Hasta La Gadget!

You might not be able to write for a living for one reason or another, even if you wanted to, but that doesn’t mean you should stop writing. Let off some steam, talk about your dreams, share funny anecdotes – there are so many things you can do with words.

They don’t have to be extremely long. In fact, there’s an app that lets you write short blurbs and share them with friends and random people when you’re done with them. That app is called Spine.

It’s a neat little app that lets aspiring writers publish five-sentence stories. You can basically consider Spine as a social network for micro-stories where authors and readers can connect and share stories with one another.

Users can post and browse stories in nine different categories, which includes literary staples like action, horror, sci-fi, and mystery.

Users can rate stories and share the ones they love to others on their networks. In short, it’s a community of writers and readers doing something they love: reading and writing.

Spine is available free for iOS devices and can be downloaded here.

[via Laughing Squid]

Now you can caress and even tickle your significant other, even when you’re far away, with Bond. It’s basically a wearable system that lets you reach out and “touch” people from far away.

The Bond device works with an iOS or Android device via Bluetooth to deliver the virtual caresses. It’s pretty versatile too, as the sensor can be worn as either a bracelet or a pendant.

Once activated, users can “touch” and tickle others remotely anywhere in the world where there’s cell service coverage.

If you touch it for 1 second, your friend will get a one second tickle. Tickles can be up to five seconds long and any colour of the rainbow – the colour just depends on how long you touch it for. Swipe BOND and you will send a rainbow tickle.

Bond is currently up for funding on Indiegogo through December 3rd, where a minimum pledge of $170(USD) will get you a pair – with one for you to keep and one for you to give away to your significant other.

When the Omni VR treadmill was announced, many anointed it as the perfect companion to the much-awaited Oculus Rift. But a group of students at the Vienna University of Technology may have a better VR treadmill at their hands (and feet). They call it the Cyberith Virtualizer.

Much like the Omni VR, the Virtualizer is an omnidirectional motion sensor. It allows the user to walk or run in any direction, as well as jump, crouch and strafe. However, unlike the Omni VR, the Virtualizer also lets the user play while sitting. Another big difference is that its walking surface is flat, makes no sound and only requires that the user wear socks. The Omni VR on the other hand requires users to wear a custom pair of low friction shoes and it makes a considerable amount of noise when used. The video below shows Cyberith founder Tuncay Cakmak play a modified version of Grand Theft Auto IV using the Virtualizer, a Wiimote and of course an Oculus Rift headset.

I’d still rather have wearable motion sensors if I’m ever going to play a VR game, but I think the Virtualizer has great potential. Hopefully someday all of its electronics can be embedded in a less conspicuous form.

[Cyberith via Reddit & Oculus Rift]

Here’s a fun kit that you can use to make simple electronics, even wearable ones. Circuit Stickers are just that – electronics with adhesive backing. The star of the kit are the LED stickers. Put them on a conductive surface – wire, foil, conductive thread or fabric etc. – connect a power source at one end and you have a light show.

If you want to add an element of interactivity to the LEDs, you can also get the Effects Stickers, the Sensor & Microcontroller Sticker or both. The Effects Sticker modifies the LEDs, making them blink, fade, twinkle or pulsate like a heartbeat. The Sensor & Microcontroller Sticker on the other hand adds a light sensor and a sound sensor to the mix. It also has a trigger that can turn on your Circuit Stickers for five seconds at a time.

Pledge at least $25 (USD) on Crowd Supply to get a Circuit Stickers Kit. Aside from the electronics themselves, each kit will also come with additional materials such as copper tape, coin cell batteries and binder clips so you can experiment out of the box. I think the Electric Paint Pen complements the kit well.

[via Boing Boing]

Like the MOGA Ace Power, Logitech’s PowerShell is part of the first generation of gaming controllers that make use of iOS 7′s controller API. While both controllers only work with a handful of games for now, their Apple’s long overdue API for third-party contorllers means the list of compatible games should easily grow in the future.

Seeing as the Ace Power and the PowerShell are the only horses in this race at the moment, early adopters can decide between the two based on a few factors. First off are the controls. The Ace Power has more input options than the PowerShell. In addition to the d-pad, four face buttons and two shoulder buttons that are also on the PowerShell, the Ace Power also has two analog sticks and two more shoulder buttons.

The second factor is portability. The Ace Power collapses into a smaller form, while the PowerShell is stuck in its elongated form. Third are their built-in batteries, which can also be used to charge the iOS device that’s docked into it. The Ace Power has an 1800 mAh battery while the PowerShell has a slightly smaller 1500 mAh battery.

So far it looks like the PowerShell is the inferior option, but one thing that’s sketchy about MOGA’s controller is it’s questionable build quality. Watch the hands-on videos of Kotaku and CNET and you’ll see what I mean. Granted, we’ve yet to see a similar test with Logitech’s offering, so I suggest you wait until multiple reviews are out there before choosing either one. Then there’s the fact that these controllers will only work with the iPhone 5, 5S, 5C and the fifth-generation iPod Touch.

I’ll wait for an iOS 7-compatible wireless controller so I can use it on my iPad. But if you really can’t wait, you can already place a pre-order for both the Logitech PowerShell and the MOGA Power ACE on the Apple Store. Both devices cost $100 (USD). The PowerShell is also available from Amazon and Best Buy.

[via Logitech, Kotaku & CNET]