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Lockitron
Lockitron is a device which can lock and unlock doors via remote control, typically via a smartphone. Starting with installations in 2010, it is one of the earliest examples of a smart lock. Lockitron was made by Apigy Inc., a start-up based in Mountain View, California. Apigy was a graduate of the Y Combinator (company), Y Combinator start-up accelerator. Multiple models of Lockitron were manufactured, including one that fits over the lock control mechanism on the inside of a door, and the door could be unlocked via an app on the phone, or via web page control. Phones with Bluetooth low energy, Bluetooth Low Energy could automatically unlock a door when an authenticated device was nearby. A supplied Near field communication, NFC tag could be read to trigger a command to toggle the state of the lock. Virtual "keys" could be issued to guests or repair contractors etc., allowing access to the home. The virtual keys could be distributed over the internet on demand, and can also be r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Vaporware
Vaporware is a product, usually software, which has been announced and is long in development, but has not yet been released nor officially cancelled. The lack of a substantial release has led these products being referred to as "vaporware". This list documents products which have been labelled as "vaporware". Hardware and software * Ovation (software), Ovation was a highly promoted office suite. After demonstrations that were well received, it was later revealed that the product never existed. It is "widely considered the mother of all vaporware", according to Laurie Flynn of ''The New York Times''. * Phantom Entertainment#The Phantom, Phantom was a console gaming system developed by Phantom Entertainment, Infinium Labs. A supposed prototype was demonstrated in 2004, but its release was continually delayed and was quietly put on hold in 2006 due to a lack of funds and eventually cancelled. The company was accused of a pump and dump scam. It received the first place in "Vaporwares ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SheevaPlug
The SheevaPlug is a "plug computer" designed to allow standard computing features in as small a space as possible. It was a small embedded Linux ARM computer without a display which can be considered an early predecessor to the subsequent Raspberry Pi. As one of the first such computers on the market, the device has a 1.2 GHz Marvell Technology Group, Marvell Kirkwood 6281 ARM architecture, ARM-compatible CPU, a.k.a. Feroceon. It is sold with Ubuntu (operating system), Ubuntu Linux version Ubuntu version history#0904, 9.04 pre-installed. A software development kit for the platform is also available. Commercial products The following commercial products are known to be based on the SheevaPlug platform: * BarracudaDrive is a free Cloud Server for the SheevaPlug. * CTERA CloudPlug by CTERA Networks, a plug computer providing remote backup service at local disk speeds and overlays a file sharing service. * TonidoPlug from CodeLathe, a SheevaPlug-based device that runs Toni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bluetooth Low Energy
Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE, colloquially BLE, formerly marketed as Bluetooth Smart) is a wireless personal area network technology designed and marketed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) aimed at novel applications in the healthcare, fitness, beacons, security, and home entertainment industries. Compared to Classic Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy is intended to provide considerably reduced power consumption and cost while maintaining a similar communication range. It is independent of classic Bluetooth and has no compatibility, but Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced Data Rate (BR/EDR) and LE can coexist. The original specification was developed by Nokia in 2006 under the name Wibree, which was integrated into Bluetooth 4.0 in December 2009 as Bluetooth Low Energy. Mobile operating systems including iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry, as well as macOS, Linux, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Windows 11, natively support Bluetooth Low Energy. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Chamberlain Group
Chamberlain Group (CGI), the corporate parent company to LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Merlin, and Grifco, designs and engineers residential garage door openers, commercial door operators, security cameras, and gate entry systems. CGI is also the parent company to Controlled Products Systems Group, the largest wholesale distributor of perimeter access control equipment in the United States. In September 2021, The Duchossois Group sold the Chamberlain Group to Blackstone. Products Garage door openers * Chamberlain — the company's do-it-yourself line of garage door openers. * LiftMaster — the company's line of garage door openers for professional installers. * Raynor — the company's line of garage door openers for professional installers. This line of professional installers is slightly less common than LiftMaster. * Craftsman — re-branded Chamberlain models sold at Sears. Those products have a "139" model prefix to denote that the Chamberlain Group made them for Sears. * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethereum
Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain with smart contract functionality. Ether (abbreviation: ETH) is the native cryptocurrency of the platform. Among cryptocurrencies, ether is second only to bitcoin in market capitalization. It is open-source software. Ethereum was conceived in 2013 by programmer Vitalik Buterin. Other founders include Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson, Anthony Di Iorio, and Joseph Lubin. In 2014, development work began and was crowdfunded, and the network went live on 30 July 2015. Ethereum allows anyone to deploy decentralized applications onto it, with which users can interact. Decentralized finance (DeFi) applications provide financial instruments that do not directly rely on financial intermediaries like brokerages, exchanges, or banks. This facilitates borrowing against cryptocurrency holdings or lending them out for interest. Ethereum also allows users to create and exchange non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are tokens that can be tied to un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wirecutter
''Wirecutter'' (formerly known as ''The Wirecutter'') is a product review website owned by The New York Times Company. It was founded by Brian Lam in 2011 and purchased by The New York Times Company in 2016 for about $30 million. Approach and business model The site focuses on writing detailed guides to different categories of consumer products which recommend just one or two best items in the category. It earns most of its revenue from affiliate marketing by including links to its recommendations. To prevent bias, the staff who write its reviews are not informed about what commissions, if any, the site receives for different products. Due to affiliate revenue, the site is less reliant than other blogs and news sites on advertising revenue, although the ''Wirecutter'' site has displayed banner ads in the past. ''Wirecutter'' has partnered with other websites including Engadget (as of 2015) to provide guest posts sponsored by the company. In 2015, Amazon tested a partnership w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Target Corporation
Target Corporation is an American retail corporation that operates a chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh-largest retailer in the United States, and a component of the S&P 500 Index. The company is one of the largest American-owned private employers in the United States. The original Target retail store was co-founded by John Geisse and Douglas Dayton, the CEO of the Dayton corporation at that time. The Dayton corporation, now known as the Target Corporation, was the company John Geisse worked for when he founded the Target stores and was founded in Minneapolis by businessman George Dayton in 1902, and developed through the years via expansion and acquisitions. Target, the company's first discount store and eventual namesake, was opened and founded by American business man John F. Geisse in 1962. The company became the Dayton-Hudson Corporation after merging with the J.L. Hudson Company in 1969 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Consumer Electronics Show
CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typically hosts presentations of new products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry. History The first CES was held in June 1967 in New York City. It was a spin-off of the Chicago Music Show which, until then, had served as the main event for exhibiting consumer electronics. The event had 17,500 attendees and over 100 exhibitors; the kickoff speaker was Motorola chairman Bob Galvin. From 1978 to 1994, CES was held twice each year: once in January in Las Vegas as the ''Winter Consumer Electronics Show'' (WCES) and once in June in Chicago as the ''Summer Consumer Electronics Show'' (SCES). The winter show was held in Las Vegas in 1995 as planned. However, since the summer Chicago shows were beginning to lose popularity, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byte Shop
The Byte Shop was a chain of retail computer stores founded in Mountain View, California, by Paul Terrell and Boyd Wilson in 1975. It was among the first retail establishments in existence dedicated to computer products. It is perhaps best known for being the first to order Apple Computer's first ever product, the Apple I, in 1976. At its peak, the Byte Shop operated 73 stores in the United States and a single store in Japan. In November 1977, Terrell sold Byte Shop's parent company Byte, Inc., to Logical Machine Corporation, who continued to run the Byte Shop for several years. History Foundation (1975–1976) Paul Terrell opened up the first Byte Shop at 1063 West El Camino Real in Mountain View, California, on December 8, 1975. The store was named directly after the influential microcomputer magazine ''Byte'', founded three months prior to the Byte Shop. Terrell was joined in the foundation of the Byte Shop with his business partner Boyd Wilson. The store initially vended ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tile (software)
Tile, Inc. (stylized as tile) is an American consumer electronics company which produces tracking devices that users can attach to their belongings such as keys and backpacks. A companion mobile app for Android and iOS allows users to track the devices using Bluetooth 4.0 in order to locate lost items or to view their last detected location. The first devices were delivered in 2013. In September 2015, Tile launched a newer line of hardware that includes functionality to assist users in locating smartphones, as well as other feature upgrades. In August 2017, two new versions of the Tile were launched, the Tile Sport and Tile Style. , Tile's hardware offerings consist of the Pro, Mate, Slim, and Sticker. Since September 2018, former GoPro executive C. J. Prober has been the CEO of Tile after he replaced co-founder Mike Farley. In November 2021, Life360 agreed to acquire Tile in a $205 million acquisition, and is expected to integrate the two services. Function Tile manu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SmartThings
SmartThings Inc. is an American home automation company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Since August 2014 it is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Founded in 2012, it focuses on the development of eponymous automation software and an associated array of client applications and cloud platforms for smart homes and the consumer Internet of things. SmartThings cites its platform as having 62 million active users, a number it claims increased 70% through 2019 and 2020. History SmartThings was conceived by co-founder and once-CEO Alex Hawkinson in the winter of 2011. Hawkinson tells that his family's unoccupied mountain house in Colorado was extensively damaged by water pipes that first froze and subsequently burst resulting in some $80,000 worth of damage. Hawkinson noted that he could have prevented the damages had he known what was happening inside the house. Through 2011 and 2012, Hawkinson and his SmartThings co-founders worked to build a prototype of their desired s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kickstarter
Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of April 2025, Kickstarter has received US$8.71 billion in pledges from 24.1 million backers to fund 277,302 projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, board games, technology, publishing, and food-related projects. People who back Kickstarter projects are offered tangible rewards or experiences in exchange for their pledges. This model traces its roots to subscription model of arts patronage, in which artists would go directly to their audiences to fund their work. History Kickstarter launched on April 28, 2009, by Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, and Charles Adler. ''The New York Times'' called Kickstarter "the people's National Endowment for the Arts, NEA". ''Time (magazine), Time'' named ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
