An App That Pretends Your iPhone Is Dead

Don't you hate it when your friends with Android phones loaded with games asks to borrow your iPhone to play something? Then they bleed the battery dry and you feel like a used tool. Crappy!

Play Dead is an app that fakes like your iPhone is dead with a loop of the shutdown screen. That way the next time your friend asks to borrow your iPhone, you just fire up the app, flash the screen and say sorry dude, phone's dead. Get it here.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S II Gets Official for Canada

Bell and Virgin Mobile -- neither of then are confirming a price at the moment -- plus regional carrier SaskTel, which plans to offer the phone for $79.99 on a three-year contract. SaskTel and Virgin Mobile both also say that the phone will be available in the coming weeks, while Bell isn't offering much more than a chance to win the phone in a contest that ends July 19th -- it was previously heard that the phone will be hitting Bell on July 14th. Perhaps not surprisingly, it's looking like the phone will also alternatively be known as the "Galaxy S II" or "Galaxy S II 4G" depending on the carrier.

 

 

HTC Status for AT&T Announced on Facebook

The HTC Status (formerly known as the ChaChaCha, the ChaCha, and "the Facebook phone that's not a Facebook phone") is inching ever closer to its AT&T debut. Now it's been revealed for all the world to see, appropriately enough, on Facebook.

This social networking-focused, QWERTY candybar has had its CPU bumped up to 800MHz -- price and availability are still as much of a mystery as ever. 

 

 

Delkin Intros 64GB SDXC Card

Months after taking a victory lap to flaunt the world's fastest SDHC card, Delkin is back, this time with a superlatively speedy SDXC. The 64GB Elite633 card promises read and write speeds of 95 MBps and 45 MBps, respectively -- that compares with 95MBps and 80MBps for the company's 32GB SDHC.

With a price of $539.99, of course, it wasn't exactly intended for those of you who are too lazy to dump some 17,000-odd photos onto a hard drive. Rather, it'll come in handy for the enthusiast crowd, especially folks with a penchant for high-def and 3D video. As for the rest of you casual shooters, we're quite partial to a game we like to call, "How much camera could I get for that $540?"

Angry Birds Lands on Windows Phone 7

Nowadays, you can't really claim to have a mobile OS worthy of the title if your users can't run Angry Birds on it. Good news from Microsoft, then, as Windows Phone 7 can finally be admitted at the grown-up table now that it has released its port of Rovio's epic bird-launching experience. $2.99 is the Marketplace price for the full version, though there's also the option to try out the first few levels for free.

 Because, you know, there might still be people out there who haven't yet been exposed to the charms of this perniciously addictive little game.

 

Google Launches all Out Social Networking Assault With Google+

Social networking has long been Google's white whale. The company has done plenty of dabbling in the space, snatching up Orkut, which has failed to catch on in the US, and rolling out Buzz to the relative indifference of its massive user base. Announced today after seemingly endless leaks, Google+ represents a major push for the software giant. The service began showing itself to a smattering of users last night, as a black bar across the top of various of the company's properties. A "+You" button on the far left of the bar currently brings you to the service's landing page, offering a tour of the many features that fall under the Google+ umbrella.  

Among the sub-services is Circles, which lets users divide up which of their friends / followers can see which content, assuring that only your "Epic Bros" and not your boss sees what you were up to at last night's bachelor party. Hangouts, meanwhile, offers up multi-person video chat with members of your Circle. Sparks is a customized feed aggregator of content you curate from across the web -- remember when RSS feeds were a thing? This is kind of like that.

There's also, not surprisingly, a mobile element to the service. Huddle offers up group messaging, largely targeted at arranging real-world meetups for those times you actually want to, you know, socialize with humans in the flesh. The Instant Upload feature makes it easy to transfer photos to private albums in the cloud. Google+ is still in a limited trial mode and has a few "rough edges," according to the company.

Tag Heuer Outs $6,700 Link Phone for Those Who Like Alligator Skin With Their Froyo

As far as most of us are concerned, if we're going to pay a lot for a phone -- you know, like, $350 on contract -- it had better come with the works. We're talking a qHD display, dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera with 1080p recording, NFC, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 4G radio, to boot. If you're someone who buys things made by Tag Heuer, you've got different priorities. The company just introduced the Link Phone, a darling clunker of a handset festooned with steel, 18K rose gold, or titanium, topped off with leather, alligator- and lizard-skin, rubber, and diamond accents -- a medley that'll set you back no less than €4,700 ($6,712). 

What's that you say? You want specs? The Link, named after the Swiss outfit's storied watch line, runs Android 2.2 -- a clear step up from its feature phone predecessor. Other ho-hum features include the 3.5-inch (800 x 480) display, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 256MB internal memory, an 8GB memory card, 1400 mAh battery, and EDGE / HSUPA connectivity.

 

 

LG's DM50D HDTV / Monitor Promotes a Passive 3D lifestyle

LG is talking up its forthcoming DM50D 3D monitor -- not a lot, mind you, but just enough to get people interested. It has "Flicker Free" capabilities borrowed from its Cinema 3D TV line, and double the brightness of conventional 3D sets. The display has a built-in DTV turner, HDMI capabilities for connecting with 3D-capable consoles and the like, and the ability to view images and videos directly from a USB flash drive. It'll be hitting Europe in July, with more of the world getting a crack at it later.

 

 

Acer's AC700 Chromebook Coming to the US This Month for $350

Samsung's Series 5 Chromebook too expensive? Fear not, Acer just announced that its Chromebook, dubbed the AC700, will go on sale in the states this month for $349.99, to be followed by a 3G-equipped version later this summer.

If you're part of the niche market that would happily live in Chrome OS in exchange for instant-on access, be advised that it runs on an Atom N570 processor and 2GB of RAM, and has 16GB of flash storage, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader.

MasterCard App Bringing Mobile Payments to iOS, Android and BlackBerry

Shortly after MasterCard announced plans to become entangled with Google Wallet, it looks as if the company is diving into yet another mobile payment arena. And this time, it's personal. MasterCard and CSI Enterprises already offer a smattering of customized business cards for those with highly specific needs, and soon that partnership will extend to iOS, Android and BlackBerry OS.

The CSI Virtual MasterCard app is currently scheduled to launch in July, presumably enabling folks with a GlobalVCard to use their mobile device of choice to make payments. What's interesting here is the inclusion of RIM and iOS; there's no BlackBerry device (nor iOS device) on the market today with NFC, which leads to one of two things: that's either changing by July, or this here service won't rely on NFC at all.

iOS 5 Beta 2 Blocks Gevey SIM Unlock

It's only been a few days since Apple released iOS 5 beta 2, but developers spent some quality time with the update and uncovered a few of its more salient features. Here are some highlights.

• It looks like Apple has blocked Applenberry's Gevey SIM software, which allowed users to unlock devices running iOS 4.3 or iOS 5 beta 1 without having to jailbreak.  
• According to Dev Team member MuscleNerd, iOS 5 beta 2 can still be jailbroken using the RedSn0w 0.9.8b1 tethering tool, released earlier this month.  
• The beta refresh also brings a few tweaks to iOS 5's notifications system. Traditional alerts and reminders now pop up on the lock screen in larger typeface, alongside their appropriate icon. If left unattended, the notifications will eventually be added to the Android-like banner menu, at the top of the lock screen.  
• Users can now create and curate photo albums directly from their iDevices.
• The next beta release might be issued over the air. When a tipster checked for updates on an iPad running beta 2, he received a "No updates were found" message, suggesting that users may be able to find future refreshes without syncing their devices with iTunes.

 

 

Nokia's N950 With a 12-megapixel Camera Lurking Within

Friends over at the FCC have somehow both scored and already torn asunder Nokia's new flagship MeeGo development phone. Slicing and dicing Espoo's latest confirms the watered-down N9 spec with a 12-megapixel camera. 

An intriguing addition, as the N950's official specs list an 8-megapixel shooter, which the Finnish firm touted as "different" than the unit in its brother. Perhaps different means the additional 4-megapixels we spotted earlier this year? 

3D Printer Harnesses the Sun to Transform Egyptian Sand Into Glass

After starting off with what looks like a jaunt through the dunes of Tatooine, this3D printer uses the immense power of the sun to turn sand into glass.

The 3D printer, called the Solar Sinter, was conceived of by Kayser to create shapes from the vast nothingness of the Sahara Desert, specifically the portion that runs through Egypt.

 

 

Monster’s New Earbuds Are Strictly for Concert Junkies

Monster seemingly has headphones for every niche, music genre, and usage scenario you could ever imagine. So it makes sense they worked with legendary funk/soul group Earth, Wind and Fire to churn out a headphone specially-tuned for live music.

According to CrunchGear, the Gratitude earbuds are designed to replicate sound and instruments as accurately as possible (as opposed to, say, the Beats headphones, which emphasize bass). Price for the Gratitude earbuds is unknown, but they're expected to launch in September.

 

 

This Massage Chair Has Everything

This massage chair by Panasonic has everything you'd want. 3D mapping! It creates a map of the body-height, weight, dimensions—and then massages accordingly. There's even hot stones! It can heat itself up to 108 degrees.  

Yeah, you dont get massages there but the chair, called the Panasonic EP-MA70 Real Pro Ultra Luxury massage chair, has every other trick in the book: shoulder massage, hand and arm massage, waist and back, thigh and hip, and even calf and foot. And the 'hot stone' therapy can increase your blood flow, lessen your anxiety and bring you to your happy place. Gotta count for somethin'. $8,000.

Dress Your iPad as a Stylish Notepad

Some of you enjoy flaunting the beauty of a naked iPad, but Pad and Quill's gorgeous birch wood Contega for iPad 2 gives your device both rugged protection and good looks, without losing any of your device's functionality.

BlackBerry Bold 9900

RIM's BlackBerry 9900 is the device that the BlackBerry diehards have been hoping, wishing, and waiting for since the original Bold launched way back in 2008. However, this time around the company has added in a capacitive touchscreen, swapped the trackball of yesteryear for an optical trackpad, and slimmed the whole thing down into a 10.5mm thick package.  

The Bold 9900 bears a striking resemblance to the original "big Bold" 9000, and fans of that device's large but sturdy form factor will absolutely love the 9900. Gone is the faux-leather back cover, which has been replaced with a slick carbon fiber-esque flat battery door. Interestingly, whereas the entire back of the device could be removed and swapped on the 9000, only the part of the housing that covers the battery itself comes off on the 9900. The carbon fiber midsection is surrounded by soft touch black rubber finishes that taper the outer edge of the device slightly, resulting in a really nice overall form factor.

 

 

Voltaic Spark Tablet Case Powers Your Pad With The

Voltaic makes tons of solar-charging gear, from laptop bags to backpacks, the company just unveiled its Spark Tablet Case -- a thin, padded case designed for your iPad or other slate that can generate 8-watts of power in sunlight. In addition to directly charging your iPad in about 10 hours, it can also bank the Sun's rays in a universal battery pack, for use when those fluffy things in the sky don't cooperate with your outdoor computing schedule. Optionally, the included V39 USB Battery can be charged (as you may have guessed) via USB, for extra insurance. The Spark is available now for $299 and extra battery packs can be had for $99.

 

 

Amenbo Five-Finger Mouse Has One up On Mickey

If you're using a standard mouse or a trackpad, there's a good chance you've got a finger or two going to waste, and really, what's the point of having all of those digits if you're not going to put them to work? Japan's Double Research & Development Co. is showing off the Amenbo, a new input device that doesn't waste a single finger. Each gets its own pad with a mouse sensor, all connected to a single base with a flexible material that allows for movement. 

The device can detect pressure and motion of the fingers, and is ideal for interfacing with things like 3D CAD data, which usually requires two hands. It's also apparently great for use with robot hands and getting androids to flash the metal sign.

 

 

This Mermaid Swims Through Your Digestive Tract

Say hello to the Mermaid, a self-propelled endoscopy device used to photograph your digestive tract. The Mermaid was created by a team of researchers from Ryukoku University and Osaka Medical College in Japan. Not only is it kinda cute in a medical device sort of way, the Mermaid is a testament to Japanese engineering.

It's less than a half-inch in diameter, two inches long and has a magnetic propulsion system. Once it enters your stomach or colon, the Mermaid snaps two photos each second and is controlled remotely with a joystick. The entry point for the Mermaid is either your mouth or your—well, you know. The whole trip from stem to stern takes only a few hours and is minimally invasive when compared to the traditional colonoscopy.