How to Enable NFC Payments On Your Current iPhone 4

Nexus S users think they're so cool with their built-in NFC chips, but now there's an easy hack that anyone can do to enable NFC Payments on an iPhone 4 (among others).

Most of you have probably encountered an NFC-enabled credit card. Most major US banks employ this tech in their credit/debit cards. There may even be one in your pocket without you knowing it! (Just look for the little sideways Wi-Fi signal sign in the corner). The hack involves taking one of these cards and cutting it to fit into an iPhone between the rear casing and the battery.  

As more companies adopt the PayWave technology, this hack will get more and more useful. For now, you can impress 7-Eleven and McDonald's employees across the country with your fancy phone's newfound ability.

 

 

New York Hospital Trades Insurance Cards for Vein Scanners

Langone Medical Center in New York is streamlining the hospital check-in process with specialized scanners from Fujitsu that recognize the unique vein pattern of your palm.With these scanners, there's no need to flash your insurance card or fill out long forms when you enter the hospital. You don't even have to be conscious.

Each scan is saved as a numeric code and tied to your medical record, but it's not stored with the record. So relax, voyeuristic hospital personnel can't ogle your beautiful blood vein patterns.Besides efficiency, the hospital hopes these scanners will reduce medical errors which is a good thing. These mistakes cause almost 100,000 deaths and cost the medical profession almost $20 billion each year.

 

 

Looks Like Batman Hired Puma to Make Him Some Sneakers

Apparently Bruce Wayne needed some shoes to go with his business-casual wardrobe. But when your business is being Batman, even "casual" has to be intense.

Okay, so these aren't actually a prop fromThe Dark Knight Rises or anything like that. They're actually a part of Puma Creative Director Hussein Chalayan's upcoming "Urban Swift" fall collection. Which makes sense if you think about it. From the looks of it, these kicks have been slightly melted and put in a wind tunnel at mach 3. Swift indeed. Check them out here.

Who’s Spying on You Through Your Browser?

Wall Street Journal has amassed a sizeable infographic containing all the ways top websites track your data. While nearly all websites send your data to third-party trackers, some are worse than others. Luckily the main offenders are websites that suck.

The worst website of them all is Dictionary.com, who send your browsing data to 234 different trackers. Other particularly invasive sites include Comcast.net, Photobucket.com and MSN.com.

What do these trackers do, exactly? Some just store your preferences or files or history so that things are easier to use or quicker to load. Others, however, send your information to marketers which they can use to spam your phone, email inbox or IRL mailbox with DEALS AND OFFERS.

 

 

RZA Unveils Branded Headphone Line, Hopes You Don't Leave Shaolin Without Them

The other rappers probably spend a lot of time making fun of you when you don't have your own line of headphones. The Wu Tang's RZA can thankfully breathe a sigh of relief as he becomes a member of the not so inclusive club that already contains the likes of Dr. Dre, Ludacris, and 50 Cent. 

The Gravedigga sometimes known as Bobby Digital is teaming up with WESC to bring the world Chambers, a line of over-ear headphones with flashing LEDs that light up in time with your music. Chambers will come in two versions -- one targeted at consumers and another aimed at pros. The line is set to launch on August 26th. It's not quite as awesome as that $500 Ghostface Killah doll from a few years back, but it's a start.

 

 

Facebook Will Pay You to Break its Website

Starting today, Facebook will pay $500+ to anyone who exposes a vulnerability that could compromise user data. To qualify, you must be the first to report it and give them time to fix it before going public.

 

 

Travis Pastrana Practiced Trick-Gone-Bad for 5 Years

Travis Pastrana's devastating bone-breaking crash at the X Games last night was a COMPLETE shock to us -- because just hours before the wreck, Travis told TMZ he had been practicing the trick for 5 years!

Travis busted out the move -- which he dubbed the "TP Roll" -- during the "Best Trick" competition at X Games 17 in L.A. when he lost control on the landing and broke his right foot and ankle in the crash.

Even worse -- Travis was supposed to make his debut as a NASCAR driver this weekend -- but now those plans have been put on hold. Sucks.

 

 

A Canoe That Can Fit Inside a Backpack

Ori Levin designed a full sized canoe that's completely collapsable and can be stored in a bag that's only 5 x 9 x 28 inches big. Basically, you can have a boat in your backpack.

Called the Adhoc Canoe, it only weighs 9 pounds and takes 5 minutes to assemble. The frame of the canoe is made with carbon fiber and the hull is made of aramid (a synthetic fabric used in racing sails). The boat comes together in a "double wishbone-like structure" formed using telescopic poles. Probably not comfy but certainly clever. Sadly, Levin has no plans to bring the Adhoc Canoe to the mass market.

Apple Now Has More Cash Than the U.S. Government

Apple reported last week that it had $76 billion in cash, that might be enough to buy Goldman Sachs or Facebook. Today, Steve Jobs' reserves match up with the world's largest sovereign entity.

That's right. Apple is currently more liquid than the U.S. government:

As Republicans and Democrats continue to work towards a compromise to the country's debt ceiling crisis, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday that Washington now has a total operating balance of only US$73.768-billion.

Meanwhile, Apple currently boasts a cash reserve of US$75.876-billion, as of its most recent quarterly earnings report at the end of June.

 

 

Official-looking' Pic of White Galaxy S II Leaks, Unicorns Right Around the Corner

Albino Nexus S, meet your better specced, bleached out, dual-core nemesis -- the mythical white Samsung Galaxy S II. The leaked snap is certainly timely, coming in only one day after a UK retailer promised the colorless beast would go on sale August 15th. 

US peeps can now sign-up for "more info" on Sammy's website, so stateside GSII fans should be hearing more from the company soon. Will word come of the LTE-toting, ivory dream phone we've been lusting after? Probably not, but getting the baddest black Android on the planet is still pretty darn good.

 

 

Ikelite Waterproof Case

Made for Nikon cameras, this waterproof case is created from polycarbonate so will keep your precious snapper bone-dry and corrosion-free, to depths of 200ft. There's just one small problem—it costs $1,400.

As you can see from the picture, it has two side-handles with buttons, for easy control, and an eye-magnifier so you don't have to compromise your favorite view just because you're underwater. Get it here.

 

 

Travel Pillows With Inbuilt MP3 Player Pockets Will De-Tangle and Chill You Out

Travel pillows are one of those objects that always pisses you off when your partner packs it for a trip, but then 10 hours and a stiff neck later you end up being really jealous of.

Cabeau's $35 pillows have little pockets for MP3 players, which shoul avoid those mid-slumber accidents when you get tangled amongst the wires. You can get them here.

 

 

Ion Piano Apprentice Plays Nice With Your iPad

It's not enough anymore to simply cram a single-octave keyboard into the bottom of a Nintendo DS, effective piano instruction requires at least twice as many keys -- and an iPad. The Ion Piano Apprentice (when coupled with a compatible iDevice and companion app) offers aspiring Tchaikovskys octave-selectable free play, lessons on reading sheet music, and even a view of award-winning piano instructor Scott Houston's handsome hands.

 If those mitts are too distracting for you, just follow along with the light-up keys, you'll be fine. This mini keyboard / iPad dock will land this fall to the tune of $100 -- -- it's either that, a real instructor, or a pair of haptic robot gloves. Your choice, really.

 

 

Translating Ancient Egyptian Texts Just Went Social

You know you wanna be like Indiana Jones, unlocking the secrets of ancient manuscripts. Well, that is hard. But the Egypt Exploration Society and Oxford University are giving you the chance by uploading their ancient papyrus to the web.

By visiting Oxford's Ancient Lives website, you and your fellow archaeologists can sit down and attempt to decipher the cataloged papyri from Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus, discovered in the late 19th century. The find includes accounts of everyday life, an apocryphal gospel, and literature. You may want to go through the tutorial first, though. Or learn some Greek.

 

 

ASUS Confirms Eee Pad Transformer Will get Android 3.2

Eee Pad Transformer users don't have to wait much longer to get their Android 3.2 fix. ASUS has now confirmed that the update will be rolling out tomorrow, July 28th. UnlikeGalaxy Tab 10.1 owners, Transformer users shouldn't expect too many surprises in store here considering ASUS is sticking with stock Honeycomb, although there will hopefully be a few fixesincluded in addition to the more general Android updates.

BookBook iPhone 4 Case

So, you've finally accepted the reality that smartphones aren't a passing fad, but you're no less concerned that the special tech-hater in your life might get hip that you've abandoned reading books forflinging unhappy fowl. You're further concerned that you won't have space in your skinny jeans for both a wallet and an iPhone. Well, it sounds like Twelve South's BookBook iPhone 4 case has you and your ridiculous smartphone-conversion anxiety covered.

The little leather-bound sleeve not only masks your iPhone in what looks like a miniature Bible binding, but also acts as host to your wallet's contents. If you're looking to fool folks into thinking you're really reading a tiny tome titled BookBook, the case can be yours for $60 get it here.

 

 

Fujitsu Toshiba Announces au IS12T, The World's First Mango Phone

The IS12T: Japan's first Windows Phone 7 device, and according to Microsoft prez Yasuyuki Higuchi, the world's first Mango handset. The sexy and IPX5 waterproof (!) 3.7-inch WVGA slate is powered by Qualcomm's MSM8655 CPU of undisclosed clock speed (which is running at 1GHz in the Incredible 2 and Thunderbolt), and goes on sale in "September or beyond" on KDDI's au network. The phone packs a 13.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and has a plentiful 32GB of flash storage for housing whatever content you'd fancy toting around. The usual Bluetooth (2.1 + EDR) and WiFi (802.11b/g/n) suspects are also onboard. 

 

 

Mass Effect 3 N7 Replica Gets Real World Debut for Your Spacer Pleasure

If you're the type to stock your walls with Lord of the Rings-style elvish daggers (or, you know, buildfull-scale Portal gun replicas), then you'll love this official Mass Effect 3 mockup commissioned by the folks at Bioware. Arduously crafted by self-proclaimed graphic design dork Harrison Krix, the N7 assault rifle replica made its facsimile debut at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. 

With only a fortnight to work with, the DIY, prop-making hobbyist took the made-for-cosplay gun from a glued wood, styrene and PVC-detailed master concept to paint weathered, final collector's edition mold.

 

 

Spray Paint Behemoth Bag Packs 22 Cans of Vandalism Or Art!

Should you find yourself preparing a massive spray paint project, you're probably going to need a massive amount of spray paint! Sure, you could juggle them, or throw them in a bag. Or carry this ginormous spray paint monster backpack.

The Black Ops Version 3, by Spraygrounds, has room for a staggering 22 cans of paint. That is a lot of paint. Perhaps you've been commissioned to redo the Sistine Chapel by a young new hip hop Pope. Perhaps you're venturing out into the desert, and are afraid of running out of spray paint, and are bringing 22 cans just in case.

At any rate, the padded bag not only offers ample room for paint, but a laptop sleeve, plenty of compartments, and is crafted from tough ballistic nylon. Alternately, you could only bring out one can of spray paint, and fill the rest with air freshener.Get it here.

New Sony Walkman Pops up on UK Retail Site

The portable cassette players once nearly universally identified as the Walkman may have seen better days, but their spirit is still alive, so far as Sony is concerned. The company is apparently set to release the latest entry in the line, the slick-looking NWZA865B, a 16GB portable media player with wireless file sharing and music streaming capabilities. 

The 16GB model is also likely one of a number of capacities to be offered, ranging from 8GB to 64GB. The device is available for viewing on UK retailer Buy.com with a £130 ($213) price tag and a July 31st release date.