Review – Piper: Security Camera and Home Automation in a smart little bundle

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More homes are not only getting more secure, they’re also getting much smarter, thanks to the availability of affordable and easy to set up security and home automation systems like Canadian-invented Piper.

Piper, which got its kick-start through crowdsourced funding on Indiegogo, is the brainchild of Ottawa-based BlackSumac (just acquired by California based iControl Networks earlier this week). The Piper solution revolves around a multipurpose camera unit and a multifunction downloadable app which together provide an all-in-one home awareness hub rather than just a typical security camera.

The Wi-Fi enabled camera shoots 1080p HD video. It’s equipped with a fish-eye lens that offers an impressive extremely wide 180-degree field of view.  The 10x digital zoom supports pan and tilt functions giving you the ability to zoom in and look around the room.  It also has an infrared motion detector to detect intruders (up to 10m), a built-in microphone and a piercing 105dB siren – loud enough to almost rival a chainsaw. More than just acting as your eyes and ears, it also has four additional sensors that measure indoor temperature, ambient light, and relative humidity. You’ll see why the last four are not just “nice to know”.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG

Nomad ChargeKey & ChargeCard – world’s smallest USB cable

Nomad ChargeKey & ChargeCardNo matter where we go we always need to have some sort of USB cable nearby, whether it’s to charge up our gadgets or sync with another device. The truth is, carrying them around can be somewhat of a pain. They can be too bulky, cumbersome or we have nowhere to put them. Well Nomad has come up with a solution – in fact two of them, ChargeCard and ChargeKey.

Technically, ChargeCard and ChargeKey are not really cables at all; they are connecting devices and work like cables but look like a credit card and a house key respectively. They both allow you to charge up your device when connected via USB and full-fledged data transfer when syncing to a computer or other compatible device.

Both ChargeCard and ChargeKey come in two models, one for Lightning connector compatible devices, like the iPhone 5, 5C & 5S as well as any iPad, including iPad mini and iPad Air. The other is a micro USB version that will work with most Android and Windows phones as well as your BlackBerry.

World’s first all wood iPhone bumper case

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Tired of the same old plastic bumper case for your iPhone? Have you ever thought of getting one made from wood? But not just any wood. How about an Eastern Hardrock Maple or Oregon Walnut, so you have both coasts covered?

Read more… At Canoe Tech Blog

Windows XP vulnerabilities go way beyond home and office PC

Greg-Gazin-Senior-EditorEDMONTON, AB, April 8, 2014/ Troy Media/ – Windows XP is more than just a desktop and notebook computer operation system. It is also used in a significant number of retail point-of-sale systems (POS), restaurant systems and even ATM Banking machines are running it.

And with Microsoft ending support for XP today, April 8th, all of these systems will be vulnerable to severe data breaches such as theft of credit card numbers and other personal information.

Christopher Pogue, Director for Chicago-based Trustwave, an information and security company, said that everyone still using Microsoft Windows XP – and there is a significant number of them – should be concerned. “XP has been in production since 2001 and (is the) de-facto standard in many business verticals like point-of sale systems,” he said.

But even worse, he added, are those people who don’t even know their systems are running XP.  READ MORE AT TROY MEDIA

Seidio: Ledger for iPad Air and iPad Mini

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It’s a no-brainer to get some sort of cover or protection for your iPad these days and there is certainly no shortage of options, especially those that try to compete with similar offerings from Apple.

Made specifically for the iPad Air (with a little brother version for the iPad mini), check out theSeidio: Ledger for iPad Air and iPad mini. These are a tight fitting full body folio style case that holds your iPad snuggly into place with an attached flip cover.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG

Review: Mio Lifesaver II emergency battery pack

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At the risk of sounding repetitive, there’s no shortage of battery packs out there on the market. They come in all different shapes, sizes and capacities. However, one neat little package is the Lifesaver II emergency battery pack by Mio, which stands out amongst others with its minimalist design and fast charging capability.

Read more…At Canoe Tech Blog

CanoeTech: Hello EarPods it’s time for SPRNG

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Do you love your Apple EarPods, but get annoyed when they pop out of your ear -usually at the most inopportune time? I’m sure that Apple tried to make them so they fit most ears, but not all ears are made the same, even on the same head. The good news is that someone had the ingenuity to design a pair of snap on clips, that when attached to your Apple EarPods, create a nice comfortable and solid custom fit.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG

Apple ‘iOS in the Car’ rolls out as CarPlay

Apple CarPlay in a HondaAfter a sneak preview at Apple’s iOS in the Car standard unveiled at the Apple Wordwide Developer Conference back in June, Apple is officially rolling it out as CarPlay and will be shown off through leading manufacturers this week at the Geneva International Motor Show.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG

CanoeTech Review: ClipR turns your headphones wireless

 

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Don’t you just wish your favourite headphones or speakers were wireless? If your wired audio accessories have a 3.5” connector or jack, a new little gadget –ClipR by Muse Mini – can turn them wireless through Bluetooth 4.0 or NFC (Near Field Communication).

ClipR acts as a transceiver in the form of a lightweight rubber polymer coated disc, shaped like a bulked up poker chip – 42mm wide and 8mm high.

Read more… AT CANOE TECH BLOG

HISY helps you snap the perfect selfie

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The perfect gift for the self-indulgent

EDMONTON, AB, Feb 13, 2014/ Troy Media/ – Last November Oxford Dictionary declared “Selfie” the 2013 international word of the year. Simply put, Oxford define it as a photograph – typically taken with a smartphone or webcam – of oneself and uploaded to a social media website.

And while “Selfie” may have achieved a certain status because of the venerable dictionary, many of us still consider such self-indulgence as either vain or simply downright annoying. This is particularly true in crowded areas when those trying to get the ultimate self-portrait create chaos as they push and shove others aside. But no matter, people are happily snapping selfies in record numbers, and continually flooding Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social media sites with them.

If you are one of them, you might as well at least do it right.

Unless you have a long arm or a gadget like the QuikPod – an extendible monopod – you’re still either at the mercy of the steadiness of your hand or your device’s 10-second timer to get a decent in-focus shot or the shot you really want. With HISY – pronounced “high-see” – however, that ends.
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