CES: The Aqua Man’s Speaker

AquaElectronics and water don’t often mix, but at this week’s International CES in Las Vegas we’re seeing more devices that can stand up to nature. NYNE introduced the Aqua, the first IPX7 waterproof, floating, Bluetooth 4.0 portable speaker. While ideal for a pool, it could also be a great go anywhere speaker as it can be fully submersed in one meter of water for 30 minutes. It also features a built-in waterproof microphone to answer incoming calls, listen to voicemails and hear text notifications. It has a 2200mAh Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery and a 3.5mm auxiliary input for an optional wired connection or non-Bluetooth devices.

“Aqua answers the need for a portable, high-quality audio speaker that can play music outdoors and withstand the elements,” said Arman Arami, president of NYNE. “With up to 10 hours of playtime, the party can last all day at the beach, pool, lake, campsite, or backyard, even when an unexpected rainstorm hits. Aqua plays music from any Bluetooth-enabled device within a 33-foot range, without a wired or dock connection, so your phone or tablet can stay easily accessible and dry.”

It offers 10 watts of power and is equipped with an EQ button that delivers four preset equalizer settings.

NYNE Official Website

CES: GPS Bike Navigation From Schwinn

SchwinnCycleNavSchwinn is showing off its CycleNav smart bike navigation system at the 2014 International CES this week. The system is a device and app combination that gives you turn-by-turn directions while on a ride. Continue reading CES: GPS Bike Navigation From Schwinn

CES: Log Jam

FootLoggerThis week at CES a lot of attendees will be forced to do a lot of walking. That’s a good thing as a quick glance around the show suggests a bit of indulging from the holidays and a bit more than a bit of bulging. Walking is a rather simple way to stay healthy, but knowing if you walked enough can be a problem. This is where the FootLoggers insoles come into play. These utilize a three-axis accelerometer along with eight pressure points to determine distance walks. Knowing is the first step in setting goals that will get wearers on their way to better fitness.

FootLogger Official Website

CES: 360 Degree View

GEONAUTE-360Last year the GEONAUTE 360 action camera made its debut at CES, and it was the first to provide a 360 degree view of the action. Since that time we didn’t hear much about it, but it has gone from proof of concept to actual product.

It features three wide-angle lenses that are each equipped with an 8megapixel sensor and together can capture a unique 360 degree spherical image. This can create 2K videos or even 4K photos, and truly immerse the viewer into the action.

GEONAUTE 360 Official Website

CES: Magellan Gets Colorful

MagellanAt this week’s CES Magellan will show its true colors and then some. It will introduce its sporting applications to its current Echo smartwatch and is looking to add golf, skiing, hiking and other outdoor activities to its capabilities, as well as adding Dark Blue and Gray to complete the line-up of 5 colors.

“After Echo initially launched, we quickly saw its potential for sports beyond running,” commented Clark Weber, senior director of fitness and wearable products at Magellan. “As an open platform, Echo is designed to work with any app that can leverage a ruggedized, sporty smartwatch. We are proud to announce that leading apps such as Golf Pad, FreeCaddie and AllTrails will be supporting Echo in the near future. Retailers, also, have recognized the advantages of a product focused on sport, rather than general-use smart watches, that don’t meet the needs of athletes.”

The Echo is compatible with iPhone 4S, 5, 5C and 5S, while Android support is coming soon.

Magellan Official Website

January: The Month of Trade Shows

TradeShowsThe holidays are over and it is time to get back to work! Whether you like it or not now ‘tis the season of trade shows and for KineticShift that means CES, SHOT Show, North American International Auto Show and SIA Snow Show, where we’ll be seeing all the products that will help you keep those resolutions this year.

Check back all month for our reports from these shows!

CES Official Website
NSSF SHOT Show Official Website
North American International Auto Show Official Website
SIA Snow Show Official Website

CES Preview: Striker Strikes Again

Capsule-Task-LightWhether lightning strikes twice in the same spot is still open to debate, but Striker will strike again at next month’s  CES in Las Vegas. The company looks to introduce for 2014 the Capsule Task Light, a four-in-one light that can work as a headlamp, flashlight and more. It promises to offer all illumination you could use while out on the go! We’ll be sure to check out all of Striker’s offerings at CES.

Striker Official Website

CES Preview: vFit Fits the Bill

vFit-Fitness-HeadphonesVelodyne will unveil its new-for-2014 vFit in-ear workout headphones at next month’s CES Unveiled in Las Vegas, taking place on Sunday, January 5. The company already highlighted the vFit in its blog, noting that the “vFit is my most anticipated Velodyne product release to date.”

We’ll be sure to check out the vFit and much more in a few weeks at CES.

[Via The Velodyne Voice: Work Off Holiday Excess With The vFit]

CES Innovations Award: Magellan Echo

EchoIt is November and while that means Thanksgiving with Christmas just around the corner, it is also the time when we start to hear about the International CES Innovations 2014 Design and Engineering Awards. For the upcoming show, the Honoree in the Wearable Technologies category includes the Magellan Echo, the first smartwatch dedicated to running by connecting smartphone fitness apps to the wrist. It utilizes Bluetooth Smart to wirelessly connect with a smartphone and provides users control over their favorite fitness app and displays running metrics where it can be easily seen.

Magellan Echo drives integration with the world of sport and fitness apps, and has support from Strava, MapMyFitness, iSmoothRun and Wahoo Fitness. Echo features a ruggedized design, water-resistance to withstand adverse conditions and a replaceable battery that lasts 6-11 months.

Magellan Echo Official Website

CES To See Expansion in Digital Fitness Area

CESFitness is on the rise – at least at the annual CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show). The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that there will be 30 percent growth in the digital fitness footprint at the 2014 International CES. This will be produced in a partnership with Living in Digital Times, where the Fitness Tech will focus exclusively on the newest technologies for the sports and fitness enthusiast. It will expand to 11,500 square feet and will showcase more than 75 innovative companies.

According to CEA’s semi-annual report, the market for fitness technology is predicted to grow nearly 25 percent in 2014. CES will showcase the latest developments and discoveries across the digital fitness category. FitnessTech will feature hundreds of products, services and solutions that use technology to make workouts and outdoor activities fun, safe and effective.

The 2014 CES will run January 7-10, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CES: Fitness Tech Official Website

2013 CES: Sony Rolls Out Rugged MP3 Player

Fitness and music go together. That’s a given. What is a problem is that many digital music players can barely endure a light job, and for those who get serious, not to mention wet, that iPod simply won’t do. But Sony has stepped in, and last week at CES introduced its Sports W Series Waterproof MP3 player.

This wireless headphone/MP3 device can go deep to a full two meters in the water and can be quick-charged for up to an hour’s worth of playback in just three minutes. It supports drag and drop playback of MP3, WMA, AAC and L-PCM files directly from the computer, and with Sony’s Clear Audio Technology users won’t miss a beat. Video after the jump

2013 CES: G-Form Converts iPhone into Action Camera

If you have an iPhone you don’t need a GoPro or another rugged camera, you just need the right case to turn the handset into an action camera. At last week’s CES we saw such a case: The G-Form G90, which even offers a special lens that turns the handset – or even iPod Touch – into a wearable camera. This lens even allows users to take images at a 90-degree angle, making it easier to mount the handset on a helmet or handlebars! Video after the jump

2013 CES: Panasonic Gets In on the Action

It seems like everyone is now getting in on the action camera bandwagon. At last week’s 2013 International CES in Las Vegas Panasonic introduced its HX-A100, which offers a unique twist in the “point-of-view active lifestyle camera” category. Unlike those “helmet-mountable” cameras from GoPro, Contour and others this one features an earhook that makes it wearable without a helmet! This one is even waterproof so perhaps would let swimmers get in on the action too.

It features built-in Wi-Fi so users can broadcast live video with simultaneous full-HD recording, which can be controlled from smartphone or tablet as well. The new A100 will offer 140 minutes of battery life and can record in Full HD at 1,920×1,080 resolution at 60FPX. It will be ready to go in march.

Panasonic CES Official Website