Here you are, the 2nd Generation 3DS is not a “lite” version of the actual one, but rather its “larger” sister, behold the 3DS XL or LL in Japan.
Announce for a Worldwide launch at the end of July this new 3DS XL/LL comes with a new 3D 4.88” (800×240) screen and a a 4.18” secondary display offering a 90% increase of display real-estate! Bluetooth (Bluetooth Keyboard) But also a bulkier device with a size of 156x93x22 for 336g and an improve battery life of up to 6h30 while playing 3DS …
You know you want this thing: it’s a crazy watch from Tokyoflash called the Kisai Uzumaki and it’s designed to look like some sort of organic sea anemone blossoming on your wrist.
The watch has an electroluminescent backlight which lights up vinyl disks which spin to tell the time. It’s not as hard to read as some Tokyoflash watches and they want to give you one.
To enter, comment below explaining why you need a new watch. I’ll pick one winner at random on Monday and we’ll get your watch to you a few days after – just in time for your Fourth of July festivities!
Good luck and thanks to our friends at Tokyoflash.
LifeProof has made a name for itself as a maker of super rugged iPhone cases that you can take in the ocean, to the beach, or even to the top of Mt. Everest. This thing can survive in some surprising environments. But today, the company has finally answered the call for a LifeProof iPad case, the Nuud. The case vacuums against the glass panel on the iPad so that there’s no front screen protector, allowing for the same tactile interaction we’ve all grown so fond of on Apple’ tablet.
But that’s not to say it loses any of its ruggedness — all the same specs migrate over from the iPhone case, including Military Grade shock and impact protection, waterproof up to 6.6 feet, and resistance against all the elements. Plus, you can plug in your headphones using the O-ring sealed headphone adapter, letting you take waterproof headphones into the pool or shower. (FYI, I would love to take care of the day’s obligatory phone calls in the shower.)
The iPad case comes with four small inserts on each corner to let you attach straps and carry it as a briefcase, alone with port covers that vacuum seal just as tight as the case itself. The camera cover is made of the same type of glass that you would find in a Nikon or Canon DSLR camera, anti-reflective on both sides.
Now, since the iPad has a capacitive display, the screen won’t work when submerged under water. That’s not to say it can’t be submerged — it would be just fine. But that’s not the point of the case. The point is to feel comfortable using your iPad at the pool or in the tub or in the rain. The LifeProof iPhone case, on the other hand, can be used under water to take pictures because of the physical shutter button.
The sheer durability of the iPhone case case along with its usability has let people do some crazy things with their iPhones — things that would make any iPhone addict cringe at the mere thought of them — but just take a look (if you dare).
It’ll be interesting to see how people use the Nuud, but my bet is that the iPad will start showing up in the bathtub, the pool and the kitchen much more.
There’s still no pricing out for the Nuud iPad case, but it should be available on store shelves and online in July.
“A Blue Work Shirt” from OSPOP is an updated version of the no-nonsense, long-lasting tops that clothed Mao Zedong’s China of the 1950s through 1970s. Proudly made in China but not just for Chinese anymore, A Blue Work Shirt salutes those who made the Great Leap Forward from shattered post-war China to today’s economic powerhouse.
Drobo has just released two new drives, the svelte Dobo Mini and the beefier 5D. The Mini is a four-disk enclosure that takes 2.5” laptop drives and it can automatically set up and and format them for maximum capacity or full redundancy.
The Mini is much thinner than the other members of the Drobo family and supports Thunderbolt as well as USB 3.0. You can also add flash storage as a sort of buffer between the slower drives and the high speed connectors. This improves read write speeds and efficiency. It holds up to 3TB of data.
The 5D can handle up to 16 terabytes of storage as well as tiered SSD storage features that increases up read and write speeds. The drive also has a battery back up so it will finish writing if the power lines go down. The 5D also includes Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 ports.
The Mini costs $599 with no drives installed and the 5D costs about $850.
The modern man is clearly embarrassed by tablet computers. It’s a common trend to disguise the slate computing device as a book. I guess it affords owners an air of class and sophistication as it appears they’re toting around a well-loved tome rather than a dull, lifeless computer. Twelve South has taken this practice to the extreme with redesigned iPad and iPhone cases.
The BookBook is one of the finest iPad cases ever tested by TechCrunch. The construction and materials are top-notch. And thanks to a zipper and relatively thick sides, it wraps the device in a fair amount of protection, too. It feels fantastic in the hand. The vintage-looking leather adds a good amount of character and seems to age well. Inside, the iPad is secured with a leather sleeve that also features a kickstand that props up the device at a 30 degree angle.
The iPhone case isn’t as impressive, though. It uses the same overall design but this doesn’t seem to translate well to the smaller form factor. The material is equally nice and the iPhone version sports an ID window and credit card slots on the backside of the front cover. But the BookBook for iPhone lacks any sort of closure mechanism (like a zipper or snap), leaving the opposing side to essentially flap open willy-nilly. This is made worse by the fact that in order to talk on the phone with the case, users have to fold the front cover behind the phone, warping this side of the flap.
The cases are a bit pricey at $79 and $59 for the iPad and <a target="_blank" href="The modern man is clearly embarrassed by tablet computers. It's a common trend to disguise the slate computing device as a book. I guess it affords owners an air of class and sophistication as it appears they're toting around a well-loved tome rather than a dull, lifeless computer. Twelve South has taken this practice to the extreme with redesigned iPad and iPhone cases.”>iPhone versions, respectively. That’s par for the course though. The other options from DODOcase, Pad and Quill and XHiBT are priced similarly but the BookBook actually features a bit more protection. Plus, it feels better in the hand than the other cases I’ve tried. I hesitate to recommend the iPhone version for the reasons outlined above but the BookBook for iPad is fantastic.
Finding the right iPad cover is sort of a first world problem – there’s plenty of choice and you just don’t know what to spend your money on. I’ve been using a Speck case and the smart cover for a while but I think I found my new favorite, the Moshi iGlaze with folding VersaCover. What it lacks in naming finesse it makes up for in beauty.
This case features a bonded cover and clear back shell case (called iGlaze). The cover itself is the real draw, however. It is made of soft material and folds in five places. Two magnets hold the edges together, turning it into sort of a cup or beak that you can use to hold up the iPad in portrait or landscape positions.
Moshi doesn’t make cases in crazy colors or styles – no Hello Kitty here – but the iGlaze is delightfully low-key and seems to just work. I can’t comment on the durability yet – I haven’t dragged this onto forty planes and through 80 TSA checkpoints yet – but at first blush it seems like it will last at least as long as a my Speck/Smart Cover combo.
Apple has already entered the full case space with the $49 Smart Case but I think the unique folding design of this $60 Moshi model may make up for the lack of color choice. It’s a cool case with plenty of flair and well worth checking out if you’re in the market.
Talk about convergence, eh? The Volt Buckle is described on its indiegogo fundraising page as “The world’s first and only wearable mobile device wall charger.” And as someone who has traveled around the Internet a time or two, I can attest to that claim. Never in all of my Internet days have I seen such a device. I want it.
When worn, the Volt Buckle looks like any ol’ belt buckle. If funded the device will ship with black and brown belts with silver buckles, or for an additional $15, an anodized black or bronze buckle. But when the need arises, simply take off the belt (that could be problem sometimes) and charge a phone through the USB port. The belt buckle portion even acts as a sort of stand when charging.
The creator explains that men, not being a gender that often carriers a purse, only have pockets to store items and thus often leave things at home — like a phone charger. But with the Volt Buckle a charger can always be handy.
The group is looking to raise $60,000 to start the Volt Buckle’s production. Pledge $20 and receive a leather belt minus the buckle. Step it up to $50 and receive a silver Volt Buckle with the anodized version available through a $75 pledge. A bit pricey, yes, but you’ll be the life of any party. Girls dig guys with convergence devices around their loins.
iPod Nano straps have been around for a year or so now and they’ve been approximately exciting as tying a string to an iPod Classic and hanging it around your waist. Here’s something completely different. The Syre is a Bluetooth-enabled Nano watch case that transmits the audio wirelessly to compatible headphones. That’s right – no more looking like a weirdo with headphone cables sticking out of your wrist.
No battery specs but the entire watch encases the Nano, protecting the headphone port and jack from water and perspiration. It has a built-in battery.
The case, created by Anyé Spivey, is about to launch as a Kickstarter project but you can check it out now right here. They’re going to sell the watches with Bluetooth for $50 and they’re aiming for $75,000 in funding before they manufacture.
The Lumia 900 sold me on Windows Phone. The 900 is a marriage of fresh hardware with a fun operating system. I dig the Start Screen with the Live Tiles. There are some shortcomings. The camera sucks, to be sure, and the phone isn’t yet available on Verizon. Plus, after using the phone for several weeks, it was clear that the phone’s large screen is wasted on Windows Phone 7.5. It’s more of the same concerning the 900′s HTC cousin, the Titan II. Microsoft clearly agrees.
Full disclaimer: I haven’t touched a Windows Phone 8 device yet. That said, it’s hard to look at the several dozen screen shots and demo videos from today’s event and not be excited about the future of Windows Phone 8. Yes, it’s a busy interface. But my oh my the new Start Screen is – if I may – a clusterfuck of goodness.
Windows had some cojones releasing Windows 7 some 18 months ago. It was totally different. It lacked key features. It had poor hardware and carrier support. But clearly ignoring analysts, pundits and ignorant bloggers, Redmond kept at it, steadily releasing updates that solve current issues while introducing new features.
The current release, Windows 7.5, is a solid mobile platform worthy of serious consideration. Admittedly, it’s not necessarily better than Android or iOS, but rather different in key ways that make it special. And now with Windows Phone 8, and in the interim, Windows Phone 7.8, the core system might actually be better than its competitors.
The new Start Screen will debut on some current devices with Windows Phone 7.8. The Live Tiles are now customizable, allowing owners to completely reshape their Start Screen in a grid of application shortcuts. What’s more, an upcoming SDK will allow app developers to utilize this ability and craft their respective Live Tile for different sizes and functions.
This evolution matches the industry’s trend of supersized phone screens. Why have a relatively standard grid of Live Tiles when there is so much screen real estate on new phones? Short answer: With Windows Phone 7.8 and 8, you don’t have to!
Microsoft is allowing phone owners to totally customize their phone in ways not possible with iOS and Android. All iPhones look the same but no Windows Phone 8 device will look like any other. For better or worse, this organized chaos is a result of a philosophy that has always centered around users getting tasks down quickly. The New Start Screen is just the next step towards this goal – and it’s totally fresh.
Microsoft pulled out all the stops on today’s Windows Phone 8 event. Plus, this was just a preview of the Windows Phone 8 and 7.8. More info will come later. It was a media bonanza complete with pre-briefings and the like. Microsoft is clearly proud of its new baby and wanted to show it off — just like it did two days back with the Surface unveiling. It’s also clear that Microsoft has found a new swagger. Microsoft might be back.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
