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Blu e-cigarettes help you make friends, light up when you're near another Blu smoker
Oh, that old adage: smoke, be cool, make friends. Die. Well, e-cigarette manufacturer Blu is now trying to resurrect that image, albeit perhaps without so much of the death bit, by making its packaging more sociable. It's new "smart packs" are equipped with radio sensors that detect when a fellow Blu smoker comes within 50 feet, causing your box to light up and vibrate. This is meant to encourage you to go over and make conversation, like "Hi, so, er... you also spent $80 on a pack of battery-powered smokes. Is that fur real?"
Tactile kiss transmission device finally makes it okay to smooch your computer (video)
They say the vast majority of communication is done physically rather than verbally, but in the realm of technological advances we seem to have rather neglected the transmission of physical contact. Thankfully, there's always Japan to provide us with off-the-wall innovations, this latest one being a kiss transmission device that will record, relay, and -- if you wish it -- replay your finest tongue gymnastics. It's the height of simplicity at the moment, with a plastic implement taking input from one person's mouth and conveying it to a second box, intended to be gobbled up by the recipient of this techno-affection, who may respond in kind or just sit back and enjoy the thrill of it. The researchers sagely point out that there's more to be done, as the sense of taste, manner of breathing, and moistness of the tongue are all important aspects of a kiss that have yet to be recreated. Once they do get their kiss transmitter to v2.0, however, they envision a pretty neat market for it in reselling kiss replays performed by celebrities. For now, you can see a celeb-free video demo after the break.
The Daily Grind: Has something in-game ever creeped you out?
Final Fantasy XIV has recently patched in its egg-hunting holiday for the year, and the results have been an entirely new level of creepy. The holiday is quite explicitly described as the result of an insane religious zealot passing around eggs based off a dream she had, while in the skies over each city, eggs hover in the air like a pending alien invasion. It's actually far creepier than it sounds, despite the fact that the salient goal is to just get your character a silly looking hat. Of course, the holiday events are not usually the big creepy parts of a given game. But there are many times when a specific quest line or zone or even character model will just make you a little uneasy. So has something in a game ever creeped you out? World of Warcraft's long-standing demonic Goldshire children? The mass sacrifices taking place in Guild Wars? Or something even more innocuous? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
This year's hottest pocket mirror is also a USB 3.0 multi-format card reader
We always knew that the worlds of technology and popular culture were on a collision course of epic proportions, and if this isn't proof... well, you might say that proof simply doesn't exist. Brando's newest gizmo has an identity crisis that Charlie Sheen would simply salivate over, but if we had to guess, we'd surmise that a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed card reader -- complete with support for CompactFlash, SDXC and M2 cards -- does a lot more #winning with a mirror slapped onto the side. Pre-order yours today for the tidy sum of $25, or alternatively, a vial of #tigerblood.
Wham-O's Frisbee Forever iOS app promises to change backyard fun... forever
If there's one thing the iPhone needs -- and we mean exactly one thing -- it's clearly a Frisbee app. Er, Frisbee® app. Not a legitimate Gmail app. Not a new notification system. A Frisbee® app. As the story goes, Wham-O has linked hands with Kiloo in order to develop the Frisbee Forever app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, which is said to offer avid iOS gamers "unique challenges and obstacles in a rich complete 3D environment." What kind of challenges, you say? We're hearing that you'll be able to toss a variety of Frisbee models across 100 levels of lush, colorful worlds, but beyond that, most everything else is shrouded in mystery. All will be revealed in May, but till then, we'd encourage you to step outside and actually throw a Frisbee. We hear dogs are super into fetching them, too.
Lost Pages of Taborea: What just happened?
There are always plenty of memories to make and share with others, as MMOs tend to be never-ending playgrounds for us to romp around in. And after recalling major events for Runes of Magic's second birthday, I've been stuck in fond-memory mode. Two years of playing RoM is a lot of time to build up memories, too. I've gone through many a server, guild and character since I started, and I've both made memories with friends and remembered events the game itself created. Sometimes a developer forgets to turn off a light switch, a new bug appears, or a new patch brings unintended changes. I remember a handful of times some pretty interesting things have happened. Mysterious statues popping up, bosses appearing in houses, and other anomalies await after the break.
Visualized: Planters gifts Mr. Peanut with a new biodiesel-fueled ride
While you may not realize it, Mr. Peanut's been cruising around in the same ride for decades. Maybe even centuries. Regardless of the specifics, one thing has become abundantly clear to the higher-ups at Planters -- dude needs a new ride, STAT. As the story goes, 2011 will be the year that the Nutmobile sees a much-needed revamp, with the refreshed model to be based around a 2011 Isuzu NPR diesel truck. Inside of the crunchy shell, it's been outfitted with five percent biodiesel, a smattering of solar panels and a wind turbine, not to mention a bank of batteries. Sickening as it may seem, Mr. Peanut will be murdering a few of his own just to get down the street, with "a small amount" of peanut oil being mixed in with a number of other vegetable and cooking oils. So much for that happy-go-lucky front, huh?
I Can't Believe It's An HTC Tattoo In My Butter!
So the story goes that some store-bought Norwegian butter was eaten away to reveal a very special Android-powered surprise at the bottom. It looks to us like the butter could have possibly been packed back in after the fact to create the effect, but even so: if you're willing to sacrifice a Tattoo in such spectacular fashion, you deserve a little recognition. [Thanks, Arif]
DIY third person camera rig allows you to pay attention to what's most important: you
Now, this is a strange project to undertake, for sure -- but that doesn't make it uninteresting. And interesting it certainly is. Over at Instructables, you can currently find step-by-step instructions for how to create your very own camera setup, which will allow you to view yourself tooling around in the third person. Weird, right? The whole setup consists of a camera rigged at your back from a distance far enough to film you from behind, a pair of video goggles to wear as you gallivant about, and optionally, a radio transmitter, allowing a remote viewer to join in on the fun and watch along with you. How does it work? A bit disconcertingly if you ask us, but it's something we'd certainly consider giving a try, if only once. Hit up the source for full instructions as well as impressions of the experience. There's a video after the break.
Yes, that's a woman with a dog in a Baby Björn throwing prototype Nokias
So here's how the story goes: employees at Nokia facilities in Oulu and Tampere, Finland, were fed up with negotiations being held between their representatives and the company over planned layoffs, and decided to do something about it. But really, why strike or organize a rally when you can just socialize, use a few prototype devices for target practice, and get your Cavalier King Charles spaniel some fresh air at the same time? If this keeps up long enough, these staffers might have second careers as competition-level phone tossers. Hit up the source link for the full video -- but be warned, if you love Nokias, you might find the video graphic, violent, and objectionable. [Thanks, Juuso H.]
The Fingerist turns your iPhone into an iKeytar, available now
Remember The Fingerist, the guitar headstock-themed speaker and case for your iPhone or iPod touch? You know, the one with the shoulder strap for public (and private) performances with all of your favorite music making apps? Well, it seems that it's finally available in the states. Indeed, there has been so little fanfare behind this announcement that the company responsible, Evenno, hasn't even acknowledged it on its site. But don't worry: we found this bad boy for $150 on Amazon. And if that's not enough, iLounge has done a series of hands-on photos (see the More Coverage link, below). Or, if you're like us, you can skip the thing altogether and groove to Rick Wakeman after the break. We do have one more thing to say about the Fingerist, however: at least it's not endorsed by this guy.
Cabasse's high-fashion L'Ocean speakers rock the catwalk, your wallet
Those operating sans a keen sense of style would probably take half a glance at Cabasse's L'Océan speakers (shown here on the right) and assume that they're one in the same with the company's La Sphére. Sure enough, the former also falls into the outfit's Artis line of speakers, but there's a slightly different combination of angles going on beneath the orb. The boutique audio firm has just revealed these three-way coaxial drive units, and they're purportedly capable of hitting 117dB without a hint of distortion. Of course, they weigh 176 pounds and stand just under four feet high, and considering the 2,250 total watts of digital amplification, we'd say they're probably built for a TMZ-certified house party. The company's gearing up to launch these in Q2 2011, but with a €80,000 ($105,900) list price, we're assuming it'll take a little more than seven month to save up for a set.
Nooka Zub Zayu watch has no hands, a name only Trevor Horn could love
Call us suckers for odd watches if you must, but there is something about Nooka's timepieces that make you take a second look. Keeping with the tradition of goofy "z" names (remember Nooka's Zot and Zoo from a couple years back?), the Zub Zayu is ambidextrous and eschews hands for something called the "time capsule" display. And if that isn't enough, it also goes into sleep mode to conserve juice. We just hope it comes back to life quicker than the iPod nano! Available now for $175.
Syte Shirt redesigns iPad-toting version, introduces smartphone edition
Look, it's not embarrassing. We too are waltzing around the dinner table, iPad Syte Shirt on, with a slideshow of pilgrims and Tofurkys to really "showcase our spirit." But what about the jubilant among us that aren't about to part ways with their hard-earned clams in order to pick up an iPad? Enter the Smartphone Syte Shirt. Like the original, this all-black shirt is handmade in San Diego, but very much unlike the original, this one's designed to hold your iPhone, Droid Incredible or whatever handset you so happen to own. Better still, there's a zippered pouch at the top to prevent theft, and both landscape and portrait orientations are duly supported. The screen protector still accepts finger touches, and it's both dust and water resistant -- you know, in case your jealous bandmates decide to douse you when you refuse to remove it before heading out on stage. Hit the source link to order yours for $39.95. Seriously, do it. No one's watching.
Dude, it's an iPad on a stick! (video)
Think you've seen all the weird and wonderful uses an iPad can be put to? You've clearly not been to Lithuania, where a protest against the country's emigration policy temporarily disintegrated into a laugh-fest when a serious-looking gent whipped out his Apple tablet ... attached to a stick. Cognizant of the drizzly weather, he also encased his sublimely high-tech placard inside a plastic bag, proving once again that it's not the gadget but the gadget owner's imagination that limits usage scenarios. See this sign of our times bobbing up and down with disapprobation after the break. [Thanks, KArolynaz]
PlayStation Moves into creepy ad business
We all know Sony likes to be a bit off the wall with its commercials, so this dystopian vision of a grown-up baby's trudge through corporate monotony shouldn't surprise us at all. And yet, somehow, it does. It's part of a pair of new ads destined for Latin America, the second of which awaits you after the break.
OTECH F1 handset holds four SIM cards, enables you to live a quadruple life
So look, you feel pretty special toting around that dual-SIM phone, right? Being able to switch numbers and carriers as you hop back and forth between Germany and Amsterdam is fairly nifty, but you've been considering a daily route around the Benelux. Of course, tri-SIM phones aren't impossible to find either, but should you ever wander into France, Switzerland or any other nation, you'll be forced to pop one of those out and insert another the old fashioned way. Well, unless you can score an OTECH F1. This here handset -- which can only be found in the wilds of Asia right now -- actually has room for four SIM cards, and it's also packing a full QWERTY keyboard, 2.4-inch touchscreen, support for mobile TV, an FM radio tuner, Bluetooth module and what appears to be a 12.1 megapixel camera. Unsurprisingly, a price on this bad boy is eluding us, but if you're an industrious jetsetter, we're confident you won't have any issues running one down. Whether or not you want to, however, is another matter entirely...
U-2 spy plane lens used on homegrown camera, and other DIY monstrosities
DIY photography isn't a new school art, but one Chris McCaw has been credited with pushing the boundaries of it more so than just about anyone else in the business. This bloke is responsible for using bits and pieces of gear in order to concoct monstrous cameras that are then used to photograph long exposures of the sun, eventually leading to beautifully artistic shots known best as sunburns. During a recent interview with photo-eye, Chris detailed one of his latest inventions: a wheelchair camera that looks suspiciously like Mike Wazowski. The camera is so huge that it requires a jack just to raise and lower the lens (goodbye, lens shake!) and a handicap ramp is necessary to load and unload it from a van. The unit itself relies on a lens that was purportedly taken from a Lockheed U-2 spy plane, and if you're unfamiliar, that flavor of surveillance craft is largely credited with obliterating relations between America and the Soviet Union in 1960. Hit the links below for more -- it's definitely fascinating stuff.
Typewriter parts used to construct model deer, give small children nightmares
It's a deer. Made out of typewriter parts. And for whatever reason, it's downright terrifying. Jeremy Mayer's creation (yeah, that Jeremy Mayer) was recently shown at the Device Gallery in San Diego, measuring an intimidating 20- x 36- x 38-inches. It's apparently dubbed the Deer III, which means that at least two others could be roaming an unlit street near you. Something tells us your insurance company will never believe the story should you be unlucky enough to collide with one.
Microsoft celebrates Windows Phone 7 RTM with funeral parade for BlackBerry and iPhone (update: Thriller video!)
The iPhone's dead, long live the Windows Phone. That must be the genius proclamation that incited Microsoft to celebrate Windows Phone 7 reaching RTM status with the incomprehensible procession you see above. An elaborate parade, replete with hearses and black capes, was organized last week to denote the passing of the BlackBerry and iPhone into the land of unwanted gadgets. We'd say this is done in poor taste, but we don't enjoy stating the obvious. We will, however, enjoy the fallout from this poorly judged stunt. See our favorite image after the break and lots more at the source. Update: Apparently the team also engaged in a Thriller dance. Words are failing us, so just hop on past the break and mash play.
