Pure Siesta Charge

Pure Siesta Charge

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This brand new DAB radio from PURE will bring you some incredible sound AND charge up your phone! We don’t know why anyone else hasn’t thought of this before! It’s called the Pure Siesta Charge and is available for £130

The Siesta Charge combines all the great features of Siesta range from Pure but there’s a twist. It comes with the added convenience of a wireless charging pad. The sound quality on it too isn’t bad either. Infact it’s incredible. It comes with stereo sound built in, furthermore you get Bluetooth music streaming built in! Listen to all your favourite DAB/FM stations, as well as all your personal playlists via Bluetooth.

 

Features:

  • DAB/DAB +
  • FM
  • Qi Wireless Charging
  • Bluetooth
  • Alarms via Radio Station or Tone
  • USB Powerpoint charging
  • Auto Dimming display that won’t emmit bright lights
  • 40 Station Presets
  • Sleep Timer, Kitchen Timer
  • Headphone Out

 

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HulkBot

HulkBot

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This is the Method 2 prototype, a massive robot from Gunpo, South Korea. It looks like ED 209 from Robocop. (Younger readers Google ED 209, then go watch the incredible movie Robocop movies from the 1980’s and 90’s! While they’re vintage, they’re amazing!) We’re coining it the HulkBot!

The guys from VICE went to Gunpo and tested out this giant mech bot. It’s made by a company called Hankook Mirae Technology and weighs 1 and a half tons and stands at a giant 13ft tall!

The reason as to why it looks like something out of a movie? Well, this super cool mech bot was designed in collaboration with a Hollywood designer.

Yang Jin-Ho is Hankook Mirae’s chairman and used a lot of his own money ($200m) to fund the Method-2 project and it’s called a bipedal robot.  The robot mimics a users arm movements and is kept upright by two metal cables attached to the ceiling. While this damages part of the fun and look of the Method-2, it certainly shows what can be created and can be used as a prototype for future versions of the Method-2.

Yang Jin-Ho told Vice: “It’s more likely it’ll be used in fires and disaster relief situations…But also find application in military operations.”

So, therefore even though it looks super cool, it’s not useable…..yet. In whatever form it takes, be it relief or military based, we’re certainly interested in the future of Method-2.

VICE

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Pico Projector

Pocket Pico Wireless Projector

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There is a super cool, super small projector from Kodak that we just HAVE to tell you about. It’s called the Pocket Pico Wireless Projector and it just works.

It’s got a simple plug and play feature as it works straight out of the box. No headaches! The Pocket Pico Wireless Projector, easily connects to any mobile device for seamless screen mirroring.

The device is incredibly small as it is a 2.1inch cube and weighs a very lightweight 6.1oz’s! The Pocket Pico Wireless projector emits a 100 lumins display at a 854 x 840 native resolution. It can display a 100 inch display from 8 feet away and a 56inch display from 5 feet away. The focus is even adjustable!

This little device even has a built in speaker and 3.5mm headphone jack! It has a HDMI input, microSD and USB inputs. Comes complete with a Tripod, Remote control, built in rechargeable battery and is PC/Mac Compatible.

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Ambeo Smart Headset

Ambeo Smart Headset

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Firstly. this headset from Ambeo is INCREDIBLE. What’s different about these headphones than every other headphones? Not only does the Ambeo have active noise cancelling and Transparent Hearing. It also has special microphones built in to each earpiece. So, what do they do? Well, they allow for the capture of 3D sound to compliment the videos that you create with your iOS device. While, resulting in an truly immersive audio experience, created by just an iOS device. Yet, it can be listened back to by ANY headphones.

Features

  • Record every sonic detail, from every angle, to transport your audience to the exact moment your video was captured.
  • Comfortable to wear. Effortless to operate.
  • Choose whether to plug and play or access advanced features with the app.
  • High-quality on-ear microphones for immersive 3D recording
  • 3D recordings you can listen to with any headphones.
  • High-quality headphones with signature Sennheiser sound.
  • Set up your storytelling with intelligent, user-friendly features powered by cutting-edge audio.
  • Transparent Hearing allows you to stay aware of your surroundings. Active Noise Cancelling blocks out unwanted environmental noise. While, Situational Awareness control allows instant switching between Transparent Hearing, Active Noise Cancelling and Off.
  • Features industry-leading Apogee technology, including proprietary Soft Limit and mic preamp, plus precisely tuned A/D and D/A conversion.
  • Works with your device’s default camera function.
  • Easy music and call management.
  • Apple MFI-certified Lightning connector.
  • Earbud size options provided for maximum comfort and effective Noise Cancelling.
What is Binaural Recording?
Your ears and brain work together to create a 3D audio Landscape of your surroundings. The AMBEO Smart Headset captures this landscape with high quality microphones utilize the actual outer structure of your ears to replicate the same 3D sound image that you hear naturally. (Sennheiser)

App

Download the free AMBEO Smart Headset app to access a whole host of advanced features and customization options.

  • Control your input level for 3D recording
  • Toggle between EQ presets
  • Configure Transparent Hearing settings
  • Customize the Smart Slider function
  • Disable or enable voice prompts

iOS Only

(Sennheiser)

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Lexus Design Award Finalists

Lexus Design Award Finalists 2019

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2019 LEXUS DESIGN AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Lexus Design Award Finalists

First of all, these designs are amazing! So, the finalists for the 2019 Lexus Design Awards have been announced! There’s a total of 6 of them, chosen from over 1,500 entrants. They’ll now get to develop their ideas with the help of Lexus. The Lexus Design Award highlights how inventors address some of the worlds future challenges. Most importantly with innovative and imaginative use of renewable energy sources.

The finalists:

Arenophile, by Rezzan Hasoglu

Arenophile

This project explores new applications for desert sand, a naturally abundant substance that is not widely used. While creating new composite materials by combining sand with non-toxic binding material. Which therefore can be used for new products identified through experimentation and research.

 

 

 

Algorithmic Lace. Lisa Marks

"<yoastmark

This is a bra for women who have undergone a mastectomy, crafted in a three-dimensional lace fabric. Which is woven using a new algorithmic patterning method. Furthermore helping avoid discomfort after surgery. While, it can give women confidence about making a new beginning.

 

 

 

Baluto. Jeffrey E. Dela Cruz

Baluto

The project looks to provide a housing strategy suitable for low-lying areas prone to flooding. While, providing habitable space that can withstand a sudden rise in floodwater levels.

 

 

 

 

Green Blast Jet Energy. Dmitriy Balashov

"<yoastmark

This amazing design enables collection of the jet blast energy from an aircraft take-off, consequently using it to meet different power needs at airports.

 

 

Hydrus. Shuzhan Yuan

"<yoastmark

Hydrus is equipment for emergency treatment of offshore oil spills. While addressing a specific problem, it also encourages people to deal with changes in the earth’s environment.

 

 

 

Solgami.  Prevalent/Ben Berwick

"<yoastmark

The Solgami uses origami geometry to bring flat-dwellers closer to the world outside. For example, it can be used for a window blind, this geometry provides privacy. While letting the user choose between letting in more light, or using the blind to generate electricity.

(Lexus)

The Home Straight

The six finalists attended a Lexus-Sponsored 2 day workshop in New York City. It is here where they were given hands on guidance from 4 top class mentors; Jessica Rosenkrantz, Shohei Shigematsu, Sebastian Wrong and Jaime Hayon.

“The finalists’ ideas are very interesting and some are truly breaking boundaries. Through the mentoring workshop, I was also inspired by interacting with a different generation who look at technology for the 21st from a fresh angle.” (Jamie Hayon)

Most importantly, the finalists will get access to their mentors until April’s Milan Design Week. In addition to the help, they will get the chance to continue to develop their ideas. While all the hard work will come to fruition when the winner is announced on 8th April.

(Lexus)

For a more indepth bio of all the finalists please click here!

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Joule

Joule – Cook Meat Right EVERY TIME!

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The Joule Sous Vide is an absolute godsend for the home based chefs out there. It’s designed to help people cook better food and have fun whilst doing so. If you’re ever anxious about under or overcooking food, the Joule Sous Vide is here to help! All you need to do is to season your food. Bag your food. Drop it in water for the perfect cook. Furthermore it’s a really small device!

Joule Sous Vide

Joule Sous Vide

How well done is my food? Is a question that we all ask. Well with the Joule Sous Vide + App you’ll be able to see exactly how! It’s called the Visual Doneness feature and will show you exactly how you food will turn out. Even before you cook it. There’s even 100+ easy to use cooking guides. Which are developed by Joule’s in house chefs!

You don’t even need lots of equipment either, just a smartphone, food grade freezer style bag, a pot and some water. Connect the Joule via bluetooth or even remotely with the WiFi feature.

You can cook absolutely anything too, meat, eggs and even tacos! Now it is even easier to make professional grade dishes at home with the help of a smartphone app, as not everyone has the knowledge of a top grade Chef!

While you’re thinking of what dish to make. Why not purchase the Joule Sous Vide by clicking here!

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CRAZY Facetime HACK

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This is an incredible flaw, it’s amazing yet incredibly scary at the same time. (Don’t worry Apple have since stopped this from happening & are working on a permanent fix)

What the issue was, was, a user could start a group Facetime with someone & add themselves into the call before the other person has picked up or accepted the call. Consequently the original caller can now hear EVERYTHING from the other end. It’s like they actually answered the call. Therefore effectively eavesdropping on the other person.

The problem was that a user could listen in to another iPhone users conversations! Even if they hadn’t answered the call! Scary stuff indeed! If users were running 12.1 of Apple’s iOS then this would be possible.

New York authorities are even looking into Apple, citing if Apple did enough to warn people of the issue.

Apology

Apple swiftly apologised:

“We have fixed the Group FaceTime security bug on Apple’s servers and we will issue a software update to re-enable the feature for users next week. We thank the Thompson family for reporting the bug. We sincerely apologize to our customers who were affected and all who were concerned about this security issue. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this process.

Apple continued….

We want to assure our customers that as soon as our engineering team became aware of the details necessary to reproduce the bug, they quickly disabled Group FaceTime and began work on the fix. We are committed to improving the process by which we receive and escalate these reports, in order to get them to the right people as fast as possible. We take the security of our products extremely seriously and we are committed to continuing to earn the trust Apple customers place in us”

While an update to prevent this from happening again is due out next week. While there is no immediate fix for the flaw, Apple have since disabled Group Facetime on their serves. Therefore the feature is unusable for anyone, whilst the fix is being made. Once this flaw has been fixed, the feature will be available to all again.

14 Year Old Discovery

However, it has since been reported by the BBC that a young man and his mother tried to warn Apple of the flaw sometime ago but were ignored!

According to the Wall Street Journal, Ms Thompson, a lawyer, started contacting Apple on 20 January, but was unable to get a hold of anyone at Apple, days after contacting them about the huge security flaw. Apple, like many other tech companies, offer money for users who discover bugs in their products.

However, Kevin Beaumont who is a security researcher. Told the BBC that Apple are probably dealing with loads of bug reports all the time. Which may take significant amount of time to look through and prioritise.

“Many companies typically aim for 90 days to resolve reported security issues, and much of that time can be spent reaching the right people and setting the right priorities…..It appears the mother and son attempting to report this issue were passed around departments by Apple. That isn’t ideal, and something Apple needs to work on.”

(BBC, 2)

Listen to Marcus and Jon Bentley of The Gadget Show discuss this here!

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Pure StreamR

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What's in the box? Pure StreamR

The Pure StreamR carries a bit of weight behind it and for good reason. The sound on this little device is very very impressive! It has a HUGE kick in the bass and we love that!

Posted by How To Kill an Hour on Thursday, 16 January 2020

We love our music here at How To Kill An Hour, so we’re always on the lookout for fantastic pieces of kit. One of which is portable speakers. We’re huge fans of Pure, so when we saw the Pure StreamR it was a speaker we just had to check out.

Upon taking it out of the box, we discovered it is a very small device. But it is hefty. It carries a bit of weight behind it and for good reason. The sound on this little device is very very impressive! It has a HUGE kick in the bass and we love that! It’s the perfect speaker to take out and about with you.

It’s portable so has Bluetooth streaming on it, so you can play all of your favourite music from Apple Music or Spotify. Furthermore, why not play your favorite podcasts while on the go? *cough cough*

Not only that the Pure StreamR has digital DAB radio built in as well as Alexa voice technology! Furthermore the speaker is 360 degrees, so wherever you’re sitting you will enjoy powerful, crystal clear sound. The StreamR is one of the few bluetooth speakers to offer Alexa too. The onboard microphone connects to the Pure Home App on your smartphone via bluetooth. Then it will connect to Alexa using Wifi or mobile data. Therefore allowing you to have access to Alexa, wherever you are! Ask her for the weather, your schedule or even play a playlist.

With the Pure Home App you can also customise your speaker settings and be notified of software updates. So you’ll never miss a beat!

Pure have also added an aux-in cable, so for those not wanting to use bluetooth, this is the speaker for you! The Aux cable also acts as an antenna for the digital radio! How cool is that?!

The sound fills the room and sounds just as good outdoors and with a 15 hour battery life, you simply cannot go wrong.

(Pure)

Pure Home app: Apple / Android

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miwhip

miwhip – Cool Uber Competition

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Uber has some competition at it’s doorstep. It’s called ‘miwhip’ and will give users the chance to ride in a supercar mini-cab for Londoners who download and use the app from today! It’s the first of it’s kind to hit the streets of London. How cool does this sound? A guaranteed supercar surprise for every 100 rides!

miwhip Supercar Lottery

The miwhip supercar experience is given to riders on a lottery basis, where 1 in every 100 rides booked on the app will for the exact same price as a regular ride, be given a supercar to travel in. However, this doesn’t sound like it’s “guaranteed” does it? Well, there’s more! For loyal users of the miwhip app, riders will get the chance to secure a suprise supercar rude for their 100th booking.

The cars available are:

  • Lamborghini Aventador
  • Ferrari 488
  • Rolls Royce Ghost II
  • Mercedes G Wagon 
  • Mclaren 720s 

Rides

Single rider bookings which are pick up and drop off in Zone one for £5 a journey, if they book one of miwhip’s old liveried smart cars called ‘the mione’

miwhip are looking to increasing their market share by recruiting 5,000 of London’s existing private hire drivers on the miwhip app and are hoping for 10,000 drivers by the end of the year.

But why would they join?

Well drivers who use the luxury ride sharing app, will recieve the lowest rates of commission at a fixed rate for life of 15%. Other operators run at 25%, therefore drivers who opt to drive on the app will be earning 10% more for each ride. Daily payouts are also available, drivers can also track their earnings with full transparency with a wage calculator which is on the drivers app.

Luxury

The app is funded by the family founders of some major London success stories! Such as sneaker care protect brand Crep Protect, Presented By and KLEKT one of Europes leading sneaker platforms.

What set’s them apart?

Riders using miwhip, whether they’re tourists or Londoners will be able to see different areas of London! Through the social aspect of miwhip called ‘nearby’. It will suggest locations near to the user places to shop, eat and entertained!

 “London is one of the most glamorous, cosmopolitan, exciting cities in the world. This is about putting a bit of magic into London lives. We are creating EPIC rides in EPIC cars for all Londoners to enjoy. What better way to experience our phenomenal city and all it has to offer than riding in an exclusive and surprisingly wonderful gold supercar mini-cab.” Amerah Ahmed, Co-owner of miwhip Ltd

So, why not give it a go? Download miwhip: iOS / Android

(miwhip can download and use the app from today and is available to use over the next 6-8 weeks)

Juice Pop Out Bluetooth Speaker

Juice Pop Out Bluetooth Speaker

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Ever want a portable speaker that’s cheap and has great sound? Always been priced out when looking for a speaker to use out on the road or at the beach? Well, we have found an incredible little speaker to save you all the trouble of exploring the internet for a perfect portable speaker. The Juice Pop Out Bluetooth Speaker. It has some of the best sound that we have heard from bluetooth speakers here at the studio. From a device this small, you cannot go wrong!

The Juice Pop Out Speaker, isn’t just a name. It’s a feature. The speakers literally pop out from the sides of the speaker. When you turn it on the speakers slowly reveal themselves from either side of the device. Allowing you access to all the important buttons such as play/pause and volume. The Juice Pop Out Bluetooth Speaker has an amazing battery life of 10hours. Making it ideal for when you are away from home for a weekend. For example the beach or a festival! The speakers are a small but punchy 6watt providing you with some crystal clear audio. Furthermore using the device is a breeze.  Simply press the power button and then connect it to any mobile device. Be that via bluetooth or the included 3.4mm AUX cable.

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