Netflix Creates a Netflix and Chill Button

For those who don't know the phrase "Netflix and Chill" is the latest running gag trending on the web, which refers to what a person may really be asking when they invite you over to watch a Netflix movie.

Netflix decided that they too wanted to capitalize on this viral trend and revealed an invention they have called "The Switch". When this switch is activated it turns on your phones "do not disturb" feature, dims the lights and opens Netflix.

The secret behind this magic is an Arduino-Compatible Particle Core with in built WiFi. The Switch's IR mirrors the signal of your Netflix enabled television.

Source: Engadget, Netflix

Portable Water Resistant Solar Battery Charger

If you are planning a camping trip or any other kind of excursion where there will be very little electricity but a great deal of sun, the the ZeroLemon SolarJuice may be what you need. This product is water resistant, can charge your phone several times over and uses solar power to recharge its' own battery. The charger can hold 10,000mAh and a wall outlet can be used for a slightly faster recharge of the battery if desired. You can pick one up for yourself for $30 if you like, just click here.



Source: StackSocial, Engadget

This Technology Made a Paraplegic Walk Again

Researchers at UC Irvine have found a way to allow a paraplegic man walk by using his own brain waves. The researchers used a PC to link his brain to his legs via Bluetooth. An EEG machine interpreted the signals from his brain and sent them to his knee, which caused the walking motion. The patient only walked 12 feet, but it was still a great accomplishment considering this was the first time something like this was ever achieved.

If you would like to witness this moment of history then check out the video below.

Source: Engadget, JNER

Blackberry's New Android Device Has Been Named

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Blackberry has finally given an official name to it's hybrid Android offspring. The Blackberry formerly known as Venice shall now go by the name Priv. This is short for privacy, which will hopefully help to ease any concerns users may have about blackberry building a device for the arguably security vulnerable Android OS. The name Priv may not roll off the tongue as easily as some would like, but specs like 18-megapixel Camera, 1.8GHZ hexa-core CPU and 3GB's of RAM sound far more pleasing to the ear than the name does. Along with information of the new name, a new bach of pictures has also been released courtesy of Evleaks, check them out below.



Source: Engadget, Eveleaks

Steve Jobs Bio Film Trailer

As many of you know another film based on the life and accomplishments of Steve Jobs is in the works. No this Danny Boyle's directed movie isn't a sequel to the 2013 Jobs film staring Ashton Kutcher. It is totally independent of the two year old Joshua Michael Stern adaption and has an entirely new cast. The upcoming Steve Jobs motion picture will star Michael Fassbender as Jobs, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak and should be hitting theaters on the 23rd of October. Check out the new trailer below.

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asdfaSource: Engadget

Windows RT Officially Gets Start Menu

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If you are a windows RT user that looks upon computers running Windows 10 with envy, then you will be pleased to know that your RT device will be receiving an update to make it more like its' big brother OS.

Microsoft has officially published Windows RT 8.1 Update 3 today that will bring a Windows 10 like start menu to Windows RT. The menu isn't an exact carbon copy though, with things like the settings option and power button being moved to the top right hand corner of the screen, instead of being at the bottom like it is in Windows 10.

The name of the update is KB3033055, and if it hasn't arrived to your RT device yet it will soon. For users who like their RT table just the way it is they can turn off the new start menu and go back to the metro start screen by adjusting the taskbar and start menu properties as seen in the below screenshot.

You Can Now Access Your Bank Account Using Your Fingerprint

Tired of those pesky online banking passwords slowing you down from seeing how many commas your balance is now showing? Well the Bank of America has an app for that. They are currently in development of a new app that will allow users to log in using their fingerprint. This app will be available for IOS and Android, but the bio-metric functionality wont work on the latter until the Marshmallow OS update is released.

This Prosthetic Arm Brings Back Amputee's Sense of Touch

The DARPA agency created a prosthetic limb that has brought a close to realistic sense of touch to a test patient. The 28 year old who volunteered for this project was paralyzed for over 10 years, but thanks to the agencies work he can now feel sensations in his hand once again.

To accomplish this the DARPA team working on the project placed electrode arrays onto the 28 year old's sensory cortex (the brain region responsible for tactile sensations and pressure) and arrays on his motor cortex(the brain region responsible for movement). This has also given him the ability to move the robotic prostheses by sending signals from his brain to electrodes in the arm.

Source: DARPA

Yoga Mat That Rolls Itself

Is rolling up a Yoga mat after completing an hours worth of downward dogging simply too cumbersome? Well we have the solution for you, introducing the self rolling Yo Yo Mat.

GIF Credit: Gizmodo

It may sound like the Yoga mat of your dreams, but you can't have it just yet, not until the company raises the required $50, 000 to fund its mas production through their Kickstarter account. The science behind this mat is a pair of metal strips that stay flat when extended in a specific direction and then coil up when flipped the other way. If you're thinking this technology is familiar, that's because it is. If you remember the Slap Bracelet's from the early 1990's then you would know what to expect when using a Yo Yo mat. Interested in seeing this product become a reality? Then visit the Kickstarter page and donate.

GIF Credit: Gizmodo


Source: Gizmodo

World's First Ultra HD Blu-ray Player by Samsung

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During IFA 2015 Samsung became the first company to reveal an Ultra HD Blu-ray player, which will finally give your 4K TVs the ability to play content that isn't streamed. This will play videos with 4x the resolution of your conventional Blu-ray player. The design of the player will be curved, which will nicely compliment the newer Samsung 4K TVs. The price has not yet been set, but it will come in under the $1,000 price range

Source: Engadget

Popcorn Time Users are Being Sued by Millennium Films

Popcorn Time is a movie streaming app very similar to Netflix, but with one major difference , it's totally free. But streaming free flicks came at a price for 16 unlucky Popcorn Time users in the State of Oregon. Millennium Films, the studio that produced The Expendables series, has filed a law suit against said users after it found that they allegedly downloaded  and distributed a movie entitled Survivor, staring Pierce Brosnan. It found the identities of the 16 users by serving a Subpoena to their ISPs. Going after the users instead of Popcorn Time itself is more than likely a scare tactic the studio is using to deter casual movie pirates from clicking play on free streaming sites.

Source: Engadget

Amazon Allows Offline Movie Streaming Before Netflix Does

Have you ever wanted to re-watch a movie, but didn't feel like wasting another gigabyte of data? Well Amazon has a solution for you. They recently announced the ability to stream movies and television shows using Prime Video from IOS and Android devices without needing to connect online. The Android app will need to be downloaded from the Amazon app store, as the version from the Google Play store does not have the offline playback feature just yet. This is a convenient add on to Amazon's streaming service and it's definitely something that Netflix can learn from.

Source: Amazon IOS Video App, Engadget

Cool Looking Dog Muzzle

This cool looking dog muzzle can come in real handy if you would like your dog to look more intimidating that it actually is. This muzzle will have your dog looking like a ravenous killer even if the most it will do is lick its enemies into submission.

For $30 USD you can have this non-toxic plastic and nylon muzzle that will still allow your dog to slightly open its mouth, but not enough to bite. Please visit the source links for information on how to order yours.

Picture Credit: Alexey Kurulyov

Picture Credit: Zveryatam.ru

Picture Credit: Zveryatam.ru

Source: Zveryatam.ru, BoredPanda

NASA Creates Material That Self Heals After Getting Shot

A self healing material has been created from research that NASA funded and the substance takes only a few short seconds to fully repair. This feat is accomplished by a gel that sits in between two solid polymer sheets, once the gel is exposed to air(for example if the polymer cracks) the gel will fill in the cracks or holes and harden in a matter of seconds, thus repairing the polymer. This will most likely be used by NASA in future space crafts. This can also be used in more terrestrial items such as cars or cell phones. Image a car windshield or a cell phone screen that repairs itself after being cracked.

Source: Engadget, ACS

Police to Introduce Weaponized Drones in North Dakota

In an ironic twist, a North Dakota Bill that was originally passed to prevent the weaponization of drones has been amended to allow law enforcement to legally arm them. Bill 1328 was created to prevent police from operating drones in a manner that encroaches on 4th amendment rights, such as conducting unwarranted searches. The North Dakota Peace Officer's Association then made changes to this bill to allow officers to equip the drones with non lethal weapons. These include rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas and even tasers.

Please check the source links below for further details about the story.

Source: Engadget, Daily Beast

Sony Speakers That Double as TV Remote

Meet the SRS-LSR100, Sony's hybrid speaker/television remote. It wirelessly receives sound from either your television or stereo via a Sony dongle and outputs it at whatever convenient location you place it. It has 16 hours of battery life, a knob to adjust the volume and a standard headphone jack. Sony is marketing this to the marathon series watchers who can't help but multitask. The idea is to be able to run on a treadmill, cook a meal or even use the washroom while still not missing a single word of racy desperate house wife dialogue. This product is unfortunately only Japanese bound with a price tag of 19,880 Yen ($170 USD).

Source: Engadget Sony

Pokemon Players Caught Bringing Guns Into World Championships

Two players set to attend the Pokemon World Championships in Boston were found attempting to bring weapons into the tournament. James Stumbo 27 and Kevin North 18 were caught after the Boston PD were alerted to a Facebook picture Stumbo posted online of an AR-5 and a shotgun with the quotes "(We) are ready for worlds Boston here we come!!!." The two were stopped and searched before entering the tournament with the Boston Police finding both of the guns from the Facebook post in their car. Since both players qualified for the tournament they wouldn't have needed to use any strong arm tactics to get inside, although it wasn't exactly clear what their motive would have been once in.

(Boston Police Department)

Source: Motherboard 

Rumored BlackBerry Slider Running Android Caught on Video

A while back rumors about blackberry creating an Android running slider device surfaced. Today these rumors are backed up by a teaser video which shows renders of the phone in action. If this device does end up getting released it is in for some tough competition within the Android market space, as Samsung announced an $80 smartphone keyboard peripheral last week. The rumor mill churned out another speculative story, stating that Blackberry plans on creating two versions of this slider phone, one running Android and another running Blackberry's OS.

Source: Engadget, Evleaks, Crackberry

Senior Citizens Only Pay $10 a month For Comcast Internet

Public transportation systems do it, movie theaters do it, so it's about time that internet service providers start doing it as well. Comcast will be offering seniors discounted internet. The lower price also means lower data transfer rates, giving the client 10Mbps connection speeds for $10 a month. Comcast has said that users will need to be 65 years of age or older in order to qualify for the deal. This is actually not an entirely new venture for the media company, it has been pushing its Internet Essentials services to customers since 2011, but it just recently increased the speed from 5Mbps to 10Mbps. To find out more about this plan visit the source link below

Source: Comcast, Engadget

Microsoft's Cortana Finds Itself on Mac Desktops Before Siri Does.

The virtualization tool Parallels has given users a way of putting Microsoft's Cortana on the Desktop of Apple computers. Parallels 11 is the latest iteration of the VM software which now boasts support for Windows 10 as well as a number of other great features. In past versions Windows apps were able to run within Apples environment using "coherence mode", but this time around Parallels seemingly ports Cortana over to the MAC in order to allow it to run. In doing this the Microsoft's voice assistant runs almost natively, taking advantage of things like Apples navigation data and handling voice requests without even a slight lag. To install Parallels 11 freshly on your MAC it will cost $80 or $50 if you are upgrading from a previous version.

Source: Engadget, Parallels

Helmet That Changes Color to Warn of Concussions

University of Pennsylvania scientists have developed a special polymer that changes color when they have been deformed. The polymer is light enough to be molded into helmets without any noticeable weight difference. When applied to a helmet the material will change color based on the impact withstood by the helmet. If this technology is used during sporting events it could allow officials and medical personnel to determine if a player was hit hard enough to be at risk of brain injury.

The element does not require any external power source or any type of charging, which would not require a drastic design change or effect the feel of traditional helmets. Major sports leagues have yet to announce whether or not they will be swapping out their standard cranium protectors for these smart helmets.

Source: Phys.org, Engadget AP Photo - Ben Margot

Samsung Creates Worlds First 16TB SSD

Hot off the heals of it's Galaxy S series, Note and Gear successor announcements, Samsung has released information about it's new SSD that it has in the works. This 2.5" drive has no moving parts or platters, classifying it as a solid state drive, and holds up to 16TB of data. The good news was broadcasted during the Flash Memory Summit in California. But aside from the storage capacity and form factor, Samsung has been pretty quiet about the rest of the technical specifications, such transfer rates. A release date has also not been set.

Source: Engadget, The Verge, Golem.de

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Announced

This morning Samsung announced it's "Next Big Thing", the Galaxy Note 5. As expected the specs from last years Note have been bumped up. The 5 features an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor. This chip gives you 4 cores clocked in at 2.1GHz each and 4 additional cores with a speed of 1.5GHz each. 4GB's of RAM is also added to the phone to keep it nice and snappy. Samsung's flaghship phablet will come with a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front one. It seems like Samsung has shrunk the phone bezel a little in order to keep the 5.7" beast feeling comfortable in your hands. The large screen has a stunningly sharp 518ppi pixel density. 

The S pen has been redesigned and allows you to push the top of the pen down, which causes a click. This same motion allows you to eject the pen from the Note. The new Note also sports an instant memo mode, which allows users to use the S pen to write notes without the phone being unlocked.

It will be released on the 21st of August and come in either a 32GB, 64GB or a 128GB model, with outright purchase prices ranging from $815 - $840. Visit the source links for more information 

Source: Engadget, Samsung

A Lamp That Also Wirelessly Charges Your Phone

A company by the name of Aerelight's has created the A1 desk lamp that doubles as a wireless phone charger. The sleek looking lamp is equipped with OLED lights to brighten up your desk or night table, which allows for less energy consumption. It is not turned on with a switch or a button but simply with the touch of a finger and uses either Qi or PMA to carry out its wireless charging task when a compatible phone is set on top of its' base. The A1 comes with a steep $299 price tag, but the company is boasting that the lights in the wireless charging multitasker will not burn out for around 20 years, which may give some consumers reason to part with the requested amount of cash. 

Source: Engadget, Aerelight

Even a Reformat Can't Remove Bloatware From Lenovo Laptops

Lenovo apparently has a proprietary software called Lenovo Service Engine that will find it's way back on your computer even after doing a clean wipe and re-installing windows 7, 8 or 10. The reason for this is certain Lenovo machines have firmware that automatically downloads and then installs its software without user consent. So blowing away a hard drive partition and reformatting won't help to successfully get rid of the unwanted program.

Lenovo has since created a patch that resolves this issue and has come out with a public statement addressing this concern to reassure costumers that all PCs and laptops released after June come with a BIOS that is free from the offending code.

Source: Lenovo, The Next Web Engadget

Water Resistant Bluetooth Speaker has Android OS Installed

A modern day boombox that goes by the name of Drifter seems to be the best way to bump your favorite tunes while getting your beach tan on. This waterproof Bluetooth speaker will have you doing the Nae Nae and the cooking dance at poolside without the worry of getting your smartphone wet. The Drifter comes with Android OS installed, a touch screen and 16GB of storage, which gives you the ability to play songs straight from the speakers without the need to connect a phone or any external mp3 player. Since Android OS is built in, you can stream and download music from apps like Spotify and Beats Music. The Drifter also boasts 8 hours of battery life to ensure you don't run out of juice while in the middle of your favorite Juiceman track.

Source: Techcrunch

Hack Created to Bypass Keyless Car Locks and Garage Doors

Security researcher Samy Kamkar has developed a tiny $30 dollar device capable of cracking the codes used by remote car unlockers and garage door openers. It works by using a method similar to intercepting a 3 way handshake when hacking a WPA encrypted wireless network. When the victim attempts to unlock his car remotely, it doesn't work the first time, but it will work the second time. This is because the first signal gets intercepted by Kamkar's device instead of reaching the intended vehicle. The device now has the code necessary to unlock the target car at any given time.

Samy Kamkar has given this information to automotive companies and as a result they created the "rolling code". This method ensures that the same wireless code can't be used to unlock the car twice. Shortly after this release Kamkar came up with a follow up hack. When a target sends a signal to unlock their car, Kamkar blocks that first signal and stores it. Then when the target makes a second attempt to unlock the car Karmkars device blocks and stores the second signal and sends the code from the first signal to unlock the car. The code he obtained from the targets second attempt to unlock the car is saved and can be used at a later time. This hack has not yet been patched by all automakers. Car makers that are currently affected include Nissan, Toyota Volkswagen and others.






Source: Wired

Nicki Minaj and Jason Statham to Star in Video Game

Glu mobile, the creators of the iOS and Android game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, will be turning another Diva into a video game character. Nicki Minaj will team up with Jason Statham in Glu mobile's up coming touch friendly shooter debuting in 2016. Expect to hear voice overs from both the Transporter star and the Young Money recording artist when the game makes its appearance next summer.

Source: Glu Mobile
Picture: DesignbyHumans

Epson Creates an Easy Refill Printer

Toner cartridges that dry up or run out too quickly is one of the most frustrating things about owning an ink printer. For years the only alternative would be to buy an expensive bulky laser printer with toner cartridges that will never dry up. Or to pay to have someone with the right tools and knowledge refill your empty ink cartridges for you, however this method does not work if the ink cartridges get too dry.

Finally a printer company has come along and created a user friendly way to refill your own printer ink. The Epson EcoTank series of printers will range from $379 to $1,119. The different models will hold different maximum amounts of ink. The amount of ink held even by the cheapsest EcoTank model is still significantly more than a traditional ink printer. The lower end ET-2500 can print around 4,000 pages before needing to be refilled.

The EcoTank's use refill bottles to top up depleting ink that cost $13 per bottle or $52 for the entire set. This is not a bad price when you consider that the average cost of a single ink cartridge is around $30.

Source: Epson

Windows 10 is a Free Upgrade

If you currently have windows 7 or 8.1 you can upgrade to windows 10 without cost, considering you do so within the first year of its release. As many of you already know,  some of the new features to the OS include a redesigned start menu. Desktop users will no longer need to use the metro UI to navigate around anymore. The start menu is now also resizeable and can be automatically popped into full screen mode with large icons to accommodate tablet users.

This is the same OS that will work on PC's, tablets, phones and even xbox one. Thanks to newly introduced universal apps, developers can create one app that can run on all device types. The cortana voice assistant will also be making an appearance on multiple devices.

On top of doing standard things voice assistant on phones do, Cortina allows you to do things such as verbally compose emails containing punctuation marks and even hash tags.

Source: Microsoft 

CES 2015: Lenovo's New Laptop 43% lighter than MacBook Air

Lenovo's latest Laptop, the LaVie HZ550, is a 13-inch Ultrabook that weighs in at only 1.7 pounds. It has been reported that the device feels so light there were doubts it was even a fully functional model. But once powered on, it was quite apparent that this device is more than fully functional. It is powered by a fifth generation Intel core i7 processor. The display will have a resolution of 2,560 x 1440, which is better than the 1440 x 900 resolution the MacBook Air supports. The battery will playback video for 7-8 hours, but the standby time has not yet been announced. It also has a 128 GB SSD for storage. The price is the same as a 256 GB MacBook Air $1299.

Source: Engadget

CES 2015: A Robotic Camera Man is Unveiled at CES

Photo: AirDog

Have you ever been about to do something amazing and wanted to get it on camera, but didn't have a buddy around to record it? Well if so, the perfect invention for you has been displayed at CES2015. The name of this device is AirDog, it's a drone that works with either Sony or GoPro cameras and follows you around while taking video footage of your awesome activities. When the fun is all done it folds up in a portable form factor and can easily be carried. This product will be useful for any solo daredevil who wants to have each extreme trick or stunt captured.

Source: AirDog

Acer Announces Largest Chromebook

During CES Acer has announced that it will be releasing a device with the largest screen in the history of Chromebooks.  Chromebooks are known to be small, compact and cheap. Maybe this bold move by Acer will spark a large screen revolution in Chromebooks like we've seen in smartphones over the years.

Acer's new release, entitled Chromebook 15 will come in two variants. They will both have 15.6" screens, but one will have a 1920x1028 resolution while the other will max out at 1366x768. Acer has moved on from the Nvidia K1 chip to an unofficially announced 5th generation intel chip. Acer boasts that the new change will give it's Chromebook's 8 hours of battery life. Expect the starting prices of these Chromebooks to be around $250. No release date has been announced yet.

Source: Gizmodo