Hasta La Gadget!

The much-anticipated Leap Motion Controller began shipping to pre-order customers today, as reviews of the input device hit the web. The startup behind the controller has done an impressive job raising interest in the novel gadget, and sold an incredible amount of pre-orders to early adopters. But reviews so far have been mostly lukewarm, citing experiences that don’t necessarily live up to the hype.

The Leap Motion controller went back to the drawing board and put off its wide launch to spend more time in a wider beta in order to get the consumer experience right. It sounds like they were focusing on the right area with that effort, as most reviews say the Leap Motion experience is a little underwhelming, or at least something that’s an admirable distraction but not useful for truly productive usage.

Leap Motion has done a good job of getting a decent selection and range of apps in the Airspace dedicated software store for its device at launch, so it has that going for it. But the problem here appears to be that all of the apps leave reviewers feeling more like they’ve just experienced a gimmick, than the next generation of computer interaction.

What Leap Motion can do now (scrolling and paging through apps and virtual environments, completing next and back functions) is a far cry from what it will likely eventually be able to do, however. The Leap Motion and devices like it are a long bet, and I think the companies behind them understand this; we’ll see a bit of what they’re capable of shown off in tech demos and current generation software, but what they’re offering is an entirely new paradigm for thinking about digital interaction. That means it’ll take time before developers wrap their head around what kind of software experience fits this mould.

Adapting Fruit Ninja or Google Earth to something like 3D gesture control is a simple enough process, one that’s opportunistic without being truly innovative. Some might say Leap Motion should’ve stayed in beta until it could begin to bring about the change needed to show its controller off to its full potential, but someone had to get the tech to market. It’ll grow accordingly, though I’m curious to see if consumer interest will be enough to sustain it through its awkward adolescence based on these initial, hopeful but ultimately reserved consumer-oriented reviews.

How many times have you spoken on your iPhone 5, only to have the handset die on you? That is definitely irritating to say the least, especially when you have got a pretty large business dealing going on at that point in time. Having said that, it pays to ensure that your iPhone 5 remains charged up whenever possible, be it on your commute to work in the car or using a portable battery. How about settling for a 2-in-1 solution? This is what the £59.99 Boostcase for iPhone 5 is all about, where this detachable battery sleeve will not only offer some protection for your iPhone 5, but it also gives a boost to its battery life as its name suggests.

After all, the higher resolution camera and faster processor sure needs its fair share of power to run, and so this is where the Boostcase makes perfect sense. While the Boostcase does not blow its trumpet to tout that this is the first portable charger in existence, it claims to be the “cleverest, most attractive and easiest to use”, but is it, really? It is basically a combination of Hybrid technology, where the first segment is a sleek, snap-on protective case that was meant to remain attached to your iPhone all the time, while the second part would be an attachable battery sleeve that can be clipped onto the back of the snap-on case in a jiffy, delivering 1,500mAh of raw, recharging power.
[ Boostcase for iPhone 5 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

As I scour the internet looking for wonderful creations to share with you, I occasionally come across something so magical that I think it needs to be made into a product you can buy. This is one of those times. What you’re looking at here is the world’s most awesome LEGO panda bear.

It was created by Jumpei Mitsui, who knows a thing or two about LEGO bricks. You see, Jumpei is one of a handful of LEGO Certified Professionals, and if this jolly panda bear is any indication, it’s clear why he’s been honored with that distinction.

Jumpei, you should submit this design to LEGO Cuusoo, so there’s a chance that they’d actually turn it into a kit so we could all make one for ourselves. Heck, I could see a whole family of LEGO pandas in a variety of sizes.

Man, I just want to walk up to LEGO panda and rub his roly-poly belly. For some reason, I think that would be good luck.

Flash drives these days, no matter how fast, are a dime a dozen. A jump drive that does double duty as a wireless streaming dongle? Not so common. SanDisk’s new Connect lineup can pull off the streaming trick whether it’s the flash drives with 16 or 32GB sizes for $50 and $60, respectively, or the Media Drives that pack 32 or 64GB of storage for either $80 or $100. Both sets of devices can stream movies, music or other data to PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices or even Kindle Fires. All you need to do is grab the SanDisk Connect app for your device, and transferring files is a drag-and-drop affair.

Where the Flash and Media Drives differ, however, is that the latter can serve up to eight devices at a time with regular data, or send out five simultaneous streams of 720p video. Plus, it’s got an SDHC/SDXC slot for further storage expansion, should 64 gigs be insufficient. Sound good? Folks in the US can pre-order either drive today from Amazon, and if you aren’t a Bezos fan, Newegg and Micro Center are taking Flash Drive preorders, too. Save that, you can always go pick one up from Best Buy in August.

Filed under: Storage, Mobile

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Shares of semiconductor maker Himax Technologies are jumping in pre-market trading with the news that Google has taken a 6.3% stake in Himax Display (HDI). HDI is a subsidiary of the Taiwanese company that focuses on liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) chips and modules, which are used in Google Glass and other products. HDI also counts Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures and Intel as investors.

Google’s stake is a sign that Glass production is ramping up: the company says that the invesmtment is being made to “fund production upgrades, expand capacity and further enhance production capabilities.”

It’s not clear what the valuations of HDI or Google’s stake are. Jackie Chang, the CFO of Himax, tells us the company is not making that information public right now. “We are not disclosing the information,” she told me in an email earlier. “This announcement allows us to disclose information that is required by the SEC. We are delighted to enter into the agreement with Google.” That SEC filing is here.

Himax Technologies itself, which trades on NASDAQ, has a current market cap of $876.7 million. Shares closed down on Friday at $5.17 (down 3.36%) but are trading nearly 40% higher before the market opens so will likely see a pop today.

What’s more clear is that this is a sign that growing interest in Google Glass and other products like it are putting some pressure on Himax, which has been around since 2004, to increase production facilities.

As Google makes more moves into positioning itself as a vertically-integrated tech player beyond software and cloud-based services, the company’s stake in HDI could grow. Himax says that the 6.3% stake includes an option to make an additional investment in more preferred shares within the next year. If exercised in full, Google can take up to a 14.8% share in HDI.

“Google is a preeminent global technology leader. We are delighted to receive this investment and to form a strategic partnership with Google,” said Jordan Wu, president and CEO of Himax, in a statement. “Beginning the second quarter of this year, we had already begun expanding capacity to meet demand for our LCOS product line. This investment from Google further validates our commitment to developing breakthrough technologies and state‐of‐the‐art production facilities. We look forward to leveraging this investment and our collective expertise with Google to create unique and transformational LCOS technologies for many years ahead.”

As part of the deal, Himax, which now owns 81.5% of the subsidiary, says it will also be investing money to expand production at HDI. Google’s share acquisition is expected to close in Q3 2013.