Hasta La Gadget!

I am quite the klutz, where toys that have been working just fine all these years, when handed down to me, would apparently arrive at the end of their lives without me having to make an effort. I am not quite sure just what this is the case, perhaps it is some sort of subconscious thing, or has my family been secretly plotting to have me believe that I am a true blue klutz? Having said that, I have yet to drop a mobile phone into the toilet bowl all these years, and I do not intend to start. I did crack a screen on my smartphone before, but that was a one-off experience that I shall not venture into. Having said that when it comes to computers, one too, might want to be more careful, especially since notebooks are not the cheapest things in town that you can purchase a replacement when you break yours. Panasonic has racked up quite a reputation for itself in terms of rugged notebooks, and today, we hear of them upgrading the Panasonic Toughbook 53.

The semi-rugged Toughbook 53 notebook has proven itself to be a reliable and versatile servant over the years to many people in demanding industries such as the insurance market, those who deal with construction sites, as well as battle hardened folks in the military. The updated Toughbook 53 will be the latest model that will be made available with an Intel Core i5-3320M vPro processor (3MB cache, up to 3.3 GHz) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, where some of the other enhancements will include expanded storage and improved connectivity options.

Other hardware features of the Toughbook 53 include a spill-resistant keyboard, and this particular puppy has been certified by an independent third party to pass nine MIL-STD-810G tests, ranging from surviving 3 foot drops on 26 faces. Having said that, the high-definition, 14” LED display still went strong without a crack, and you can also opt to splash more cash to enjoy viewing the optional 2-850 nit sunlight-viewable Panasonic CircuLumin touchscreen display coupled with an adjustable backlit emissive keyboard so that you can work even if there is no light or the environment is just way too bright for normal notebooks.

The Toughbook 53 will also come with a range of embedded wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and optional 4G LTE or 3G Gobi mobile broadband so that you need not worry about being disconnected no matter which part of the world you are in.

Depending on the hardware configuration of the Panasonic Toughbook 53, prices start from $1,399 upwards and it comes with a standard three-year limited warranty.

Product Page
[ Panasonic Toughbook 53 upgraded copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

As the summer comes to a close (as least north of the equator), temperatures are dropping and the leaves are beginning to change their hues. Leisurely strolls and bike rides that had become quite uncomfortable are options for relaxation once again. Speaking of bicycles, that’s precisely where the cover story of this week’s edition of our tablet mag focuses. Terrence O’Brien visits with Dan Sorger at his DBC City Bike workshop in Boston and discovers how — with the help of designers, engineers, and medical professionals from institutions like MIT — The Swift takes a beloved European-style bike and adapts it for American city dwellers. This week’s “Hands-on” section circles the globe as we check in at the Tokyo Game Show and Nokia’s HQ before returning in the States. On the review front, we put Sony’s Xperia T and Xperia Tab as well as Vizio’s all-in-one through their respective paces and offer our detailed impressions of each. Find yourself a spot on the porch and settle in before grabbing the latest issue via any of the options that lie down below.

Distro Issue 59 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

Distro Issue 59: Boston’s DBC City Bike is putting a new spin on an old design originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  iTunes, Google Play  | Email this | Comments

Google Maps gets more awesome by the day. Earlier this week, the service started rolling out stunning underwater imagery- if you will, a seaview mode. Now Google took to the Google Maps blog to announces the inclusion of more high resolution images including a major build-out of 45-degree images.

This update brings a lot of new data to the mapping service. Google Maps and Earth now features 17 cities and 112 countries and regions with high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery. In addition, 51 cities can now be viewed in a 45-degree mode including 37 cities in the US and 14 abroad (full list below). It’s never been easier to burn a little time and escape from your cubical to a far away land.

Google constantly rolls out updates to its services but it seems this week has featured more news than usual. Perhaps Google is attempting to cash in on all the positive publicity it’s receiving thanks to the inferior Apple Maps.

Google Maps is currently riding high on the wake of the Apple Maps fiasco. In fact Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a formal apology for Maps, suggesting Google Maps and Bing Maps as alternatives until Apple sorts things out.

Below is the full list of cities featuring high-resolution and 45-degree imagery. Go ahead. Find your house.

Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:
United States: Ames, IA; Anderson, IN; Billings, MT; Bloomington, IL; Carmel Valley, CA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Coeur d’Alene, ID; Corvallis, OR; Danville, IL; Dayton, OH; Detroit, MI; Dubuque, IA; Elizabethtown, KY; Enid, OK; Florence, SC; Grand Forks, ND; Great Falls, MT; Gulfport, MS; Hartford, CT; Kankakee, IL; Kenosha, WI; Lafayette, IN; Lancaster, CA; Lansing, MI; Lewiston, ID; Los Banos, CA; Madison, WI; Medford, OR; Michigan City, IN; Olympia, WA; Pocatello, ID; Sheboygan, WI; Sioux City, IA; Sioux Falls, SD; South Bend, IN; Terre Haute, IN; Utica, NY.

International: Angers, France; Clermont-Ferrand, France; Coimbra, Portugal; Dijon, France; Grenoble, France; Livorno, Italy; Lyon, France; Newcastle, United Kingdom; Oberhausen, Germany; Palermo, Italy; Pisa, Italy; Toulouse, France; Troyes, France; Winnipeg, Canada.

Areas with new high resolution aerial updates:
Florence OR, Kellogg ID, Casper WY, North Platte NE, Concordia KS, Alva OK, Austin TX, Nevada MO, Chilicothe MO, Toulouse FR, Clermont-Ferrand FR, Angers FR, Nantes FR, Troyes FR, Lille FR, Thun CH, Lucca IT

Areas new high resolution satellite updates:
Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Antarctica, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzebekistan, Turkmenistan, China, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand

Photographs are an important part of my life. I admit I’m the one that has a camera everywhere I go, no, I don’t drag my giant Nikon with me to every walk in the park, but I almost always have at least a point and shoot camera in my pocket… you just never know when that magical shot will reveal itself, if you love pictures, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Check out the new Lytro camera, and although it gives a fun and almost toy-like appearance, it is everything but. Touting the ability to focus “after the fact,” this camera actually captures all planes of light in a given picture, this allows you to take a truly instantaneous shot, without waiting for focus or for shutter delay. In other words, you get the shot exactly when you wanted it and you can play with the focus later.

Okay, so field of light photography isn’t actually new, but having this kind of ability in a tiny hand held camera is, and being able to share these photos with family and friends, and let them get in on the action and play with all your interactive photo features also makes for a novel photo experience. I don’t believe this is the only camera you’ll want to own, but if you already have a camera, this one certainly provides a fun alternative.

The Lytro Camera comes in either 16G ($499.00) or 8G ($399.00), with an 8X optical zoom, it includes the desktop application needed to process and interact with your cool HD quality “living pictures.” I have to say I did not find any mention of megapixels, so I can’t comment on print quality, but I can say, it sounds like an interesting gadget for the shutterbugs among us. Find more information, or interact with some fabulous photos at lytro.com. The Lytro Field of Light Camera will be available in October.

 
[ The New Lytro Camera – Focus After the Fact! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

These monster body parts light switch plates are disgustingly awesome. They are perfect for any Halloween party or haunted house. They are completely gross, but amazing.

I used to be scared when I turned the lights off, but now I think I would be even more scared with the lights on. With the lights on, you can see all of the horrible details on these handmade switch plates and you know they will get you. Of course, in the dark, you’d feel all that weirdness when you reach for the switch, too. These plates are made with polymer clay over a standard sized light switch cover and painted with acrylics, matte varnish and gloss varnish.

You can find them at dogzillalives‘ Etsy shop for about $55-60(USD). Hit the link for more gruesome images.

[via Obvious Winner]