Issue v0.11 – WANT: Gadgets

Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale
France’s Withings was an early mover in the now-popular realm of Internet-connected health devices, and this WiFi-enabled scale is still a great way to add a 21st Century dimension to the daily routine of checking your weight.

You can visualise your changing weight, lean mass and fat mass over time via the Withings website or mobile app, and the scale supports multiple users, so the whole family can get involved. You can even share your data with medical professionals or your fitness coach if you choose.

Memoto Lifelogging Camera
Ever wished you could remember every day of your life? The Memoto Lifelogging camera has raised more than $500,000 on Kickstarter (with a target of just $50,000) to do just that.

Wear this tiny device and it will take 5-megapixel photo every 30 seconds all day. Sync it to the Memoto cloud service, and it analyzes the photos, picking out the most interesting ones so that you need never forget a great moment of your life again.

Samsung Galaxy Camera
Samsung is really capitalizing on its Galaxy brand with this sweet gadget. The Galaxy Camera strips out the phone and amplifies the camera features, serving up 16.3 megapixel images, a 21x optical zoom and a 4.8-inch LCD screen.

Throw into the mix its Android ‘Jelly Bean’ operating system, a 1.4 GHz quad core processor, 3G, 4G and WiFi connectivity, and what we have here is a veritable pocket rocket. You can share your photos direct to Dropbox, downloads apps and browse the Web. The choice is yours.

FloJack
If you were left disappointed when it was revealed the iPhone 5 wouldn’t be NFC-enabled, then this could be for you. Flomio is seeking $80,000 funding through Kickstarter for its neat FloJack gadget, which is essentially a pocket-sized NFC reader – and writer – for Apple devices.

Flomio NFC Actions let you read and write any NFC tags. You plug in your FloJack whenever you want to enable NFC, launch the Actions on your handset, and you’re good to go.

USB Bracelet
Turning a memory stick into a fashion accessory is quite a feat, but that’s exactly what a Scandinavian designer did by creating the great-looking USB Bracelet, which you can buy on Etsy. Mimicking jewelry, the pendrive itself boasts silver looks. As for its thin braided leather cord, it is available in several colors, including black, brown and beige. You can also choose between different sizes to make sure it will fit your wrist.

HiRise for MacBook
If you have ever worked from a MacBook laptop for an extended period of time, you know it can cause neck and shoulder pain. If you want to use your built-in keyboard, chances are your screen won’t be at eye level. This is where HiRise comes into play; this elegant height-adjustable stand turns your laptop into a comfortable desktop computer. Designed especially for Apple laptops, and sharing their brushed metal looks, it is compatible with all MacBook models.

iHealth Wireless Blood Pressure Wrist Monitor
It couldn’t get much easier to keep tabs on your blood pressure than the iHealth wrist monitor. The $79 cuff, which is approved by the European Society of Hypertension and the FDA, uses Bluetooth to sync your vital stats over to your iOS device, while the related free app charts your progress and lets you share the results. iHealth boasts a pressure accuracy of ±3mmHg and pulse accuracy of ±5%, roughly in line with other monitors.

Pebble Smartwatch
The Pebble Smartwatch rocked Kickstarter earlier this year by raising over $10 million. It uses a customizable e-Paper screen and connects via Bluetooth to iOS and Android devices to receive notifications. Developer buzz surrounding Pebble also means it should get plenty of new features in the future.

After some delays, it’s slated to arrive in early 2013. You can preorder now, but you’ll be taking your place in line behind its more than 68,000 Kickstarter backers.

Nest Learning Thermostat 2nd Generation
With the Nest thermostat, you can control your home easily through your mobile device. No longer will you have to get up to adjust the temperature in your house – just use your iPhone as a remote control. All you need is WiFi and you’ll save yourself money through this programable home device.

Holga iPhone 5 Lens Filter Kit
As the iPhone camera grows in popularity, so do accessories that extend its capabilities. The Holga iPhone 5 Lens Filter Kit is a new version of this popular camera accessory, specifically for the latest version of Apple’s iconic handset. Easy to install, users will have fun with the nine different special effects and filters to choose from.

Orbotix Sphero

Take a tiny robot, put it into a ball. Now take that ball and make an entire ecosystem of fun and challenging games around it. That’s the Sphero, from Orbotix. The Boulder, Colorado-based company has reinvented the meaning of play by challenging what you think you know about robots.

The Sphero is fun, smart and creative in ways that you’ve never really experienced before, and it’s a must-have for your want list.

iPad Mini
Whether it’s the signal of a new day at Apple or not is still up for debate, but there’s no arguing that the iPad Mini is a runaway hit for the company. It’s a 7.8-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio tablet that packs a powerful processor, up to 64 GB of internal storage and can even come with LTE to keep you connected on the go.

Many have said that the Mini (see what we did there?) has already become their favorite way to use the iPad, and some are even saying that it’s everything that the iPad should have been on the first go round. Sorry Steve, but it looks like we won’t need that sandpaper after all.

EO Travel Collection
The five carry-ons here range from a casual bag for $149.95 to a hardshell roller for $299.95, and are designed make your travel routine comfortable, or even enjoyable. Every bag has a padded sleeve to keep your laptop safe, dry and easily accessible, when you want to work or when passing airtport security.

The collection also includes a versatile expandable backpack that opens up both as a normal backpack and as a case, which makes it amazingly convenient to pack and carry.

Dock+ for iPhone 5, iPad and iPod
Your iPhone deserves something better than just a charging cable, so say the creators of the Dock+ charging stand, made of a single block of steel. This Kickstarter project does exactly what it’s supposed to do, providing a safe and extremely convenient way to charge your iPhone 5, iPod Touch, iPad or iPad Mini.

Fitted with rubber pads, it neither slips nor scratches your devices, while the flexible Lightning connector pin ensures easy and seamless docking and undocking.