Connected device maker Supermechanical on Tuesday announced the Kickstarter campaign for its Range Dial, its most advanced smart cooking thermometer yet. The Range Dial connects to your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth LE, allowing monitoring of cooking temperatures, estimated time ’til done, and more.
Range Dial has two versatile ports to plug in a variety of temperature probes for every task from smoking and roasting to homebrewing and cheesemaking. It works as a thermometer for third-party homebrewing and coffee roasting apps – iBrewMaster and Roastmaster, respectively. The free Range app has convenient features like remote temperature monitoring, predicted done time, graphing and logging temperature data, and presets for cooking a variety of gourmet foods. Yet the interaction has been carefully considered to eliminate direct use of the app as much as possible, in the spirit of iOS 9 and messy hands.
Features Include:
- App-free operation. Turn the programmable knob to a preset, and you’ve set an alert. Then both Range Dial and your phone will beep when the temperature is hit, with cues for progress along the way. If you want a glance at more detail, you can view remote temperatures and predicted done time on your lock screen.
- Remote monitoring. As long as one device is within range via Bluetooth, all your other Internet-connected devices will see the temperature as well.
- Design. It’s made with machined stainless steel, silicone and laser-etched polycarbonate to fit in with your other kitchen utensils, not your gadgets.
- Engineering. On the inside, it uses better electronic components and custom circuit design to get faster and more accurate readings and better Bluetooth performance.
- Versatile. It has two ports for a variety of temperature probes and other forthcoming sensors, and technically minded cooks can create their own sensors and even replace the firmware.
The connected app, available in the iOS App Store, includes such features as: Alerts, Fahrenheit or Celsius readings, done-time prediction, graphing, and more.
The Range Dial reads temperatures from -40F to 450F (-40C to 230C), and is accurate to 0.9F at 150F (0.5C at 65C). Two AAA batteries will supply up to 6 months of battery life. The Range Dial includes two multipurpose sensor ports, and uses Bluetooth LE to communicate with your iPhone 4S, iPad 3, or newer.
The Range Dial Kickstarter offers pledges starting at $64. The campaign has passed its goals, and will end on November 12th, with the first devices shipping in March. For more information, visit the Range Dial Kickstarter website.
