If you happen to have a birthday to remember during the month of December, Android has done you a favor and deleted the month for you. Apparently, there is a bug in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean that affects the People app preventing you from selecting the month of December. The People app is the default application that Android uses for storing information about contacts, and uses a date picker for storing birthdays.
In short, the flaw has completely deleted the month of December from its date picker, skipping from November directly to January. This could be The Grinch’s most fiendish plot ever. Both the Grinch and the Android mascot are green. Coincidence? I think not.
The flaw was first discovered by users who have the new Nexus 4 smartphone or the Nexus 10 tablet that went on sale last week. Google hasn’t offered official comment on the flaw just yet. If you have to keep track of birthdays during the month of December, you’ll want to enter them directly into the Calendar app until Google issues a fix.
There are already mobile GPS apps that we can use to help locate a person, but that assumes that the mobile device is with the person. Which is why I’m quite intrigued by the Leo. It’s a GPS wristwatch meant to be worn by children that is supposedly very hard to remove.
According to inventor Jason Sullivan, the Leo has an optional locking mechanism and a tamper-proof strap. The locking mechanism is made of “titanium-woven steel” that is supposedly so tough that you’d need a pair of bolt cutters to take the watch off once it’s been locked. With respect to its tracking features, the Leo works with a mobile app that can be used to send a signal to the watch to send back its location.
The wearer can also press the Leo’s panic buttons to send a text message to a predetermined number – parents, guardians, etc – as well as place a call to 911. The watch can also be configured to automatically send an alert if the wearer leaves or enters an area or if the wearer exceeds a speed limit. Here’s Jason demonstrating the watch on the Ricki Lake Show:
Jason’s company Guardian Lion is currently raising funds for the Leo watch on Indiegogo. As of this writing if you pledge at least $119 (USD) you’ll be one of the first to get a Leo wristwatch. It looks like a very useful product, but I’m a bit concerned by a couple of things. First of all, the Leo’s official website contains banners and logos of media establishments, including Engadget and Reuters, implying some sort of endorsement or press coverage of the Leo:
However, from what I can tell neither Engadget nor Reuters has talked about the watch. Engadget wrote about another Guardian Lion product back in 2005, but they have not released anything about the Leo. All I can find on Reuters is a press release from 2011. So why are the banners there? The other thing that makes me wary about the Leo is that Jason clearly states in the video above that the watch is also a cellphone. There’s also an image on its website that supports that claim. Note the send and end call buttons on the watch:
But for some reason Jason and his company failed to elaborate on this feature, whether on their website or on their Indiegogo page, which seems strange because it should be a major selling point of the product. Let me make it clear: I’m not accusing anyone of anything and I hope all of this gets cleared up. But considering the company is already asking people for money without a final product on sale, I just thought I’d share my observations before you plunk down your hard-earned cash.
We’ve seen how socks can be made smarter using RFID. This device does the same to your wallet – or any object you attach it to – except it uses Bluetooth and GPS. You’ll also need an iOS device. Because Android users can build their own tracking device. Oh sna – wait, I have an iPhone. Dammit.
The Wallet TrackR is a credit-card sized device that works in conjunction with a free iOS app. In other words, the TrackR isn’t really concerned if your wallet is near you; it just wants to be with your iOS device all the time. When the two get separated, the TrackR will send a signal to your iOS device. It will also take a “GPS snapshot” so you can see its location from within the app. Finally, you can make the TrackR ring an alarm from the app to make it easier to find your wallet. The TrackR has a range of 100ft. and a user-replaceable battery that lasts up to 10 months.
Pledge at least $19 (USD) on its official website to reserve your own Wallet TrackR (There’s a limited quantity available at this price, then it goes up to a still-reasonable pre-release price of $29). Obviously its reliance on Apple’s gadgets will make it a deal breaker for many people. Perhaps inventor Phone Halo should also release a keychain remote to make the device more versatile.
If you’re on the go a lot, you know it’s hard to keep your gadgets charged up, especially if you use them frequently. Anyone who owns a 4G smartphone knows that if you surf the web, make a few phone calls, and update your Facebook page, you’re lucky if your device can last half a day. If you’re away from an outlet, your only option is some sort of external battery.
A new solar charger has turned up that will work with just about any gadget on the market called the Switch 8 Solar Recharger.
The folding solar panel connects to the included “Sherpa 50″ battery via a USB port. A bunch of tips will be available to allow direct charging of specific devices like the iPhone or Android smartphones. The battery also has a USB port allowing you to charge any USB device with its own cable. It’s maker, GoalZero promises the device is to fully charge a smartphone in three hours, and its portable battery module can be recharged with 10 hours of sunlight.
The device has an MSRP of $119.99(USD), but can be found at REI for just $99.95, including the flexible Luna LED light shown in the picture above.
Activity tracking devices are nothing new, but the current offerings have a sporty look, which is expected but may not suit all tastes. If you’re looking for something a bit less conspicuous, check out the Misfit Shine, a new brand of boozesecurity cameranight vision goggles wireless activity tracker with a minimalist design.
Unlike the brightly-colored bracelets of current competing devices like the Nike FuelBand or Jawbone Up, the Misfit Shine is a tiny aircraft-grade aluminum disc with a clasp (though there is a bracelet attachment provided). You can attach it to the waist of your pants and no one will notice that you’re obsessed with your exercise stats. Speaking of which, the Misfit Shine can track steps, bike pedals and swim strokes. The idea is to pair it with an iOS5.0+ or Android 4.0+ then set a daily goal from within your mobile device. You can then check how close you are to achieving your goal by tapping the Misfit Shine, which will display a number of lighted dots to provide you with a rough estimate.
Because it’s made almost entirely from metal, it doesn’t work using conventional wireless tech. Instead, you place the Misfit Shine directly on the screen of your mobile device to pair it. I wonder how the pairing system really works.
Pledge at least $79 (USD) on its Indiegogo fundraiser to reserve a Misfit Shine, along with a sports wristband. When you become a backer maybe you can convince the inventors to come up with a more descriptive name instead.
One of the most irritating things about Apple moving from its tried-and-true 30-pin connector to the new Lightning connector is that people are being forced to buy new accessories. Accessories that use the tiny new 8-pin connector have been slow to hit the market, but JBL has announced two new audio products that are aimed at the iPhone 5, 5th-gen iPod Touch and other Apple gadgets that use the new Lightning connector.
The OnBeat Micro and the OnBeat Venue LT speaker docks are the first on the market to use the new Lightning connector interface. The Micro is a battery-powered mobile speaker dock that also has a USB port for connecting older Apple devices as well as a 3.5mm audio input. The internal battery is good for up to five hours of playback and charges via an included AC adapter. Its two small full-range drivers are powered by a 2W-per-channel amp.
The Venue LT is a larger dock designed to be used in the home or office that connects to iPhones using Bluetooth and has its own Lightning connector for charging the iPhone 5, and the latest iPod nano and touch as well. It has a 15W x 2 amplifier, and a pair of full-range speakers.
Both devices work with the JBL MusicFlow app for viewing album art, changing tracks, and adjusting volume. The Micro retails for $99(USD) and the Venue LT sells for $199.
While I’ve kind of been able use my iPhone while wearing my motorcycle gloves, it’s never been a perfect way to use any touch-based device. That’s why Freehands has come up with a waterproof glove that will allow you to use your smartphone and media players to your heart’s content. Unlike other gloves with capacitive tips, the Freehands lets you use your actual fingertips to interact with your gadgets in the wintertime.
Freehands’ Soft Shell Glove is perfect for hitting the slopes this winter. This glove is fully insulated for ski and snowboard maniacs, and is made out of a movement-friendly material with a suede thumb, grippy palm and fold back fingertips so that you can access all of your device’s functions. The back has a small pocket for a hand warmer and an adjustable web strap as well as a cord lock to keep everything in place.
These gloves also won’t break the bank since you’ll have to pay $45(USD) to get yours directly from Freehands.
It’s impossible to truly master typing on a tiny touch screen, hence the existence of peripherals like laser keyboards or this iPhone case. But what if your smartphone could use any surface as a keyboard without the help of additional devices? That’s the idea behind the Vibrative Virtual Keyboard.
The software was invented by Florian Kräutli, a Cognitive Computing student at the Goldsmiths University of London. It uses the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer along with a program written by Kräutli to detect which letter has been pressed based on the vibrations made when the user “types” on a flat surface.
Presumably, the app needs to be trained each time it’s used on a different surface or by a different user. I think that even Kräutli himself would admit that the app is unusable as it is. Even without the lag I think it would be far more useful when there are fewer keys involved, perhaps while playing a mobile game. I’d rather have this technology on my phone. Still, the demo does show us just how smart our mobile devices have become.
I’ve never though of recycling books, since I’m a bibliophile, but there’s something marvelous about these docks that are made from old books. Rich Neeley custom makes them for the discerning gadgeteer.
Booksi docks by RichNeeleyDesigns look great – especially on a bookshelf. The charging dock is integrated into the book’s cover, and twisted around through the book so that there is actually minimal damage to the book. You could probably read it – assuming you undock your phone.
He’s even got some docks for the iPhone 5 and its new 8-pin Lightning connector.
Most of the docks work with a number of 30-pin iOS devices, like iPods, iPhones and some even work with iPads. Prices start at around $49(USD) and go up depending on the book or books used. Rich offers a wide variety of popular books in his shop which are ready to go, but he also accepts custom book requests.
USB flash drives are becoming smaller and smaller, and thus easier to misplace. I’ve lost a couple, and that’s one of the reasons why I don’t buy any new ones, because they’d probably end up lost as well. At least the tiny LaCie PetiteKey will fit onto your keyring, so unless you lose your whole set of keys you won’t lose it too. It also won’t look out of place on your keychain, since it’s not too large and looks like a key.
The PetiteKey is not the first LaCie USB flash drive that looks like a key, but this one is much smaller. It’s waterproof, scratch-resistant and completely covered in metal. It also has encryption software, but what I like best is that it blends well with the other keys on most keychains.
It’s available right now at LaCie’s website. Prices range from $14.99(USD) for the 8GB model to $39.99 for the 32GB model.
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But for some reason Jason and his company failed to elaborate on this feature, whether on their 
