Gadgets

Facebook has updated its iOS application to support status update emoticons and improved privacy settings. Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo.

Tartu, Estonia-based startup Velodroom leverages tech to solve a problem any bike commuter can sympathize with – how to add lights to your ride that are convenient to use and require absolutely nothing from the rider besides a simple installation. The Velodroom light borrows some tricks from tech available in any smartphone to give the Velodroom a mind of its own, with some very useful consequences. The Velodroom’s tricks are mostly about automating repetitive actions that are normally done manually on most bike lights, including powering on and off, activating brake lights and adapting brightness to current lighting conditions. It does all that while conserving battery via an auto shut-off mechanism that activates the light only when motion is detected, and it has an internal battery with 4x the energy capacity of two AAA batteries, which is rechargeable via USB. Essentially this makes Velodroom a more-or-less fix and forget solution to bike lighting woes, with the added benefit that it actually flares when you start braking, the same way a car’s rear lights do, which is bound to increase safety and visibility at night, especially for riders negotiating traffic in busy urban locations. Plus the variable light levels based on sensors should ensure the battery lasts as long as possible: Velodroom is targeting three months usage on average, or over 100 hours of continuous power when turned on at full brightness. Velodroom is the product of a team that includes Sven Sellik, Andri Laidre, Indrek Rebane, Tavvi Hein and Mihkel Heidelberg, who between them combine extensive experience in product design, electronics, programming and the science of sensors. The startup team wants to eventually reinvent more types of bike accessories, and move the market in general to more hassle-free products and designs, but is starting with the bike light since it’s a near-perfect demonstration of how readily available tech can improve a biker’s life right now. The Kickstarter project has two weeks left in its funding cycle, and is looking for £34,600 (around $54,000 U.S.). Pre-orders for backers start at £35 ($55 U.S.), and shipments should start as early as September 2013 if the startup sticks to its initial targets. Should everything work out according to plan, it’ll be great to see where Velodroom goes next with its high-tech approach to cycling accessories.

Sony has pulled the PlayStation 3′s 4.45 firmware update after numerous reports it caused consoles to be unusable. Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo.

HTC has unveiled its Butterfly S, which features a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core CPU and 3200mAh battery. Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo.

A supposed image of the iPhone 5S frontplate has appeared on the internet and from the looks of it, Apple won't be changing its design. The phone, which should launch alongside iOS 7, appears it will adopt the same looks as the current generation iPhone,...

In a time when it seems like the privacy we all enjoyed was just a smokescreen, it's nice to know there's at least one way to fight back against all the systems designed to keep track of our comings and goings. Developed by Japan's National Institute of Informatics, these glasses include eleven LEDs that blast a privacy curtain of near-infrared light to obscure your face.Read more...

Asus chairman Jonney Shih has admitted that the company is having a little think about wearable tech and sort-of implied that Asus may well develop a smartwatch.He described wearable devices as a "critical sector" at the company's annual shareholder meeting. Discussing Google Glass as well as a potential Apple watch, Shih discussed the future possibilities presented by wearable gadgets, including biometrics, voice control and flexible displays. "We have been running many simulation tests in our labs," he added. Cross-field war"The point is how to win the leading position when such devices become mainstream products. I think it's certainly a promising sector, as we are talking about a cross-field war."We will likely see more bio-technology integrated with computer technology in the future." There's an air of expectancy around the whole smartwatch arena at the moment. It's as though all the tech giants are lining up at the start line, jostling for position but tentatively awaiting the announcer to call 'On your marks'. The catalyst is likely to be the much-discussed but still entirely unconfirmed Apple iWatch.Sure, Asus could bank on technical innovation and all that, but we reckon the key to Asus' smartwatch success is another killer product demo like this one: YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqjoRMHyYQc

LG has announced a rather unusual ultra wide screen 29-inch 21:9 all-in-one PC and TV combo. The entertainment catch-all device uses a 2,560 x 1080 resolution IPS display with 178-degree viewing angles. Built into the all-in-one is a separate TV tuner...

Slip House, by UK-based Carl Turner Architects, fits neatly into a four-plot lot between a row of terraced houses in Brixton, London. However, it's not quite your typical two-up-two down, as the prototype family home combines sustainable technologies with an unusual design based on three "slipped" orthogonal boxes. .. Continue Reading Slip House provides template for future affordable and sustainable family homes Section: Architecture Tags: London, Prototype, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Related Articles: “Like a Houseboat” home floats above former landfill on steel stilts Big & Small House proves less really can mean more JF-Kit House makes you pedal for your breakfast Sustainable House Day 2007 Small House has the footprint of an average sized bedroom MIT's affordable housing project builds first prototype in China

The Nokia Lumia 925 is a new flagship model from the Finnish company bringing a selection of updates, mostly in design, to the company's Lumia 920 flagship that's only about 6-months old. It lands with rumours swirling about yet another high-end handset...