Rise of 'baby gadgets'... - New monitors equipped with night vision... - the rise of goo-goo gadgets -
At the Bugaboo showroom in Henley-on-Thames I found myself mesmerised. More out of politeness and necessity – I am soon to be a father – than of interest, I had gone to see the prams. But I was quickly drawn in by the range, the engineering and gadgetry behind it, and the fact that the demonstrators talked about the stroller's "chassis" and showed the satisfying click noises it makes when put together.
It was the start of a journey of discovery, where I found a previously unknown interest in baby products. This was largely due to their increasingly technological nature, which means that these new takes on the old classics are being marketed towards gadget fans.
Well aware of the trend, technology magazine T3 has a Tech Dad section devoted entirely to parenting gadgets, and according to Mark Mayne, T3's online editor, it's not a difficult section to fill. "The volume of stuff we're getting through is increasing dramatically, and big brands are approaching us a lot more. They're definitely interested in getting into a tech magazine," he says.
Mayne believes that it is a trend reflected across all manner of lifestyle products.
"You can see it with kitchen gadgets and fitness products as well. Increasingly, the selling point is technology and that often plays to a male audience, which likes to think it is more au fait with that kind of thing. There has been a huge explosion in child-care related tech."
Whether they are toys that play the sound of a mother's heartbeat or baby gyms that come with iPod docks built in, these items seem a lifetime away from the world of Silver Cross prams and wooden building blocks. But then the baby-product market is booming, thanks to parents who don't want hand-me-downs and hanker after the most hi-tech functionality. According to Mintel, 84 per cent of British parents purchase a new pram. In the US, the luxury-baby category is projected to grow to $10.6bn (£6.44bn) next year.
Nothing seems to be safe from this hi-tech mission creep. Take baby monitors. Until recently they were little more than glorified intercom systems. Two weeks ago I was contacted by D-Link, originally a network and communications product manufacturer, now creator of the EyeOn Baby Camera (£129.99). This new model incorporates a thermometer and a built-in lullaby function with almost military-sounding capabilities such as sound sensors, "night-vision infrared LEDs" and remote access so that you can watch your child on your phone or tablet wherever you are. Just like Netflix, really.
There are monitors with special movement sensors for the cot and then there is Exmobaby. This looks like any ordinary cotton babygro, but inside it has a strap to monitor the activity of your baby's heart, and on the outside there are movement sensors and a thermometer.
Described by its maker as a "smart garment", the outfit will then send you a text message to let you know the baby's vital signs. Never mind that reason tells you that you could tell all these things by, you know, actually picking the child up. There is still the lingering doubt (particularly for the parent with money to burn – the Exmobaby and its accompanying system cost $1,000 when it launched) that when the child is born you might not hear it cry.
Read more -
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-rise-of-googoo-gadgets-hey-baby-nice-wheels-8998565.html
At the Bugaboo showroom in Henley-on-Thames I found myself mesmerised. More out of politeness and necessity – I am soon to be a father – than of interest, I had gone to see the prams. But I was quickly drawn in by the range, the engineering and gadgetry behind it, and the fact that the demonstrators talked about the stroller's "chassis" and showed the satisfying click noises it makes when put together.
It was the start of a journey of discovery, where I found a previously unknown interest in baby products. This was largely due to their increasingly technological nature, which means that these new takes on the old classics are being marketed towards gadget fans.
Well aware of the trend, technology magazine T3 has a Tech Dad section devoted entirely to parenting gadgets, and according to Mark Mayne, T3's online editor, it's not a difficult section to fill. "The volume of stuff we're getting through is increasing dramatically, and big brands are approaching us a lot more. They're definitely interested in getting into a tech magazine," he says.
Mayne believes that it is a trend reflected across all manner of lifestyle products.
"You can see it with kitchen gadgets and fitness products as well. Increasingly, the selling point is technology and that often plays to a male audience, which likes to think it is more au fait with that kind of thing. There has been a huge explosion in child-care related tech."
Whether they are toys that play the sound of a mother's heartbeat or baby gyms that come with iPod docks built in, these items seem a lifetime away from the world of Silver Cross prams and wooden building blocks. But then the baby-product market is booming, thanks to parents who don't want hand-me-downs and hanker after the most hi-tech functionality. According to Mintel, 84 per cent of British parents purchase a new pram. In the US, the luxury-baby category is projected to grow to $10.6bn (£6.44bn) next year.
Nothing seems to be safe from this hi-tech mission creep. Take baby monitors. Until recently they were little more than glorified intercom systems. Two weeks ago I was contacted by D-Link, originally a network and communications product manufacturer, now creator of the EyeOn Baby Camera (£129.99). This new model incorporates a thermometer and a built-in lullaby function with almost military-sounding capabilities such as sound sensors, "night-vision infrared LEDs" and remote access so that you can watch your child on your phone or tablet wherever you are. Just like Netflix, really.
There are monitors with special movement sensors for the cot and then there is Exmobaby. This looks like any ordinary cotton babygro, but inside it has a strap to monitor the activity of your baby's heart, and on the outside there are movement sensors and a thermometer.
Described by its maker as a "smart garment", the outfit will then send you a text message to let you know the baby's vital signs. Never mind that reason tells you that you could tell all these things by, you know, actually picking the child up. There is still the lingering doubt (particularly for the parent with money to burn – the Exmobaby and its accompanying system cost $1,000 when it launched) that when the child is born you might not hear it cry.
Read more -
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/the-rise-of-googoo-gadgets-hey-baby-nice-wheels-8998565.html
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