PLUGHITZ Live Presents (Audio)

The technology field is full of fascinating products that, while doing a great job to help the user in his chosen field, are not very attractive to look at. This is where Nooie is so different. The Nooie line has beautiful cameras and a smart-looking doorbell.

Nooie was created in 2018 in San Francisco by co-founder and designer Sasha who introduced us to Nooie. The Nooie Cam Doorbell is designed for beauty and smart function. One of the advantages of the Nooie Cam Doorbell is the ease of installation and use. The wiring has been eliminated and replaced with a powerful battery with a 10,000 mAh capacity. The base station, on the other hand, plugs into a standard outlet and must stay within 20 feet of the bell. One of the things that set this doorbell apart is that it is a 2K camera instead of HD. This will give greater clarity when viewing remotely or reviewing footage.

Another product of this company is the 360-degree camera with night vision. It has horizontal and vertical rotation with advanced algorithms that can track motion wherever the action is. The night vision has two 940nm infrared LEDs that will ensure a perfectly crisp and clear picture up to 32 feet, even if it is pitch black. There is also a 2-way audio system allowing you to listen and talk to your family and even your pets anywhere in the house. It has a built-in anti-noise feature and a mic and speaker. You can share streaming and recordings with others if desired. There is a capability of also using it with Alexa, making it like having a personal assistant in your own home.

These designer security products are available now on Amazon. The Cam Doorbell retails for $149.99. The Cam 360 is retailing for $49.99. To learn more about these and other Nooie products, check out the company's website.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

One of the most interesting aspects of CES is the fact that it is not just a single conference, but really a collection of conferences all within Las Vegas at once. Our floor interviews come from some other events, such as ShowStoppers. One of the larger events to take place during the show is the Digital Health Summit @ CES, a two-day partner event that showcases some of the big, upcoming advancements in health tech.

The conference is hosted by Living in Digital Times, who we also spoke to about The Young Innovators Awards. The conference draws large exhibitors like Philips and Johnson & Johnson, and startups alike.

This year's conference showed the growing popularity of a more personalized approach to healthcare and wellness. Products like Lumen, who received our TPN Pick award, is a great example of a personalized approach to wellness. While we've had wearables and trackers for a while, we're just starting to see the promise of taking those data points and applying them to reality. Another great example of this is EyeQue, a company that allows you to administer your own eye exams without the need for a doctor's visit.

Another big trend for this year was sleep science. We had the pleasure of speaking with several companies that were approaching sleep technology from various angles, ranging from a way to know about what time it is based on the color of a box to devices designed to help train you to get better sleep based on your experiences. At the Digital Health Summit, they had keynote speakers from companies like Sleep Number, whose newest models all offer sleep tracking and training built into the bed itself.

The Digital Health Summit happens every year during CES. To learn more about the conference and see videos from 2020, head over to their website.

Interview by Marlo Anderson of The Tech Ranch and Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

There is a growing movement to teach kids and young adults to code. The problem with this movement is that coding in itself is neither worthwhile nor interesting. Without a goal or a purpose that is intriguing to the student, the task is often abandoned without a feeling of completion. One company has found a way to combine the fun and magical worlds of Disney with software education to develop Disney Codeillusion.

For some, the excitement of knowing that you have forced a computer to do what you asked can be enough to drive the educational process. For others, applying that knowledge to building an app or a website can be satisfying. Using code skills to control a robot is a motivating factor for others. But, for some people, gaming is the best way to make the educational process stick, and that is exactly what Disney Codeillusion is all about.

This product uses Disney characters and worlds to create an interactive role playing game (RPG) in which the player is challenged with programming tasks to continue the gameplay. Because the courses are presented in the context of a game, it means that the learning process is completely paced by the student. Self-paced learning can help a lot of students to gain and retain information.

Another aspect of the game is that, when you're stuck, you have your in-game friends to help. Since your friends are all Disney characters, they tend to possess special powers. In this case, those powers can help you out of a sticky situation by leading you toward the answer (but not giving it to you).

The complete course comes with a storybook and the online learning platform and is available for purchase now. The retail price is $1,999 on the company's website.

Interview by Marlo Anderson of The Tech Ranch and Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Lumen is a breath analyzer, but with a different purpose from what you may be thinking. Rather than being used to analyze whether or not you are drunk, Lumen is used to determine information about your metabolism. The company claims that with a single breath they can give you information about the effectiveness of exercise and more. They do this by determining whether you are currently burning carbs or fat based on a CO2 sensor and flow meter.

The science behind the device is not new. A similar process has been in use in hospitals and sports facilities for years. Lumen is bringing the concept to consumers for the first time. Whether you are actively trying to lose weight or just looking to improve your nutrition, Lumen can help.

To get started, you use the sensor to determine your metabolism throughout your day. This allows the system to determine how you are affected by activity, sleep, and more. Based on your readings, the connected app can give you a recommended meal plan, including when to eat. Before you workout, you can also use the sensor to determine whether you are in a good position to exercise or if you need to fuel up first. When you're done with your workout, run another test to see how your body was affected. This will allow you and the app to help optimize future workouts and meals to be the most effective.

All of this data combines together to form your Lumen Flex Score. This score indicates how effective your metabolism is for your lifestyle and health. Keeping an eye on this score will allow you to track your success and help with sustaining results.

After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Lumen is available now. The regular retail is $349, but the company is currently running a sale for $299.

Interview by Marlo Anderson of The Tech Ranch and Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Richard Graham, Chief Executive Officer of Delta Sound Labs, was at CES 2020 with the company's latest offering, Stream, a granular sampler audio effects plug-in that helps musicians and audio techs create big textures from very small sound samples.

Delta Sound Labs is a U.S. based audio technology company focused on bridging analog and digital domains to create new instruments for the music, film, and gaming industries. Stream does that in a powerful, but user-friendly way, employing the concept of live looping - capturing audio on the fly, then repeating it to create larger, grander textures.

Stream is a plug-and-play virtual mixer employing time-domain processing that provides an immediacy of results not found in spectral or frequency granulators. It can manage very small samples of sound, down to 20 milliseconds, and layer it up to 16 voices. While most looping systems allow for a short burst to be repeated on end (think KT Tunstall's Black Horse and the Cherry Tree), Stream is designed for integrating very small sections of audio as well as longer loops.

The system also boasts a very low latency, making it ideal for live performance. The software is designed for people who like to perform solo with conventional instruments like the guitar, voice, or even brass, and want to record themselves as they play and use that as a pedal point to launch from, to solo or play melodies. From a live performance standpoint, there is something very special about a single performer acting as their own full band. The sounds can also be paired to a MIDI controller, allowing you to play the recordings back almost like notes on a piano.

Stream also works within Unity as an audio mixer plugin, providing a tool for environmental audio for video games. This kind of granular audio processing could make for smaller audio installations for games, while also widening the capabilities of the game. Opening a door in a horror game could have a screeching sound that is customized to the length of the action.

The software retails for $49. Visit the company's website to learn more about Stream and see other Delta Sound Labs products.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Joycelin Roh joined us at CES 2020 to share the Image Pointer, the latest image-based wireless presentation device from Chois Technology. Chois Technology is a South Korean company that's focused on developing Radio Frequency (RF) interface devices such as RF Presenter and RF PC remote controller. Their X-Pointer brand of laser presentation tools delivered the world's first wireless presenter in 2002, and the devices have been refined considerably since.

The Image Pointer that Roh showcased at CES is an RF powered 2.4GHz presentation device that overcomes the challenges of basic red or green laser pointers and the limited range of motion and screen proximity required by traditional presentation pointers. The Image Pointer makes it easy to highlight portions of a presentation with easily visible large circles or to even customize the "pointer" with brand specific icons and logos. You can also black out the screen entirely, "spotlight" a particular area on a presentation with a brightened circle, or turn the pointer into a magnifier, to expand an area of view. The Image Pointer can also pull a screen shot out for highlighting separately, with the pointer becoming a drawing tool to physically circle or underline material without deprecating the presentation file.

Because the devices use RF rather than Bluetooth, the pointers aren't restricted by distance, and users have full range of motion allowing them to walk around and talk with their audience. The pointer is comfortably ergonomic, and also operates as an "air mouse", allowing seamless transition between a presentation, a keynote, video, or moving content around on the computer.

Retail cost for the rechargeable model is $160 . For the casual user, a $60 model is available, that operates on 2 AAA batteries.

Visit the Chois Technology website to learn more about their wide array of devices, including healthcare and mobile accessories.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

We have all experienced waking up in the middle of the night and not knowing what time it is. While it's not essential to know the time, we all want to. If we only have 15 minutes until we need to be up, it's not necessarily worth the effort to try and fall back to sleep. Unfortunately, the act of checking the time usually makes it more difficult to sleep, but now we have zLight to fix the problem.

When we wake up and check the time, we tend to do it with a screen. Either a digital display clock or more likely the clock on our phones. But, the bright light of the screen has its drawbacks - the blue light telling our brains to wake up, and even the act of having to focus to discern the time can make falling back to sleep more difficult. The zLight takes a different approach, not telling the time but instead giving you an idea of where in your sleep cycle you are.

The technology was originally developed by Mark Zuckerberg for his wife. The zLight builds on the concept, making it customizable and beautiful. The wood-grained box gives off a very faint light, the color of which changes as the night goes on. Imagine starting it on red and ending it on green, by looking briefly at the color of the light, you can determine how long you have to sleep based on the color of the light and where it is in the gradient cycle between red and green.

You can pre-order a zLight now in white, light, and dark wood colors. You can also get a model with a Qi charger on the top, making it an even better bedside companion. The retail price will be $79, while the preorder price is currently $39. Learn more or pre-order your device at the company's website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

One of the most impressive parts of the show floor at CES over the past few years has been Eureka Park. Startups from around the world come together to show off the amazing projects that they are working on. As you walk around the exhibit area, you can see companies representing many of the big tech countries, each with an area of the floor dedicated to them. There is one country that has been conspicuously missing: India. This year, the Motwani Jadeja Foundation has worked to change that.

The foundation was created by Rajeev Motwani, the original Google advisor and creator of the initial Google algorithm, and his wife, Asha Jadeja Motwani. The organization's purpose is to help startups move from concept to change-makers. During CES 2019, Motwani noticed what the rest of us had noticed, a lack of representation from India. So, she spoke with the teams who put together some of the other pavilions, in particular the large French pavilion, about what it took to accomplish their large presence.

After deciding to take on the challenge, the foundation set about to create the India pavilion for CES 2020. They managed to accomplish just that, bringing a small contingency of exhibitors to the show for the first time. The India pavilion is represented by seven startups, and their presence is entirely funded by the foundation, making it easier for a small company to travel to the other side of the world. Her goal is to expand the country's representation in the future, as the new Prime Minister believes that India can and should be a major player in the tech marketplace.

To learn more about the Motwani Jadeja Foundation and its extensive programs, check out the organization's website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Augmented reality has a lot of uses in the real world. From videogames like Pokemon GO to a HoloLens-powered piano tutor, adding virtual data to the real world is a great way to enhance an experience or task. One of the more unique implementations of augmented reality has been the Cubit, built for the maker and design communities from a company called Plott.

Earlier in the week, we got to speak to the company about their Carta product, which allows someone to create a virtual landmark mapping. But, that technology is designed for a larger scale. For those of us who work in smaller scales - wall art, TV studios, and the like, another augmented reality tool exists - the Cubit. This device looks similar to a tape measure, and serves an equally similar purpose, while working differently.

You use the connected app to mark out your space. Let's assume you're working on hanging a number of pictures on a hallway wall. You would make out the wall's dimensions using the camera on your phone. Once you have that, you photograph the pieces you want to incorporate into your design and ensure their proper dimensions and location of hanging points. Now you can virtually place these pieces onto your wall and see what they will look like in augmented reality.

While that is impressive in itself, the real magic comes when Cubit is added to the mix. Once your wall's layout is complete, placing Cubit on the wall will act as a GPS for your nails. The Cubit screen will point you to the correct location to place a nail or screw to hang each individual item on that wall. In our example, each photo frame will have a hanging point and Cubit will direct you to the exact location to hang that frame.

The Plott Cubit is available now for $99. To learn more about Plott and their product line, check out their website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

From our perch atop the Sands Expo, we have a great view of the show floor for the show, but we don't get the fidelity of exploring the exhibits. Even being on the floor doesn't give a full, detailed view of everything on display. It is always a pleasure to get a report on how other professionals see the show. This year, we are joined by Jim Harris, a social media influencer who is always at the top of the CES charts.

As you can tell, Jim takes detailed notes about his experiences, including during our conversation. This detail is how he is able to retain information about the vast number of booths and exhibits he sees. Among his favorite finds on the show floor are some of our guests, including MicroEJ, a platform for embedded devices that allows for on-device apps without the large footprint of Android.

During Media Days, which happen just before CES opens officially, he was intrigued by a concept from Intel which allows a near real-time 3D scanning of an active sports arena. This scanning creates the concept of virtual cameras, allowing a viewer to experience and collection of moments of a game from any angle. Imagine watching a football game and wanting to experience a play from the perspective of the leading edge of the football. This technology gives you that ability without having to change the aerodynamics of the ball by adding a camera. You could also watch the play from any other angle on or off the field - all virtually.

Another impressive technology he encountered was from Bosch, a company known for unique solutions at CES. They have taken the concept of adjustable glass opacity and applied to it car windshields. Using cameras and eye-tracking, the system is able to determine where the sun is in relation to your height and eye-line, and block out a small section of the windshield to improve your vision. It is a much better solution to the problem of sunlight while driving than a fixed sun visor.

To learn more about Jim Harris's experiences, his books, or his career, check out his website.

Interview by Scott Ertz of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and Christopher Jordan of The Talking Sound.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.