Hasta La Gadget!

Last week, entertainer will.i.am talked about his upcoming iPhone camera attachment that would boost the phone’s resolution up to 14MP. The announcement is now official, and here’s a look at how you can make your iPhone into a more more formidable camera. It looks kind of bulky and gaudy, but the iPhone 5 version does increase the camera’s resolution as promised.

The launch event happened in London where will.i.am unveiled devices under the name foto.sosho, supposedly sounding like “Photo Social.” All of the cases come with interchangeable lenses, including a standard, fish-eye, wide, and telephoto. They also have built-in flashes, a built-in sliding keyboard, and a suite of software-based editing, filtering and sharing tools.

The iPhone 4/4S will be limited to these features. The iPhone 5 version that will be released later will feature the 14MP sensor replacement. iPhoneotographers will be able to share photos and connect with others through the site i.am. The iPhone 4/4S models will be available December 6 for £199 and £299 (~$320 and $480 USD) from Selfridges. The iPhone 5 model will arrive next year and no prices have been announced.

While those prices seem extremely high for what you’re getting, the company is pitching these as “fashion accessories” more than just iPhone accessories, which they think gives them the ability to sell them for more.

Here’s some video that Engadget captured at the launch event:

[via Petapixel]

Have there ever been questions in the back of your mind, but they weren’t really a top priority to sit down and search for the answer? Google is wanting to give you answers and information for things that you’ve always wondered about, but never actually searched for, with a new kind of mobile search tool that Google is working on.

This new concept that Google is concocting aims to understand the hidden needs of users by sampling a test audience as they go about their everyday lives. For instance, one test subject was contacted several times per day over the course of several days, and told Google about the things they wanted to know, such as how long the line is at the grocery store, or questions that randomly arose while they were too busy doing something else.

We’re not sure what exactly Google has up its sleeve, but lead user experience designer for Google Search Jon Wiley said that “the perfect search engine will provide you with exactly what you need to know at exactly the right moment, potentially without you having to ask for it.” So, it seems Google is simply just looking to improve it’s search engine, but with telepathic-like features.

There’s already services like Google Now that give you information whenever you need it at a moments notice, and it seems that this is exactly the direction that Google is heading. Wiley mentioned that Google isn’t ready to release information on its study just yet, but other similar studies will likely follow in the future, and we should be seeing more and more activity on this front as time goes on.

[via Technology Review]

Google plans to give you search results for things you never search for is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

For Nextel push-to-talk subs, the writing’s been on the wall for some time now, what with that legacy service destined to sunset on June 30th, 2013. But for those unwilling to heed Sprint’s many early warnings and make the switch to its CDMA-based Direct Connect plan before this coming January, there’ll be an additional monthly penalty fee. Sprint’s confirmed to us that, starting in the new year, (stubborn) iDEN subs who’ve yet to migrate away from the network will incur an extra $10 charge per billing cycle. In lieu of that, the carrier’s advising users to transition now and take advantage of its myriad incentive programs while they last. It’s not a permanent change though, as this recurring fee will last only as long as the Nextel National Network does, at which point that 800MHz spectrum will be rolled over for the carrier’s planned LTE build-out. But PTT holdouts irked by this news won’t have to tie their fates to Sprint — AT&T’s been anticipating this churn and is waiting with open arms.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Via: PhoneScoop

Nintendo quietly announced the Wii Mini recently. The console, which will be available in Canada for $100, supports over 1,000 Wii games, but lacks a host of important features, including backward compatibility with GameCube titles and the ability to connect in any way to the Internet.

Of course, Nintendo has said that the Wii Mini is the perfect value. The console is cheaper than the Wii and is smaller. Plus, it’s the perfect entry point for new gamers who don’t care about the old days and simply want to get their motion gaming on.

But perhaps Nintendo’s view on that is short sighted. One of the best aspects of the Wii is that it supports the company’s Virtual Console, a nostalgic repository filled with titles from its many popular devices. Old school gamers can get everything from the first Super Mario to the finest Legend of Zelda games downloaded directly to their consoles. It’s a wonderful thing.

Wii Mini owners, however, won’t have that option. Instead, they’ll be forced to sift through Wii games in the hopes of finding some gems that can match the classics available in the Virtual Console. Admittedly, there are some Wii titles that will appeal greatly to gamers. But before long, it becomes clear that save for first-party games, there isn’t a whole lot to like in the Wii game library.

“Under the guise of the “nice” company, Nintendo looks to drain every last profit from customers”

The more I look at the Wii Mini, the more I see it as a cheap way for Nintendo to generate some extra cash. After all, it’s undoubtedly cheaper to produce and the lack of Internet connectivity forces would-be Wii customers to the more expensive model. Once again, Nintendo has, under the guise of the “nice” game company that hides under Mario’s hat, looked like a big company looking to drain every last profit out of its customers.

Thankfully, the Wii Mini is only coming to one market for now, so Nintendo shouldn’t be viewed as unfavorably as some might think. However, what if the Wii Mini actually sells relatively well in Canada? Don’t expect it to take too long for Nintendo to bring the underpowered and unnecessary console to the U.S. and U.K. After all, if Nintendo thinks it can make some extra cash, why wouldn’t it?

For seasoned gamers, the Wii Mini looks like yet another example of Nintendo failing to understand the changing market dynamics. Gamers want more Internet functionality, not less. And despite the GameCube’s sub-par performance in the console market, backward compatibility still matters.

Nintendo is simply playing by the wrong rules. When gamers ask for more, Nintendo has been giving them less. And when gamers had hoped for better features, Nintendo has almost always told them that it knows better.

With the Wii, Nintendo seemingly knew better, since the console sold extremely well. But the Wii Mini is a different beast altogether. And despite Nintendo’s best attempts at showing why the Wii Mini is really necessary for customers, the company has failed.

Sorry, but the Wii Mini is one big, bad idea.

Nintendo’s Wii Mini Is One Big, Bad Idea is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Clicking off the radio to rid your ears of an annoying DJ or an overplayed pop song is easy enough, but it could be more satisfying. How? Well, you could stuff a literal cork in your radio, of course. Normal speakers wouldn’t be phased by mere wine stopper, but by design, the DAB compatible Plugg is. The project is the brainchild of Skrekkøgle, a pair of Norwegian designers, and was built to investigate the “physical and metaphorical interaction with electronic devices.” The DIY project features a pair of volume buttons and the obvious cork for an on / off switch. There aren’t any build instructions and the prototype isn’t available for sale, but inspired builders can get a look at the speaker’s construction (including a trip to the 3D printer) on the team’s Flickr page. Head past the break to see the final product in action.

Continue reading Prototype Plugg radio dabbles in DAB, lets you put a cork in it

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

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Via: Designboom

Source: Skrekkøgle, Flickr