Hasta La Gadget!

School can be tough, especially when you’re different. So what better way to keep the bullies at bay than to get your craptastic accessory freak on. In this special back to school bonanza of creeper tech, Hong Kong-based watchmaker o.d.m. mashes E.T. with a gummy bunny for a wrist-rocking return to infancy, Strapya World takes you by the baby’s hand for iPhone 4 case comfort, while Dane-Elec’s E-Razor USB stick goes undercover in a block full of erasing rubber. And if you’re looking for a soundtrack throwback to match the solar-powered butterfly you’ve stuck in your Jansport, Brando’s got you covered with its USB Cassette Capture & Player. Take a gander at the roundup below and make sure to vote for the crapgadget most likely to not succeed.

Continue reading Crapgadget: ‘after school special’ edition

Crapgadget: ‘after school special’ edition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese smugglers turned to a rather low-tech method for getting a pile of decidedly high-tech iPads and iPhones across the border to Shenzhen, in a scheme to make money off of regional tax differences. The unsanctioned exporters fired a slingshot from a high-rise in Shenzen, dragging a zip line down to a small house just across the Sha Tau Kok river in Hong Kong. They then sent canvas bags loaded with the gadgets flying through the night sky along the projectile-placed cable — at least until authorities spotted the gear hurtling through the air, that is. Police recovered about $46,000 worth of Apple products (and four culprits) when they discovered the end of the 300-meter line. Check out the video below for a little Chinese-language news coverage of the story and a glimpse an the simple, but ingenious, smuggling rig.

Continue reading Smugglers use zip line and slingshot to sneak iPads into Shenzhen

Smugglers use zip line and slingshot to sneak iPads into Shenzhen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The FBI has just released its very first mobile app, aimed at helping parents deal with their worst nightmare — a missing child. Known as Child ID, the application allows users to store their kid’s photos and identifying information directly on their handsets, making it easier to provide authorities with vital data whenever the little one disappears. Parents can also use the tool to dial 911 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with the tap of a button, and can instantly e-mail their child’s details to law enforcement officials, thanks to a dedicated tab. Of course, some may feel uncomfortable with keeping such personal information stored on a smartphone, but the Bureau insists that none of the data will be collected or shared without authorization — and they’re pretty good at keeping secrets. For now, Child ID is available only for iPhone, though the FBI plans to expand it to other mobile devices in the near future. Interested iOS users can download it for themselves, at the iTunes link below.

FBI’s Child ID app helps iPhone users find their missing children originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We make our own truth. That’s how IDC can come up with roughly the same numbers as fellow research firm Canalys and crown Apple the king, when its rival called Android top dog — it’s all about how you slice it. See, where as Canalys bundled all Android handset makers together, IDC has broken them up, which leads to a rather interesting twist — the largest smartphone maker in the world is now Apple. Cupertino’s growth of 141.7-percent in shipments year over year was enough to push it past Nokia (which slipped to number three) and Samsung (which climbed two spots to take the silver medal), while RIM and HTC rounded out the top five. That being said, no one is running away with the lead here, and Sammy’s continued stratospheric rise should keep Apple on guard. Check out the full report after the break.

Continue reading Apple now the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung checks in at number two

Apple now the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung checks in at number two originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone owners were the most willing to give up all sorts of luxuries to hold on to their device. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

A large number of cellphone owners would rather give up sex than their handsets, according to a survey.

Given the choice between a week without sex, or a week without a cellphone, 33 percent would remain celibate, according to app developer TeleNav’s survey of 514 mobile phone owners.

The numbers for the survey’s “would you rather” game get more embarrassing, especially for smartphone owners.

Unlike their Android- and Blackberry-toting counterparts, 40 percent of iPhone owners would sooner go a week without their toothbrush than relinquish their phone, and are more likely than owners of other phones to forego exercise, time with their significant other, and even shoes as long as they can hold on to their iPhone.

Those hordes of of bad-breathed, corpulent, barefoot singles wouldn’t be alone for long – 83 percent percent of iPhone owners think other iSheep make the best romantic partners. The same went for 70 percent of Android customers who prefer their own type.

Makes sense: smartphone users collectively are three times more likely than non-smartphoners to judge people by the phone they carried, and 66 percent share the bed with their phone.

When iPhone-to-iPhone and Android-to-Android relationships go south, don’t count on a phone call or a face-to-face: 18 percent of smartphone customers had ended relationships by voicemail, text, e-mail, tweet, or Facebook update.

Even non-smartphone owners are attached. Thirty three percent would, for a week, rather give up sex than their phone – 70 percent of that minority were women. For another week’s time, just over half of all users would give up caffeine, 63 percent would forego chocolate, and 70 percent would give up alcohol.