Monthly Archives: February 2013

Soccket Ball Generates Electricity When You Play With It: Child Playbor

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This unique ball turns the beautiful game into the energy-generating game. Made by a small company called Uncharted Play, the Soccket is a football that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. In other words, you get electricity simply by playing with it.

soccket soccer ball by uncharted play

As you roll and bounce Soccket around, a pendulum inside it cranks a small generator, which in turn is connected to a small battery.  I wouldn’t be surprised if a typical hand-cranked generator can convert energy more efficiently, but of course that’s not as fun to use as the Soccket.

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The Soccket weighs 17 oz., just 1 oz. heavier than a normal football. Aside from its power generating capability, the Soccket is also water-resistant, is airless and will never deflate.

Pledge at least $89 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Soccket. As of now, the electricity stored within the ball can only be used by one device – the complementary LED lamp. But Uncharted Play did say that they’ll come up with more complementary gadgets as well as a USB adapter if Soccket reaches its goal on Kickstarter. Can you imagine if all kinds of sporting balls in the world had a generator inside? We would hate ball games. Just kidding.

Apple patent application details magnetic iPad stand for extra-secure mounting

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Apple patent application details magnetic iPad stand

A recently published Apple patent reveals the design for a "magnetic tablet configured to rigidly hold a portion of the tablet device in place." You can bet that "tablet device" is the iPad, and judging from the many photos associated with the patent, the stand is meant to mount the slate more securely than your average dock, not to mention the Smart Cover. One scenario, for instance, shows the iPad secured on top of a treadmill, while another depicts the device hanging from the roof of the car. By far the most intriguing example is two iPads connected to each other magnetically, creating a hinge between the two displays. Click through to the source link for a look at Cupertino's other envisioned use cases for this super-strength stand -- though don't get your hopes up on seeing this design hit stores any time soon; the original patent was filed in late 2011.

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Source: USPTO, Free Patents Online

Incredible Links

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7 Art Masterpieces Infused With Geek Culture – Walyou

Brilliant and Bizarre Nail Art Inspired by Internet Memes – Flavorwire

For The OCD: Photos Of Neatly Arranged Items – Taxi

Jem and the Holograms and Their Modern Pop Dopplegangers – BuzzFeed

12 Wonderfully Geeky Ice Cube Trays – Oddee

The Game Over Tinies A-F – Brental Floss

9 Awesome Acoustic iPhone Amps – Life Scoop

Selfless Portraits – Strangers Drawing Portraits of Each Other – Selfless Portraits

These are China’s weirdest monuments – io9

Corning says flexible Willow displays are three years out, simpler uses still expected this year

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There's no question that Corning has had a big impact on mobile devices in recent years with its Gorilla Glass, and it's hoping for similar success in the years ahead with its new Willow Glass technology. It looks like there's still a bit of a wait in store before we'll see products that fully take advantage of the glass's bendy properties, though. Speaking with Bloomberg, Corning president James Clappin says that products with flexible displays are likely still three years out, adding that it's now busy making "a lot of effort" to teach what it describes as "very big name" companies how to fully use the product. Clappin did reiterate the company's earlier that we will see some products using Willow Glass as early as this year, although those will likely take the form of simpler products; he offered a flexible barrier for solar panels and a thin film behind touch panels as some examples.

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Source: Bloomberg

Want a Job? Send a 3D Model of Your Head Instead of a Resume

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It seems like people are taking Phil Dubost’s lead when it comes to resumes. In case you haven’t heard of Phil, he’s the one behind the Amaz-ing Resume that promptly went viral after he posted it. Apparently, many seem to agree that a fake Amazon product page beats a boring old CV any day.

That was followed shortly by the chocolate bar resume of Redditor elilanger’s friend Nicholas, which went viral after it was posted online. (In case you were wondering, yes, he got the job.) Hot on the heels of both unusual resumes is Floyd Hayes and his 3D-printed head resume.

Head Resume

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The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 3:30PM!

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Yeah, we're on a bit earlier today. Some of us have families to get back to, after all. Yeesh. Also, we just couldn't wait to talk about all of the news that's come out of Mobile World Congress in the past week. Join Tim, Brian and our old/new colleague Peter Rojas at 3:30 sharp(ish) just after the break.

February 28, 2013 3:30 PM EST

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Smexy Coloring Books For Adults

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This is a series of coloring books by Etsy artist ScarletTentacle. She got Cowboys and Beefcakes, both of which are full of a bunch of hunks, while the Burlesque, Pin Up, Girls on Bikes, and Bettie Page books are full of scantily clad ladies. There’s even a Christmas themed one. Daaaayum Mrs. Claus, you be krinky as all hell! Clearly these coloring books are for mature adults only. So… I guess that means NOT you and me. C’mon, I’ll try and stay inside the lines! Also, to not giggle uncontrollably when I’m coloring in the nips. No promises, but I’ll try.

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Back to BlackBerry: international travels

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Back to BlackBerry week 3

Dropping a smartphone is an absolutely horrifying experience. And on my first day in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, it happened to me with my BlackBerry Z10.

As much as I hate to admit, it was a dumb move on my part. Unfortunately, tragedy can strike with as simple an act as brushing one's elbow across the table, and that's all it took for me to knock my smartphone right onto a hard surface -- facedown in a perfectly horizontal position. If you've ever been through such an accident, you know the few seconds it takes to pick up the phone and survey the damage can be incredibly nerve-wracking and one of the most suspenseful moments of your life.

I'm happy to say that this particular story has a positive ending, as I turned the phone over to see if I would need to call BlackBerry HQ in a panic. To my shock, it was completely fine. There wasn't a single scratch or ding, and the touchscreen was just as responsive as ever. It would've been a different story had it fallen onto a concrete floor, but this still significantly increased my opinion of the Z10's durability.

Had my Z10 come face to face with concrete, I would've been in a nasty predicament. Not only would I have had to pause or put the kibosh my 30-day trial run with the BlackBerry Z10, but I'm also on the other side of the world in a foreign country. While getting a new phone isn't impossible, it's expensive, time-consuming and frustrating. Yep, this was how my 10-day international adventure began, but how well has it gone for me since?

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Draw Sculptures With This New 3D Pen

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Pen Creating a 3 Dimensional ImageSay you have an idea, whether it is for a building, a piece of jewelry, or a tool. It looks good on paper, but how will it look when it is 3-dimensional? Sure, you could use a 3D printer -- if you can afford the expense and have the specific technical knowledge to use one. Most of us don't have the money or the knowledge. All of us do know how to use a pen though. Soon you will be able to use that ability to test your own 3D designs, or even make your own 3D creations. The 3Doodler is a 3D printing pen that allows you to draw in the air.