E-ink hybrid YotaPhone 3 announced, but don’t expect to see it anywhere outside of Asia

Yo dawg, we heard you like e-ink.

Remember the YotaPhone and the YotaPhone 2? They were those crazy phones from Russian manufacturer Yota that had a regular screen on one side and an e-ink display on the other. The first one pretty much sucked but the second version was not completely terrible, though it never made it to the U.S. as promised. Well, there’s going to be a third model.

You can flip to the ePaper panel in direct sunlight and laugh at the mere mortals who cower in the shade to check their phones — Russell Holly

Lilliputing tells us that Yota Devices has announced the YotaPhone 3 at the China-Russia Expo in Harbin. They didn’t share very many details but we do know that the 64GB model will retail around $350 and the 128GB model costs $450. Both will feature the dual-display combo, with a full-color display (no word on exact display type or features was given) on the front and an e-ink display on the back, just like the previous models.

Russian site Vedomosti also says that the YotaPhone 3 will ship in China this coming September and pre-orders in Russia will start at the same time. Considering the company’s track record, we don’t expect to see sales of this uber-niche device expanding too far outside its home range. But hey, it never hurts to hope.

Our own Russell Holly loved the last one, so if any inkling of a broader release with network support for North America gets kicked around, we’ll let you know.

‘The Daily Show’ celebrates the tweets of Donald Trump in new exhibit

The President tweets a lot. It’s quickly becoming part of his legacy, offering an unprecedented level of access to the commander in chief and leaving others in government scrambling to deal with the aftereffects of each post. Usually, reflections on presidential legacies tend to come at the end of the individual’s term in office, with an official presidential library foremost on the list. However, given the current pace of the Trump administration, The Daily Show decided to act a little sooner. This weekend it opened its own presidential Twitter library in midtown Manhattan to illustrate how our interactions with the president may have changed forever.

Every President since FDR has had a presidential library but, as Daily Show correspondent Jordan Klepper pointed out, Trump “communicates totally different than any president we’ve seen before.” We don’t know how much paperwork the president is generating, but we do see the tweets he sends out unedited and unfiltered. The library focuses on collecting those into a space where visitors can look at them as part of a larger whole.

Are you allowed to impeach a president for gross incompetence?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2014

The museum’s content was collected by the Daily Show’s digital department, which had to read every single one of Trump’s tweets as part of the show’s “Third Month Mania” event back in March. They picked out the ones they found most interesting and threw them into a tournament bracket, letting viewer vote on the best tweets in each round. The voters eventually settled on his “gross incompetence” tweet as the top post.

While it’s easy to dismiss this current project as a gag, given that it is a temporary exhibit put on by a cable show on a comedy network, the library takes its subject somewhat seriously. For the most part it refrains from pointed commentary, treating its subject to the same sort of organization and context you’d see for artworks in a museum gallery. A few choice tweets are printed out and framed, like the infamous taco bowl tweet and the more recent convfefe typo, with labels that give you the time, date and medium — “Twitter for Android,” of course. The cards also contain the sort of overwrought copy you often find on works of modern art talking about influences, like the taco bowl’s “oblique symbolism” that “embodies Trump’s trademark patriotism,” or comparing convfefe to Gilbert Stuart’s “Unfinished Portrait” of George Washington.

Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics! https://t.co/ufoTeQd8yA pic.twitter.com/k01Mc6CuDI

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2016

Daily Show host Trevor Noah said the museum is about “giving context to the tweets; not absorbing them one bite at a time, but looking at them as a body of work.” So the exhibit organizes and displays Trump’s tweets by subject, with comments on movies and TV shows grouped as “Constructive Criticism.” A entire pillar is dedicated to “Concern for the Integrity of the American Presidency,” featuring tweets from his period as a vocal birther.

Another wall in the library drilled down to more specific points of interest — like Trump’s commentary on the dissolution of Kristen Stewart’s and Robert Pattinson’s relationship. The tweets on this wall are presented as together as a narrative, a sort of physical version of Storify, focused on such ephemeral things as Diet Coke. A few of the president’s Twitter targets have their portraits on display as well, accompanied by the relevant tweet and a sound bite from them.

I know Mark Cuban well. He backed me big-time but I wasn’t interested in taking all of his calls.He’s not smart enough to run for president!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2017

Despite all this attention to replicating a traditional museum layout, The Daily Show still had a little fun with the concept. There was a giant Magnetic Poetry-esque display where you could rearrange typical Trump words into a tweet. A Trump nickname generator gave me the moniker “Sleepy Kris,” which honestly isn’t that inaccurate. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a stage replica of the Oval Office. But instead of sitting behind the Resolute desk, attendees were asked to put on a robe and sit on a golden toilet to compose a presidential tweet in 30 seconds. Noah said this is how they imagine Trump does most of his Twittering, no different from many of us. It’s not intended as an insult: Noah referred to him as the “millennial President,” with some of the same problems, like a fear of losing our job because of something we posted online.

But the similarities should end there — most of our tweets don’t have the power to affect the economy or foreign relations. The speed at which these presidential missives come is changing how the media reacts to the news, even a program like The Daily Show. Klepper explained that with so much information coming out, it’s more to pick and choose what they cover, drilling down into specific topics rather than trying to keep up with each new development.

The Daily Show does consider Trump’s Twitter official statements by the President, regardless of whether they’re being posted on a personal account. “He’s speaking for America,” Klepper said, especially since he doesn’t have a lot of press conferences and his tweets have the ability to affect policy. When I asked Klepper if he thought this could be the end of the prepared statement he said, “God, I hope not. It’s okay to get some unfiltered thoughts, but I do miss the days when people thought about what they were going to say and the consequences they have.”

The Fake News Media hates when I use what has turned out to be my very powerful Social Media – over 100 million people! I can go around them

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017

This Twitter gallery is meant to be a living work, with a screen displaying Trump’s live feed that sounds an alarm whenever it’s updated. But like a deleted tweet the library is also ephemeral: It’s only open this weekend in New York, closing its doors on Sunday. That doesn’t preclude the Daily Show from doing it again, or taking it on the road to other cities. The library is even looking for sponsors, though Noah joked that an unnamed resort in Florida they contacted never got back to them.

Photos and additional reporting by Cherlynn Low.

‘YotaPhone 3’ isn’t the dual-screen powerhouse you were expecting

If you’re one of the few people who are still waiting for the next dual-screen YotaPhone, listen up: we finally have an update for you. During Harbin’s China-Russia Expo over the weekend, Baoli Yota — the joint venture formed by investor Baoli (formerly known as REX) and manufacturer Coolpad — teased its upcoming “Yota3” with a date: it’s due in the early fall later this year (almost four years since the launch of its predecessor) and will come with 64GB or 128GB of storage for a more favorable $350 or $450, respectively, according to RBC.

Not much else is said about the device nor its design, but a source revealed to Engadget that there’s nothing new nor innovative here: it’s merely a new model with bigger screens, yet it’s powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 625 chipset — the same silicon inside the ASUS ZenFone 3, Moto Z Play and BlackBerry KEYone.

According to a spec sheet provided to Engadget, the Yota3 packs a much bigger 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display on the front and a 5.2-inch 720p E Ink touchscreen on the back, both of which are the least you’d expect after such a long wait. Likewise, you’ll find a fingerprint sensor on the front side. It’ll also come with Android Nougat, 4GB of RAM, dual SIM slots (one of which also serves as a microSD slot), a 12-megapixel main camera with dual flash, a 13-megapixel front camera, a 3,200mAh battery and a USB-C port which also does audio output (ugh).

These specs don’t seem bad on paper, but only for now; the Snapdragon 625 will make the Yota 3 look obsolete by the time it launches this fall — our source indicated some time between October and November. The two previous YotaPhones might have been a bit late to the game, but at least they shipped with flagship chipsets.

It’s been quite a roller coaster ride for the dual-screen YotaPhone series. Back in October 2015, Yota Devices planned to sell 64.9-percent stake to investment company Baoli who was going to enlist ZTE to manufacture the Yota3, but Baoli ended up buying just 30 percent in the following April. This left Telconet with 34.9-percent majority share, Rostec with 25.1 percent and MTH Limited with 10 percent.

Despite Baoli having already set up a joint venture with Coolpad (instead of ZTE) later that year, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov revealed back in March that Yota3’s mass production was held up by Baoli’s refusal to allocate the necessary funding. According to our source, Baoli had been making moves to force its Russian comrades out of the operation, so much that Yota Devices’ former CEO Vladislav Martynov has allegedly filed a lawsuit against Baoli in the UK.

As of July last year, Martynov had already handed the CEO role over to COO Dmitri Moiseyev while remaining on the board, but that didn’t seem to work out on Martynov’s end, nor is it clear whether Moiseyev is still at Yota Devices. Efforts to reach either men for comment for this article were unsuccessful.

At this rate, the future of Yota3 remains uncertain despite its recent teaser in China. It is rather mind-boggling how this Russian-Chinese partnership has managed to drag on for this long in the rapidly changing smartphone market. Even if it manages to deliver the phone, it will be a tough sell with that aging chipset plus an apparent lack of new innovation.

Source: RBC, TACC, Vedomosti

Discover your rockstar stage persona in ‘The Artful Escape’

“It’s not an artist’s job to give people something they want, but to give them something they never could have imagined.” These words are spoken to Francis Vendetti in The Artful Escape, an upcoming game that follows a young guitar prodigy on a psychedelic journey to discover who he really is. In the moment, the words are meant to help Vendetti find his own path as a musician, but it feels like they apply to the game itself — a gorgeous, musical storytelling experienced disguised as a platformer.

To the quote’s point, The Artful Escape feels like a game beyond my normal imagination. Not so much for its surreal imagery, but for the narrative its slightly absurdist art tells. Vendetti is a musician with incredible expectations on his shoulder. He’s a talented guitarist, but he lives in the shadow of his uncle’s fame. Everyone in his life expects him to be a great folks singer, like his uncle or Bob Dylan — but he’s starting to discover that he wants to be a little more like David Bowie.

The game’s E3 demo explores this idea by following Vendetti across a surreal, but absolutely gorgeous landscape. The player leaps over obstacles with double jumps, or glides across large gaps by “shredding” on a guitar, causing the character to slowly float to the ground. Simply walking through these landscapes is enjoyable and relaxing — but it’s the dialogue that makes the game interesting. Ghosts and strange creatures occasionally pepper Vendetti with questions. What kind of artist are you? What motivates you? Where does creativity come from? Finally, characters challenge the player to a simple rhythm game.

The game’s creative director, Johnny Galvatron, says each of these moments color the game’s ending in some way — helping to decide the stage persona Vendetti will adopt during his first public performance. It’s simple, relaxing, visually rich and, above all, thought provoking. To me, that’s everything an indie game should be. In other words, something I could never have imagined.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!

Girl Scouts aren’t just selling cookies — they’re learning to code, too

Why it matters to you

We could be making progress towards closing the gender gap in the tech industry thanks to the introduction of computer science into the Girl Scouts.

Girl Scouts will soon know how to do a lot more than sell a mean box of cookies. As the times change, so too are the skills being touted by the national organization, and now, young women across America can earn recognition for demonstrating mastery of a very topical subject — cybersecurity.

The 105-year-old organization has long offered “badges” to Girl Scouts who have shown their expertise in various topics. Historically, they’ve spanned a number of different fields, from first aid to outdoor activities; from cookie selling to science. And now, in a partnership with security firm Palo Alto Networks, cybersecurity will be added to the lengthy list.

Rolling out over the course of the next two years, these badges will become available to Girl Scouts from kindergarten through 12th grade. And according to Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo, the decision to add a cybersecurity badge was largely driven by the troops themselves. The executive told CNN that the Scouts were surveyed to determine which skills they were most interested in mastering.

“What we were really pleasantly surprised about is they wanted more computer science, specifically cybersecurity,” Acevedo said.

For younger Girl Scouts, getting a Cybersecurity badge will involved learning about data privacy, cyberbullying, and protecting themselves online. Older Scouts, on the other hand, will be able to learn how to code, become white hat (or ethical) hackers and create and work around firewalls, according to Acevedo.

And given that there are more than 1.8 million young women currently enrolled as Girl Scouts, this new badge could make a difference in terms of closing the gender gap in the tech industry.

“If the industry is going to tackle the cybersecurity problems of tomorrow, we’re going to need a robust and diverse talent pool,” said Rick Howard, chief security officer at Palo Alto Networks. The cybersecurity badge could be an important first step.

You can now log into HBO and Showtime with your Amazon credentials

Why it matters to you

Whereas you previously had to use your TV provider credentials to get these premium channels, you can now just take advantage of your Prime account.

TV providers aren’t disappearing — they’re just changing their appearances. The latest to adopt a role similar to the giants of industry of days past is none other than Amazon, darling of the cord-cutting generation, and really, TV provider in disguise. With the update to its Amazon Channels service (which allows Amazon Prime members to subscribe to other entertainment networks including HBO, Showtime, Starz, and Cinemax), users will now be able to log into these networks’ standalone streaming apps using their Amazon credentials, beginning with HBO and Showtime. Basically, it means that rather than entering your cable credentials to log into the HBO or Showtime app, you can just enter your Amazon information.

See? Amazon = TV provider.

Unsurprisingly, when Amazon first launched Channels back in 2015, the goal was actually to compete more with traditional providers. After all, historically speaking, you could only get access to these premium channels if you were paying for a TV subscription. But that’s clearly no longer the case.

HBO told TechCrunch that it launched a new feature last week allowing subscribers through Amazon Channels to access the HBO NOW app. That means that customers can now use their Amazon credentials to log onto the app through desktop, mobile, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon mobile Kindle and Fire TV devices, PlayStation 3 and 4, and Samsung Smart TVs. And soon, this feature will also come to Roku and Xbox 360 soon.

The Showtime Anytime app also supports Amazon login, which has actually been around since February.

To be fair, Amazon isn’t the first company to offer such functionality. As TechCrunch points out, both Sling TV and PlayStation View also allow their viewers to log into various third-party applications using their respective credentials. But all this to say that while the TV providers of yore may be losing ground to streaming services, the TV provider model isn’t going anywhere.

Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet: Weed-killing robots, mini scuba tanks, and more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Tertill — Roomba-like weed killing robot

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Despite the fact that the Roomba has been eclipsed by newer, more advanced robotic vacuums in recent years, the premise it was built on — automating mundane tasks with specialized robots — has lived on. Today, there are tons of single-purpose chore-bots on the market, designed for everything from cleaning your grill to sanitizing your countertops with UV light. And now, the company that kicked off the trend, Franklin Robotics, is back with a fresh new addition to the family: a weed-fighting robot called Tertill.

Broadly speaking, Tertill is almost exactly like Roomba. It roves around your space in a random pattern, and performs its job until it runs out of power. But that’s where the similarities end. Unlike vacuum bots, which rely on a charger dock to power themselves up, Tertill gets all its power from the sun. Once it runs out of power, it’ll just hang out and collect solar energy until its ready to go on another weed killing spree.

Additionally, Tertill doesn’t use suction to get the job done, instead relying on a miniature weed-whacker to obliterate newly-sprouted weeds.

Read more here

Radical Moov — Practical hoverboard

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

The hoverboard craze may have gone up in flames both literally and figuratively, but now that the smoke has cleared, a new generation is beginning to rise from the ashes. Startups are revisiting the hoverboard concept, and developing innovative new takes on the trendy, two-wheeled transportation device. The latest addition to the bunch? A gizmo called Radical Moov.

Moov differs from regular hoverboards in a couple of ways. At 9 inches in diameter and 3 inches in thickness, its wheels are bigger than those found on rival products. The result is greater stability, which is helped by a lower center of gravity for the section of the rideable that the user stands on. That’s a good thing because the Moov can travel faster than many hoverboards — around 15 miles per hour — and is also designed for performing a number of sport-style tricks.

The other big change are special sensors embedded in its floor mat, which let users control their ride by subtly shifting their weight. That’s a different approach to normal, but one that its creators hope will provide a more enjoyable riding experience.

Read more here

Micro — ultracompact universal travel adapter

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

If you ever plan to visit different countries in a single trip, bringing along a universal travel adapter is crucial. Depending on where you land, the outlets are likely to be completely different than what you’re used to — which means you’ll need an adapter to juice up your electronics.

Luckily, there are tons of universal travel adapters on the market right now. You can pick one up for under $20 on Amazon right now — but the thing is, most of them suck. Most of them aren’t equipped with fuses, and virtually all of them are bulky and inconvenient for travel.

Micro is an attempt to change that. Unlike most universal travel adapters, this one is designed to be slim, sleek, and travel friendly. In addition to a super clever form factor, it also features a swappable fuse system. This means that if you plug into an outlet with a load that’s too high for your device, it it’ll blow the adapter’s replaceable fuse instead of frying your expensive electronics.

Read more here

Zenbivy — comfortable, non-restrictive sleeping bag

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

If you’ve ever gone camping or backpacking and spent the evening in a mummy bag, you know just how awful they can be. Sure, they’re great when it comes to providing warmth and keeping your pack light, but when it comes to comfort, they’re a bit lacking. Most are shaped in such a way that they severely restrict your range of motion and bundle your feet together. But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if there was a sleeping bag that was just as warm and lightweight, but that also didn’t restrict your movement while you sleep?

Enter the Zenbivy. It’s a fresh new take on the traditional sleeping bag, and has been redesigned from the ground up with comfort in mind. Instead of using the mummy bag design, the Zenbivy system separates the bag into two distinct pieces: a base layer and a down comforter. Much like the layering system worn by hikers on the trail, these two pieces work in conjunction with one another to deliver warmth and comfort, essentially maintaining the same level of performance found in a traditional sleeping bag.  The difference is that Zenbivy offers far more wiggle room, so you’re not stuck in a cocoon all night.

Read more here

Scorkl — ultracompact respiration tank

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

If you’ve always wanted to try scuba diving but have been scared off by the high cost of gear and the prolonged certification process, this new Kickstarter gizmo just might be your dream come true. The Scorkl, as it’s called, is designed to provide a scuba-like experience with the ease and simplicity of snorkeling.

In a nutshell, Scorkl is a compact and lightweight scuba system that comes with a miniature air tank, an always-on regulator, and a pressure gauge. This system allows users to dive in relatively shallow waters and stay submerged for up to 10 minutes at a time. Scorkl’s designers say that it’s safe for use down to 20 meters below sea level, provided the diver is scuba certified — although they recommend that most users stay above the 10 meter mark just to be safe. And the best part? You can refill it with a bike pump.

Read more here

Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet: Weed-killing robots, mini scuba tanks, and more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Tertill — Roomba-like weed killing robot

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Despite the fact that the Roomba has been eclipsed by newer, more advanced robotic vacuums in recent years, the premise it was built on — automating mundane tasks with specialized robots — has lived on. Today, there are tons of single-purpose chore-bots on the market, designed for everything from cleaning your grill to sanitizing your countertops with UV light. And now, the company that kicked off the trend, Franklin Robotics, is back with a fresh new addition to the family: a weed-fighting robot called Tertill.

Broadly speaking, Tertill is almost exactly like Roomba. It roves around your space in a random pattern, and performs its job until it runs out of power. But that’s where the similarities end. Unlike vacuum bots, which rely on a charger dock to power themselves up, Tertill gets all its power from the sun. Once it runs out of power, it’ll just hang out and collect solar energy until its ready to go on another weed killing spree.

Additionally, Tertill doesn’t use suction to get the job done, instead relying on a miniature weed-whacker to obliterate newly-sprouted weeds.

Read more here

Radical Moov — Practical hoverboard

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

The hoverboard craze may have gone up in flames both literally and figuratively, but now that the smoke has cleared, a new generation is beginning to rise from the ashes. Startups are revisiting the hoverboard concept, and developing innovative new takes on the trendy, two-wheeled transportation device. The latest addition to the bunch? A gizmo called Radical Moov.

Moov differs from regular hoverboards in a couple of ways. At 9 inches in diameter and 3 inches in thickness, its wheels are bigger than those found on rival products. The result is greater stability, which is helped by a lower center of gravity for the section of the rideable that the user stands on. That’s a good thing because the Moov can travel faster than many hoverboards — around 15 miles per hour — and is also designed for performing a number of sport-style tricks.

The other big change are special sensors embedded in its floor mat, which let users control their ride by subtly shifting their weight. That’s a different approach to normal, but one that its creators hope will provide a more enjoyable riding experience.

Read more here

Micro — ultracompact universal travel adapter

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

If you ever plan to visit different countries in a single trip, bringing along a universal travel adapter is crucial. Depending on where you land, the outlets are likely to be completely different than what you’re used to — which means you’ll need an adapter to juice up your electronics.

Luckily, there are tons of universal travel adapters on the market right now. You can pick one up for under $20 on Amazon right now — but the thing is, most of them suck. Most of them aren’t equipped with fuses, and virtually all of them are bulky and inconvenient for travel.

Micro is an attempt to change that. Unlike most universal travel adapters, this one is designed to be slim, sleek, and travel friendly. In addition to a super clever form factor, it also features a swappable fuse system. This means that if you plug into an outlet with a load that’s too high for your device, it it’ll blow the adapter’s replaceable fuse instead of frying your expensive electronics.

Read more here

Zenbivy — comfortable, non-restrictive sleeping bag

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

If you’ve ever gone camping or backpacking and spent the evening in a mummy bag, you know just how awful they can be. Sure, they’re great when it comes to providing warmth and keeping your pack light, but when it comes to comfort, they’re a bit lacking. Most are shaped in such a way that they severely restrict your range of motion and bundle your feet together. But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if there was a sleeping bag that was just as warm and lightweight, but that also didn’t restrict your movement while you sleep?

Enter the Zenbivy. It’s a fresh new take on the traditional sleeping bag, and has been redesigned from the ground up with comfort in mind. Instead of using the mummy bag design, the Zenbivy system separates the bag into two distinct pieces: a base layer and a down comforter. Much like the layering system worn by hikers on the trail, these two pieces work in conjunction with one another to deliver warmth and comfort, essentially maintaining the same level of performance found in a traditional sleeping bag.  The difference is that Zenbivy offers far more wiggle room, so you’re not stuck in a cocoon all night.

Read more here

Scorkl — ultracompact respiration tank

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

If you’ve always wanted to try scuba diving but have been scared off by the high cost of gear and the prolonged certification process, this new Kickstarter gizmo just might be your dream come true. The Scorkl, as it’s called, is designed to provide a scuba-like experience with the ease and simplicity of snorkeling.

In a nutshell, Scorkl is a compact and lightweight scuba system that comes with a miniature air tank, an always-on regulator, and a pressure gauge. This system allows users to dive in relatively shallow waters and stay submerged for up to 10 minutes at a time. Scorkl’s designers say that it’s safe for use down to 20 meters below sea level, provided the diver is scuba certified — although they recommend that most users stay above the 10 meter mark just to be safe. And the best part? You can refill it with a bike pump.

Read more here

Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet: Weed-killing robots, mini scuba tanks, and more

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Tertill — Roomba-like weed killing robot

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Despite the fact that the Roomba has been eclipsed by newer, more advanced robotic vacuums in recent years, the premise it was built on — automating mundane tasks with specialized robots — has lived on. Today, there are tons of single-purpose chore-bots on the market, designed for everything from cleaning your grill to sanitizing your countertops with UV light. And now, the company that kicked off the trend, Franklin Robotics, is back with a fresh new addition to the family: a weed-fighting robot called Tertill.

Broadly speaking, Tertill is almost exactly like Roomba. It roves around your space in a random pattern, and performs its job until it runs out of power. But that’s where the similarities end. Unlike vacuum bots, which rely on a charger dock to power themselves up, Tertill gets all its power from the sun. Once it runs out of power, it’ll just hang out and collect solar energy until its ready to go on another weed killing spree.

Additionally, Tertill doesn’t use suction to get the job done, instead relying on a miniature weed-whacker to obliterate newly-sprouted weeds.

Read more here

Radical Moov — Practical hoverboard

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

The hoverboard craze may have gone up in flames both literally and figuratively, but now that the smoke has cleared, a new generation is beginning to rise from the ashes. Startups are revisiting the hoverboard concept, and developing innovative new takes on the trendy, two-wheeled transportation device. The latest addition to the bunch? A gizmo called Radical Moov.

Moov differs from regular hoverboards in a couple of ways. At 9 inches in diameter and 3 inches in thickness, its wheels are bigger than those found on rival products. The result is greater stability, which is helped by a lower center of gravity for the section of the rideable that the user stands on. That’s a good thing because the Moov can travel faster than many hoverboards — around 15 miles per hour — and is also designed for performing a number of sport-style tricks.

The other big change are special sensors embedded in its floor mat, which let users control their ride by subtly shifting their weight. That’s a different approach to normal, but one that its creators hope will provide a more enjoyable riding experience.

Read more here

Micro — ultracompact universal travel adapter

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

If you ever plan to visit different countries in a single trip, bringing along a universal travel adapter is crucial. Depending on where you land, the outlets are likely to be completely different than what you’re used to — which means you’ll need an adapter to juice up your electronics.

Luckily, there are tons of universal travel adapters on the market right now. You can pick one up for under $20 on Amazon right now — but the thing is, most of them suck. Most of them aren’t equipped with fuses, and virtually all of them are bulky and inconvenient for travel.

Micro is an attempt to change that. Unlike most universal travel adapters, this one is designed to be slim, sleek, and travel friendly. In addition to a super clever form factor, it also features a swappable fuse system. This means that if you plug into an outlet with a load that’s too high for your device, it it’ll blow the adapter’s replaceable fuse instead of frying your expensive electronics.

Read more here

Zenbivy — comfortable, non-restrictive sleeping bag

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If you’ve ever gone camping or backpacking and spent the evening in a mummy bag, you know just how awful they can be. Sure, they’re great when it comes to providing warmth and keeping your pack light, but when it comes to comfort, they’re a bit lacking. Most are shaped in such a way that they severely restrict your range of motion and bundle your feet together. But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if there was a sleeping bag that was just as warm and lightweight, but that also didn’t restrict your movement while you sleep?

Enter the Zenbivy. It’s a fresh new take on the traditional sleeping bag, and has been redesigned from the ground up with comfort in mind. Instead of using the mummy bag design, the Zenbivy system separates the bag into two distinct pieces: a base layer and a down comforter. Much like the layering system worn by hikers on the trail, these two pieces work in conjunction with one another to deliver warmth and comfort, essentially maintaining the same level of performance found in a traditional sleeping bag.  The difference is that Zenbivy offers far more wiggle room, so you’re not stuck in a cocoon all night.

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Scorkl — ultracompact respiration tank

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If you’ve always wanted to try scuba diving but have been scared off by the high cost of gear and the prolonged certification process, this new Kickstarter gizmo just might be your dream come true. The Scorkl, as it’s called, is designed to provide a scuba-like experience with the ease and simplicity of snorkeling.

In a nutshell, Scorkl is a compact and lightweight scuba system that comes with a miniature air tank, an always-on regulator, and a pressure gauge. This system allows users to dive in relatively shallow waters and stay submerged for up to 10 minutes at a time. Scorkl’s designers say that it’s safe for use down to 20 meters below sea level, provided the diver is scuba certified — although they recommend that most users stay above the 10 meter mark just to be safe. And the best part? You can refill it with a bike pump.

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App Attack: Find Garfield’s comics, step up your photo game with Halide

Looking for even more control over your iPhone camera? Need a Pokémon Go replacement this summer? This week, we’ve got two apps that can help you step up your camera game, as well as keep you on your toes with a popular cat.

Halide

While reviewing photos, you can add them to your favorites or delete them.

Focus Peaking highlights the sharpest contrast in red.

Live histogram shows you the right exposure.

Halide is an app that lets you take the iPhone camera a step further — it gives you the DSLR-like features, without having to carry around a bulky device.

The iOS camera only provides basic editing options like cropping, and adding color filters. Halide, on the other hand, gives you advanced settings to capture a more powerful photo by focusing on detail before you snap a photo. It includes features like smart auto-focus and manual focus, along with full manual controls that let you adjust the ISO, exposure, and white balance. Its gesture-based interface has controls that can be customized to your liking after you start to get used to it.

While I do own a DSLR camera, I’ll admit that I’m still a beginner (correction: extreme beginner). I don’t often switch from automatic to manual, because otherwise I’d end up spending more time trying to figure out how to adjust the settings perfectly than taking a photo.

I assumed because it’s an app it would make the process of using the manual mode much easier. I learned the opposite — it definitely still requires background knowledge of how the settings themselves function to take quality photos.

While the app is very much for professionals, the controls are easy to use — tap on the icons or slide your finger on the bar at the bottom to make adjustments. When going through your gallery, you can put those Tinder skills to use by swiping right to add a photo to your favorites or left to delete it. You can add options like grid overlay and a built-in level, which helps to keep your photos straight.

The histogram is also a nice addition to help you find the right exposure and contrast, and Focus Peaking highlights what’s in focus in red. It’s also really convenient to adjust the shutter speed by swiping the right side of the screen up or down to the desired number.

If you’re a complete beginner who isn’t at all familiar with white balance or ISO sensitivity, this app is still worth downloading because it might be an easier way for you learn the basics. You get to see your changes in real time — without worrying about switching back and forth between settings on a basic DSLR camera.

Halide is currently only available on iOS for $3, and features like histogram, focus peaking, and RAW require having the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPhone 7, 7 Plus, or iPhone SE. With summer finally here, this app might just be the motivating factor to getting outside to take some (Instagram-worthy) scenic photos.

Garfield Go

If you thought Pokémon Go was enough to keep you entertained last summer, there’s now Garfield Go (the original grumpy cat). This time instead of trying to find Pokémon, you’re helping Garfield get his comics back — they’re scattered around the world in treasure chests thanks to Odie. To find the treasure chests, you first have to find coins spread out near them. But Garfield being Garfield, to get his help you’ll have to feed him — me too, Garfield, me too.

Even though the style and layout of the game is almost exactly the same as Pokémon Go, the basic augmented reality is entertaining, and the graphics are bright and colorful. When I first started playing, I believed the coins you have to collect throughout the map would be in close proximity. After all, Garfield is known as the cat who considers breathing a form of exercise. I envisioned myself collecting all the coins within a few steps of my phone and easily advancing to the next level.

But I was wrong. Really wrong. This game makes Garfield look super active. I only collected a few coins where I was sitting before I received a pop-up telling me the treasure chests were out of range and I needed to get up and go outside — the struggle.

Once you do land on a coin, you’re greeted by a hungry Garfield who won’t budge until he eats. Feeding him is basically the same as throwing a Poké Ball or berry at a Pokemon except this time, you’re throwing the food into Garfield’s food bowl. There’s different junk food you can throw — ranging from pizza to the classic lasagna– and other food can be purchased with the coins you collect.

Throwing food into the bowl is more difficult than it sounds. Garfield doesn’t mess around though — if you don’t feed him in three tries, you’re brought back to the map to move on to another coin instead. Once you do feed him, a bar appears at the top of the screen labeled “hot and cold” forcing you to move your phone around as it hints whether or not you’re close to the treasure chest to collect a comic.

The main appeal of this game are the prizes you win if you’re lucky enough to land on a particular treasure chest. The prize list includes plush versions of Garfield, Odie, and Pooky, as well as gift cards for Starbucks, Amazon, and Dominoes.

Garfield Go is available on Android and iOS for free. If Garfield wasn’t already miserable enough, you can also use in-app purchases to buy him different hats to wear like a top hat, fedora, or a party hat.