Hasta La Gadget!

Despite the fact that there are people (and robots) out there who can solve a Rubik’s Cube in about 5 seconds, my tiny brain stills need at least 20 minutes to solve one. But imagine if you were blind (or even color blind). How could you solve this classic toy, which relies on matching up its colored faces? Well, here’s how:

I spotted this image over on Reddit today, but it actually originated from Brian Doom, who created this “accessible” version of the puzzle by adding tactile elements to the outside of the cube back in 2010. The colored sides have been augmented with screws, felt furniture pads, two textures of rubber dots, DYMO labels, and wooden furniture to provide tactile feedback when using the cube.

Of course, he could have just gone with DYMO labels on each side, with different letters to indicate each color – but this looks so much more awesome.

A clean home is a happy home, but your feng shei still won’t be right if all your appliances are eyesores. So if you’re a person of taste and in the market for a vacuum, you should consider the Vorwerk Kobold handheld vacuum cleaner, which marries modern design with househould appliances. It’s powered by a rechargeable battery, which should offer 20 minutes of vaccuming suckage–more than enough to clean your couch or car. It has two settings, and a illuminated light that tells you how much more sucking you can do before you have to return the vacuum to its cradle. You’ll have to fork over $170 for the whole package with accessories, but look at it this way: you’re getting both a functional vacuum and a German design tour de force all in one. [Vorwerk]

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: The MakerBot Replicator 2 puts mad scientist-level prototyping within reach, Scientists turn a single atom into a bit,

AT&T has added eight new US cities to its 4G LTE network, just in time for the launch of the iPhone 5. Of course, the iPhone 5 isn’t the only phone to feature LTE, and phones supporting LTE are hitting shelves faster than ever, so it seems that the imminent launch of the newest iDevice was just what AT&T needed to get it to flip the switch. Some of these cities, such as Birmingham, Alabama and Memphis, Tennessee, had their 4G LTE coverage turned on yesterday, while the rest are getting it today.

These eight new cities will definitely give AT&T more of an edge heading into Friday’s iPhone 5 launch, and sets the stage for what we can only imagine will be a long and drawn out battle with Verizon for 4G LTE domination. So without further ado, have a look at the 8 cities that, as of today, have AT&T 4G LTE coverage available:

• Honolulu, HI
• Seattle, WA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Portland, OR
• Detroit, MI (metro)
• Birmingham, AL
• Memphis, TN
• Sacramento, CA

That certainly isn’t a bad list – AT&T has added some major metropolitan markets to its 4G LTE coverage area with this latest expansion – but the carrier is still going to have to step its game up if it wants to pull customers away from Verizon. Verizon is still the reigning 4G LTE king, and with a lot of consumers on the lookout for a good handset with 4G LTE capabilities these days, there’s a lot of money to be had by offering a solid coverage area. Consumer 4G LTE adoption is bound to take a major jump with Friday’s launch of the iPhone 5, as many of those users will be turning on their shiny new device and joining a 4G LTE network for the first time.

So, it’s easy to see why AT&T has rolled out 4G LTE in these cities. Consumer awareness of the benefits of 4G LTE may still leave something to be desired, but it won’t be long before the vast majority of smartphone users want 4G LTE capabilities on their phones. AT&T has plans to roll out 4G LTE coverage in many more areas of the country moving forward, so here’s hoping that the carrier can keep up with demand.

[via Android Community]

AT&T 4G LTE arrives in eight new cities is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As you may have noticed, the transition from Google Maps to Apple Maps in iOS 6 means that the navigation software is now without public transportation data, and that really sucks. Apple’s fix for the immediate future is to push you to third-party apps, but knowing where to start can be a daunting task. To get you started, here are a few of our favorites which deliver train info for multiple cities. More »

Eva Longoria stopped by “Chelsea Lately” Tuesday and opened up about her relationship with Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.

So just how long have the pair been dating?

“A second,” Longoria joked. “He’s focused right now on football.”

Read More…
More on Video