Nobody likes to forget things, specially when you are going out of the house. And that’s why PITAKA came out with the idea of developing a Smart Reminder gadget called MagHive.
It was announced earlier during CES 2018 and available currently on Kickstarter. Earlier we have reviewed few PITAKA smartphones cases and they were of top quality. So getting the opportunity to try our hands on a pre-production unit of PITAKA MagHIve for review purpose was welcomed.
In this article, we are going to share the detailed hands-on review of PITAKA MagHive smart reminder system for all readers of Geek Stuffs
Our unit of PITAKA MagHive came in a circular box with just PITAKA branding and no information about the product inside as it is a pre-production unit. Inside the box, you will find three modular tiles of the MagHive, a USB cable, a charger, a MagTag keychain and a MagTag for wallet along with some 3M stickers.
There were no user manuals provided but the final retail box will be better looking and hopefully will come with some more stuff as well.
PITAKA MagHive modules come in the hexagon shape and when connected to each other, they look like beehive and totally justify the name of the product. Each module is made of wood and looks beautiful. The NFC module has the WiFi symbol to distinguish it easily.
On all sides of a module, there are magnetic connector provided that let different modules connect to each other or connect the charger. Due to this, there are many possibility to connect modules in different shapes according to your convenience and choice.
You can connect the charger to any connector point and it will work perfectly. When the modules are connected, charging one MagHive unit will also charge rest of the connected modules. The module that comes with display also has LED indicator lights that show the charging and battery status. Just below the display unit, there are Home, power on/off and back keys are provided.
But one drawback here is that the USB charging cable does not feature a generic port and comes with special pins. So if you lose the charging cable or it’s broken, you will have to get an official PITAKA one.
Overall the design of PITAKA MagHive is nice and the beehive concept is really good as you can customize the look of it to look good with rest of the things on the wall.
Even though in the beginning it might feel very difficult to configure and setup MagHive, it is actually very easy. Once you turn on the gadget, the instructions and options on the display are pretty easy and straight forward. The display module is basically an Android based system, so it is very easy to use.
You all need to do is to connect your MagHIve to your WiFi, update the MagMemo PC app and the device software. After that just choose the language, time zone etc. Then you need to install the MagMemo app on your smartphone, launch the app and use the inbuilt QR code scanner to scan the QR code on your MagHive display to connect the MagHive with your smartphone.
Now you just need to add your MagTags by using the add option and putting the tags on the NFC module of the MagHive. The process is same for both the MagTags keys and wallet card, you just need to select which one is which while pairing it. Once paired, you are good to go.
Since the PITAKA MagHive is designed to remind you the important things when you are leaving the house or entering, PITAKA calls its reminder system as Zen-Alert. And it works perfectly. It is specially helpful for those who are always in hurry while leaving the house as it will remind you about the important things at that very moment when you are leaving the house.
Since the MagHive is connected to the Internet, the display unit of MagHive can provide useful information like weather report etc and based on that it can act like a personal assistant suggesting you whether to bring the sunglasses or an umbrella while going outside. You can customize the reminder message and weather conditions both in the MagMemo app to fulfil your specific requirements as well.
One very useful feature is the family monitoring. In this, the MagTags are assigned to specific people and you need to pre-set the time limit on the MagMemo app for how long the tag can be away from the module. If the person is not back and the MagTag is not placed on the MagHive in the given time frame then, a notification message will go to the connected smartphone. The same will happen when the MagTag is placed on the MagHive.
MagHIve let you add custom message using the MagMemo app that will be displayed on the MagHive display when someone is using it. By this way, you can remind yourself or your family members to perform a particular task before leaving home or when they are back home. You can create reminders either in text format or as a voice message.
It also syncs perfectly with most of the popular calendar app and shows you reminder based on your calendar app activity, so you do not miss any important meeting and reschedule things right before leaving the house.
MagHive also works as a Qi enabled wireless charger. So you can charge your phone while charging the MagHIve by just putting it on any of the MagHive module. Even though you will always use the MagHive on the wall in the vertical position, the magnet on the MagHive module is strong enough to hold the smartphone. The wallet tag is magnetic, so any wallet can be placed vertically on MagHive and it will hold it perfectly.
The battery capacity of the MagHive is officially not mentioned by PITAKA but with moderate usage, it survives for nearly two days easily.
PITAKA MagHive is an innovative and great device that improves user productivity a lot. The wooden built looks premium and the modular design gives the freedom of customization. Even in the pre-production unit and MagMemo app, there are lots of feature and it will improve in the final product for sure.
It is an interesting, feature rich and important device as it is not just a smart reminder system but also improves the productivity and contribute in the daily activities in many ways.
Currently the MagHive Kickstarter campaign is closed but you can buy the MagBar Pro that is basically the same product as the MagHIve in terms of features without the modular design. As the name suggests, it is in a bar form.
It was announced earlier during CES 2018 and available currently on Kickstarter. Earlier we have reviewed few PITAKA smartphones cases and they were of top quality. So getting the opportunity to try our hands on a pre-production unit of PITAKA MagHIve for review purpose was welcomed.
In this article, we are going to share the detailed hands-on review of PITAKA MagHive smart reminder system for all readers of Geek Stuffs
PITAKA MagHive Smart Reminder : Detailed Hands-on Review
Unboxing
Our unit of PITAKA MagHive came in a circular box with just PITAKA branding and no information about the product inside as it is a pre-production unit. Inside the box, you will find three modular tiles of the MagHive, a USB cable, a charger, a MagTag keychain and a MagTag for wallet along with some 3M stickers.
There were no user manuals provided but the final retail box will be better looking and hopefully will come with some more stuff as well.
Design
PITAKA MagHive modules come in the hexagon shape and when connected to each other, they look like beehive and totally justify the name of the product. Each module is made of wood and looks beautiful. The NFC module has the WiFi symbol to distinguish it easily.
On all sides of a module, there are magnetic connector provided that let different modules connect to each other or connect the charger. Due to this, there are many possibility to connect modules in different shapes according to your convenience and choice.
You can connect the charger to any connector point and it will work perfectly. When the modules are connected, charging one MagHive unit will also charge rest of the connected modules. The module that comes with display also has LED indicator lights that show the charging and battery status. Just below the display unit, there are Home, power on/off and back keys are provided.
But one drawback here is that the USB charging cable does not feature a generic port and comes with special pins. So if you lose the charging cable or it’s broken, you will have to get an official PITAKA one.
Overall the design of PITAKA MagHive is nice and the beehive concept is really good as you can customize the look of it to look good with rest of the things on the wall.
Setting Up
Even though in the beginning it might feel very difficult to configure and setup MagHive, it is actually very easy. Once you turn on the gadget, the instructions and options on the display are pretty easy and straight forward. The display module is basically an Android based system, so it is very easy to use.
You all need to do is to connect your MagHIve to your WiFi, update the MagMemo PC app and the device software. After that just choose the language, time zone etc. Then you need to install the MagMemo app on your smartphone, launch the app and use the inbuilt QR code scanner to scan the QR code on your MagHive display to connect the MagHive with your smartphone.
Now you just need to add your MagTags by using the add option and putting the tags on the NFC module of the MagHive. The process is same for both the MagTags keys and wallet card, you just need to select which one is which while pairing it. Once paired, you are good to go.
Features and Performance
Since the PITAKA MagHive is designed to remind you the important things when you are leaving the house or entering, PITAKA calls its reminder system as Zen-Alert. And it works perfectly. It is specially helpful for those who are always in hurry while leaving the house as it will remind you about the important things at that very moment when you are leaving the house.
Since the MagHive is connected to the Internet, the display unit of MagHive can provide useful information like weather report etc and based on that it can act like a personal assistant suggesting you whether to bring the sunglasses or an umbrella while going outside. You can customize the reminder message and weather conditions both in the MagMemo app to fulfil your specific requirements as well.
One very useful feature is the family monitoring. In this, the MagTags are assigned to specific people and you need to pre-set the time limit on the MagMemo app for how long the tag can be away from the module. If the person is not back and the MagTag is not placed on the MagHive in the given time frame then, a notification message will go to the connected smartphone. The same will happen when the MagTag is placed on the MagHive.
MagHIve let you add custom message using the MagMemo app that will be displayed on the MagHive display when someone is using it. By this way, you can remind yourself or your family members to perform a particular task before leaving home or when they are back home. You can create reminders either in text format or as a voice message.
It also syncs perfectly with most of the popular calendar app and shows you reminder based on your calendar app activity, so you do not miss any important meeting and reschedule things right before leaving the house.
MagHive also works as a Qi enabled wireless charger. So you can charge your phone while charging the MagHIve by just putting it on any of the MagHive module. Even though you will always use the MagHive on the wall in the vertical position, the magnet on the MagHive module is strong enough to hold the smartphone. The wallet tag is magnetic, so any wallet can be placed vertically on MagHive and it will hold it perfectly.
The battery capacity of the MagHive is officially not mentioned by PITAKA but with moderate usage, it survives for nearly two days easily.
Conclusion
PITAKA MagHive is an innovative and great device that improves user productivity a lot. The wooden built looks premium and the modular design gives the freedom of customization. Even in the pre-production unit and MagMemo app, there are lots of feature and it will improve in the final product for sure.
It is an interesting, feature rich and important device as it is not just a smart reminder system but also improves the productivity and contribute in the daily activities in many ways.
Currently the MagHive Kickstarter campaign is closed but you can buy the MagBar Pro that is basically the same product as the MagHIve in terms of features without the modular design. As the name suggests, it is in a bar form.