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Posted: 09 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST
Are you stuck in your house or your car with a stereo system that still sports a cassette tape deck? If you are, your pain is understandable. Yes, you should be thankful for a vehicle to drive, but does anyone even know how to use a cassette tape anymore? I can well remember past days of using a cassette tape with a Walkman, but that was close to 15 years ago. The world has changed a lot since then. A lot. So much so that I can’t even find a store that still sells cassette tapes, let alone still sells cassette tape players. (Not that I’d want to purchase them if I did find them – I’m just saying).
If you are still limited to a cassette tape player, there is some definite hope on the horizon for you…as long as you own a smartphone and/or a tablet. The geniuses at ION Audio have created a Bluetooth cassette tape adapter. This is most definitely good news for those with outdated stereo systems as it means you don’t have to replace your system to be able to enjoy the times.
Even Your Grandparents Can Use It Comfortably…
This adapter from ION Audio is ridiculously simple to use. As long as you can operate a tape deck, you’ll be jamming to modern tunes in no time at all. Once you insert the adapter, the Bluetooth turns on all by itself, and it also turns off all by itself once you remove it. All you have to do is connect your phone to the Bluetooth connection and that’s all there is to it. No annoying cords, no annoying setup, nothing but music. And that’s a wonderful sound.
You can visit ION Audio’s site here if you’d like to read more about the Bluetooth adapter. What do you think?
[Image via macrumors]
The post Check Out ION Audio’s Bluetooth Cassette Adapter appeared first on TechBeat.
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Posted: 09 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST
This plastic Russian Doll has been designed to monitor objects, creatures and people in your home and then nag you to death if it notices something wrong. A bit like a real mother then; but with an advertising slogan that reads “Mother knows everything”, it is perhaps slightly more disturbing!
Designed by Rafi Haladjian, the Russian Doll actually named Mother, connects to a series of sensors called cookies. These cookies measure motion and temperature and will alert you if it notices a change. So for example, if you keep medication in a particular cupboard and attach a cookie to that cupboard, it will alert you if you forget to take your medication at a set time because it will detect that the cupboard door has not been opened.
The company has programmed Mother so that the cookies can be used in 14 different ways to monitor your home. One of the uses is to attach a cookie to a door and it will alert you every time the door is opened. This could be particularly useful if you are away on holiday and want to monitor your home for intruders. You could also strap a cookie to a bottle of water and it will monitor how much fluid you drink during the day.
The cookies can be used for up to a year and then need to be replaced. It is possible to have 24 of the cookies connected to Mother at any one time, although at $99 per pack of four, these cookies certainly don’t come cheap.
As for Mother, it will blink to show that its connected to WiFi. Shipping will start between February and March, with Mother and four cookies costing $222.
Think though, do you really want to pay good money to be nagged?
[Image via Guim]
The post Wi-Fi Enabled Russian Doll Named Mother Will Take Care Of The Home appeared first on TechBeat.
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Posted: 09 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST
3D printing has opened up worlds to the average person – given he could afford a personal 3D printer. While it certainly cannot be called a household item yet, a 3D printer is not that hard to come by these days, and you can create practically anything from guns to little figurines of yourself to horse shoes. Heck, even Walmart and Asda are offering 3D printing services!
Of course, what is accessible to the individual is also available to commercial entities – perhaps even more so. In the case of 3D printing, big brand Mitsubishi is entering the arena by selling metal 3D printers in North America. You might not think much about this initially, but the metal 3D printer, dubbed Metal Laser Sintering Hybrid Milling Machine, LUMEX Avance-25, is not meant to be installed in one’s workshop. Instead, this beast is targeted at commercial grade applications.
For the tech gobbledygook:
I think it should come with the label “Do not try this at home!” (Still, wouldn’t it be awesome to have access to one of these babies any time you feel those creative manufacturing juices flowing?)
End of the day, though, how does this impact you and me? Better commercial manufacturing techniques means more efficiency, which hopefully translates to better access to items and cheaper price tags, too.
[Images via 3ders]
The post Mitsubishi Metal 3D Printers Are Coming Your Way appeared first on TechBeat.
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Posted: 09 Jan 2014 04:00 AM PST
Netatmo has had substantial success with its clever home and garden Weather Station gadget. The product links wirelessly to an iPhone or Android device to enable you to receive numerous accurate readings on the current climate in your vicinity.
Now though, the company has followed suit with a stylish tool that is more geared towards women, especially those who are obsessive about their appearance, more specifically their suntan. The new gadget could even be worn by those who are worried about the sun’s effect on their skin, as the device is quite stylish and wouldn’t look out of place in any fashion conscious persons wardrobe.
The Netatmo June smart bracelet comprises of a leather strap and a sensor in the shape of a gem that is able to track UV intensity. The sensor connects directly to an iPhone application that will display the information in real-time along with the total amount of exposure to the sun the user’s skin has encountered during that particular day. The June will also calculate the recommended maximum daily exposure depending upon the wearer’s skin type. By using this information it can notify the user when to protect their skin.
The bracelet has been fashioned by French jewellery designer Camile Toupet and will be made available in three finishes; gunmetal, gold and platinum. The June should be available in the second quarter of 2014. Perhaps marketed in the month of June?
The sensor part of the device can also be worn independently of the strap, like a brooch, and will retail for $99 (£60) in the States. Any official UK pricing has yet to be announced.
[Images via mediabistro & divasanddorks]
The post Netatmo June Smart Bracelet Helps Regulate Your Sun Tan appeared first on TechBeat.
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Posted: 09 Jan 2014 03:00 AM PST
World War 2 has been over since 1945, but just because the battles are over, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still casualties. In fact, bombs, mines, and other weapons are still being found on a consistent basis across Europe. Recently, an employee who worked with a construction company unknowingly ran over an approximately 68 year old bomb at a garbage dump while operating a bulldozer. The bomb exploded on contact resulting in the death of the employee. 13 other individuals were also injured as a result of the explosion, and the explosion had a blast radius of around 400 yards that damaged buildings in the area. Authorities have yet to determine just what kind of bomb it was.
As it turns out, it is not that unusual of an occurrence to discover bombs and explosives – but it is fairly unusual to come upon explosives that have not been deactivated. Experts believe that there are thousands of bombs over Europe that have yet to be found, and are fully aware of the gravity of the situation. As National Geographic reports,
“Experts say the problem will get worse before it gets better. For decades, bombs turned up during postwar building projects, sometimes with deadly results. That’s why construction projects in Germany today often require a Kampfmittelfreiheitsbescheinigung, or a permit certifying that the area is bomb-free, before work begins. Consultants pore over aerial photos from U.S. and British army archives for signs of unexploded ordnance.”
It’s not at all uncommon for large groups of people to be evacuated from areas each year when explosives have been detected.
What do you think? Does it surprise you that World War 2 era bombs are still being found (and detonating) today? If nothing else, it’s a sobering thought. Hopefully this prompts those in power to focus more on finding and disabling the devices in the future.
[Image via Global Post]
The post Bomb From World War 2 Explodes, Killing 1 & Injuring Others appeared first on TechBeat.
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Posted: 09 Jan 2014 02:00 AM PST
Ear splitting renditions of popular songs on karaoke could be a thing of the past if the drug developed by Professor Takao Hensch gives us the ability to learn perfect pitch as he says it does.
Professor Hensch works in molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University. He believed that the ability to sing or identify a specific musical note without any reference points is a learned ability. It would normally be aquired by humans in a “critical period” early on in childhood. Along with fellow scientists, he thought that if by the time you were seven years old you hadn’t been able to pick out or produce a note, then you wouldn’t have the skill as an adult.
However a new study, which Hensch has worked on, claims that a drug can give humans the ability to be pitch perfect, despite never having had the skill before. Using Valporate, which is normally used to treat epilepsy, the brain can return to a “juvenile state”, allowing it to learn skills that it would ordinarily be too old to start mastering.
In tests, Valporate was given to healthy young men who had no previous musical training. They were asked to complete a set of exercises over a period of two weeks, which would help them improve their pitch. At the same time another group were given the same tasks but instead of Valporate, were given a placebo.
The results showed that the group given Valporate had been able to learn to identify pitch”significantly better than those taking the placebo.”
Hensch was notably surprised at the results and said that there had been “no known reports of adults acquiring absolute pitch.”
The implications of this study are not limited to the learning of music but also other skills. Hensch suggests that learning a language is an obvious field where the drug could be applied.
At the moment, althought the study has been successful, more research needs to done on the neuroscience behind the drug. Hensch says there is a reason why humans have a “critical period” and there is a risk that we may erase the identity that we have as a result of how we were raised. It is vital to ensure that we don’t accidentally replace important parts of our personalities, especially not just so we can be better at karaoke!
[Image via Gizmodo]
The post The Pill To Make You Pitch Perfect appeared first on TechBeat.
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Posted: 09 Jan 2014 01:00 AM PST
The United Arab Emirates has allegedly discovered 2 ‘security compromising components’ supplied by the US, in military satellites provided by the French. The UAE has reportedly threatened to cancel a 3.4 billion dirhams (£570m) deal to purchase 2 military satellites from France over claims that 2 US-supplied components compromise the security of the data transmitted between the satellite and the receiving ground station.
US based Defense news reported that while the US’ National Security Agency (NSA) has not been directly named in the matter, the incident recalls concerns over the spy agency’s supposedly extensive hacking activities.
The satellite deal is a long time coming as there was competition for more than a decade to get the agreement signed. The deal involves the supply of two high-resolution Pleiades-type Falcon Eye military observation satellites, as well as a ground station and training for 20 engineers, with delivery set for 2018. Airbus Defence and Space is supplying the Astrobus-based satellite platform, with Italian-French joint venture Thales Alenia Space, providing the observation and data transmission technology.
The UAE said it exposed two US-supplied components in the technology supplied by Thales Alenia, which provided a backdoor into the data transmitted by the satellite. The discovery was reported to the deputy supreme commander’s office back in September, according to the report. The UAE has asked France to change the components and has also “consulted” with Russian and Chinese firms, according to the report’s anonymous source in the UAE, although Russias or Chinas role is unclear in the matter. “If this issue is not resolved, the UAE is willing to scrap the whole deal,” Defense News’ source said. The incident could also be a ploy to help the UAE get a better deal on the Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter, according to an unnamed Paris-based defence specialist cited by Defense News.
The hacking activities of the NSA have reportedly included intercepting PC shipments and using an array of security vulnerabilities to install backdoors in commercial networking equipment.
[Image via blogs.houstonpress]
The post UAE Says US Backdoors Found In Spy Satellites appeared first on TechBeat.
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Friday 10 January 2014
ION Audio’s Bluetooth Cassette Adapter
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