THE WINNING GADGETS

There were two winners - one online and the other live

Kevo by Kwikset was the live winner and AIM Skulpt won the online votes.

I attended the LAST GADGET STANDING in the International CES.  It was one of the most interesting, entertaining, and exciting events at the conference.

The finalists were asked to demonstrate the features of their respective gadgets.  The audience then participated in judging which among them would be the best and the last one standing.

This year, the finalists vying for the title were:

Kevo by Kwikset is a smart lock that turns smartphones into keys, giving owners the ability to unlock the door with just a simple touch.

Aim is a handheld device by Skulpt designed to measure fat percentage and muscle strength and definition to help you achieve specific fitness goals. I'm not a bodybuilder, but I can see how they might like the concept.

Samsung's Galaxy Gear™ extends the Galaxy smartphone experience to your wrist and enhances everyday moments with real time updates for quick and convenient access.

Glasses TrackR by Phone Halo is a tracking device you slip onto the frames of your glasses or sunglasses, and then control from your smartphone. You can use the app on your phone to locate your glasses or ring your phone by pressing a button on the device.

JamStik by Zivix is a portable musical instrument that connects with your iPad or MacBook to teach you how to play guitar. It offers a variety of sounds and works with Garage Band so you can compose music. I'm no musician, but I like the way this looks.

Canary is a home security device with an HD video camera and multiple sensors designed to track all sorts of security issues within your home, and send the necessary alerts to your phone.

MIP (Mobile Inverted Pendulum) is the latest innovation by WowWee in association with UCSD’s (University of California at San Diego) Coordinated Robots Lab. 

VOYCE i4C Innovations’ revolutionary new service, VOYCE, allows pet parents to understand their dogs like never before.

The eventual winner was Kevo by Kwikset, which was voted upon by the audience attending through applause. In addition to the Last Gadget Standing award, Kwikset Kevo also won an Innovations Award, the This Old House Top 100 Award, and the Mark of Excellence Award.

The winner for the online voting was Aim by Skulpt.

I suggest that our readers search or visit the websites of the winners and finalists if they want to know more about the products.

Las Vegas: Sin City or Miracle Site?

By the time you read this article, I should be in Las Vegas, Nevada known as the Sin City or Entertainment Capital of the world. I am attending two major conferences: Storage Visions 2014 and the 2014 International CES again as a credentialed member of the Press.

No, I will not be attending the third major conference that is held a few days later – the Adult Entertainment Expo also known as the Pornographers’ Convention.

In this Digital Age, the Storage Visions conference is a good complement to the International CES, which has become the world’s biggest gathering of electronic technology companies, executives, developers, manufacturers, resellers, and consumers.

Storage Visions provides me the latest info on digital storage giving a clearer understanding of units such as the Bytes (B), Kilobytes (KB), Megabytes (MB), Gigabytes (GB), and Terabytes (TB).  Enlightened already on the differences between Storage and Memory; that of the Hard Drives (HD) and the Solid-State Drives (SSD); the Hybrid; and the Internal and the External Hard Drives, the conference gives one greater appreciation of their importance.

It is not just about creating, capturing and producing personal and commercial contents; it is also about keeping them safe like protecting, storing and recovering them.  What will Smart Phones, Tablets and Ultra books use for storage in the near future?  I expect to learn more about these at the conference.

I am all set for the 2014 International CES.  Like in the past, I will be joining the Press Events prior to the convention proper on January 7-10, 2014. 

On Sunday, January 5, registered media and analysts will be briefed at Mandalay Bay Hotel on the:

State of the Consumer Tech Industry and 2014 CES Trends to Watch

Before the doors open for the most important tech event in the world, we will get a glimpse into what everyone will be talking about in the year to come. I am attending this presentation by CEA analysts to gain an understanding of the business trends, market forces and consumer dynamics behind the technology on display at the 2014 International CES.

State of the Global CE Industry

Countries with fast-growing economies and large emerging middle classes will lead the way in new CE revenue growth. This session, presented by analysts from CEA and GfK Boutique Research, provides a comprehensive look at global CE market trends and opportunities.

CES Unveiled LAS VEGAS: The Official Press Event of the International CES
 The media and analysts will be the first to see the new year’s products at CES Unveiled LAS VEGAS with a preshow look at the products and technologies that will be making headlines.

Last year, I almost missed this show because I had to watch RG III and the Redskins who were in the playoffs.  I decided to forego the 4^th quarter and went to this event instead. I do not have that problem this year.  They are not in the playoffs.

Product debuts from CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Honorees also will be on display.

On Monday, January 6, 2014 I will check out the following companies who will be launching their new products:

1.  Tarzier, Inc. will introduce two amazing smart TV technologies that is set to revolutionize the living room;


2.  Monster will be introducing new products, including headphones, speaker docks, and mobile accessories and announcing new partnerships;

3.  Panasonic will introduce its leaders, announce corporate and 2014 product news, highlight partnerships and provide a picture of its reinforced business goals for 2014;

4.  IZON will announce IZON'S glasses-free 3D television, 4K and online connectivity;

5.  SAMSUNG will announce its new line of products;

6.  MakerBot, the leader in desktop 3D printing, will be showcasing the latest in desktop 3D printing and scanning. Founded in 2009, MakerBot has built the largest installed base of desktop 3D printers sold to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers.

From January 7-10, 2014, which is the actual CES conference, I am scheduled to visit about 100 pre-chosen and pre-arranged booths, and of course, sessions and events.

I am again writing an article entitled, “Little Miracles in the Sin City” or “Miracles, Magic, and Mind-Boggling Technologies”. 

This means that in my visits to check out the products and technologies, I will be looking for those that could qualify under the above title.

This is the main reason why I always attend the event called “Last Gadget Standing”.  The 10 finalists to being the best gadget are asked to demonstrate their devices to the audience which includes me.  We will then judge which one is the best.  All of them are usually amazing and mind-boggling.  The ordinary consumer could actually describe the best one as a “Miracle” or “Magic”.

LAS VEGAS here I come!

M3 Clinician Wins Venture+ Forum Contest at 5th Annual mHealth Summit

WASHINGTON D.C. – (December 19, 2013) – M3 Clinician was selected by an expert panel of judges as the winner of the 2013 Venture+ Forum pitch contest for startups at the mHealth Summit in Washington D.C. Presented by HIMSS Media, the Venture+ Forum offers a unique platform for showcasing transformative technology and for exploring investment opportunities to bring healthcare innovations to market.  The Venture+ Forum is focused on promoting business-building collaborations and fostering healthcare innovation by connecting investors, entrepreneurs and strategic partners.

M3 Clinician helps providers detect and manage mental health conditions in primary care settings. Its mental health solution is reimbursable and helps clinicians identify persistent and challenging illnesses which, when left unmanaged, double the cost of treating diabetes, cardiac, lung and other chronic diseases.

“There has never been a more exciting time to be an entrepreneur or investor in the mobile health and wellness space,” said Rich Scarfo, Vice President, Events at HIMSS Media and Director of the mHealth Summit. “M3 Clinician delivers an inexpensive, web-based mental health screening tool to detect often misdiagnosed or under-recognized mental health symptoms in patients and represents one of today’s most promising solutions for reducing costs, improving patient care and outcomes and transforming healthcare delivery.”

“Most mental health care is provided by primary care physicians.  M3 Clinician provides the tools they need to improve quality and reduce costs,” said Steve Daviss, MD, M3’s chief medical information officer.

At the Venture+ Forum 11 pre-selected companies were given the opportunity to pitch their products, services and solutions to a panel of leading experts in healthcare investment, business and technology.

Selected as this year’s winner, M3 received:

• An opportunity to present at the 2013 mHealth Summit on the Innovation Zone Stage
• Two full access passes for the 2014 HIMSS annual conference and the Venture+ Forum taking place at HIMSS14 on Sunday, February 23rd at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida
• A company feature in a HIMSS Media publication and Venture+ Forum e-newsletter and website
• A “Year in Review” key presentation opportunity at the 2014 mHealth Summit

“M3 emerged as the winner of this competition because their clinical data demonstrated major benefits to patients, they had solved for reimbursement, and they were open to bringing on board the seasoned business executive that they knew their business would need to succeed,” said Andrew Farquharson, Venture+ Forum judge and co-founder of VentureHealth. “They were filling a major gap with an effective tool that saved time for clinicians and dramatically improved prospects for patients suffering from mental illness.”

 “It is an incredible honor to have M3 recognized as the 2013 Venture+ Forum winner. Through the Venture+ Forum, the HIMSS organization is boldly confronting perplexing and difficult health problems with evidence-based mobile solutions,” said Michael Byer, CEO and co-founder of M3Clinician. “We are grateful to HIMSS and the mHealth Summit for making the effort to feature a technology solution like ours.”

The forum, which kicked off with a keynote address from Jack Young, Director of the Qualcomm Life Fund at Qualcomm Ventures explored key trends in digital healthcare and investment, including growing opportunities in wearable devices and big data in health such as claims data, EMR data, genomic data, consumer demographics, social (behavioral) and real time (biometrics) data.

HIMSS is now seeking company applications for Venture+ Forum at HIMSS14. Apply online today:https://gust.com/entrepreneur-conference/ventureplusforum/apply

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About the mHealth Summit

The 2013 mHealth Summit, the global convener of the expanding mobile health ecosystem, explored the disruptions, challenges and opportunities of the expanding integration of mobile and wireless technologies into the healthcare system, and in consumer and patient engagement, for the delivery of better health outcomes. The 5th Annual mHealth Summit took place December 8-11, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, D.C. area. The mHealth Summit is presented by HIMSS, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the mHealth Alliance and the Foundation for the NIH. The Venture+ Forum, presented at the mHealth Summit by HIMSS Media, was convened in strategic partnership with Springboard Enterprises, StartUp Health and UP Global. For information about the 2014 Summit, please visit: www.mhealthsummit.org

About M3 Information, L.L.C. 

M3 Information is a Rockville, Maryland, based company creating health information technology solutions to improve the lives of people with mental health and substance use conditions. M3 Clinician, the company’s most popular product, is NCQA approved and uses secure mobile health and web-based technologies to deliver behavioral health risk assessments and progress tracking information to clinicians.  The company also developed WhatsMyM3, a mobile app and whatsmym3.com, an Internet-based risk screen for home use.  Health care providers rely on M3Clinician.com, a browser-based portal and mobile app. For more information on M3 please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ex7syaOELk

Mobile Apps Showdown at CES 2014

 I will be attending again the Mobile Apps Showdown at CES 2014 on January 9, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  As in previous years I will also take part in judging the best of the best mobile apps. 

According to the CES recent report, by the end of this year, about 50 billion mobile apps will have been downloaded.  So it is indeed exciting to know some of the semi-finalists.  For lack of space, I decided to list only some that are offered for free.

Smart Document Scanner

Developer’s Description: Smart Document Scanner is the app that will help you manage your documents, enabling you to scan, scan to PDF, sync, OCR, file and enhance the final scanning result of notes, receipts, invoices, prescriptions, meeting minutes, whiteboards and much more.

Glasses.com

Developer’s Description: The glasses.com app is changing the way people browse, try and buy eyewear.

With 3Dfit technology, the glasses.com app allows users to virtually try on thousands of brand-name frames, each sized to scale on a 3D model of their face. Shoppers can compare frames with side-by-side images, select favorites, and share with family and friends via Facebook, Twitter or email.

True3Dudio

Developer’s Description: True3Daudio – Music Player

Gabrieli – Canzoni e Sonate (Venice, 1608) Imagine a new music experience – as real as being there yourself!

In 1608 the famous Giovanni Gabrieli composed a beautiful concert for the unique acoustics in the Saint Marcus church in Venice, and it has been a favorite of many music lovers ever since.

Its first public appearance was post-humous in 1615. However only now you can enjoy this concert, with a truly remarkable authentic reproduction in 3D spatial sound – based on the True3Daudio technology in the Intelligent Headset by GN Store Nord.

Together with Newcastle University, International Centre of Music Studies, we present this first-of- its-kind app.

In this first release, you can move your avatar on the floor plan of the church, and next release will use your actual movements, so if you close your eyes you can almost..

FEEL THE SOUND MOVE YOU! 

Cliiiimb

Developer’s Description: Cliiiimb is an innovative combination of wearable technology and a compelling iPhone app that brings real-time King of the Mountain data to Strava users when they need it most: during their segment, not after. Users can run or ride against a virtual training partner or a previous personal best from segment leader boards. The app tracks your progress while the hardware gives you real- time audio and visual feedback on your position and progress. 

Zubie

Developer’s Description: Zubie makes driving safer, easier and less expensive. The Zubie app uses data collected from the Zubie Key (free with service), which is a hardware device that plugs into the OBD port of your car and monitors your driving and your cars health.

Perfect365

Developer’s Description: One tap is all it takes! Perfect365 is a unique face enhancement app that lets users easily apply a natural touchup or a trendy makeover to their photos with a single tap. Using advanced facial detection and photo editing technology, users can create studio quality images to post online or send to friends in seconds. There’s never been an easier or more entertaining way to get perfect portraits. It’s time to get your selfies on! 

Maluuba

Developer’s Description: Maluuba is a personal assistant app that provides exact results for everyday queries. It is a do- engine that allows users to speak naturally to their mobile phone to get stuff done. Whether it’s looking up movies playing at nearby theatres, or figuring out where you are going to stop for dinner, Maluuba will be there providing fast, precise results.

NQ Mobile Security

Developer’s Description: More than 383 million users around the world trust NQ Mobile Security to protect them from malware, spyware, phishing, viruses, hacking, eavesdropping, and other threats. NQ Mobile Security’s cloud-based database is the world’s largest catalog of mobile threats, with intelligence on over two billion risk-assessed and rated URLs and 1,400,000 mobile applications, and is responsible for first detecting and resolving over 75 percent of all new mobile threats.

NQ Mobile’s technology leverages its proprietary mobile threat database, which is the largest in the world, a powerful “cloud+client” architecture, and state-of-the-art virus detection software to provide users with the strongest mobile security on the market. 

Iris

Developer’s Description: A Remote Control for your Home.

Your relationship with your home is a close one. Iris gets you closer with simple wireless home control and monitoring.

Iris is your one-stop solution for creating the smart home of your dreams. With the DIY expertise you expect from Lowe’s, Iris lets you set up a reliable and easy to operate system customized to your home.

TiVo’s App for iOS

Developer’s Description: TiVo’s App for iOS provides an advanced, second-screen companion tool, enabling you to browse & discover content, stream live & recorded shows & even download programming for on-the-go viewing.

Doubling as a TiVo remote, the app manages recordings and allows you to browse the channel guide, information on actors, themed Collections of movies and TV shows including Academy Award winning films, new Fall TV programming, Shark Week, etc. all without interrupting what you’re watching on the TV. Your mobile device is now a remote, dashboard, discovery device & screen all in one, allowing true content control from anywhere. 

Babiis

Developer’s Description: A Common Sense Media Research study from November 13 recently showed that 38% of children under 2 are using tablets and smartphones (compared to 11% 2 years ago) this number going up to 72% for under 8.

Babiis is the first social network for babies & young children (1-5).

A new iOS App revolutionizing the way toddlers are going to play, learn and interact with their families through all their mobile devices.
After a 2 year development, we came up with an amazing product that proposes a large panel of social network features into a baby-friendly user interface, allowing everyone to receive video- messages from their children and send some back, wherever they are, and whenever they want.

Babiis is also a social gaming and learning platform, allowing baby to learn new words, read stories, play some games like never before thanks to his family’s involvement in his digital/online experience 

CrowdFlik

Developer’s Description: CrowdFlik is the revolutionary mobile video app that makes capturing, creating and sharing mobile video better than ever. CrowdFlik is free and easy to use. Anyone can use the CrowdFlik app when they are capturing video on their smart phone. Just open the app and start filming.

CrowdFlik’s proprietary technology combines and synchronizes all video captured via the CrowdFlik app. CrowdFlik organizes the captured video based on event – using time and location – and gives users the unprecedented ability to easily create custom edits of any event using the proprietary and intuitive CrowdFlik ‘CreteFLIK’ function. Users can easily create multiple custom Fliks of any length and share, view or save them. CrowdFlik gives users the ability to share and post their edits to their Facebook page, twitter, and other social media sites. 

DocuSign

Developer’s Description: Sign documents and get signatures quickly and easily from iPad or iPhone. A must-have app that will save you time and eliminate the need to print, fax or mail documents and forms for signature.

Safe, secure and legally binding, DocuSign empowers you to sign documents and get signatures from anyone, anywhere, whether they happen to be standing right next to you or are halfway around the globe.

Ballerz

Developer’s Description: Ballerz mobile game integrates social networking with friends and is compatible with Apple, but soon to be available on all platforms. Through social networking portals, Ballerz makes playing a pick-up game with friends as easy as scheduling an event. No more calling or driving around searching for friends that are already playing a game. With Ballerz you can simply upload your game information via social networking sites and notify all your friends. Ballerz also finds games playing in your area via the gps technology. When you are finished playing, our complex algorithm allows you to be rated, rate other players, and post results through social networking in order to improve your rankings and become the best player in your city!   

Cerego

Developer’s Description: Cerego is the best way to learn faster and remember longer. Discover hundreds of courses, build your own, and easily improve memory performance as you learn, all 100% free.

Cerego is built on a powerful adaptive learning engine that has been trained by over 1.3 million learners and over 3.7 million hours of study time. Research in neuroscience, learning theory, and cognitive science are built into the platform, and every course is personalized to you so you learn at your optimal pace.

PasswordBox

Developer’s Description: PasswordBox is an innovative, free password manager, with secure digital wallet features for your iPhone, iPad and desktop devices.

PasswordBox is the only mobile app that allows you to 1-tap login instantly to your favourite websites and apps without having to type in, or even memorize, your passwords. Collaborate, for personal and business purposes, with secure account sharing. Create secure notes while keeping track of credit cards and other sensitive personal data in your digital wallet, and empower your ability to assign your digital estate to someone you trust should something ever happen to you.

I advise you to try all of them.  They are all FREE.  You will be a better-informed person I promise you!