Author: Nicole DiGiose

AntiGravity Flying Fitness: Flipping and Flying in a Hammock

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

I swung over to a small fitness studio for my first AntiGravity Flying Fitness class tonight. Sounds cool, right? But you never heard of it, have you? Up until last month, neither did I. While browsing around for a fun, fit activity, this crazy form of working out caught my attention and I had to give it a whirl. I’ve seen pictures and watched videos before stepping into the studio, so I went in knowing what to expect, but what I didn’t know was how challenging I’d find it to be.

The AntiGravity Flying Fitness studio I hung out in.

The AntiGravity Flying Fitness studio I hung out in.

I went it, filled out an emergency contact form, grabbed a squishy rubber mat and set it up beneath one of the unrolled orange hammocks hanging from the ceiling. Once everyone was ready, my instructor introduced herself and then proceeded to, in a soothing yoga-sounding voice, walk us through hopping into the hammocks and then got us going with some warm-ups.

We rode the hammock like a horse and swung back and forth, then we swung on it like a swing, and twisted our arms, legs, and bodies around in all sorts of shapes to get used to the feeling of the hammock holding our weight. Read More

Tips to Get Inspiration Back in Your Life

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Swimming in the Sky, June 2010

Skydiving, June 2010.

Your life is unique, your life is yours. You might often find yourself tangled in what seems to be the routine of your everyday life, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some life-expanding tips I’ve put together in hopes of lighting a spark in all who read these words from my mind-spill.

Create a bucket list

This will give you something to look forward to; this will pave the path to mingling with goals. Want to jump from a plane? Travel across the world? Learn a new language? Write a story? Run a mile? You have a life and you have a mind, so use them, love them! Life has so many gifts for you — you have to unwrap them. Once created, it’s good to keep your bucket list in a place where you will see it. Showing it off to others can help you get moving on it too, since then they can either join you on some epic quests or support your life-loving ideas.

Get physical

Being uninspired can often leave you feeling stagnant. Know that being physically strong and flexible also makes you mentally strong and flexible, cooking up the recipe for an open mind. A good way to guide yourself to a better mental state is to get your body involved in some good fun. Hiking, rock climbing, biking, dancing, kick-boxing, yoga. An open mind and a strong body go a long way, and these experiences make for good stories to inspire others. Read More

Play music and make calls with a wireless smart button

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Flic creates a shortcut to your favorite actions on your smartphone

Though it appears to be nothing more than a pleasant-looking button, Flic can actually be set to make your life simpler. Known as a smart button, it can do pretty much anything you want it to do (within reason) on a daily basis, such as snapping photos, playing music, and snoozing your alarm.

Flic_Buttons

Flic comes in a variety of colors.

Because it can stick to various surfaces, including those outside, Flic can be a part of so many things. Once set up via the accompanying app, which works with both iOS and Android, each button can be set to execute three actions — one by clicking, another by double-clicking, and another by pressing and holding. The buttons connect to a user’s smartphone via Bluetooth Low-energy and have a range of up to 150 feet.

Smaller than a quarter, Flic is housed in a silicon mold and can withstand outdoor environments and dust. It also comes with a reusable double-sided adhesive, which can easily be cleaned if it gets dirty. Read More

Portable wireless breathalyzer pairs with smartphone app

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Breathometer’s Breeze pairs via Bluetooth with any iOS or Android smartphone

Earlier this year the breath analysis technology company, Breathometer unveiled Breeze, the first wearable breathalyzer on the market. With its ultra-fast accurate results and easy portability, Breeze breaks new ground when it comes to personal smartphone breathalyzers.

Designed to be paired with the Breathometer app, which features integration with Uber, local restaurants, and hotels, Breeze connects via Bluetooth LE to read a user’s blood alcohol content (BAC).

Fortunately, using the breathalyzer is easy. First, the user must open the mobile app on his or her smartphone, and then when prompted, blow for five seconds directly at the LED illuminated hole on the device from about two inches away. Once measured, the app will provide an estimate of how long it will take the user to get back down to zero.

Breeze_Device

Breeze is portable and easy to use. Image via TechCrunch.

What happens when the app finds a user isn’t ready to get behind the wheel? It’s all set to display its useful features such as menu items to help get users home safely without having to drive. Read More

My experience with the Samsung Gear S smartwatch

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

A personal review

It’s been three weeks since I’ve gotten my hands on a Samsung Gear S smartwatch, and overall I’m pleased with it. I was honestly expecting it to be a high-tech smartphone accessory, since that seems to be what most smartwatches are, but there’s much more to it, which was impressive. First off, the Gear S has its own SIM-card slot, gets its own cell service and data, and comes with an additional battery pack. Pretty much, it’s a watch that’s also a phone.

Gear_S_Smartwatch

What caught my attention right off the bat was the modern, attractive look to the Gear S. It has a big, bright, curved 2-inch 480 x 360-pixel AMOLED display, which leaves plenty of room for swiping and pinching on the screen. To top it off, the watch comes with customizable screen clock faces to express your own style, and a snap-on adjustable wristband for a comfortable fit.

As for receiving notifications, there weren’t any issues (and it was quite exciting the first few times I received a text or an email and saw it come up on my watch), as long as I had my Samsung phone nearby. Even though the Gear S is seen as an independent smartwatch, it needs to be paired with your Samsung smartphone for most of its features to work, and it requires a connected data plan to use it as a cellular device. Read More

Wearable tech makes your skin function like a tablet

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Ready or not, the future has arrived

Recently there have been many new additions to the wearable technology market, but the Cicret Bracelet really jumps out from the crowd. What’s so different about it, you ask? Well, it projects a touchscreen onto your arm.

Cicret_Bracelet

Image via Cicret.

Though it’s probably likely that most people aren’t pushing and shoving to try this one out, the reasoning behind it is this: By having a touchscreen displayed on your arm, you can very easily access and work your apps without having to take out your phone. So far it seems to work similar to the way you’d view information on a tablet. Read More