Hasta La Gadget!

It should be no surprise to those who follow the tech industry to hear Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be retiring within a year. Whether or not he was forced out due to the Microsoft Surface RT debacle is certainly up for debate, but the Ballmer certainly isn’t going down without revealing some secrets the company has been holding on to for quite some time. Specifically, Microsoft Office for iOS and Android devices. (more…)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Hints At Office For iOS, Android original content from Ubergizmo.

Video game consoles – those have been playing nanny to your kids all summer long for as long as one can remember. Of course, the Atari 2600 has been a reference point for many of us older folk, before we “graduated” to the likes of the NES, and that was before the 16-bit revolution turned the world upside down with its snazzy graphics (and of course, the gameplay did go some way in helping keep us glued in front of the TV screen). Fast forward to this day and age, where Full HD graphics are considered to be compulsory if a game were to “make it”, so to speak. We also know that two highly anticipated consoles will roll out in the US before the year is over – the Xbox One from Microsoft, and the PS4 from Sony. What happens when you have an inkling for a blast from the past? This is where Hyperkin’s RetroN 5 console comes in, where it has been tagged with a December 10, 2013 official release date.

The RetroN 5 will certainly love to accept the entire collection of old school game cartridges, since it will be compatible with the following old school consoles – NES, SNES, Genesis and GBA cartridges. I guess it is time to break open that box in the attic, blow the dust off, and then start giving it a go to roll back those years with your first memory of Mario Kart racing, or the incorporation of Mode 7 on SNES titles. The RetroN 5 will be released in the US as well as Europe, where it will retail for $99.99 Stateside, while our friends living across the pond will have to pay €89.99.

Since the RetroN 5 was showcased at E3 earlier this year, some key modifications were made to the console, where the shell design would pave the way for better ventilation so that its innards remain nice and cool for a longer time, not to mention making concessions to use the Sega Power Base Converter so that owners of the RetroN 5 are able to enjoy Master System cartridges as well. The RetroN 5 is capable of bypassing any irritating region locks, so go ahead and game away! All purchases will arrive with an AC adapter that is accompanied by a quartet of head sockets to have it fit multiple regions, where the voltage will range from 110 to 240 volts.

Press Release
[ Hyperkin’s RetroN 5 console slated for December 10 release copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I’ve seen lamps made of many different materials, but this is the first concrete lamp I’ve come across. It looks quite interesting, but it’s not going to be a very lightweight lamp.

Light ‘0’ was created by the South Korean studio 220plus. Their solution is simple, and the structure mixes both warm and cold materials. The most striking feature is the lampshade that’s made from concrete, with an exposed cable. The designers say that it’s been made to enhance the mobility and functionality of the lamp, allowing for different positions to manage your lighting solution.

The Light ‘0’ lamp will be available for purchase in October 2013, and it will come in both table and floor lamp variants.

[via The Mag]

Yesterday, the winners of the fifth annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition were finally announced—and man oh man, are they stunning. Over 1,200 amateurs and pros submitted shots, ranging from stunning aurora borealis images to a panorama taken by a ten-year-old whiz kid.

Read more…

Google unveiled its QuickOffice for iOS and Android devices along with Drive support last year, allowing those on the go to be able to create and edit documents until they’re blue in the face. Unfortunately, QuickOffice comes at a price as Google requires a subscription to its Google Apps services in order to use the application on supporting devices, but that changes today as the company is announcing it’s making QuickOffice available for free. (more…)

Google Makes QuickOffice Free For iOS, Android Users original content from Ubergizmo.