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Awesome tech you can’t buy yet, for the week of October 12, 2014

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At any given moment there are approximately a zillion different crowdfunding campaigns happening on the WebTake a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find there’s no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there – alongside some real gems. We’ve cut through the Pebble clones and janky iPhone cases to round up the most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects out there this week. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project — even the best intentioned — can fail, so do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Ampy — Wearable kinetic charger

AmpyKinetic chargers definitely aren’t a new thing — they’ve been around for decades at this point, from self-winding watches and “shake-to-shine” flashlights. Ampy (formerly myPowr) uses this exact same technology,  but is significantly more efficient at converting motion into energy.  Like other kinetic chargers, the user’s movement (in this case running or jogging) causes magnets inside the device to move. As they jostle around, these magnets generate electricity in surrounding coils, which then travels through a cord to charge your device. In a shaker flashlight the movement of these magnets is limited to just two directions, which limits energy output – but Ampy’s clever design allows it to collect energy no matter what direction the magnets travel, thus boosting efficiency. With this thing, charging your phone is as easy as simply moving around like you normally do.

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Bemo — Turns your old smartphone into a smart thermostat

BemoDesigned by Arizona-based startup WiseLabs LLC, Bemo plugs into your old iPhone or Android device and transforms it into a fully-functional smart thermostat. By leveraging all the high-performance components the phone already contains, Bemo itself doesn’t have to do any of the heavy lifting. The device itself is only about the size of a credit card, and works as a sort of bridge between your phone and the HVAC wiring in your wall. Once you’ve got it all rigged up, all that’s left is to download the Bemo app and fire it up. WiseLabs’ custom-built software can perform just about all the same functions you’d find in a purpose-built smart thermostat from Nest, Honeywell, and the like — remote control from your main smartphone, smart scheduling, habit learning, energy monitoring, and even proximity-based activation settings that can turn on the heat or AC before you get home.

Hooke — 3D-audio-recording headphones

HookeFor all the crazy tech that’s packed beneath the hood of most modern smartphones, they’re still pretty horrible at recording audio. Their cameras have gotten better, their processors are more powerful, their screens are packed with more pixels than your eyes can process, and the videos you can shoot with them now rival what you can do with some standalone cameras — yet the audio still sounds like it’s playing from a tin can when you play it back. Hooke aims to change this. It’s essentially a pair of wireless headphones that, in addition to beaming your phones audio directly into your ears, can also record high-fidelity 3D audio. With this kind of audio capture, you can get a better idea of what the recording environment actually sounded like. You can hear the direction that sounds came from, which gives you more spatial awareness, and makes videos more immersive.

Steri-Shoe — Ultraviolet shoe sanitizer

Steri ShoeYou know those SteriPen water purifying gizmos? The ones that emit high-intensity ultraviolet light through a little waterproof swizzle stick, and murder any microbes that might happen to be in your water? Well Steri-Shoe, while not made by the same company, is essentially the same idea — just applied to shoes instead of water. This little gizmo fits inside of your kicks and bombards their innards with UVA and UVB light to kill all the nasty microbes that have taken up residence. In theory, this will help to keep your shoes smelling clean and fresh, since buildup of bacteria and other microscopic critters is generally the main cause of bad smells. If it works like the creators claim it does, Steri-Shoe would pretty much eliminate the need to purchase any kind of freshener sprays or anti-odor powders, so if you’ve got particularly stinky feet, this thing might very well be a worthwhile investment.

Pronto — Quick-charging battery pack

ProntoPortable chargers are nothing new, but generally speaking, even the best solutions still require a fair amount of preparation and forethought — i.e., you’ve got to plan ahead and make sure your chargers are charged before you can head out the door with them. But what if you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to hang out next to your wall outlet? Well, that’s where Pronto comes in. Not only does this thing have enough battery capacity to charge most phones up to nine times; it also charges up with one phone’s worth in about five minutes. That essentially means no more waiting around for extended periods of time to juice up your gear — you can pop this sucker in the wall for five minutes and be on your way. With a full charge, it can even power a laptop using a 12-volt adapter. The project has already blasted past its initial funding goal, so if you back the project now, you can lock one down for about 80 bucks. The first units are expected to ship around March of 2015.

Drew Prindle
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Juiced Bikes sold at auction for $1.2 million, report says
The Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 adds more power, upgraded tires, and an improved battery to the popular moped style e-bike.

Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes, has been sold on an auction website for $1,225,000, according to a report from Electrek.Digital Trends recently reported how the company was showing signs of being on the brink of bankruptcy. The company and its executives had remained silent, while customer inquiries went unanswered and its website showed all products were out of stock. In addition, there were numerous reports of layoffs at the company.Yet, the most convincing sign was that the company’s assets appeared as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.Now, it appears that Juiced Bikes’ assets, including a dozen patents, multiple URLs, and the company’s inventory in both the U.S. and China, have been sold at auction, according to the report. It is likely that the buyer, who remains unknown, can capitalize on the brand and the overall value of the 15-year old company. Founded in 2009 by Tora Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.
The company had quickly built a reputation for the versatility of its e-bikes and the durability of their batteries. Over the years, the popularity of models such as the CrossCurrent, HyperScrambler, and RipCurrent only bolstered the brand’s status.Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.Juiced Bikes’ getting sold quickly might be a sign of what consulting firm Houlihan Lokey says is a recovery in the North American e-bike market.
The industry has had a roller-coaster ride during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A huge spike in demand for e-bikes had combined with disrupted supply chains to create a supply/demand mismatch of “historic proportions," Houlihan Lokey said.

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Rivian gets Knight Rider spooky for Halloween
Michael Knight sitting on the hood of his car KITT in a scene from Knight Rider.

Rivian vehicles are known for giving drivers the chance to take the party on the road, whether it’s stowing a travel kitchen onboard or using its elaborate software systems to spice things up.With Halloween just around the corner, the automaker based in Plymouth, Michigan, is pulling out some treats from its bag of tricks: Rivian owners are getting a number of options to turn their vehicles into traditional spooky or full-on sci-fi entertainment hubs.A software update available on the Rivian Mobile App until November 4 provides Car Costumes, which take over the vehicle’s screen, lighting, and sound systems while in park to transform it into three different cars.Nostalgic fans of the Knight Rider TV series will be pleased with the option to turn their Rivians into the famous K.I.T.T. crime-fighting car. After choosing the option on the app, the car’s interior display system features K.I.T.T.’s diagnostics on screen while playing the original show intro music. Here's an extra treat for Rivian Gen 2 owners: The exterior light bar will feature K.I.T.T.’s iconic beaming red light while playing its scanner sound effect.No-less nostalgic fans of Back to the Future movies will also get their treat with a chance to turn their vehicle into the DeLorean Time Machine. With this option, the screen turns into the classic time-traveling interface while the audio system plays the movie’s music and acceleration sound effects. Once again, Rivian Gen 2 owners get an extra treat. Hitting the key 88 mph button will engage the car’s lighting and sound effects in the front and back of the car to whizz you through the sound barrier.For a more traditional spooky time, you can opt for the Haunted Rivian car costume, featuring eight different sound effects and three different color themes. Static and ghosts will take over your interior display.Rivian Gen 1 owners get a green animation on the outside of the vehicle. Gen 2 owners can turn the exterior light bar into whichever color option they find most frightful.

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The Nissan Rogue is joining the plug-in hybrid club in 2025
nissan rogue hybrid 2025 2024

It might have taken a while, and slumping sales of its most popular SUV, but Nissan has finally taken the step to offer hybrid vehicles in the U.S. The Japanese automaker will add a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain to the 2026 Rogue compact SUV, which should be available stateside sometime next year, Nissan Americas chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira told Automotive News.A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) typically runs on electric power until its battery is almost depleted, at which point it automatically switches over to using a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. The battery can be recharged conventionally from the outside or through regenerative braking.
While Nissan has been offering popular fully electric vehicles (EVs) such as the Leaf and the Ariya for years, it has surprised many by not joining the hybrid bandwagon, especially for the Rogue. Competitors such as the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V, which do provide the part-fuel, part-electric power capacity, have seen their sales surging. Meanwhile, sales of the Rogue have slumped this year.
That’s why Nissan is partnering with Mitsubishi to start offering its first-ever electrically assisted car in the U.S. next year.
According to the Automotive News report, the Rogue will be outfitted with a similar powertrain found in the Mitsubishi Outlander. In that model, a 2.4-liter gas engine powers the front wheels, while two electric motors create an all-wheel drive system that can either work on its own or in conjunction with the gas engine. As the Outlander is able to deliver 248 horsepower, that would make the Rogue PHEV more powerful than the existing model’s 201 hp. The Outlander is also rated for 38 miles of electric driving by the EPA.
In addition, Nissan is planning to bring its non-plug-in, e-Power series hybrid technology to the U.S. in 2026. This technology, already available outside the U.S., also uses electric motors to power the wheels while using the gas engine to charge the battery.

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