Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s always publishing patents, but here’s one that sounds rather fun: imagine an iPhone or iPad with a flexible display that has speakers built in to it, to provide surround sound. More »

So you have just gotten yourself the spanking new iPhone 5, and think that it is the best thing since, well, the iPhone 4S. All right, so you are an Apple fanboy at heart, and think that Cupertino is able to do no wrong. I cannot fault you for that as Apple has one of the more impressive corporate marketing machines around, but if there is one area where the iPhone 5 fears to tread, it would be the world of 3D. Fret not, as there are always third party accessories out there that can always help you out – case in point, the £12.99 3D Movie Viewer for iPhone.

Similar to its humble predecessor, the stereoscopic View-Master, the 3D Movie Viewer for iPhone works as named. It is capable of effectively translating the YouTube 3D format by directing the left/right images to the appropriate eyeball, allowing these YouTube videos to be so lifelike, you might even catch yourself reaching out in an attempt to touch the screen. All you need to do is slip your iPhone into the hand-held viewer and let your eyeballs drop their jaws in wonder, if they had jaws to begin with.

[ 3D Movie Viewer for iPhone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

AMD will bring Android apps to PCs based on its processors, the chip company has revealed, with the new AMD AppZone Player offering thousands of titles as well as remote smartphone control. The deal with BlueStacks uses a specially optimized version of the virtualization software tailored for AMD Radeon graphics, and allows Android apps to run as if native to x86 systems.

There’s also native support for AMD’s OpenGL drivers as used in the company’s APUs and GPUs, along with support for Cloud Connect. That works with an app on your Android phone to allow your computer to sync apps and SMS, and run software on your phone on your PC’s display.

AMD invested in BlueStacks back in late 2011, at the time describing the deal as a way to put Android’s broad app portfolio on Fusion-based tablets. The company isn’t alone in its interest, either; ASUS has released a BlueStacks-based tool, and Qualcomm has thrust money at the firm too.

You can download the AMD AppZone Player here [.exe link]. Alternatively, if you attempt to download an app that requires the Player framework from AMD’s App Zone, it will be installed automatically.

AMD AppZone Player puts Android apps on APU PCs is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

What’s that, your car doesn’t have a projector hidden in its hood? You’re obviously not as achingly cool as smart, with the German car brand outing its forstars SUC (Sports Utility Coupé) at the Paris Auto Show today. Tipped to offer “a glimpse of the brand’s future design idiom” the electric two-seater features a 60 kW magneto-electric motor, replaces the rear-view mirror with a smartphone dock hooked up to a camera, and hides a projector in the grille for impromptu screenings.

There’s also a glass bubble roof, for star-gazing, and external speakers built into the sweeping B-pillar for those outside the car. Media playback is controlled by a smartphone – and content can be streamed from there over Bluetooth, too – and the smart app allows drivers to remotely set the aircon temperature before they get into the car.

The rest of the design borrows from the smart for-us concept shown late last year, though with a few tweaks. The charging point is hidden behind the left rear light assembly; the space behind its right counterpart is saved, bizarrely, for a drinks can. Inside, the seat covers can be removed, and the rear load space shifts electrically for easier stowing of your shopping.

smart isn’t saying whether it’ll put the forstars into production, though we’d doubt it; if anything, it’s merely a hint at what the car company has in mind for its next-gen model. However, there’s also a new smart BRABUS electric drive, up for order from today, which uses the same electric engine as the concept and can manage 0-62mph in 10.2s and a top speed of 81mph, with a range of 90 miles.

More importantly, smart says, the new eco-friendly BRABUS can go 0-37mph in 4.4s, a far more useful achievement for a city car. It’s up for sale in 11 countries, priced at €29,990 ($39,000) for the coupé and €33,080 ($43,000) for the cabriolet.

smart forstars concept includes projector-snout and smartphone remote is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Do you think that with the advent of the Internet, greeting cards have become obsolete? I know that the telegram has gone the way of the dodo in most, if not all countries as a mode of communication, and the snail mail (postal service) sector is not doing too hot either. This could be because of the speed and accuracy of emails, but when it comes to greeting cards, I am not quite sure whether the electronic revolution has seen electronic greeting cards make huge strides and inroads to render its paper-based predecessor obsolete. American Greetings has come up with a one-of-a-kind greeting card collection, and they will accompany that with a free app for big birthday smiles.

Actually, one of the best things of a traditional greeting card would be the recipient’s facial expression when he or she receives it, especially when we are talking about a birthday card here. Pleasant words aside, just what are some of the more hilarious birthday cards that you have seen in the past? American Greetings thinks that the mustache madness might just continue in the world of greeting cards, hence rolling out Mustache Party, a new greeting card collection that should be set to be the top hit of any birthday bash. In a nutshell, Mustache Party provides consumers with the ultimate birthday treatment, where one has a delectable selection of paper cards and ecards with an exciting free app.

This frisky new card line will boast of iconic mustaches which would seem ready at all times to serenade the recipient with a truly unique song. Each mustache will be presented in a shiny frame, where it springs to life with the touch of a button. The amalgamation of a clever copy, catchy songs, and mustache-powered motion would mean the Mustache Party is a wacky and wonderful way to carve a smile on the birthday boy or girl’s face. Some of the fun designs in this collection include a pirate, a manly mustache, and even a magical mustache.

Press Release
[ American Greetings says hello to the Ultimate Mustache Party copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]