For behind the scenes pictures, stories and special contests, follow us on Facebook!
Subscribe:

Search Results for: rfid

The Multi Is A Swiss Army Wallet

By David Ponce on 03/21/13 • 1 Comment

multi-wallet

It’s called the Multi and it’s a wallet made from a sandwich of die-cut Aluminum or Titanium plates. But its wallet duties are kind of a sideshow to everything else it does:

It can also be used as a flat or Phillips head screwdriver, a nested wrench (in SAE or metric), a two-inch ruler, a bottle opener, a twist top opener, a wing nut wrench, a smartphone tablet stand, a can top popper, a box opener, and a keychain.

Using it as a smartphone or tablet stand will require a few steps. The middle piece keeps the tablet propped up, and the credit card on the inside sticks out to keep the tablet or smartphone in place while the device is in use.

It’s also RFID blocking and TSA approved. The fully-funded Kickstarter campaign will allow you to pre-order an Aluminum version for $40 or a Titanium one for $75, with delivery in July of this year.

[ Project Page ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

Gatefeeder Uses RFID To Feed The Right Pet

By David Ponce on 12/19/12 • Leave a comment!

You got a chubby little cat that bullies the other ones away from their food bowl and eats their portions? I do, and I’ve resorted to locking them up in separate rooms at feeding time, which, well, is annoying. The Gatefeeder features an automatic locking mechanism that is opened when an RFID chip is detected, which allows the bullied cat access to his food at all times while keeping the big bully out. So what you do in a case like this is that you feed the fat cat normally, while you put the little cat’s food in the Gatefeeder; he always has access, the other cat never. Of course this works with more than two cats, and you can order additional tags for them.

A system like this isn’t cheap, at $249. But we’ve heard of pet owners spending ungodly amounts before, so we don’t expect this to be much of a deterrent to the really determined.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ DVice ]

Smart Socks Tracks Down the Life Cycle of Your Socks and More

By Hazel Chua on 09/27/12 • Leave a comment!

Smart Socks

How many socks have you lost in your lifetime? If you’re like most other average human beings, then you’ve probably lost tons. Don’t even get me started on the times I’ve worn mismatched socks because I was in a hurry and couldn’t find the right pair (either that, or I was too sleepy to care.)

Apparently, this is a huge problem to some people who just can’t stand wearing mismatched socks. If you also have the need to know where certain pairs of your socks are, then you might be interested in the Smarter Socks system, which is comprised of RFID chips, a scanner, and an iPhone. Pretty complicated stuff just for socks, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

… Continue Reading

Blokket Signal Jammer Pouch Lets You Go Off the Grid When You Want To

By Hazel Chua on 09/25/12 • 1 Comment

Blokket Signal Jammer

Life can get pretty hectic sometimes, and it doesn’t help to have your phone ringing and beeping endlessly with new messages, status updates, and notifications just when you’re about to grab some shut-eye. In cases like these, you need the Blokket Signal Jammer. Okay, so you don’t really need it, since you can just power off your phone or turn the airplane mode on. But will you really give up on the chance to show off to your equally geeky buddies? I wouldn’t.

The Blokket Signal Jammer is a handy dandy RFID blocker that’ll block radio frequencies up to 99.7%. Aside from coming in handy to put your phone out of commission when you want to take a break, you can also put your passport and chipped ID cards inside to protect your identity and personal information from falling into the wrong hands.

Check out another view of the Blokket Jammer pouch after the break.

… Continue Reading

Your Rice Cooker Can Now Interface With A Smartphone

By David Ponce on 03/20/12 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

Rice cookers are pretty important in Japan, so it’s no surprise to see manufacturers pay attention to them and bring them up to speed in terms of their technological abilities. Panasonic’s SR-SX102 is perhaps at the forefront of this trend, with the introduction of a cooker that can play nice with your smartphone. Simply wave your supported FeliCa-enabled Android phone (FeliCa is a contactless RFID technology developed by Sony Corporation) over the blue dot on the lid and you’ll be able to set the rice type, cooking type and timer. Also, the phone can then connect to Panasonic’s cooking cloud server and access up to 100 recipes.

This appears to be a Japan only affair, and if pressing buttons directly on the lid and downloading recipes off the Internet like a regular person abhors you, then you’ll have to shell out $600 and find a way to import the machine.

[ Press Release ] VIA [ CNet ]

MIAmobi SilentPocket Blocks All Signals In And Out Of Your Devices

By David Ponce on 12/19/11 • Leave a comment!

By David Ponce

MIAmobi makes a line of pouches in varying sizes whose purpose it is to cut off your mobile devices from any radio communications. It is made for those who are concerned about being tracked through GPS or even those who worry about RFID based identity theft. We’re not entirely sure how the pouches accomplish this, though there is talk of a “silver lining”. In any case, it appears that when you drop your device in a pouch, it’s instantly cut off from any signals and goes off the grid. And while you could turn your phone off, apparently you can still be tracked when you do this.

There appears to be no price information on their website, though the items are available for purchase. You have to contact them and inquire.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

RFID Tagged ‘Bijlmer Euros’ Makes It Easier To Track Where Money Goes

By Andrew Liszewski on 08/02/10 • Leave a comment!

Bijlmer Euro (Image courtesy BijlmerEuro.net)
By Andrew Liszewski

Websites like Where’s George? let’s you track the travels of a piece of currency using their unique serial numbers, but it only really works if everyone who gets their hands on it visits the site. The same idea exists behind the Bijlmer Euro created by artist Christian Nold, but it’s a little more automagic since the bills each feature an RFID tag. Now obviously in order to track the whereabouts of a given bill, every single place of business would need RFID scanners installed, so the notes are designed to be used more as a “complimentary local currency” for the south-east area of Amsterdam, where about 2,000 of them were made available.

A handful of local shops have been equipped with the requisite RFID scanners which then report to a website which allows users and shopkeeps to visualize the flow of the bills. And in order to ensure that people are more likely to spend the Bijlmer Euros in the area where they can be tracked, the participating shops and restaurants offer unique discounts and promotions when you pay with the special currency. I like the idea, but have to wonder if the issue of defacing currency comes into play here.

[ Bijlmer Euro ] VIA [ PSFK ]

RosettaStone Tablet Carries On Your Legacy Forever, Or At Least Until Current Technologies Are Outdated

By Andrew Liszewski on 06/22/10 • Leave a comment!

RosettaStone Tablet (Images courtesy Objecs)
By Andrew Liszewski

Since an engraved tombstone can only say so much, those who believe the world will really miss them once they’re gone can opt for a slightly more advanced memorial with this RosettaStone Tablet. It can be installed on new or pre-existing gravestones, and provides a sort of mini-Wikipedia page about the person, highlighting their life’s accomplishments, their genealogy, or really anything they want to share with future generations. As long as their legacy is no longer than 1,000 words and doesn’t include more than a single photo.

Your posthumous profile can be accessed in one of three ways using a smartphone: over wifi, via NFC-RFID technology or using image recognition software to just snap a pic of the tablet. But all 3 ways are essentially just accessing a web address to the profile which is stored in the Wayback Machine’s archive. (Here’s an example.) When ordering you also have the option of including up to 6 symbols carved into your RosettaStone Tablet, highlighting accomplishments in your life. As you can see in the product shot, Nikola Tesla is best remembered for his days spent working at an information booth, as a field medic and as a grave digger. Choose carefully though because there’s a chance the internet may not exist as we know it in another 20 years and these symbols could end up being your lasting legacy, particularly since the solid black granite tablet will last somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,200 years.

And at the moment the RosettaStone Tablet is on sale for just $191. So you’ll want to act fast, not only because you’ll save around 34 bucks, but who knows what legacy you’ll leave behind were you to meet your demise in the very near future.

[ RosettaStone ] VIA [ Springwise ]

USB Microwave Concept Still Falls Short

By Chris Scott Barr on 05/03/10 • 2 Comments

usb-microwave1

By Chris Scott Barr

As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time at my desk. So much in fact, that there is a mini fridge withing rolling distance of my chair. It’s nice to be able to grab a drink without breaking my flow of concentration. Of course prepping some food still means going downstairs and taking care of it. What I want is something I can set on my desk that will warm up my food.

Here is yet another desktop microwave concept. Why are there so many concepts without an actual product being on the shelves? It’s like the designers enjoy teasing us. Anywho, this one is also USB-powered (which makes me wonder at its effectiveness) and only appears to heat up special meals. Sure, the means would come with a RFID-equipped plastic utensil that programmed the time into the microwave, but it won’t cook my Spaghetti-o’s. Is that really too much to ask?

[ Yanko ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

Copyright © 2013 OhGizmo!