Android Central’s Andrew Martonik made a surprising discovery after updating Google Maps version 9.9 on his phone: a near-fully functional Google Maps app had suddenly appeared on his Android Wear watch as well. The app reportedly works much like the…
When it’s raining, we use an umbrella to shield us from the onslaught of raindrops falling from the sky. Of course, we dread not having one with us, but even when we do, they’re a nuisance. Strong winds blow them inside out, they don’t always stay open, they get the floor wet, and you normally have to awkwardly close them and get yourself wet when you want to get in a car or go inside.
The design for these has been the same for thousands of years, and it’s about time we spiced things up a little. The KAZbrella will change the way you think of an umbrella. This is a reversible, drip-free umbrella that is everything you would want on a rainy day. This opens inside out, looking like a flower blooming, which means when it closes all of the water will be trapped on the inside. You’ll be able to get in your car, close the umbrella, and pull it inside without having to get soaked in the process.
Even if a strong wind blows it the other way you can press a button, and the Plexiglas spokes will go back into place. The shaft is made of aircraft grade aluminum and the canopy is constructed of a breathable fabric with hydrophobic coating, which means the water will bead and fall off. This is going to cost you $60 or more depending on whether or not you want something fancier than black for a canopy color.
Available for crowdfunding on Kickstarter
[ The KAZbrella – a reversible umbrella that makes sure you stay dry copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Is it me, or does most of the high end smartphones from HTC look the same in terms of its design? I mean, I know that the iPhone follows a general look, and so does the Samsung Galaxy S series, but somehow or rather, it might be a wee bit more challenging to tell apart one flagship HTC handset from another at first glance. Having said that, the released of the HTC One M9, HTC One M9+, and the new HTC J Butterfly are over, which means there is room for one more high end device, which would most probably be the HTC One ME9. It looks as though the metal frame for the One ME9 has been leaked, its render, at least.
In spite of using such a case, the handset’s back cover will be made from polycarbonate, which means that this will not follow in the footsteps of a metal unibody construction process. In terms of hardware specifications, the HTC One ME9 has been tipped to arrive with a 5.2” QHD touchscreen display, a 20MP shooter at the back, a 4MP UltraPixel front-facing camera (or a 13MP sensor, that remains to be seen), 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal memory, and a 2,900 mAh battery to keep things running.
It ought to arrive with Android 5.0 Lollipop alongside Sense 7 on top, and should feature “Classic Rose Gold”, “Gold Sepia”, and “Meteor Gray” shades later this July.
HTC One ME9 Metal Frame Leaked Out , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
It is not wise for a company to rest on their laurels, especially in this day and age where the competitive spirit runs high. Well, it seems that Google Maps for Android has been updated, and with this particular update, there will be features such as a translucent status bar making its appearance. There will be a catch to that, of course, which we will look at right after the jump.
Google Maps is no doubt one of the most popular apps to date, where it has registered over a billion downloads, and this does not look like a trend that is going to die off anytime soon. The past few months has seen this app roll out better improvements and new features, where most of them do seem to be rather incremental and not major, but when added up, they do happen to offer a far more complete user experience. Even better yet is this kind of evolution does not remain limited to just the Android platform alone.
The latest update of Google Maps for Android would bump the version number up to 9.9, where the black status bar has a competitor in the form of a transparent one, although the catch would be you need Android 5.0 Lollipop or newer before the translucent status bar will see action.
Google Maps For Android Updated, Features Translucent Status Bar , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
Drones are pretty interesting devices to own, and while the wrong usage of it could make you run afoul of the law, there are others out there who would like to make use of drones in order to assist humans in our everyday lives. Take the Hycopter for instance – this is a unique quadcopter that is capable of going the distance – far more than what existing drones are able to offer on a full charge, since it will be powered by fuel cells rather than regular batteries.
After all, most drones would not be able to last the half hour mark even when they have a full charge on them, but with the Hycopter, we are looking at 4-hour flight times, now how about that? The intelligent design involved in the Hycopter would allow it to stash 120 grams (4.2 oz) of hydrogen gas at 350 bar (5,076 psi) in its current structural tubing, and this means that there would be no need for any kind of separate canister.
The refillable tubes will eventually be made from polymer-lined 5 mm-thick carbon fiber tubing as opposed to clear acrylic that is part of the pictured display model. It is touted that that amount of hydrogen ought to be able to deliver a similar amount of energy as 3 kg (6.6 lb) of lithium batteries. [Product Page]
Hycopter Runs Off Fuel Cells , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
A couple of Novembers ago, we did bring you word on how Microsoft has denied any kind of interest in renaming the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home to Real Madrid. That has proven to be true, but this does not mean that the “best fútbol club in the world” does not want to have anything to do with Microsoft. In fact, the latter has just introduced a spanking new Real Madrid app that will hopefully connect with its 450 million international fans, and this is made possible through Microsoft Cloud technology and devices with the ultimate goal (pardon the pun) of changing the way Real Madrid fútbol is played, coached, watched and eventually experienced.
This is one cloud that fans would welcome, since the stadium would then open up to all 450 million fans – and counting. Through this app, you will be able to check out how the Real Madrid leadership team discuss the way that they are able to connect with fans in a manner that was thought of as impossible a couple of decades back.
Fans with the app will be able to enjoy enhanced experiences in the stadium, as well as for those who happen to be at home on match day, taking advantage of features such as multi-angle viewing and exclusive content. You can pick up the Real Madrid app for Windows Phone, iPhone and Android platforms. [Press Release]
Real Madrid App From Microsoft Revealed , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
It was just yesterday that we heard about how Samsung no longer needs to pay $930 million for its Apple patent case dispute, but when it comes to PayPal, no such luck there. In fact, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau claims that PayPal has signed up consumers to its credit service known as PayPal Credit without their permission. As a result, the US consumer finance watchdog is believed to have ordered PayPal to fork out $25 million in refunds and fines.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, PayPal ran deceptively advertised promotions where PayPal Credit is concerned. For those who are not in the know, PayPal Credit used to be known as Bill Me Later, which happens to be a line of credit that consumers are able to use in order to pay for online transactions as well as other purchases. Not only that, PayPal Credit apparently signed up customers for credit without any prior permission from them, in addition to directing users to its PayPal Credit rather than their preferred payment method as well as not handling billing disputes well.
Looks like the chickens have finally come home to roost, and that PayPal will hopefully learn a lesson from this debacle. However, $25 million is but a tiny amount of what PayPal is worth anyways.
PayPal To Fork Out $25 Million In Refunds & Fines , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
It looks like the world is getting more and more connected these days, so much so that everyone would like ot gain access to the Internet regardless of where they are, and what device they are using at the moment. In fact, storing data on the cloud is also common, and the likes of Dropbox and OneDrive have proven to be extremely popular. However, local storage happens to be a whole lot more secure most of the time, which has led to the birth of the Indiegogo project known as ReVault.
ReVault is a wearable drive which will enable users to synchronize their data across all of their devices – all without the need for a cloud. ReVault is basically a portable hard drive which can be worn in a variety of ways, and it will rely on both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity in order to synchronize data, depending which connection is available at that point in time. The fact that it is wearable certainly endears itself to us, where users can wear it as a watch, or even around their neck, allowing it to be available at all times. Heck, you can even stash it in your pocket if you want to.
Expect to pick up the ReVault in 32GB and 128GB capacities, depending on your needs and if it gets realized.
ReVault Happens To Be A Wearable Cloud , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
I have always liked the statement where “stumbling blocks are turned into stepping stones”, as it does offer a positive outlook and imagery to the whole situation. Well, if you happen to be a huge fan of the Dr. Who series, and would like to spruce up your garden to include a little something that will have Dr. Who fans drool the next time they step into your compound, then you might want to invest some time over the weekend for the Dr. Who-inspired stepping stones project.
Those who are not in the know would think that such stepping stones as you see on the right happen to be an inspirational piece of work, after having a look at crop circles. What seems to be quirky geometric art is actually a way to carve out a name for yourself among your fellow Whovians. This is one perfect way to make your outdoor paths a whole lot more Doctor-friendly – not the medical type, of course, where a wee bit of concrete is required in addition to creativity.
What do you think of such kinds of science fiction inspired art projects? They definitely keep the imagination going, not to mention offer an affordable way to spruce up the abode.
Dr Who Stepping Stones For Your Home , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
Ah! The ignominy of it all. If you happen to be a game that has been happily spending time on the Google Play Store while serving up a fair number of downloads yourself, chances are you would be deeply disappointed upon hearing that you are about to be removed. This is what happened recently as Sega removed not one or two, but a trio of games from the Google Play Store.
Sega, once a popular Japanese game developer who also had formidable game consoles of their own before they pulled out from this industry, is also a well known name where the arcade gaming industry is concerned. The three games from the Google Play Store were removed after the company announced that they are heading in such a direction. The reason behind yanking these titles? Failure to meet the stringent quality standards set by Sega, and the removed games happen to be After Burner Climax, Jet Set Radio and Super Monkey Ball 2.
Do take note that these are remakes of classic retro games, and this means that the overall quality would not be as expected as opposed to today’s games. Perhaps the folks over at Sega are working on some totally new content for the Google Play Store? Let us keep our fingers crossed.
Sega Removes 3 Games From Google Play Store , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use. 
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