Hasta La Gadget!

Mobile gaming is big business today with a huge number of apps and games available for all manner of portable devices and computers. More and more people are turning away from traditional portable game consoles and meeting their mobile gaming needs using a smartphone or tablet. The big downside to this is that touchscreen controls often leave a lot to be desired.

Adding better, tactile controls is where the PhoneJoy Play comes into the picture. The Play is a portable controller that turns your mobile phone or other device into a portable game console. While there are already other mobile gamepads on the market, the PhoneJoy is unique in that its collapsible design allows you to wedge just about any brand of smartphone between the two halves of the controller.

The device connects to your phone, tablet, PC, or other device using Bluetooth technology. The controller itself has 14 programmable buttons, as well as a pair of pressure-sensitive analog joysticks.

The PhoneJoy Play is in the prototyping stage, and currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. Right now a pledge of $50(USD) or more will get you a controller when they ship in April 2013 – assuming their funding goal of $50,000 is met.

Once you’ve got a MacBook, iMac, or any other nicely designed computer on your desktop, you end up wanting accessories that match the overall design aesthetic. That’s definitely the case for me, and I have to say that this OCDock is a nice way to prop up an iPhone when you are working on your iMac or ACD.

The OCDock will work for the iPhone 5 and will match nicely with any Apple computers or PC covered in brushed aluminum. It blends really well with the iMac, and is also made out of high-grade aluminum. The included super-thin (0.18mm) flat cable will run under your display or computer, and the dock itself will stick to the base of your computer with tape. There’s an even more minimal version available, the OCDock Mini, for those who prefer naked iPhones or very slim cases.

If you like to be made aware whenever you receive a new push notification, then this dock is for you since it will sit right in front of your eyes. The dock will also be available in a traditional 30-pin dock for older iOS devices. The OCDock is currently raising production funds over on Kickstarter. They have amassed nearly $30,000 out of a fundraising goal of $49,000 with 16 days of funding left. You’ll have to pledge at least $59(USD) to get yours. The OCDock Mini will need a pledge of $55.

[via Ubergizmo]

I have to admit that I use my Bluetooth speaker almost daily. Whether it’s to listen to music while I take a shower, or go to sleep while listening to an audiobook, I definitely get the most of this kind of device. That being said, most of these kinds of speakers sell for quite a bit of money. Check out this one which won’t break the bank.

The JLab Bouncer wireless speaker has a pair of 12W custom-engineered drivers and dual rear bass ports. This small speaker is supposed to produce warm and smooth mids, high and deep bass. It will connect to your devices up to 30 feet away, and has an auxiliary port for devices that lack Bluetooth.

While the Bouncer lists for $249.95(USD), can get yours on sale directly from JLab for $129.95 in either white or black.

[via Ubergizmo]

If you’ve ever used a heart rate monitor to track your fitness level while running or cycling, you’ll know that these usually aren’t compact devices. Most of them involve strapping a harness around your body so that the monitor can get a decent reading from your heart. This latest watch from MIO plans on getting rid of the bulk.

The MIO Alpha watch uses a sophisticated sensor that has an electro-optical cell and a pair of light beams to track the volume of blood under your wrist, and also compensates for the jostling of the sensor.

Data collected by the watch can be sent to your mobile device via Bluetooth 4.0. While it can continuously monitor your heart rate and activity times, the watch has no built-in GPS, so you’ll have to rely on a separate device or your smartphone for that.

The MIO Alpha was funded via Kickstarter earlier this year, and will go on sale for $199(USD) and will be available early next year at retail.

Humans are always trying to push the boundaries and extend technology, even in places where they don’t belong and to species who shouldn’t have to deal with them in the first place. Case in point: Lars and his fox texting experiment.

What Norwegian teenager Lars Andreas Bjercke did was download an app that imitated the sound of rabbits in order to attract foxes. Then he left the phone in his yard and let the app do all the work. Sure enough, a fox came around and kept circling the phone for a couple of nights. Eventually, he made off the phone – presumably, never to be seen or heard from again.

But here’s the thing. Lars called the phone later and surprisingly, the fox picked up.

“There was a crackling sound and some noise,” Lars told Verdens Gang.

It gets even weirder, because aside from taking calls, the fox apparently knows how to send messages too.

The next day, Lars’s friend wondered why he had sent him the odd text message. The message was in strange letters and numbers. Lars knew that the sender was the fox.

“jlv I ø\a0ab 34348tu åaugjoi zølbmosdji jsøg ijio sjiw,” it said in the message. Clearly, that’s fox-speak for “4G coverage isn’t very good out here in the woods.”

[via Neatorama]