Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re an avid photographer or videographer using anything from a traditional camcorder to a sports camera such as a GoPro, SteadyWheel is something that might interest you. This large circular device appears to be approximately the size of a small steering wheel. The device is made from ABS plastic with small weights embedded around the rim.

The device is designed to be a portable camera stabilizer meant to reduce shaking and improve stability when recording. The device is designed to work with smartphones, point-and-shoot cameras, still cameras, and just about anything else. Any camera that uses a standard 1/4-20 tripod mount can be secured inside of the wheel.

The device has no moving parts and is resistant to salt water making it usable for water sports. The SteadyWheel weighs 1.6 pounds and is 11 1/2 inches in diameter. Looking at the device, the diameter of the wheel makes it seem as though it would be very difficult to use in some settings. I can’t see the device being usable by a person who’s actually riding a motorcycle or driving a car for instance.

A pledge of $50 or more will get you one of the SteadyWheels during the early bird special. So far, the project has 200 backers and has raised $10,532 at the time of writing with 17 days to go. The project is seeking $27,000.

[via Kickstarter]

SteadyWheel hits Kickstarter and works with just about any camera is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It seems like every time we turn around there is some sort of wearable device that is designed to interface with various smartphones. A new wearable smartphone notification device has hit Kickstarter called the Embrace+. The project designers described the system as a fashion accessory with true functionality.

The Embrace+ works in conjunction with an app that runs on your smartphone allowing you to set custom colors that the bracelet will glow to tell you just about anything your smartphone is doing. You can set custom color notifications for incoming calls from specific users such as your significant other, boss, friend, a specific color for a group, or for unknown callers.

The bracelet can also be set for notifications about text messages, e-mails, Facebook posts, alarms and timers, low phone battery, phone out of range warning, calendar alerts, and lots more. The application that runs the bracelet is available for the iPhone and Android devices. The app is also designed to be easy to skin for customization.

The bracelet user can set custom colors for notifications or custom colors and custom blinks as well as vibration feedback. The application has a color wheel that allows you to choose just about any color you can think of. The bracelet will be available in three shapes named after gemstones including Topaz, Beryl, and Opal. The bracelet is available in three different sizes and promises 10 days of use with approximately 100 notifications per day per charge. The device charges via a USB port and a full charge takes only 10 minutes. The bracelet is waterproof and connects to the phone using Bluetooth. Kickstarter backers can get their hands on one bracelets for $39 with shipping expected in June.

[via Kickstarter]

Embrace+ bracelet notifies you with light is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung is apparently making a renewed push into wireless charging, with a new Qi-compatible charging accessory spotted clearing the FCC and potentially tipping native support in the upcoming Galaxy S4. The Samsung Wireless Charging Pad, as the user manual included in the filing names it, offers a simple, straightforward way to rejuice a mobile device, with an off-white plate holding a single phone on your desk.

The FCC tested the accessory with a Verizon Galaxy S III (SCH-I535) equipped with an official Qi-compatible battery cover. Wireless power support was one of the launch-day features of the Galaxy S III, albeit with a separate charging station and back plate, but Samsung has yet to capitalize on those plans.

Interestingly, Samsung doesn’t appear too bothered about confidentiality at this stage. According to the company’s cover letter to the FCC, the only aspects of the EAD-W10EWE pad that need to be kept secret are the block diagram, operational description, schematics, and part list. Everything else – including the terse user guide, which basically amounts to “plug it in and put your phone on it” is left open.

When, then, Samsung might decide to officially launch the charging pad is unclear, though with Mobile World Congress at the end of the month, that seems a strong possibility. Whether it also means that the much-rumored Galaxy S4 will also come set up for wireless charging out of the box remains to be seen, but the feature was one of the few absences from the Galaxy S III’s native capabilities, something that is likely to leave it high on the agenda for inclusion this time around.

[via Engadget]

Samsung Wireless Charging Pad clears FCC (but will the Galaxy S4 need it?) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Logitech had a definite winner on its hands with the Ultrathin Keyboard Case for iPad, a Bluetooth keyboard that attaches via magnets built into the iPad, protecting the screen and adding only minimal thickness. Now, there’s a successor designed for the iPad mini that comes in an appropriately shrunken down package. Of course, making a keyboard smaller doesn’t always produce the best results, but in this case, Logitech strikes a good balance.

• MSRP: $79
• Three months of battery life (based on two hours daily usage)
• Availability: Preorder now, with availability sometime later this month
• 7.33mm thin, weighs 220 grams
• Available in black and white (and red in select markets)

The Logitech Ultrathin is a good-looking device that matches up really well with the iPad mini’s design. My review unit is black, and the case’s matte finish pretty much perfectly mirrors that of the iPad’s rear case. Side-by-side and face down, the symmetry is such that you could easily pick up one thinking it was the other if you aren’t paying close enough attention. The two surfaces also feel the same, which speaks volumes about Logitech’s attention to quality with the Ultrathin’s construction.

The magnet spine that attaches to the iPad itself snaps into place with a satisfying click, and lines up well when closed. The face of the keyboard features a shiny black plastic, which, while not as classy as the iPad’s glass surface, does a good job of mimicking its black bezel visually, to keep the whole design symmetry experience consistent.

The Ultrathin’s keyboard is the part upon which everything hinges, and Logitech has pulled out all the stops to try to provide a typing experience that doesn’t feel compromised, despite the extremely limited real estate available given the iPad mini’s small footprint. To make it work, Logitech has combined a number of function buttons, reduced key size and cut down on the space between them.

The keys themselves feel great, and offer a nice response when typing despite how thin the cover is. But the experience isn’t without compromises. Typing on the keyboard will prove a frustrating experience at first for anyone used to using a full-sized keyboard. But the good news is that the number of errors you make starts to taper off pretty quickly, and in very little time, you can even feel mostly at home on the Ultrathin keyboard, though placement of some elements like the Shift keys never quite feels perfectly natural.

While the typing experience isn’t perfect on the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard, it’s about as close as you can get without adding a lot more bulk to a Bluetooth keyboard for the iPad mini. It still dramatically increases your ability to enter text, and beats using the software keyboard by a very wide margin. If you’re looking for an iPad mini keyboard that maintains the smaller tablet’s considerable size advantage over its big brother and still greatly improves the experience of typing anything longer than a tweet.

Falling in love can be complicated; falling in ‘like’, not so much. Either way, you’ve got various Facebook statuses to choose from (including the infamous “It’s Complicated”) and different ways to express how you feel – one of which is Yeople’s ‘I Like You’ pendant that shows the actual process of liking instead of just the icon itself.

That’s what makes this piece of jewelry so unique and oh-so-quirky.

When you give it as a present to someone, you’re not just letting them wear Facebook’s ‘Like’ icon you’re actually giving them a ‘like’ in real life. It makes an apt gift for Valentine’s when you’re still in the early stages of attraction and it might be awkward to give something with hearts and ‘I Love You’ stamped all over it.

The set comes with the in-the-process-of Liking pendant, plus a bracelet in the box. It retails for €22.50 (~$31 USD) on Yeople.