Hasta La Gadget!

There are already a variety of apps that turn iOS and Android devices into wireless mice or trackpads or both. Some of them are even free. But a company called Spicebox thinks you’ll want to pay for a peripheral that does just about the exact same thing. Will you want to spend some dollarz for its Mauz?

As shown in the image above, Mauz plugs into the dock connector of an iPhone 4, 4S or 5. It has three main modes, the first of which turns an iPhone into a mouse-cum-touchpad that has virtual left- and right-click buttons as well as a scroll wheel. Its second mode turns iPhones into a motion-sensitive controller, akin to a Wii controller. Spicebox says users will be able to map commands from various programs into gestures, from controlling your browser to your videogame character.

Finally there’s the visual gestures, a Kinect-like control mode that lets you execute commands just by waving your hand above your iPhone’s camera.

Pledge at least $49 (USD) on Kickstarter to reserve a 30-pin Mauz and at least $59 for the Lightning-compatible Mauz. I’m quite intrigued at the possibilities of this so-called “appcessory”, but this is one of those gadgets that needs great complementary software to succeed.

[Mauz via Gadgetell]

If you’ve been following Technabob for a while, you might remember the Blockcar – a LEGO-style remote-controlled car from Japan. Well here we are a couple of years older and wiser, another brick-building car has surfaced – this time with iOS R/C capabilities.

These UTICO vehicle kits come with all of the bricks you need to assemble a pre-designed car or minibus. While they’re not official LEGO blocks, these snap-together R/C toys still look like they could be fun to play with.

Just because they come in specific kits for each vehicle doesn’t mean you couldn’t build something else with them – like a hot dog or a chicken on wheels or something.

Each kit comes with a USB-rechargeable motorized base platform, along with an infrared dongle you can plug into iPhones or iPads with the 30-pin docking connector. It looks like later-model iDevices won’t be able to control these at this point.

The R/C Brick Car is available from Japan’s JTT for ¥3,980 (~$43 USD).

Remember the good ‘ole days of the dot-com boom? The late 90s was a great time for Silicon Valley, creating jobs left and right. However, job growth hasn’t reached quite that level since then, except for now. According to a report, job growth in Silicon Valley has reached levels that equal that of the dot-com era, with 92,000 jobs being added in the Bay Area alone.

According to the 2013 Silicon Valley Index, 46% of the Bay Area’s 92,000 new jobs were based in Silicon Valley, and it saw a growth rate of 3.6% compared to the state average of 1.7%. Incomes in the region also rose by 2.2% during the year, while quarterly employment grew by 4% — certainly a modest increase if we do say so ourselves.

Russell Hancock, president of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, says that “the growth is crazy and it’s getting crazier,” referring to the jobs that Silicon Valley has created recently, and will continue to create for a little while longer. Hancock also notes that this job growth is positively affecting surrounding cities as well, including San Francisco and San Jose.

However, it’s not all good news. Despite the job growth, the increase in employment and wages hasn’t benefited Bay Area residents all that much. Emmett Carson, CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, says that “income growth in Silicon Valley is uneven,” meaning that “the gap between high and low income earners is increasing.” However, Hancock says that “Silicon Valley is two valleys…there is a valley of haves, and a valley of have-nots.”

[via Mercury News]

Image via Flickr

Silicon Valley job growth now at dot-com era levels is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samuel School of Engineering and Applied Science
have developed a new treatment method for cancer; a method that
delivers a cancer killer to the nucleus of a cancer cell without harming
healthy cells, avoiding the risks associated with gene therapy and
chemotherapy.

Some people out there prefer a product that looks good to a product that has more functionality. There’s not anything wrong with that and if you are that sort of person and have a big budget for a mobile phone, Gresso has a new offering that looks pretty cool. The new phone is called the Cruiser Titanium.

The $2500(USD) phone is encased in a single piece polished titanium shell. That shell is milled in a process involving many steps including both machine- and hand-polishing. Even the buttons on the front of the phone are hand polished. Since the shell is made from titanium, it’s incredibly strong and able to resist dents and scratches. The display is also built to be durable, having been formed from solid tempered glass panels.

When it comes to functionality, the phone isn’t exactly high-end. It runs Symbian S40, supports Java apps, and has a tiny two-inch display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The phone operates on GSM/GPRS and EDGE bands and has integrated Bluetooth 2.0. The phone has a two-megapixel rear camera, and you get a mere 30 MB of internal storage, but it does have a microSD card slot for expansion. But if you’re buying one of these, you’re not getting it so you can play Angry Birds on it.