Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen our share of cool devices and ideas here at SlashGear, but this one might just rank up with the best of them. Today at ShowStoppers we got to take a look at a new technology called Tethercell, which incidentally went live on crowdfunding site Indiegogo earlier today. Tethercell has received a significant amount of funding in its first day, due to the simple fact that it allows you to control your battery powered devices from your smartphone.

Specifically speaking, Tethercell is a AA-battery adapter that will fit your device in place of one battery. The adapter itself is powered by a AAA-battery, and when it’s been inserted into your device, it lets you switch it on and off using an app installed on your smartphone. That’s pretty cool, but of course, there are plenty of other nifty features to go along with this technology.

Using Tethercell, you can track the amount of juice you have remaining. The app will let you know when your batteries are running low, and you can even set schedules for your devices. Is there one battery powered toy your kids love but you absolutely hate? Set a schedule to only let them play with it for an allotted amount of time, and enjoy peace for the rest of the day. The app connects to the adapter using Bluetooth 4.0, so this technology could one day be applied to any smartphone with Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities.

Tetherboard, the company behind this technology, says that Tethercell should begin shipping in late 2013 (provided everything goes well with its Indiegogo campaign). At first, Tethercell will only support AA-batteries and iOS, but the team promises that Android and 9-volt support will be following soon. This is just the beginning for Tethercell, so expect to hear more about it in the coming days and weeks. While you wait for more details, be sure to stop by our CES portal for all of the trade show news you could ever want.

Tethercell lets you control battery powered devices from your phone is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Wearable technology has been around for quite some time now — around 10 years to be exact, and a company called TEC (Technology Enabled Clothing) has been at the forefront of that movement. Today at ShowStoppers at CES 2013, the company unveiled the TEC Jacket 2.0, which is still in its concept phase and we ended up getting a look at it to see what it offers.

The TEC Jacket 2.0 is seriously decked out with pretty much whatever you can think of. If there’s something technology related that would be a good idea on a jacket, this new TEC Jacket probably has it. First off, it’s made of a very lightweight material — it’s essentially a windbreaker on steroids.

It’s got an built-in battery pack made of flat cells all around the bottom, an antenna to boost your data reception to get faster LTE speeds, a hood-mounted heads-up display, strategically-placed LEDs that keep you safe at night while on the road, and a magnetic zipper that ensures it never comes loose in the heat of the moment. And of course, there’s plenty of specialized pockets that stash away all of your precious gadgets.

There’s also speakers mounted inside the two ends of the collar, as well as microphone integrated into the collar as well. There’s even coils on the inside of the chest area that can regulate body temperature when it’s cold outside. The company says that the TEC Jacket 2.0 will be available in about two months.

TEC Jacket 2.0 hands-on is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Lifeproof’s iPhone 5 case has been on the market for around a month now, so by now, a number of people are keeping their shiny new iDevice safe behind the company’s handy little barrier. Here at ShowStoppers 2013, however, the company is revealing a number of new accessories for its iPhone 5 case, with the offerings ranging from strange to practical. For instance, how do you feel about making your iPhone 5 a little more buoyant?

With the Life Jacket accessory, your iPhone 5 will actually float. That has to be a handy little feature for those who take their device out on the water, though we do feel like we should point out that such an accessory sort of undercuts the waterproofing Lifeproof’s case brings to the table. In any case, with the big orange Life Jacket wrapped around your phone, you don’t have to worry about it sinking to the bottom of the lake or sea should your device go overboard.

Other accessories announced today include more standard fare, like an arm band, bike/bar mount, car mount, and belt clip. These are all relatively self-explanatory, with the arm band giving you a way to run or jog with your encased iPhone 5. The bike mount naturally allows you attach your iPhone 5 to your bike, though Lifeproof’s representatives also suggested that new mothers could use it to attach their phones to a baby’s stroller. Finally, the car mount is about what you’d expect – a suction cup that you can attach to your windshield or dashboard.

It wasn’t all about iPhone 5 owners though, as Lifeproof also took time at the show to announce a new case for the Galaxy S III. Like the company’s case for the iPhone 5, the Galaxy S III case will be waterproof up to depths of 6.6 feet, dirt proof, and shock proof from heights of up to 6.6 feet. Expect to hear more about these accessories and the incoming Galaxy S III case soon. Check out our CES portal for much more from this years trade show!

Lifeproof introduces Life Jacket, various mounts for iPhone 5 case is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We know the holiday shopping spree has already ended and Christmas is long gone, but a neat new toy is being shown off here at CES from the folks at SilverLit. What we have here is an awesome RC Car that is controlled by your iOS device of choice, but that isn’t all it does. The RC car has speakers, moving doors, actual headlights and more that all work seamlessly with your iPhone or iPad. Listen to music, or annoy your co-workers with this gadget.

While we’ve seen RC cars and other devices controlled by our favorite smartphones before, SilverLit added a few nice features that makes their Mercedes-Benz quite fun. The device is actually meant to be an awesome replica Mercedes-Benz for your office desk or garage. It then doubles as an RC car. It doesn’t just drive around endlessly searching for a garage however, it has other functions.

We first mentioned this a few weeks ago, and now we have the details. Instead of sitting on a desk, you can use this to secretly annoy and surprise co-workers and office mates. The built-in speakers actually jam out and plays your devices iTunes library. Once paired with the SilverLit app you’ll be able to play your own music playlist. Here’s a quick video of it in action although you might not be able to hear the music.

The Mercedes-Benz by SilverLit has integrated speakers that will blast your favorite tunes right from your iPad or iPhone 5 iTunes library. While this isn’t ideal for average users (as we don’t fit in the car) kids can enjoy it, as well as those wanting to have a little fun at the office. Then you’ll be able to make the SilverLit dance. Yes we said dance. The car lights flash to the beat, and the doors will open and close too. It’s actually quite fun and more than just your average RC car. So far pricing hasn’t been finalized by SilverLit, but it will be available this spring.

SilverLit Mercedes-Benz iOS controlled RC Car Hands-on is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Here at ShowStoppers during CES 2013, TrackingPoint is showing off a next-generation rifle/scope combo that includes some amazing technology that we’ve never seen before in a firearm. The company had the rifle and scope on display, and we ended up checking it out for ourselves to see what kind of features and high-tech goodies that it offers.

TrackingPoint has developed the world’s first precision-­guided firearm (PGF) system and essentially, the company is putting fighter-­jet style “lock and launch” technology into rifle systems. The company says that this creates the most accurate shooting system in the world, and it can enable anyone to be an elite long-range marksman within minutes.

As far as what the scope and rifle system can do, users can stream video to a smartphone and display what you see through the scope on the screen of a mobile device over a WiFi or data connection. The scope can also control the trigger weight in order to guide the shooter, so when the shooter is off target, the trigger weight is temporarily inflated to defer launch, but when the shooter precisely intersects the target, the trigger weight is decreased, which allows normal trigger use.

The system also utilizes computer vision-based digital image processing to track targets. Images from the optical sensors are analyzed and targets are identified and tracked, thanks to techniques such as edge detection and blob detection. As far as buttons, there’s a focus adjustment, a zoom rocker, a mode button, and a wind adjuster. The rifle system is expected to be available some time this year at a price between $15,000 and $20,000.

TrackingPoint XactSystem precision-guided rifle system hands-on is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.