Jonathan Isaacs

How Do the Mysterious Floating Balls On This Watch Work: Sorcery?

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:40:24 +0000

How Do the Mysterious Floating Balls On This Watch Work: Sorcery? [Video]: “

If you want to slap a hefty price tag on a watch, fine craftsmanship and precious jemstones don’t cut it anymore. You need a gimmick, like a sprinkling of moon dust, or the magical floating balls in Christophe Claret’s new X-Trem-1.

As you’ve probably already figured out, the secret, sadly, isn’t magic. Instead, the hollow metal balls appear to float inside a set of sapphire tubes—indicating the hours and minutes—thanks to a hidden magnetic carriage inside that’s driven by thin but strong silk threads.

The X-Trem-1 will be limited to just eight pieces when it’s available. And while pricing info hasn’t been unveiled yet, it’s safe to assume that with its unique design and extensive use of titanium, the watch isn’t going to come cheap. [TimeZone via Acquire]

(Via Gizmodo.)

Keep Calm And Make Posters

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:38:11 +0000

Keep Calm And Make Posters [Review]: “

This simple image has become a cliché in the UK in recent years, and is now much parodied and remixed everywhere you look. Now you can remix it yourself, thanks to an app for iOS.

First, some background. The phrase “Keep Calm and Carry On” was one of three invented for use by the UK authorities during the Second World War, intended to reassure frightened citizens during the darkest days of German bombardment. But the poster itself never saw the light of day, until a copy was unearthed in a bookshop back in 2000.

The bookshop was Barter Books, and the story didn’t end there. Hung on the wall, the poster appealed to customers who started asking for prints. So prints were made. And then it snowballed.

You can now see Keep Calm posters in every cafe, Keep Calm mugs in every store, and Keep Calm-inspired design almost everywhere.

The full story is explained in this video from Barter Books:

No wonder, then, that Barter Book has gone into the apps business, and created an official Keep Calm app, which lets you create motivational posters of your own.

It’s very simple to use. You start with the iconic Keep Calm look, and edit what’s there. Tap on a line of text to edit it, tap on the icon at the top to change it. Change the background color (or use a photo if you like) and very soon you’re as motivated as you’re ever going to get.

Editing your text means re-tapping and re-entering it, but that’s not much of an issue since it’s never going to be much text anyway. It is possible to make your own icons with the built-in icon editor, but I found it hard to get decent results from that.

Still, I enjoyed playing with the app and coming up with some slogans of my own. I think it would come in unexpectedly useful when travelling, to send back insta-postcards to loved ones with a photo and a summary of what’s happening.

(Via Cult of Mac.)

Autistic Boy Gains A Voice At His Bar Mitzvah Thanks To His iPad

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:33:11 +0000

Autistic Boy Gains A Voice At His Bar Mitzvah Thanks To His iPad

Matthew Emmi is a twelve year old boy that probably won’t get to enjoy some of the milestone events in life that you and I might take for granted. His autism has severely limited his ability to read, write and speak sentences. But even though his family and friends never know exactly what he’s thinking, they do know that he likes going to synagogue, and with the help of an iPad, Matthew’s parents and educators were able to give Matthew a full bar mitzvah.

A Bar Mitzvah is a Jewish coming-of-age ritual marking the point when a Jewish boy turns 13 and becomes a man. Because the bar mitzvah festivities involve a heavy amount of oration and reading, many people close to Matthew thought that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy a full celebration.

“Because of the issues in his life, he’s not going to have a wedding or a high school or college graduation,’’ his mother said. “We wanted him to have that opportunity to have a special moment and shine.’’

To help with his bar mitzvah, Matthew’s teachers came up with the idea to use an iPad as a soundboard filled with icons Matthew could touch throughout the ceremony to lead the service. Weeks before the ceremony, school staff recorded Matthew reciting the names of his parents and other relative who would be called up to the Toarah. They also recorded blessings and Torah readings that a boy being bar mitzvahed would normally recite. The recordings were matched to prayer icons and photographs on the iPad that Matthew could then touch throughout the ceremony giving him the voice he needed to complete the ceremony.

“It’s quite amazing,’’ said Rabbi Robert Goldstein, of Temple Emanuel, who has known Matthew for several years. “We’re blending the most cutting-edge technology with tradition; with reading the ancient text of Torah. It’s facilitating spirituality.’’

Who knows? Maybe Matthew’s mother’s skepticism about his wedding or high school graduation are too skeptical. Maybe by the time Matthew does these things, an iPad can help him there too!

(Via Cult of Mac.)

iPhone 5 concept design: Crescent-shaped, glowing logo

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:07:04 +0000

iPhone 5 concept design: Crescent-shaped, glowing logo:

What would an iPhone 5 look like if Apple’s design department turned to the Magic Mouse for inspiration? That’s the question ciccaresedesign attempts to answer with this sleek, curved iPhone 5 concept rendering.

It’s got the glowing Apple logo, so it would naturally sell like hotcakes, but it also looks like there’d need to be too many concessions to ever make a design like this practical. Can you imagine it weeble-wobbling on any table, desk or flat surface you put it down on? (They show it screen-down, like a Magic Mouse, but that makes my heart skip a scratch-fearing beat.)

Still, Apple has done the Braun/Leica inspired design for 2 generations now, and that means the next should sport a makeover. The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S were decidedly flat, barely extruded rounded rectangles. But Apple believes design is about how something works, not how it looks. How would an iPhone 5 need to work? Bigger battery for 4G LTE, slightly larger screen to provide more ample room for content?

The only way to predict the look for iPhone 5 is to figure out the goals of Jony Ive and Apple’s design team.

Check out the rest of the renderings via the link below.

(Via TiPb.)

Court Says Cops Can't Make You Decrypt Your Secure Hard Drives

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:05:18 +0000

Court Says Cops Can’t Make You Decrypt Your Secure Hard Drives:

Court Says Cops Can’t Make You Decrypt Your Secure Hard DrivesRemember the defendant in that fraud case who was prepared to claim she forgot the password to her laptop if ordered to decrypt it? Adding some more intrigue to the matter is the fact that the 11th Circuit Court says defendants won’t have to decrypt drives if the contents are unknown. Huh?

The Fifth Amendment, of course, prevents any citizen from having to incriminate themselves, and in the case of Ramona Fricosu and her computer, her appeal was shot down by the 10th Circuit court. But in the latest ruling, The Verge says that the court contends that handing over the drive is fine, but the decrypting aspect counts as testimony. And testimony falls under the umbrella of the Fifth. But Fricosu’s case might be a bit different since the court already had testimony about the computer’s contents, and thus had some idea what was on there. So the two rulings might not be as at odds as they seem.

(Via Gizmodo.)

Powertrekk lets you get mobile power from ordinary water

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:53:48 +0000

Powertrekk lets you get mobile power from ordinary water:

I think that all of us have those mobile battery chargers for our cellular phone, in case we need that extra bit of juice. The problem is you have to remember to charge such devices, or you will be really screwed when you need them.

What if you had a battery that is powered on nothing but ordinary water? It is now named the Powertrekk, and it uses fuel-cell technology to convert hydrogen gas into electricity.

The secret is a thing inside the Powertrekk known as the Powertrekk Puck which holds the water and carries out the fuel based charge.

The Powertrekk is designed for USB powered devices, and you can use your USB charger on your mobile device for aiding in the charge.

I am sure that you are seeing the benefits of the PowerTrekk. I wonder if this company should use the slogan: “the last mobile charger that you will ever need to buy”.

The Powertrekk might be the answer to that age-old question for what you would have if you lived on a deserted island. Considering that I don’t need any sun or outlet, it has my vote. All I would need is a teaspoon of the water that surrounds the island. I’m not certain if I would have any cellular phone reception, but I would be entertained by a plethora of pre-loaded apps.

Of course, you will pay for this type of power, to the tune of $300. I still think that it is a good deal.

(Via Coolest Gadgets.)

Victorinox SSD stick goes up to 1TB

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:51:10 +0000

Victorinox SSD stick goes up to 1TB: “

I know most people think Swiss Army knives when they think Victorinox, but they put out many memory sticks.

While at CES, I managed to see one of the newest Victorinox memory sticks, which has a whopping 1 TB of space. It also comes pre-loaded with a software suite with 256 AES combination hardware and software encryption for “un-hacked, iron clad security for all of your important files” There is also an integrated bi-stable LCD graphic display that allows users to record what is stored on the drive and displays the available .

It also has a dual connector that is a combination USB 2.0/3.0 and eSATA II. It also has two knife bodies, red and black. The red knife has all the usual Swiss Army knife accessories like the blade, scissors, nail file, nail cleaner, and a screwdriver. The black knife body is completely empty, but you can fit the 1TB drive in it. Just make certain that you switch them out when you take a plane ride.

So if you are looking for a huge flashdrive with a lot of space, I believe that this one from Victorinox is one of the largest. You should be able to pick up one of these in August for a price of about $2,500-3,000.

(Via Coolest Gadgets.)

Customizable Chocolates Come in More Flavors Than Willy Wonka's Lickable Wallpaper [Video]

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:49:26 +0000

Customizable Chocolates Come in More Flavors Than Willy Wonka’s Lickable Wallpaper

These customizable confections are the brainchild of ECAL grad Student, Elsa Lambinet, in coordination with Swiss chocolatier Blondel. The sweets combine arrays of chocolate shells, inserts like nugat or caramel, and toppings like cherries, hazel nuts, or whatever else you fancy.Why is it so impossible to make a tasty chocolate confection? I swear, every other one I eat is either coconut creme, lemon asshole, or some other flavor that has no business in my mouth. These new modular chocolates however will taste exactly how I want them to—delicious.

“Participants get to mix and match ingredients for hours and hours as they gorge themselves on custom confectionery goodness,” Lambinet said in her thesis. There’s no word on whether these ingenious luxury chocolates will make it to market unfortunately.

(Via Gizmodo.)

Treehouse Labs BiKN

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:42:22 +0000

Treehouse Labs BiKN:

This particular device is known as the bikn, but it is pronounced like the word “beacon”.

The creators of this device decided that they wanted to provide the iPhone more protection than a case. The case itself comes in many colors, and you can also pick a tag base or highlight color.

The BiKN comes with tags that can be clipped to a user’s belt or other appendage. Each of these tags unlock and a micro-USB port will be revealed for charging. The purpose of these tags is so you can find things with your iPhone.

The tags have three modes of “Find”, “Leash”, or “Page”. “Find” is a visual meter and audio signal for discovering a misplaced item. “Leash” enables the user to control how far a tagged item can be separated from the smart case before an alarm sounds on the phone and tag. As for the “Page”, it is able to sound an alert on one or multiple tags.

According to the information that I received at CES, the BiKN is coming in January. I don’t have a price out now, but I’m sure that will be available soon. I beleive that the application is available now, and it is completely free.

(Via Coolest Gadgets.)

AOC flicker-free 3D monitor

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:40:31 +0000

AOC flicker-free 3D monitor:

AOC has unveiled its latest 23″ flicker-free 3D monitor that will play nice with desktop computers as well as gaming consoles, it really depends on which is your “gaming poison” of choice, while sporting the latest FPR 3D technology without breaking the $300 mark. AOC’s e2352Phz comes in the form of a slim high-definition 23″ monitor, and as mentioned earlier, the FPR 3D technology utilized is able to display bright, crisp and vivid 3D images, all the while making sure that eye fatigue and dizziness are a thing of the past as this is no conventional 3D display.

The e2352Phz is a snap to set up, thanks to its plug-and-play connectivity to virtually any computer, and with a HDMI 1.4a input, it is more than ready to take on the latest consumer electronic devices such as 3D Blu-ray players and gaming consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360 to deliver 3D video and sound without missing a beat.

Retailing for $299 a pop, the flicker-free FPR 3D technology used in the monitor means you can enjoy 3D images and video for longer periods on end without having to wipe away tears from your eyes not because of the touching scene where Jack gives up his life for the woman he loves with the sinking Titanic in the background, but due to eye fatigue. Each purchase of the AOC e2352Phz will also be accompanied by two pairs of lightweight and comfortable passive polarized glasses, and even better news is these pairs can also be used with any other FPR 3D television or display. Being crosstalk-free also translates to more crisp and clear 3D images instead of those that are blurred.

Conventional 3D systems tend to use up more hardware and burn a bigger hole in your pocket, but the AOC 3D monitor is surprisingly affordable, sporting other hardware specifications such as the capability of displaying more than 16.7 million colors, a 5ms response time and features an ultra-high dynamic contrast of 20,000,000:1, a built-in speaker, a built-in VESA stand for desktop placement or convenient wall mounting, ENERGY STAR-compliance, and discreetly concealed control buttons.

(Via Coolest Gadgets.)

This Laser Scanner Could Let You Fly With Bottles Again [Air Travel]

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:39:26 +0000

This Laser Scanner Could Let You Fly With Bottles Again:

After terrorists tried to fly with liquid explosives back in 2006, air travelers have been limited to bringing only small bottles onto planes. But that inconvenience could soon be gone if Cobalt’s new laser scanners start appearing at airport security checkpoints.

While equipment that can determine exactly what materials are inside a bottle have existed for years, they’re not exactly fast. And using them to analyze every single bottle that passes through airport security would create even more delays. But Cobalt’s new Insight100 scanner uses near-infrared lasers and a technique called spatially offset raman spectroscopy to size up a bottle’s contents in just five seconds.

Basically a laser is fired into the liquid, gel, or powder contents of a container, and the light that bounces back is measured for shifts in its wavelength. Since every chemical creates a unique shift, the Insight100 can accurately determine the contents of a bottle or container, with just 0.5 percent false positives. It was recently approved by European flight safety agencies, and I’m hoping Cobalt will soon market it to airports over here soon so I don’t have to spend $4 for a bottle of water once I’ve passed security.

(Via Gizmodo.)

Dane-Elec introduces My-Ditto

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:37:28 +0000

Dane-Elec introduces My-Ditto: “

It seems like everyone wants to get on “the cloud” these days, and Dane-Elec is no exception.

I’m sure that most of you are familiar with how cloud systems work. You put your digital files on some secure cloud server somewhere, and then you can access them from anywhere there is an Internet connected computer.

What makes my-Ditto different is that you buy the Ditto box which has 1-4 TB of memory. They also come USB keys that allow the user to plug into any PC with a USB port and access all of their clouded information.

The clear benefits of these my-Ditto systems are backup, sharing files, and instant access to all your videos, songs, and everything else digital. As the company said: “my-Ditto is your new Media Center”.

There is also a my-Ditto application so you can access your my-Ditto cloud information on your tablet, mobile phone, and your computer.

The my-Ditto cloud computing system uses the highest encryption available, AES 256-Bit, to ensure data is always protected, no matter where you are.

You can check here for the various types of my-Ditto products. They range from $179 for 1 TB of memory, to $369.99 for 4TB. Considering that we are all cloud computing these days, you might as well jump on this train with something easy like this from Dane-Elec.

(Via Coolest Gadgets.)

A 3D Printer That Works With Chocolate? Now You've Got My Attention [3D Printers]

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:36:11 +0000

A 3D Printer That Works With Chocolate? Now You’ve Got My Attention [3D Printers]:

Instead of the toxic smell of melted plastics, while the Imagine 3D printer is doing its thing, your workspace will be filled with the aroma of delicious confections. Because its printing head uses syringes that can be filled with chocolate.

I understand that 3D printing is probably the future of manufacturing, but until now I’ve found it kind of difficult to really get excited about the technology. However, being able to print off a chocolate bunny whenever the craving hits?—even if it’s not Easter?—now you’re speaking to my needs.

Essential Dynamics, the unfriendly sounding corporation behind the Imagine 3D, is a little vague on their printer’s capabilities. But in addition to chocolate, the syringes can also be filled with cheese, epoxy, silicone, and even concrete for creations that will last a bit longer than dessert. All for just $3,000, delivered to your door fully assembled.

(Via Gizmodo.)

Colleges enthused as iTunes classes go live

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:34:39 +0000

Colleges enthused as iTunes classes go live:

There’s a pretty high level of excitement flowing from Thursday’s arrival of the iTunes U app. Harvard University is now adding its science + cooking lectures from its school of Engineering and Science for what will likely be an interesting public offering. Titles like ‘Olive Oil and Viscosity’ and ‘Meat Glue Mania’ sound intriguing.

Anyone with an iPad or iPhone can use the app and access the free classes on iTunes U. Having this new standalone app should be a boon to users and educators. The Inside Higher Ed website is highlighting material from Harrisburg Community College, where there are free courses in differential equations and astronomy. It’s the first iTunes U offering from a community college.

Apple approached some major educational institutions last year to start preparing the courses, and the app contains content from places like Duke, Cornell and Yale universities. Older versions of iTunes U, introduced in 2006, offered audio and video podcasts, but this new app provides self-contained courses allowing users to download handouts and worksheets they can reference while listening to a recorded lecture.

(Via TUAW.)

Apple and Android Gain Smartphone Marketshare at Expense of RIM and Microsoft

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:00:05 +0000

Apple and Android Gain Smartphone Marketshare at Expense of RIM and Microsoft released their latest numbers for the relative market shares of the mobile market. Apple continues to inch upward with 11.2% of total U.S. Mobile Subscribers.

This percent share is up from 9.8% in August and 10.2% in September. Apple’s growth was greater than its competitors during this time which covers the introduction of the iPhone 4S. Apple has historically trended well with steady gains in this measure over time. These numbers are for both smartphone and non-smartphone subscribers in the U.S.

Amongst Smartphone platforms, Google’s Android continues to lead at 46.9% over Apple’s 28.7% but both platforms grew in the past few months as compared to both Microsoft and RIM.

Microsoft, RIM and Symbian saw continued declines in Smartphone marketshare over the past quarter. The difference in change between Apple and Android’s growth is even smaller (1.3 points vs 2.1 points) when comparing the November numbers to September numbers. The iPhone 4S’s launch in October should have been covered in these figures.

comScore’s data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, making it more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies.

(Via MacRoumers.)

Winter Wake-Up app adjusts your alarms for bad weather

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:55:05 +0000

Winter Wake-Up app adjusts your alarms for bad weather

As we settle in for the rest of the long, cold winter, we’re just about to hit the time of year where it’s most likely you’ll hear the two sweetest words in the English language. No, not “cellar door.” I’m talking about “snow day.”

Winter Wake-up is a new app that combines two different usual tasks in a fun way. It’s an alarm app that will automatically check the weather for you, and it will wake you up early if there’s either snow or frost on the menu for the day. You can set two different settings, put in your zip code, and then get a custom alarm based on what it’s doing outside. There’s also an option (and here’s what you really want) to kill the alarm completely if the weather’s really bad outside.

Unfortunately, I believe the app just checks the National Weather Service for the conditions, not your actual school or work, so if your boss commonly makes decisions based on something other than the official weather report, you might be out of luck. But I love the idea of combining access to the weather with my alarm, and that delicious feeling that may come about from waking up an hour late and realizing that there wasn’t an alarm because you don’t have to be up at all that day. That in itself is probably worth the free download, and might make the winter and all its snow and ice that much easier to live with.

(Via TUAW.)

Virtual Reality Treadmill

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:54:09 +0000

Virtual Reality Treadmill

Some of us prefer running outdoors simply because it offers something different for the eyes (and senses), instead of pounding it on a treadmill like a hamster in a gym. Of course, there are others who do it right from the comfort of their home, and there are also some pros to offset the cons – you definitely lower the risk of being robbed, and neither do you need to sacrifice your morning run whenever the skies open and start to pour. With the $2,000 Virtual Reality Treadmill, you will be able to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Just like all the other more notable treadmills, it is capable of adjusting its incline to simulate the terrain that you are currently watching on a TV. Each purchase comes with a video player that will transmit first-person, high-definition video of trails, hills, and city streets, inspired by the majestic landscapes of northern Italy as well as the southwestern US. It is smart enough to raise or lower itself automatically to simulate the incline and slopes shown on the display. The treadmill itself sports a durable 14-gauge steel frame and a large 20″ x 60″ running surface that is supported by a one-foot deck, while patented cushioning ensures that the impact on your joints are reduced.

(Via Coolest Gadgets.)

See How Much Storage Space Your iOS Apps Are Using On Documents & Data

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:49:46 +0000

See How Much Storage Space Your iOS Apps Are Using On Documents & Data [iOS Tip]

When we install new apps on our iOS devices, they don’t just take up the storage space needed for the app itself, but they also consume space needed for storing “documents & data.” This can be all sorts of things, including save files for your games, pictures, videos, and content downloaded through in-app purchases.

Here’s how to see how much storage space each of your apps is using for “documents & data,” and how you can reclaim that precious space.

First, open up the Settings app on your device, then choose ‘General’ and ‘Usage’.

You device will present you with a list of apps you currently have installed, and tell you how much storage space they’re consuming in total. This figure includes both the storage space needed for the app itself, plus the space consumed on additional documents & data each app has collected.

To get a better understanding of how each app is using your storage space, simply tap on its name. In the screenshot below, you’ll notice that the Camera+ app itself only takes up 22.6 MB of the storage on my iPhone, but all the photos I’ve taken with the app are using up 277 MB.

So how do you free up that space? Well, first you need to work out what “documents & data” consists of. Because Camera+ is a photography app, I know most of that space is used up by photos. So to free it up, I can delete the photos I no longer want, and sync those that I do want to my computer before removing them from my iPhone.

With games, such as Football Manager 2012 seen below, storage space is likely to be spent on save files and additional content downloaded through in-app purchases. Some titles may allow you to delete these, others will require you to delete the app itself, and then reinstall it.

While most apps only consume a small amount of storage for “documents & data,” others — like Camera+, will consume a lot, and it all adds up. Keeping on top of that data and deleting files you no longer need will help you keep your consumption down.

iPhone icon cupcakes look touchable, tasty

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:46:28 +0000

iPhone icon cupcakes look touchable, tasty

We haven’t posted a really good iPhone cake in quite a while now, so here we go: Reader Tim sends in this set of cupcakes that his girlfriend made him for his 21st birthday, and boy do they look good. There are a few things that, as Apple obsessive, we would call out in there, including the fact that this cake uses the old iPod logo instead of the new Music app logo, and the fact that the phone happens to be tilted the wrong way in these pictures.

But hey, that’s just us nitpicking — these look great, very nice job, and I especially like the custom day and date, as well as the special message on the Notes icon. Happy belated birthday, Tim, and you’ve got one very talented and sweet lady there.

How To Peel A Whole Head of Garlic In Less Than Ten Seconds

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:29:50 +0000

How To Peel A Whole Head of Garlic In Less Than Ten Seconds

If you are cooking this holidays (or ever) you will love this MAGIC tip: how to peel a whole head of garlic in less than ten seconds. It just requires two bowls and some shaking. Aaaah-mazing. [Thanks Joe!] More »