Tag Archives: Tech

Say Goodbye to Parking Tickets

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Getting a parking ticket can easily ruin a day. They are frustrating to receive – especially when wrongly accused. The price of a parking ticket is just marginal enough that for many people it isn’t worth the time to fight it, causing them to simply pay the fine.

Fixed is here is help you out. The app, currently only available in San Francisco, coming soon to Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, will fight your parking ticket for you. All you need to do is upload a picture of the ticket into the app and a representative will file the complaint and handle the rest. Fixed will only charge you if they win the case (According to VentureBeat they’ve won 20-30 percent of their cases so far). So if you lose you pay the ticket, but if you win you pay just 25% of what the fine would’ve cost you, to Fixed – a bargain considering it’s a 75% savings with no time spent.

The company has just completed $1.2 million dollar round of funding which will help them expand to more cities across the country. Keep Fixed in mind next time you get a parking ticket and don’t have the time to fight it.

What Sparks our Fire: An app that helps save both time and money.

Have you ever gotten an undeserving ticket you just paid instead of fighting?

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?

Meet Your New Friend – JIBO

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Let us introduce you to someone that will quickly become the best friend your family didn’t know you needed. This friendly little robot – which reminds us of the Pixar lamp – is ready to change the way you interact with your home and family. Presenting: JIBO.

Focusing on socially interactive capabilities, JIBO can really make an impact on your daily life. Watch the video to check out all of the amazing features packed into this little guy, which include video conferencing (that can switch between who is talking), interactive storytelling for children, reminders and updates that can be synced to come directly from your phone. JIBO also has some artificial intelligence features that will allow it to learn about you and your family, truly becoming a part of your home.

Is the home robot finally here? Probably not, but when JIBO starts shipping in late 2015, we imagine that it will be the first of its kind to actively interact with families. Indiegogo just started accepting pre-orders today for $499, but for $400, they are also offering the opportunity for you to donate a JIBO to Boston Children’s Hospital, where patients will be able to use them.

What Sparks our Fire: A cool robot for the family. But, also the simple ability to donate one to help children in need.

Are you looking for a social robot for your home?