Technology

This is one of those gadgets that’s going to make you think “what took them so long?”  FlipsAudio are new headphones that look and behave like headphones until you flip the earpieces around and they convert into full-blown portable speakers too.

The headphones themselves feature custom vented ear cups and plush memory foam padding and they fold inwards to pack away neatly into a bag.

Fold them the other way, and they turn into powerful speakers that only start working once they’re pointed away from your ears.

They run on their own gas in the form of rechargeable li-ion batteries and come in white or black.

Get it: R2 200
From: https://www.flipsaudio.com/

In the Xperia Z tablet, Sony have accomplished what can only be described as a modern miracle: a tablet that impresses more than an iPad or a Galaxy ever could. This Snapdragon-toting, Bravia Engine 2-having, lightweight-being device has blown my mind over the past few days.

Bold words, but here’s why the Xperia Tablet Z rocks so damn hard.

First impression, it’s rugged and sturdy despite being thin and smooth. And besides feeling like it weighs less than an iPad (it does at 495g to the iPad’s hefty 652g), it’s also water-resistant (half an hour underwater) and dust-proof.

My test for weight and ease of use of a tablet is done while lying down in bed reading a book before passing out at night. The Xperia Tablet Z is the best electronic device I have ever read on during the night, and when the inevitable happens and it falls out of my hand ‘cos I’ve passed out, it survived the fall, scratch free.

The body is also incredibly easy to hold, rest on your lap or toss onto the couch next to you without worrying it’s going to slip in any of those situations.

It has a 10.1-inch HD display, runs Android Jellybean on a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Quad Core processor and it has RAM of 2GB and a hard drive up to 16GB.

Obviously it’s made by Sony so you benefit from all the mother companies tech including entertainment the likes of which you’re used to from your Playstation and an 8.1MP camera with 16x digital zoom, HD video recording and a Exmor R for mobile image sensor.

One gripe that comes from using Windows 8 so regularly is the lack of life in Androids glass bevels. In W8 you simply swipe in from the left to see what apps you have open. On this, it’s a whole search and push of an onscreen button.

This is a big day for me. The most common question I get asked is: which tablet should I buy? For the first time I feel fully confident when not answering iPad or Galaxy. A truly great device.

Get it: R6 000
From: www.sonymobilesa.co.za/xperiaTabletZ/

Sheer, simple, genius. Three words to describe a set of headphones that pump out decent sound and all the while keep your mobile device charged at the same time. It’s a new Kickstarter project from OnBeat.

These comfortable solar powered headphones produce accurate highs and lows and are strapped along the top by small photovoltaics generating enough power to recharge electronic devices or any USB chargeable device. And this happens while you listen to your music.

Inside are two lithium ion batteries which are connected to the photovoltaics and provide enough energy to keep a users iPhone or iPad fully charged at at all times.

Back them here

Tough in name and in character, the Olympus Stylus Tough TG-2 upgrades on the older TG-1 model and continue to impress.

The TG-2 is no small piece of hardware, it’s bulky in your hand but that’s good at instilling confidence that as you tumble off the back of a horse or jump out of a plane, your digital friend will survive the bumps and bruises.

And its activities like this where the TG-2 shines. Shockproof, freeze proof, crushproof and waterproof, the TG-2 won’t go down without a fight, but you can get these features in some Smartphones these days.

Well the TG-2 has GPS tracking and 240fps high-speed movie recording for super slow-motion playback. Hmmm. Also something some Smartphones can do.

Then it’s on to the party piece. The TG-2 can see better in the dark than a cat on ecstasy. By supplying light to the sensor through a remarkable, extra-bright maximum aperture 1:2.0 high-speed lens, the TG-2 is right at home at 15 meters below the water surface. That’s where the good looking fish like to hide, and it’ll also do amazing close-ups thanks to its 200mm telephoto power, good for as close as 1cm from the subject.

Cameras like the TG-2 are purpose-built for the rough outdoorsy types. Curios then that the buttons are so small and inoperable while using gloves? That’s a small gripe, but important none-the-less.

A bigger issue I think these cameras have to deal with I the onslaught of the tough Smartphone. Sony have made it clear that they can’t compete with Samsung device or Apple’s army, so instead they’re slowly breeding their devices to be tougher than a road tyre. And that means that consumers no longer need to buy two devices when one will do.

But you want a dedicated digital camera for your weekly mountain bike ride, you say. Then why not opt for the Drift HD Ghost or Sony’s new Action Camera? Similar price, but with these you don’t get a “normal digital camera” experience.

Spoilt for choice indeed.

Get it: R5 000
From: 011 465 8880

It’s a new episode in a new place. The awesome Drift HD Ghost Cam get’s looked at, the new Fonepad and an amazing touch Tissot watch.

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Brands like Apple and Samsung might make the gadgets we fondle all day, but its companies like Intel that spend the money on research and development, putting the time into what goes inside those gadgets. In San Francisco this past week, Intel spent some time showing off what grand ideas of the future it has planned for us consumers of tech.

Below is a collection of some of the most exciting and relevant to us consumers of lifestyle tech. It’s worth reminding yourself as you read that what you’re looking at is RESEARCH and not necessarily the best practical applications of the tech. Of course it’s not practical to have a singular LED display on every product on sale in a supermarket, but it’s a good way to display the possibilities.

Intelligence on the road
Intel’s is placing a lot of importance on making the street a safer place with a few innovations that while still in test mode, show what could be coming to cars in the near future.

Intelligent street lighting in Finland for example looks to improve the environment people experience on the road. Street lights contain sensors that can detect environmental conditions and automatically dim or brighten depending on the amount of sunlight available, weather conditions and more.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, the two-wheeled onslaught is coming to South Africa, thanks to E-Tolls, any idiot could predict that. And Intel is no idiot. Their research labs have come up with intelligent scooter lighting and sensors which can read the lights from the vehicle in front of you and display warnings on your connected Smartphone in front of you.

They’ve also come up with a rather crude looking headband that contains a bunch of LED lights which, through the sampling of the metabolic activity going on in your brain behind your forehead, is able to tell how you’re feeling, or how you’re thinking as you perform a task. Driving for example, are you drowsy and do you need the car to take over for a while? Not the best looking application, but the idea is there.

@Home
Intel aim to put intelligence into everything you can think of. From side-table lamps to curtain rails to fridges. And it’ll all be wireless. Your lamp which switches on along with your alarm clock, your bathroom mirror which reminds you to take your antibiotics when you stumble into the bathroom or your coffee machine which warns you that you’re running low on beans.

Take a look at this example they had on display. Everything in the room is connected to your Android device upon which you have an app that you can select, move and control it all. Attached to the main computer is a webcam which responds to gestures like a swiping hand to open the curtains in any or all of the rooms or a “high-five” to turn off the music in the room you’ve just left.

Sustainable Connected Cities
Intel have plans to put the maintenance and upkeep of the city of the future in the hands of it’s citizens. No more waiting around for the council to come and fix the potholes, let the citizens tell the council it needs doing, and follow up on the progress.

In a test project they currently have running in Dublin, Ireland, volunteer citizens are encouraged to report and upload any problems they see in their surroundings. A blocked drain for example, picture taken, uploaded via app and it appears in the city manager’s office for attention. In return, citizens receive points which buy them tickets to the theatre or similar rewards. This vid explains it all.

Consumption of the future
Consumers, more intelligent than ever, but also lazier than ever.

The supermarket of the future might looks like this.

Each product has a small LED screen of its own, and each consumer has an app on their phone with their personal specifications pre-installed into it. Diabetic, no dairy, no nuts.

As the person walks up to a product, the screen next to the product gives them a green thumbs up or red thumbs down based on their personal specs.

This goes so far as to having the car you drive in your app and receiving a warning that the part you’re holding won’t fit with your vehicle.