To Hong Kong for gadgets

This spring, I visited the HKTDC electronics exhibition in Hong Kong and prepared a small report on the gadgets presented there. Transformers, smart toothbrushes of all types and wooden drones are waiting for you under the cut.

Hong Kong is the financial heart of Asia. What does gadgets have to do with it? After all, when it comes to innovative technologies, everyone immediately recalls Shenzhen, the “Chinese Silicon Valley”. But China is not California: there are 17 technological hubs in the Middle Kingdom, including Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Highfei. In Hong Kong, startups and enterprise representatives flock for money.


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Therefore, the City Council for the Development of Trade annually holds a dozen exhibitions. These events are very different from the January technology show in Las Vegas and even from the calm European exhibition IFA. Chinese businessmen go to the West for the sake of prestige. Here in Hong Kong, ready-made products are more often demonstrated and deals are made.

Here are some gadgets that caught my attention.

Strange things

Monowheel with Kiwano K01 steering wheel

The company Shark Design two years ago released the "off-road" hoverboard Kiwano Ko-X. At that time, a scandal with exploding hoverboards was in full swing, so Ko-X was advertised as a safe alternative with Samsung-certified batteries.



Designers started with a new sheet, the marketing team removed from the site and from social networks references to the ill-fated gyroscope. The monowheel Kiwano K01 was brought to Hong Kong - a new development under the same brand, but without an explosive reputation. It has already been shown at CES 2018: this is a solid device weighing 16 kilograms, with a 1000-watt motor and LG batteries with a capacity of 4.4 Ah. The average speed is 24 km / h, on one charge you can drive up to 24 km, the time of full charge is 2 hours. There is a standalone mode and even mount for an action camera.


The main and main feature that distinguishes the K01 from other monowheels is the huge steering wheel. It was added to make the mono-wheel accessible for adult riders. The result was a bulky and heavy product that is not credible in terms of security. It is better to ride a suitcase-scooter.

"Anti-radiation" glasses Ourlook

At this point there should be an obvious joke about the best hipster accessory for visiting Chernobyl. In fact, glasses have gained an unusual quality due to the arbitrary interpretation of complex terminology.


Ourlook company produces lenses that filter visible light with a wavelength of 400-480 nanometers; these are blue and violet spectra. Any light is radiation, and radiation is synonymous with radiation. Therefore, glasses with such lenses ... block radiation. Add "nanometer technology," and brisk advertising is ready.

Glasses with blue and purple light blocking lenses did not appear because of Chernobyl “stalkers”. Light contributes to wakefulness, so the "evening" mode with a shift to the red part of the spectrum began to be added to gadgets. Glasses with blue light filters serve the same purpose, but such lenses are also advertised as a panacea for eyes that are tired of long work. The last promise does not correspond to reality, as stated by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Apparently, therefore, in Ourlook and had to come up with a radiation threat.

Bluetooth Transformers

What do you think about the thermos, which has a case with wireless headphones in it? How do you like a fan with a bluetooth column? Table lamp with bluetooth column? Such samples of incredible industrial design came across at different stands.



Remotely, they reminded of the old crowdfunding project of the Coolest Cooler picnic cooler, which included a refrigerator, an ice crusher, a blender, a built-in speaker, and USB charging. The refrigerator solves the narrowly focused problem and therefore it is useful. At the exhibition, however, more frequent combinations of spare parts were encountered, which only the body held together.

Smart Massager Mooyee

The Mooyee startup gadget called M2 looks like a pasta cake. In the “candy” wrapper, an electrostimulator adored by Chinese manufacturers is hidden.



The classical Chinese miostimulyator is made in the form of a butterfly and fastens on a stomach to force to be reduced muscles of a press. M2 differs in that it is positioned as a portable massager. Half "cake" attached to the body with gel stickers and serves a weak electrical impulses that mimic the effect of the movements of the hands of the massage therapist. At least, that’s what the gadget creators promise.


M2 is the third version of the same device. The design has become fashionable and minimalist, the application has acquired the function of facial expression recognition and a music library.

Baby Toothbrush for Selfie

Does your child hate brushing his teeth and is afraid of electric toothbrushes? The magic of augmented reality and morbid addiction to smartphones will help him to master the basic hygiene skill!


This is the way to describe the idea of ​​an ultrasonic Brush Monster toothbrush. To use it, you need a smartphone with a proprietary application installed. While the child is brushing his teeth, the application shows him how to do it correctly, and in the end he makes a “selfie” with a painted toothy alien. In addition, the brush has sensors that track its movement. The application analyzes the received readings and assesses how well a small user brushed his teeth.

Useful devices

Amazfit

Startup Huami released its debut fitness tracker in 2015, and in 2016 - the first smart watch. At first, the young company closely cooperated with Xiaomi, which is why they were considered a single entity. For 2018, Huami finally gained her own identity - and significantly expanded the model range.



In Hong Kong, exhibited the following: Cor fitness bracelet, at the same time resembling the Garmin and Fitbit trackers; Amazfit Bip smart watches that are easily readable for Apple Watch; Amazfit Stratos multisport watch, whose design provides a hint of the latest Garmin Forerunner.



The watch has advanced features like counting the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max), various training modes, a GPS chip. Every gadget always has a heart rate monitor. It is clear that they are at the same time much cheaper than Western sports devices. But we are not talking about some kind of “Chinese fake Garmin”. This is a good quality brand, one of the best on the market.

Backpacks a la Bobby

Are you tired of reading about how good an anti-theft Bobby XD Design backpack is ? Then at HKTDC, you would have lost your senses, as backpacks "under the Bobby" hung everywhere.


On the far right is the Desun Energy backpack.

They were of different shapes and sizes, but the concept is about the same: no front pockets, minimal design. The most successful in this discipline was a company that has nothing to do with backpacks - Desun Energy Tech produces solar panels, and added one of them to the free front part of the “minimalistic” backpack. It turned out, maybe not very aesthetically pleasing - but functionally.

Wooden drone designer

Airwood is a wooden constructor for assembling a mini quadcopter and a control panel for it. Details of the designer are pre-cut by laser from a piece of laminated plywood, so that they can only be squeezed out by breaking the partitions.



No need for glue or soldering to assemble - the frame of the copter and the body of the console are made up of wooden parts. Then, the attached flight controller, motors and battery are inserted into the almost finished drone, and the board with joysticks is inserted into the console. Everything, you can fly.



The wooden drone weighs 80 grams with the battery. Its dimensions are 190 x 190 x 26 millimeters. The battery will last for 10 minutes of flight. The creators of the designer are going to first launch a campaign on Indiegogo, and only then sell such kopter as a learning toy. Drones, by the way, are different: there are four models of the frame to clearly demonstrate the effect of aerodynamics on the flight.

Smartphone Studio

Monopods and tripods for the phone - already passed stage. For the era when movies are shown in the movies made on iPhone, you need mobile sliders, camera cranes and carts.


Hong Kong brand Dreamgrip has realized a real “smartphone film studio”. Its basis is the frame into which the smartphone is inserted. Then LED lighters, a microphone and lenses are attached to it, and another smartphone is attached as an additional camera or monitor. The frame itself is mounted on a monopod, stabilizer or trolley. And in order to fully feel like Stephen Soderberg, you can separately purchase the Dreamgrip brand cracker.

Ravean

The Ravean company is known for regularly launching jackets and heated mittens on the crowdfunding campaigns. They brought several other things to the Hong Kong exhibit: a yoga mat and a heated surfing suit.



At Ravean, selling warm clothes is going well. But the situation is even better with the technology itself. Previously, a significant disadvantage was the need to carry a lot of additional batteries for the heating elements. Now, Ravean clothes use a small (11x8x3cm) charger, which lasts 2-6 hours. And this is progress!

Block tape

Last spring, a campaign of the Nimuno Loops project was held on Indiegogo with great success, which is easier described as “Lego-Scotch”. This is a silicone tape with spikes for Lego cubes on the one hand and a reusable adhesive layer on the other - to mold the designer on any surface.



Competitors are not asleep, and one of them came to Hong Kong. Scotch tape, called Block Tape, is manufactured by Wingene Electronic Development Co. from shenzhen. There are no differences from the original Nimuno Loops: both are silicone tapes, both are cut with scissors. There is a narrow ribbon on two thorns, and wide - on four.



In addition to tapes, the Chinese plant showed even larger adhesive silicone mats for Lego assembly. Invented this idea and launched on Kickstarter a startup Brik in 2016 - unfortunately, not having achieved fame. Wingene rugs are distinguished by the fact that there are two options that are suitable in size for the classic Lego and for the children's version of Lego Duplo.

Sinco lamps

Sinco brought a lot of different products to the exhibition, including a heated eye mask and a wireless charger for smartphones and tablets. I won the nightlight, which turns on and off with a wave of his hand. Cute "donut" is lit with a warm, pleasant light. Simple, tasteful, without unnecessary complexity.

PUBG case

Smartphones and tablets are called mobile devices, but they are hard to use precisely mobile, on weight. It is necessary to be limited only by thumbs - either to hold with one hand and press the screen with the second. Therefore, the Chinese inventor Tong Lo came up with a HandyCase: a touch case that allows you to control the device with all your fingers at the same time.


The entire rear panel of the HandyCase responds to the touch of your fingers. The silicone case is connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth, and then the zones are adjusted to the specific needs of the user. In the application, you can adjust the "transparency" of the phone to see each finger and its movement.



Especially this case is convenient gamers. With HandyCase, the smartphone turns into a big touch gamepad. At the exhibition, this convenience was demonstrated on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds mobile version. And really: it is easier to play with both hands at once than to try to find the right buttons with your thumbs.

Amabrush clones

As you understood from the previous examples, the Chinese do not hesitate to take ideas from Kickstarter. The Chiiz Brush is a frank example of such borrowing. This is a complete Amabrush clone that cleans your teeth with a vibrating silicone mouthpiece. As in the case of the original, for Chiiz need a special paste, the usual will not work.



A better option is V-White. This brush works with any toothpaste, and also has “cold light” LEDs that bleach tooth enamel. Clarification: whitening toothpaste and gel are still needed to directly improve the color of the teeth, because the light itself does not whiten anything.

At a dozen gadgets, the exhibition does not end. The most successful of them will definitely replenish the range of our store.