Devices and Gadgets I am working with

On the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, this blog is about the devices and gadgets that I have. I expect to read about all sorts of new devices and gadgets that will be announced at this year's CES show. I used some of these devices and gadgets in my developer keynote at the 2013 Zend Conference in October (you can watch the keynote on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vGV4fF4KCM). For developers these new devices and gadgets offer big opportunities for new applications and also integration into your existing systems. Jim McKeeth and I will be presenting a RAD in Action webinar, "Making the Connection: Programming Devices and Gadgets with RAD Studio" on January 22, 2014 at 6am, 11am and 5pm Pacific Time.

Devices and Gadgets I Own

Pebble SmartWatch - a cool watch with a clear display, downloadable watch faces and apps, ability to tether to your bluetooth based computers to push notifications, messages, emails, control music and more. Pebble was funded by a successful Kickstarter project. A developer API (SDK 2.0 beta 4) is available now - https://developer.getpebble.com/

Philips Hue - wireless LED fill spectrum lights that you can control via your devices and computers.  I can create a tie dye room, help avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), create room lighting for parties and work spaces and more. The starter pack comes with 3 wireless LED lights and a Bridge that allows communication between apps and the lights. There is a developer program and API available -  http://developers.meethue.com/

NEST Thermostat and NEST Protect - I can query and control my heater anywhere in the world using my smartphones and computers. The NEST Thermostat connects via WiFi to allow you to program your home's heating and cooling. I recently purchased two NEST Protect which also use WiFi and have smoke and Carbon Monoxide sensors to protect my family. These products also have numerous sensors including motion, temperature, heat, humidity, ambient light. With the motion sensors, for example, the thermostat it lights up and also knows when there is no recent activity (Auto Away) and the on the NEST Protect you can use a gesture to wave off a smoke alarm. A developer program is being scheduled to start this year - https://nest.com/developer/

iHealth Lab wireless Blood Pressure, Oximeter and Gluco-Monitoring - In the past I have had USB based blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring devices. Now I have WiFi based health monitoring devices. I purchased these as part of demo that I am building to be able to monitor my body while I am giving a presentation and use our developer tools to receive the data and display it in real time. There are apps you can download for your smartphones.

Google Glass - wearable display from Google that runs Android operating system and apps. Glass comes wht motion sensor, touch/gesture bar and more. You can take pictures, record movies, search the web and more. You can download the MyGlass Android app or iOS app for your smartphone. You can build Delphi apps and install and run them on Glass.  Jim McKeeth and David I both have blog posts showing how to build and deploy native code Delphi apps if you have Google Glass. I can't wait for companies to start providing prescription lenses for Glass so that I don't have to prop them on top of my glasses frame. The Glass GDK preview and developer information are available at https://developers.google.com/glass/

VeraLite Smart Home Automation Controller - built-in Wifi allows you to control Z-Wave based devices via the Internet, using iOS and Android apps and other plug-ins. Along with controller, I have a Kwickset  smartcode deadbolt door lock with a Z-Wave card. You can open and close the deadbolt lock using a key, smartphone app or your computer. Using RAD Studio XE5's new REST Client components you can easily build home control applications for your Windows, OSX, iOS and Android devices. VeraLite uses the MiOS operating system and you can build your own apps. MiOS developer information can be found at http://www.mios.com/developers/.

Parrot AR-Drone 2.0 - includes two cameras and uses WiFi to allow you to use your smartphone, tablet and computers to control your personal drone. The AR-Drone uses the Android operating system and has a developer api for creating apps. In addition to the quad copter, I have added a longer life battery and the GPS+Data Recorder add on. I use mine, for example, to check the status of my gutters and roof. There is also an AR.DRONE open API platform available at https://projects.ardrone.org/.

Programming Devices and Gadgets Webinar - January 22, 2014 at 6am, 11am and 5pm Pacific Time

Join Jim and me at our upcoming "programming devices and gadgets" webinar on January 22, 2014 - you will see us use RAD Studio to integrate with and program these and other devices. You will find additional information and can register now at http://forms.embarcadero.com/DevicesWebinar1-22.