a seems to finally be living up to the expectations of a Google product.

Layout

Early reviews are praising the Pixel 4a’s display, saying the screen offers both clarity and good color. Unfortunately, the smartphone is only offered in a black exterior — one of many streamlines that allow for the lower price tag.

Down the left side of the phone is the SIM card tray, and on the right side lay the volume buttons and turquoise power button. Along the bottom is a USB-C port and speaker, while the headphone jack sits on top. The overall screen measurements are 5.7-inches high x 2.7″ wide x 0.3″ deep.

Cameras

The Pixel 4a comes with a 12.2-megapixel dual-pixel rear camera. The front camera offers 8 MP, 1.12-μm pixel size, ƒ/2.0 aperture, fixed focus, and an 84-degree field of view. Even better, the camera’s HDR+ feature automatically adjusts for color and lighting, although the standard manual adjustments are also available for your convenience. Low-light or nighttime pictures can be lit up using the Pixel 4a’s “Night Sight” feature.

The phone’s portrait mode is garnering especially high marks for its strong central focus on the subject and professional-style blurring of the background. And because this is a Google product we’re talking about, captured images can also be quickly and easily edited using Google Photos software. Another feature allows you to send photos directly from the viewfinder of your phone camera to your favorite Google and third-party social apps.

Battery

The Pixel 4a’s 3140 mAh2 battery seems to have a moderate life of six or seven hours, though the company claims that it’s extremely quick to charge. The battery’s also adaptive, which allows it to monitor and “learn” what apps you use the most over time, in turn reducing power to the ones you rarely use.

Software

At this point you’d have to be living under a rock to not be familiar with Google Chrome as an available browser. On top of that, the Pixel 4a comes equipped with the company’s signature office suite, complete with the likes of huge Microsoft alternatives Google Sheets and Google Docs. And of course, you’ll find that this smartphone has no trouble working in tandem with the ever-popular Gmail platform.

Just like Siri for iPhone, Google has a voice assistant, too, and you can use it to help you make a phone call, find a recipe, set a timer, add an appointment to your calendar, or send a text.

Security

Safety features like a fingerprint reader keep the sensitive information on your phone from being easily accessible to strangers, while a Titan M security chip monitors the info at all times. The phone will even automatically filter out robocalls before your phone ever rings. Plus, the Pixel 4a has a crash detection feature that will automatically call 911 if it senses you’ve been in a car accident.

Since updates are key to maintaining security features, the Pixel 4a will automatically receive the latest OS and security updates for at least the next three years.

Other Key Specs

Last but not least, the Google Pixel 4a boasts 6GB RAM and and 128 GB of storage space. The internal processors include the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 730, with both Octa-core and Titan M.

The phone comes with a one-year warranty and is currently available for pre-order from $349, or $14.54 a month for 24 months.

The post Behind the Buzz: Everything You Need to Know About the Google Pixel 4a first appeared on Dornob.

Currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, Birdsy AI is a video solution designed for birders and wildlife watchers capable of identifying birds and wildlife for all of North America and Europe. As more users participate, the system gets smarter, learning to identify additional species over time. Recordings are saved and labeled automatically and sent to your smartphone or computer.

The Birdsy AI app lets you watch a live stream or your saved videos from anywhere, so you can check in even when you’re at work or on vacation. The system also generates titles and thumbnail images so you can see the animals that have been by your feeder at a glance. It’ll even group videos of the same species together, though you can also browse by specific dates and times if you prefer.

Save the best moments by marking them as favorites, and get instant notifications when a new species appears so you can watch them right away (or peek at them in person, if you’re home). You can also share your favorite clips to social media at the touch a button. And if you enjoy checking out what other users are seeing in their own yards, whether they’re your neighbors or all the way across the world, you can check out the app’s “Wild Live TV” for popular videos and live cams.

The system’s Kickstarter page notes that “beta users report that they discover new birds and behavior with Birdsy. Birdsy gets you up close and personal without disturbing the natural behavior of wildlife. Beta users watch Birdsy before, during, or after work. Birdsy offers daily entertainment and is quite ‘addictive.’”

Setup is quick and simple. You’ll just need a permanent outdoor power source and a Wi-Fi signal with a minimum of 1 mbps upload speed. If your feeder is too far from your router to get a signal, you can purchase a Wi-Fi repeater or use a hardwired ethernet cable to keep your Birdsy going. The camera can be mounted on a pole, tripod, or arm, or screwed to a fence or wooden panel. Since it’s always plugged in and connected, you don’t have to worry about changing batteries or memory cards. And unlike other trail and action cams, there’s no monthly fee for cloud storage.

The camera offers full HD 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second and smart infrared night vision, so it’ll capture birds, squirrels, and other critters after dark, too. A built-in microphone captures audio, and the camera has both manual and automatic focus, so you can choose to zoom in or sharpen one bird over another when you’re in live mode.

Backers supporting this project on Kickstarter can get their own Birdsy AI camera, mount, power adapter, ethernet cable, and free shipping for pledges starting at $199. The camera will retail for $279 when it goes up for sale to the public later this year.

The post Birdsy AI Identifies the Wildlife That Comes to Your Feeder first appeared on Dornob.

While their newest innovations include two ground-breaking refrigerator models, a revolutionary induction stove, a stackable cube cooling system for multiple rooms in your house, and an incredible shoe storage system, the real star of Samsung’s newest line this year was the futuristic Family Hub.

Family Relations Made Easy

John Herrington, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Home Appliances for Samsung Electronics America, was brimming with pride and enthusiasm as he introduced the 2020 Family Hub to the CES crowd. “In the five years since we launched Family Hub, we have introduced innovations that reflect the new ways that busy, modern families are managing their daily lives,” he said. “The latest Family Hub is the most innovative yet, with more personalized, intelligent features that enable busy families to stay better connected to one another.”

Indeed, the 2020 Family Hub not only simplifies meal planning and grocery shopping, it also includes communication features that enable family members to share events, interests, and milestones from remote locations. No one misses a thing, regardless of whether they’re out of town or just stuck in traffic and unable to be home in time for dinner.

The Family Hub Refrigerator

AI-improved cameras inside this smart refrigerator scan what you have on hand, plan meals around those ingredients, and provide smart recipes based on a set of dietary guidelines you customize. It can plan meals for up to a week and prepare a shopping list of food items you need to replenish. In addition, Whisk, an AI invention recently attained by Samsung NEXT, adjusts recipes based on how many people are on your guest list, compiling a shopping list with items that can be used in multiple recipes.

Family Affairs

Besides making meal planning and shopping easier than ever, Samsung’s new “Family Board” display allows every member of the family to share audio and video favorites from their personal devices on a virtual bulletin board.

Safety and security are huge concerns for most families, and Family Board also lets any family member observe and have power over more than 1,000 SmartThings-compatible products throughout the house. Inside and outside lights can be turned on or off, the inside of any room in the house can be monitored, and you can even remotely adjust the temperature of any room.

More Life-Enhancing Appliances

Samsung continued to wow at CES with more a couple more home systems that make life better and easier. The BESPOKE refrigerator is not only customizable to meet your practical needs and aesthetic tastes, it also boasts a “Flex Zone,” which is easily adaptable to chill or freeze, depending on your needs. The unique new Cube Refrigerator series includes three mini-refrigerators in multiple colors made to store Wine, Beer, and Beauty Products. They can be stacked or stowed anywhere in any room and are so quiet you can have one next to your bed with no sleep interruption.

The Portable Slim Double Induction system lets you prepare meals anywhere in the house. The two induction burners have nine different settings and can be used separately for smaller pots or as one large cooking surface for grills or oversized pans.

Samsung’s Shoe Care System pampers those pricey shoes of yours so they last longer, feel fresh, and always look brand new. It also deodorizes, dehumidifies, and dries whatever types of shoes the members of your family might wear.

The post Samsung Debuts Pioneering Lifestyle Home Appliances at CES 2020 first appeared on Dornob.

GE Kitchen Shift

This design concept sees a “shift” in the kitchen to suit the needs of all cooks. With countertops that raise and lower automatically, the kitchen easily accommodates people of all heights, including kids and chefs with walking disabilities. Even the upper cabinets in this system slide down for easy access.

Sepura Automatic Composting System

Composting is nothing new, but Sepura makes the process a lot easier and less messy. Replacing the traditional garbage disposal, Sepura cuts down on food waste with a two-part unit that sits below your kitchen sink. The upper portion diverts liquids as they head down the drain, while the lower portion collects solid foods. The system also provides an alert when the food bin is full so it can be taken to your backyard compost or streetside bin.

Smart Fridges

No CES would be complete without a display of the new advances in refrigerator technology, most of which center around convenience. While Bosch showed off their two-camera system, LG promoted its InstaView clear front door. Several companies now incorporate inventory management, too, creating alerts and automatically reordering foods as needed. Samsung even premiered software that will suggest recipes based on what’s currently in your fridge. It’s safe to say the marriage between smart tech and refrigerators is here to stay.

PantryOn Food Inventory Control

Speaking of inventory management, PantryOn keeps an eye on your pantry inventory to keep you stocked at all times. By installing the app, you’ll always know if the kids took that last box of cereal or if you’re out of flour. It’s a bit of a luxury, of course, but that doesn’t make the technology any less interesting.

Julia the Assistant Chef

An all-on-one product by CookingPal, Julia can weigh your food, chop, steam, knead, and perform many other functions. The blending component even works as a self-cleaning mechanism at the end of the meal. Julia also comes with a separate tablet screen that allows you to control your smart appliances, find and adapt recipes, use voice commands, and monitor your meal through a central hub.

Simplehuman Voice Activated Trash Can

Sometimes the best ideas are the simple ones. Anyone who’s attempted to throw something away with greasy fingers understands the struggle of traditional garbage receptacles. Although the convenience will cost you $200, the Simplehuman 58L sensor can opens with an easy wave of your hand or voice command.

GE Kitchen Hub

Everyone knows that the kitchen is the hub of the household, and now GE is launching a smart system to help cement that status. The Kitchen Hub mounts above the cooktop and features a built-in microwave and exhaust fan. It also allows you to look up recipes, monitor ingredients, turn the oven up or down, play music, identify when the meat is cooked to the proper temperature, and even connect a camera to your meal to share with others.

The post Our Favorite Kitchen Appliances from CES 2020 first appeared on Dornob.

Officially called the Lanmodo Vast Night Vision System, the camera sits on your dash with a sticky mount. For that reason, this option works best on a flat, rather than contoured, dash. If the camera doesn’t sit securely on your dash, don’t worry: there’s also an alternative suction cup that allows you to mount the camera to your windshield. Either way, the screen is conveniently located for easy viewing from the driver’s seat. The unit is only about nine-by-three inches, too, so it’ll never block your view.

When you hear night vision, you might picture the grainy red image as seen through bulky masks during a military mission in the movies. And to be fair, the Lanmodo Vast does look a bit like that in total darkness. But use it in conjunction with the headlights from your vehicle, and you’ll find that the camera brings everything into 1080P full-color focus. It’s true that several luxury brand vehicles already offer built-in night vision as a package option, but these cameras are only capable of providing black-and-white images.

Online video reviews show the camera in action and give us the most accurate idea of its abilities. At a standstill, it appears to do an excellent job of providing crisp, colorful images in the dark. On the move, there is some blurring at times, but there’s no doubt that it still adds safety to nighttime driving with an impressive view of what is up to 300 meters ahead. This is done using the system’s wide spectrum frame, which lights up the entire road and eliminates the narrow view you normally get from standard headlights. This vast view gives you time to respond to animals or other obstacles in the road. It also shows upcoming curves or hills and even displays buildings, cars, and other roadside objects not visible with headlights alone. Last but certainly not least, it does a great job of cutting through rain and fog.

The Lanmodo Vast is a full-spectrum night vision camera for night driving and any other nighttime use you can imagine. Since it’s completely portable, you can also light up your campsite or take it on your next evening beach trip. Plus, the camera is easily adjustable so you can make changes to aim it where you want it.

There are two versions of the Lanmodo Vast, with the base model priced at $499 and the dual camera option running for $100 more. Luckily for our readers, the company reached out to offer everyone a $200 coupon with discount code LMDNVS_MC. Note that this promotion is only valid through January 1st, and that no member of the Dornob team is receiving any form of compensation for this article or any purchase you make. We just think it’s a cool product with the power to make night driving safer. Enjoy the savings.

The post Lanmodo’s Automotive Night Vision Camera Makes Driving Safer first appeared on Dornob.