Gadgets Week In Review: Parts

Here are some stories from the past week on TechCrunch Gadgets: Okay HP, Let?s Make Some Lemonade Review: Brite-Strike Rugged Flashlights The Vibram Trek LS And Bormio: Ugly, Crazy Monkey Shoes Get Even Crazier Giant Gundam Robot Statue Returns To Tokyo ? In Parts Kickstarter Project Empowers Students, Plays The Mario Theme With Plasma

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/22/gadgets-week-in-review-parts/

Beyoncé

Top of the First Antarctic Explorers' Packing List: Lots and Lots of Cocaine [Medicine]

Headed out to explore the frigid Arctic? Better pack some blow. Scottish author Gavin Francis details the medical supplies early 20th century expeditions took on their treks to the South Pole, and they read more like the inventory list of a heavily stocked drug den than a voyage to the coldest place on the planet. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/-eHJRUyvITU/top-of-the-first-antarctic-explorers-packing-list-lots-and-lots-of-cocaine

Alessandra Ambrosio

Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game

So, you're a ball. A Tarzan Ball, to be precise. You've earned the nickname thanks to your astonishing ability to shoot out a lengthy 'vine' (I hope it's a vine) at objects, and then pull yourself towards those objects.

That's a handy ability to have, especially since you've got no legs, no arms, and no other means of transportation. In Tarzan Ball, the rope is everything. But you don't just swing around the screen aimlessly - that wouldn't be much of a game now, would it?

Instead, your goal in life is to collect "targets". Each level has one of these "targets" hidden away somewhere on the screen, usually behind some kind of barrier. Once you navigate close enough to the target, you can shoot your rope at it and just reel it in. That's when you pass the level.

You can't die in this game, but it can still be very frustrating. It's actually one of the tougher games I've posted recently. Still, if you enjoy physics games, this one is quite nicely made.

[This is actually the sequel to IQ Ball, which we covered last year! -Ed]

Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/21/tarzan-ball-is-a-tricky-hook-and-pull-physics-game/

Chelsea Handler

A 10 Foot USB Cable Will Change Your Life [Daily Desired]

Here's one thing that you can buy for five bucks that'll make your life instantly better: a 10-foot long USB extension cable. I swear—this is not hyperbole here—buying one of these cords will change your smartphone using habits as much as buying a new iPhone 5 would, for a fraction of the price. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xxoxpB2Daik/a-10-foot-usb-cable-will-change-your-life

Dita Von Teese

Don't mind the zero-emissions Mercedes fuel-cell car behind the invisible curtain (eyes-on video)

Mercedes wanted to make a dramatic statement about how its new B-Class F-Cell car passes through the environment without leaving a trace, so it placed it behind an invisible LED curtain. We wanted to (not?) see that for ourselves at the Paris Auto Show, so took a quick tour of the magic LED cloak and the technology behind it. It doesn't work quite as well in a show hall as it did when we first saw it in its natural habitat, but the system was still a fun way to show off Merc's green ambitions. It works by passing video from behind the car taken with a Sony video camera through a laptop to a 200 x 300 resolution LED curtain. That makes the car blend in with its background, which is what such a car would do in the real world as far as its emissions go -- apart from a little water, of course. See the video below for the complete technical explanation.

Continue reading Don't mind the zero-emissions Mercedes fuel-cell car behind the invisible curtain (eyes-on video)

Filed under: Transportation

Don't mind the zero-emissions Mercedes fuel-cell car behind the invisible curtain (eyes-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/28/Mercedes-f-cell-b-class-eyes-on/

Jennie Finch

Driverless Cars Get California License

Driverless cars might be making more of an appearance on California roads, thanks to a new law that sets safety and performance guidelines for advancing autonomous vehicles in the state. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Alex Padilla, and Google cofounder Sergey Brin were on hand at the company's Mountain View headquarters on Tuesday, when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/23d9e71a/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C762540Bhtml/story01.htm

Brooke Burke

Windows 8 to feature adaptive Aero colorization, get it now on Windows 7

While we've still yet to see anything truly Earth-shattering, the tandem of Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott continues to churn out insight about interesting new features they've discovered in Windows 8 milestone 3. The latest discovery is that Aero in Windows 8 will be able to automatically adapt itself to match your current wallpaper image. It's a bit like what Windows 7 already does with your taskbar icons: if a program alert needs your attention, the icon will glow using the predominant color (e.g. Firefox should glow orange).

And yes, you can already make Windows 7 behave this way if you like. Over at CodePlex, there's a little program called Aura that parks itself in your system tray and automatically adjusts your window borders to compliment your wallpaper images. The effect is quite nice, and you can try it out by minimizing your windows and cycling through your theme's wallpapers (right click on your desktop and choose next desktop background).

Windows 8 to feature adaptive Aero colorization, get it now on Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/windows-8-to-feature-adaptive-aero-colorization-get-it-now-on-w/

Gabrielle Union

Moo.com working on NFC-equipped business cards, kicks off limited beta program today

Do you recall those fancy business cards that took a design cue straight out of your adored Facebook Timeline? Well, the company behind such neat idea is now working on bringing cards equipped with NFC technology, which will allow folks to add things like email address, URLs and even pinpoint locations for easy access via any maps application. Of course, most of this information can already be shared using typical business cards, but one of the biggest pros with the Near Field Communication method will be the ability to change this info at any given time without having to purchase a whole new set. Moo plans on having the NFC-ready cards available to the masses by 2013 -- that said, the startup's currently running a beta program where it will allow 150,000 lucky folks get a complimentary card with their order of a traditional sheet. There's a video demo down below for you to check out, and you should probably act fast if you're looking to get one for yourself ahead of the extensive rollout.

Continue reading Moo.com working on NFC-equipped business cards, kicks off limited beta program today

Filed under: Misc

Moo.com working on NFC-equipped business cards, kicks off limited beta program today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/27/moo-com-nfc-business-cards/

Adriana Lima

Did Motorola Fake an Address to Make Apple Maps Look Even Worse Than It Is? [Badvertising]

Everybody—or well, almost everybody—knows that Apple Maps is inferior to Google Maps. There are countless examples of Apple Maps being worse! Motorola, however, ignored all the real examples and used a fake address to show off how Google Maps is better than Apple Maps. Huh? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/p7p76cQf7xM/did-motorola-fake-an-address-to-make-apple-maps-look-even-worse-than-it-is

Eliza Dushku

What Happens When People Use Google Maps and Apple Maps in a Race? [Video]

Apple maps is unreliable, half-baked, and down right frustrating. But how does it actually stack up against the competition in real life? Reuters pits Apple's solution up against Google Maps in a head-to-head race on the ground in Hong Kong, and the results probably won't surprise you. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/JpiWvOrgMFc/what-happens-when-people-use-google-maps-and-apple-maps-in-a-race

Drew Barrymore

Bad Piggies review

Bad Piggies launched on Android and iOS today, mashing together the physics-based, build-it-yourself gameplay of Amazing Alex with the highly recognizable green pigs from Rovio’s first smash hit, Angry Birds. Angry Birds is a hard act to follow even by its own creator. Can this pig fly and do Rovio’s heritage justice, or are we just seeing a lot of lipstick?

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/WyGp1x641Gs/story01.htm

Aki Ross