Siri’s Co-Founder Unveils a Next Generation Virtual Assistant

At this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt NY, Dag Kittlaus—a co-creator of Siri—unveiled what he hopes to be the next generation of virtual assistants. He calls the product Viv, and it differentiates itself from Siri through its deeper understanding of intent and an ability to program itself to best answer queries. Viv’s strengths also lie in its third-party integration capabilities, which remain at the heart of Viv’s …

BioLite’s Portable BaseLantern

A Bluetooth-connected flatpack lamp doubles as a mini smartgrid and even has a few party tricks

Portable energy brand BioLite (perhaps best known for their CampStove and its continued developments) is no stranger to Kickstarter. Two years ago, they successfully funded and delivered upon a campaign that raised over a million dollars for their fire-to-electricity stove. They return to the crowdfunding platform today with another innovation that will help campers everywhere. The BaseLantern is more than a sandwich-sized flatpack lantern. It …

Mushroom Lamp and iPhone Dock

An ambient, portable light that also charges your device

While there’s no shortage of iPhone chargers and docks in the world, not many combine extra uses, portability and a cute design. The Mushroom Lamp—currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter—promises to charge your phone and provide ambient lighting, at the same time. A joint venture between design start-up ZISION Studio and IDMIX, who have experience working on products with Apple MFi (aka Made For iPod, iPad, iPhone—which …