During the last few days I have tried out six very different gadgets, which I would like to present. All of them were so exciting that I could write an own blog entry about each product. However, I will be brief and write about the most important features of the products and my experiences.
Rocki
Rocki is a smart wireless music device, which connects loudspeakers and older audio systems like my JVC Boomblaster with smartphones. By using Rocki and the Spotify App my smartphone became a remote control for my five years old Boomblaster. The gadget works with even older audio systems as long as they have an audio in port. Firstly, Rocki should be physically connected to the 3.5 mm audio plug and supplied with power. However, it is possible to use the integrated battery from Rocki if there is no power socket. Secondly, Rocki features 802.11 b/g/n access and has to be added to the local WLAN by using the Rocki App. That’s it. Rocki enabled me to listen my favorite Spotify Playlists on an old audio system. I only had to open my Spotify App and chose Rocki as loudspeaker. My conclusion, very simple and powerful gadget if you do not want to spend a lot of money for a new audio system.
Flic
Flic is a small Bluetooth button with countless use cases. I connected it within seconds with my iPad. Afterwards, It is possible to add up to three actions and define what should happen after clicking, double clicking and holding the button. By clicking once, the Sonos loudspeaker in my room starts or stops playing the last song or radio station I was listening to. With a double click I control the Philips Hue light bulb. I think it is very practical that I do not have to take the smartphone out of my pocket for such simple tasks. In my view, the disadvantage of flic is that the button has to be coupled via Bluetooth to another device. I usually have Bluetooth switched off and turn my iPhone on flight mode during nighttime. Therefore, I use an iPad as hub, which works fine.
KADDZ – smart cat collar made in Switzerland
Since we sadly do not have a cat at our ICT-flat I went to my sister’s place. She and her boyfriend take care of two cats. One is called Sophia and supported me during my test in return for some ham 
. Firstly, I charged the smart cat collar and then put the cat collar on her. She looked not that happy and had balance problems. But after a few minutes she accepted her new collar and I started testing some features with the KADDZ app. KADDZ is basically a GPS tracker for cats. In addition, the cat collar has an integrated LED and buzzer. In case the cat got lost, the App enables users to switch on the LED or buzzer. Although flashing Sophia looked during my test a little bit funny, this feature could may save her life. Based on the data from the GPS, acceleration, motion and two light sensors the app creates many different analyses, which are very interesting for cat owners. I realized for example that Sophia went for a long walk in the morning hours (left screenshot), Sophia was quite lazy in the afternoon until my sister came home and fed her (central screenshot) and Sophia was caged up in the garage.
The slate from iskn
The slate enables me to instantly digitize my paper drawings. All I need is the slate, my favorite or the provided pen, an iPad and paper. Firstly, I switched on Bluetooth, downloaded and connected the App with the Slate. The installation was very easy and done within less than a minute. Secondly, I put a blank piece of paper on the Slate and started drawing/writing. The lines appeared simultaneously on the iPad and could be saved. In addition, it is even possible to delete certain lines or change the color of the digital pen. The interworking between the slate and the iPad was perfect. According to the webpage 32 sensors detect the ring, which covers the pen. Although, I had the feeling that my handwriting was not as beautiful on the iPad as it was on the paper. I could imagine that the slate is something for creative types and illustrators, which prefer drawing on paper.
The stone from Pebblebee
The stone is very similar to the flic button. It is also installed within seconds and the button is connected though Bluetooth. It is not possible to stick the stone to a wall or an item and there is no double click trigger. But in addition to the click and hold trigger it is possible to set “in range alerts”, “out of range alerts”, “motion alerts” and “temperature alerts”. Additionally, the app shows the room temperature. At the moment, I use the stone for taking selfies. Clicking on the button triggers the selfie mode on my iPhone.
