tech

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.

Remember to subscribe and follow and @kojobaffoe!

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.

A big press conference took place last night at which Apple peppered the tech world with all sorts of news and new offerings. The big 3 and the only ones we care about:

New iOS 7
It’s a new face and thus experience for the iPhone user and they’re calling it their most significant iOS update since the original iPhone. Obv it’s got a new user interface.

iOS 7 has been completely redesigned with subtle motion, an elegant colour palette and distinct, functional layers that are supposed to make it feel more alive. They’ve gone so far as to mess with the typography and the use of translucency and motion.

New features include: Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop, enhanced Photos, Safari, Siri and introduces iTunes Radio.

Control Center puts all commonly used controls in one place. Swipe from the bottom for access to controls for Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Do Not Disturb, and the ability to adjust screen brightness, pause or play a song, jump to the next track and stream your music with AirPlay. Control Center also gives you instant access to apps such as Clock, Camera, Calculator and the Flashlight.

AirDrop is a new way to quickly and easily share content with people nearby. When you’ve got something you want to share, AirDrop shows you your contacts close by. Just select who you want to share with and AirDrop does the rest. AirDrop transfers are peer-to-peer so you can use it anywhere, without any network or set up required, and transfers are fully encrypted so your content is protected and private.

The camera has new filters so you can add real-time photo effects. The Camera app also now includes a square camera option, and you can quickly and easily switch between your four cameras—video, photo, square and panorama—with just a swipe.

iTunes Radio
iTune Radio is a free Internet radio service featuring over 200 stations and an incredible catalogue of music from the iTunes Store, combined with features only iTunes can deliver. Worth noting, not everyone’s a fan. Nokia have slammed them already for the usual. . They do make a good point, especially about the territories.

Available on any iDevice, iTunes Radio plays you stations inspired by the music you already listen to, Featured Stations curated by Apple and genre-focused stations.

iTunes Radio evolves based on the music you play and download. The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalised your experience becomes. iTunes Radio also gives you access to exclusive “first listen” premieres from top selling artists, plus the ability to tag or buy anything you hear with just one click.

Siri integrates also, just ask her “Who plays that song?” or “Play more like this”.

The long lasting Macbook Air
And finally, its Apple’s new all day battery life, fourth generation Intel Core processors with faster graphics, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and flash storage that is up to 45 percent faster than the previous generation, Macbook Air.

The 11-inch models feature twice the storage of before and they’ve redesigned AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations for 3 times the performance speed.

Models include fourth generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors that give the 13-inch MacBook Air up to 12 hours of battery life and up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback. The 11-inch MacBook Air delivers up to 9 hours of battery life and up to 8 hours of iTunes movie playback.

Sony proudly tease the world with their new completely waterproof Android powered Smartphone called the Xperia ZR. Predictably, it’s also full of spec including a 1.5GHz quad core processor, a 4.6 inch 720p HD reality display and a 13MP camera.

Best part, it takes full HD movies and pics with HDR capabilities, all while under water and even after being there for 30 minutes.

Obviously bored out of their skulls with developing the same rubber sex toys for the past 50 years, Durex has decided to innovate in the form of sex underwear that reacts to the touch of your partner wherever they are in the world.

The vid is a must watch:

I’m sure you’ll agree this new innovation in the sex toy market makes the long-distance relationship a real reality.

The kit includes a bra, jocks for the man and some panties for her, all controlled over the internet through their new app. Of course hacktivists Anonymous are currently working hard on ways to hack this technology, if only for their own sick pleasure.

The underwear is studded with actuators similar to the ones found in a cellphone that make the device vibrate. There are five in each cup of the bra and six in each pair of pants. These actuators simulate the feeling of touch.

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