Sphero: The world’s first remote controlled robot ball

The Orbotix Sphero is an intelligent  ball that reacts to apps & A.R augmented reality.

This is one amazing little gadget.. If you can even call it a gadget. We’ve never seen anything like this so it almost falls into a catogory of its own.  It’s a toy but the term toy would be doing this little marvel an injustice… but we’ll roll with toy anyway.

The Sphero is the must have toy for 2013, especially if you’re an iPad or iPhone user.  It looks like a white ball about the size of a baseball but its a lot more than a simple ball.

The Sphero is a robot that rolls, its also a game hand controller & it comes with an assortment of apps. The concept is pure genius. When you first power up the Sphero you might be mistaken thinking.. oh here comes another flashing ball that does nothing but looks pretty.. but here is where things take a sharp turn. This little ball is programmable. It’s also designed to react to as an augmented reality target. Imagine walking along as the ball rolls along in front of you, you control the little ball with your iPad. you can also target the ball with the iPad camera if you have the augmented reality app running. 

The Sphero has so much to offer, not only as in interesting rolling ball but the fact you can network many balls to play games etc.. the possibilities are just starting to appear as the SDK is available to code your own apps. Unity3D will release a plugin that allows game developers to create new apps for the Sphero opening up loads of fun new ways to intreat with the humble ball.

So if you ever felt the urge to play around with robot balls.. now’s your chance. 

Read more about Sphero here

So simply change cables and try different USB ports. I learnt this lesson the hard way after spending a full day scouring the net for answers & yes I even tried changing cables but not usb ports.

Finally   the official release of the new Mac Range. 

note: This is being sent live from Engadget in SanFran.. Thanks guys and nice job.  

iMacBook AIR  & PRO  2012  Specs    ( Live  from  MMDC in San Francisco )

 Air gets Ivy Bridge processors, up to 2GHz dual-core i7,

up to 8GB of 1600MHz memory and will run with 60% faster graphics.

512GB of flash storage!Retina Display   on 15″ model    ( but not on the 11″ model )

A pressure sensitive pen is currently under development by the same creators of the Fling Game controller (see related post)

The high tech pen will make designing on your ipad more intuitive due in part to the pressure sensitivity introduced that allows for a more haptic brush stroke.

The pen does not cater for angling of a brush as is possible with WACOM style pens.  Wacom’s been the industry leader in terms of digital pen devices but the up market version sure do come at a price. This new pen code runs on Blue Tooth 4 allows for longer battery life & great connectivity. a connectivity. The pen also features palm-rejection which alleviates the issue of resting ones palm on the screen that causes the current pens to malfunction.
It has full pressure sensitivity, palm-rejection capabilities (so that you can rest your hand against the screen without interrupting the connection of pen to screen. currently designers ofte nwear a wollen glove with chooped of fingers to help alleviate this issue. There’s also an LED indicator that displays your currently selected color. note: This feature only operates on supported iPad applications.
If you’d like to try a few paint programmes designed for the iPad before this product is released, give ProCreate run. It’s an amazing paint programme that’s user friendly and features loads of brushes etc.. ProCreate has stated that they’ll be supporting the Jot Touch pen (worth checking out ) which was recently shown at CES. The Jot Touch adds the extra dimension being pressure sensitive and features a super fine tip.   

So where to from here.. will we ever see an iPad pen that rivals Wacom pens… & if so I’m sue they’ll be around 90% cheaper than forking out for a Wacom..  The pen is  becoming mightier than the sword and whilst breaking ground in new dimensions.

With the release of Diablo III  the question is quickly turning to.. will it be ported to iPad-3 ?  

Rumours are spreading like wild fire through iPad camps that there’s a high chance of porting D3 to iPad-3   sporting its  high “retina” graphics and screaming CPU speeds. Can the iPad actually run a game like Diablo 3 ?

   It sounds highly plausible… It seems  the only thing holding the porting of Daiblo 3 back  is time.

being a fairly straight forward 3rd person mouse point and click style game it would make an easy transition to a finger gesture style navigation system.  Not only will it be possible to use finger gestures to navigate but imagine introducing other haptic interface devices such as gyroscopic feedback ( tilt / roll / yaw ) so a player could easily roll the character around the map.. not sure if this would create a more enhanced sense of game-play or simply distract the Diablo 3  experience.  

  Whatever your gaming preferences, Diablo-3 is here..  &  speculation is running rampant in iPad 3 camps everywhere not so much as to how but when  it will make an appearance one way or another on iPad.   

Game On !

     AR （Augmented Reality) is gaining in popularity.  The technology has improved to a point  where  animated graphics are able to be smoothly displayed on either  iPad or iPhone.  The advantages of commercially available AR is yet to be fully  explored.  AR- gaming companies such as String and Parrot  are already embracing the technology. More games will be flooding the markets over the next few months. This is inevitable,  AR is here to stay and will be all of our lives in one form or another as it’s  rolled out over time. So exactly how good is AR & how can we benefit from this in your face eye candy.

 AR-Gaming development companies such as Unity are  integrating  plug-ins that allow game developers to easily tailor AR- games and applications. One worth noting is a great little app named Inch High Stunt Guy.  Simply aim your iPad or iPhone at a small geographic symbol  that’s easily  printed out on any available printer, place the symbol on any flat surface and then watch the little guy fly through a series of obstacles  all on your desktop. 

Nintendo jumped on the AR band wagon with the release of the 3Ds hand held gaming device.  a small camera located on the front of the 3DS allows AR style games they call Mii.  Each game comes with a set of Mii cards that resemble a traditional card deck.  Simply place a card on a table and its game on !  

One Nintendo fan took things further by having one of the Mii card tattooed to his forearm !  

How far can augmented reality go ?  Will we soon be seeing display signs jumping out at us with all manner of information.. some so sub-lime & ridiculous they’ll simply push us away from embrassing this new technology as we’re slowly being bombarded  on a daily basis by more and more distractions.  Some are in fact useful but 90% are  garbage.  Here’s hoping there’ll be some form of effective filtering that will drown out some of the gibberish we’re about to encounter  through this magical AR looking glass.  

AR games is not the only territory where the technology is gaining momentum. AR’s being embraced in areas such has fashion, medical and engineering to name but a few. Several major clothing manufacturers such as Hilfiger have already implemented AR styled change rooms allowing customers to try on virtual garments in front of a magic mirror.  Bloomingdale’s in New York have installed a booth equipped with eight Kinect cameras. Each  camera is strategically placed around a booth & scans your body shape placing the data on a persoanl card you can use whilst shopping that is able to provide the best suggestion when picking jeans or other apparel.

I thought this  impossible but no,  here's  proof it can be done.

A simple but effective tool to open an iPad in less than 20 seconds

An  iPad tutorial list we've created that  you may enjoy: 

• How to edit images with PhotoToaster – iPad Tutorial | iCreate – Being creative with your snaps has never been so easy and enjoyable.

• iPad Tutorial | How to Use Gestures in iPad | Cumaini – Apple adds gesture controls on iOS 4.3 as an option and developer in early 2011. And now with the release of iOS 5 October last year, Apple made the multi-finger gestures are officially on the iPad.

• iPad Photoshop Touch Tutorial #4 – Painting With Effects … – Read more from Tutorials · Adobe, app, app store, Apple, iPad, photo-editing, Photography, Photoshop, Photoshop Touch for iPad, tutorial. ← iPad Photoshop Touch Tutorial #3 – Creating A Pencil Sketch From An Image …

• Latest:How to Use iPad – iPad Tutorial Guide Sales | Fuzzy Mushroom – www.BestiPadLessons.com AND Get far more out of your iPad, unlock its entire prospective. In Just eleven Minutes a Day You Will Know Almost everything you.

• Lemur For iPad Tutorial » Synthtopia – YouTube Preview Image. This series of videos, via DubSpot instructor Evan Sutton. takes a look at using Lemur for the iPad and making new control surfaces using the Lemur Editor. Lemur Tutorial Part One: In part one, basic …

• Apple iPad Tutorial Part 1 – Enrich Your Knowledge And Experience … – Visit – www.iPadSecretLessons.com AND Get more out of your iPad, unlock its full potential. In Just 11 Minutes a Day You Will Know EVERYTHING you want to do with your iPad. This ARE the BEST Video Lessons that will Fit …

• [iPad] Tutorial: Creating a PopoverController [updated] « blog.JNL – This tutorial explains what PopoverControllers are and how you can use them to create Popover's in your iPad application. To be able to follow this tutorial, you'll need the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK. Older versions for the iPhone …

• iPad Tutorial: How to read your old (non-ePub) ebooks using iBooks … – All Things iPhone and iPad for those who like to Touch. Update: Our latest tutorial on how to use Dropbox and Calibre to store and remotely transfer ebooks to your iDevices is now up. Early adopters of the iPad already know that the device is not only great for surfing the web, playing HD games or watching movies on the gorgeous 9.

• iPad Tutorial: How to transfer your ebooks library to Stanza … – As I mentioned in the previous tutorial, Calibre is a great tool to keep all your ebooks organized, much like iTunes does for your music, movies, tv shows and what not. Aside from being able to convert just about any ebook …

• How to Design the Apple iPad in Photoshop | Circlebox Blog – With the release of the Apple iPad, we all knew it wouldn't take long for the first tutorial on how to recreate it would appear on the net. In this tutorial, you'll be learning how to design the Apple iPad in Adobe Photoshop.

• New iPhone/iPad Tutorial – Peer to Peer Connections … – New iPhone/iPad Tutorial – Peer to Peer Connections! Posted on October 25, 2010 by Justin. Ugh, finally got this done. Sorry for the epic delay in getting this out the digital door. But all good things take time, right. This is a pretty detailed …

• iPad 2 Tutorial Videos: iMovie, GarageBand iPad And More | The … – With iPad 2, Apple is introducing a lot of new things, and new apps. So how do you use them? Why don't you watch these guided tours from Apple? This is a great.

• iDraw Homework #1 « Paperless Archaeology – We decided that the scaled drawings in iDraw would be the highest learning curve of any of elements that we were introducing in a single field season. Not many grad students are very proficient at vector drawing applications.

A lot of Android people will knock  iPad for not having expandable storage, even though it does. If you have some SD cards and even some USB flash drives lying around, then you can most likely use them with your jailbroken iPad as an external storage device. You'll also need a camera connection kit, which can be purchased for $5 on eBay or for $30 from Apple.

A jailbreak is required because you'll be using a jailbreak-only application called iFile. Once installed, simply take your SD card or USB flash drive, insert it into your camera connection kit, plug it into your iPad, and fire up iFile. Within a few seconds, you'll see the device in the left sidebar in iFile called Flash Drive. Tap on it, and you'll be able to browse, open, and edit the files. You can also copy files from your iPad's internal storage, and even from Dropbox (if you have that enabled in iFile's settings).

Virtually any  SD card (or microSD card when using a microSD > SD adapter) will work just fine, but a lot of USB flash drives won't. I have a collection of 8 drives, 5 of which don't work. For the 3 that do work, their capacities are 4GB, 1GB, and 1GB. The two 1GB drives also have a red LED on it, and they're powered just fine. The iPad will say, for the 5 drives that don't work, that the device is drawing too much power from the iPad and won't be used. If you're light on flash drives and aren't sure of which ones will work, you're better off using SD cards.

This setup works extremely well, and can be useful for a number of different scenarios. For example, let's say that your iPad is very low on storage, there's nothing that you can delete that you can't live without, and you want to transfer a movie to it. Simply copy the movie to a USB flash drive or SD card, and you're good to go. 

Maxell launches AirStash Wireless Flash Drive and Mobile Photo Backup and Share Solution for iPhone and iPad

Maxell will announce and demonstrate new photo storage, sharing and backup capabilities for the second generation AirStash at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show. AirStash is the first and only wireless flash drive which uses infinitely expandable SD card media to provide true two-way wireless storage for the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and other wireless devices. With the upcoming version of the AirStash+ companion app, you can snap photos around the world without worrying about running out of iPhone storage or accidentally losing your captured memories. Stop waiting for slow and costly cloud uploading and feel free to leave your laptop at home — just backup your precious photos and videos to the pocket-sized AirStash.

Enjoy your vacation and capture as many memories as you want: if your iPhone is getting full, just run the free AirStash+ app and quickly backup your camera roll (including video) to your AirStash for unlimited storage with interchangeable SD cards. Once your photos are transferred to the AirStash, you can share your photos with up to eight friends instantly through any compatible WiFi-enabled device.

If you have a point-and-shoot or professional SLR camera with you, you can put the camera’s SD memory card into AirStash for instant viewing of thousands of photos on your iPad or iPhone wherever you are without a laptop — without waiting for a lengthy import process. View up to 75 MP RAW and JPEG, then share with others directly to their own iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, compatible Android device, Windows Phone, or Kindle Fire. Import your best, edit them with apps such as Adobe Photoshop Express, and email them across the world right from your iPad.

AirStash A02 is the smaller and more powerful second generation device from the pioneers of mobile wireless storage. Measuring just 3.6 x 1.2 x 0.5 inches (93 x 32 x 13 mm) and weighing just 1.4 oz (41 g), AirStash easily fits into your pocket, backpack, briefcase, or handbag for up to seven hours of continuous video streaming thanks to the built-in lithium-polymer battery. AirStash charges from any USB-equipped laptop or desktop (powered ports only) and works as a USB High Speed flash drive & memory card reader. Memory is provided by an SD / SDHC / SDXC slot supporting beyond 128GB of high-density storage. New features and enhanced device compatibility can be provided by firmware updates downloaded from the Internet. (SDXC cards require a manual format before use).

Some interesting links you may enjoy:

• iPad App Reviews – Reviews Home – The gentle story book Super Harry's Rotten Luck, written by Nina Lim and illustrated by Rebecca Kellie, is published as a story app by PicPocket Books. Join Harry during a terrible week when anything that can go wrong does …

• iPad App Reviews – Reviews Home – Good Talk Apps bring you a new action packed Wubbzy adventure, as he searches for pirate treasure with his friends Daizy, Widget and Walden. But at the end of the quest, after several lively escapades, the treasure turns out …

• MomReviews – reader will win a Lysol No Touch Kitchen System! To enter, click the first box on the Rafflecopter giveaway widget to see the mandatory entry. You can then click any of the other boxes to earn bonus entries if you wish. Enter by April 17, 2012 at 12:01 a.

• A Simple Unique Handwriting Application with UPAD | iPad … – Using MemoPAD, BookPAD and PhotoPAD you will have all the handwriting tools at your disposal to create almost anything starting from a blank canvas.

• DROID APPS » Go SMS Pro is a better Android app for texting [App ... - Go SMS Pro is a better Android app for texting [App Reviews]. Despite all of the great things that Android phones can do – from power your desktop's Internet connection to control your torrent downloads – sending text …

• Nedi the Yeti Review – GiggleApps – iPhone App Reviews for Kids … – Nedi the Yeti is a charming interactive storybook, a nice choice as a first app for children new to applications.

• MathLands Review – GiggleApps – iPhone App Reviews for Kids … – MathLands contains a series of math-related logic and problem solving mini-games, as well as word problem comics.

• Thursday Links | AppStruck – iPhone App Reviews – Top iPhone and Technology Related Stories from across the web Reports from Foxconn suggest that Apple's forthcoming iPhone 5 release date is very close. Earlier it was being anticipated that the highest selling smart …

• iPhone App Reviews » Blog Archive » Hospital Frenzy – Loading … Hospital Frenzy ($1.99) by Hospital Frenzy. Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Have you ever wanted to run your own hospital but don't want to deal with the pesky issue of having to take years of schooling?

• KidsMag, Easter Special Edition Review – GiggleApps – iPhone … – Member of the 148Apps Network. GiggleApps is a member of the 148Apps Network of mobile apps sites. 148Apps – iPhone app reviews and news. The best gosh darn iPhone app site this side of Mars.

• MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC: THE FRIENDSHIP … – My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: The Friendship Express came out on DVD on February 28th 2012 from Shout! Factory in collaboration with Hasbro Studios. All three of my kids LOVE MLPFiM, even my teen sons! They were excited when we got this DVD to review. Featuring 5 pony-riffic episodes, Friendship is Magic: The Friendship Express also has bonus features such as Meet the Ponies, sing-a-longs and coloring sheets.

• Lysol No Touch Kitchen System GIVEAWAY – You know when you are mixing up meatloaf or breading chicken breasts and your hands are all gross so you want to go wash them at the sink? That means either picking up a dish soap bottle or touching the top of a soap pump, leaving the gross germs all over them. You keep multiple products around the sink to tackle all of your cleaning tasks from greasy dishes to messy surfaces and germy hands. However, the more cleaning products you touch, the more dirt can spread around the kitchen.

• Where to Buy Colored Or Disposable Contact Lenses – Have you ever thought about changing or enhancing your eye color? If you wear contact lenses, you should be able to find colored contact lenses through your regular supplier. I remember when colored contacts were available in basic colors like blue and green, but now you can find all kinds of shades that enhance your natural eye color, or give you a whole new look. 1-800-CONTACTS carries brands that have colors available like chestnut, sapphire, grey, aqua, and honey.

• Android game review : Bad Blood – Android app reviews at … – Author: AndroidAppLog | Categories: Android App Reviews, Brain & Puzzle, Games | Posted: 3 December, 2011 | Comments: 1 | Tags: android, android action games, android app reviews, android apps, android game …

• Kindle Calendar Photos – Kindle App Review – Here are a bunch of Kindle Calendar Photos and screenshots to give you a better idea of what the Kindle Calendar app looks like. Please click on the screenshot to see the full image – Making them smaller messes up the text …

• The Lost City Review | App Reviews – App name: The Lost City Developer: Fire Maple Games Cost: £0.69. Category: Games Memory: 40.0 mb. This game is a point-and-click game. It is not bad, but it has many flaws. The plot is that the character you control goes …

Stop keeping that magic iTunes library of yours a hidden secret! Let your friends,  family or anyone for that matter, hear the music you have spent so much time buying, collecting and organizing. It's common for iPad users to forget that you can plug speakers into your iPad (via the 3.5 mm audio port) Coming from experience, once you plug speakers  in- you will never look at your iPad the same wa again! 

Here's a sampe of some of the  best iPad speakers that are on the market today.

1. Mutant Media YoYo Portable Speaker

These speakers officially win the “Most Unique” award in the portable speaker category. At first glance, the Mutant Media YoYo speaker looks like it just dropped in from another planet. After further inspection, this is one remarkably designed iPad speaker! Mutant Media made sure that you would never experience tangled speaker cords by implementing a retractable cord. These speakers actually pop up when playing, if desired. The YoYo speaker has a rechargeable battery that does not need to be plugged in during use! These are the speakers you buy if you want to catch people's eyes and put out big sound!

2. iA100 Bluetooth Audio System for iPod, iPhone, and iPad

The iHome iA100audio system is the ultimate iPad speaker, but it does come with a larger price tag. Most people are willing to look past the price when they realize the capabilities of this speaker. The most attractive feature that this speaker packs is Bluetooth technology. You don't even have to plug your iPad into the audio system to blast your favorite tunes throughout the house! Once your iPad is connected with the iHome device, you can stream music effortlessly through the system while carrying your iPad around!

The iA100 Bluetooth Audio System is also the perfect bedside accessory, seeing that it is packed with “iHome sleep” apps and technology. Imagine transitioning from wireless DJ system to hi-tech sleep alarm with the tap on the iPad screen!

3. Skullcandy Pipe iPad Desk Speakers

This pipe-style speaker will put out more sound than speakers three times the size! The speaker's “hard core” look aligns perfectly with its “hard core” performance capabilities! Just connect your iPad to the Skullcandy Pipe via the 3.5 mm audio jack and you'll be ready to jam. This iPad speaker is loved for its compact design, quality sound and sleek look- not to mention it's made by one of the coolest iPad accessory manufacturers today!

Looking for the perfect iPad speaker? Visit our Gleemobile.com for the largest selection of iPad speakers on the internet!

Some interesting links you may enjoy:

• IPad 2 Hard Cover One Of The Best IPad Accessories | theipad2plus … – IPad 2 Hard Cover One Of The Best IPad Accessories. Article by N3dscardscouk. Yesterday, I talked with one of my friend who owned an iPad too. She felt herself got in trouble about choosing which kind of iPad 2 case.

• iPad accessories with a twist -thoughts on El Reg's review | Apple … – Why Apple didn't design this functionality into the iPad initially I dont know, maybe they want a few more shillings for their work.

• Logitech Introduces Surprisingly Useful New iPad Accessories … – Logitech Introduces Surprisingly Useful New iPad Accessories. Jordan Crook. Wednesday, August 24th, 2011. Comments. View Staff Page. Jordan Crook studied English Literature at New York University before entering the tech space.

• The target market 123inkcartridges.ca iPad Accessories – 123inkcartridges.ca of Canada has announced that it will release a product that targets the market of iPad Accessories . Will providcustomersâ manye and apps is important that this extension is possible for accessories iPad.