Hasta La Gadget!

The explosion of touchscreen devices have not made the mouse obsolete. But what if you could use your finger as a mouse on any surface? That’s the point of Magic Finger, a concept device made by a team from Autodesk Research and the University of Toronto that can sense touch, motion and texture.

The Magic Finger is basically a micro RGB camera, an LED and an optical mouse sensor cobbled together. Talk about ripping off the mouse. Contrary to its name, the magic here seems to be in the software. Aside from letting you point and click on any surface, the camera can also recognize different textures, which the researchers use in a variety of ways, such as reading data, launching applications and controlling other devices. Watch the dorky demo in the video below:

I’m not too sold on the Magic Finger for a couple of reasons. First of all the Magic Finger is intrusive; the finger or hand wearing the device will be of limited use because you don’t want to damage the Magic Finger. Second, I don’t think the data matrix or the Morse code transfer is practical. That said, the shortcuts and its use as a mouse could be very practical. Perhaps those two functions could be integrated in a less intrusive device like Google Glass or Digits.

[via Autodesk Research via MAKE]

Microsoft today announced the official details on availability and pricing for their hotly-anticipated Surface tablet. The first model available is the Surface RT, which runs Windows RT, and will initially ship in three configurations.

The 1.5 pound Surface RT tablet comes with a large 10.6″ ClearType HD screen at a 1366×768 resolution, offering 5-point multitouch input. Under the hood is a speedy NVIDIA T30 CPU, with 2GB of RAM. Connectivity is provided via 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (with dual MIMO antennas) and Bluetooth 4.0. It’s got a pair of 720p cameras (front and rear-facing), as well as dual microphones, and stereo speakers. Ports include USB 2.0. a microSDXC card reader, a headphone jack and an HD video output port. Hardware also includes the requisite ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass.

All that’s all loaded into a sexy and durable VaporMG case in dark titanium color, and a built-in kickstand. The OS that comes installed is Windows RT, and it comes pre-loaded with plenty of useful apps, including Mail, Messaging, Word, Power Point, Excel, OneNote, Internet Explorer 10, and apps for media playback, including Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Xbox Games. Keep in mind that the Office 2013 apps are still a Preview edition, but you’ll be able to download the final Office Home & Student edition down the road. Also, you should know that the big limitation to Windows RT is that you can ONLY install apps downloaded from the Windows Store. If you want to run all your existing Windows desktop apps, you’ll want to wait for the more powerful and expensive (and heavier) Windows 8 Pro Surface, due out “soon”.

The Surface with Windows RT is available in limited quantities for pre-order starting today over at the Microsoft Store, and is priced at $499(USD) for the 32GB version, $599 for a 32GB version with a black Touch Cover keyboard, and $599 for the 64GB version, also with a black Touch Cover. Optional Touch Covers are available in black, white, magenta, cyan or red for $119.99, as well as a $129.99 black version with moving keys for a more tactile feel.

The first Surface RT tablets are expected to start arriving in homes as early as October 26th, and will be available at all U.S. and Canada Microsoft Stores starting on that date as well. Online sales will be available at the same time in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.

When the iPhone 5 came out, many people wished that it was packed with more features – or at least a beefier battery – instead of being thinner than many smartphones. If you’re one of those people, you might one to get the iExpander case. It’s packed with practical features in exchange for nearly doubling the iPhone 5′s thickness.

Perhaps the best feature of the iExpander is its built-in microSD card slot, which supports up to 64GB cards. Inventor Charlie Corry didn’t specify it, but he did imply that the iExpander will come with an app to facilitate file transfer to and from an iPhone to a connected microSD card. The iExpander also stays true to its name by adding a built-in 1420 mAh battery, which is almost equal to the iPhone 5′s own 1440mAh battery and the 4S’ 1430mAh battery. In short, the iExpander will nearly double your phone’s battery life.

The case also has an LED flash that’s stronger than the one in iPhones for better low-light performance. The case will come in two variants, one compatible with the iPhone 4 & 4S and one with the iPhone 5. The latter variant has a bonus feature: it has a built-in adapter that makes it compatible with 30-pin cables, so you can use your iPhone 5 with older chargers, cables, and whatnot. Though the added thickness will probably keep it out of most docks.

A pledge of $75 (USD) or more on its Kickstarter fundraiser gets you an early unit. It’s already surpassed its target fund with still a week to go, so it’s safe to say that the iExpander will see production.

[via CNET Asia]

I’m sitting here, typing this post on my desktop computer, but more and more people are using laptops as their everyday machines. Heck, I use a MacBook Pro to get stuff done whenever I’m not at home. The trouble with laptops is that they can get pretty hot. Here’s a cool laptop stand, that packs down flat for easy travel.

Itamar Neiger’s minimal laptop stand can be made out of plywood or a foamed polymer sheet. The design was conceived to serve two purposes. To give laptops a better angle for typing, and to lift it off the working surface, allowing better ventilation and to prevent overheating.

The stand disassembles neatly and fits into itself, so it’s easy to carry around when you’re on the go. I need one – when can I 3D-print my own?

[via designboom]

There are plenty of apps that allow you access to some of your content when you’re away from home, but what if you want to access all of it at the same time? The new Slingboxes might fit the bill, since they will allow you to do that.

The Slingbox 350 and 500 offer support for place-shifting video in up to 1080p quality, as well as integrated IR emitters for controlling set-top boxes from across the globe, and without ugly wires hanging from the box. The 350 model works over a wired Ethernet connection, while the 500 has built-in Wi-Fi, as well as HDMI input/output and SlingProjector technology to wirelessly share media from a smartphone, tablet or TV.

The Slingbox 350 sells for $180(USD) while the 500 sells for $300. Both of them look unique, instead of basic, ubiquitous black boxes.

[via Uncrate]