BugLabs was a presenter at Gnomedex last week. They have decided to run a contest that is open to all of the attendees of the conference.

The 4 best gadget ideas win their own BUGbundle (value $629). The BUG is a modular consumer electronic platform (ie. the lego of gadgets). It falls within the open source hardware category. It currently ships with 4 modules (GPS, LCD, Camera, Motion Detector), but you can submit ideas that require modules that aren’t available today (laser range finder, weather module, thermal sensor, A/V modules, teleporter, etc).

To enter, people had to submit their new gadget ideas, including gadget name and description. The entry deadline was tonight, and the people at BugLabs and Gnomedex will be reviewing the entries to choose a winner! Let’s take a look at some of the entries:

• Wifi-enabled Bathroom Scale submitted by Dave Nielsen – This is a bug that lets me step on a scale, and automatically saves my weight to a Website. I’d use this every day. I never have time to track my weight. If I could track my weight easily, I’d be more likely to pay attention to what I eat.
• Wifi Enabled Weather Bug submitted by John – This would be a bug that alerts you of severe weather conditions, to help save lives.
• LifeLogger submitted by Josh Bancroft – Using camera and GPS, this is a device that I can attach to my car, my bag, or anything I choose. It would log my GPS track, take pictures periodically, and either stores or uploads them to a place where I can selectively decide to share them. This would allow me to log my life – where I was at what time, and what I was seeing when I was there. I use Twitter for this, and show my “lifelog” on the side of my blog. Some people love to log what they’re doing, for posterity, for their friends, or for whatever reason. Witness the popularity of Twitter, FriendFeed, geotagged photos on Flickr, lifestreaming apps, etc. This would automate/take it to another level.
• GPS enabled school bus submitted by Jane Roberts – GPS on a school bus alerts parents and students of impending arrival. It will keep kids off the streets, and out of the weather while waiting for the bus. It would document the routes for those districts who don’t already do it.
• Portable Vocal Joystick submitted by Aryeh Goretskey – My bug would be a standalone device with an LCD screen and microphone that can be trained to recognize a voice (c.f. Jon Malkin’s Vocal Joystick presentation at Gnomedex), plugged into a PC (Linux, Mac, Windows) and be recognized as a standard HID class mouse device. This will allow people who need to (or wish to) use such a device for an interface to work with multiple computers without having to install software and train it on different computers.
• Light Sensor submitted by John – My gadget would be one that would detect amounts of light. This could detect a fire, or tell between day and night. You could even make it detect if someone tries to use your computer. This could be used for so many things. It would also be very fun, just because of having so many things you could do with it. Anything that gives off light or reflects light could be used with this.
• Accident / Bad Driver Video Recorder submitted by Sean Canton – This is a constantly-recording device that saves 15-30 seconds of video when triggered by button or accelerometer. This could hopefully make the world a better place, especially the road.
• Kid/Baby Monitor submitted by Steve Lacey – This would use motion detectors and cameras to detect restless kids and alert via sms; send video to mac mini that is connected to my TV and embed it using picture in picture; send audio to phone, etc… Current products are all closed, and don’t do what I want them to do. Endless possibilities for parental hacks!
• WiFi Headset submitted by Scott Campbell – You can download software to your Wi-Fi enabled phone and use the Wi-Fi headset anywhere on the same Wi-Fi network. If you were in a Wi-Fi enabled city, you could leave your phone at home while being able to walk about the city. This would minimize the risk of phone theft.
• Location-aware information filter submitted by unknown – This would be a location and motion sensor for setting the context of RSS / SMS / etc. filters. Social media, RSS, SMS are generating a torrent of information – we’re all familiar with information overload. And of course, context is everything. When I’m walking around in my office, I want to know what’s happening, and I can consume it. When I’m in my car, don’t bother me with the irrelevant! Knowing where you are allows you to tune what kinds and how much information will be sent to you.
• WiFi School Bus Monitor submitted by Alex Murdock – I’d make a GPS with a camera that when the bus gets to a bus stop, it takes pictures of the kids that get on at that stop and sends the pictures to the parents of the kids that get on at that stop. This would stop kids from skipping school or not taking the bus when they are supposed to go to school. I know most parents want to know where their kids are at all times. This would just notify them if their kids are on the bus.
• Running Man submitted by Daryn Nakhuda – Use accelerometer and GPS modules to track the path and steps/rate of a run or walk, which could then be uploaded via wi-fi and mashed with Google Maps. This would be like a cross between Nike and iPods on steroids.
• i-Doorbell submitted by Mike Koss – The i-Doorbell consists of a wall-mounted BugLabs base with the LCD, Camera, Motion Detector, Microphone and Speaker (TBD) modules. When a visitor arrives at the front door, the i-Doorbell welcomes them, and takes a photo. They are invited to announce themselves, and leave a brief audio message. If someone is home, the interior doorbell is activated. If not, an SMS message is sent to the owner, as well as an email with an embeded image of the visitor. For homes with an electric strike lock, the i-Doorbell can be used to scan a 2-D barcode (e.g. a QR Code) from the camera. When a valid
  code is presented, the door can be unlocked (codes can be activated to limited periods to allow visitors or vendors to have limited entry). One device can be used to replace conventional door camera, intercom, AND card reader. Yet allows much more flexible guest access and security to a home or business.
• Taser Mate submitted by Kurt Padilla – This will sense electric fields from deployed Taser or stun gun device. It will send time-stamped location data to authorities. It may also connect to a heart monitor. This will get help to people using Tasers for self-defense faster, or gets help to Taser victims faster. This data, as well as data from the heart monitor may be useful in court, not to mention that an imminent heart attack as a result of Tasering can be preempted.
• TimeLapsr submitted by Jess Martin – This is a device for creating time-lapse videos composed of still images from either the built-in camera or your own DSLR. You can set up the TimeLapsr anywhere, and generate a timelapse video on the fly. The device can be set to be activated by motion detector, so you only catch the good stuff. You can use the built-in 2MP camera, or utilize the USB interface to take pics directly from a high-end DSLR. Once the images are taken, the BUGbase’s MPEG4 encoder can create the video immediately. This gives you a one-touch solution for creating time-lapse videos, but is also highly customizable using a high-end camera if desired. And why not tag the video with GPS info for fun? It can playback recorded timelapses using MPEG4 decoder. This would have more uses than you can list – home/shop security camera, artsy timelapse video creator, observe consumer behavior in public settings, timelapse a sunset/sunrise, in-vehicle road trip timelapses, etc.
• Universal Off Switch submitted by Daniel Bartholomew – The Universal Off Switch utilizes the BugBase, and the Touchscreen, and Electromagnetic Pulse modules. Whenever you’ve had enough of the technology around you, just press the “Pulse” button and *poof* all electronics within a 10 foot radius of you instantly and permanently turn off. Have you ever been in a crowded bar where the music is too loud? Or that oh-so-trendy store in the mall where there are like 1000 TVs blaring? Or at a restaurant where some idiot is on their cellphone right behind you and won’t shut up? Well, now you can do something about it.
• Personal Security System submitted by Jeff Thomas – This is a Motion Sensor combined with camera (with screen for later playback/review). Anytime any movement occurs, record. Place this in the car, or anywhere you want to be protected (your personal tree house for the local kid’s club ;-). Any detection of movement is recorded with maybe a 10-30 minute loop of most recent data stored. If a car is broken into, or hit, the incident is recorded. When you return to the car, you have captured the incident. A car is the most obvious, but it can be used elsewhere (like treehouse!)
• Web-A-Sizer submitted by Beth Goza – This would be a companion unit for Webpotatoes who have a hard time leaving the couch or desk for fear of missing something. This unit can be set to either display or “read” tweets, IMs, e-mail, RSS feeds and any other bit of web info that the potato would normally need to be glued to his/her screen to keep up with. There would be several choices for voices or display fonts, and the unit could sit cozily alongside various exercise equipment. Installing Televisions in gyms in the 90’s has proven hugely successful for getting couch potatoes off their arses and into the gym. Now we need to get the army of Webpotatoes moving, and bring sexy back (or at all) to Technophiles everywhere.
• EyeTrackU submitted by Jeff Norris – This will take photos and report GPS location, send to Web and map out where you spend most of your time. Send updates to tweets, read other EyeTrackU users to network in person. Build a real social network with humans. Meeting people in person and sharing ideas in the same area of the country is quite difficult, but on a common system like EyeTrackU , people can meet and work together and track where their best areas to share are.
• BikeBuddy submitted by Cassie Wallender – Today’s urban biker is more often then not, eventually going to end up in some sort of accident with a car. Anyone who’s bicycled around Seattle can tell you. Unfortunately, when it comes to proving who’s at fault, it’s often one person’s word against another. The more unbiased data you can have in situations like these, the better. BikeBuddy will automatically turn itself on when in motion, and the built in camera and GPS will track where your bike is, how fast it’s going, and the conditions around you. As long as it’s in motion, it will take a photo every 4 seconds pairing it with GPS coordinates. It can do this by emptying it’s earlier taken photos constantly as well. If you get into an accident, you would tell it to stop, and have all the most recent photos and location information at your disposal. To protect yourself while you’re trying to protect the environment. Imagine having a picture to prove that the light you went through was green, while the car that hit you was going through a red. Case closed. BikeBuddy FTW.

Wow! This is going to be a tough choice. There are some great gadget ideas here! What do you all think? Which is your favorite, and why? More importantly, what device would you design?

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Chris Levo is the President and Chief Editor of Nteract Solutions. He sent me the following email after watching my video about charging my iPhone on the go. It’s excellent information, so you should read it carefully.

I was watching your video about leaving your house with your iPhone, and needing to charge it if it runs out of juice. You mentioned a car charger being a very good idea and what should be done (retract, iGo, whatever you want to call it). Any charger that goes into the car is bad for the device battery. Why? Because the power is not regulated like in your home. In my line of work, I have seen many batteries die because people use their car chargers WAY too much. A car charger should be a LAST resort. I try to explain to customers that when they get home they obviously (well I guess 99.9% of the world) take out their wallet, keys, coins, or whatever is in their pocket before going to sleep. Make it a habit to charge your phone with your home charger.

The same goes for purchasing cheap home chargers just to save a buck. Many customers frown at $30 for a home charger because they lost theirs and say they will just go to the “flea” market and get one for $10. The ones for $10 are worse then the vehicle/12v charger port (not called a cigarette lighter in any vehicle anymore because the lighter portion does not come with the car unless you add the option. That is another answer to a question you had at the beginning of the video).

I’m tired, it’s late, but I just wanted to get this out and make you aware of the fact that using a car charger can kill the length of the battery by as much as 50% (if used more then the home charger). Just something to think about before you go plugging in your expensive device in your car charger or don’t feel like running upstairs or where ever it is in your home to plug in your device because you might be too tired. Take the extra 2 minutes and plug it into the home charger.

The moral of the story here is to be proactive when it comes to keeping your mobile device charged. Use the proper home charger. Trying to save a few bucks or some time now will end up costing you far more down the road.

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Ponzi called me while shopping with some questions about USB Hubs. I realized that many people may have the same questions, so I decided to try and answer some of those for you in this video. Her first question was “What is actually the difference between 1.0 and 2.0?” and the other one was “the price difference between 4 slots and 7 slots is only $10… so which one should I get?”

Basically, you don’t have to go with 2.0. However, if you’re going to want to plug high-speed devices into the hub, you will want to go with 2.0. What’s the difference? Speed. That’s pretty much it. USB 2.0 averages data rate of 480 Mbps, while 1.1 only gets 12Mbps. That’s approximately a difference of 40 times faster. You can’t argue with numbers like that. USB 2.0 is considered Hi-speed mode while 1.0 and 1.1 are known as full- speed USB modes.

You should also keep in mind that sometime in the near future, 2.0 will be old, and USB 3.0 will be upon us. It was gone over with a fine-toothed comb at CES 2008. USB 3.0 is rumored to have speeds of 4.8Gbits, if you can even imagine that! It also is purported to have a power system that will cut the juice when a device isn’t being used.

The 4-port USB hub may be $10.00 cheaper, but I would spend the extra money to buy the 7 port. You never hear someone saying that they have too many USB ports, do you? You’re always going to have devices that you need to connect. It’s better to have empty/open ports, than to have a need to connect something… only to find all your ports are full.

“Purple Owl” reminded me that looking for a powered USB hub is also important, to make sure you can support all USB devices (not just those that have their own power supply):

So often I have tried to use a USB hub, and found that it did not work because the hub was not powered. Why is it that almost nobody mentions that it’s SO important to have a powered USB hub? When buying my current hub online, I trudged through pages of specs, and found I simply couldn’t tell whether a hub I was interested in was powered or not.

True! Ponzi also asked me if USB will always work on both PCs and Macs. I assured her that yes, USB devices should always work on either system. The drivers may not always be the same. I’ve had an easier time getting OS X to recognize USB devices, than I ever did on a Windows platform. They usually work easier right out of the box with OS X.

Let’s also not forget that the future of USB lies in wireless. If you wander over to have a read at the USB ‘headquarters’ website, you’ll get the following description:

With more than 2 billion legacy wired USB connections in the world today, USB is the de facto standard in the personal computing industry. Soon, these same, fast, interoperable connections will become available in the wireless world, with the introduction of Wireless USB from the USB-IF. Wireless USB is the new wireless extension to USB that combines the speed and security of wired technology with the ease-of-use of wireless technology.

All in all, USB devices and gadgets are a part of every Geek’s life.

• Kensington PocketHUB Mini USB 2.0 – Hub – 4 ports – Hi-Speed USB external
• Orange Rubber Spikey Tentacle 3-port USB Hub
• M&M’s USB LED Desk Light – M&M’s Licensed Product
• Swissgear Usb 2.0 4-Port Swivel Hub
• Xterasys 4-Port USB Mini Hub (Blue) – XH-144
• Kensington Key Hub with Numeric Keypad & 2 Port USB Hub – 1500045
• Belkin USB 2.0 4-Port Ultra Mini Hub F5U407
• Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN
• Cables To Go 28270 USB 2.0 Mobile Office Retractable Cable Kit
• IOGEAR WRLS USB HUB AND ADAPTER
• Welch Allyn Model 08277-0000 – Usb Hub
• Welch Allyn Model 08279-0000 – Usb 2 Port Thumb Hub
• Casio Men’s G-Shock Atomic Tough Solar Atomic Watch #GW500A-1V
• 4PORT USB Hub with 1 Remote Port Over CAT5
• All in 1 Media Card R/W USB ULT31803
• Cables Unlimited – USB extender – 4 pin USB Type A (F) – 4 pin USB Type A (M) – 16 ft – beige
• Mobile Four Port USB 1.1 Hub, Self Powered (IVR37701) Category: Computer Hardware
• Gefen USB/Firewire Hub Combo Gefen EXT-USB-FW
• Doctor Who Tardis 4-Port USB Hub
• Speed Racer U.B. Funkeys Personal Computer PC Game Starter Kit with 1 Speed Racer U.B. Hub with USB Cable, 2 Funkeys (Speed Racer and Chim-Chim), Installation CD and Instruction Manual
• Star Wars R2D2 European Import USB Hub
• Toshiba PA1390U-1NKP Slim USB Numeric Keypad with 2-Port USB Hub
• Tripp Lite U225-004-R 4-Port USB2.0 Hub
• Rolodex Hub 3 Power/USB (2)
• Connections Presentation Kit
• Mobile Edge USB 2.0 3-Port Hub & Card Reader/Writer Business Accessories
• Mobile Edge USB 2.0 4-Port Mini-Hub w/ Wrap-Around Connector Business Accessories
• How To Sell USB Hubs Online With Absolutely No Inventory
• Unraveling The Inner Game To Usb Hub Sales Success Online
• Proven Success Secrets For Your Usb Hub Online Business
• PS PS2 USB Dual Controller to PC Adapter Converter
• PS3 Media Hub +
• Rock Band USB Hub

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PongoShawn writes: “As the years go by, more and more people are buying wireless devices.” Here are some tips he sent in for you to keep in mind when purchasing one.

• Consider a case! At one point in time, we all drop our cell phones accidentally, or purposely. Under certain conditions, if your phone is dropped, you may damage your phone beyond repair. Wouldn’t you rather pay for a case versus a new phone?
• Know your accessories and shop online for a possible discount. I was looking for a BlueTooth headset for my phone in stores, and once I logged into my account online, I found out that I qualified for a $20 discount. If you do not have a absolute need for the accessory, then it will pay to shop around, especially online.
• Go to look at the phone in stores. By doing this, you ensure that you do not get any surprises and you know what you are paying for. This has got my friends so many times, and each time they do it, they wish they would have seen the phone in stores before purchasing it.
• Consider a two year plan for your phone. This usually means that you will not have a setup fee (depends on which brand you choose) and you will have a lower price on the phone. The only downside is that SHOULD you want to cancel the two year contract, the prices are quite high. After a two year plan, you are eligible to purchase a new phone for a discounted rate.
• What do you want a phone for? Texting? Music? Navigation? These are important questions to consider when purchasing a phone. If you like text messaging, then you would not need to get a music phone. If you are interested in having a good multimedia gadget, then you should consider the iPhone or competitor LG Voyager.
• BONUS TIP I would not recommend purchasing a phone at another retailer, such as Best Buy. I have seen many people coming to the customer support because they cannot activate their phone. I would always purchase the phone in the retailer’s store – By purchasing in store, you can ask any questions to the representative that you may have, as well as get support with the first time setup.

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You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole, unless the square peg has a USB port. USB adapters are great, because they allow you to have backwards compatibility with legacy devices. Just about every computer has USB.
My friends at SewellDirect.com sent me this USB to Cardbus Adapter for 3G high-speed modems.

Never be out of touch with your e-mail, VPN, chat, or other internet service again with this USB to Cardbus adapter for wireless 3G data cards. Newer notebook computers have phased out the PCMCIA (cardbus) slot in favor of the newer ExpressCard slot, leaving PCMCIA data card owners high and dry. Regain your access with this adapter that plugs into any available USB port!

This card works with a large number of cutting-edge wireless 3G cards. Please see below to see if your card is supported. Great for connecting laptops, desktops, or specialist systems (like point-of-sale systems), this U142 adapter will keep you connected when you need to be connected.

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Just like the word espresso is often mispronounced, so are a lot of tech words mispronounced, and misused.

• Palm Devices are not PalmPilots. Palm devices haven’t been titled PalmPilot in over 8 years now. It’s time to stop calling them PalmPilots. You can thank a lawsuit by the makers of the Pilot pen for this. They are to now be called Palm devices or Palm Treo, Palm V, Palm VII, Palm PDA, etc..
• Cell phone’s aren’t cellular anymore. Most phone companies don’t use cellular technology anymore. Yet nobody uses the term “wireless phone”. Calling today’s wireless phones “cellular” is like calling a CD a cassette tape. Yes there are still some cellular networks, but why call a phone that doesn’t use cellular technology a cell phone? Heck, they often aren’t even a “phone” anymore. They are mobile devices. They do far more these days than to just act as a phone.

If you have other tech terms that you are trying to get through someone’s head, and they just aren’t listening? Send me an email or leave a follow up comment to let me know so I can share them with the world.

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I love USB – it’s simple, sexy, and ubiquitous. I’m probably the only guy on the planet who would describe the Universal Serial Bus as “sexy,” but I still remember fiddling with RS-232 ports back in the day (very unsexy). If a device doesn’t accept a charge by USB, throw it back – it’s simply not worth the hassle, otherwise. And if you think that the world of USB has been relegated to storage devices and media players, think again:

• dialog05’s USB Tie
• USB Hamster Wheel
• USB Smokeless Ashtray
• USB Tag Pet ID
• USB Flower Pod Speaker

And there are thousands more USB devices that are equally as… strange. I’ve seen some serious doozies in my holiday shopping travels. If I could, I’d collect every strange USB gizmo on the planet. I was half hoping to find a few listed on pt’s open source gift guide.

What’s the weirdest USB device you’ve ever heard of?

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