Security

Smart Vending Machines Look You Over, Suggest A Drink

by Steve Levenstein

A pair of 'smart' touchscreen vending machines newly installed in a Tokyo train station make drink suggestions based on the buyer's appearance.

2 comments

Bushnell Makes GPS Even Smaller And Less Expensive

by Chris Weiss

Bushnell has expanded its BackTrack line of personal navigation units to include more features and less material.

Social Media Monopoly Will Not Let You Pass Go On Facebook Places Without Permission

by Ron Callari

As popular as Foursquare has become, it will soon be dwarfed by the amount of press surfacing with the release of Facebook's new location-based platform Places. It stands to reason - Foursquare's 2.5 million is a spit in the proverbial geolocation ocean compared to Facebook's half billion online users and 100+ million accessing Facebook on their mobile devices. However with all things Facebook, the taint of the invasion of privacy seems to come part and parcel.

Mobile Phone 'Dryer Box' Revives Soaked Phones, Saves Precious Data

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2010/08/10/jmc-dryer-box-for-waterlogged-cellphones/

by Steve Levenstein

Dropping your mobile phone in the pool, the bathtub, a puddle, even the toilet used to be a recipe for data disaster. Not any more, thanks to the 'Dryer Box' - a cool cube that revives your phone and restores your data.

6 comments

LED Light Bulb Card Is A Shining Example Of Miniaturization

by Steve Levenstein

Is that a light bulb in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? The answer is both! This portable pop-up LED light bulb shines cool white light when you need it, then folds flat like a credit card when you don't.

1 comment

Seatbelt Buckle Keychain Holder Keeps Keys Safe

by Steve Levenstein

The Buckle Up Key Holder looks like a car or truck seatbelt buckle with good reason: if seatbelts can keep YOU safe, they can do the same for your keys.

Stop & Go Driving Could Be Simplified By A Single Pedal

Stop And Go Driving Could Be Simplified By A Single Pedal

by Steve Levenstein

A Japanese inventor has come up with a unique solution to the problem of drivers mistakenly stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake: combine both functions into a single floor pedal.

1 comment

Social Media Insurgency: Facebook Stealing From Google According to TechCrunch

by Ron Callari

Maybe not on par with the Wikileak informant that spilled the beans regarding US classified information pertaining to the War in Afghanistan - but a social network engineer may be in a similar hot seat on the social media war-front between Google and Facebook - that is, according to a TechCrunch report.

OMO Detergent Is A Cross Between Internet Of Things & Foursquare Gone Wild

by Ron Callari

Unilever is experimenting with a promotion for their Omo Detergent product in Brazil. The brand is adding a GPS device as an additional ingredient to its two-pound detergent box which will trigger its promotion agency Bullet to track shoppers down from the supermarket to their front door.

Smart Helmet Tells You And Rescuers That You've Taken A Hard Hit To The Head

by Chris Weiss

Trying to explain the degree of your head injury when you're seeing strange colors, talking to imaginary people and trying desperately to remember your own name is difficult. So why not let your helmet do it for you?

Jump Start Your Car From The Inside Out

by Boomer Babe

To me, one of the worst feelings in the world comes when your car breaks down on the highway or in the middle of nowhere. As a woman, maybe my vulnerability is greater than men might experience, but my fear comes from a few unforgettable experiences in neighborhoods you may have only seen in the movies.

4 comments

Tabnabbing, A Hacker's Latest Phishing Expedition

by Ron Callari

How many of us leave a half-dozen or so tabs open in our browser throughout the course of the day? Apparently this is the new breeding ground for hackers to lie in wait. The latest malware to hit the digital airways is called 'tabnabbing' and it seizes on an opportunity to steal passwords when users log-in to email or banking accounts, and leave the tabs open for a period of time.

1 comment

iPhone 4 Cover Looks Like Lunch, Prevents Screen Crunch

by Steve Levenstein

If the screen of your new iPhone 4 is so clean you could eat off it, keep it that way - with a faux food phone cover!

Social Media Leads In Nation-Building Like The Mouse That Roared?

by Ron Callari

While the debate on privacy continues to rage on at home and abroad, it has not hindered Facebook from scaling to a half billion users this past week. With only China and India's populations larger, Facebook is the third largest 'nation' in the world? But with no land to defend and a citizenry not bound by any government, how could a social network rank third in followers globally?

2 comments

Butts Get One More Way To Emit Something Shockingly Unpleasant

by Brilliant

From Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi district - known in India for its plethora of pickpockets - comes Shyam Chaurasia and his design for a pair of jeans that gives thieves the jolt of their life.

Halo Bike Lock Sends You A Text When Someone Is Stealing Your Bike

by Chris Weiss

This bike lock does a whole lot more than sit and look intimidating to criminals. It lets you know if and when your bike is being stolen, unleashing a much more intimidating form of security: you and your trusty Louisville Slugger.

Iron Maiden Bench? Excellent!... Unless You're Short On Cash

by Steve Levenstein

This prickly park bench by design student Fabian Brunsing is a real pain in the butt... unless you pay first.

1 comment

Virgin America Introduces Virgin Social Networking

by Ron Callari

Airline Passengers are learning they don't have to stop social networking just because they left Terra Firma and are hovering at altitudes of 30K above the ground. Virgin America is the first to introduce a Bluetooth-style seat-to-seat chat system that allows passengers to connect with fellow travelers throughout the aircraft.

2 comments

Social Networkers Panic In UK, While Zuckerberg Panics In US

by Ron Callari

While Mark Zuckerberg is panicking in the US over privacy issues and a new movie portraying him as a social networking version of Ivan the Terrible, Facebook users across the pond have cause for another type of panic. This week it was announced that Facebook in the UK will allow a "panic button" application on its site to ward off cyberbullying and sexual predators.

2 comments

Warped Bike Locks Itself

by Chris Weiss

A possible bike of the future, this interesting bike wraps itself into locking position and helps put a dent in bike theft.