Nerd Stalker

We caught up with Sheau-Lan Reed , Head of Ecosystem at Sprout, to talk about Sprout and some of their apps. When HP announced it will split into two companies, Sprout is a genesis of what  Dion Weisler, former Executive Vice President of HP’s Printing and Personal Systems business, and now CEO of HP Inc. said " HP Inc.  will be extremely well positioned to deliver that innovation across our traditional markets as well as extend our leadership into new markets like 3-D printing and new computing experiences – inventing technology that empowers people to create, interact and inspire like never before. ”

This Kickstarter Unboxed segment takes on a different twist. First, we will introduce Philipp Sonnleitner of Mikme and he will talk about the genesis of Mikme as well as the product itself. If you haven't heard of Mikme, it is a high-quality bluetooth wireless microphone. Mikme  doesn't look like you traditional microphone...it actually looks like the mini-me version of a Crate Amplifier  or a small speaker and this is by design. But, Mikme is not just a microphone but Philipp says it is a shortened process to make music, podcasts or video. We also got Philipp to share their product journey and insights going from the popular Kickstarter platform to their successful Indiegogo campaign. If you are thinking of a crowdfunding campaign, Philipp has some lessons-learned for you.

CE Week kicks off today, providing the greater New York City technoratti with a number of new products and an expanded, three-day conference program. Check out some of the new mid-year things to explore in the latest trends in wearable technologies, digital health, 3D printing, and augmented reality .

The evolving IoT space continues to evolve as chip makers gear-up for more powerful yet lower power devices. Enter Cypress Semiconductor, who has spent years on the programmable  System-on-a Chip (SOC) technology which has enabled consumer items like your Sonicare toothbrush and the old but not forgotten selection wheel on an iPod . Cypress is trying to carve out a space in the IoT market with Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE) technology married to their PSoC devices. Too technical? This means your BLE device can be smarter and can control more complex things.  We caught up with Gagan Luthra of Cypress Semiconductor at the last Maker Faire Bay Area to discuss their latest BLE offering. Check it out!

We get some interesting people and products come across our nerdy desk. What if you had a input device that would work on you smartphone, pad , TV and computer? And...what if that same input device doesn't have to touch our phone or tablet screen. Well, that's what Phree is. Phree is an input device that actually works on any surface via patented optical technology. We caught up with co-founder and CEO, Gilad Lederer of OTM Technologies , the designer and maker of Phree at the popular Galvanize Cafe in San Francisco on a quick 48 hour drop-in visit. The Phree device (sounds strange huh?) detects motion in three dimensions unlike mice or touch pads which only have two dimensions. Currently, Phree is on its last legs of its successful Kickstarter campaign  which has shattered its initial goals. Get some insights from Gilad as he talks about the technology and Kickstarter.

Playmation Official Site

Nest's first security camera is called the Cam The rumors were true.

Photo Courtesy of Xperience2! Education and brands have always been around in technology. Looking back in the rearview mirror, I remember in college when I was developing on an Intel development system and I thought it was brilliant of Intel looking back. After graduating, I was very loyal to Intel for the longest time and felt comfortable developing boards with Intel microprocessors. What did Intel do? They created an ecosystem and fed the pipeline of loyal engineers.

Just within a short span of a few weeks the latest in Internet of Things (IoT) came to the Bay Area - IoT world and Wearable World were just a few big events happening. At the last Maker Faire Bay Area, we caught up with Zach Shelby of ARM to talk about what ARM sees as the latest in the IoT landscape. If you still don't know ARM, they are found in most Mobile and Arduino boards. Zach discusses what IoT currently looks like with some of the challenges that the industry is facing and how ARM is addressing it. Give it a view!

Dremel's move from a pure subtractive tool manufacturer to an additive tool manufacturer changed last year with their introduction of their first 3D printer - Idea Builder . They will have some big looks with a below $1k price tag and big box reach. We were very lucky to see the Idea Builder up front with some comments by Dremel's president John Kavanagh and 3D Product Manager - Daniel Blythe. An important announcement at the 2015 Maker Faire Bay Area was their partnership with HP Sprout. This partnership brings a full cycle solution for DIY and makers. Give it a look.

What happens when you merge Waze and Uber together to help stranded motorists? That would be Lyfeboat . Lyfeboat is an app that matches stranded motorists with the nearest good samaritan or should I say the nearest trained good samaritan. We interview, Phat Le , co-founder at Lyfeboat on their service. Phat is also alumni of Founders Space where he honed the business model. He also shares a beta launch of a new addition to their service that makes car ownership easy. Check it out!

Doing a start-up - tough. Being an entrepreneur - tough. Being a stay-at-home parent - tough. Handling all three - insane. But this is what Martin Hill has accomplished. Oh, by the way, he also solved the third hand while feeding your child called Beebo . When I did a pre-interview with Martin Hill and saw how harried he looked, I knew this was going to be a great interview. Martin talks not only about Beebo but his journey with Beebo and taking care of two kids at the same time. Give it a view!

In this episode, Sean Charles (aka ＠SocialMediaSean) and Greg Viloria (aka @SocialGreg) talk about the social network news and events of the week. And here’s what they discussed:

BeON Home takes a new approach to home protection, using LED light bulbs that learn and replicate your everyday interaction with your light switches to deliver seamless, familiar safety and security. BeON - A New Layer of Home Security

Project Soli and Project Jacquard - Google ATAP's mind-blowing projects

Sensonic - Broan

When you think of Dremel , you think high speed rotary tools, right? I have modified and made things with their high-speed rotary tools but never thought about them in the digital arena. Things are changing at Dremel. Recently, we found Dremel's president, John Kavanagh at the 2015 Maker Faire Bay Area and talked with him about how Dremel is attracting the new generation of maker. He shares his thoughts on the Maker Faire from Dremel's point of view. Give it a view.