You may never again be able to justify spending your hard-earned cash at the movie theater when you see what a group of incredibly talented amateur filmmakers are able to pull off with a small fleet of RC cars. Working with the video game developers behind Need for Speed: Most Wanted and a skilled crew, Freddie Wong and Brandon Laatsch created this scale police chase action sequence that is just as impressive as multi-million dollar Hollywood productions. More »
Rdio has spent a large part of 2012 revamping its mobile app, and a new beta shows that it’s still full of ideas with two months left to go. The 2.3 test version makes the ubiquitous hidden sidebar even more unavoidable than we’ve seen before, but those not irked by UI homogeneity will be happy to see Rdio gain some multi-device harmony: along with syncing whatever’s being played from desktop to mobile and back, the beta introduces a remote control that lets Android gear either serve as the remote or as a target for other devices. A play-later queue persists across devices, too. Although we haven’t been given a timeframe for the finished version pushing out through Google Play, there’s nothing stopping avid subscribers from taking a slight risk with the beta and getting a taste of their musical future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile
Rdio posts Android beta app with new sidebar UI, unified playback and remote control originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
Rdio | Email this | Comments
The first time we saw Romo, it was a fledgling Kickstarter that received our Insert Coin treatment. It went on to achieve its funding and even landed on our stage at CES. Now, the team behind it are back with a new updated version. The latest iteration boasts an all new circuit board, plus updated software and hardware — along with the promise of an API for developers. If that sounds cool, that’s because it is, but there are even loftier plans afoot if they secure a second round of funding. Remote 2-way telepresence, Roomba-esque navigation learning skills, facial recognition and Computer vision to name a few. So if you’re an iOS-owning (no Android at this time) robot fan, you’d better scoot on over to the source and be lured in by its cutsie little grin (again).
Romo’s return: the cute little smartphone robot wants to steal your heart again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The only thing that differentiates this remote control safety cage RC helicopter from the one designed by robot researchers at the EPFL is an $80 price tag. Because you can actually buy this one from Kyosho, and don’t need a research grant to build your own. More »
Do you love playing around with remote control toys? Back in the days when there was no such thing as a mobile phone, remote control toys were the bomb. They might not have the kind of clout over kids these days, but they are still interesting to tinker around with once in a while. Thinkgeek has come up with the $89.99 Zen Wheels Precision Control Bluetooth Micro RC Car which is said to deliver “unbelievable proportional precision controls” right in the palm of your hand, and this particular ride might be small, but that does not mean “safety” is compromised, as it comes with fully functional indicator lights and a horn to boot. Toot your way around the home, indicating just where you would want to go with it!
The Zen Micro RC will be controlled via Bluetooth, so make sure you do not go beyond the theoretical 10 meter radius that a Bluetooth “bubble” normally takes up, and with the app ony our iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you will be able to zip around the home with the Zen Micro as your “dog-on-wheels”, so to speak. Each purchase comes with 10 mini traffic cones and roll-over timing gate for that added challenge when you play with it around the house.
[ Zen Wheels Precision Control Bluetooth Micro RC Car copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
True road warriors know that your hands are always needed. You figure the phone is in one hand, maybe a bag over the other shoulder with that hand also pulling your rollerboard. So where is the coffee supposed to go? And forget about grabbing a newspaper. Quite inconvenient. Needless to say, an extra hand would be convenient while going through airports.
Some creative designers in Spain have invented a solution that could potentially solve this traveler’s dilemma. “hop! the following suitcase” as it is known, uses technology to ease the hassles of travel by leaving you hands free. Wha? Yes, you heard me. hop! is a small suitcase. Contained in it are 3 sensors which sync to your smartphone via Bluetooth. They triangulate the signal from the phone to determine your location. Then the microprocessor takes over and directs the case – on caterpillar tracks – to follow behind your phone. See the video below for hop! in action.
Sure, hop! is a small suitcase. Maybe not enough for a road warrior. But hop! is also a concept. However it is in the final 50 for the prestigious James Dyson award – an international student design award. Plenty of attention may come their way if rewarded. And soon we may all have a little buddy following us through the airport.
You have to admit the iPhone sure has brought a lot to the party. There really is no end to what it is capable of, we have already told you about checking your glucose levels with it, monitoring the performance of your car, stalking your neighbors or simply finding the nearest gas station, and now, your iPhone can make you coffee, and not just any coffee either.
Check out the Top Brewer from Scanomat, this gorgeous, patented stainless steel coffee maker can be built directly into almost any countertop and brews a magical cup of coffee, exactly the way you want it… every time. Simply bring up the associated app on your iPhone or iPad and select your preferred drink, strength and style, then let the high quality grinders, and the smallest milk foamer in the world, kick in to present you with your perfect cup of java… from beans to brew, in almost no time at all.
Clean up? No worries as the the Scanomatic clean system of the Top Brewer actually cleans all the hoses with fresh water after each and every cup, and the Top Brewer doesnt stop there either, depending on the options, it can also provide chilled drinking water, cold milk, juice and hot water for tea, hot chocolate or instant soups. The Top Brewer is one good looking, and equally handy, kitchen gadget.
The Top Brewer can be controlled by means of its touch panel if an iDevice is not available, but what fun would that be, when the app access lets you immediately connect to your machine and select from all the available drinks, or allows you to select a favorite pre-progammed cup and dispenses it within seconds, just the way you wanted it! The Top Brewer is currently undergoing certification to be sold in the USA, sign up at scanomat.com to be the first to know exactly when you can get one. No word yet on price, but I’m guessing you might want to start saving up.
[ Top Brewer- Makes your iPhone a Barista! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 is many good things, but “long-ranged” isn’t what comes to mind with a 165-foot maximum distance between pilot and quadrocopter. Not to be daunted, Alcatel-Lucent has conducted a test with an ad hoc LTE network, a USB modem and a smartphone to see just how far the remote-controlled aircraft could go on 4G. In practice, quite far: thanks in part to the inherently wide coverage of the 800MHz band in France, the team flew the AR.Drone more than 3,280 feet (one kilometer), all while streaming 720p video of the farmland below. Besides giving us ideas for a North by Northwest remake, the flight emphasized the possibilities that come when we have access to a long-distance wireless link with high bandwidth, such as monitoring crops or some very literal field journalism. The challenge will be convincing Alcatel-Lucent to share its trick and let us pester our not-so-next-door neighbors.
[Thanks, Vincent]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
Alcatel-Lucent flies Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 over 3,280 feet using LTE: reach out and buzz someone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 22:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sure, I have a few remotes on my side table. One for the TV, another for the DVR and yet one more for the DVD player.. we wont even let the XBox enter into the equation. I thought I’d cut the clutter and get a universal remote and that idea crashed and burned when I was never able to remember what all the buttons did, or even get them to work every time. Apps were an interesting option, but I needed more than one of those for each device…
Using an iDevice as a remote isnt really a new option, but the Roomie is. Taking the place of your confusing old universal remote, the Roomie takes control of your home theater components, usually via direct communication over your home network. Roomie also serves up a customized TV guide and feedback information, like volume or run-time.
Don’t let me mislead you, this isn’t just a simple universal device, Roomie allows integration with Tivo, DirectTV, Roku and many others, as its infrared adaptors support almost any device. The Roomie allows iTunes, Airplay, Lutron, Insteon, and Sonos Support and adapts if your devices change addresses. Roomie not only replaces your existing remotes, offering all of their available controls, but sometimes it can add even more advanced options.
Roomie really does provide one of the most powerful infrared solutions available, all without line of sight requirements, no batteries or goofy tabletop apparatus. It lets you hold the control of your entire entertainment arsenal right in the palm of your hand… and all this can be yours for under 10 bucks at iTunes.com. To find out all of Roomies amazing capabilities please visit roomieremote.com.
[ The Roomie Remote – Gives Your iDevice Total Control copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Lockitron has just outed a new cellphone-controlled keyless entry system, sporting a raft of new bells and wireless whistles. The WiFi-connected product mounts over your existing deadbolt “in seconds,” according to the company, and lets you or those you trust control your lock from anywhere in the world by SMS or the internet. You can also unlock your door in person without lifting a finger if you have an iPhone 4S or 5, as the Lockitron will sense your approach using Bluetooth 4.0 — a feature that may extend to NFC and Android devices in the future, too. To top it off, the system can notify you when a friend or relative returns home, and it has a knock sensor to let you know if someone’s come by to visit. Lockitron exceeded its self-imposed minimum order limit by 250 percent in less than a day, so if you’d like to pre-order one at the current $149 price and get it for March 2013, hit the source.
Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Mobile
Lockitron launches iPhone-controlled keyless lock that pings you when someone knocks (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Lockitron | Email this | Comments
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
