Everything Else
News: This Guy Built an Impressive Smart Mirror Controlled by Gestures & Voice
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the smartest of them all? Since Max Braun's Medium post went viral back in January of 2016, smart mirrors have been appearing on tech blogs in all shapes and sizes. Some are technically sound, some incredibly easy, but all are visually compelling. However, we've never seen one with a fully functional operating system and gesture support—until now.
News: This High-Tech Pot Lets You Charge Your Phone Using a Houseplant
If you're a tech geek who cares about the environment, you probably concerned with your personal carbon footprint. You may feel like your love for gadgets is slowly contributing to the degradation of our planet, but tech is your life. And in this scenario, small changes matter.
News: This Smart Paper Notepad Saves Everything You Write on It
Pretty much every note you save on your computer, phone, or tablet can be uploaded to your cloud and viewed on any of your devices. But what about those notes you write down on actual paper? Well, those notes can also be cloud-friendly, thanks to the Rocketbook Wave.
News: MIT Tech Protects Your WiFi Without Passwords
Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have created Wi-Fi technology that identifies where you are, which may eliminate the need for passwords.
News: This Smart Turntable Is Perfect for 360-Degree Photos
When it comes to photographing products, models, and other small objects, a good light box makes the process super easy, no matter what your skill level is. However, if you want to create decent 360-degree images, things get tricky really fast. A new product, the Foldio360, may provide some much needed relief though.
News: This Wireless Beacon Lights Up Whenever You're Near a Speed Trap
Speeding tickets suck, and I don't know a single person that can tell me otherwise. But the reality is, most of us will break the speed limit for one reason for another, regardless of the pricey risk.
News: These Pucks Turn All the Speakers You Already Have into a Badass Sound System
If you already have speakers that you love, you don't need to ditch them for an expensive wireless set for convenience's sake. With products like Chromecast Audio, you can turn any set of wired headphones or speakers into wireless versions for much less, and stream music or audio to them from pretty much any device connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
News: These Tiny Wireless Earbuds Pack Some Serious Noise-Canceling Abilities
What's better than wireless in-ear headphones with noise-canceling technology? Giving them a microphone to hear you talk from inside your head. And that's exactly what you get with RippleBuds; its inside-facing mic helps keep your voice crystal clear over phone calls, and makes sure Siri, Cortana, and Google Now will always get the right command.
News: Domino's Creates a Robot to Completely Derail Your Diet
There may be worse feelings than sitting around waiting for food delivery, but I don't want to know what those are. Especially when your local delivery guy misses your address for the eighth time. But soon, Domino's Pizza will take that stupid human error right out of the equation in the form of a robot that's only 3 feet high.
News: Nike Finally Made the Self-Lacing Shoes We've Wanted Since Back to the Future
If we go by the timeline set forth in Back to the Future Part II, Nike's new HyperAdapt 1.0 with adaptable lacing is at least a year late. But HyperAdapt will do more than just automatically tighten your laces—sensors in the sole of the shoe will provide a "tailored-to-the-moment" custom fit to maximize comfort and function while you jog, play sports, or navigate through hordes of aloof morons clogging the lanes at your local Trader Joe's.
News: The People at Boston Dynamics Are Going to Kill Us All
I'm starting to wonder if the people at Boston Dynamics have ever watched a Terminator movie. Not just because the robotics company with the oxymoronic name develops machines that are able to move around environments with animal- and human-like agility, but because the people testing them seem to take such joy in openly antagonizing their creations. It's one thing to tempt fate by creating superhuman robots that could potentially end mankind. You've reached a whole new level of hubris when yo...
News: Amazon Will Let You Return That Hoverboard Deathtrap, No Questions Asked
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that Amazon will be offering full refunds for any hoverboard purchased through its site in the United States or Canada, no matter when you bought it. Just visit amazon.com/returns or amazon.com/contact-us to start the process. While they will not stop selling hoverboards anytime soon, they obviously want you to feel safe about your purchase.
Review: The Qumi Q5 Pocket Projector Is a Solid On-the-Go Media Companion
As someone with a pretty nice TV, I've never found the allure in purchasing a projector. While they're certainly smaller and sleeker than a television, and more portable, they can be pricey and produce a less than stellar image. And who really buys a projector anyways? They're for school, they're for work, they're for theaters, but they're not really for my apartment, right?
New Tech We Like: Hotel Robots, Texter-Shaming Theaters, "Smart" Stickers, & More
Last week's tech roundup featured iPhone 6 clones, an all-in-one sleep tracker, Xbox One updates, and other cool gadgets. This week, there's a lot more to show off, and a bunch of stuff that I need to get my hands on! Everything from app updates to putting stickers on your favorite items, I can't help but squeal at how much the "future" is right now.
News: Attack of the iPhone 6 Clones, Xbox One Gets More Social, & More Tech News You Need to Know
Better sleep, smartphone news, and changes to your favorite forms of entertainment. There's been a lot going on over the last couple of weeks in the world of tech, and we thought we'd show you all of the need-to-know products, updates, and ideas that we think are most important.
Google's Next Smart Device: Contact Lenses That Monitor Glucose, Detects Cancer, & More
Warning: Google wants to take control of your sight. While this statement isn't (or is) true, it doesn't change the fact that Google is partnering up with Novartis to create contact lenses.
News: BloomSky Is Your Personal Backyard Weather Reporter
If you live in a small town, weather apps can be unreliable. Before moving to Los Angeles, I always had to add or subtract five degrees or so from what my weather app said because I couldn't trust it. With the help of BloomSky, you will be able to get an accurate weather reading directly from your backyard.
News: This Really Is the Coolest Cooler Ever
I honestly believe that everyone on earth owns the same blue cooler—you know the one. Cooler technology hasn't changed since the '50s, and frankly, it's time to mix things up, with a built-in blender perhaps? With the Coolest Cooler, it's actually possible!
News: Jibo Is the Cutest (Or Possibly Creepiest) Personal Assistant
In 1999, Robin Williams starred in Bicentennial Man, a movie in which Williams played a robot named Andrew Martin, taking care of a family as a their nanny and personal assistant. For almost 15 years, I have waited for my Andrew Martin, but until now, I have been disappointed. Luckily, Jibo is on the job!
News: GoTenna Will Let You Text Even When Service Is Down
You're hiking up a beautiful mountain when all of a sudden you remember it's your mother's birthday. You begin to panic—you forgot her birthday last year, and you know if you don't say something soon, you're as good as dead.
News: Squishy Skin-Like Material Created for Transforming Robots
Say goodbye to the age of metal robots—C-3PO and K9 are a thing of the (future) past! Anette Hosoi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics at MIT, and her former graduate student Nadia Cheng, have created a robotic material closely resembling human skin.
News: Let Your Microwave Count Your Calories for You
They say that ignorance is bliss, and that is exactly how I feel about counting calories. They simply don't exist if I don't check them, right? For those of you who are much healthier than I am, General Electric wants to count them for you, via your microwave!
News: This Man Made a Playable Tetris Shirt for the Game's 30th Anniversary
A man by the name of Marc Kerger is out to prove that he's the number one fan of the game TETRIS by building a playable TETRIS shirt for the game's 30th anniversary.
News: Sensibo Is the Super Smart, Super Green Automatic A/C Controller
Personally, I know life would be a lot easier if the people in it could just read my mind. Since that technology is currently unavailable, it's comforting to know that your air conditioner can be your personal telepathist with Sensibo.
EzeeCube: The Small & Stackable Media Box
Finally! A media box that gives you everything you want, in one tiny package. The EzeeCube will allow you to view your pictures and videos while staying organized at the same time.
Razer Nabu: The Pager of Smartbands (And That's a Good Thing)
The Razer Nabu is a smartband that alerts you when you've received a notification on your Android or iOS device. This fitness smartband not only notifies you, but keeps track of your steps, sleep time, messages, calories lost, and of course, the time. The screen is very simplified and resembles that of a pager.
News: These Electronic Skin Patches Will Revolutionize the Way We Take Medicine
Smartphones and TVs aside, most of the electronics industry is focused on making everything smaller. From cars to cameras to computers to memory, we want power and convenience to go hand-in-hand. Professor John Rogers at the University of Illinois is ready for the next wave of medical tech with his smart electronic biosensors.
News: Myo Lets You Control All Your Gadgets Like a Jedi
Well folks, the dream is coming to life. While we still may be a ways away from mind control, the team over at Thalmic Labs has created the Myo, and with it, the power of the Force comes to motion control, so long as you use it wisely.
The Future Is Near: Flying 45 MPH Hover Bikes Just a Few Years Away
Throughout history, the idea of the future has always promised better days, advanced technology, and of course—hover cars. Although we were correct about the better days (depending on who you ask) and advanced technology, we are still without hover cars, or pretty much any hovercraft vehicles—The Jetsons and Back to the Future were a lie!
News: Adobe Makes First Physical Products: The Adobe Ink & Slide for iPad
If you thought the price of Photoshop was outrageous, you'll be thrilled to know that Adobe has found yet another way to grab your hard-earned dollars—but this time, it isn't software. Ready to take your drawings to the next level, the company has created the Adobe Ink and Slide. Together, these products will make drawing on an iPad a whole lot easier.
The New Tattoo Trend: 3D-Printers Inking Skin
Automated tattoos are now a reality, with 3D printers being hacked into tattoo machines. Multiple people have posted videos of their 3D printer that can "print" tattoos, with one of the more impressive ones shown in the two videos below.
News: Hitchhiking Robot to Travel Through Canada This Summer
Imagine this: You're driving on the freeway in Canada, enjoying the view and sipping Tim Horton's, when all of the sudden you see something out of the corner of your eye. You expect it to be a moose, obviously, but instead you see a robot with his thumb hitched up. So, after insuring that you didn't accidentally take some hallucinogens a few miles back, do you pick it up?
News: Sony Steps into the Fitness Game with the Smartband SWR10
We recently showed you the Misfit Shine, a no-charge, app-oriented fitness tracker that you can grab for a hundred bucks. Sony has also decided to get in on the action with their Smartband SWR10—but this thing is so much more than a fitness tracker...the Smartband wants to "log your day, every day".
Misfit Shine: The Quarter-Sized Fitness Tracker That Doesn't Need to Be Charged
If you're like me, you are a non-stop, sweating, never-give-up workout fiend. Okay, not really, but like a significant amount of people, I would love to live a healthier lifestyle. The Misfit Shine makes fitness a lot easier.
News: Forget Amazon & the Military, These Drones Are for Your Home
Parrot, a company that specializes in personal drones, has recently come out with new products that'll make those '90s robots look as dated as lava lamps and tie-dye.
News: Emotion-Sensing Robot Ready to Love?
On June 5th, robotics firm Aldebaran and SoftBank Corp., the Japanese giant that owns Sprint (and possibly T-Mobile), unveiled an emotion-sensing robot named Pepper.
News: This Real-Life Star Wars Hover Bike Could Be the Future of Personal Transportation
Admit it—at some point or another, you've wished that you had your own personal hovercraft. Don't worry, we've all been there. Well, a company called Aerofex wants to make a hovercraft that's way more than your standard leaf-blower-powered one, taking a queue from the swoop and speeder bikes from the Star Wars franchise, building their own sort of repulsorlift. This hover bike may not be quite as fast as the ones from Star Wars, but if the company has its way, it could be on sale by the end o...
News: Volkswagen's Underwater 'Car' Cage Lets Divers Get Up Close and Personal During Shark Week
As if the world needed one more reason to be obsessed with Shark Week, Volkswagen has teamed up with Discovery Channel to create this awesome "underwater car" that's actually a mobile shark cage.
News: The World's First LED Buddha Board Delivers Evaporative 'Water Light Graffiti'
From dynamite to lasers to LEDs, you can make graffiti with a lot of different things. Parisian artist Antonin Fourneau has added water to that list. He created this incredible LED wall that lights up wherever it's touched by water to create what he's dubbed "Water Light Graffiti," which can be simply described as being an LED Buddha Board.
News: This Chinese "Noah's Ark" Can Survive Earthquakes, Fire, 350-Ton Impacts—Even the Zombie Apocalypse!
No one likes to think about the possibility of natural disasters, but we all know they could happen at any time. Some of us are a little more paranoid than others, but wouldn't it be nice to know that you'd be protected if anything really crazy ever happened? Like the zombie apocalypse?