Almost exactly two years ago we talked about the BuckyBalls. They were a set of 216 tiny rare earth magnets that could be arranged in any number of entertaining ways. Fast forward two years and the innovation is that the spheres are now cubes and there are 125 of them. If you’ve already played with BuckyBalls, maybe this isn’t a big deal. But if you’re new to the “Bucky” scene, you should check out the above video. The flat sides allow you to slide and stack them in new ways, not to mention make you feel nostalgic for the Tetris days of yore.
In all fairness and having played with several sets of Buckyballs myself, I must say this: they are entertaining, but don’t go thinking they are easy to play with at first. Anything you see in the video took a good deal of preparation, not to mention ingenuity that (let’s face it) you likely don’t have. I know I didn’t. Still, for $25, it’s a fun and different way of passing some time. And even better, if you ingest a few, a geeky way to land yourself in the ER.
So it’s been a sad Wednesday. The most important news of course being Steve Jobs’ passing. But also you’ve all found out about Andrew leaving OhGizmo. No one is sadder than I am, as Andrew has been with me through thick and thin, for the last 5 years. Although we’ve met on only a few occasions, I’ve always felt a kinship with him and more importantly a deep respect for his person and his work. Without a doubt, OhGizmo! wouldn’t be where it is today if not for Andrew.
Why is he leaving? I will leave it up to him to reveal the details, if he wants… but suffice it to say it’s for the best. You Andrew aficionados will be able to follow his work elsewhere, I guarantee it. As for OhGizmo? Well, I’m not sure how many of our readers today were reading it back in 2005, but I was at the helm back then. And even though I’ve faded into the background over the years, I’ve always been overseeing things, editorially and on the business side. While you may now know me as the guy who makes sponsored posts, that’s going to change. The older regulars will hopefully remember me fondly, and the ones who’ve never read me… I can only hope to win you over. Stick around, will you?
I can offer a few things. Changes. For one, the look and feel of the website will change, hopefully soon. I’ll also do my best to get more in tune with you guys. Looking for feedback and even direction. OhGizmo is nothing without you, and I’m here to not only entertain and inform, but also please. And while these changes are happening, you can keep coming for the articles, the “technologically flavored entertainment” that were our bread and butter for 6.5 years and counting.
By now, most certainly you’ve heard. On Wednesday, October 5th 2011, Steve Jobs lost the fight to what is likely complications from his pancreatic cancer. He was 56.
In a whisper, the world lost one of its brightest lights.
Rivers of ink will flow and miles of digital reel will roll; his legacy cemented and documented with the tears and grief of the legion that admired him. The legion whose lives changed forever because of him. And I’m proud to contribute with my tiny drop of respect, inconsequential though it may be. Others will take care to remind us of the tangible impact Steve has had on the marketplace, on culture. I won’t. I’ll just say that Steve was more than a leader, a market changer and a technological luminary. Steve was everything we hope to be, embodied: the perfectionist in us, the aesthete in us, the innovator in us, the rebel in us, the dreamer in us, the non-conformist in us. The world lost him at his prime and that’s the true tragedy.
Let me then finish this little eulogy with my favorite quotes of his.
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
“My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better.”
“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
“I’ll always stay connected with Apple. I hope that throughout my life I’ll sort of have the thread of my life and the thread of Apple weave in and out of each other, like a tapestry. There may be a few years when I’m not there, but I’ll always come back.”
My first post on OhGizmo! appeared on February 10, 2006. Over 5 years and 5,877 posts ago. But all good things must come to an end. So it’s with a bit of sadness (but also excitement for the future) that I officially publish my last post here on the OG. I’ve had some amazing experiences during my time here, met some fascinating people, played with some fun toys and even made a few enemies. But having the opportunity to do something I’ve truly enjoyed, day in and day out for the past 5 years, has easily been the best part.
I’d like to thank David for giving me a chance back in the day. And for giving me the creative freedom to hunt down and write about a wide range of gadgets and gizmos that have hopefully made for some interesting reading over the years. I’ve also been lucky enough to work with some very talented individuals including Evan and Chris, whose contributions made this job even more interesting. I’d also like to thank all of the regular readers and commenters who provided a daily barrage of humorous commentary, and the occasional correction. And to everyone else who’s fortunate enough to spend their days writing about technology; thanks for linking to OhGizmo! and my posts over the years.
But rest assured I’m not walking away from this blogging thing. I’m joining another team of very talented writers, and if you follow a variety of gadget blogs I think there’s a pretty good chance you’ll easily find my sarcastic rants and opinions again in the coming weeks.
I remember a time when social status was dependent on how cool the tread on the bottom of your shoes were. That was many, many years ago, of course. But if I had a pair of sneakers that left behind bear paw imprints wherever I roamed, I would have ruled my grade one class.
Times have changed, but I’m hopeful that kids will still appreciate these Ashiato sandals which feature rubber animal footprints on the underside. Including those from a cat, owl, gecko, monkey and something called a ‘zaurus’ which is an animal I’m apparently unfamiliar with. The sandals don’t look like the best solution for everyday wear and tear, but for a trip to the beach I’m pretty sure your kids will occupy themselves for hours on end, leaving behind mysterious footprint trails. Available for ~$29 to ~$32 (€22 to €24) from Kiko+, depending on the size.
All-in-ones are great. They’re even better when they’re touchscreen. The “updated TouchSmart 320m features 1080p multi-touch screen, piano-black finish with chrome accents, 6-in-1 card reader, built-in adjustable tilt webcam & mic, swivel base, wireless keyboard & mouse, removable feet for wall mounting, Windows 7, optional TV tuner and more.” And for a limited time, you can get your hands on one for $569 after $139 in rebates. And it comes with a free upgrade to 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive as well as a free 5-month Norton Internet Security 2012 subscription ($49 savings). And yes, that’s shipped to you.
I’ve been watching the evolution of gadgets and gizmos since I was a kid growing up in the ’80s. And as impressed as I am with modern marvels like smartphones, GPS navigation devices, electronic paper, and even laptops as thin as a razor. I’m equally impressed that I can now walk into any toy store and buy an RC helicopter that can be flown around my living room. Particularly since I can remember thumbing through hobby magazines back in the day, gazing in awe at the complicated, large and expensive remote controlled choppers that appeared to be more difficult to fly than the real thing.
That was many moons ago, though. And while you can still buy incredibly expensive RC helicopters that can perform amazing feats of aerial prowess, I’m content to stick with the cheaper, electric variety that have become commonplace in toy stores today. Recently I had the opportunity to check out Interactive Toy Concepts’ (the company behind the flying Duck Hunter game) Wi-Fli RC helicopter, which, as the name implies, is controlled by a smartphone via a wifi connection. I’ve never been a big fan of using virtual controls for gaming on a touchscreen device, so I was skeptical as to how easy it would be to control an actual helicopter in flight. Dying in a game is one thing. Crashing a helicopter into your flat screen TV is another. So check out my full review after the jump to see if using your smartphone as a whirlybird wireless controller is a good idea or not.
I’m still not convinced the iPad is quite large enough to be used by more than a couple people at one time. But clearly I’m in the minority, as Discovery Bay Games has released another ‘appcessory’ that turns the iPad into a multiplayer quiz game. Available now for ~$40, the game comes with a set of 4 wireless poppers (and a base station) that lets players buzz in to answer or participate in a series of games or quizzes. At the moment there are 3 titles to choose from: Guesstimation – Duo, Highlights Hidden Pictures Countdown, and Saturday Night Live – The Game, all available for free from the iTunes App Store. I’m assuming more titles are enroute as well, but to extend their replay value each game also has additional content available as an in-app purchase.
As much as we’d like to hope they’ll be, every single Apple PR event can’t be a game changer. And today the world breathed a somewhat disappointed sigh when Apple’s public faces unveiled a marginal update to the current iPhone 4. The mythical iPhone 5 that’s been spotted roaming the woods in Washington, and hanging with Salman Rushdie in dark corners of pubs, was no where to be seen. What took its place was the also speculated iPhone 4S, which like the iPhone 3GS, has a host of marginal updates that will probably have most iPhone 4 users upgrading anyways.
On the inside it’s packing a dual-core A5 chip which Apple claims is twice as powerful as the iPhone 4′s brains. With seven times the graphical prowess, while still being power-efficient for a slightly longer battery life. The notorious iPhone 4 antenna problem has supposedly also been resolved, adopting the case design of the Verizon model. But the 4S is now also a world phone with both GSM and CDMA hardware inside, making them easier to sell from a trunk the world over.
The camera on the iPhone 4S has also received a notable bump, with an 8MP sensor and an f/2.4 aperture making it better suited to shooting in low light conditions. On the video side the iPhone 4S now records in 1080P as well. Combined with the imminent release of iOS 5 next week, and cool new tricks like being able to launch the camera from the lock screen, the iPhone 4S is probably going to continue to be tough competition to dedicated point and shoots.
Last, but certainly not least, is a new feature that’s going to be exclusive to the iPhone 4S, all but ensuring we’re all going to upgrade. Siri is billed as an “intelligent assistant” that’s able to perform a host of iOS related tasks by simply asking her too. Want to know the weather? You can actually ask several different ways, instead of having to regurgitate a small selection of specific phrases. And Siri seems far more capable than the iPhone’s current voice command functionality, allowing you to make calls, set appointments, even text people, just by asking. So hopefully I can finally get my personal assistant off the payroll. (He was actually just an old Thundercats action figure that should have no trouble finding other work. So don’t worry.)
The iPhone 4S will be available starting October 14 in 16, 32 and 64GB capacities for $199, $299 and $399 respectively. (After signing your life away to your local provider.)
Related Tags: buckycubes, magnets, Toys
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By David Ponce
