CrunchGear |  |
- Daily Crunch: Movement
- Mini RFID Device Stores Personal Medical Data, Makes It Instantly Accessible
- Review: The Cask Widge
- Multi-Pinhole Technique “Paints” Objects With Photographs From Life
- Huge LED Wall For Playing Games On At Hungarian Festival
- Japanese Company Develops Sound-Absorbing Blinds (Video)
- Nissan Sticks QR Codes On Vehicle Window Stickers
- Upcoming Samsung Hercules Spotted Mingling At Canadian Party?
- Is The Next Motorola Tablet Called The Kore? All Signs Point To “Yes”
- Sprint Unveils Their First $100 4G Android Phone: The Samsung Conquer 4G
- Stop! It’s A Really Bad Time To Buy A Kindle
- You Know, For Triathlons: Polar RCX5 Heart Rate Watch Review
- Belkin Folio Case Adds A Keyboard To Your iPad
| Posted: 06 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT  Here are some of yesterday’s Gadgets stories:
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| Mini RFID Device Stores Personal Medical Data, Makes It Instantly Accessible Posted: 05 Aug 2011 08:29 PM PDT  Japan-based chemical and tech company Asahi Kasei has developed a small healthcare product that should make life for paramedics, emergency doctors (and patients) easier: the portable device (pictured) makes it possible to instantly access all medical data on a specific person with a PC or smartphone, via RFID. Asahi Kasei uses the FeliCa smart card tech (instead of a self-developed solution), as this system has been widely adopted by all of Japan’s mobile carriers, several major PC makers (i.e. Sony for their Vaio computers), and other electronics companies. In Japan, FeliCa as a brand has actually been around since 1994. In an emergency situation, doctors or paramedics can tap Felica-equipped equipment against the device to view medical data of its owner, for example the blood type, date of birth etc. on the screen in seconds. Asahi Kasei says that the entire medical history of patients can be stored. If doctors need to view very large files, for example X-ray images, the device can make access possible by letting users click on links that lead to that data (but stored on external servers). The device is just sized at 3x3cm. According to Japanese business daily The Nikkei, Asahi Kasei is planning to market it within a year (and priced at $25 a unit).
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| Posted: 05 Aug 2011 04:04 PM PDT  Happy International Beer Day! I just finished celebrating by brewing ten gallons of smoked stout, and I’m looking forward to a draught of blonde ale from my kegerator later today. I’ve been homebrewing for about two years, and it’s a fun, practical hobby. Variety is the name of the game, both in terms of beer styles to produce but also in terms of the methods used to produce beer: extract, partial mash, all grain, single infusion, decoction, boil-in-a-bag, 1 gallon, 5 gallons, 10 gallons — you get the idea. The hobby facilitates the purchase of a tremendous amount of equipment for each of these different methods. The latest addition to my zymurgy hobby is the cask widge. Like most homebrewers, I started out bottling the beer I produced. While this makes it easy to share my work with friends and colleagues, I find it to be a tedious, time consuming process. When I bought my first keg, I swore I’d never bottle beer again! Kegging is so much easier, so much faster, than bottling. But it’s not without its problems. I’m not a particularly cautious brewer — I’m in it for the product, not the process — so many of my brews end up with a fair bit of sediment in them. Even after racking to a secondary, many of my beers have had a noticeable amount of sludge at the bottom. This sludge winds up being the entirety of the first glass or two I dispense from a keg. This is because kegs have a dip tube that runs down the length of the keg, pulling beer from the bottom up into your glass. The first pull or two will grab any sludge that’s fallen to the bottom, and after that the beer should be clean and delicious. Some homebrewers avoid this problem by cutting their dip tubes an inch or so shorter than normal so that they sit above the sludge. The only kink with using a cask widge is that you need to get a gas length dip tube for your keg. You replace your normal dip tube with the gas length dip tube, connect the flexible tubing, and finally connect the cask widge. Fill and pressurize your keg as normal, and you’re all set! In order to really test the cask widge, I intentionally brewed a “messy” beer, and ensured that a lot of trub was transferred from the brew kettle into the primary fermentation bucket. I skipped the secondary fermentation process altogether. When I filled the keg, I made sure to get a good bit of the sludge from the bottom of the bucket into the keg. Despite my efforts to cause problems, the cask widge did what it was supposed to do. The beer I dispensed was clean and clear from the first glass to the last! All the rubbish I had intentionally transferred into the keg remained at the bottom, and was not pulled up by the widge. Another use of the cask widge would be to use a corny keg as a secondary fermentation vessel, and use the cask widge to ensure that only the good clean beer gets transferred from that secondary into your serving keg. I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s definitely something I intend to try. If you’re a really good brewer who carefully filters your beer and makes clean, sludge-free beer then you likely don’t need the cask widge. If you’re a brewer like me, the cask widge helps ensure that your beer looks its best at all times! UK Brewing is currently the only US distributor of the cask widge that I’ve found. Feel free to share in the comments if you find another source. I found out about the cask widge via Homebrew Finds, and I strongly encourage all homebrewers to follow that site (or associated Twitter account). Many thanks to Anthony at Buckeye Beverage Service for getting me the gas length dip tube I needed so quickly. If you’re a homebrewer in central Ohio, you should talk to Anthony. Product Page: Cask Widge
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| Multi-Pinhole Technique “Paints” Objects With Photographs From Life Posted: 05 Aug 2011 12:44 PM PDT  Take two minutes out of your day and watch this beautifully-made and interesting little short documentary about Shikai Tseng and his interesting photographic technique. Tseng uses a custom-built multi-pinhole box to expose objects, which have been coated in Liquid Light, to their environments. The result is a beautiful and unique object, essentially a three-dimensional one-time print. It looks like he primarily exposes vases, I’m guessing since they’re nice and round and their surface takes the Liquid Light well. Here’s the video, by Juriaan Booij. A slightly longer version can be found here. [via Dezeen]
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| Huge LED Wall For Playing Games On At Hungarian Festival Posted: 05 Aug 2011 11:44 AM PDT  I know this is more or less just a publicity stunt sponsored by Vodafone, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing we had one of these LED towers here in Seattle. It’s an installation at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary, and attendees will be able to play an oversized shoot-em-up called Rocket Bullet Storm, by Nemesys Games. No joke, I’m a sucker for these kinds of games, and playing in a crazy situation like that with Hungarian rock blaring in the background sounds like a nice break from blogging. Apparently the screens cover over 250 square meters total, wrapping around the columns and so on. It looks as if the game is played inside and displayed on the outside, though. It’s reminiscent of the setups they use in hardcore competitive gaming, but a little more festive. The festival itself runs from the 8th to the 15th, and looks like it has a pretty solid lineup. If you’re in the area, drop by and give us your impressions of this fun-looking installation.
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| Japanese Company Develops Sound-Absorbing Blinds (Video) Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:55 AM PDT  In case you’re sensitive to noise and look for a discreet way to solve the problem in your apartment or office building, for example, the so-called Feltone [JP] might do the trick for you. Developed by Japan-based Tokyo Blinds, Feltone is a blind that can absorb sound and push down power noise by up to 60%. Feltone, which is – as the name suggests – made of felt, looks like an ordinary blind and can be used on windows or walls – just like conventional blinds, without any special modifications. Tokyo Blinds says installation takes about two hours, with their solution costing up to 90% less than soundproof panels, for example. The company explains:
Feltone (which is available in Japan only at this point) doesn’t come cheap: a 2mx2m blind costs $1,500. Since 2009, Tokyo Blinds has been marketing the blind to home theater owners, companies (for meeting rooms, server rooms etc.), families with children, etc. This video, shot by Diginfonews in Tokyo, provides more insight (it’s in English):
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| Nissan Sticks QR Codes On Vehicle Window Stickers Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:39 AM PDT  Car buying sucks but Nissan is trying to make it suck less by putting QR codes on vehicle window stickers. The thought is that buyers might want a little more info than the Maroni providers, and these QR codes are a direct link to Nissan. Jon Brancheau, Nissan’s VP of of Marketing calls the On Vehicle Graphics QR codes a “silent salesperson” but it’s more like a trustworthy salesperson. Amirite? People shop for cars when its convenient for them. That doesn’t also coincide with dealership hours. This program runs on that vein and attempts to make it as easy as possible for buyers to get the info they need as quickly as possible. The QR codes work with any smartphone QR reader app. The code will take you to an enhanced mobile site complete with videos, features, and vehicle inventory levels. Try it with the 2012 Altima QR code embedded here. The system started rolling out on the 2012 Altima and Sentra lines but will eventually land on every product within the Nissan garage. Just scan and drive. (after you buy) Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive company. The company primarily offers light passenger cars, trucks, buses, forklifts, special utility vehicles, and related components....
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| Upcoming Samsung Hercules Spotted Mingling At Canadian Party? Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:35 AM PDT  What would happen if the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Infuse 4G met up, had a few drinks, and got a bit frisky? If you ignore the fact that phones aren't capable of mating, the product of that one-night stand would probably look a lot like the phone featured in this leaked image — what seems to be the Samsung Hercules. Thanks to the folks at MobileSyrup and a sneaky tipster attending last night's Samsung Mobile event in Canada, the first blurry-cam shot of this mythical handset has finally arrived. Obviously, the device pictured doesn’t sport any T-Mobile branding, but that’s because this one’s on Telus (thus, the Canada reference). Along with that beastly Infuse-esque 4.5-inch touchscreen, there are also four capacitive buttons along the bottom like the Infuse, rather than the optical trackpad seen on the S2. The Hercules certainly favors its baby daddy with that Infuse-style look and feel, but under the hood things are looking pretty similar to the S2. Leaked specs include a dual-core 1.2GHz processor under Android 2.3 Gingerbread (same as the S2), NFC support, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear-camera that shoots in 1080i, and a front-facing shooter for video chat. MobileSyrup speculates that the forward-facing camera could clock in at 2-megapixels, though there's no way to be sure until Samsung gives official word. The tipster also claims that this will be the first 42Mbps smartphone in Canada, giving reason to think it might get the same title here in the States with T-Mo. T-Mobile is a mobile telephone operator headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. T-Mobile has 101 million subscribers making it the worlds sixth largest mobile...
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| Is The Next Motorola Tablet Called The Kore? All Signs Point To “Yes” Posted: 05 Aug 2011 08:15 AM PDT  Before we enter the breach, I'd like to ask that you all have your grains of salt at the ready because we're entering some highly speculative territory. Motorola has been going on a domain shopping spree lately, and thanks to a little snooping by the folks over at Fusible, now we're all privy to Moto's purchases. Five domains, MotorolaKore.com, KoreMotorola.com, Moto-kore.com, MotoKore.com, and Motorola-Kore.com, were all registered on August 3. It's apparently the first batch of domains that Motorola has picked up in quite a while, which lends just a bit of credence to the idea that Motorola has something up its sleeves for the next few months. Now of course there's nothing concrete at this point about what the Kore actually is. The registration information lists the technical contact at Motorola Mobility, and the domain's nameservers confirm it, so at least we're not getting worked up over the wrong half of Motorola here. Thankfully, Motorola Mobility CEO has given us some room to play, thanks to some veiled statements he made during an earnings call last week. He admitted that going forward, Motorola was looking to launch two more 4G-capable tablets and at least one more 4G smartphone. The Kore may well be one of the devices he had in mind, and considering his mention of "challenges in being first to market with the Xoom", my money’s on these domain purchases being their first step of a big marketing push for a new tablet. The Xoom was a bit of a mixed bag when it came to marketing, especially considering their Super Bowl ad looked great but said next to nothing about the tablet. It sounds like Jha and company may have learned their lesson, and the Kore may be the first device to benefit from it.
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| Sprint Unveils Their First $100 4G Android Phone: The Samsung Conquer 4G Posted: 05 Aug 2011 07:52 AM PDT  It looks like it’s go time for the Samsung Conquer 4G. Upon Sprint‘s announcement this morning, we have a few more specs to offer you along with a launch date — August 21. Just as we expected, the handset will go for $100 as long as you sign on the dotted line of a two-year agreement. As it turns out, we had most of the specs already pegged. What we didn’t know is that the low-res front-facing shooter will clock in at 1.3 megapixels and the phone will, for certain, run Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box. Along with that, already-known specs include a single-core 1GHz processor, a 3.2 rear-facing shooter (with flash and zoom in tow), Sprint ID, and a 3.5-inch touchscreen with 320×480 pixels of resolution. Obviously, the Conquer 4G isn’t what you’d necessarily call a beast, but for the price it’ll certainly get the job done.
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| Stop! It’s A Really Bad Time To Buy A Kindle Posted: 05 Aug 2011 06:01 AM PDT  The Kindle is the hottest ereader on the planet but I wouldn’t buy one right now. Nope, we just crossed that threshold where it’s downright silly to buy one right now. You can wait a few weeks. The next-gen model is right around the corner. Amazon just slashed the prices of refurbished Kindles. A WiFi-only model can now be had for $99 while the 3G version is just $129. That’s cheap — even for a refurb. Kindle 3 accessories also now have a lower price. SlashGear points out that the last time Kindle refurbs and accessories went on sale, the Kindle 3 launched just a month later. That fits the prior rumors that the new ereaders and slates were possibly launching in September or October. Can’t you wait until then? Amazon has new Kindle models on tap; that’s pretty much accepted as a fact now. Previous rumors stated that they will launch with the much-anticipated Amazon tablet. The fourth-gen Kindle line is said to include a touchscreen model and a low-cost solution. These cuts seem to say Amazon is clearing out the ol’ warehouses in time for the new models. New Kindle models always bring better e-ink screens, more memory and cleaner styling. It’s said that the popular ereader is going to get a make-over this time around and might even lose its physical keyboard. There’s another choice, though. The touch-ified Barnes & Noble Nook is a fantastic device. If you can do without the 3G option traditionally found in Kindle products, this is a fine route to ereader land and can be had now for just $139. Still, it’s worth shelving your Kindle buying plans just a few weeks. The latest hotness is just around the bend. Go get a couple of books from the library and count down the days. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is a leading global Internet company and one of the most trafficked Internet retail destinations worldwide. Amazon is one of the first companies to sell products deep...
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| You Know, For Triathlons: Polar RCX5 Heart Rate Watch Review Posted: 05 Aug 2011 05:57 AM PDT  I’ve used quite a few heart rate monitoring watches in my day. I’ve played with Suuntos and Nikes aplenty, with whosits and whatsits galore. But the RCX5 is different in its utter simplicity. Designed to be worn while swimming, running, or biking, all of the smarts are actually in the optional sensors, leaving the watch itself as basic as a $20 Timex with a few tricks up its sleeve. The base kit – that is, the watch, heart rate band, and a battery – costs $349. Although the watch and sensors are ostensibly OS X and Windows compatible, you’re going to be more comfortable using the software on Windows. I had some issues with the Mac sync and it wouldn’t work at all for me using a MacBook Air. It did work on my Mac Pro at home. The extra gear costs, well, extra, although different packages – Run, Bike, Multi – add more than $100 to that price on the high end. To be clear, this watch is a major investment. The watch supports the Polar bike cadence and speed sensors, running pedometers, and GPS units. The heartrate monitor is water resistant as is the watch so you can wear it in all sorts of situations. The battery lasts about six to eight months of regular use, which can be attributed to the watch’s dependence on radio communications. This is a far sight better, however, than most rechargeable models. The things that stand out the most for me with this unit is the size, compact shape, and simplicity. Rather than cruft up the UI with “ghost running partners” and “time to exercise” reminders – although those are useful in some cases – this watch is no nonsense. The goal is to strap it on, do your training, be it biking, running, or swimming, and then look at the results. It’s a real sports watch in that it doesn’t want to help you loose weight or meet friends in the park for a jog. It wants to make you a machine. To use it you simply strap everything to your body or bike, press the red “go” button to select a sport, and then press it again to start recording. You can also run pre-set workouts that you define in software. There are multiple activity readouts including a screen that shows current heart rate level (in comparison to the ideal) as well as speed, cadence, and distance. You can also set a special “gesture:” bringing your watch up to your heart rate monitor sets the watch to a different screen momentarily, a screen that you can preset. For example, you could set it to show you current time or distance and then drop back down to a read-out that focuses on heart rate. DC Rainmaker has a video: Once you have the watch, however, you need the accessories. It’s this upsell that may peeve some watch owners used to having an all-in-one solution although, I’d warrant, this looks better with a dress shirt that any of the monstrous GPS watches Garmin offers. Because this watch is only as good as its complementary sensors, so we’ll address those one by one. Cadence sensors (bikes) – I tested the $30 CS speed sensor W.I.N.D. and the complementary $30 cadence sensor on my bike and got strong, consistent readings. Installation is a snap – you just place the sensor on one part of the bike and a little magnet on the other (placement varies). The sensors are small enough to be unobtrusive and are water resistant. GPS – I also tested the small G5 GPS sensor, a device about the size of an iPod Nano that acted as a GPS antenna. It picked up a strong signal in New York and, surprisingly, also picked up a nice signal in Poland after about 30 minutes of searching. This small sensor comes with an arm band and is rechargeable via USB. Precision was strong – once the device achieved a satellite lock – but moving to a new location required another lengthy search process. Foot pod – I tried the $113 s3+ stride sensor that connects to your shoe and senses current stride and footfall. I found this to be far more convenient than the GPS unit although slightly less precise. Heart rate monitor – The standard model was comfortable, unobtrusive, and water resistant. It worked fine in all situations and I often forgot I was wearing it.
If you’re looking for endurance-specific features, the RCX5 has them in spades. To be clear, I’m a big fat blogger so I can’t address the actual utility of these tools so I’ll paste them verbatim here for you to peruse. That said, I can state that this watch is different in that it definitely offers far more data than I’ve ever seen from a standard “runner’s” watch. Will it inspire me to do an Ironman? Probably not, but a boy can dream.
I’m obviously coming at this from the perspective of a dilettante so I’d recommend you also check out this exhaustive review by DC Rainmaker. For the average weekened runner, however, I think this watch may be a little too powerful and a little too expensive. While I wouldn’t recommend the Nike+ GPS watch for city-dwellers, it works just fine and Garmin has always pleased me with their self-contained heart rate/GPS watches. Is this the watch for a weekend warrior? Probably not. It’s pricey, complicated, and oftentimes overkill. However, is this the watch for a serious triathlon trainee with a geek’s love of numbers? Absolutely. Product Sets
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| Belkin Folio Case Adds A Keyboard To Your iPad Posted: 05 Aug 2011 05:10 AM PDT  Belkin has just announced the availability of their $99 iPad “Folio” case that includes a battery-powered Bluetooth keyboard that would, in theory, turn your iPad 2 into a full-bore mini-computer. While I, personally, have never been able to use a keyboard/tablet combo with any exuberance, I suspect that this kit, complete with 60-hour battery and a full iPad stand – might make for a better experience. If you’ve been dreaming of turning your iPad into an ultrabook, this may be your chance.
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