Technology and Computing
Wireless charging has been growing in popularity over the past few years, but it is still quite limited. The main convenience offered is no longer having to plug a cable into the device that needs charging, but you still need to position each device accurately on a charging pad and a bigger or multiple pads are required for charging more devices. Energous is hoping to relax the rules of wireless charging with the WattUp Mid Field transmitter. As Liliputing reports, the transmitter…
At CES next week, expect booth after booth of smart devices — and a host of approaches to their security. You know, locks, cameras, appliances, doorbells, electrical outlets — anything you can put a sensor on. Many of these will be made by brand-new companies, hoping to capitalize on the mania for devices that can talk with each other. The chatter between all those gadgets — known collectively as the internet of things — is going to be cacophonous. Machina…
A hard drive is a hard drive, unless it gets a makeover from a French industrial designer, in which case it becomes an expensive work of art that just happens to store data. It’s a strategy that LaCie has been pursuing since the 1990s, and now Western Digital is doing it, too. The new My Passport and My Book drives will come in six bright colors chosen by the designer and brand strategist Yves Béhar (Okay, he’s Swiss, not French).…
Are you ready for a hurricane situation or other emergency weather? Looking for the perfect camping radio that will last for years? Be the prepared one in your group with this no-hassle, sure-fire emergency radio and flashlight. Two minutes of cranking nets you at least 20 minutes of lights on or radio. With its compact design, 3-LED flashlight, and 5-way charging (hand crank, solar, USB, AC and DC), and retractable antennae, you’ll never be left in the dark. The high-quality…
A few days ago we reported that a group of hackers at the HOPE Conference in New York told the world that they had cloned the last TSA Master Key. These keys, which were leaked in a Washington Post article, are a bit of security theatre coupled with a lot of poor engineering. Xmas believes, however, that personal security is important and he wanted to tell us how they cracked the keys and how you can protect yourself in the…
Corning has managed the remarkable feat of making smartphone glass – if not sexy exactly, at the very least compelling. Smartphone makers tend not to go out of their way when it comes to talking up third-party component manufacturers, but name-checking Gorilla Glass has become common practice at product unveils, a sort of shorthand for a company’s commitment to making their devices more, well, life-proof. After all, most of us have likely witnessed the fragility of our mobile devices first-hand.…
He’s won a couple of Oscars, he’s worked with some of the best directors in the biz, and he’s even played a Bond villain. So, where does Christop Waltz go from here? Phone commercials, obviously. The acclaimed Inglourious Basterds actor has signed on with Samsung for a silly new ad touting the company’s eagerly anticipated Note 7 phablet. In the spot, Waltz actor praises/complains about the American work ethic, while multitasking through a series of increasingly ridiculous costumes, as a…
Apple dropped a new iOS 10 beta today. I was expecting a bunch of bug fixes, and at best a couple of tweaks. But it became clear after just a few minutes that the iOS 10 developer beta 4 isn’t your average beta. Apple packed a nice surprise with the update. With the release of iOS 10 in September, Apple is introducing a groundbreaking technology breakthrough. iOS 10 will get over a hundred new and redesigned emoji. Even the most…
In an age dominated by short attention spans, Boston Dynamics has managed to capture our imaginations time and again through sometimes frightening, sometimes adorable and always fascinating robots. But the company’s creations are far more than viral video machines. And now the founder and CEO Marc Raibert will join me for a fireside chat at Disrupt SF. Formed in 1992 by former Carnegie Mellon and MIT professor Marc Raibert, Boston Dynamics creates nature-inspired quadruped and bipedal robots capable of climbing…
In-vehicle infotainment systems on newer cars increasingly offer access to your favorite media and navigation apps, thanks to systems like CarPlay and Android Auto, but older cars from even just a few years ago can still feel stuck in a connected tech first gear. Hudly, which debuted on Kickstarter today , wants to change that with an easy to install aftermarket heads-up display (HUD) add-on that won’t break the bank. The system features three parts, including a projector that mounts…
PlaySation Now, the all-you-can game subscription service that provides access to classic PlayStation titles on-demand, is making its way to Windows PCs , starting now in Europe and rolling out soon in North America. Sony’s also making it easier to game on your PC, with a DualShock 4 USB wireless controller adapter, letting you use your PlayStation 4 gamepads on both Mac and Windows computers. The adapter is launching in early September, with a retail price of $24.99. It works with…
I get the chance to test out quite a bit of first-generation consumer gadgets. And while a few are great, the majority just aren’t able to meet the high threshold of quality that Apple has (for better or worse) subconsciously instilled in all of us. So it’s always a nice surprise to find a hardware startup that can build a product that just looks good and does what it advertises. Sioeye is a compact action camera (think GoPro) that includes built-in LTE cell service,…