Tech Talk

While at CES 2015, I had the pleasure to sit down and have a wide-ranging talk with Radek Tadajewski, CEO of OORT. His company has been working mostly behind the scenes in the burgeoning Internet of Things market. They are making fast advances in directions that deserve attention.

So What Exactly Does OORT Do?

OORT is a manufacturer of wireless devices that can be directly controlled through Bluetooth Smart using a free app that is available for both smartphones and tablets. By themselves, without any hub or extra hardware, these devices can be grouped into virtual networks so that any number of them can be controlled by a single tap of a button.

However, if they are part of a network controlled by OORT’s hub, these same devices can also be controlled remotely from anywhere in the world via the internet. The hub is not available yet but it should be soon. OORT is expecting to receive their EU certification in early February and, having already secured three distributors in Europe, hope to ship shortly thereafter.

What Makes OORT Different?

This lack of needing a hub is at the core of OORT’s philosophy.  Buy any single one of their components, download the free app, and you can start using it immediately. It makes the entry cost of getting your first SmartHome IOT device much more affordable.

Not only are the OORT components less expensive because they don’t require a hub, they are typically less expensive as a single component. For example, currently their [easyazon_link asin=”B00GC8LSPA” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”uneomediacom-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]SmartLED BLE Enabled Smart Bulb[/easyazon_link] costs $39.90 vs. the [easyazon_link asin=”B00HNLQQ7K” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”uneomediacom-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Philips Hue Bulb[/easyazon_link] which starts at $60. The price for the OORT should fall even lower as they start manufacturing in higher volumes. They expect the price for their bulbs will eventually drop to below $30.

The app will also control and track data from other devices that OORT has in the pipeline, including beacons, pet trackers, thermostats, light switches, air quality sensors, and more. These devices can be organized into groups so that a single press of a button on a touchscreen will change the settings of all the devices assigned to each group. You can have as many groups as you want, and in as many locations as you want. That means you can set up multiple preferences by group for work, home, or anywhere you are using your OORT Bluetooth-enabled devices.

It is worth repeating: not only will it do this without a hub but it will also do this without the internet! Many, if not all, of their competitors require internet connectivity and rely on cloud services to make their magic. Not OORT! They allow a tremendous amount of functionality right from the start, with a single device and a free app from either Apple iTunes or Google Play. No registration, no creating an account, no surrendering of personal data… unless you want to. Currently there is a lot of concern among the general public about privacy and security issues. So, when it comes to starting your own SmartHome or Internet of Things network, QTOOTH feels like OORT’s approach will lower the resistance barrier to the point of a non-issue.

The hub can control 1000s of devices, allowing a variety of complex networks to be configured and to respond to the needs of many users. Hubs can also control things based upon proximity to connected devices using things such as wearables or embedded beacons.

We here at QTOOTH love most things open source, so we think it is a very smart move that OORT is the first to offer a truly open ecosystem of devices. Just about any Bluetooth device can be incorporated into the network. They have an open API and SDK (Application Program Interface and Software Development Kit, respectively) and supply development kits for anyone who wants to try their hand at adding their own Bluetooth controlled devices into the ecosystem.

Originally, OORT thought that they would be a consumer-facing company, selling their devices directly to the public. However, there has been a tremendously positive response to their approach from some pretty major players in the SmartHome market. Although selling their product to consumer is still very much a part of the plan, they have done a bit of a pivot to address the needs of the their business-to-business clientele. Even this has further segmented itself into more tightly focused opportunities:

First, OORT offers startup companies and independent developers an excellent end-to-end solution to make their products “smart”. By leveraging the hardware and embedded software technology that OORT already has in place, products can join the Internet of Things in 6-9 months.

Second, OORT is already already working with several major brands including an appliance manufacturer that will be coming out with a line of smart kitchen appliances by the end of 2015.

And finally, in a move that could have significant impact on many industries, OORT is currently helping to develop SmartHome-enabled set top boxes with several partners using OORT’s technology. This means that the same box that provide major utilities in the home, including power, internet, telephone, and cable, will also be acting as your hub for your connected devices. This will give these big players the opportunity to sell services that are targeted specifically to the end customer based on their known use habits. There may come a time when it will make more sense for these providers to give the hardware away for free but charge for cloud-based services. Another opportunity for OORT is that the information that each device collects is sent to OORT’s cloud for processing before being forwarded to the provider’s cloud.

The good news is that all of these business-to-business endeavors should not only help to increase the rate of adoption of OORT’s technology among developers, but to also hasten the availability of one of the more open-ended systems for consumers.

OORT is a member of the Bluetooth SIG’s SmartHome Market, the consortium of Bluetooth manufacturers that set the standards which all Bluetooth products must follow. It’s for these types of innovative approaches that OORT has been nominated for a 2015 Bluetooth SIG Breakthrough Award for Breakthrough Prototypes. Of course by the time the award winners are announced in March at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, OORT should be making some waves as their presence starts to be felt within the industry. OORT CEO Radek Tadajewski will also be a featured speaker at Bluetooth World in April.

On a final note, we were curious to know how it was to start a forward thinking company in a country like Poland. Was it an issue being so far away from some of the traditional centers for technology and funding, like Silicon Valley or New York City? No, according to Radek Tadajewski. Starting any company any where presents its challenges but it can also make for some unique opportunities. There are a lot of beacon companies already in Poland and, due to its centralized location in Europe, a lot of big companies have setup R&D (research and development) facilities there. And from a venture capitalist’s perspective the “rate of burn”, or how quickly a startup company burns through its investors’ money, is significantly slower. This gives the company more time to develop its product and market before needing another round of investment or just simply going out of business. This is due in no small way because the average pay for qualified employees is about 1/3 of what can be in more mature markets. Poland also enjoys a large base of highly trained engineers and other talent that are hungry for the jobs and the challenges that startups and hi-tech companies typically offer.

We are looking forward to seeing where things go for OORT over the course of the next year. Big things seem to be on the horizon for them and it seems like we all stand to benefit from their efforts and forward-thinking vision.

In the meantime, check out our review of a few of their currently available individual devices.

As mentioned in the title of the article, there are so many options these days for controlling our electronics that it makes us wonder… is there a future for the once mighty and all powerful computer mouse? Of course, this might make you wonder why we are even doing a [easyazon_link asin=”B002HWRJBM” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”uneomediacom-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX for PC and Mac[/easyazon_link] review. Hasn’t it been on the market for over five years? But these are exactly the reasons why we want to take another look at it.

Similar to our second look at the enduring popularity of the LG Tone+ HBS-700 & HBS-730 Bluetooth Headsets, we wanted to find out why this remains one of the best selling, most popular mice on the market, beating out almost every wired and wireless model in existence. Not only that, it gives evidence that there is a huge amount of people out there who just plain prefer them over every development in human-to-computer interface technology, including not only the now readily-available touch pads and touch screens, but also the ever-improving forms like eye-tracking, gesture control and voice-activation. Please note that the Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX is meant as a best-in-class device for typical uses, such as office or web work. We treat gaming mice as a separate class and will do a review on the most popular version soon. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what the Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX offers!

The Basics

Comfort – It is an asymmetrically sculpted, ergonomically designed mouse. What it sacrifices in the ability to be used in either hand it more than makes up for by being incredibly comfortable. This is one of the most natural feeling we’ve used. It disappears into the hand and we experienced little if any fatigue over extended use.

Rechargeable – It recharges through USB, so just connecting it to your computer or any powered USB hub or device will get you back in business quickly. The Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX comes with a micro-USB cable to do this. Each charge can last up to a month depending on use. If the battery does die, it is a very easy to find single AA rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery. We appreciate that they didn’t choose some odd, hard to-find size like some manufacturers seem to do.

Versatile – There are 9 buttons, 4 of which are thumb buttons that can change functionality depending on the software being used and/or user choice. There are ingertip controls for hyper-fast scrolling, quick-zoom and more. There is a button just below the scroll wheel that changes how it operates, varying between a “clicky” feel and a completely smooth, fluid feel. The fluid mode makes the wheel free-spinning, so you can actually ‘flick’ the wheel and it’ll keep spinning after you take your finger off. Great for extended documents, email threads, and web pages. The click-by-click mode is great for precise, line-by-line navigation of lists, slides and photos. The scroll wheel can also be tilted to the left and right for side-to-side scrolling. The convenient thumb buttons can help you things like quickly flip through web histories.

Wireless – It’s interesting to note that this is NOT a Bluetooth wireless device. Instead, the Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX opts for using a 2.4 GHz UHF signal. There are some tradeoffs here, but mostly it’s a positive. First, Logitech provides a USB dongle that acts as a receiver. It needs to be plugged into your device’s USB port for the mouse to work. Luckily, the receiver is so small you can basically leave it plugged in even when transporting the device. Logitech also has other accessories in the line, referred to as Unifying Technologies, that can work off the same dongle. A single Unifying dongle can connect up to 6 Unifying compatible devices, allowing you to add accessories like a Unifying wireless keyboard without having to manage multiple USB receivers. Second, 2.4GHZ has up to a 30m range, much greater than the 10m average range of most Bluetooth devices. We typically didn’t experience quite as long of a range as they specify, but is definitely more than Bluetooth and seemed to perform in a more consistent manner at extended distances. This longer range could be really handy when holding meetings in a large conference room where the speaker wants to demo things on a large screen but might be far removed from the computer and projector setup.

Precise Tracking – Logitech uses something that they call “Darkfield Tracking”, which makes a marked improvement in tracking, especially noticeable on super smooth surfaces like glass, granite and polished wood without a restrictive mouse pad. We’ll go into detail with Darkfield Technology next.

Tracking Technology

It is common in the tech world to use laser tracking to achieve a high level of precision. This is accomplished by setting the laser at an angle to the surface that it wants to track. In effect, this creates shadows to be cast by all of the little bumps and irregularities of the surface, even if they are very small and barely detectable to the eye. This in turn causes the reflected light bouncing off the surface to also be irregular. The reflection is then detected by a sensor which interprets the changes in the light into movement with the result being electronic tracking.

If you take a look at the above illustration, you can see that in traditional optical setups the sensor is directly above the tracked surface, picking up the reflection at an angle perpendicular to the lens. In the specular optical setup, like that used by the Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX,  both the LED beam AND the lens and sensor configuration are set at angles to the tracked surface. Logitech calls this technique Darkfield Laser Tracking. It is a significant improvement over traditional optical and laser mice and helps enhance the visibility of the surface’s irregularities, especially on super-smooth materials like glass, metal and polished stone (like a tile or granite counter top).

Conclusions

So, no matter that most of us are now quite comfortable with touch screens, touch pads, and might soon be able to do more using voice-activation, eye-tracking and gesture controls, many of us still prefer the mouse. Maybe it’s a generational thing? Perhaps, but maybe it’s also just a choice of  tool for personal expression. Just like some people still like to use a manual typewriter, or oil paints, charcoal, hand saw, etc… It’s possible that the mouse will find its fans for generations to come.

It is extraordinary the success that this particular product has had and continues to have.  They seem to be selling just about as many as when it was first introduced. We here at QTOOTH are going to continue this series of reviews of devices that have obviously just gotten it right. When something receives universal praise over an extended period of time, often for years, and does not find itself becoming obsolete is something we want to recognize. Perhaps we can detect deeper trends of where technology is headed, or what questions or problems it needs to address, to be a true success. Stay tuned for more to come… in the meantime, if you need or just prefer a mouse for everyday use*, this is probably the one for you.

* Gaming mice have slightly different needs. We’ll be doing  a similar review of one soon!

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Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX System Requirements