RFID drink machine says Change What change

post from Ubergizmo on 05 April 2011 11:54:54 PM. © Ubergizmo

The idea of a drink vending machine is a cool one to say the least, and is definitely a departure from having someone in the flesh prepare a drink for you. Apart from that, it beats having to go to the nearest convenience store to pick up your favorite soda. Unfortunately, drink vending machines are prone to vandalism in certain parts of the world, and sometimes, they do not spit out the correct change – or none at all. The RFID drink machine more or less solves that issue once and for all, and someone hacked a PopCARD machine by playing around with the correct pins on the Bill Validator Interface in order to simulate the addition of funds. Throwing in an Arduino with an Ethernet shield, a LCD display and an RFID reader, and you are good to go. All one needs to do is swipe their PopCARD card in front of the machine, press the button of their choice and they’re ready to live a change-free life.

RFID drink machine says “Change? What change?”, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Atrix Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/rfid-drink-machine-says-change-what-change/

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Nyxboard Hybrid XBMC remote

post from Ubergizmo on 05 April 2011 11:50:53 PM. © Ubergizmo

Now here is a remote control that was specially built for the XBMC platform, where it comes in the form of the Nyxboard Hybrid. Not only does it work right out of the box with the hugely popular media center platform, it is also, in fact, the first remote of its kind for the XBMC. Supporting IR in order to know its role as a universal remote for your TV, each purchase will come with an RF adapter that will work with your home theater device without the need for line-of-sight. On the front of the remote lies the standard volume and channel buttons, playback controls and a directional pad while on the flip side would be a QWERTY keyboard. What makes the Nyxboard Hybrid stand out would be a built-in gyroscope, letting the remote know which side is facing upright. Basically, this allows you to let your fingers dance all over the miniature keyboard without having it trigger an unintended volume change from the buttons on the opposite end. Pre-orders stand at $59.99 with a June 27th release date, although there are already some rumblings on the ground that this could be just more than what most folks are willing to pay for – what do you think?

Nyxboard Hybrid XBMC remote, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Atrix Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/nyxboard-hybrid-xbmc-remote/

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Kinect hack lets you as a tourist be your own 3D
souvenir

post from Ubergizmo on 05 April 2011 11:34:27 PM. © Ubergizmo

Each time you go for a holiday, do your family members have this expectation of you bringing home a bunch of souvenirs for them? If that’s the case, you might want to surprise them the next time round – giving you a miniature replica of yourself. All you need to do is to check out this Kinect hack and tell us you aren’t impressed – BlablabLAB actually got the help of a trio of Kinects and a RepRap machine which will shoot images of passersby, rendering them into a 3D figurine in a project known as Be Your Own Souvenir. Of course, a 3D printer is required to achieve this special effect, and while it isn’t exactly the most memorable holiday memento you might be able to give out (since you can always get this done anywhere else with a 3D printer), at least it might send the subtle message that you do not want your relatives to pester you for souvenirs – ever.

Kinect hack lets you as a tourist be your own 3D souvenir, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Atrix Review, Motorola Xoom Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/kinect-hack-lets-you-as-a-tourist-be-your-own-3d
-souvenir/

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SpaceX to launch the worlds most powerful rocket
in 2013 or 2014

post from Ubergizmo on 05 April 2011 08:25:31 PM. © Ubergizmo

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has just announced their plans for the Falcon Heavy ? the world’s largest and most powerful rocket. The Falcon Heavy will have the ability to carry satellites or interplanetary spacecraft weighing over 53 metric tons or 117,000 pounds to orbit. It is touted to have more than twice the performance of the Delta IV Heavy ? the next most powerful vehicle. The Falcon Heavy is even capable an entire commercial airplane full of passengers, crew, luggage and fuel all the way to orbit. The launch station will be completed in California by the end of next year, and a lift off to follow soon thereafter. The rocket will be used for both government and commercial space missions. Head over to SpaceX’s website for more details and a simulation video.

SpaceX to launch the world’s most powerful rocket in 2013 or 2014, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Atrix Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/spacex-worlds-most-powerful-rocket/

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Samsung Galaxy Prevail to arrive on Boost Mobile
in April

post from Ubergizmo on 05 April 2011 08:07:06 PM. © Ubergizmo

Samsung has just announced a new Galaxy phone that will be arriving on Boost Mobile. While the phone is called the Samsung Galaxy Prevail, it won’t be the same Galaxy S phones that Samsung has been rebranding for almost every carrier in the US. The Galaxy Prevail will feature a 3.2″ touchscreen, a 2 megapixel video camera, Android 2.2, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a microSD card slot (up to 32GB). The phone will cost $179.99 at Boost Mobile’s retail stores when it is released this April. The Galaxy Prevail will also be available on Boost Mobile’s $50 Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage plan that gets cheaper the longer you stay on it. Head over to Boost Mobile’s website for more details.

Samsung Galaxy Prevail to arrive on Boost Mobile in April, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : Atrix Review, Motorola Xoom Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/samsung-galaxy-prevail-to-arrive-on-boost-mobile
-in-april/

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Sprint Novatel MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot
available soon

post from Ubergizmo on 05 April 2011 07:21:51 PM. © Ubergizmo

Sprint Novatel MiFi Sprint has just announced the availability of the new Novatel MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot up for sale on their network. Enabling up to 5 WiFi-enabled devices to connect to Sprint’s 3G/4G network anywhere there’s coverage in the US. For folks who are always on the move and want a reliable internet connection for their WiFi devices, and wants to avoid paying extra fees just to access WiFi in public or private areas. With a small form factor ? it’s about the size of a credit card and it even has an operating system to expand its functionality by allowing widgets and apps to be run on the device. It connects to Sprint’s 3G network as well as its 4G WiMAX network depending on the coverage on the area. It also has GPS, a microSD card slot, and works with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. Though with only over 4 hours of battery life, the device might suffer from battery issues. But if you don’t plan to stay out for long or you plan to stay plugged in, it shouldn’t be a problem. The Spring Novatel MiFi will cost $79.99 with a 2-year contract on the network and will be available starting April 17.

[image credit: zdnet]

Sprint Novatel MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot available soon, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Motorola Xoom Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/sprint-novatel-mifi-3g4g-mobile-hotspot/

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Massive Outdoor Inflatable Twister Game

post from Cool Shit You Can Buy - Find Cool Things To Buy on 05 April 2011 07:06:57 PM. © Cool Shit You Can Buy - Find Cool Things To Buy

Combine a bouncy castle and twister and this is what you've got, a mahoosive inflatable game of twister, how are you ever going to reach the spinny wheel?!

US - Click to buy it here
UK - Click to buy it here Come and check out more Cool Shit You Can Buy

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nflatable-twister-game.html

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Microsoft warns that ChevronWP7 updater will
prevent future official updates

post from Ubergizmo on 05 April 2011 07:04:04 PM. © Ubergizmo

While it wasn’t unexpected, it looks like using the unofficial Windows Phone 7 updater we talked about previously will have some unwanted consequences. Microsoft has made it known that folks who use the ChevronWP7 updater will not be able to receive official updates in the future. Apparently the program puts the phone into a state where it can’t receive regular updates in the future. It is uncertain if this is just a scare tactic to make users wait for the official update, or it’s the truth. The only way they will be able to receive official updates again in the future would be through a hard reset of the phone. But if the Chevron team continues to deliver the updates in a timely fashion, most people will see no problem with not receiving official updates ? as long as they have the features right? Will you be using the ChevronWP7 tool to update your Windows Phone 7 device after reading about this announcement?

Microsoft warns that ChevronWP7 updater will prevent future official updates, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Motorola Xoom Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/microsoft-warns-chevronwp7-updater-prevent-offic
ial-updates/

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Dell goes green with mushroom packaging

Dell has just announced that they will be going green by shipping their products in environmental-friendly packaging made from mushrooms. Apparently it would reduce the amount of energy to manufacture such a material by about 98% (currently, Dell makes use of Styrofoam). The new mushroom packaging has been tested for product safety concerns and passed. The first product to use the new mushroom packaging will be the PowerEdge R710 server in a four-unit multipack box. In addition to requiring less energy to produce, the mushroom packaging can also be easily disposed and used as compost heap. Dell plans to eliminate 20 million pounds of packaging material from its shipments and make 75% of packaging curbside-recyclable by the end of 2012. Good on them, hopefully other companies will follow suit.

Dell goes green with mushroom packaging, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : iPad 2 Review, Atrix Review,

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http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/04/dell-mushroom-packaging/

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Google forced to filter autocomplete results in
Italy

Google It looks like innovation isn’t always good for everyone. When autocomplete was first introduced to the Google Search Engine, it saved users a lot of time from entering commonly searched for terms. However, the most commonly searched for phrases aren’t necessarily the friendliest of results. Google was recently taken to court by Italy when the company refused to censor the autocomplete function on their search engine. Apparently when the name of a public figure is entered into the search box, the words “truffatore” (con man) and “truffa” (fraud) pop up with autocomplete. Apparently even autocomplete entries can be considered defamatory and so Google was requested to filter them. Google refused, saying they didn’t want to remove autocomplete terms because they were automatically generated by an algorithm. Unfortunately Google lost the case, and so Google searches in Italy won’t have such autocomplete entries anymore. I wonder if autocomplete can get Google into anymore trouble in the future.