This isn’t the first slick iPhone concept we’ve brought you from Les Editions Volumique, a Paris-based publishing house that focuses on using the paper book as a unique computer platform. Their (i)Pawn concept let you use the iPhone as a game board, complete with physical playing pieces. But this time around it’s the iPhone that serves as the playing piece, interacting with a physical game board.
(i)Pirates has you taking a pirate ship around a fairly large fold-out game board (it looks like you’ll need an entire kitchen table to play it) by placing your iPhone onto different sections of the board which are then displayed on screen, complete with your ship and various other animated elements. I’m assuming the iPhone’s camera is used to detect what section of the board it’s actually been placed on, and while their website is pretty vague on how you actually go about playing the game, or interact with other players, the concept does appear to have some unique potential.
They’re not the smallest Bluetooth wireless headphones out there, but I’m going to jump to the conclusion that Outdoor Technology’s new Bluetooth Tags headphones are somewhat weather-resistant given the nature of the company’s other products, so I’ll cut them some slack. At the least I’d say they’re comparable in size to other wireless headphone solutions since you need to cram both the BT hardware and a rechargeable battery in there, and I assume the power and audio signal are shared between the two earbuds via the cord that connects them.
After a 2+ hour charge you can expect to get up to 5 hours of audio playback, 6 hours of talk time (the headphones double as a hands-free Bluetooth headset) and up to 120 hours of standby. On one side you’ll also find a set of playback buttons for controlling your music, or making or placing a call when connected to a smartphone. They’re $79.95 a pair, which isn’t too unreasonable given the wireless functionality, and are available in a red or black finish.
Since Killzone’s first appearance back on the PS2, the game has sucked me in. I fell in love with the storyline, particularly the Helghast, and the admiration continued. I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up Killzone 3 on launch day, and I have been playing it almost nonstop since (no thanks to Minecraft). The game definitely improves on its predecessor in almost every aspect, and it provides a great storyline to stay involved in. Make sure you refill your ammo, and let’s get into my Killzone 3 review.
Apple held an iPad event today and unveiled what will truly be the future of tablet cases. As Mr. Jobs pointed out, the case they had originally designed for the iPad did a great job at protecting it while being functional, but tended to hide the iPad’s great design aesthetics. So their new Smart Cover is as minimal as it can get while still protecting the iPad’s screen. The secret, like with everything awesome in the world, is magnets, which hold the cover and its hinge in place, ensuring it’s always aligned properly. And when you roll back the cover it automatically wakes the iPad, no button presses needed. Pretty amazing if you ask me!
Oh… also… apparently there was an iPad 2 announced today as well that’s now powered by a considerably faster dual-core A5 processor, has a set of front and back HD-video capable cameras for Facetiming, has managed to shed a bit of thickness and weight and is slated to hit stores (in the US at least) on March 11th in black and mythical white for the same price as the original iPad. Not necessarily a must-have upgrade, UNLESS you want to use that Smart Cover since I doubt it’s compatible with the iPad 1.
When you sit down at your desktop, how many wires do you see? Or more specifically, how many are running to your tower? Wireless networking, keyboards and mice have all helped us in our battle against the cord, but still there are a few things that remain. Two things that really stand in my way are my speakers and monitors. Fujitsu has a solution for the latter.
The company has revealed that they are working on a truly wireless monitor. Yes, that includes the power cable as well. The screen gets power using a magnetic induction transmitter, which you would have built into your desk. The video itself would be transmitted from a wireless USB connection from up to 32 feet away. No word when the company will have this ready for stores, or what sort of price we’ll be looking at.
Tired of your dog chewing on the legs of your dining room chairs but are too apathetic to actually teach them to stop? This Gaia & Gino chew toy, designed by Jennifer Yoko Olson, is the perfect solution for those of you who’ve just given up when it comes to pet ownership. Made from natural rubber they wrap around the legs of wooden chairs and let dogs gnaw away without damaging, or at least further damaging, the chairs themselves. They’re available in creme, fuchsia, purple, brown and turquoise colors for ~$35 (€25) from Wannekes.
It’s a gutsy move announcing new products the same day Apple has an event scheduled, but that’s exactly what Olympus has done with a handful of new digital cameras, perhaps taking advantage of the blackhole of PR news usually generated by days like this. Their SZ-30MR is certainly the most noteworthy of Olympus’s new additions boasting 24X optical zoom (25-600mm) though with an aperture maxing out at just ƒ3. It’s also got ISO options up to 3200, a 16MP backlit CMOS sensor for improved low light performance, HDMI out, a 3-inch LCD and pretty much all the standard features you’d expect to find in a $400 P&S digital camera. It’s even got an easy-to-use 3D mode where you just have to pan the camera while taking a photo and it will automagically capture and generate a 3D composite.
But what really sets the SZ-30MR apart from other high-end point-and-shoots (at least for the time being) and might actually make people consider a camera outside the Nikon or Canon camps, is its ability to capture full 1080P videos and 16MP stills at the same time with a feature they’ve branded ‘Multi Recording’. You can even use it to capture two movies at the same time, using clever cropping or digital zooms for a wide-angle and close-up clip of the same scene, at different resolutions or even with novelty filters applied. I can’t say I’ve ever lamented at not being able to capture two videos at the same time with my camera, but these days it seems like every new model in the P&S market needs a gimmick, and the SZ-30MR certainly delivers.
Almost every laptop bag manufacturer now has a version that’s claimed to be airport security-friendly, meaning you don’t actually have to remove your laptop from the case when it passes through scanners and x-ray machines. And since it’s now the norm for everyone to have to also remove their shoes when dealing with security, it looks like footwear manufacturers have taken a cue from the laptop bag makers.
adidas’ new SLVR S-M-L Concept shoes are not actually a concept, but are available for sale ($140) from adidas’ SLVR online store in just three sizes: small, medium and large, hence their name. Based on the description on their website the shoes are the perfect accessory when flying since they feature a 4-way stretch mesh upper making them particularly easy to repeatedly slip on and off, or stash away in a carry-on bag. And because even the soles of the shoes are stretchable, it allows adidas to release in them just 3 unisex sizes covering everything from men’s UK size 4 to 12.
A few years ago we brought you a rather depressing airport security x-ray machine playset, and now we have the perfect accessory for whichever kid gets to play the role of the overzealous security agent. While it’s not able to deliver a debilitating blow, this toy tazer (or stun gun to be more precise) is still able to shock, packing a 3.6v jolt which is more annoying than painful. There’s also a built-in flashlight for conducting, um, searches, and even though the website clearly refers to it as a toy, it’s actually not recommended for children or the elderly. The two demographics who would probably enjoy it the most. $3.40 from Focalprice.com.
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