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Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall, Who’s the Fairest of them All?

mirror mirrorThe Mirror of the Future Has Arrived

Mirrors are pretty cool. We are spoiled in the modern era to have mirrors that are clear, bright, undistorted and wildly affordable. At one time, only the affluent had access to mirrors – which were polished brass, copper, silver, or even gold. Gold was common as a mirror for Egyptian pharaohs – because they could afford them and because they did not tarnish.

So – now we’ve got mirrors and they pretty much serve two purposes in a modern home – they can make a room look bigger by reflecting light and the open space – and of course to check for zits, unwanted facial hair, and other imperfections.

Meet FireFly

Well, an inventor named Noah Martin has added a new function to the mirror that is long overdue. While it has long been the stuff of science fiction fantasy, it’s now a reality. Their imagery they are showing on their Kickstarter page is of the product, not of a CGI render. While you can find some open source plans for making a smart mirror via a tablet on GitHub, it’s something you have to make yourself, and not a product you can actually buy… until now!

This smart mirror has face detection – so it comes on when it detects you’re there. Hello Star Trek!

Martin’s Kickstarter is live and it goes by FireFly. I really like the concept of this thing. I really love my iPhone, but I don’t want to have my phone in the bathroom, exposing it to humidity. While getting ready for work, you can see how your stocks are doing or if you need to bring an umbrella.

There are still some earlybird offers for $130 to get your own FireFly. If you want one, you need to act fast, as this Kickstarter ends in just 11 days.

Smart mirr

Follow the FireFly project on their websiteKickstarter, Facebook, and Twitter.

Easily Add a Rear Backup Camera to Your Ride – No New Car Required

These guys used to work at Apple. They've got it going on.

These guys used to work at Apple. They’ve got it going on.

While it probably won’t be long before back-up cameras become as standard as air conditioning – and may even become required in new cars, those of us with older models need not despair. Three engineers who met while working at Apple decided to form their own company, Pearl Auto, to solve the problem owners of older cars lament over.

Their brilliant adaptation to existing car hardware allows even the most mechanically inept to quickly install a rear camera ala a license plate frame. The cameras in the plate are solar powered and communicate wirelessly to your phone – so no wiring is needed.

pearlauto01

Pearl RearVision has a companion app for Android and iOS.

The Pearl RearVision lets you see in in wide angle what is going on behind you. It has a companion app for iPhone and Android so you have a view of what’s going on right on your dash, as you would with a factory installed backup camera. It gives you audio cues as to how close you’re encroaching on hitting an object. Thanks to the two cameras onboard, you can toggle between wide and normal views.

Also with the RearVision kit, a car adapter that gets information from your car, including speed.

The Pearl RearVision is not cheap, but considering what it does, it’s a pretty low cost to giving your car a major upgrade. My only regret is that there is not a front facing plate frame with camera to go with it. While in bumper to bumper traffic, the views may be fairly low and miss some things as far as being a super effective dashcam, it would be very helpful for pulling into awkward spots where you think you might be about to scrape the bottom part of your car off on a high curb… but I have a hunch, this group is not done in the innovation department.

You can learn more about Pearl Auto by visiting their website, liking them on Facebook, following them on Twitter and checking them out on Instagram.

pearlauto03

Two cameras, solar powered, wireless communication – all for $499