Hey, sweetheart, nice iPhone. Nice Android, too. It matches your Hello Kitty mug and bra. In fact, it’s downright “emasculating,” according to Google co-founder and Professional Computer Face Sergey Brin. So, stop throwing your manliness away. More »
While data shows that overall happiness in your relationship fell 8 more points, there is still a 31 percent chance of makeup sex this Friday, depending on average energy levels after work and how proactive you’re feeling (see chart). However, if you just order $18 of Chinese takeout like you did last weekend, projections show a 16.8 percent drop in possible intercourse and a whopping 74.2 percent upswing in Netflix-streaming, with both of you falling asleep long before the movie is over. More »
Just as some people are put on this earth to create things, others are prone to destroy everything they touch. Those people should probably spend some time with the Caterpillar-branded CAT B15, an aluminum-and-rubber-clad Android smartphone that (inadvertently) encouraged people to work on their stress issues here at MWC.
Naturally, Caterpillar isn’t actually making the phones — it’s a very far cry from the engines and bulldozers that the company is better known for. The device itself is made by a licensee called Bullitt Mobile, a U.K.-based company whose sole reason for existing seems to be churning out these sorts of rugged handsets.
In fact, It’s actually rather hard to get a firm idea of how tough this thing actually is. Sure, it’s completely dust-proof (assuming all the ports are properly closed) and the 4-inch display is swathed in second generation Gorilla Glass, but it’s all sort of abstract until you hold the thing in your hand the feel the urge to heave it somewhere. In spite of its considerable chubbiness, the B15 is actually lighter than you’d expect, though it’s still going to elicit some stares should you shove the thing into your pocket.
In a classic case of brawn vs. brains, the B15 isn’t the snappiest thing you’ll ever see with its dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm processor and but it’s still got enough horsepower to handle most daily tasks. If anything, performance is aided by the fact that the particular build of Android loaded up on the B15 is totally stock — no garish, cumbersome UI to be found here.
And perhaps best of all, the 4-inch display recognizes touch input even when it’s wet — mostly. After a booth representative shot down my attempt to hurl the thing like baseball (not a huge loss, my fastball is pretty lousy), I settled for dunking the B15 in some water a few times. For the first few instances, things worked fine, but at some point you’ll eventually have to wipe the thing down for it to start behaving properly again. Hardly a big deal, but those of you looking for an Android-powered diving buddy will have to look elsewhere (especially because it’s only waterproof until you go deeper than 1 meter).
In the event that your current smartphone is just too puny to keep up with your lifestyle, the CAT B15 will be available in March for €395 — try not to hurt yourself until then.
Cookie dough had better watch out. Boba Fett is coming.
(Credit: tommyfilth)
Not a long time ago, in a kitchen far, far away, there sits a KitchenAid mixer, the likes of which the galaxy has never seen. DeviantArtist tommyfilth perfectly melded the look of “Star Wars” bounty hunter Boba Fett with a kitchen appliance normally associated with Food Network shows rather than sci-fi.
We know what bad “Star Wars” kitchen appliances look like (hello, Nestle coffee maker). Leave it up to an independent artist to get it right. I would put tommyfilth’s Boba Fett mixer in my kitchen in a heartbeat. It shows that “Star Wars” cooking implements can really work.
There’s a little story behind this impressive creation. Tommyfilth asked his wife to get him a broken Kitche… [Read more]
Related Links:
See a saber duel through Darth Vader’s eyes
‘Star Wars’ spin-offs said to focus on Han Solo and Boba Fett
Bodum bounces clear into baking
Star Wars Pinball coming tomorrow to Android, iOS (video)
Report: Harrison Ford signs on to play Han Solo
If you’re an iPhone 5 owner who prefers those bumper cases that only cover the edges of the smartphone, XGear has a new offering called the Fortress 2. The case wraps all the way around the edges of the iPhone 5 and has a sliding door that opens allowing you to charge and sync the device without any problems. The bumper case also leaves all of the controls uncovered for easy access.
The Fortress 2 is CNC machined from a solid block of aluminum and shouldn’t interfere with the antenna or disrupt your signal strength. Possibly the best feature of this case for fans of frosty adult beverages is that it has a built-in bottle opener on the top right corner. That means while you’re drunk texting your ex, you’ll be able to pop open a fresh beer to keep the buzz going.
The Fortress 2 is made in the USA and is available for $99.99(USD). It is offered in multiple colors including light blue, dark blue, red, bare aluminum, matte black, purple, and pink. For an additional $10 you can get the case with their Banshee Tempered Glass Screen Protector.
During this afternoon’s Apple shareholder meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company is “looking at new categories” for 2013 and believes it’s been “an incredible year of innovation.” Cook gave no additional information as to what these new categories are, but he followed that remark by adding “we don’t talk about them, but we’re looking at them.”
A number of rumored Apple products that stray away from what the company normally would produce have been circulating for a number of years, the two that seem to regularly come up are Apple’s plans to produce their own television set and the iWatch. Apple has kept relatively quiet in regards to both products, which a number of analysts have speculated both products are being considered. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Asked To Pay $330k/Day Because Of Facetime Patents, Apple iCloud Services Experiencing Ongoing Issues,
It takes a lot to stand out at a trade show the size of Mobile World Congress. But here’s one device that caught my eye today: an e-ink smartphone. Unlike Yota Phone, the Russian startup that’s using e-ink as a second screen to augment the back of a powerful high end smartphone in a bid to stand out in the uber crowded Android space, this prototype device has just the one screen. A single e-ink screen on the front of the device — so it’s a true e-ink phone.
It’s also a true smartphone. There were two prototypes on show at Eink‘s stand, both with a 1GHz chip inside and one (the white one) with a 3G chip in it. The other had Edge connectivity. The phones run Android but, as you’d expect, the OS has been simplified with a custom UI that strips back the functionality to focus on the applications that make sense for a fully e-ink smartphone — such as a reader app, a dialer and email. The UI also includes a web browser since certain types of webpages can be viewed on an e-ink screen. It won’t support video of course but text-based sites can still be read.
The black prototype device (pictured below) also includes a backlight for reading in the dark. Both screens are capacitive, but as you’d expect with e-ink the refresh rate can be a little slow. Ghosting on the screen from past renders can be removed by shaking the device. The technology can support both portrait and landscape orientation so the e-ink smartphone could be turned on its side to switch the orientation to more of an e-reader sized width. Both devices felt incredibly lightweight.
Why do you want an only e-ink phone? Price for one thing. Battery life for another. Not to mention visibility in bright sunlight. Put all those factors together and this could be the perfect device for some emerging markets where electricity is at a premium. The prototypes are proof of concept at this point but Giovanni Mancini, director of product management for E-ink — the company which makes the screen — said the Chinese OEM which has made the prototypes, Fndroid, is talking to telcos and could launch a device this year.
So how much would this e-ink smartphone cost? Mancini said the device maker would set the price but in his view it would be comparable with a feature phone price tag. A big theme of this year’s MWC has been smaller mobile players — from open source OSes like Firefox that are seeking to drive openness and accessibility and drive down the cost of devices, to mobile veterans like Nokia focusing afresh on building smarter feature phones to target cost-conscious users in emerging markets. So it’s interesting to see companies toying with the idea of an entirely e-ink smartphone to cut device costs while preserving key smartphone functions such as access to the internet and email.
When Rovio’s Angry Bird‘s spinoff Bad Piggies released back in September, it was met with wild craze by long-time Angry Birds fans. Plus, the game took a different approach than past Rovio games, setting off a new wave of creativity for the game studio. While Bad Piggies has since calmed down a bit, a huge update released today brings the game back into the limelight.
Rovio released an update to the game today that adds 30 new “Flight in the Night” levels for gamers to tackle, as well as six new “Road Hogs” time trial levels. There’s also new sandbox and achievement features that users can play around with. The 30 new “Flight in the Night” levels include Angry Birds who will attempt to shoot down the Piggies if disturbed.
The game lets you build contraptions to help the pigs sneak by the sleeping Angry Birds as they hoard their stolen eggs. It’s a new take on the Angry Birds series, and it lets you go further into the lives of the pigs after they steal the birds’ eggs. The game puts you on the other side of the law, helping the pigs escape with stolen property.
Bad Piggies is available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, and Windows. All mobile platforms offer both free and paid versions. The paid version get rid of the advertisements in the game. Mac and Windows users are only subjected to the $4.99 paid version, which is ad-free and allows you to play the game on your larger computer display.
Bad Piggies “Road Hogs” update adds 30 new levels is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Google’s brand new Chromebook Pixel wasn’t entirely unexpected, but last week they blasted onto the high end laptop scene with the all-new device. With all previous models being aimed primarily at the low end, this Google-made Chromebook looks to change everything. With a stunning 2560 x 1700 HD ‘Pixel’ display, a powerful Intel Core i5 processor, and a beautiful design is it worth $1,299? Read on for our first impressions.
Google’s Chromebook Pixel was certainly needed, with all their previous devices being extremely budget-oriented laptops, but is Google and their OS ready? We’ll have to spend more time with it and let you know in our full review. Chrome OS aside, this device is stunning on all sides. From the display, design, build quality, and even the integrated speakers. Lets dig in!
The Chromebook Pixel is finally a Chromebook with specs to match some of the competition, which also surpasses them on many levels. The Pixel features a 12.85-inch ‘Pixel’ display with a 2560 x 1700 resolution at 239 PPI and 4.3 million pixels – and it absolutely looks amazing. It’s rocking a Gorilla Glass 2 protected multi-touch panel and offers excellent viewing angles, but out of the gate we’ll let you know the screen glare is pretty awful. Under the hood you’ll be working with a 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 32GB SSD for storage. As well as a 64GB 4G LTE option coming later. That isn’t all either. With your purchase users get 1TB (1000GB) of free Google Drive cloud storage. Essentially putting anything and everything on the cloud. Then you’ll get two USB 2.0 ports, Displayport, and a full SD slot among other things.
It’s pretty safe to say our initial impressions on the screen are good. It is certainly on the same level as a MacBook Retina. The colors are amazing, but the viewing angles weren’t quite as good as we expected, and Apple has a leg up here. Using the touchscreen for our limited time with it we don’t have too many thoughts. The video below you’ll see how smooth the touchscreen operation is, but we’re not sure how useful real world usage will be. The actual device is blazing fast and the most smooth and fluid Chrome OS we’ve seen or used to date. That’s all thanks to the Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM of course. For now we’ll just let you enjoy the video:
Everything about this Chromebook screams “premium high end product.” The all aluminum design is solid and extremely sturdy, the Gorilla Glass protected display is sturdy and creak free, and the keyboard is a joy to use. Typing on this thing has been a wonderful experience so far. The backlit LED keyboard is nice, and the speakers are safely integrated under the keyboard to keep things sleek. We do want to make one thing clear, the speakers are exceptional for a laptop. It’s loud, clear, and extremely crisp. I was blown away at the first video I watched.
For those that missed the announcement the all new Chromebook Pixel is up now on the Google Play Store for $1,299 which gets you the 32GB model, and $1,449 coming soon with 64GB and 4G LTE from Verizon. Yeah.. it’s certainly not cheap. Not one bit. Google needed a premium device, but this is really premium.
We’ll obviously need a few days to enjoy the Chromebook Pixel. Find some of its strong points, and the quirks, and we’ll report back shortly with a full review. Can this premium laptop be your daily device, or is Chrome OS too much in its infancy? Does Google tempt the daring with the Pixel – we’re not sure. Stay tuned for our full review to see if this is a Ferrari with a 4-cylinder, or if it can be the real deal.
Chromebook Pixel hands-on: does Google tempt the daring? is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
We don’t know much about this photo snapped in 1940. It shows Ludwig Ferraglio making a cast of a fish called Acrotus Willoughbyi but that’s about all we know. More »
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
