Hasta La Gadget!

This week the folks at Time magazine have released their yearly “Best Inventions of the Year” list and on it is none other than our good pal Google Glass. This device was revealed in pieces throughout the year and received its very first developer-grade pre-release at this year’s Google I/O convention. Users are able to wear the glasses and see a computer interface near their eye as well as take photos with a nod – the final iteration of this device may well be released inside 2013; we’ll just have to wait and see!

With Time’s list comes a lovely new photo of what very well could be the final release version of Google Glass – aka Project Glass as it was titled back at the first general reveal. This headset computer shows a user interface in a transparent block of glass in front of the users’ left eye. Gestures with the head, turns, and movement of the eye control what happens inside the computer, the bulk of which exists above the users’ right temple and down the side of the eyeline towards the ear.

The ear also has an earpiece and speaker which will inevitably work to allow the user to make cellular voice calls and take commands – the mic is there, you just can’t see it! This unit also shows clearly that the front-facing camera will be a large element of the whole experience, both for reading the general information about the location the unit is in as well as taking photos and video.

Time’s information on Google Glass notes that, “consumers should be able to buy Google Glass by 2014.” According to the information we have on the project, the developer edition of the device will be sent out early in 2013 – perhaps some quick development from there will commence. Have a peek at the timeline below to see a collection of updates from the past few months to get up to speed – and see you soon with the final unit!

Time calls Google Glass “Best Invention of the Year” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

V-Moda’s been seriously edging for the audiophile crowd lately — namely with its Crossfade M-80 on-ear headphones, the VAMP headphone amp for the iPhone 4/4S, and a soon-to-be disclosed followup dubbed as Vamp Versa. That brings us to its soon-to-be released M-100 headphones, which haven’t really been a secret since their inception, making them a special set. Unlike many companies who strive for secrecy in regards to upcoming products, V-Moda’s taken a drastically different approach with its latest cans, with owner Val Kolton stating that they’re effectively the first crowd-sourced set of headphones.

Many headphone lovers out there likely know that Kolton’s been heavily in contact with the Head-Fi community, hoping to craft the best sounding, looking and fitting ear-gear possible. As he puts it, “the easter egg and inside joke is that the [M-100 headphones] can actually stand up. It is the first headphone that we know of that ‘stands above the rest’ and all others fall down/crawl. It also can stand on top of a few other new brand’s models almost like Cirque De Soleil.” It may be hard to tell based on the fashion-focused looks, but the company is adamant that its audio gear goes through more stringent research and testing than some of the biggest names out there, and that it’ll show in the end products. Most notably, its TrueHertz testing where, for the M-100, “six points from 5hZ to 12kHz are measured to be within [its] obsessive quality control levels.” According to Kolton, most companies only check at 1Khz, and allow for much wider variances. He followed up stating that “like fine wine, a headphone is only as good as its fit (taste buds) and its driver variances (grapes/cork). To us, all brands advertising ‘HD’ sound [aren’t being forthright] unless they believe or even know these key components are “‘fugazi.'”

For perspective, the M-100 is essentially the third iteration of the Crossfade LP over-ear headphones. Aside from a few tweaks to the design, it’s packing an audiophile-focused tuning (rather than DJ) that’s based on blending the voicings of its M-80 on-ears and the LP2 over-ears. It wouldn’t be unfair to say the company is aiming for a flat, yet fun sound — all in a package that’s fit to take to the streets like its earlier offerings. Those familiar may know that just under 150 of the first 200 production-quality models are currently floating around as early stock and test units for a final bit of real-world feedback before mass-production begins — and this editor’s been lucky enough to get his mitts on a set for some initial impressions. So, is the product shaping up to match all the hype? Click on past the break our take.

Continue reading V-Moda’s M-100 audiophile headphones get ready for mass production, we go ears-on

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Wearables

V-Moda’s M-100 audiophile headphones get ready for mass production, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone who’s been wanting to make a game for the Oculus Rift headset, but hemmed and hawed during the Kickstarter run, now has a second chance. Oculus has kicked off its own pre-order campaign that offers the VR developer kit at the same $300 that it cost for the more proactive among us, or $345 for those beyond US borders. As an added incentive, the first 1,000 who pull the trigger still get a copy of Doom 3: BFG Edition to show what the Oculus Rift can do. Twiddling your thumbs will have cost at least a month — these new kits won’t ship until January — but the pre-order still means a head start over competing developers that haven’t yet seen the virtual light.

Filed under: Displays, Wearables

Oculus Rift developer kits go up for regular pre-order, catch VR procrastinators originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re the type that wants optimal sound while gaming then Skullcandy has a few new stylish headphones you might want to take a peek at. While we’ve seen some crazy designs from them in the past these three new gaming headsets look rather impressive. They’ve quietly unveiled the SLYR, PLYR 1, and PLYR 2 headsets.

Whether or not these can compete with the likes of Turtle Beach and more remains to be seen, but Skullcandy’s recent purchase of Astro Gaming should surely help. This past week they announced three new headsets on their website, but we haven’t heard or seen much about them until today.

The SkullCandy SLYR (don’t ask where they came up with that name) will grace their budget offering starting out at around $80, and then the others will increase with the impressive PLYR 2 hitting the $180 mark. The SLYR features a wired headset, a foldable boom-mic for portability, and the usual in-line volume controls and mute those gamers all love.

It looks like SkullCandy will be offering a set of different EQ options with all three new headsets too. Then moving on the more expensive models. The PLYR 1 and 2 offer awesome sound, exceptional design and colors, and the same foldable boom-mic. They’ll run you $130, then the more expensive PLYR 2 hits the $180 mark having a $50 premium simply for Dolby Digital headphone surround sound virtualization features. More details can be found at Skullcandy for those interested.

[via Engadget]

SkullCandy unveils a trio of gaming headsets is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Do you remember the Bluetooth glove hack that we saw last year? Wasn’t that cute? A silly hack made by a person with silly hair. But no one’s actually going to pay for that right? A company called Hi-Fun begs to disagree.

This is the Hi-Call Bluetooth glove, and yes, the picture above makes no sense at all. Like the hack, the Hi-Call’s left glove has a mic on its pinkie and a speaker on its thumb. There’s also a small control panel near the glove’s wrist. Pair it with any phone that supports Bluetooth connectivity and you’ve got a gloveset. Here’s Engadget’s gloves-on with the product:

You can pre-order the Hi-Call from Hi-Fun for €49.99 (~$64 USD). Strangely enough, there are different sizes for men and women, but none for what might be their real demographic: children.

[via The Viral Trend]