Smartphones News
News: Duplicate Keys with Your iPhone (Or Make Plastic 3D Printed Backups)
Aside from food, oxygen, sunlight and water, there are other necessities that humans arguably need today to survive—clothing, love and shelter among them. Almost everyone wears clothes, needs somebody (or something) to love and a place to call home. And what's the one thing that connects all three? Something we all have? Keys.
News: Android App PicshaPass Generates Secure Passwords from Photos
Developers have created many tools for testing the strength of passwords (1, 2); there are also plenty of tips for coming up with a strong password in the first place. But why do the grunt work when an app could generate a perfectly secure one for you?
News: Indestructible iPhone 4 Case Inspired by Shark Eyes
It's not uncommon for nature to inspire technology and innovative products. Airplanes were inspired by birds, Velcro by burrs and dog fur, bullet trains by owls and kingfishers, and gecko tape by... well, you can probably figure that one out. And one of the deadliest fish ever to swim the oceans has also influenced its share of merchandise; Sharks made humans faster in the water with Fastswim Suits, and now they've helped make one of the most rugged smartphone cases in the world—SharkEye's Ru...
News: Japanese Smartphone Doubles as the World's Smallest Windows PC
Fujitsu Limited has developed what they call the world's smallest Windows 7 PC, which will become available shortly on NTT DoCoMo, Japan's predominant mobile phone operator. The dual-boot device acts as both a smartphone and a portable personal computer that runs the Windows 7 operating system.
News: 5 Useful Apps & Charts for Choosing Seasonal Produce
Finally, summer is just around the corner! And while there are delicious fruits and vegetables available nearly every season, summer yields some of the very best picks. Equip yourself with one or more of the tools below before your next trip to the farmers market.
News: ShakeCall App Lets You Answer and End Calls Agitatedly
Android users aren't required to answer and end phone calls by pushing buttons, thanks to ShakeCall by YSRSoft. It's a free application available in the Android Market, which links the answer and end functions to the motion of your smartphone. If someone calls you, shake to talk to them, or leave it alone to ignore. To end your conversion, shake again.
News: Zaarly Launches Real-Time Mobile Marketplace
What do you get when you combine eBay, foursquare, and Craigslist want ads into a single mobile application? A really gnarly mobile bazaar called Zaarly that lets you post wanted products or services based on local proximity and timeliness. It's not a new idea, but it's the first to get it right.
News: Seamlessly Transition Your Music from Mac to iPhone in One Click
You're rocking out to your favorite new song playing in iTunes on your Mac, and you've got to go for a run or meet your friend at the local coffee shop. But you're grooving to the music and don't want to leave until you've found the same song on your iPhone, to continue jamming your heart out. There's a few problems with this scenario though: First, it's time consuming. Second, you're most likely to start the song from the beginning, ruining the groove you had going.
News: Angry Birds Now on Chrome (Plus the Epic Battle Between Man and Robot)
Rovio's highly successful Angry Birds game has generated a slew of wannabe Angry Clones and dominated nearly every device and platform known to man—iPhone, Android, PSP, Xbox 360, Windows—and now, for the first time it's available for play directly on the web (for free). It was specifically designed for Google's Chrome OS and their new Chromebook line of laptop computers, but can play on any device in almost any web browser (like Firefox).
News: Share Music Wirelessly by Tapping Two Android Devices Together
Android users are probably already familiar with the doubleTwist Player (free) from doubleTwist, available on the Android Market. They recently added AirPlay support for users with AirSync ($4.99) that allows streaming to Apple TV and DLNA devices, which is sure to provoke some cease and desist requests from Apple. But their second, newly unveiled feature is more enticing—doubleTap, which adds proximity-based file sharing for Android devices.
LeafSnap: Identify Tree Species in Just One Click
Being a Southern Californian, I typically miss out on the incredible springtime bloom of flowering trees in the East. But not this year. By some stroke of luck, I was in Boston early last week, and witnessed the most spectacular trees and foliage at their prime—lilac, magnolias, crabapples, dogwood, and many more.
News: Geocaching Made Easy with Garmin's Android and iPhone Apps
In the past, geocaching has been an activity overlooked by most. Partly because nobody really knew what it was and partly because you needed a GPS-enabled device to participate, like a Garmin. But now, thanks to GPS-enabled Android and Apple devices, geocaching will finally be noticed by the masses in Garmin's own OpenCaching.
Coming Soon: Charge Your Cell Phone by Screaming at It
The Telegraph reports that a team of researchers lead by Dr. Sang-Woo Kim of the Institute of Nanotechnology at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul have developed a method for converting the energy from sound into electricity. They've applied the research to the charging of mobile phones, and while you don't have to yell with all the emotion and fear exhibited above by Drew Barrymore in Scream, it sounds like the more energy the better. Dr. Sang-Woo Kim says:
News: From Backpack Transceiver to Smartphone: A Visual History of the Mobile Phone
Remember what life was like before your iPhone? Before there were palm-sized smartphones with seemingly endless features, there were phones like Motorola's RAZR that peaked with its embedded camera. Before that, there were simple flip phones with texting capabilities, bulky two-pound Gordon Gekkos—even briefcase phones.
News: World's First Bend-Sensitive Flexible Smartphone
Apple's iPhone is considered one of the best smartphones in the world. Many cell phone makers have tried to take down the juggernaut, with some Android-based devices coming close, but in order to become an actual iPhone killer, something revolutionary needs to happen in the mobile world. And Human Media Lab (HML) may be the ones to make it happen.
News: Angry Clones Are Taking Over the App World
In December 2009, Angry Birds was released to the public. The iPhone and iPod touch were the first to take on the demand, then a devoted HD version for the iPad. Since then, it's transcended iOS devices to appear on Android, Nokia, Palm phones, and many others. Next, it broke away from mobile devices with versions available on PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, 3DS, Windows PC and Mac computers. Facebook and Windows Phone 7 apps are in the works.
Coming to iPad: Glasses-Free 3D
It seems the French have carefully observed the hacking achievements of one super clever Carnegie Mellon grad, turning his hack into a modern iPad application-to-be.
News: Print a 3D Model of Your Face Using Your iPhone
There are plenty of cutting edge apps out there, and endless innovations in the field of 3D printing. But to combine the two—and make it available to the common consumer—is unprecedented.
News: The Revolution of the Hacked Kinect, Part 1: Teaching Robots & the Blind to See
In 2007, Nintendo introduced the world to motion control video games with the Wii. Microsoft and Sony built on Nintendo's phenomenal success and released their own motion control products for the XBox 360 and Playstation 3 late in 2010: the Kinect and the Move. The Move is basically an improved Wiimote that looks like a sci-fi Harry Potter wand, but the Kinect just might be the most important video game peripheral of all time.
News: Data Pirates (AKA Cops) Can Hack Your Cell Phone
By now, many of you may have heard about iPhone tracking and recording your location data, but is there anything else being extracted from cell phones without our knowledge? If you're a Michigan state resident, the answer is an alarming "maybe".
News: iPhone App Dictates Steps to Amputations and Common Surgical Procedures
Can you really teach yourself to do a bilateral orchiectomy by reading a book? Would watching a few YouTube videos make you confident enough to perform an appendectomy? Could an iPhone app actually help you learn the skills needed to amputate a toe?
News: Are You Hotter than Bieber? Measure Now with the World's Vainest iPhone App
TGIF. What better day to take a break from the week's dwindling grind? Below, a video demo plus instructions for indulging in a little tech-aided vanity during your next water cooler hiatus. An iPhone is necessary, so if you don't have one, find a co-worker stat. 1. Buy & Download.
News: 10 Ways to Lose Weight Using an iPhone
Sounds like a false promise à la infomercial or typical spammy web headline—how can a 4.8 ounce gadget aid in weight loss? But, in truth, "who" better to act as a dedicated personal trainer and nutritionalist than the iPhone? The smartphone is completely and utterly tethered to the daily life of the average middle to upper class American. It's reliable and exact. All it needs is a charged battery, the right app, and of course, as with every diet and fitness regime, a user with unwavering self...
MANsaver: The Life-Saving App for Lazy and Incompetent Romeos
Are you a conventional male in a conventional relationship with a conventional female? The majority of the population aged 25+ would likely answer "yes". According to stereotype, many males seem to "genetically" struggle with what many females seem to "genetically" value: the acknowledgment and appropriate appreciation of relationship milestones. If you've answered in the affirmative, worry no more, because there's an app-to-the-rescue for the helpless male: If you include yourself among the ...
News: Transform Your Android Home Screen into a 3D Environment with the SPB Shell 3D Launcher App
Fed up with the standard Android home screen, but don't want to root your smartphone? Then a launcher app is what you're looking for. It's nothing new, with past home screen launcher apps like LauncherPro, HelixLauncher and any from ADW Things, which transform your home screen into a customizable experience. But one thing missing from these Android home screen replacements is 3D, something the new SPB Shell 3D app nearly masters.
News: Facebook Unfriending Made Easy with iPhone App
Befriending someone on Facebook is like second nature for most of us these days. We see someone we know or knew or would like to know and ask for their friendship. They approve and you've just gotten another Facebook friend. On the other side of the Ethernet cable, someone finds your Facebook profile. They know you, knew you, or want to know you and they send you an invite. You approve and it's another one added to your list. But after awhile, this starts to add up and before you know it, you...
An App for Stalkers: "Creepy" Geo-Locates Based on Social Networking Activity
With the globally rampant use of such social networking platforms as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, the issue of privacy has become a prevalent concern for many. And for good reason—there's the violation of Facebook employing user names in ads, the Etsy slip-up, and of course, the everyman act of recklessly sharing too much information via common social media outlets: a night of drinking results in morning after embarrassment, or worst case scenario, sloppy Facebook posts and tweets resul...
News: 10 Devious April Fool's Day Apps for the Lazy Prankster
No time for elaborate practical jokes this April Fool's? Not a problem, it's 2011—meaning, apps can do just about anything these days. Measure beauty, check for STDs, even fix late night drunken social media stupidity. So why not pranks? Below, 10 digital solutions for your April Fool's Day wickedness.
The Morning After App: A Quick Fix for Drunken Social Media Stupidness
It's happened to the best of us—a drunk dial or text; a humiliating Tweet or incriminating photo uploaded to Facebook. Spirits are high, gestures are fearless… If only we could take it all back once the cold, sober morning light creeps through the blinds.
News: Nonviolent App "Tiny Wings" Ousts Those Mean, Angry Birds!
Watch out Angry Birds, there's a new bird-flinging game in town and its zen flavor is converting addicted Angry Bird players far and wide. Within the first week of its release, Tiny Wings—a $0.99 mobile phone game developed by Andreas Illinger—soared to the top ten most popular paid apps in the US. Then, unthinkably, it dethroned Angry Birds at the number one spot, where it continues to reign.
News: Smuggle Immigrants Across the US Mexican Border (Via Your iPhone)
Immigration is a serious political issue in the United States, and those who oppose or support stricter immigration laws are often outspoken and candid about their beliefs, imposing their will on future legislation to not only politicians, but the general public—the voters. And what's the best way to reach the public? Entertainment.
News: Become an Angry Bird
The Clock Bloggers love Angry Birds so much, they decided to transform into... Angry Birds. With a little advice from our jolly bloggers, you too can jump into the video game fantasy vortex.
News: Make a Playable Angry Birds Birthday Cake
On Monday, ElectricPig's Mark Cooper became something of an Internet sensation when he posted a video of playable Angry Birds birthday cake he made for his son Ben's 6th birthday. Now, with a little help from this step-by-step guide by Mark himself, you can make an Angry Birds cake to call your own! It's said that the original took 10 hours to build and 2 minutes to destroy. With the benefit of Mark's experience, however, you should be able to peel some time off of both those numbers.
News: Android App Saves Driver from Speeding Ticket
Owning a smartphone can be costly. But, then again, not owning a smartphone can be costly too! Take, for example, the tale of Sahas Katta, a driver ticketed by police for exceeding the posted speed limit by 15 miles per hour.
News: Print Your Own Photorealistic Gadget Pouches
If you've yet to stumble across Photojojo, it's an awesomely addictive web newsletter for all photography junkies. I'm especially loving their recent photorealistic gadget pouch project because the finished product looks incredibly pro and as Photojojo keenly comments, "We’ve been seeing these little pouches in hipster gift stores that look like tacos, cassette tapes, pizza, etc. And we thought, 'That’s so easy, we could totally make those ourselves!'” Right on. The project is indeed easy to ...
News: Think You've Got What It Takes to Be a Google Mascot?
Available for free in the Android Market, Google's Androidify turns your phone into a veritable Android Assembly Line.
News: iPhone App = Confessional Aide = Absolution (Yeah, Right)
I'm not going to lie. I was Catholic. But one of my reasons for my faithful departure was having to tell my innermost secrets— my sins— to a silhouetted figure behind a latticed screen. With the creepy enclosed booth structure and separation of sinner and confessor, its anonymity was clear, yet deceiving. You always knew the priest and he always knew you. If I wanted total privacy, was there really a need for this intermediary to God?
News: The New Verizon iPhone Dissected
If you're considering getting the new Verizon iPhone, you may want to check out reliable teardown site iFixit. Although the exterior of the new phone may look the same as the old, the interior shows significant differences.
News: Handyscope, the $1500 Cancer-Checking iPhone Accessory
If you consider yourself a hypochondriac and subscribe to the "my iPhone can do ANYTHING" set, you may want to consider turning your iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 into a digital dermatoscope. The Handyscope by FotoFinder uses hardware and an app to magnify your blemish scares up to 20 times (ew). Simply tag the images with your name and locale, and submit them via e-mail for diagnosis.
News: Verizon FINALLY Offers iPhone (Link Round Up)
It seems like all of us Verizon users have been waiting for EONS, and it's finally happened. Today Verizon officially announced the iPhone 4 will be available for pre-order February 3rd for existing Verizon customers, and will be generally available for pre-order on February 10th. The device will start at $200 for the 16GB version, equipped with a new antenna and hotspot application that will allow you to connect your computer or any other device to the web.