INSTEON Hub home automation made easy.

INSTEON Hub easy home automation and configured from your smartphone.

The Insteon Hub can be used to control all your Insteon and X10 modules locally or remotely using an iPhone or smartphone. The Insteon Hub can be set up to send you an email or SMS to warn you when a motion sensor or door/window sensor is activated.

Features

Control Anywhere

The Insteon Hub plugs directly into your broadband router and through an iPhone App orAndroid App allows you to locally or remotely set up and control your Insteon and X10 devices. Easy to follow videos are include in the apps making the set up straightforward and simple. Alternatively the Insteon Hub can also be set up using the free HouseLinc software from SmartLabs. 

Scheduling & scenes

The Insteon Hub can be used to schedule a sequence of events as the result of a trigger. The trigger can be a time, date or activation of a sensor or switch. This allows you to automate your home as you want it, from security applications through to setting scene lighting at the touch of a button.
Receive AlertsThe Insteon hub can send you a text message to your mobile phone or an email to alert you when a particular event has occurred. Whether its a motion sensor being activated or the kids getting home from school , you can be aware of what's happening in your home.


In the Cloud



The Insteon Hub stores your homes configuration in the cloud which allows access from any number of smartphones and tablets you may own. Want to add another smartphone? Simply download the app, sign in and all your settings (devices, scenes, icons, timers, etc.) are there to enjoy. Also there is no monthly fee for this service so its great value compared to some other systems out there.

Advantages:

cloud-based offering would be the simplicity of not dealing with dynamic DNS
no need to worry about potential loopback issues when running the software at home,  and something I saw when using the free HomeControl app with the 2412N
finally, an accurate clock, based on giving the smartphone app permission to use your smartphone’s GPS/location, greatly simplifying sunset and sunrise time set up
easy ability to check status and turn things on and off, even when not home, using minimal cellular data
low price
simple and quick one-time configuration, given my INSTEON network settings stay largely the same for years

Disadvantages:

cloud-based offering, which relies on Smarthome continuing to run this service for years to come
not as full featured as some higher end products with complex macros and scene configurations (that I never needed or used)

SmartQ Z-Watch

The SmartQ Z-Watch

This stylish SmartQ Z Watch Gear connects wirelessly with your Android cell phone and Tablet PC, and makes sure you have everything you need right there on your wrist and within reach. You can keep your cell phone in your pocket, with the Z Watch on your wrist, you can control your phone, receive calls notify or messages and more.

Highlights

Android 4.3 OS
1.54 inch 240*240 capacitive touch screen
JZ4775 1.0GHz
512MB DDR3 RAM and 4GB NAND FLASH ROM
Built-in motion sensor
Support SMS
Support Bluetooth, Wifi function
IPX7 Water-proof
Get calls notify(does not support answering calls) and receive messages from your wrist
Pedometer function

Details

Processor	Ingenic JZ4775 low-power processor: 1.0GHz
Cache	512MB Mobile DDR
Mass Storage	4GB eMMC flash memory
Bluetooth	Bluetooth4.0, support BLE( Bluetooth low energy ) tech.
WLAN	IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless network
USB	USB 2.0 port
Acceleration Sensor	Three-axis accelerometer
Headphone port	3.5mm waterproof stereo headphone port
Microphone	Built-in high sensitive Microphone
Screen	1.54-inch TFT LCD, Resolution 240x240, Capacitive multi-touch tempered glass touch screen
Size of dial	49.9mm(length) × 38.5mm(width) × 12.2mm(thickness)
Size of strap	width:22mm; length:24.5cm( including dial )
Color	Black, Red, Blue
Weight	About 42.5g
Reminder	Micro vibration motor
Water resistant	IP-X7 water resistant
Operating temps	0°C~45°C
Battery Capacity & Type	300mAH Li-poly battery
Input voltage	5V, 0.5W
Accessory	USB cable, Instruction book, certification, warranty card

The price for all of this? 100 us dollars or about 80 euros not bad hey?

The firmware for Z Watch: Go here!

There you will find how to flash your watch with the latest firmware.

As soon as I get one, I will do a video on it.

Update Here is the video.

the review

zwatch review by cyberlite

China launched a lunar probe.

China on Monday launched a lunar probe carrying an exploration rover in what is expected to be the nation's first soft-landing on an extraterrestrial body.

The Chang'e-3 spacecraft carries a lander, as well as a rover named "Yutu," which means Jade Rabbit, according to the Xinhua News Agency, China's official news service

The Long March-3B rocket carrying the Chang'e-3 lunar probe lifts off from the launch pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province on Monday. The Chang'e-3 lunar probe comprises a lander and a moon rover called "Yu Tu" (Jade Rabbit) which will be deployed to explore the surface of the moon. The lunar probe is expected to land on the moon in mid-December. (Photo: Reuters/China Daily)

The probe is scheduled to land on the moon in mid-December, Xinhua quoted Wu Zhijian, spokesman with China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

Sky Charts (a.k.a. Cartes du Ciel)

sky charts

Who said you needed to buy an expensive Cd-rom to have a quality sky atlas ?

Sky Charts (a.k.a. Cartes du Ciel) computes and prints customized charts of the heavens, making use of the data in 16 catalogs of stars and nebulae. In addition the position of planets, asteroids and comets are shown.

The purpose of this program is to prepare different sky maps for a particular observation. A large number of parameters help you to choose specifically or automatically which catalogs to use, the colour and the dimension of stars and nebulae, the representation of planets, the display of labels and coordinate grids, the superposition of pictures, the condition of visibility and more. All these features make this celestial atlas more complete than a conventional planetarium.

Main features offered include:

• about 30 catalogues of stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies;
• ability to request portions of star catalogues online so as to plot charts until mag. 20;
• facility of self-updating online, from different sources, the comet and asteroid elements databases;
• option to request from SkyView - Digital Sky Survey, and similar sources, real sky images of the region drawn on the chart - with the ability of superimposing and easily editing, filtering and chromatically juggling them;
• DDE interface allowing the joint use with VAROBS - another freeware by Patrick Chevalley, consecrated to variable stars (in V3 this was included in the main program and there is no need for a separate download);
• Interfaces with Virtual Moon Atlas so as to get location charts for the Moon;
• Additional support of Real Sky and USNO Cds;
• Telescope control under ASCOM, INDI and a few specific drivers;
• Production of ephemeris tables;
• Eclipse charts;
• Satellite pass prediction and plotting;
• Get your location coordinates from a huge database on the Web.

Get it here

The newly announced Qualcomm Toq smartwatch.

The Qualcomm Toq smartwatch.

The revolutionary Qualcomm®Mirasol™ 

Display technology:Developed for maximum efficiency and visibility.
Always on, color touch screen.

Enhanced visibility in bright sunlight.

Sporting what is believed to be a 1.6-inch display it uses substantially less power than LCD displays for superior battery performance.The screen has a pretty low resolution, but that's not a huge issue as it is clear and it's not like you're going to be watching movies or viewing pictures on the Toq.
The Toq also uses a 200 MHz Cortex M3 processor -- rather than a high-end Snapdragon chip -- to extend battery life.

Will be available on December 2, 2013 starting at $349.99.

New video intro

The action Camera TCL SVC200 the sony HDR-AS15 clone from china?

TCL SVC200

I was Looking around on the net for a new action camera and this is the best action camera I've found in the €100 price range, and I don't believe any another action camera at this price can outperform it when it comes to video quality, and that's mostly down to the SVC200's unusually high 18Mbps data rate.

It also comes with a Rf transmitter and that's a bonus that all other action cameras at this price range don't have.

                                                                  remote control

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

OPTICS
Sensor Type: 5MP CMOS
Sensor Size: 1/2.5”
Lens: f/3.2 (true 170 degrees wide angle)

VIEWFINDER
Screen Type: TFT LCD LTPS Color Display
Screen Size: 1.5 inch
Screen Resolution:

VIDEO
Video Resolution: 1080p (30 fps), 720p (60 fps), 720p (30 fps)
Video Quality: High, Medium, Low
Video CODEC: H.264
Video Container Format: MP4

PHOTO
Photo Resolution: 5MP (true 2592 x 1944 pixels), 8MP (interpolated), 16MP (interpolated)
Photo Mode:
-Fast (30 photos continuously at 1280x960 resolution)
-Every 30 sec (continuous shooting)
-Every 2 min (continuous shooting)
Photo Format: JPEG

AUDIO
Built-in Microphone: YES
External Microphone Jack: YES (RCA 2.5mm)

BUTTONS
Photo Shoot, Video Record, ON/OFF, Menu, Up, Down, Select

CONNECTIONS
HDMI Slot: YES (output to High Definition TV)
Microphone 2.5mm RCA Jack: YES (attach external microphone)
USB Port: YES (Mini B Type, used for charging and file transfer)

Memory

-Tested with SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards up to 32GB for the following brands: Lexar, PNY, Transcend, Sandisk, and Kingston.

POWER
Battery Type: Rechargeable Lithium Ion
Battery Style: Nokia BL-5C compatible
Battery Capacity: 1050 mAh

MENU OPTIONS:

PHOTO SETTINGS
-Photo Size: 16MP, 8MP, 5MP
-Capture Mode: Normal, Fast, 30S, 2Min
VIDEO SETTINGS
-Resolution (NTSC/PAL): 1080p 30/25 fps, 720p 60/50fps, 720p 50/25fps
-Bitrate: High, Middle, Law
-System Type: NTSC/PAL
DATE & TIME: Option for time stamp on photos and videos ON/OFF
LANGUAGE: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese
AUDIO INPUT: ON/OFF
FORMAT: TF Micro SD Card

EXTRAS

Waterproof: YES (down to 30 meters with the use of the waterproof housing)
Write Protection: YES (ON/OFF)

DIMENSIONS
89.4 x 42.2 x 22.4 mm