Monthly Archives: July 2014

How Do You Unlock Your Phone?

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The days of using a button or passcode to unlock your phone appear to be long gone. The simple “slide to unlock” feature that Apple released with the first iPhone in 2007 is already outdated. New Apple and Samsung phones are placing emphasis on new technology that allows you to use your fingerprint to securely unlock your phone. The folks at Motorola with their partners at VivaLnk agree that their unlock feature needed an overhaul, but it’s not exactly the same as what Apple and Samsung are doing.

Owners of the Moto X phone can now use temporary tattoos to unlock their phone. All you need to do is place the back of your phone over the tattoo to simply and quickly unlock your phone. Users no longer need to worry about password protecting their phone and taking the time to enter it. Is this more useful than a fingerprint scanner? Probably not, but it is a great attempt by Motorola to differentiate its offering from the competition. The tattoo is the size of a nickel, lasts for five days, and connects to your phone by using near field communication technology.

What Sparks our Fire: Seeing Motorola attempting to differentiate itself from the big guns of mobile technology.

Would you use a tattoo to unlock your phone?

Control Your Phone

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Wearables are popping up left and right as accessory devices to help interact with your phone better than you could before. But, not everyone wants to wear a smartwatch on their wrist in order to be further connected to their phone. Qblink is a remote control for your phone and raising money on Kickstarter now.

Misplace your phone? You can set off a ringing noise by pressing the device. By connecting to your phone over bluetooth it can also notify you of emails, text messages, and other alerts you receive to your phone by just blinking on this separate device. Through the Qblink app you can easily customize what each color light notification means. Additionally, it tells local temperature and the battery lasts up to a year.

What Sparks our Fire: Even better and simpler ways to interact with our smartphones

Would you use a remote for your phone?

No Signal, No Problem!

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We so heavily rely on our cell phones that it has become impossible to live without them, and signal outages can cause major issues. For example, during Hurricane Sandy, many family members were unable to contact with their loved ones to let them know they were safe because of downed cell towers. Or sometimes, although less serious, it’s SO important for you to get that video of Jay Z and Beyonce to all of your friends from their crowded concert.

goTenna is an awesome device that allows you to send text messages without Wi-Fi or cell service. The device can connect to your cell phone via bluetooth, and by using the associated app, allows you to send a text from anywhere. So now, when you go to text your friends while at a crowded venue, you won’t have any problems. It also allows you to easily share your location in the event of an emergency, and has a “Shout” feature that allows you to contact anyone within range.

If you preorder now, it is available for $149.99, which is 50% off. Check it out, and never have issues getting out a message again.

What Sparks our Fire: Being able to text anyone, from anywhere, no matter what.

Will you buy a goTenna?

Stay Fresh

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Everyone’s been there before, you’ve worn a shirt once so it’s not exactly clean, but you don’t want to send it to the dry cleaner just yet. Swash is here to save you that trip to the dry cleaners, and in the long run could save you money too.

Swash is a clothing refresher for your home. It removes wrinkles and faint smells from clothes in just 10 minutes. Items are placed on a hanger and pushed into a pod that expels the odor. It claims it can increase the life and restore the fit of your clothing without needing to be connected to a water supply – just plug it in and freshen up.

Laundry isn’t exactly the industry we look to for product innovation. But, this right here is an awesome solution to a very common problem.

What Sparks our Fire: Always staying fresh.

Do you have any tips or tricks on how you keep your clothes fresh?