Fogo "Smart" Flashlight

I've noticed some "smart" flashlights from various manufacturers that incorporate LCD displays, motion sensing, and other gee-whiz features but I ran across one this morning that pretty much takes the cake. This is not an endorsement, I have no first-hand experience with this light and know nothing about the company but I thought it would be worth sharing. From what I can tell it's on display at CES this week and will be launching on Kickstarter sometime soon.

It's called Fogo and, in addition to its flashlight function, it incorporates an LCD display, accelerometer, GPS, Walkie Talkie, and the ability to recharge USB devices. Apparently it also has the capability to run simple apps such as one that can translate text into pulses of light (Morse Code). You can read more here.


There are also plans to introduce optional tailcaps that could be used to further extend the functionality. Things like a dive computer (seriously), satellite phone (really?), range finder, and stun gun are mentioned in the article. Considering how cold it is right now I think an optional hand warmer would be nice to have as well :devil:

Honestly it's a little too much for me (OK, a lot) and I realize I'm probably too old-fashioned. While I'm confident there will always be a place for boring conventional flashlights that "only" offer one or two operating modes, I can't help but wonder whether we will keep seeing more and more stuff like this aimed at the gadget (not necessarily flashlight) enthusiasts. What do you guys think?

I'd rather have all those features in my phone, not my flashlight.

The Municipality said:

I'd rather have all those features in my phone, not my flashlight.

Click to expand...

*RING*

"Oh a call is coming in... I better answer it!"

*fumbles phone to head, then gropes for the answer button."

ZZZZAAAAAAAPPPP!!!!!

"GaaaaaHHH... who put this stungun on my phone!!!":sick2:

Things like a dive computer (seriously), satellite phone (really?), range finder, and stun gun are mentioned in the article. Considering how cold it is right now I think an optional hand warmer would be nice to have as well

Jack of all trades master of none. No way is that thing going to be reliable, they will likely throw it on kickstarter..... Just stopped typing and read the article, they'll raise a million and wonder what the hell they got themselves into: http://www.meetearl.com/#preorder


Very interesting contribution none the less, but I'll stick with a Zippo pocket warmer and an HDS.

Morse Code,they finished with that years ago.

mcnair55 said:

Morse Code,they finished with that years ago.

Click to expand...

+ 1

I think SOS on lights is..... dated. Chances of you being incapacitated enough not to do it yourself, and the batteries holding out long enough to actually signal help..... 0

On the flip side:

What is cool is it can have apps, so I guess it would be neat to have multiple messages pre programed. This would be WAY fun for nighttime canoeing with friends.

I think stuff like this is kinda laughable, but maybe I just like simple durable tools.

I'm all for mono-function, instead of multifunction. Don't need a hammer, or wrench, or flashlight with " an LCD display, accelerometer, GPS, Walkie Talkie, and the ability to recharge USB devices " ... lol

Maybe that's why I like Peak torches and Malkoff dropins :thinking:

So what's wrong with a flashlight that has both high and low output ? ... One too many modes

Then again, my new "smartphone" is better at just about everything ... except, of course, for making and receiving calls. That, well, not so good :shrug:

I'm afraid I have to agree with all of you...that is WAY too many different functions. A couple MIGHT work, so you can consolidate a piece or two of gear...but with that many functions, I bet ALL of them would be annoying to use. I don't see how three buttons can cover all that, without being a giant PITA. And frankly, where lights are concerned, I don't want fifteen other things draining my cells. One light and one phone can do all those functions easily (and many, many more), while avoiding a user interface nightmare.

Still, assuming this is actually going to be a halfway-decent quality product, kudos to them. Maybe some of the features will make it into more practical setups down the road.

This is amazing....... As an outdoors guy, I want all this functionality but I don't want to pack all the gear. I am ready to buy one once it comes out. Great Idea, the smartphone packed in all this functionality, but it is not durable enough for the trail. Can't wait for the Fogo!!!

Hello! Thanks for checking out the Fogo on Engadget. I am one of the founders of this company. I want to clarify a couple of things. We are launching with a walkie-talkie smart cap (microphone, speaker, and digital transceiver). The other caps will be released down the road. It won't be a sat phone. It will be a sat modem (using off-the-shelf Iridium modules) to send SMS texts. The stun gun idea has been thrown around (mostly for fun and by tech journalists), but that is not on the top of our list. The range finder was suggested by many of the people we met at CES, but that also will be down the road.

It is app-based. So the software is highly customizable. This helps to address the how-to-do-all-this-stuff-with-three-buttons. Essentially, you load a few applications that you will need and don't have to mess with the functions that you don't.

The primary demographic is hikers and mountain bikers. Basically, people who are in environments where the smartphone is not a sufficiently rugged solution.

Anyway, if you have any questions or additional feedback, please let me know. I realize there is a lot of knowledge and expertise in this community so I would love to hear more. I also see it has been a few days, but I just got back from CES

Tyler

Always cool to hear direct from the source. Thanks for stopping by!

I like the idea of customizable functions. You might have something there...one of the things that drives me crazy about most smartphones is all the bloatware...all the cell companies bundle a bunch of crappy software I don't need, or want, and some of it is quite difficult to remove.

I await the torture tests!

Yeah, cool that you stopped by. Like I mentioned earlier, it's all a little too over-the-top for me but I do appreciate the modular approach you're taking with the options. I'm just an old dinosaur, 2 or 3 features are about all I can keep up with!