Hasta La Gadget!

You’re not the only one irked by iMessage spam — Apple is too. Cupertino’s finally gotten fed up with those pesky spammers and has established an email line to receive reports about them. So, next time your phone beeps and your slumber’s rudely interrupted by ads for prescription drugs, take a screenshot of that riffraff and send it to imessage.spam@icloud.com. When shooting off the dispatch to Cook and Co. you’ll also have to include the offender’s phone number or email address, as well as the date and time you received the unwanted text. It’s unclear what effect the tattling will have, but we’re sure at least some measure of catharsis is involved. Okay, cheap pharmaceutical peddlers, brace yourselves for some sweet, satisfying justice.

[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Filed under: Internet, Apple

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Via: 9to5mac

Source: Apple

Games like Mario and Sonic were side scrolling games when they were first introduced, although their later incarnations brought a touch of 3D to the mix. You might recall a while back there was a video where the game of Super Mario Bros. was played from a first-person’s perspective, and if you thought that was cool, would Sonic the Hedgehog played from a first-person’s perspective be of interest to you? Given that Sonic involves a lot of running and spinning, we reckon a bit of motion-sickness could occur, but it’s still an interesting perspective nonetheless.

Put together by Filipe B. Costa, it basically runs through the Green Hill Zone and you get to see what Sonic could be like if it had been a first-person game. Like we said there’s a bit of running, jumping and spinning involved, so if you’re the type that suffers from motion-sickness, you might want to stay away from the video, but if you’re fine, spare a couple of minutes and check it out in the video above!

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Sonic The Hedgehog Played From A First-Person’s Perspective original content from Ubergizmo.

Earlier this year you might have heard of how this developer hacked Donkey Kong so that his daughter could play as a female character, a pretty cool move as far as we’re concerned, but it seems that Mike Mika has hacked and modified more than one game during his time and in a recent interview with Wired, Mika recounted how he modified the code in a video game he helped develop to propose to his then-girlfriend, now-Wife.

Mika found out that his girlfriend loved puzzle games and because he was developing one himself, he thought it would be cool to put in the proposal in the game. However his girlfriend actually did not bother playing the game despite his constant urging, and it was only a few years later that she actually did. The reason was because he admitted his plan in an interview with Tips & Tricks magazine, and what he did was he left the interview open on the table along with the game, and the codes she would need to see his proposal. Needless to say it ended well and they are happily married.

This is not the first time we’ve seen games hacked to create marriage proposals, and we don’t expect it to be the last either.

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Developer Modifies Game To Propose To Girlfriend original content from Ubergizmo.

Being a parent is a lot of work. There are times where you need a few extra hands, and another pair of eyes. Unfortunately, if you don’t have anyone else around, extra appendages are hard to come by. Thankfully, there are plenty of gadgets out there that can help with some of the issues that can come up while trying to raise a child (or two).

If you’ve ever taken your child out to the store, and lost sight of them, you truly understand what it means to panic. Despite being a good parent and keeping constant watch over them, children can disappear around a corner in the blink of an eye. This type of scenario is exactly what the Wootch was created.

The Wootch looks like nothing more than a brightly-colored digital watch for children. However, it’s more than just a portable timepiece. The watch also houses a Bluetooth transmitter that will talk to your smartphone, and let you know exactly where your child is. Should they get more than 16 feet away, you will actually get an alert on your phone, letting you know that they’ve wandered off too far. Finally, there’s a “FindMe” button, that your child can press, that sends an alert to your phone.

I think that this concept is brilliant. Sure, some people will say that good parents won’t ever lose track of their children, but those people are simply underestimating how sneaky a kid can really be. What I think is so great is that the device is hidden in plain sight as a watch. All you need to do is get your child in the habit of wearing their watch whenever you take them out of the house. And should the worst happen and someone abducts a child wearing one of these, they won’t think to remove the watch, so there’s a better chance of the child hitting the “FindMe” button, and being found quickly. You can get your own by funding the IndieGoGo project, and pledging just $30.

 
[ Wootch is a child locator hidden inside of a watch copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I’ve changed running styles a bunch of times over the years, shifting from mindless heelstriking to a quasi-shuffle of my own invention to try to lower the impact of running on concrete, to (finally) proper forefooting after getting gait analysis done at a running gear shop. I can’t praise forefooting enough. It is harder work for the ankles, and initially tougher on the calves, too, but once you get the technique down it’s infinitely superior to pounding pavement with your heels. And much faster than a too-conservative shuffle.

Locking a new running technique can be tough though, so enter the Sensoria Smart Sock Fitness Tracker, which wants to track your steps and advise on running style, by doing real-time gait analysis thanks to its sensor-stuffed socks.

Sensoria’s wearable device consists of a pair of socks, containing its “e-textile technology” (which basically boils down to pressure sensors, so it can figure out which bits of your foot are taking the weight as you run), plus a clip-on Bluetooth 4.0 device that also contains an accelerometer and altimeter, and attaches to the ankle of the sock via magnets (it’s detachable so the sock can be washed). This wirelessly connects to your computer or smartphone to upload your running data.

As well as tracking basics like steps and speed, the device is designed specifically for runners so it also tracks a range of more specialist metrics including which part of your foot you’re landing on so you can perfect your foot-strike technique; your overall cadence metronome by measuring stride frequency to help you stay in an optimal running rhythm; and it also has a stride analyser to monitor average stride length to ensure good form, much as a running coach might.

The system can also track inactivity. Because it is a step tracker it knows when your foot has been stationary for a while so it can figure out you’re sitting down and send you an alert to take a screen break. Which sounds like a very handy feature for the average blogger.

Sensoria’s system supports both real-time coaching if you use its app while out running — which can give prompts and warnings for things like heelstriking or retrospective analysis of your performance via its software dashboard. The app will be available for iOS 6 and above and Android 4.3 and above — this limited reach is down to the need for the platform to have Bluetooth 4.0 support.

Sensoria’s creators are currently seeking crowdsourced funding via Indiegogo to get their idea to market and are very close to their target of $87,000, with 16 days left to run on the campaign. Currently all the lowest-priced pledges that include the full device ($99) have been bagged but there are still multiple pledges at the $119 price point. For that you get the fitness tracker and one pair of socks. Three pairs of extra socks are also available for $59.