Hasta La Gadget!

My alarm clock has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R… my alarm clock has a second name, it’s M-A-Y-E-R. You will surely recognize the name Oscar Mayer as the company that makes more lunch and breakfast meats than you can shake a stick at. The company also makes bacon, which is the best food in the history of food.

Oscar Mayer has a new hardware and app combo for the iPhone that will wake you to the sounds and smell of frying bacon.

It’s not going to make you bacon like the Bacon Alarm Clock we talked about before. Instead, the Oscar Mayer app uses a cartridge that attaches to the bottom of the iPhone and produces the scent of bacon to wake you up. I’m not sure how I feel about that tease. The other issue is that you can’t just buy this thing. A limited number of them are being given away to people who take a quiz on the Oscan Mayer website. Those who win the dongle and app combo will get an extra vial of bacon scent. I guess once you run out of scent, you can’t get refills short of squeezing your own bacon juice.

We really love bacon around my house. I have spread that love for bacon to my kids too. My daughter even used crispy crunchy bacon to illustrate her food chain quiz recently in school. She is a genius.

[via Mashable]

Boeing (yes, that same Boeing that makes airplanes) is currently working on a smartphone called “Black” that can reportedly self-destruct when it senses that it’s being tampered with.

It’s especially made for government agencies and their agents. Boeing’s emphasis in designing Black is security, with the goal of ensuring that sensitive information and data stay private or secure, even when the phone changes hands (or is stolen.) Apparently, the phone can also be set to automatically “brick” itself in the event that it falls into the wrong hands. Adding to security, it can transmit on private satellite channels.

Boeing’s tamper-proof phone is aimed at government agencies and contractors who need to keep communication and data secure. Made in the United States, the phone runs on Google Inc’s Android operating system. The 5.2-by-2.7-inch handset, slightly larger than an iPhone, uses dual SIM cards to enable it to access multiple cell networks instead of a single network like a normal cellphone.

The device’s hardware roots of trust and trusted boot ensure the device starts in a trusted state, enabling maximum security of data. Hardware media encryption and configurable inhibit controls are embedded to protect the device, its data, and the transmission of information, significantly reducing the risk of mission compromise due to data loss.

[via Geekologie]

Charge up your smartphone with the power of the Dark Side of The Force with this limited-edition Star Wars Darth Vader ProMini 9000 charger. This black charger is engraved with the image of your favorite Sith Lord, Darth Vader.

Vader will keep your iPhone, iPad, iPod, tablets, smartphone, and more, all juiced up. It is compact and easy to carry, just like a lightsaber. The ProMini 9000 measures 122mm x 67mm x 16.2mm and weighs only 200g. The charger takes about 12 to 13 hours to fill up and comes with a poweful 9000 mAh Lithium Polymer battery and Dual USB outputs.

The Darth Vader ProMini 9000 also comes with “Over-Charge, Over-Discharge, Over-Load, and Short circuit” protection, though it won’t protect your from being Force-choked. It sells for $89.90(USD).

May the Force (and the battery power) be with you.

[via New Launches]

Samsung today took wraps off it’s hotly-anticipated Galaxy S5 smartphone. But instead of focusing on software bells and whistles, the company says the phone is all about the things consumers want most – fast network connectivity, a great screen and camera, and durability.

Compared with the S4, the Galaxy S5 will offer a slightly larger 5.1-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, and will be powered by a 2.5 GHz Quad Core CPU, running Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat). The phone’s battery has been stepped up from 2600mAh to 2800mAh, and there’s even a “super power save” mode which will drop the display down to black and white and turn off various features when you want to get the most possible life. Its also had both cameras upgraded – the front camera is now 2.1MP, while the rear is 16MP. Autofocus time has also been improved to as little as 0.3 seconds. Also, according to its spec sheet, it can capture UHD video at 30fps. We’re assuming this means 4K.

The Galaxy S5 supports 802.11ac and 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi connectivity, and a new feature called “Download Booster” which can combine data transmission over LTE and Wi-Fi simultaneously for greater throughput (though this will eat up data on your data plan when activated). It’s also got an upgraded fitness package called S Health 3.0, which includes tools like a pedometer, diet and exercise tracking and even a built-in heart rate monitor.

The design of the new phone is definitely more refined than the prior model in my opinion, and has a textured pattern on the back of its case to not only give it a better grip, but to make it more distinctive than past models. You can choose from a variety of colors, including black, white, blue and copper-gold to start.

Perhaps the best new feature of the Galaxy S5 isn’t its design or under the hood, it’s the fact that it’s now IP67 dust and water resistant – which should make it much harder to damage the phone. Though it’s still not fully waterproof, like the underwater-friendly Sony Xperia ZR.

Samsung hasn’t yet revealed pricing for the Galaxy S5, but has said the phone will be available this April 11, in both a 16GB and 32GB versions. For now, there’s no plan to release a 64GB model, though the phone’s microSD slot can add up to 64GB of additional storage.

Nokia has rolled out a new product that will launch in April called Treasure Tag. The Nokia Treasure Tag is a small square device that is designed to be attached to your belongings to help you keep track of them. This might be the perfect thing for those that tend to lose their keys or bag all the time.

When you walk away with your smartphone and leave your keys on the counter, the Treasure Tags will produce an audible tone. If you take the keys and leave the smartphone, the alarm will sound. The idea is that the sound will remind you to grab up all your belongings and help you find them.

The tags sync via NFC and Bluetooth to your mobile device. The Treasure Tag is 30 x 30 x 10mm, making it about half the size of a matchbox. Each one weighs just 13 grams, so you won’t even notice it inside your bag or on your keys. Battery life for each Treasure Tag is about six months, and they can be replaced with an inexpensive CR-2032 coin cell battery.

Out of the box, the Treasure Tag integrates with Nokia phones running Windows Phone for the OS. The tags will also be supported via a third-party app for iPhone and Android users. The apps will support up to four tags at once and each tag will cost about $30(USD).