Hasta La Gadget!

What you see above isn’t a fancy pick — it’s a gesture control peripheral called Gecko designed to do a lot more than strum a guitar. According to its creators, each action the coin-sized gadget makes can correspond to a phone function, so long as the two are connected via Bluetooth. You could, for instance, configure your device loaded with the accompanying iOS or Android app to make an emergency call whenever you shake Gecko once. However, they claim that it also has many potential offbeat uses, such as notifying you when someone moves your bag or helping you find lost pets, kids or, worse, keys. Of course, that’ll only work if you tag your items with it, but anyone with a hyperactive five-year-old wouldn’t mind improvising a necklace out of it. Don’t expect to find one at a local mall, though — Gecko’s merely an Indiegogo project at the moment, hoping to raise $50,000 to start mass production.

Filed under: Misc, Mobile

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Source: Indiegogo

If you’re of a certain age, you think of You Don’t Know Jack as a relic from the ’90s. But to its credit, the trivia game has made an impressively smooth transition to the twenty-first century: Jackbox Games already has apps for iOS, Android, Facebook and even OUYA. Until now, though, gameplay’s been about as asynchronous as a game of Words With Friends: you took your turn and waited for your friend (wherever they were) to take theirs. Today, the company launched You Don’t Know Jack Party, an iOS version of the game that’s specifically meant to be played by a bunch of people hanging out in the same place. Using AirPlay, you guys can stream it to an Apple TV and use your device as a remote, or you can play on an iPhone / iPad and use your phones as controllers instead.

The nice thing, obviously, is that multiple devices are supported (up to four players, to be precise). Also, your friends with Android phones can still use their handsets as controllers, so they won’t be left calling out answers on the sidelines. In addition, Jackbox says it would like to port the game over to other platforms, including Android and maybe even Chromecast. For now, though, it’s an iOS-only affair. The app itself is free, and you get one gratis episode, but after that you’re looking at regular in-app purchases ($2.99 for five episodes or $9.99 for a pack of 30). Luckily for you, our demo video below don’t cost a thing.

Filed under: Gaming

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There are plenty of gadgets that will stream music across the home, but few of them would satisfy the stereotypical audiophile. Cambridge Audio’s just-shipped Minx Xi system may appease those fussier listeners. The WiFi sound hub includes its own 24-bit / 96KHz Wolfson DAC, a Class AB amplifier and even a toroidal power supply to minimize interference at higher volumes. It can also decode compression-free formats like AIFF, Apple Lossless and FLAC. There’s no want for input sources, either. The Minx Xi takes local music from both Cambridge’s mobile apps as well as devices with Bluetooth, optical output, UPnP and USB support; by itself, the hub streams services like BBC iPlayer, Pandora and Rhapsody. The Minx Xi isn’t cheap at $899, but it’s also one of the few networked audio devices that could be a true complement to high-end speakers.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking

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Source: Cambridge Audio

Just like the PlayStation Portable before it, the PlayStation Vita comes in iterations. There’s the standard, original Vita, and then there’s the new, even nicer version. Sony unveiled that new iteration recently at a Japanese event, and we got our first hands-on with it today at Tokyo Game Show 2013. So, what’s different? Not too much. As it turns out, it’s still a Vita.

The good news is that it’s a far lighter, more comfy version of the Vita you already know and (maybe) love. Rounded edges make holding the Vita distinctly less abrasive — the sharper angles on the original Vita were pretty from a design perspective, but not so much from an ergonomic standpoint. The buttons have been rejiggered as well, with a solid click for each (the start / select / PS Home buttons are also all now circles instead of ovals). And hey, the micro-USB port for charging is an unbelievably welcome addition. Gone are the days of your proprietary Vita charging cable (though there’s still a port for it as well, should you refuse to change).

And that’s not the only ergonomic improvement: the new Vita is dramatically lighter than its predecessor, making it all the easier to take on-the-go. We’re told that its battery life is also much improved, but we’ve yet to see that play out in real life, so we’ll reserve judgment for now.

Update: We’ve added video just below walking through the new Vita — please excuse us, as we called the new Vita’s LCD screen an LED in the video. Chock it up to jet lag!%Gallery-slideshow89586%

Check out all our Tokyo Game Show 2013 coverage right here at our hub!

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Software, HD, Sony

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Have any interest in bringing an interchangeable-lens camera along on your next snorkeling adventure? You could pick up a pricey DSLR housing, sure, but you might want to consider Nikon’s new 1-Series AW1, the first digital device of its kind to score an integrated waterproof enclosure. An O-ring combines with a regular bayonet lens fitting to create a reassuringly tough seal that will survive down to a depth of 49 feet, at the expense of requiring just a little bit more time and physical effort to swap lenses. You’ll need to re-surface before attempting that, of course, and you’ll also have to make sure you’re using one of just two waterproof pieces of glass: either a 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6, which comes as part of the kit, or a wide 10mm f/2.8 lens that is sold separately. Regular 1-series lenses will still fit on the AW1, courtesy of a little accessory, but they won’t offer any of the ruggedness of the dedicated pair — which means you’ll miss out on the water-proofing, dust-proofing, freeze-proofing (to 14-degrees Fahrenheit) and shock-proofing (from a maximum drop of 6.6 feet).

Internally, the AW1 is similar to the CES-era J3. There’s the same 14.2-megapixel CX-format sensor and 6400 top ISO, along with 1080p video capture, but the new model adds thrill-seeker essentials like an altimeter, depth gauge, GPS, compass and an accelerometer-powered option for switching modes with one hand. Finally, at risks of startling the little fishes, there’s also pop-up flash that works underwater. All this will set you back $800 with the 11-27.5mm lens, when the AW1 ships next month, while the 10mm f/2.8 will be $200 more. Oh, and check out the hands-on video after the break to see how the AW1 fares in our own, hastily compiled durability test.

Update: As some particularly knowledgeable readers have spotted, the AW1 is the first digital waterproof ILC, but not the first if you count the celluloid Nikonos series. Thanks guys — the post has been tweaked.

Sharif Sakr contributed to this report.

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Filed under: Cameras, Nikon

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