Is Apple Working On An iWatch?

Apple keynote event

Is Apple working on the iWatch? This has been a question that many pundits have asked for years now, and again today, the New York Times reports that this may indeed be the case.

Can You Beerlieve It? The New Self-Cooling Beer

The I.C CanTruly a new beer gadget like no other, the I.C Can from Tempra Technology and Crown Holdings is set to put a smile on the faces of beer drinkers everywhere. Yep, when a new beer invention takes 20 years to perfect, you know that good, and insanely cold things are going to happen. Sick of waiting for what seems like an eternity for a cold beer? Prepare to be sick no longer!

Tech Deals of the Day: 2/11/2013

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.

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Epiphany OnE Puck Turns Heat to Electricity: World’s Most Useful Coaster

Are you unimpressed by the current crop of portable battery chargers on the market? Boy, you’re hard to impress. But even with your high standards, there’s a good chance you’ll be interested with the Epiphany OnE Puck. It doesn’t need electricity, light or salt water. All it needs is a hot or cold object, and it’ll pump out electricity in return.

epiphany one puck heat engine usb charger

Epiphany Labs claims that its device is a Stirling engine, which works by cooling down fluid trapped inside it. In the process of cooling, some of the thermal energy from the heat source is eventually transformed into electric energy. The company didn’t go into details about the specific components of the OnE Puck, only that if you apply sufficient heat – say, from a cup of steaming hot coffee – on its red side or if you significantly cool down its blue side – as shown above – then it will be able to generate up to 5W of power, enough to charge most smartphones.

A pledge of at least $115 (USD) on Kickstarter lets you reserve your own OnE Puck. As of this writing, the fundraiser has already raised more than half of its $100,000 target with 55 days to go. But if I were you, you might want to wait until Epiphany Labs provides more details about the device before pledging. After all, they haven’t answered the most important questions: What are its minimum and maximum temperature tolerances? Can you hang it over a bonfire or place it in your freezer? And exactly how hot (or cold) does an object have to be to cause the device to generate enough charge? Can Lambert of Technabob get one for free? So many questions.

[via CNET]

PLUGG Radio Asks You to Shove a Cork in It

If you’ve ever been asked to shut up, you probably are familiar with the phrase “stick/shove/stuff/put a cork in it.” Now there’s a radio concept which wants you to do just that.

plugg radio

Designed by Skrekkøgle, the PLUGG radio is a basic digital radio with one unique feature – it’s turned off by shoving a cork into it, and removing the cork turns it on.

I assume you’ll still need to use normal controls for changing volume or stations, but the cork power switch is pretty clever. That is, until you lose the cork.

[via Fan the Fire]

DropTag Makes Shipping Tracking Easier

The DropTag,made by the folks over at Cambridge Consultants, is designed to make a small cost option for tracking the way that packages are treated when they go from the store to your front door, or when you and your luggage makes its way to your next vacation. The units cost about two dollars each,and will be shown off in April.

Mr. @#?%!: A Q*bert-ese Obscenity Generator

What’s this? Two Q*bert posts in a week? Yeah, you got me. I guess I’m on a roll.

Remember how Q*bert used to let out that weird stream of gibberish expletives when one of his enemies got him? Well, one electronic musician decided to build himself a gadget which solely swears like Q*bert.

qbert swears

The Mr. @#?%! obscenity generator uses a variety of audio chips, including the classic Votrax SC-01A analog speech synthesizer. It was made by Count Funkula, using entirely parts that were available back in 1982, at the time the arcade machine came out. Check out some of the wondrous obscenities that stream forth from the orange guy’s proboscis…

Man, that little dude can swear like a truck driver. You can check out the schematics and read more about how Count Funkula built the Mr. @#?%! obscenity generator here. I’ll give you a hint – it doesn’t involve dropping balls and coiled-up snakes on anything.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro: The First PC In A Tablet

Surface Pro tabletTablets have become very popular since Apple’s initial unveiling of the iPad, and since then many manufacturers have introduced their own versions, usually running Android. Last year, Microsoft added its own Windows based Surface RT tablet into the mix, but all of those tablets have been running lower powered processors, unable to run full PC software. The Surface Pro however changes all of this.

Next-Gen Xbox to Feature Siri-esque Voice Control Tech Says Rumor

We’re almost certain that next-generation Xbox and PlayStation game consoles will be launching this year. Rumors continue to point to the first unveil of the consoles sometime before E3 with a launch later this year for both products. While the next-generation Xbox had been expected to debut before the next-generation PlayStation, that no longer seems the case with the PS4 all but a sure thing for a February 20th reveal.

xbox 3601

A new rumor is making the rounds today that the next Xbox (aka the “Xbox 720″) will support more sophisticated voice control technology than is currently offered by the Kinect. According to the rumor, the Durango, which is the codename for the next-generation Xbox, will feature support for “wake on voice.” That would mean you could turn the console on using your voice. The console is also tipped to support natural language controls, which should be a major improvement over the current voice commands. The voice control technology is said to be similar to Apple’s Siri technology, allowing you to ask things like “what are my friends playing.” A speech-to-text capability could also allow for faster text messages and data entry without need for a keyboard.

Microsoft is also reportedly investigating the ability to allow Kinect sensors to detect the individuals in a room and suggest appropriate multiple player games.

[via The Verge]

Tech Deals of the Day: 2/8/2013

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.

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