D’Angelo: Brown Sugar

D’Angelo went a bit nuts, got arrested, got a little fat, and disappeared for a decade. Now he’s back, and he’s touring and recording. And if the next album is anything near the R&B goodness he gave us with Brown Sugar and Voodoo, we’ll be more than pleased. [Spotify, iTunes, Amazon] More »

Braven announces Bluetooth-equipped Braven 570 portable speaker

Braven has announced its new portable Bluetooth speaker, the Braven 570. Although the speaker has quite a few features to boast of, its perhaps most immediately distinguishing feature is the multiple colors in which it is available. The unit is slated for release on December 16 (that’s this Sunday) for a cool $99.99.

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You can grab the Braven 570 in Lunar Black, Sahara Red, Monaco Blue, Rio Purple, Arctic White, and Fiji Green. The device features an integrated power reserve that can be charged and then used for emergency smartphone charging, and can be paired with any smartphone that supports Bluetooth, including the iPhone and your favorite Android handset.

The speaker offers 10 hour of playback, and has a connectivity range of about 33-feet while pulling 6W of juice. The device is made to be impact-resistant via a polymer chassis. The 570 is priced at $129.99 if you don’t get it through QVC, which will offer it starting Sunday at $99.99. If you don’t fancy ordering from QVC, you’ll be able to nab the speaker in black or white from stores starting in January.

Braven’s CEO Warren Osborn offered this statement. “We designed the 570 to appeal to a different audience than we’ve ever reached before. With the bright, colorful options and new exterior, the 570 is an important part of expanding our line to offer a high-quality BRAVEN Bluetooth speaker that matches any style, need, or cost.”


Braven announces Bluetooth-equipped Braven 570 portable speaker is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This Week’s Top Comedy Video: Gandalf Street Magic

You think David Blaine is bad? It could be worse. You could be stuck with the Middle Earth street magic stylings of Gandalf. Where’s your ring of invisibility when you need it? More »

Smartphone-Controlled Toilet Includes Built-in Speakers So You Can Listen to Music, Costs Nearly $5,000

“Welcome. I am honored to accept your waste” says the Japanese toilet to Homer Simpson as a rainbow springs from the bowl. Japan is full of toilets from the ingenious to the insane and the country has built up a reputation as the origin of some of the world’s most multi-functional commodes. More »

SuperPop Project develops game for children with motor skills impairments, aided by Microsoft’s Kinect (video)

SuperPop Project develops game for children with motor skills impairments, aided by Microsoft's Kinect (video)

The tools available to therapists tasked with helping children with motor skills impairments improve their range of motion are definitely helpful. But the Human-Automation Systems Lab at Georgia Tech is looking to make said tools even better (specifically for those with cerebral palsy) with the SuperPop Project. With the use of a Kinect and display — two items that may already be in many homes — what children will see as a game is actually helping to build upper-arm motor function. The setup is fully customizable on the back end, which allows the therapist to tailor sessions to each patient and to his or her individual progress. During the course of play, the software tracks the coordinates of the user’s joints, collecting loads of data for analyzing progression / regression and the like during the course of the rehabilitation. Head on past the break for a quick look at the setup in action.

Continue reading SuperPop Project develops game for children with motor skills impairments, aided by Microsoft’s Kinect (video)

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Google News now optimized for tablets

Google has announced that Google News has been optimized for tablet devices, such as the Nexus 7 and the iPad. When accessed from a tablet, Google News shows an updated design, which isn’t terribly different than what you see when accessing the website from a desktop browser. With the update comes a few features that makes tablet browsing easier.

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The first thing you notice when accessing Google News on a tablet is its rather clean, streamlined look. There’s less “junk” to deal with, and white space has been smoothed out and minimized so that it isn’t obtrusive. The display size on the tablet you’re using to access Google News will influence how the website is displayed.

When using a smaller tablet, such as the Nexus 7, the website’s layout doesn’t include the right-side Editors’ Picks sidebar, as well as the “Explore in Depth” option and article excerpts. When using a bigger tablet, however, such as the iPad, the “Explore in Depth” option is available, as are excerpts and the ability to see editor picks on the right side of the browser.

Readers can use various swiping gestures to navigate through Google News from a tablet. Swiping to the side, for example, allows one to flip through sections. Says Google, “There’s something special about reading news on your tablet. Indeed, swiping through articles brings to mind the familiar feeling of flipping through a favorite magazine or newspaper.”

[via Google News Blog]


Google News now optimized for tablets is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This Retroreflective Scarf Has Secret, Hidden Stripes

Fashion is all about how things look, sure, but it doesn’t have to be about how they look all the time. This Retroreflective Scarf designed by Diana Eng is definitely striped, even if it doesn’t always appear that way. More »

Recycle Your God-Awful Christmas Sweaters with This Pedal-Powered Un-Knitting Machine

Until now, we’ve had precious few options for disposing of the knitted atrocity Grandma made—regift it, stuff it in the bottom of a drawer to languish, or donate it to charity. But with the ingenious Imogen Hedges un-knitting machine, you’ll be able to devolve that sweater in no time. Best of all, you’ve now got the perfect gift for grandma next year—tidy balls of yarn for her knitting. More »

GOG holiday sale kicks off with deals on The Witcher 2, Torchlight

We’re often tricked into thinking that no one does gaming sales better than Valve, but GOG is showing us today that such a claim simply isn’t true. GOG has kicked off its holiday sale, with most of its catalog discounted in one way or another. It seems that not every game in GOG’s catalog is being discounted, but you’d be hard pressed to find games that aren’t included in this sale.

GOGholidaysale

Much like the Steam sales we all know and love, GOG will be featuring new deals each and every day. Some of today’s featured deals include Torchlight, Legend of Grimrock, and Inquisitor for $3.74 each. Other notable deals have The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition at $11.99, Dungeon Keeper 2 for $2.99, and Freespace 2 for $4.99. Not bad for someone looking to pick up some excellent games on the cheap.

There are deals on games for both Windows and Mac, so you should be able to find something good regardless of your platform (unless you’re playing on Linux, sadly), and the holiday sale is going to run until January 3, 2013. That’s quite a long time, and there will be plenty of rounds of daily deals between now and then. The games offered on GOG are generally inexpensive enough, but this massive deal makes being a member of GOG an even better idea.

This is just one of the massive sales we’re expecting on digital PC games, with Steam’s holiday sale rumored to be kicking off on December 20. GOG has a pretty good jump on Steam if that’s the case, but then again, GOG’s offerings are pretty unique in the realm of digital distribution. Are you going to pick anything up in the GOG holiday sale?

[via GOG]


GOG holiday sale kicks off with deals on The Witcher 2, Torchlight is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If You Want Me To Sing In Public You’ll Have To Do Better Than a Free Coke

Coca-Cola has long been associated with the holidays: from polar bears with questionable diets, to the myth that the company created our modern image of the man in red. But this year the company’s Christmas marketing efforts completely miss the mark. Instead of turning caffeine addicts into spies for a free bottle of sugar water, Coke vending machines in Europe are giving out free soda in exchange for karaoked Christmas carols. More »