Hasta La Gadget!

It’s better to be safe than be sorry when it comes to choosing a password. The problem isn’t whether you can come up with a challenging enough password, though. Rather, it’s whether or not you’ll be able to remember it, given you probably already have a number of other accounts and passwords to remember, and the more complex the password becomes, the more difficult it becomes to recall. But now you don’t have to do it alone, because myIDkey can help you.

myIDkey is a handy device that stores all your passwords and other sensitive account information, so you can access it whenever you need to. The cool thing is that it’s fitted with a biometric scanner, so the info can only be accessed after you press your thumb (or any other finger of your choice, actually) onto the scanner, preventing others from accessing your sensitive information – unless they manage to get their hands on your hands, that is. All of your data is encrypted with military grade AES256 encryption, and offers fail-safe automatic deletion after multiple failed attempts to access the data. Accessing your passwords is as easy as placing your finger on the sensor and speaking the password you need access to. It’s really quite brilliant.

The pocket-sized gadget doubles as a flash drive so you can use it to store and secure your files as well. myIDkey is currently up for funding on Kickstarter, where a minimum pledge of $99(USD) will get you a myIDkey of your very own. As it stands, the device will ship with 8GB of storage, but if the Kickstarter project exceeds its next stretch goal of $400,000, all of them will ship with 16GB.

There’s something very appealing about giant pixels, especially when you can find them all over your gadgets. The company behind these big pixel cases and sleeves has released cases and sleeves for the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini. Now all your shiny new Apple gizmos can be retro’d out in 8-bit style.

The 8-Bit Bumper case for iPhone 5 looks a bit sturdier than the one for iPhone 4/4S. It’s got a back that will protect most of your iPhone from scratches as well. There’s a no-friction release system, which is nice because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve struggled getting my iPhone out of a case and putting it into another.

The 8-Bit Sleeve is available for the iPad Mini, and looks like a giant pixelated envelope. It even opens up with the same sort of flap. Just don’t try to lick this one to seal it up.

You can get the 8-Bit Bumper case for iPhone 5 from Big Big Pixel for $26.95(USD). It comes in black or white. The iPad Mini 8-Bit Sleeve costs $29.95.

[via Fruit Bytes]

While some of the other apps that I’ve come across recently promise to wake you up in different ways, this one strips away all unnecessary functions and goes down to the bare essentials of what an alarm should be. It will wake you up and it’s nicely designed. It doesn’t go much beyond this – and that’s a good thing.

The Rise app for iOS is simple, but some thought went into designing it. To set the alarm, you just drag your finger across the screen to select the time. Once set, the app has a progressive alarm, meaning that it will increase in volume if you don’t do anything about it. A simple swipe across the screen will shut the alarm off. You can also snooze your alarm by shaking your iPhone, which is good because when I’m groggy with sleep, shaking my phone is about the only thing I can do. It comes with a nice variety of alarm sounds, and you can also have it wake you with your favorite track from iTunes.

Rise is available in the iTunes App store for $1.99(USD).

How many times have you dropped your smartphone? I’ve dropped mine plenty of times, especially when I’m tired. Thankfully, I use a case that helps alleviate any damage that my phone might incur. That being said, check out this über-rugged Android smartphone from Caterpillar – designed to be durable right out o the box.

The Caterpillar CAT B15 is the successor of last year’s CAT B10. It’s built to outlast you. Its case combines aluminum and rubber so that the phone can survive drops as high as 5.9 feet onto hard surfaces. It can also stay immersed in 3.3 feet of water for 30 minutes before things go wrong. Plus, it can withstand temperatures from -4°F to 122°F.

The CAT B15 runs a super-clean, stock version of Android Jelly Bean (4.1.2), has a 4-inch WVGA screen, dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 processor, 512 MB of RAM, and a 5 MP camera. It will release in the UK and Europe later this month for £299/€299 (~$454 USD). There’s no word yet on pricing or a release date for other countries.

[via T3]

We usually hear about new tablets and smartphones at the Mobile World Congress, but this year Fujitsu also showed off a different mobile device. The Japanese company had a working prototype of a cane that downloads routes wirelessly and then guides its user using large arrows on its LED screen.

The next generation cane is obviously intended for the elderly. I’m just guessing here, but I think the prototype is based on the grand prize winner of a design contest that Fujitsu held in 2011. The idea is for someone – hopefully not a prankster – to make a route on a computer using the cane’s companion program. The cane will then download the route via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or 3G. With this information at hand, the cane will now tell the user which way to go using large green arrows. Should the user stray from the route, the cane will vibrate and reprimand the user with a red exclamation point. Then it shows the green arrows again.

What do you think this is grandpa, a leisurely stroll?! Make your way around the park in a predetermined, optimized and orderly manner!

I don’t see much point in just having a heart rate monitor. What’s an old person supposed to do with the data if he’s already having a heart attack or trying to run away from a thief? The cane does send its location back to the companion app so other people can track the user, but it would be more awesome if the cane could automatically call for help based on the user’s heart rate. It would be even more awesome if the cane could transform into a laser cannon. Yeah Fujitsu, screw the heart monitor. Just go with the laser cannon.

[via The Verge & Pocket-lint]