MiscGadgets
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The Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine: paper sketchbooks and journals get connected
Evernote has trotted out an update to its iOS app and accompanied the software release with an announcement of a collaboration with Moleskine. Yes, you read that correctly. The digital note-taking application has teamed up with the analog sketchbook maker to produce the Evernote Smart Notebook. Designed specifically for the refreshed iPhone and iPad software, the notebooks allow users to snag written notes or drawings right off the paper and archive them with the app -- making them searchable and organized for future reference. So where exactly does the tech angle come in? First, pages are lined using a dotted pattern that is optimized for the updated mobile software. With the new Page Camera feature, photos of pages are shot and automatically given a proper contrast adjustment. The add-on also finds the aforementioned dots are corrects a skewed photo. Last but certainly not least, each Smart Notebook comes with a set of Smart Stickers. Evernote will now recognize each of these and apply the appropriate tags before sorting. While the stickers come with pre-defined tags, they are customizable to accommodate your particular sensibilities. These pseudo-digital Moleskines will be available in both pocket (3.5 x 5.5 inches / 8.89 x 13.97 cm) and large (5 x 8.25 inches / 12.7 x 20.96 cm) sizes, carrying $25 and $30 price tags when they hit shelves October 1st. If you can't contain your excitement, head on to the coverage link below to pre-order yours now. %Gallery-163333%
Nantsune meat slicer scans in 3D to get the perfect cut, bring home the bacon in record time (video)
Bacon, our old friend. We've missed you. Japan's Nantsune must have missed it too, as its new Libra 165C meat slicer is using some mighty advanced technology to cut pork quickly. Beating a Nikko creation to the punch by about a year, it uses a displacement sensor to scan the shape of a slab of meat and make cuts that are the exact same weight, regardless of their shape or thickness. By knowing as much as it does in advance, the Libra can cut as many as 6,000 slices every hour; they're not ready-made bacon slices, but they'll certainly get to those cuts much faster than earlier methods that only weighed in mid-chop. You might not want to get visions of setting up Nantsune's meat machine in the kitchen: it'll be ready by the end of June, but the $160,000 price could mean sacrificing a whole lot of other food to avoid breaking out the cleaver.
Hand-cranked vending machine offers products sans power, refreshments during emergencies (video)
Ever needed to grab a bottle of water only to find the vending machine you've spotted is without power? The folks in Japan have, especially in the period immediately following natural disasters. The solution? Easy. A hand-cranked vending machine that still affords you the option of your desired food or beverage even during an emergency when the power is down. Sanden, a Japanese vending outfit, has developed the system that would allow the country's 5.5 million machines to run sans electricity or solar power and rely on good ol' fashioned muscle. You'll just need to dish out 70 cranks, in addition to the cost of your selection, and in about 20 seconds the kit powers on. The machine shown here will dispense around seven bottles before needing a full re-crank and there's no word on what the additional cost per vending unit will be. For look at the tech in action, hit the video above and prepare for a bicep workout.
