Hasta La Gadget!

Alta Devices has already laid claim to one solar charging-related record, now it’s claiming to add world’s lightest to its list of selling points. The company is still touting its mats as the most efficient (though, there are some valid challenges to that claim), but it’s adding portability and versatility to its resume. It’s smallest military model weighs just four ounces, is roughly the size of a sheet of paper and delivers 10 watts of juice while meeting all the requisite durability standards. There’s also a larger 20 watt, eight-ounce version that the company claims can keep a soldier supplied with power all day in strong sunlight. The next step is to put these light, efficient cells in unmanned drones and, hopefully, consumer electronics. For a bit more check out the PR and video after the break.

Continue reading Alta Devices claims world’s lightest, most efficient military solar chargers

Filed under: Misc

Comments

It wasn’t too much of a surprise to see Starbucks begin accepting Square payments at many of its coffee shops last year, but the company’s latest expansion of that partnership is a bit more unexpected. It’s announced today that it has started selling Square card readers at some 7,000 locations across the US, letting customers pick up a means to accept credit card payments along with their beverage of choice. That’s only the latest retail deal for Square following partnerships with Apple, Walmart, Best Buy and others, and as with those the readers themselves are essentially free — you pay $10 up front, but get a $10 credit that you can redeem after you activate your account.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals

Comments

Source: The Next Web

The downside of a consumer society is that we need to protect our smartphones with as much vigor as our babies. Fortunately, the price of freedom isn’t eternal vigilance, but $200, paid straight to Y-Cam, makers of the WiFi Baby. It’s releasing the HomeMonitor, a secure, cloud-connected camera that lets you stalk / observe your offspring or prized possessions over the internet with a smartphone or tablet. An indoor variant is $200, while a weatherproofed version for scanning the frontiers of your home will set you back $350 and both will drop shortly. At the same time, you can pick up the Cube, a night-vision IP camera designed for professionals that’ll cost you between $200 and $350, depending on the resolution you plump for, when it arrives in February.

Continue reading Y-cam’s HomeMonitor and Cube camera helps you monitor babies, burglars from the cloud

Filed under: Cameras, Misc, Internet

Comments

Polaroid hasn’t been shy to try various tactics as it attempts to compete in the age of digital photography, but it always seems to come back to the idea it’s best known for. It’s latest effort is a bit more of a roundabout way to get some tangible photos in your hands, though: a series of “experimental” Photobar stores where you can go and have your digital photos professionally printed. The first of those will open in Delray Beach, Florida in February, with a total of at least ten stores promised for 2013, including locations in New York, Las Vegas and Boston — each staffed with so-called Photenders to help you get the best results, and equipped with a “patent-pending proprietary technology” that’ll let you wirelessly transfer photos from your phone to a workstation. What’s more, the stores won’t just be producing glossy photos, but what Polaroid describes as handcrafted pieces using canvas, metal, acrylic, wood or bamboo — those will be shipped to the customer within 72 hours, and are apparently of the same variety that can currently be ordered on Polaroid’s Photobar website. You’ll still need to get your Polaroid film elsewhere, though.

Continue reading Polaroid plans experimental Fotobar stores that will let you print your photos

Filed under: Cameras, Misc

Comments

Via: Cult of Android

Source: Polaroid

Been staring at that Raspberry Pi trying to figure out where to start? You’re hardly alone. We’ve spent some time with the diminutive Linux machine and even tried to point you in the right direction when booting up your Pi for the first time. If you’re looking for something a little more in depth than our own tutorial however, its worth checking out the just released Raspberry Pi Education Manual. The book, drafted by a team of teachers from Computing at School (CAS) and released under the Creative Commons licence, is available for free either through the Pi Store or at the source link in PDF form. It’s a little more education-focused than say a tome like Getting Started with Raspberry Pi, but it’s certainly an excellent introduction to the platform.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

Source: Raspberry Pi