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Grillin' iOS-style with Supermechanical's Range thermometers
Grilling time is here! And even it wasn't, you'd probably want Supermechanical's cool Range smart thermometers (US$69.95) at your side to make sure your favorite yummy meat, tasty brew, or sweet candy cooks properly. I grilled up some marinated chicken breasts the other day while I was sipping wine for my test of the BACtrack Mobile breathalyzer, and found the Range Ember to be a great tool for grilling. Design Highlights There are two models of the Range: Ember, which is designed with a 3-inch sharp tip so that it slips right into meat; and Aqua, designed with a 6-inch rounded tip and designed more for making candy, checking temperatures of home-brews, etc... I tested the Range Ember instead of the Aqua as I grill a lot -- even in mid-winter -- and wanted to see if this would keep me from occasionally overcooking steaks. Both models come with a 4.5-foot silicone cable that withstands heat up to 450°F, but not direct flame. There's a handy round "finger hole" for holding the Range, which also does double-duty as a clip for keeping the device from falling into a pot. I was impressed with the clever packaging -- a styrofoam meat tray (see photo above). The non-pointy end of the Range has an earphone/microphone plug that goes into the corresponding jack on your iPhone or iPad. And of course, like all iOS-enabled hardware accessories, Range comes with a free app. Functionality Highlights The real power of the Range comes into play when you use the app. Probably the most impressive feature is being able to set up alerts with a single tap. For example, I wanted my chicken to be cooked to a USDA-approved 165°F internal temperature. By tapping a chicken button on the app, it set the alert for that temperature. When the chicken reached that temperature, I was rewarded with visual and audio alerts -- this one sounding like a dinner bell... But what if you're using your iPhone to check the meat temperature and you're in another room? Not to worry -- the Range software notifies you on all of your devices as long as you've plugged the same Range into all of the devices at least once. The app also lets you set a timer if you wish, simply by "drawing a clock" with your finger on the main screen. That's a very intuitive gesture! Setting a temperature alert is as simple as pulling the "clip" up from the bottom of the app screen to the desired temperature, and then tapping it to set it. There are presets for USDA or Gourmet-approved cooking temperatures for steaks, pork, chicken, and burgers. Turning the iPhone or iPad into landscape mode shows a plot of temperature versus time. My one complaint about the app is that you can't use the pinch/reverse pinch gestures to zoom in and out on that plot. Instead, you have to scroll back and forth. I'd prefer to see all of the temperature history on one screen. Conclusion For anyone who wants to achieve a higher level of cooking perfection, Supermechanical's Range smart thermometers are a wonderful kitchen accessory for your favorite iOS device. The price is higher than "dumb" thermometers, but it's nice to be able to have the Range watch your food temperatures on the grill while you're inside the kitchen fixing sides. Rating: 3-1/2 stars out of 4 stars possible
Twine Cloud Shield puts Arduino gadgets online in seconds (video)
If you're hip-deep in Arduino projects, you're likely aware of shields: graft-on boards that add functionality, most often getting the Arduino in touch with the rest of the world. Many of these require more than a little coding skill to get the ball rolling, even in light of the Netduino, which has led Supermechanical to unveil its new Twine Cloud Shield. The board links the Arduino to a Twine WiFi sensor and gives the Arduino every internet feature the Twine can offer through just three lines of code. There's even a pair of touchpads on the shield to trigger actions through capacitive touch. Do be prepared to pony up for that ease of use when it costs $35 for the Cloud Shield alone, and $150 to bundle one with the Twine. Still, the outlay may be justified if you're more interested in quickly finishing a fun experiment than frittering your time away on the basics.
Pebble ties itself up in Twine: sounds so rustic, couldn't be any less (video)
Take an e-ink e-paper smartwatch that's got plenty of willing customers, throw in a WiFi-connected sensor box and well, imagine the possibilities. The founders behind Pebble and Twine hope you are, because they have announced that the pair will be connectable through the latter's web-based interface. This means you'll be able to setup text notifications to your wrist when your laundry's done, when someone's at your door and plenty more mundane real-world tasks. A brief video explains how it should all go down, but try not to get too excited -- pre-orders are sadly sold out.
Insert Coin: Twine connects your whole world to the internet
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Wouldn't it be great if your laundry emailed you when it had finished? You got a tweet every time the room got too cold, or your basement sent you a text if it began to flood? "Easy," says the Arduino expert in the peanut gallery, but what about those with neither the time nor inclination to solder and program it from scratch? Fortunately, the gentlemen who founded Supermechanical feel our pain and have just the tonic for our maladies -- head on past the break to find out more.
