Asus’ slim and sharp ZenPad S tablet arrives in the US

Asus’ newest Zenpad has arrived in the U.S. The Zenpad (model#: Z580C-B1-BK) contains a quad-core, Intel Atom Z3530 processor clocked at 1.33GHz, 2GB of LPDDR3, RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 5MP rear-facing camera, a 2MP front-facing camera, and Android 5.1.

The display perhaps is the selling point of the device with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. With a resolution like this on a screen of this size, it’s likely that Asus did this to compete with the iPad Mini 2.

Source: Best Buy via Engadget

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Sonar-mapping ship looks for baby lobsters, finds dead volcanoes

You never know what you might find when you’re looking for lobster larvae. Iain Suthers, a marine biologist at the University of New South Wales, recently led a team of 28 scientists on board Australia’s latest research vessel, Investigator. They set out to study nursery grounds of lobsters when they accidentally stumbled upon four ancient underwater volcanoes off the coast of Sydney. The massive cluster of craters, said to be about 50 million years old, stretches across 12 miles on the seafloor but had gone unnoticed until now.

The ship that made the discovery possible is a $120 million federally-funded vessel that was commissioned by the CSIRO in 2009. It surpasses similar sonar-mapping ships with its ability to scan even the deepest points of the seabed. The newly discovered volcanoes were found almost three miles deep in the ocean. They’re said to be the remnants of the geological plate shift that separated Australia and New Zealand millions of years ago.

According to Suthers, the discovery demonstrates that we know more about the surface of the moon than our oceans. “We went there to look at eddies in the east Australia current and it was completely serendipitous to find this volcano cluster,” he told Guardian Australia. “We can only just imagine what will be around the corner if we continue to scan this area.”

[image credit: CSIRO]

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Source: The Guardian

Nike designed a sneaker for people with disabilities

Whether it be in clothing or footwear products, Nike is known for never being afraid to experiment with new technologies. The latest example is the company’s new Zoom Soldier 8, a gorgeous shoe that was designed for people facing disabilities — such as amputees and those who have suffered a stroke or cerebral palsy. With the sneaker’s Flyease tech, which features an unusual zipper mechanism that ties around the heel, Nike’s made it easier for the disabled community to tie their shoes. Instead of having to use both hands to accomplish this task, something that may not be possible or easy for some, Flyease simplifies this by letting them rely on one hand to open or close the shoe.

As Fast Company reports, Nike began development of the zipping system seven years ago; CEO Mark Parker made a special request to Senior Director of Athlete Innovation, Tobie Hatfield, after an employee had a stroke and lost movement on his right hand. Despite Flyease being launched, though, Nike tells Fast Company that it will continue to research and improve the new mechanism. “We know we can continue to make improvements,” he said, “but we wanted to give access to those who need this sooner than later.”

But let’s hope that when the Flyease Soldier 8 launches, on July 16th, it ends up on the feet of people who could actually benefit from wearing the shoe. Here’s Nike’s main problem: resellers like to buy their sneakers and then post them on eBay at double, triple and sometimes quadruple the retail price — which is bad news for everyone.

Filed under: Misc

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Via: Fast Company

Source: Nike

A sleek, Star Wars-inspired music box

That’s no moon — it’s the MusicMachine 3, a state-of-the-art music box from designer Maximilian Busser, largely inspired by the TIE Fighter from Star Wars. It doesn’t hook up to your iPhone, it can’t stream Spotify and it doesn’t have a USB input anywhere along its bulbous, spider-like chrome body. It does, however, play music. The MusicMachine 3 plays six songs via a roller lined with metal pins that catch on the teeth of a comb as they rotate. With these pins, Busser’s latest music box plays the themes from Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, James Bond, The Godfather, The Persuaders and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. The MusicMachine 3 has 72 musical teeth in total and the entire piece is designed to amplify and enrich the sound of each note. Hear for yourself below.

This luxurious sculpture of melodic nerdery is part of a larger celebration, the tenth anniversary of Busser’s horological design company, MB&F. The MusicMachine 3 is a limited-edition piece of art and sound, with just 99 produced in total (33 each in white, black and chrome finishes). It costs roughly $18,400 (CHF 17,500) plus tax, Hodinkee reports.

Filed under: Misc, Household

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Via: Hodinkee

Source: MB&F

2 great deals on wireless headphones

We’ve all experienced the deep frustration that comes from snagging headphone cords on door handles. There’s really no excuse for putting yourself through such a rage-inducing scenario. We’re living in an age where even our vacuum cleaners are cordless. Isn’t it time you upgraded your primary source of audio consumption? With today’s deal, you’ll be able to take your pick from earbuds or over-ear headphones and cut the cord for good. It’s 2015, come on and join us!

First, for our over-ear fans, we’ve got the REMXD On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones. These come with an adjustable fit for maximum comfort and pack over 15 hours of listening time on one charge. Regularly priced at $50, AndroidGuys readers can take these home, today, for just $35.99.

Prefer a sleeker form factor? The Air-Fi Metro2 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones pack full-range sound and over 5 hours of battery life into a streamlined design. Comes with interchangeable eartips for a perfect fit. Normally selling for $60, you can grab these up for just $48.

See more at deals.androidguys.com

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Eboe review: Simplicity at its simplest

Eboe is an extremely simple yet extremely hard game. You are placed in a circle and have to move clockwise or anti-clockwise to avoid balls being shot from a cannon. That’s it. It is as boring as it sounds. Do be warned though: It is extremely hard.

Setup

Just like the gameplay, the developer Medbe has taken the “simplistic” approach. The main screen is adorned by your highscore, the “Play” button and a volume on/off button. There is no settings button as, well, the game just doesn’t require it. You can link it to your Google Play Games which is a nice bonus. I was confused when I started playing as there was no tutorial. Yes, although it’s simple it will take a few tries to adjust to what you’re supposed to do.

Adverts are a pain but fortunately there were few pop-ups as compared to the banner ads.

Gameplay

Like I previously stated, you are placed in a circle and have to move clockwise or anti-clockwise to avoid balls being shot from a cannon. The cannon is always directly opposite you so it cannot provide shelter for you. Usually when I review an app, I’ll spend up to 2 hours on it. However I got so bored after 10 minutes of playing that I decided to wrap it up. There were also no missions, story modes or challenges to justify the boring, repetitive gameplay.  It states “There is not much things to say about Eboe” in the Play Store description, and they certainly weren’t lying. Perhaps the only challenge is beating your high score, which is determined by how many seconds you can stay alive.

Is it for you?

If you’re that person who wants a quick play with an extreme challenge, check it out. Otherwise, it’s certainly not gonna tickle your fancy in hardcore gaming.

What we liked

• The simplicity (to an extent)
• Suitable for a quick game
• It’s hard

What we didn’t like

• No challenges/missions
• Repetitive gameplay
• Too boring

To put it bluntly, it’s probably not worth your time downloading it. It’s like eating the same food for dinner every night. The game mechanics and replay value simply do not hold much against other games you could be playing.

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