Tag: gear for dudes (Page 3 of 3)

      Turn Your Tub into a Touchscreen With Aquatop

      August 7, 2013 /

      Technology may be designed to be with you wherever you go, but the one area where your pretty much on your own is the bath.

      Sure you can buy waterproof cases, but when you get right down to it, how comfortable are you really with holding your favorite expensive electrical toy mere inches above a pool of water? Even if you do survive an accidental drop, exactly how much submersion can that tablet or smartphone withstand before it’s lost?

      That’s the question that keeps most of us from bringing our tech in the tub, and drove a team of developers in Tokyo to use a Kinect, a projector, some speakers, and a home computer to craft an invention that can turn the surface of your tub into a touch screen.

      From the user’s perspective, once the device is turned on, they only need to dip their hands into the water to turn them into interface tools. With that in place, you are now able to run files, videos, pictures, and other applications, and interact with them in a manner very similar to how you would with a touchscreen.  There are even special gestures, like the ability to use your thumb and index finger to grasp an icon and drag it around or, even cooler, the ability to fully grasp an item and submerge it to delete it.

      The really impressive part about this tech comes through the games however. I advise you skip to about 7:06 in that video above, to see what happens when you combine all of the elements of this tech to produce a game that may be simple (essentially an aerial shooter type), but uses what should be a hindering environment for such a thing as an advantage instead, as you are provided a gaming experience that could be had nowhere else but the bathtub.

      Continuing a recent trend on this site, this is a device that isn’t likely to go beyond the prototype stage, but hopefully makes sporadic public appearances in some fashion, as it’s hard to not want to get your feet wet (so to speak) in this technology once you see it in action.

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      Defeat the Wine Cork, Once and for All

      August 1, 2013 /

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      Let’s take a moment to appreciate all the inventors out there who think of ways to improve aspects of our lives we never even knew was an issue until the solution is presented. In fact, to celebrate them, let’s pour a glass of wine.

      Lucky for us, thanks to a recent device by one of those inventors, the process of celebrating with that wine just became easier.

      The Coravin 1000 addresses the age old wine problem of removing the cork without looking like a complete amateur, or even risking the dreaded “break off” that even occupies a part of the professional wine connoisseurs mind.

      That’s because the Coravin 1000 doesn’t require you to take the cork off at all, and instead uses a thin needle to pierce through the cork, while a pressure based system in conjunction with a spout lets you make normal sized pours, so you don’t lose an ounce of functionality, or a drop of wine.

      More importantly though, it also doesn’t compromise the flavor of the wine by letting oxygen in. This is easily done while the needle is inserted, but the innovative part of this tech comes when you remove the needle, as the puncture it makes is so thin, it allows for the cork to reseal itself when you take the device off.

      The $299 price point for the Coravin is steep, but wine is meant for occasions of relaxation and suaveness, both of which are harder when you are fumbling with a cork, and both of which come easier with this undeniably innovative and handy device.

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      You’re Probably Going to Want to Buy Google’s New Device Very Soon

      July 25, 2013 /

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      If I were to tell you that a creative and reasonably priced item with a unique, yet practical, solution to a common modern day need was coming out, you wouldn’t be blamed for looking for the obligatory Kickstarter link, and start wondering how much the minimum contribution is.

      That’s because while that site is heavily flawed (for instance, some developers exceed their requested amount by almost a $100,000 and still blow all the money, not release the product, and fail to have any reasonable plans for a refund in sight), it’s a consistently entertaining source of devices that make you go “Hmmm, interesting” possibly while smoking a pipe.

      But this particular device actually comes not from Kickstarter, but from our friends at Google.

      Called the Chromecast, it’s capable of broadcasting content from popular devices (be it iOS, Android, or computer) straight to your TV. Admittedly that’s a feature only impressive if you’ve never heard of HDMI, DVI, or VGA cables, but the Chromecast gains a leg up in that it’s not a cable at all, but rather an HDMI plug-in that can transmit the feed wirelessly from your selected device. All you have to do is find a compatible program, select a cast button, and you can view the feed from that program on your TV.

      Of those programs, only the presence of Netflix seems to be superfluous, considering that anyone with an HDMI port on their TV likely has Netflix compatibility for it in one way or another. The other compatible programs like Youtube, Google Play, and Google Chrome are much more encouraging, with that last one really driving home the point that the Chromecast is aiming to turn almost any TV into something more resembling a “smart” TV for the mere cost of $35.

      Even though I think the adding of the word smart before a device and calling it a day is a trend that needs to die a thousand deaths, the Chromecast is far and away the most exciting device of its kind I’ve ever seen, and with more program support (fingers crossed for Steam) can become an essential home device, though its base loadout justifies its meager $35 asking price already.

      Plus, unlike Kickstarter campaigns, this one is actually supported by a legitimate company (rather than “some guys”) and is not only likely to properly function as advertised, but will also probably include a definitive release date, which are things that are becoming significantly more foreign in the world of intriguing and affordable devices than I tend to like.

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      Finally, A Shotgun For People Tired of Those Sissy Double Barrel Models

      July 18, 2013 /

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      Now, I’m not the type that is paranoid enough to stock up for a zombie apocalypse for a few reasons:

       

      • I find making purchases in preparation for a fictional scenario to be elementary bad budgeting.

       

      • My Brooklyn apartment doesn’t exactly have the spare room to work as near permanent storage for can goods, ammo, and barbed wire.

       

      • Nobody needs to be “That Guy.”

       

      Where I that guy though who prepped for the undead, I would put the new Chiappa Triple Threat at the top of my wish list.

      Why?

      Well, because it’s a triple barrel shotgun.

      The third barrel is located atop the standard double barrel loadout, while all three are controlled by a single trigger. 36 inches long, and weighing eight pounds, this 12 gauge beauty is sure to paralyze any intruder in fear (undead or otherwise), therefore making the firing superficial.

      Surprisingly, however, this is actually not a completely absurd idea, as Chiapa is known for making reliable weapons, and features like individual barrel choke, and a modifiable stock (which lets you turn the grip into a smaller, more pistol style design) actually make this seemingly ridiculous weapon not quite the running gag it will inevitably turn out to be.

      Personally though, I’m thinking that if manufacturers are going to be adding barrels to guns like blades to razors, I’m going to hold out for the inevitable four barrel model, ala “Phantasm 2.”

      The Above Video is Well Worth 15 Seconds of Your Time

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