• CaseApp – a new iPhone app lets you create & order a customized hardshell case for your iPhone, on your iPhone for about $30 using your own photos (source)
• Clothes hangers that tell you how many people ‘Like’ it – a clothing retailer in Brazil is testing out a new type of hanger for their clothing racks that has a small display built in which tells you how many people ‘liked’ that shirt on their Facebook page to get an idea of how popular it is (source)

• Neva – Evolution of the ski pole: New ski poles keep you informed as you hit the slopes by wirelessly connecting to your Android iOS device, giving you updates on weather conditions, elevation, temperature, incoming calls/SMSs, and has an open API to allow for even more data to be displayed on the pole’s OLED display. (source)
  

• Audi e-bike Wörthersee: Another car manufacturer joins a growing list offering an ‘e-bike’ using a carbon fibre frame, motor assisted pedals get up to 50 mph and let you tune the bike using your smartphone. Still just a concept at this time. (source)

I spent nearly the entire weekend browsing the booths, chatting with people and buying far too much electronics at the Solarbotics table.

It was also literally the first day after I had finished assembling my MakerBot 3d printer and was stoked to see some other bots in the real world (I bought my kit without actually ever seeing one in person).

This year should be even more fun as the organizers have secured the PNE grounds for this year’s event so it will be even bigger. It’s not just 3d printer stuff either…all kinds of creative arts, crafts, demos, robots, photography, seminars, workshops, etc.

I’m looking forward to being there as a ‘Maker’ this year as our 3d printing club will be setting up a ’3d printer village’ with somewhere around 15+ 3d printers (all different kinds) scheduled to be onsite during the weekend with more being added to the list all the time. We’re hoping to have them all running and printing stuff for people to take away as a sample of what the technology can do.

Can. Not. Wait!

Early bird ticket pricing ends soon so get your tickets now! Fun for all ages!

The technology in the video has gotten better and way cheaper now but the concepts are the same.

via MAKE

• Find your way inside a mall or supermarket: GPS works great for getting from a to b in your car but doesn’t work so well indoors. A new technology will help you navigate your way around inside a mall or supermarket. You scan a code upon entering the location and then a compass and pedometer knows your location based on the starting point and can help navigate you to the cereal aisle. The MST-Smartsense Sensor is a proof of concept device being tested right now that could someday become an app on your smartphone. (source)
• Pair – the app for couples: A new iPhone app will help couples stay in touch without having to overshare stuff on Facebook, Twitter, etc. The app lets you send text messages, doodles, reminders and todo lists for free between you and one other person only. I like that you can also send a map of your current location to your partner. You can even work together on a drawing if you’re both online as well as the ‘ThumbKiss’ feature that lets you see where your partner is touching. Great for people separated by work travel or a long distance relationship. (source)

Since then, it’s printed the Reprap Prusa Mendel printer (on the left) which I assembled and gives me a bigger build area. Both of those printers have contributed different parts (in ABS and PLA plastics) for the prototype Tantillus printer on the right which is nearly complete and will be ultra portable (possibly even battery operated).

My Thing-O-Matic has also printed dozens of Prusa parts kits which have lead to (hopefully) dozens of other printers coming online as well…and it just keeps going. That doesn’t include the hundreds of (non-printer related) objects all the printers have made as well.

That’s kind of cool when you think about it.

• Peter Jackson screens 10 minutes of the new Hobbit movie and gets some surprising feedback: Jackson got a fair amount of pushback about the visual quality of the 10 minutes he shared with theater owners and selected folks recently. The main issue was that the cameras used to capture the movie are shooting at 48 frames per second (and in 3D) which results in a super fluid look that looks almost too real with some viewers saying it looked more like video than the lushness of the previous Lord of the Rings trilogy (shot at 24 frames per second). Jackson countered that any new technology can take a bit of getting used to and once viewers watch the entire movie and not just a few minutes, they’ll adjust to it just fine as they’ll forget about the technology as they get engrossed in the story. (Source)



• Ikea unveils reusable, cardboard digital camera: as part of a press kit for the recent Milan Design show, Ikea included a little cardboard digital camera with 2.3 megapixels that has caught the attention of photographers everywhere thanks to it’s low tech look and specs. It has a USB plug for downloading about 40 shots from it’s internal memory and lacks a LCD screen on the back. You delete your photos by pressing a recessed button with a paperclip. Looks like the limited edition camera will be given away soon in stores to promote a new furniture line. (Source)

• Anontune – the social music platform from Anonymous: a decentralized music discovery and sharing service that finds music from numerous sources around the internet and easily aggregates their sources in one place. You can import a playlist and Anontune will create a listenable version you can share without having to upload your music as it will find it on the internet and supply links to all the sources seamlessly. As they aren’t hosting the music, Anontune can’t be shut down – at least that’s their premise. Users won’t have to give up personal information to participate either. It’s still just ramping up but has the potential to be a major disruptor in the music space, not unlike Napster was previously (source)
• Intuit GoPayment system is live in Canada: another option has been released for Canadians that allows you to use an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to swipe credit cards with no monthly contract with 2.7-3.3% transaction fees. Android and Blackberry support is coming soon. (source)

Every Tuesday, I discuss new and interesting technology items on News 1130 radio.

I got the chance to briefly use one at SXSW earlier this year but a few minutes with a device is rarely enough to tell if it’s a winner or not (I didn’t have high hopes at the time). It seemed too big to be practical and it comes with a stylus! I thought decent touch screen technology had finally killed off the stylus…although my first true smartphone (a Treo 650 and all the Palm PDA devices I had before that) used one.

But now it’s been just over a week with the device and I have to say, I’m really surprised at how much I enjoy using it. It’s not without some issues which I’ll describe in a bit but it’s been a nice fresh take on the mobile experience.

It is HUGE and does look kind of ridiculous as a phone. There, I stated the obvious. But when I considered how infrequently I actually use my iPhone as a phone (by holding it up to my ear), it became less of an issue. Fact is, I don’t make/receive a lot of phone calls…and if I do, it’s usually in my car while I’m driving and I have hands-free Bluetooth built into my car’s stereo.

Things I liked:

• huge, beautiful & vibrant Super OMOLED 5.3″ screen with a great viewing angle at 1280×800 resolution
• speedy with a 1.5 GHz Dual Core Processor inside and crazy fast 4G LTE internet speeds (I’ve been testing on the Telus network in Canada and it’s been faster than many home internet speeds)
• one of the better Android cameras I’ve used so far (8 megapixel with autofocus on the back) that can shoot up to 1080p HD video
• despite the giant screen, battery life was on par with my iPhone 4S…each lasts me a day with a little juice left over
• nice finish on the back cover…not slippery and feels solid despite the back battery cover being wafer thin
• surprisingly great form factor for a tablet…fits nicely in your hand (slightly bigger than my Canadian Passport)
• it comes with a stylus, but isn’t required to use the Note – artists can really use the stylus to create some great art and regular people like me can quickly scribble notes – bonus: you can easily take screenshots using the stylus by pressing & holding the button as you tap the screen

Things I didn’t like:

• looks silly as a phone when held to your face
• no easy way (by default) to type (two handed) on the device unless you lay it flat and/or prop it up on something – a smart/flip cover or stand would be useful (which are available separately from third parties)
• difficult to use one handed due to size of the screen – you can’t easily navigate with 1-2 fingers/thumb like a smaller device
• uses a normal/full size SIM card
• still running Gingerbread 2.3.6 version of Android OS (likely due to Telus update schedule)
• somewhat slow autofocus on the back camera and the shutter is a little laggy, the moment you hit the button, the image is captured, despite the image processing delay, you still get the shot you intended
• the stylus centric handwriting recognition works but is a little clunky to use

The screen really is something to behold…it has a fantastic viewing angle and is the correct aspect ratio for HD movies:

The screen is also particularly good at showing photos. My previous Android phone, the Nexus S was too saturated so colors looked over done. The Note’s screen seems just right.

If you think you’re good at Draw Something with your finger, you should be amazing at it with the Note’s stylus…sadly, it hasn’t helped my artistic ability.

One of the first things I like to test on a new device is how well it runs M.A.M.E. and the Note excels at it.

Everything runs smoothly, and looks fantastic. You can rotate the screen and it rotates immediately, moving the onscreen controls as well. Despite it’s large screen, it’s quite comfortable to hold in landscape mode to play.

As I mentioned above, it has one of the better Android cameras I’ve used.

With similar 8 megapixel specs as the iPhone 4S, I was able to take some great shots on the go in many different lighting situations.

It’s definitely going to be difficult to send this back to Samsung as it’s one of the best Android experiences I’ve had…and will only get better when Android 4.0 is released for it. I was certainly a doubter at first but after using it for an extended period, I have to say I’m quite impressed with the Galaxy Note.

Here’s what I’m talking about this week:

• Want to manipulate your dreams? There’s an app for that: A psychologist and professor at the the University of Hertfordshire has created an iPhone app called Dream:ON (iTunes link) that you run before bed and it will monitor your sleep patterns and attempt to influence your dreams using soundscapes. But be warned: 21% of participants have had trouble sleeping using the app and 15% had unpleasant dreams. The professor is aggrigating the data from the dream app and will share it in a few months to see if it was successfull in actually influencing dream states with users. (source)



• Delorean set to make an electric comeback in 2013: The Delorean is back from the dead as 2013 will herald the arrival of the DMCev, a $95,000 electric version of the iconic 80′s stainless steel time machine which was recently unveiled at the New York Auto Show. No word yet if you need to use lightening to charge it though. It’s worth noting that the release of this vehicle is just a few years shy of the time Back to the Future 2 is set in (2015)…and we still don’t have hoverboards. (source)