This week’s Smart Living roundup features a universal heads-up display mount, a smart hub that now supports Android, and another Chinese company entering the connected car market.

GogglePal

Snow sports enthusiasts looking for a device to improve their game may be interested in a new project preparing to launch Kickstarter, Inc. for a gadget called GogglePal from AR Devices LLC.

GogglePal is a device that snaps onto snow goggles, and tracks in real-time the speed, vertical drop, calories burned, acceleration, and rotation of the user. The GogglePal module also allows the user to review performance and track the routes travelled, and even pinpoint the user’s location on a resort map. For those vacationing with a group, GogglePal or its accompanying smartphone app provides a useful way to track down friends, especially in the event of an emergency.

GogglePal also features a 6-axis gyroscope, long battery life and trail summaries, and it fits onto almost any pair snow goggles out in the market, minimizing the amount of gear needed to use this product.

Revolv now on Android

Revolv Inc., the smart home hub maker, announced that it has updated its iOS app, finally released an app for Android devices, and has officially integrated with with Nest Labs Inc.’s popular learning thermostat.

The iOS and Android apps offer an improved interface to help users efficiently manage their smart home devices. Its integration with Nest allows users to set up automated actions for the learning thermostat based on their location and daily schedule.

The apps are now available for free on Google Play and the App Store.

China building its connected car market

SAIC Motor Corporation Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. signed a partnership to develop Internet-connected cars.  The partnership aims to integrate SAIC’s systems such as the electronic control unit and anti-lock braking system to Aliyun, the cloud-based operating system developed by AliCloud, a subsidiary of Alibaba.

An Alibaba executive acknowledge the risks and safety concerns that come with connecting cars to the Internet, stating that the company will be working on how to address these safety concerns.

Earlier this year, two other Chinese companies launched their in-car offerings.  Baidu, Inc. released its CarNet platform enables mobile voice search, map location search as well as other functionalities to the cars dashboard. Tencent Holdings Ltd. followed with the release of Lubao Box, a plug-in device for the car’s on-board diagnostics allowing the owner or a mechanic to check on the status of the cat using Lubao, an accompanying smartphone app developed also by Tencent.

photo credit: Fotografik33 via photopin cc