Hasta La Gadget!

Rumors of Apple building a watch-like device have existed since time immemorial — they’ve built up the same near-mythical status that the iPhone did pre-2007, or a TV set does today. The New York Times, however, claims that the watch concept exists as more than just some fan art. Reportedly, Apple has been “experimenting” with wrist-wearable devices that would run iOS and use curved glass. Other details are left to feverish speculation, although the OS choice suggests it would be more than just a glorified iPod nano watch. Before we get too excited, we’d do well to remember that any testing in a design lab doesn’t equate to production plans: the company might well scrap its work before it ever becomes public, if it’s indeed real to start with. Still, there have been enough advances in flexible displays and miniaturization that the notion of connected, wearable Apple gear is no longer as far-fetched as it once seemed.

Update: Not to be left out, the Wall Street Journal has made a similar claim. It adds that Apple has explored possibilities with its contract manufacturer Foxconn, although there’s not much more to learn at this stage.

Filed under: Wearables, Apple

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Source: New York Times

At long last, after waiting for quite some time, the iTwin Connect is now available, offering users protected as well as unrestricted access to the Internet, not to mention to home and corporate networks (virtual private network or VPN), too. Lux Anantharaman, CEO of iTwin, weighs in on the situation, saying, “With iTwin Connect users no longer have to worry about their online privacy when travelling, or worry about which online services are allowed in the places they travel to. Now frequent travelers, businesspeople and exchange students can browse privately and without restrictions from anywhere in the world.” Needless to say, what is the whole point of talking about the iTwin Connect when we do not espouse its strengths?

Some of the key benefits of the iTwin Connect will include the ‘Teleport Me’ function, allowing you to browse privately and securely from untrusted networks and access blocked or geo-restricted sites and services regardless of where you are in the world. All traffic will be directed via a private VPN tunnel to the home/office PC, where the public Internet may then be accessed via the home/office PC’s Internet connection. Not only that, ‘Teleport Me’ also delivers private access to the Internet courtesy of iTwin’s dedicated network servers in the United States, Europe or Asia/Pacific, should that be the case.

You will also be able to take advantage of personal, zero-configuration VPN for full bi-directional network access, while Military Grade Security lets you sleep in peace, thanks to hardware-grade security and two-factor authentication. Heck, why not check things out remotely with the ability for you to launch Windows Remote Desktop using a single click, gaining access to applications (and their data) on the home/office PC? Even better is, you will not be bogged down by those pesky monthly fees, as a one time cost will let you enjoy unlimited usage.

If you are interested, you can pick up the iTwin Connect now for $129 a pop.

Press Release
[ iTwin Connect now available copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

You know something? Back when I was a kid, I never would have figured out the day would come when computers could surf on this thing called the “Internet”, and that we would be toting around wireless devices everywhere we go. Well, I guess things can change a whole lot in just a couple of decades, and it is going to be an exciting ride to be on this train that is gonna ride for a good half decade more, assuming all goes well with my health before I call it quits in the game of life. Still, it amazes me that something as basic as a bathroom scale would be on the receiving end of WiFi connectivity, no? The £99.99 Withings WS-30 WiFi Scales can be said to be a “sequel” of sorts from the original, where it has obviously gone to the fat house and lost some weight, while being faster and looking all the more fabulous – just like you should, when you have shed off all those accumulated pounds over your holiday feasting.

The Withings WS-30 WiFi Scales comes in a tempered-glass and aluminum body that will automatically record your weight, fat mass and BMI (body mass index) each time you step on it. Your efforts (or lack of it, depending on which side of the disciplinary fence you’re on) will be stored on a secure website, social network or smartphone app, allowing you to access such data at any point in time – as long as there is a decent Internet connection around, of course. Do expect this puppy to be able to keep track and store data for as many as eight users simultaneously, where it will rely on previously recorded data to identify each user. I would assume you would not mind sharing your results over a social network if they have been encouraging, but otherwise, it would be best to keep on working at your fitness regime.

[ Withings WS-30 WiFi Scales copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Every year, 140 billion pounds of packaging are disposed of in the United States alone. The world is running out of space for land fills and we’ve already got enough particulate matter in the atmosphere, just in case some people think burning the whole lot is the solution.

Design student Aaron Mickelson is well aware of the impact that all this packaging has on the environment. His alternative? Disappearing packaging.

Not the type of disappearing that involves magic, but ingenuity. Instead of using non-biodegradable materials to package various household products, Aaron’s packaging calls for the product itself to be integrated into the packaging, so the latter gets used up in the process as well.

Instead of ending up with an empty bottle, you’ll end up with… well, nothing. Some example designs include detergent pods which punch out of a perforated sheet that forms the package, soap packaging made out of soap, and garbage bags that are packed in, well… a garbage bag.

Doing something like this might be easier said than done, but it’s worth a shot, at the very least.

[via TAXI via Bit Rebels]

For years, the potential of 3D printing has made tech geeks drool, but now we’re finally starting to see the technology graduate from a mere novelty into a highly useful tool. Take, for example, the story of the 5-year-old boy who was born without fingers on his right hand but recently received a 3D-printed prosthetic hand. Thanks to its quick turnaround speeds, the technology also enables scientists to test multiple designs at once. For example, in Australia researchers are using 3D printers to produce more effective tags that can be used to track large fish. At Cornell University, researchers are experimenting with using 3D printers to print food that could be eaten by astronauts in space, and scientists in Edinburgh successfully 3D-printed embryonic stem cells for the first time, demonstrating how 3D-printing technology could one day eliminate the need for organ donation. In related news, scientists were recently surprised to find children’s cells living in mother’s brains long after pregnancy.

Filed under: Misc, Science

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