Potholes are not a joke. They get in your way, damage your car and make you spill a Big Gulp’s worth of Grape Fanta on your already-dingy upholstered seats. But new research shows that Google Street View may be all municipalities need to correct the problem. More »
We haven’t checked in with littleBits in quite some time and, honestly, it was a bit of a surprise to find the electronic tinker toys hiding in a quiet corner of the floor at Toy Fair this year. The property has grown quite a bit in the past few years. For one, it’s no longer a “project” but an actual shipping product. And in the last year founder Ayah Bdeir has turned it from a great concept into an actual company with serious investors. For those of you unfamiliar with littleBits, the goal is to do for electronics what LEGO did for structural engineering. The small color coded “blocks” snap together with magnets allowing even a novice to create a functioning circuit in seconds. The magnets will only connect in one orientation, preventing you from pushing current through a component in the wrong direction and ruining it. Ayah’s inspiration is not just LEGO, but object oriented programing languages that simplify building code, allowing developers to focus on the more creative aspects of software making. By doing some of the heavy logical lifting for you, littleBits hopes that potential electrical engineers and prototypers can focus on the goal rather than the minutia of laying out a breadboard or soldering resistors in place.
The latest version of the platform, v0.3, debuted just a couple of months ago and not only brings new pieces to the littleBits universe, but also adds legs to the blocks for improved stability when piecing together your projects. Currently there are four kits available: the three piece Teaser kit for $29, the seven piece Holiday kit for $49, the 10 piece Starter kit for $89 and the 14 piece Extended kit for $149. (You can also buy individual Bits for between $10 and $35.) If you’re in need of inspiration there are a number of projects for you peruse on the site and the company is even considering packaging them up as pre-planned kits. Though, unlike other electronics project bundles (such as the ubiquitous BrushBot), the magnetic pieces can easily be disassembled and re-purposed if you tire of your creation. While the concept has its roots in brands like Snap Circuits, littleBits definitely provides more freedom than those single purpose offerings. For more, check out the video after the break.
Gallery: littleBits hands-on
Filed under: Misc
Talk about the post-PC area all you like, but some good old-fashion stationary PCs can be pretty damn cool in their own right. This slick, fanless HTPC put together by Jeffrey Stephenson is a perfect example. More »
Beijing’s smog problem isn’t exactly new information, but it’s been getting way worse lately. In response, local artist Matt Hope decided to integrate an air purifier into his bike so riding around the city would be less hazardous. More »
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Apple and Google, the latter riding on a Samsung partnership, continue to play an escalating game of units versus revenues to determine which is the top dog in mobile operating systems. However, two companies that were early players in smartphones, but late to revamp their operating systems, look on, seeking to establish themselves as solid third-place entrants, at least as a beachhead.
A couple of years into the re-emergence of Windows Phone and its slow crawl up the market share mountain, the company formerly known as RIM has released BlackBerry 10. Both operating systems lie somewhere between the cathedral of iOS and the bazaar of Android in terms of their tradeoffs between integration and flexibility, with Windows Phone offering a broader range of hardware since it is licensed and has been in the market longer.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Apple, Samsung, Google, Blackberry
According to individuals familiar with the situation, Apple is testing designs for a “watch-like device,” something that sounds similar to the popular Pebble smartwatch. The company has already been in discussions about the device with Foxconn, which is reported as actively working on wearable device technology for multiple companies, says the sources.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the sources says that Foxconn is currently working on making the wearable device displays more power-efficient for battery purposes. If Apple does ever release a wearable device, it is said that it’ll be integrated with the iPhone, probably connecting with the device via Bluetooth and allowing the two to have a symbiotic relationship.
This isn’t a new thing for Apple, according to the sources, which say the company has been looking into wearable devices for quite some times. The company has allegedly gone so far as to hire employees with experience related to the technology. Apple declined commenting on the situation, and Foxconn has not said anything about the matter.
If the Pebble smartwatch is any indication, this type of device could be wildly popular. The Pebble, which connects with a mobile device, reached its $100k pledge goal in a little over an hour and a half on Kickstarter, and went on to break records and receive thousands of pledges. We’ll keep you updated as more details surface, so stay tuned.
[via Wall Street Journal]
Apple reportedly testing wearable smartwatch-like devices is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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For the third year in a row, Washington, D.C., was rated the most literate city in the United States, with Seattle and Minneapolis close behind. That is according to a study conducted by Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) of the literacy of the nation’s largest cities.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s use of unmanned drones to kill Americans who are suspected of being al-Qaida allies deserves closer inspection, lawmakers said Sunday as even some of the president’s allies suggested an uneasiness about the program.
Obama’s stance toward the terrorist threats facing the United States has left some Democrats and Republicans alike nervous about the unmanned drones targeting the nation’s enemies from the skies. Questions about the deadly program dogged Obama’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency last week and prompted lawmakers to consider tighter oversight. All killings carried out under the drone program have ballooned under the president’s watch.
There are two worlds of ringtones. There are the “this is my favorite song” ringtones and there are the “holy shit why didn’t I think of that” ringtones. Music, pretty much by default, falls in the first category. The second category, that’s harder to define. More »
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