Monthly Archives: December 2014

10 New Gadgets of 2015

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oculusrift

Credit: Oculus Rift

1. Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset. At first, it will mostly be for gaming. But in the years to come people will be able to use the Rift for social networking, interactive movies, and virtual concerts. Virtual reality has also attracted a lot of companies to produce their own gadgets, Oculus VR is not the only option in the market. Samsung and Sony will also release VR head gear.

ara

Credit: Google

2. Project Ara

Google and Motorola may introduce what will be the only phone you’ll ever need. Project Ara is a phone with modular upgrading. You can remove and replace the parts of your phone that need fixing as you please without having to buy a new phone.

sg6

Credit: Samsung

3. Samsung Galaxy S6

The device is expected to be such a big departure from earlier models that Samsung is said to refer to the phone as “Project Zero” internally. It is expected to adopt the design and premium metal frame of devices like the Galaxy Alpha nad Note 4, and it will also be the first Samsung top-shelf Android smartphone to come with a 64-bit chip, the new and faster Snapdragon 810. On the camera side, we expect either a 16-megapixel or 21-megapixel shooter, likely with a Sony IMX240 sensor. A welcome change in the S6 is the fact that storage now starts at 32GB for the base model rather than just 16GB. We also expect some surprises from Samsung, as well as more details to surface soon.
bend

Credit: Samsung

4. Samsung bendable phone

Samsung recently announced that it will start mass producing bendable displays in 2015. By the end of the year, it also expects to ship its first phone with a bendable display. You’ll be able to actually fold and bend future phones. Of course, developing a bendable screen is only half the battle — manufacturers still need to find a way to make processors, batteries, and all the other components inside smartphones flexible too.

nymi

Credit: NYMI

5. NYMI

Using your finger print to unlock you phone is cool, but using your heartbeat is cooler. The NYMI band will be a new smart wearable that lets users unlock their phones, cars, computers and even homes by using their heartbeat to authenticate the user. Your heart will now be able to truly open doors.

carplay

Credit: Apple

6. CarPlay

Apple’s operating system will be incorporated into more cars in 2015. CarPlay features the Siri voice and assists drivers with directions, calls, messages and music streaming. Apple has partnered with multiple car companies including Audi, Jeep, Kia and Ford. CarPlay is also available for earlier models with an aftermarket system.

lumia

Credit: Microsoft

7. Microsoft Lumia 2020 PureView

A successor to the Nokia Lumia 1020 was awaited for nearly a year and a half, as the 2013 Nokia flagship still has unmatched camera performance. After all the turbulence in Nokia Windows Phone land, though, it seems all is clear for launch: the Microsoft Lumia brand has killed Nokia, and the awesome PureView technology that has been years in development could finally grace more people.
In 2014, Microsoft has focused on releasing a huge Windows Phone 8.1 update, and with the software as a base, the Lumia 2020 PureView is eagerly anticipated.
kindle

Credit: Amazon

8. Amazon Kindle Fire 2015 edition

Amazon’s lineup of Kindle Fire tablets has performed strongly, competing with Samsung for the title of the most popular Android-based tablet brand, but as the future of tablets becomes less clear and more complicated it’s hard to predict what the 2015 edition of the Kindle Fire will look like. With rumors all around for a jump to larger screen sizes that allow for more laptop-like productivity, we would not be at all surprised to see the new Kindle Fire tablets jump to a 12″ screen size, or even slightly more.

9. The Dash

thedash

Credit: The Dash

These new wireless earbuds reinvent headphones. The Dash earbuds are not just in-ear headphones, they also serve as a fitness tracker and a microphone. The Dash will allow users to track their workouts by measuring their body vitals and giving them real time acoustic feedback. The wireless headphones will be released in April 2015.

watch

Credit: Apple

10. Apple Watch 

The Apple Watch will be Apple’s first new product category under CEO Tim Cook. While the company introduced the watch in September, we only got a limited look at all its features. Apple is still working on the device, so expect to get more details when it launches in early 2015.

Sources: 1, 2, 3.

Victor H., “15 most anticipated gadgets of 2015”, PhoneArena, 02.01.2015

Steve Kovach, “The 14 Most Exciting New Tech Products That Will Launch In 2015”, Business Insider, 10.12.2014

#samsungrulz #definitelynotbiased #hashtag

Kilobots

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ENG. Computer scientists and engineers at Harvard University have developed and licensed technology that will make it easy to test collective algorithms on hundreds, or even thousands, of tiny robots. Called Kilobots, the quarter-sized bug-like devices scuttle around on three toothpick-like legs, interacting and coordinating their own behavior as a team. Once up and running, the machines are fully autonomous, meaning there is no need for a human to control their actions. Inspired by nature, such swarms resemble social insects, such as ants and bees, that can efficiently search for and find food sources in large, complex environments, collectively transport large objects, and coordinate the building of nests and other structures.

RO. Oameni de știință și ingineri de la Universitatea Harvard au dezvoltat o tehnologie pentru a testa algoritmi pe sute sau mii de roboți. Numiți Kiloboți, aceștia sunt mici cât o monedă, asemănători cu insectele, care se mișcă rapid pe trei picioare subțiri, interacționând și coordonându-se ca o echipă. Odată porniți, aceștia sunt autonomi, adică nu este nevoie de intervenția unei persoane pentru a le controla acțiunile. Inspirați din natură, sunt asemănători insectelor sociale precum furnicile și albinele, care pot cauta eficient mâncare în medii mari și complexe, pot transporta în mod colectiv obiecte mari și coordona cuiburi.

Read more here (Harvard University, “Kilobots – tiny, collaborative robots – are leaving the nest (w/ video)”, Phys.org, 21.11.2011)

B-membrane

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membrane3

Credit: Won-Seok Lee

ENG. B-membrane is a laptop/desktop hybrid, designed by Korean Won-Seok Lee. It is clever enough to incorporate a keyboard, computer, and projector. When it is shut-down, its smart projector turns it into an ambient light effects system. 

RO. B-membrane este un hibrid între laptop și PC, creat de coreeanul Won-Seok Lee. Acesta combină într-un mod ingenios o tastatură, un computer și un proiector. Atunci când este închis, proiectorul poate emite lumină ambientală.

membrane

Credit: Won-Seok Lee

membrane4

Credit: Won-Seok Lee

Source (Anthony James, “Laptop/desktop hybrid”, Yanko Design, 23.06.2008)

Stop motion 1

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RO. Stop motion-ul este un melanj de animație, muzică, creativitate și multă răbdare. Vă las aici două exemple ce mă fascinează prin precizie și minimalism.

ENG. Stop motion is a mix of animation, music, creativity, and lot of patience. I present to you two examples that amaze me by their precision and minimalism.

Type Faster

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keyboard

ENG. It’s useful to be able to type fast. Here is a list with my favourite sites that help with this. The first two deal with learning where to hold your fingers, how to memorise the position of keys, and provide exercises. The third one is a way to test your skills by competing with other people, and the last one is a fun game which combines shooting, spaceships, and words.

RO. Este util să fii capabil să scrii repede de la tastatură. Aici aveți o listă cu site-uri care vă pot ajuta. Primele două se ocupă cu informații despre taste, pozitionarea corectă a degetelor și oferă o serie de exerciții. Al treilea constă în a te întrece cu alte persoane, iar ultimul este un joc amuzant care combină arme, nave spațiale și cuvinte.

  1. ratatype.com/learn/
  2. keybr.com/
  3. typeracer.com/
  4. phoboslab.org/ztype/