Phone-jamming cloak lets you be seen and not tracked
We’ve covered invisibility cloaks, thermal cloaks and acoustic cloaks. But none of those were actual, you know, cloaks. The voluminous CHBL Jammer Coat really is. Created by Austrian designers, apparently with the help of Zoolander and some bedouin tribesmen, it uses metallic fabric to stop radiowaves going to or from any mobile devices carried in its many pockets. It further flummoxes onlookers and CCTV cameras by giving the illusion of “extra limbs,” so that your real body parts remain hidden behind a mass of folds, wave circle patterns and pleased-to-see-me jokes. Alas, you can’t actually buy a CHBL Jammer Coat, because it’s a statement-making one-off, so genuine escape artists will need to shop for their portable Faraday cages elsewhere.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Wearables, Mobile
Via: Wired
Source: COOPHIMMELB(L)AU
3D printer headed to the International Space Station this August
Astronauts on the International Space Station will need to make room for one more gadget: a NASA-certified 3D printer. The device, designed by Made in Space at NASA’s Ames Research Park in Mountain View, will launch on SpaceX CRS-4 in August, a few months ahead of schedule. Initially, astronauts will test the printer in the ISS’ microgravity environment, but eventually it could be used to build tools and other hardware needed for on-board repairs or cubesat deployments. Down the road, Made in Space’s clients could also have access to the printer for their own experiments. “This is unprecedented access to space,” CEO Aaron Kemmer said in a press release. “If you want to 3D print in space, contact us now.”
[Image credit: NASA]
Filed under: Peripherals, Science
Via: Space.com, 3DPrint.com
Source: Made in Space
ChargerLeash Review: The charger for the forgetful
Charger/sync cables have seemingly been around forever. They have always served one of two purposes: to charge and/or sync your device. It would seem that we know everything there is to know about these types of cables. The ChargerLeash brings a new talent the game that just might make you think twice about your next charger cable purchase.
Who is it for
The ChargerLeash does the typical charging and syncing duties well, as well as one other feature that should pique the interest of frequent travelers and others who bring their chargers with them daily. This cable has the ability to sound an alarm when it is disconnected from the device it was charging. The alarm should remind the user not to leave the charger behind. I see the businessperson or frequent traveler as the ideal demographic for the ChargerLeash as i am sure they collectively leave small things behind on trips all the time.
How does it work
Green light when charging
Just plug the ChargerLeash into your laptop, computer, or wall (using a charging adapter; not included). When you connect your Android device, you will see the light on the cable turn green meaning your device is connected and charging/syncing. After your device has charged or synced to your liking, just disconnect it as you would normally. This is where the magic happens; after 5 seconds of having no devices connected while still being plugged into the wall or computer, the ChargerLeash will emit an alarming sound that is sure to get the attention of anyone in the vicinity, guaranteeing that you will never leave it behind.
Red light when charged device is detached and alarm is sounding
Who should purchase
A wise man once said, “It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.” Anyone that has ever lost or left a charger behind before should seriously consider the ChargerLeash Charge/Sync/Alarm Cable. It is designed to take the hassle out of remembering to pack your charger. It is truly one of those things that you don’t think you need until you use it. The ChargerLeash is available on Amazon.com. More information is available here.
The post ChargerLeash Review: The charger for the forgetful appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung hints that its next Galaxy Note phone will have a quad HD display
It’s no surprise that Samsung would make a new Galaxy Note smartphone given the series’ very healthy sales, but just how is the company going to improve on the design of the Note 3? By giving it a quad HD screen, apparently. The company has posted a web profile for an unannounced SM-N910A (the Note 3 for AT&T is the SM-N900A) that includes a 2,560 x 1,440 display, hinting that the future Galaxy Note will pack visuals roughly as sharp as LG’s G3. It also backs what we’ve heard about Oculus VR getting greater-than-1080p OLED screens from the Korean tech firm. There aren’t any other big clues in the profile, but they come on the heels of import data that suggests the next Note will maintain the same 5.7-inch screen size as its predecessor — Samsung may be resisting the urge to produce a truly gigantic phone like the G Pro 2 or Lumia 1520.
As for what’s behind that new panel? That’s tougher to prove. SamMobile claims that the new Note will be powered by a speedier Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 5433 processor (depending on the market) and ship with a newly stabilized 16-megapixel camera. Those make sense when Galaxy Notes are historically more powerful than the Galaxy S models they follow, but nothing’s set in concrete — we wouldn’t rule out a surprise or two. If the profile is accurate, though, fans of Samsung’s larger handsets have at least a visual upgrade to look forward to this year.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T
Court ruling could force YouView to change its name
YouView could soon be forced into a rebrand after it suffered another loss in the courts. After almost two years of legal battles, telecoms company Total successfully argued that YouView had infringed on its “Your View” trademark. Judges agreed that the brand would was “confusingly similar” to Your View, allowing Total to push ahead not only for damages but also seek an injunction on “any further use of the name.” YouView maintains that there’s “no confusion” between its consumer TV service and Total’s business-to-business mobile top-up platform, but today marks the third (and most likely final) time it has come off second best in the courts. Last year, Livescribe was on the wrong end of a UK trademark dispute and was forced to rebrand its Sky Wi-Fi pen having lost to BSkyB. If YouView suffers the same fate, its backers, which include the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT and TalkTalk, will have the fun job of figuring out what to call their TV offering moving forward.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Source: High Court Ruling
iTunes Match Users Experiencing Issues Uploading Tracks
A growing number of complaints on Apple’s Support forums suggest there is an ongoing problem with Apple’s iTunes Match service. According to the posts in multiple threads, the service times out when users try to upload new tracks for matching by Apple’s iTunes servers.
“I’ve been using iTunes Match for about a year and a half and have started experiencing a new problem in the last couple of days. I’ve added a few new tracks to my library over the last couple of days and have attempted to “Update iTunes Match.” However, the matching process is stalling out at the end. It looks like it’s just about to finish but then it never does, ” writes Apple Support forum member Ryan Hargrove.
The issue apparently began on June 10th and is still affecting users six days later. Various attempts to fix the issue by updating iTunes, restarting the computer and more were unsuccessful.
“This started today. It was working fine. I have deleted my entire library and I can’t even get one song to go through. Thoughts? I’ve been working with this all day. I have uninstalled iTunes, downgraded iTunes, upgraded iTunes again. Finally, I erased all data…Libraries…playlist data, etc.. I’m extremely frustrated now. I had synced about 4,000 songs since September and it had been working fine,” writes Apple Support forum member ExileAtkins.
Apple has not acknowledged the problem, with its System Status page still showing that all iTunes services are fully operational. Further tests by affected users and MacRumors staff suggest the problem may only involve tracks that are not included in Apple’s iTunes library. These self-recordings and Indie music tracks appear to stall during the upload process, while recognized songs are matched without issue.
We have reached out to Apple for comment and are awaiting a reply. Since this problem is likely a server issue on Apple’s side, affected users will have to wait until Apple addresses the issue internally.
New reports says Galaxy Note 4 to have a 5.7″ QHD screen
The Samsung Galaxy Note line is increasingly popular and each year more people can’t wait to get their hands on the new edition of the phone. Recent rumors suggested the forthcoming device will sport QHD screen along with a Snapdragon 805 chip and see official announcement at IFA 2014. All of that might still be true but we have some new reports to add to the mix that is the Galaxy Note 4.
Considering SM-N900 was the model number for the Galaxy Note 3, SM-N910A should be the Note 4′s model. That number popped up on Samsung’s website in a User Agent profile showing a QHD screen (1,440×2,560). That’s not all, though, as that same model is also mentioned on Zauba, an Indian website which tracks imports and exports. It appears that the Galaxy Note 4 should also keep a 5.7″ screen size from the Note 3, bumping only its resolution.
IFA 2014 is still a few months away so there’s still time until we see this device announced. This means we’ll probably see many more rumors and reports regarding this device until then. Are you one of those people who is considering the phone?
SOURCE: Samsung I Zauba
VIA: PhoneArena
The post New reports says Galaxy Note 4 to have a 5.7″ QHD screen appeared first on AndroidGuys.
IN BRIEF: 5 Android related things you might have missed (June 16)
Developer MCC SOFTWARE has added their new app “LIFE TIME ALARM CLOCK” to the Play Store. The app features some great visuals along with some new and interesting features such as…
- Adjustable snoozing during wakeup
- Pushing back or ringing a single alarm early
- Turning alarms on/off by groups
“LIFE TIME ALARM CLOCK” is available now…
If you like tweaking those selfies until they’re just right you might want to check out developer EVERIMAGING CO. Ltd and there new photo editing app “FOTOR”. “FOTOR” packs some very powerful features such as curve and RGB adjustments along with the more common text and sticker adding. The app is free and available now.
Recently we’ve heard a lot of talk about smart-watches and wearables; but most of this talk has to do about the latest smart wrist-wear or Google Glass. What we haven’t seen much of is smart-rings. Yep you heard that right, smart-rings. The first foray into the smart-rings market comes from “RINGLY”. “RINGLY” is the first smart-ring that will notify you when you have missed calls, messages, emails, etc. It’s available in 3 different stone options and is available to pre-order right now. Follow the link below for more information.
We use smartphones for so many things other than basic communication. We use them for everything from listening to music to helping us to be more productive. One very useful tool is having the ability to use your device as a scanner. “SCANBOT” allows for, simple, yet high quality scans of documents to the PDF format. The app allows for you to share your scans to popular apps like DROPBOX, GOOGLE DRIVE, & EVERNOTE etc. This is one of the better looking PDF scanners on the PLAY STORE and is available now for $1.99.
And lastly, this week was marked by the largest gaming conference in the world, “E3″. We saw what all of the big players will be offering over the next year or so but we also got some fresh news on the hotly anticipated mobile game “MODERN COMBAT 5″. GAMELOFT released a new trailer for the upcoming shooter and lets just say things are coming along very well. I don’t know about you but I cant wait to play this game. Check the trailer out for yourself…
The post IN BRIEF: 5 Android related things you might have missed (June 16) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Crowd-control drones reveal the technology’s dark side
The treatment of South African miners has been a troublesome issue ever since black laborers were forced into the mines in 1894. It’s led to a series of bloody strikes and protests, starting in 1946 and continuing through apartheid right up until today. A new type of crowd suppression drone from a local defense contractor isn’t going to help matters, especially given the fact that the country is in the grip of a 21-week miners’ strike in which some protestors have already been killed. The Skunk, built by Desert Wolf, is designed to “control unruly crowds without endangering the lives of security staff,” and is reportedly already being adopted by mine owners.
Equipped with a 4,000-strong clip and four paintball gun barrels, the Skunk can fire up to 80 projectiles in a single second. It can carry dye markers, pepper spray bullets or even solid plastic balls, which somewhat stretches the definition of “non lethal.” The hardware also carries strobe lights and on-board speakers to disorientate and warn the crowd, as well as a FLIR thermal camera for night vision operations. According to defenceWeb, unnamed mine operators have already placed orders for 25 Skunks, which could be deployed as early as next month. Good luck, then, to anyone trying to protest for safer working conditions beyond that date.
Filed under: Misc
Via: PrivacySOS
Source: defenceWeb, Desert Wolf
Honeywell thermostat lets you set the temperature using your Pebble smartwatch
Honeywell may now be looking to take on Nest with a new sleek and stylish thermostat, but it’s still making sure that users of its other connected systems enjoy updates too. In a bid to make things a little easier for owners of it evohome smart zoning thermostat, the company has extended support to the Pebble smartwatch, offering up room-by-room heating control from the comfort of your wrist. Honeywell’s new smart bundle allows you to set the temperature of in each zone (or room) in your home and turn the heating on or off with the push of a button. The app can also immediately enable or disable any of the preset evohome quick actions, which is especially helpful if you’ve forgotten to shut off the heating before you fly off on holiday. If you’ve installed Honeywell’s zoning thermostat and also own a Pebble, you can grab the new app and watchface from Pebble’s app store using either your iOS or Android device.
AIVAnet 