Sony’s Wena straps transforms just about any watch into a smartwatch that can be used for notifications, fitness tracking, and even contactless payments. They come in Active ($450) and Pro ($510) styles with the former consisting of silicone material, while the latter, a metal strap, which can be attached to luxury watches, Rolex included. The Pro features a 20mm band in silver or black, but can be used with watches that have 18mm, 20mm or 22mm lugs. Read more for another video and additional information.
Twelve South’s AirFly lets you use AirPods as well as other wireless listening devices on any wired headphone jack, and it’s being offered for just $34 shipped, today only, originally $39.99. When the entertainment begins on your next long flight, simply plug AirFly into your seat’s headphone jack and listen to the film with your AirPods, thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity. It has a built-in battery that lasts about 8-hours and also includes a USB charging cable, along with a travel pouch that holds both the device and charging cable. Product page. Read more to see it in-action on a Nintendo Switch and for additional information.
Before smartwatches, there was the gesture-controlled, touchscreen Casio AT-552 Janus. That’s right, the AT Janus models (AT-551 and AT-552) included an eight-digit touchscreen calculator where the entire display could be used to ‘write’ the number or calculator function. The watch would recognize what had been written by the user’s fingertip and perform the calculation. Read more for the full demo video.
Alex Kipman, Technical Fellow, AI Perception & Mixed Reality Team at Microsoft, posted a teaser for HoloLens 2 today ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. No technical details were leaked, but it’s speculated that the new headset will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 850 ARM processor, and housed in a lighter, redesigned body, possibly with bits of carbon fiber. Read more for a video on what to expect and additional information.
Photo credit: Lets Go Digital
Chinese-based smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has filed a patent with the World Intellectual Patent Organisation (WIPO) for a “full-screen smartphone with 4-sided edge display” and published in the Global Design Database on February 5, 2019. There are no visible buttons, but you do find a USB Type-C port on the bottom, while at the back, there’s a section for a dual camera setup and flash. However, the main focus is its bezel-less display, which increases the screen to body ratio like you’ve never before on a mobile phone. Read more for two additional pictures, including one showing the patent.
Basic Fun! is reviving the Texas Instruments’ Speak & Spell toy with all the of familiar games, an LCD that mimics the original’s segmented display, and of course the signature orange-and-yellow design. The biggest upgrade is found in the voice, and while the TMS1000 chip inside the original Speak & Spell synthesized voices could handle roughly 200 words, this model uses recorded dialog processed to sound like it’s synthesized, instead of generating sounds on the spot. Read more to see the new version in-action.
Photo credit: Michael Muleba
BlackBerry may not be the household name it once was, but the company still exists, and they have not shortage of smartphones. Industrial designer Michael Muleba shows us what a modern BlackBerry slider phone would look like with two sliding mechanisms. Put simply, the top hides the cameras while the bottom part conceals the physical keyboard when not in use. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Reuters
David Aguilar, a 19-year-old bioengineering at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in Spain, was born without a right forearm, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams. He’s already built several versions of a prosthetic forearm using LEGO parts with the ultimate goal being to design affordable robotic limbs for those who need them. “As a child I was very nervous to be in front of other guys, because I was different, but that didn’t stop me believing in my dreams. I wanted to … see myself in the mirror like I see other guys, with two hands,’ said Aguilar, who uses the artificial arm only occasionally and is self-sufficient without it,” said Aguilar to Reuters. Read more for a video fo the first version of the arm.
A 24MP smartphone camera would be considered excellent, but the Vivo 15 Pro takes selfies to the next level with their 32MP pop-up, front-facing shooter, which uses Samsung’s new GD1 image sensor. Featuring support for HDR as well as electronic image stabilization, two features that most front-facing cameras lack. Not many specifications are known yet, but the company has confirmed an in-display fingerprint scanner. Read more for a teaser video and additional information.
This bizarre “Thought Box” does not have any groundbreaking technology, as it’s essentially a box that you place over your head. Made in Great Britain, it consists of a cardboard fabric (lycra) box, an adjustable internal plastic helmet, ear plugs, and 5 interchangeable colored fabric filters to suit your mood. Plus, it comes with a Thought Stool made from solid beech. One caveat: this will set you back $640. Read more for additional pictures and information.