Our friends at TechBargains.com compile a list of daily deals to help you save money. Keep in mind that as with any good deal, products are limited in quantity and can sell out quickly – so don’t hesitate to check them out now.
If you’re looking to buy a product from a specific store, save money with updated and verified coupon codes here.
I’m a sucker for the warm orange glow of Nixie tubes. There’s just something just so retro-modern about the way they look – all I can think of is the technology in the movie Brazil. I just stumbled across a really cool Nixie tube clock which accents the tubes with modern LEDs, adding even more to the look.
This six-digit Nixie clock has a RGB LEDs under the base of each Nixie vacuum tube, allowing it to change accent colors on demand. Just press the buttons in the included wireless remote to select your color, and the LEDs will adjust to your liking. The remote works like many other color-changing LEDs, letting you fade colors as well. Just keep in mind that the Nixie tubes will always have their distinct orange glow to them.
The clock offers 12/24-hour modes, the ability to change the digit cross-fade, and it can also display to date and work as an alarm clock. The whole thing looks really awesome when illuminated, using some of the best looking Nixie tubes I’ve seen as well.
Unfortunately, all of these good looks don’t come cheap. The Nixie/LED clock retails for $599.99(USD) over on eBay. That said, there’s a cheaper version that comes with smaller Nixie tubes that I don’t think look quite as cool – but it sells for just $199.00.
A research team working at Harvard University’s Biorobotics Laboratory , a part of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has developed a new and less expensive tactile sensor for robots. This sensor, which is in the cost range for people without a research budget, may open up robotics research. The sensor is sensitive enough to allow a robot hand to pick up a baloon.
Our friends at TechBargains.com compile a list of daily deals to help you save money. Keep in mind that as with any good deal, products are limited in quantity and can sell out quickly – so don’t hesitate to check them out now.
If you’re looking to buy a product from a specific store, save money with updated and verified coupon codes here.
Just as you were getting used to watching movies in 3D, the latest round of movie-watching technology is on the horizon: 4DX. The so-called fourth dimension of movie watching, 4DX gives movie goers an immersive experience with the use of moving seats, scents, wind, and more to make the action seem like its happening for real. Starting next Friday, those in Nagoya will be able to watch Iron Man 3 in 4DX.
4DX movies utilize seats that move, special lighting, equipment to spray scents, blowing air to simulate wind, and even ceiling-embedded equipment for dropping bubbles. The 4DX movies won’t necessarily be shown in 3D, however. Both 3D and 2D options are available, priced at $13 and $10, respectively. The price is on top of regular ticket prices.
Although you won’t come across any 4DX movies in the United States yet – you’d probably be hard-pressed to find someone who has even heard of it – the technology is already in use in many countries, including China, Mexico, Thailand, Russia, South Korea, and several more. The US should begin seeing 4DX-equipped theaters popping up this year, with CJ Group planning to have 200 theaters prepared over the next 5 years.
Korona World will be screening the movie, and has plans to show a dozen titles a year in 4DX. A company spokesman, Tagiki Ishiguro, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the planned showing: “It was really a matter of timing that Iron Man became the first title for 4DX in Japan, though we were looking for a blockbuster action film, as that is what works best with the system.”
The just released movie "iSteve" is a creative spoof satirizing the life and times of Steve Jobs, in a way that not only takes liberty with the historical facts but also ironically casts in the title role the actor that helped make "Mac" a household name. That’s right, while Ashton Kuthcher’s portrayal of Jobs is still a way’s off, Justin Long of "I’m a Mac" fame has assumed the role of iSteve in this online mockumentary, available to any and all, on a computer near you!
I first saw the Sphero robotic ball about 2 years ago at CES, but I never really got a chance to play with one hands-on until now. When I first saw it in action, all I wanted to say was “Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.” This little orb is packed with cool technology that lets you use it as a remote-control vehicle, a game controller, and tech toy/plaything.
Made by Orbotix, the Sphero itself is a durable polycarbonate-shelled orb which fits nicely in the palm of your hand. This is no accident, since this makes it work perfectly as a controller or plaything itself when it’s not rolling around on the floor. Inside of the ball are its brains, wireless circuit, motion sensors, motors, a small rechargeable battery and multicolor LEDs.
The spherical robot is capable of traversing a variety of surfaces, including hardwood floors, tile, grass, concrete and low-pile carpet (it has a hard time on thicker carpets). It’s even waterproof, so you can drive it around in the bathtub or in a puddle. To juice up the Sphero, simply set it in its inductive charging cradle, and it’ll go for up to an hour on a single charge.
You control the Sphero using either iOS or Android apps, which range from the main Sphero R/C controller app to games, interactive toys, augmented reality and macro programming apps. The library of Sphero apps continues to grow too, since there’s a full Sphero API and SDK available for developers to make their own applications. Many of the current apps are free, while the few that cost money sell for $1.99 or less.
Playing with Sphero is a blast, and it’s stupid-simple to use. Simply pair it with your Bluetooth device, load up an app of your choice, orient the Sphero properly and start playing. It’ll operate at distances up to about 50 feet from your device. Setting the Sphero’s orientation is simple. Just place the ball on the ground and use two fingers to maneuver its secondary blue “tail” LED to point towards you. If you should pick up and move the Sphero, you can do this again in a jiffy.
The main Sphero app is a great place to start, as it lets you drive the Sphero and play with its colors with ease. You can choose from a touch-based or motion-based control scheme, as well as several pre-set macros for things like circles, Figure 8′s and a flashing light show.
The Sphero app can also capture stills or video of your escapades and save them to your device.
And if you log into the Sphero ecosystem, you can record fun achievements, track stats and compete with others for Sphero supremacy.
I tried out just about every Sphero app I could find on the iTunes App Store, and here are my personal favorites: 1) ColorGrab – a frustrating, but fun multiplayer game in which players must quickly pick up the Sphero when its flashing in a specified color; 2) Draw & Drive – which lets you simply draw a path for your Sphero to follow; 3) Etch-o-Matic – this turns your Sphero into the controller for an Etch-a-Sketch inspired drawing pad; and 4) Sharky – an augmented reality app which turns your Sphero into a funny looking beaver that you flick virtual cupcakes at. It’s completely silly, but a fun tech demo.
The hacker in me got the most joy out of the MacroLab app, which lets you create complex programming sequences for the Sphero, adjusting all of its available parameters. These include movement, rotation, light color, speed, and basic programming constructs like delays and loops. The only thing I wish is that you could take your saved macros and load them into the main Sphero application for playback. Apparently, the Android version can even control multiple Spheros at the same time.
If you and your friends have more than one Sphero, they can be independently controlled for races, running obstacle courses, or even for playing Sphero miniature golf (which can also be played solo).
All in all, I really have had a good time playing with the Sphero, and I can only imagine that kids and geeks of all ages would get a kick out of having one. It’s also great for tormenting your pets. The fact that it’s programmable and has a software development community means that even if you get bored with it for a little while, there will be more apps coming down the pike to give it new life. And if you’re a real tinkerer, you can even make your own apps.
Disclosure: Orbotix provided the Sphero for review in this article. However, all reviews are the unbiased views of our editorial staff, and we will only recommend products or services we have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.
A couple of months ago we found out about Instashare, an app that lets you transfer files from an iOS device to an OS X computer and vice versa. Filedrop is a lot like Instashare, but it has a couple of significant features that make it seem like the better of the two. The best part? Filedrop is also free.
Like Instashare, Filedrop lets you wirelessly transfer files between two computers as long as both are in the same local network, without the inconvenience of setting up shared drives. The great thing about Filedrop is that it works with both Windows and Macs; soon the developer behind it will also release iOS and Android versions of the program as well. Aside from transferring files, Filedrop also lets you stream photos and audio files from one device to another. This feature is great for impromptu presentations or other instances where you don’t necessarily want to leave a copy of a file on another computer.
Here’s proof of Filedrop’s cross-platform compatibility:
You can download Filedrop from its official website. For larger file transfers, you’ll be better off just using a flash drive. If you want to keep your files synced between devices, then you’ll be better off with a cloud service like Dropbox. But for quick sharing and copying I reckon Filedrop is better than either of those long term options. I for one can’t wait for its mobile apps.
I’m always misplacing my keys. I don’t lose them because I can’t remember where I put them. Typically, I lose track of them because someone else in the house piles stuff on top of them or moves them. That means I end up throwing stuff around and yelling a lot when it’s time to leave the house.
If you suffer from a similar problem, Scosche has a new product called foundIT that will help you keep up with your keys and anything else you can clip the small transmitter onto. Those transmitters are approximately the size of a remote for a vehicle keyless entry system. The little Bluetooth low energy transmitters work in conjunction with an application available for iOS devices including the iPhone and various iPad models.
The wireless transmitters have a 100-foot range and get power from a coin cell battery good for a year of constant use. You can also set the app up to give you both audible and vibration alerts if your tagged device gets out of range. That means if you set your keys down and start to walk off, your phone will vibrate or beep.
The foundIT system is available right now for $49.95(USD) and for that price you get two of the little wireless transmitters. The Scosche foundIT application is a free download on the iTunes App Store, and will work with up to six transmitters.
Our friends at TechBargains.com compile a list of daily deals to help you save money. Keep in mind that as with any good deal, products are limited in quantity and can sell out quickly – so don’t hesitate to check them out now.
If you’re looking to buy a product from a specific store, save money with updated and verified coupon codes here.
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.
Our friends at TechBargains.com compile a list of daily deals to help you save money. Keep in mind that as with any good deal, products are limited in quantity and can sell out quickly – so don’t hesitate to check them out now.
