In a world where we carry around smartphones and tablets as a matter of routine, it's true that an unfortunate outcome of that is that we seem to be constantly charging things. if we're not charging our smartphones, then we're charging that tablet that we've been playing that hot new game on. In our houses here at least, there's always something on-charge.
Touch-screen phones are great, but sometimes there is just no substitute for a good old hardware solution. Being able to have a button that's always available, and always does the same thing is not something that should be overlooked, and that's why there are more than a few Kickstarter projects aiming to bring a little more physicality to our touch-based world.
Just when you think you've heard it all, a company comes with through with a new mobile case that helps to deal with the issue of "selfie arm." If you've never heard of this recently-coined phrase, it's used to describe the visible arm in self-shots, or selfies, taken with a mobile device, and the Selfy case looks to, ahem, arm you against this unsightly intruder with the assistance of a remote Bluetooth shutter control.
Panoramic, 360-degree photo and video has become increasingly popular as both the hardware and software of our mobile devices has continued to evolve, and although it's still rather difficult to perfectly capture the moment from all angles, many of us continue to enjoy the process of creating these kinds of images and clips. Now, though, a new product by the name of the CENTR Panoramic Video Camera, developed by ex-iPhone engineers, has sought to take this segment of the point-and-shoot market to the next level, having just thrown up a Kickstarter campaign for the compact, feature-rich gadget that touts a high-quality 360-degree video experience.
If you loved Orbotix's Sphero Robot Ball then the likelihood is that you'll be positively thrilled with their latest introduction at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The originally released Sphero was a quirky, fun and innovative smartphone controlled robotic sphere that provided hours of fun and entertainment. The latest edition to the Orbotix family is the Sphero 2B, a new cylinder shaped toy that takes on a slightly different form factor but still manages to pack in all of the fun and innocent glee that you would imagine a Sphero device would have thanks to its "mad speed" and "sick tricks".
Dual-SIM smartphones are part of normal everyday life in countries like China. The majority of local Chinese manufacturers invariably offer some kind of low-end, low-cost piece of kit that mimics the look and feel of a popular device but comes with the ability to run two SIM cards at any given time. That type of device is extremely rare in the European and American markets, but does come with a very tangible benefits for the user. James Sung, the man behind the original dual SIM peel case, has recognized these benefits and is back with a new product called Teleza, which he thinks is the perfect solution to our dual-SIM requirements.
Samsung has today announced the availability of its new GamePad controller in select European markets. The Samsung GamePad is a second-generation product that offers an entirely new design, stepping away from its Xbox controller inspired design roots and bringing a fresh new look to the table.
The introduction and rise to prominence of the cloud in recent years has made the rigmarole of file sharing a whole lot less cumbersome. Moreover, mobile devices needn't be packed to the gills with storage space, for the cloud can hoard stuff we don't immediately need in a secure unit. This, of course, is a pretty idealistic view, since a lot of folks still like to retain files on a device for convenience or offline viewing, and if you've ever wished you could share said files without having to find some kind of Web-based middleman, PhotoFast's i-FlashDrive has your back.
Crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are a great way for individuals and groups to take an idea to the masses, and in the past few years, we've seen some truly weird, wonderful and genuinely innovative products and services grow from a simple video and description to items used by millions. As impressed as we've been, a new iPhone/Android-controlled paper Airplane proves once again that we can be surprised and inspired all at one, and when you've seen the clip of it in action, you'll see why it has already smashed its funding goal several times over with over eight weeks still to run.
When Apple announced the original iPhone back in 2007, perhaps the biggest thing that Steve Jobs spoke about at the time was the new way of inputting data onto the device. Before then, smartphones had clunky hardware keyboards and small screens but now, post-iPhone, things were going to change, with large screens and software keyboards becoming the norm.
