Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier this year we learned about Twinkind, a 3D printing shop that makes personalized figurines. Its products are highly detailed, but it has two drawbacks: the figurines are expensive and you have to go to Germany to be scanned. A similar service called Shapify.me has none of those drawbacks, although it requires you to have a Kinect.

Before Shapify.me can make your figurine, you have to scan yourself using a Kinect and a Mac or a PC running Shapify’s software. Assuming you can hold your pose, the process will only take a few minutes, after which the software will generate your 3D model. You can of course re-do the scan if you like.

If you’re satisfied, send your model online through the software and fill-up a form on Shapify.me’s website to place your order. The company will then print a 1/20th scale figurine and deliver it to you for a flat fee of $59 (USD). You can also specify if you want a monochrome or a full-color figurine.

Based on the images, it seems like Shapify.me’s figurines are not as detailed as the ones made by Twinkind or other shops with dedicated 3D scanners. On the other hand, these are way cheaper (well, if you already have a Kinect!) and more convenient. As of this writing Shapify.me caters to residents of the US, Canada and Europe. Check out Shapify.me’s website to learn more.

There are plenty of electric cars on the market today, but most of us are still driving the traditional gas-guzzlers. Why? Lack of recharging infastructure and so-called "range-anxiety" are two primary reasons for dismal electric car usage right now, but the future is coming. A new battery for electric cars may solve both problems and usher in a new age of worry-free transportation.

A small group of DMCA activists and device accessibility advocates are raising funds to reward anyone who comes up with an free, open source and untethered iOS 7 jailbreak. In case you’re not familiar with the term, jailbreaking iOS devices opens it up to software modifications that Apple would never officially allow. They can be as big as file managers, new gesture commands and even shortcut settings (which Apple clearly copied in iOS 7).

The prize was the idea of Chris Maury, an entrepreneur who believes that iOS devices will be more useful to disabled people if combined with jailbreak apps. The other proponents of the fundraiser are Boing Boing editor and author Cory Doctorow, iFixit co-founder and CEO Kyle Wiens and professor and author Biella Coleman.  Head to the fundraiser’s website if you want to donate or check out the criteria for submissions.

[via Boing Boing]

Back in the Summer of 2013, Google presented the "Project Loon", which aims to provide Internet access to rural and remote areas. To achieve so, Google will use high-altitude balloons to create a wireless network, which will then provide up to 3G-like speeds. With the same goal in mind, the Brazilian Government has recently began tests in order to set up a similar network in the country.

The next generation of the ubiquitous USB is in development, according to the USB 3.0 Promoter Group. The upcoming version will feature an all-new design that is intended to meet the wants and needs of the modern market, namely being slimmer and smaller than present standard USB connectors to allow for slimmer devices overall. If […]