Hasta La Gadget!

Passwords are one of the weakest links of online security. Or rather, people who have weak passwords are the weakest links. I personally know of a couple of people who use dead simple passwords because they’re afraid that if they use more secure but more complex ones that they’ll just forget those and end up locking themselves out of their own accounts. That’s the problem that the Aladdin is designed to solve.

Invented by Alvin Chang, the Aladdin is a small USB device that generates a random password and types it for you by emulating a USB keyboard. Used in the simplest way, it really does work like a physical key: plug it into your computer and it unlocks your account. But for those who want added security, you can also modify – and re-use – the alphanumeric string generated by Aladdin by adding or subtracting characters from it. Skip to about 1:20 in the video below for the demo:

Note that there are free software alternatives to managing secure passwords such as LastPass and KeePass. Then there’s the security risk of losing the Aladdin or having it stolen from you. But if you just want to get in your Facebook account the same way you get in your house, pledge at least $20 (USD) on its Indiegogo fundraiser to reserve an Aladdin.

[via Gajitz]

If you’re soon to be in the market for a new smartphone and you’re looking for an unlocked device that you won’t have to stick with a contract for, BLU Products’ Vivo 4.65 HD might be perfect for you.

This smartphone has a large 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display promising HD resolution. The processor inside the device is a dual core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 and the smartphone supports 3G/HSPA connectivity. The phone also features 1 GB of integrated RAM. Other hardware features include an eight-megapixel autofocus camera that can record HD resolution video. The device will ship with the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system. The smartphone also supports dual SIM cards allowing both to be active and receive calls at the same time.

The unlocked Blu Vivo 4.65 HD smartphone will be available in major US retailers in January 2013 at a price of $299.99(USD). While it definitely doesn’t have top-of-the-line specs, it sounds like a good deal if you want to avoid a phone contract.

These are awesome action figures of the player’s avatar in Minecraft. If you play the game then these are also action figures of yourself. Although you can’t customize Steve’s skin, he – or she – does have a ball-jointed head and poseable arms.

Steve comes in two variants, both 6″ tall. The simpler version comes with Steve in his default clothes, along with his trust pickaxe and a 2″ dirt block. Then there’s the more experienced and battle ready Steve, who’s wearing diamond armor along with removable diamond sword and diamond helmet.

You can buy both Steves from J!NX for just $30 (USD) each. The store also sells the Creeper action figure seen in a couple of shots in the gallery above.

[via Gamefreaks]

You’ve shared your Instagram pictures on Twitter and Facebook. You’ve sent them as actual pictures, stickers and magnets. But that’s not enough. You’re a sharing monster that can’t be stopped. Because I love monsters, here’s something to feed your desire, a tiny projector that uses 35mm film to display and embiggen your pictures.

Before you can use the Projecteo, you have to use an app to pick pictures that will be “melted” in circular shape on a single frame of 35mm Kodak film. Each frame can hold up to 9 pictures. This will be inserted into a wheel, which you then feed into the Projecteo.

The device can then project the images to up to 2.5-feet-wide using its LED light source (in a darkened room, of course.)

MintDigital, the company behind the Projecteo, have yet to say how much one wheel will cost, although each order of the projector comes with one free wheel. That folks, is the razor and blades business model made even better. Thanks to Kickstarter the inventors managed to convince their customers into paying them before they even buy the proverbial razor. Clever folks.

Obviously Instagram will soon be flooded with pictures of the Projecteo. You can reserve a Projecteo by pledging at least $25 (USD) on Kickstarter. You’ll need to up you pledge to $40 if you’d like the version that’s colored just like an old Rollei P35 slide projector – otherwise, your Projecteo will arrive in solid white.

[via CNET]

The minimalist look of Apple’s devices and peripherals isn’t for everyone. If you’re the type who immediately buys a colorful case for your new iDevice, check out Whooz, a set of colored stickers that will make your iPod, iPhone or iPad chargers and cables stand out.

There are two kinds of Whooz stickers: one for the iPod & iPhone and another one for the iPad. Each pack comes with four sheets; each sheet has one sticker each for an adapter, the USB end of an iOS cable and a pair for the stock earphones, if you still use those.

As you can see Whooz comes in a variety of styles, but if you’re willing to pay extra you can also order stickers customized with a drawing of your face in it. If that still doesn’t tell everyone else that your cables are yours, I don’t know what will.

Pledge at least $10 (USD) on its Kickstarter fundraiser to get a pack of Whooz stickers. The custom Whooz cost $100 for a pack.

[via Bonjour Life via Materialicious]