Geek News: Latest Technology, Product Reviews, Gadgets and Tech Podcast News for Geeks


BubbleScope Takes 360° Pictures and Video at The Gadget Show

Posted by Andrew at 11:31 PM on April 18, 2012

The BubbleScope is an optical attachment for smartphones that takes 360° pictures and video called “Bubbles”. The BubblePix smartphone app is used to capture, view and share online the Bubbles, which can be hosted free at bubblepix.com. The pictures below gives you a feel of wraparound nature of a Bubble but when it’s in the BubblePix app, it joins up seamlessly. Here’s one in a fountain - the effect is amazing.

Gadget Show Bubble

Rollercoaster Bubble

Shaped a bit like a periscope, the BubbleScope attaches to the to the smartphone and uses the phone’s built-in camera to record the imagery. The optical part of the scope pops up and down to keep it clean and undamaged. Available initially for the iPhone 4 & 4S, it will be on sale this summer for £64.99. Versions compatible with other leading smartphones (Android) will be released shortly afterwards.

BubbleScoppe

In the interview at the Gadget Show Live, I talk with Tom Lawton, the inventor of BubbleScope about the device and how it took ten years to turn it from idea to product.

This is my favourite interview from the Gadget Show Live, so if you only listen to one of these, listen to this one.

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Posted in Accessory, Android, Apple, google, Interview, iOS, iPhone, Photography, smartphone, Special Media

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Sonos Streams at The Gadget Show

Posted by Andrew at 12:06 PM on April 14, 2012

Sonos Play 3 Sonos are well-known for their innovative audio products which integrate together to build highly controllable wireless hi-fi systems. Simplistically, you can start with one or two units and build-up over time until you can play music in any room in the house. The Sonos system can be controlled via smartphones and tablets with apps available for both iOS and Android devices.

I chat to Ian about Sonos’ latest developments including Spotify streaming, their entry-level unity the Play 3, and the larger Play 5.

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Posted in Android, Apple, google, Interview, iOS, IPAD, iPhone, radio, smartphone, Speakers, Special Media, Streaming, tablet

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IDAPT Universal Multichargers at The Gadget Show

Posted by Andrew at 4:14 PM on April 12, 2012

The need to charge today’s mobile gadgets on an almost daily basis is one of the downsides of faster processors and bigger screens. Although companies like Palm have tried to introduce inductive charging, most gadgets need to be simply plugged in. This leads to the proliferation of wall chargers and a mess of cables.

IDAPT‘s solutions bring order to the chaos with multi-device chargers that have interchangeable charging tips to suit the device being charged – smartphones, portable game consoles, tablets, digital cameras, even rechargeable batteries.

The i4 can charge three devices on top with a fourth on the side (right) and the i2+ takes two on top (bottom left). The i1 eco is a portable charger (middle) and only charges one device but is made from recycled plastic.

IDAPT Charging Units

The bright yellow IDAPT S1 Universal Speaker is shown below with an iPad but it’s device agnostic and uses Bluetooth rather than the device connector to transmit the music. I’ve been looking for a decent speaker dock that works with something other than an Apple device so I’ll be taking a hard look at this one.

IDAPT Loudspeaker Dock

I chat with Myles Pomfret, IDAPT’s country manager at The Gadget Show Live to find out more about these versatile chargers.

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Posted in Bluetooth, Gadgets, Gear, Interview, smartphone, Special Media, tablet, USB

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Fitbit Ultra Counts Those Steps at The Gadget Show

Posted by Andrew at 3:39 PM on April 12, 2012

Fitbit UltraMost of us could do with being a little bit fitter and shedding a few pounds. Fitbit wants to help us achieve that goal by combining technology with peer pressure and our natural competitiveness.

The Fitbit Ultra wireless tracker is the 21st century equivalent of a pedometer, recording the steps taken during the day for later upload to your home PC. It’s tiny and can easily be clipped to a waist band or left in a pocket. In addition to recording physical activity, it can also record your sleep – how long were you in bed, were you restless, did you have to get up?

The second gadget is the Fitbit Aria, smart scales that measure weight, BMI and % body, and wirelessly transmits the information on to your PC.

Fitbit Aria

The Fitbit combines all this information with smartphone apps (iOS & Android) and dietary information to create a personal portfolio of your lifestyle. Of course, you can also tweet your successes to friends and family, though you might want to keep it quiet when you pile on the pounds.

You can find out more from their website or you can listen to this interview with Peter Groom, Fitbit’s UK Country Manager.

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Posted in health, Interview, smartphone, Special Media, tablet

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Screen Cleaning with Stickems at The Gadget Show

Posted by Andrew at 3:37 PM on April 12, 2012

Keep Calm and Drink Tea StickemIf you have a smartphone, tablet or other fingerprint magnet, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve also got something to clean your screen, whether it’s a microfibre cloth or carbon-based wiper. However, these all suffer from the same problem….you never have it when you want it. Stickems solve this problem by sticking to the back of your phone or tablet, ready for use at anytime.

Coming in a good range of sizes and patterns, Stickems have ultra fine microfibre cloth on one side to clean the screen of dust, fingerprints, ear smudges and make-up, with a self-cling backing on the other side. The Stickem simply peels off for use and sticks back on when done. Prices range from £2.99 to £4.99.

I caught up with Alex from Stickems at The Gadget Show Live and he told me more. I suspect he hasn’t actually wiped 10,000 times and I don’t think there’s really a guarantee….

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Posted in Gadgets, Gear, Interview, smartphone, Special Media, tablet

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Phone Signal Boosting Garden Gnomes

Posted by Andrew at 12:01 AM on April 1, 2012

Gnomes 4uIndependent mobile retailer Phones 4u has today launched a range of garden gnomes which conceal high-tech mobile phone signal boosters to improve mobile phone coverage in otherwise poorly served areas. Branded as Gnomes 4u, there will be a range of gnomes in different poses plus celebrity gnomes based on famous people.

The Gnomes 4u signal boosters are portable and improve the mobile signal, even in the most remote or challenging locations, indoors or outdoors. The gnomes’ bodies boost mobile signal via secret aerials disguised as typical gnome accessories such as fishing rods, rakes, spades and even an accordion. The effect of the gnomes is cumulative, so the more gnomes in the area, the greater the boosting effect.

Gnome Display

They can also boost home Wi-Fi and project it through what Phones 4u like to call “beardband” (groan), allowing people to work or browse in the garden during the warm summer months.

Scott Hooton, Chief Commercial Officer from Phones 4u comments, “Phones 4u is proud to be taking the first step in bringing this innovative mobile technology to the people of Britain. Mobile signal boosting kit can traditionally be quite unattractive and we wanted to create something more aesthetically pleasing and fun!”

Set to be the must-have outdoor accessory this summer, the Gnomes 4u collection will be available from selected Phones 4u stores across the UK from 1st April priced at £74.99. To see the exclusive celebrity range, visit the Phones 4u Facebook page You can also view a video trailer for the new product on YouTube.

Celebrity Gnomes

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Posted in mobile, smartphone

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Apps That Will Get You Ready for Diablo III

Posted by JenThorpe at 12:39 AM on March 28, 2012

Diablo III will be released on May 15, 2012. My friends and I simply cannot wait to start playing! If you weren’t lucky enough to get into the beta, then you will want to check out a few D3 related apps. These can help prepare you to start playing Diablo III the instant the servers go live.

Diablo III Lore is an app that is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It requires iOS 4.2 or later. I’ve heard a lot of people asking about how they can quickly learn more about the lore of the Diablo games so that they will understand who the some of the NPC’s are, and the stories behind some of the quests, in D3. This is the app for that. Scroll through, and read to your heart’s desire.

Diablo III Skill Calculator is an app that I found on Google Play. It is compatible with Android devices. In Diablo II, the way you chose skills, and built your character, was a very big deal. Once selected, you couldn’t change anything. In Diablo III, you are going to have more flexibility about changing your skills than you did in Diablo II. This app will show you the skills that each class can use. You can play around with them right now, and get familiar with how it works before release day.

Diablo 3 Handbook is another app I found on Google Play. It is compatible with Android devices. This app is a game guide for Diablo III. You get information about each class, about active and passive skills, items, followers, and the world itself. It also contains a skill calculator.

Countdown For Diablo is available through the iTunes store. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It requires iOS 3.0 or later. Are you dying to know exactly how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds are left before Diablo III is ready? This is the app for that. You can check it as often as you like. Is it ready yet? No? How about now? Still no? How about now?…

It is worth noting that none of these apps are made by Blizzard Entertainment, the company that makes the Diablo III game.

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Posted in Android, application, Gaming, iOS, IPAD, iPhone, ipod, smartphone

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