Discover Blue NY Showcases Bluetooth Innovations For the Home, Office, Road, And Soul

For the past couple years, the Roosevelt Hotel on East 45th Street in NYC has hosted the Discover Blue NY expo. It’s a rather intimate event with about twenty or less exhibitors. This year there were 17 exhibitors demonstrating their Bluetooth enabled creations. Don’t let the small size of this one-room event mislead your opinions as some formidable companies attend and exhibit, the likes of Texas Instruments, STMicro, GE Appliances, and Wilson Sports Equipment, to name a few.

Although many of the products on display target consumers, they all are unique in that they conquer some of the challenges associated with Bluetooth wireless, such as effective working distances, latencies in activation, power consumption, and, as always, space constraints. Products were available for the home, the car, the office, the Bluetooth developer, and for the artistic muse, or soul if you prefer. Here’s what we saw.

Security And Safety On The Tip Of A Finger

BeON Home demonstrated a key fob accessory for its home protection system that makes protection activation even simpler and more intuitive. The key fob allows users of all ages to instantly activate the BeON system without the need for a smart phone or tablet.

The device has two buttons: one for quick activation of “Away Mode”, which activates the preventative security features of the system and one for “Welcome Home”, which turns on lights in the home upon arrival and takes the system out of security mode and into home safety mode. Learn more about the fob and the system at http://beonhome.com

Bluetooth Router Provides Versatile Control

A clever multi-tasker, the Cassia Hub is described as the world’s first Bluetooth router that uses a new technology to redefine what’s possible with Bluetooth. For example, with the hub you can stay connected with a Bluetooth speaker even if you move your phone into another room.

Capable of networking and controlling up to 22 Bluetooth devices, the router extends the range of Bluetooth communications to 1,000 feet open space, reportedly more than 30 times the standard operating range. For more details, visit http://www.cassianetworks.com

Frames And App Make Parking Safer and Easier

Easy to install and use, the FenSens device is designed for the everyday driver, allowing them to retrofit backup sensors on any car in less than five minutes with only a screwdriver. The license plate frame, with embedded ultrasonic sensors, detects objects in the driver’s blind spots and notifies them via audio, visual, and vibration alerts on their smartphone. No wiring or professional installation is needed.

After the Bluetooth-enabled smart license plate frame is installed via four security screws (to prevent theft), an Android mobile application will automatically launch when the user starts backing up. Watch a short VIDEO DEMO. For pricing and other info, go to https://www.fensens.com

Bluetooth Speaker Withstands Ocean Splashes

JLab Audio’s Crasher XL Bluetooth speaker delivers 30W of clear, powerful audio via one high-fidelity neodymium driver, two low-fidelity drivers, and two passive subwoofers. Designed for any outdoor activity, its IPX6 splash-proof rating means it can endure pool or ocean splashes, party fouls, and a rinse off under running water.

Weighing a little over one-half pound, its durable metal body will help protect against damage from accidental drops. Other features include a 13-hour battery life (5200 mAh / Charge time: 6 hours) and Bluetooth 4.0 with a 30-foot range. For more information, visit http://www.jlabaudio.com

Bluetooth Football Scores A Touchdown

The Wilson X Connected Football puts a new spin on the concept of a forward pass.  Designed to bring professional-football fans closer to the game, it employs a tiny, undetectable sensor embedded in the football. The sensor, which connects via Bluetooth to the Wilson X Connected Football app on any mobile device, tracks throw distance, velocity, spiral efficiency, spin rate, and if the football was caught or dropped.

Players also receive their very own quarterback ranking score. Once in the app, users can create their own male or female NFL quarterback avatar, selecting from any of the League’s 32 teams. More details are available at http://www.wilson.com

LED Lighting System Enlists Bluetooth For Efficient And Reliable Control

SMARTMESH, the latest LED lighting system for the smart home from French designer and manufacturer Smart & Green, employs groundbreaking Bluetooth technology that enables its LED lights to talk to each other. The combination of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and mesh functionality allows users to command an almost limitless number of products, whether one-by-one or in a group and close by or at a distance.

By sending a signal to one light, others can then be controlled. This means users can manage lights all over the house (including outdoors) or a public venue. Brightness can be increased or decreased and settings can be programmed in advance from a smartphone. Additionally, BLE technology increases the battery life of Smart & Green cordless lighting products, which means reduced consumption and a low energy environment. Learn more at http://www.smartandgreen.eu/en

Learning Guitar Gets Even Easier With Bluetooth Connectivity

The Fretlight guitar learning system has been around for a while and is now wireless thanks to a Bluetooth interface. The system consists of a Fretlight guitar, a PC or smartphone, and an app. The guitar has LEDs implanted all over the fretboard that light when triggered by the app to show the user where to place his or her fingers on the strings. The app can be used on either a smartphone or a PC.

FG-621 Electric Guitar

FG-629 Wireless Acoustic

The wireless Bluetooth interface eliminates the standard guitar cable, freeing the user to play and learn anywhere. There are two guitars types available: the FG-621 Electric Guitar that features a stratocaster-style alder body with a Stratabond birch neck and the FG-629 Wireless Acoustic with a spruce top and a full-size concert style body with light walnut back and sides. Learn more at https://fretlight.com/pages/fretlight-wireless-guitars

It looks like Bluetooth is going strong and getting into more designs and providing a reliable interface for many wireless sensor applications. It will be interesting to see what’s happening at Discover Blue NY 2017. ~MD