New wearable diagnoses diabetes complications

Taiwanese scientists have invented a wearable that looks like Google Glass, but can diagnose a common and devastating side-effect of diabetes. Autonomic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can occur in either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and which can affect some of the body’s most essential functions, including the digestive system,…
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Bolt: Instagram’s answer to Snapchat is here (but only in three countries)

This week Instagram has lifted the lid on its new photo and video messaging app, called Bolt, which is all about 'wicked fast photo messaging' and looks set to take on photo rival Snapchat. The catch? For now it's only available in three countries: Singapore, South Africa and New Zealand. According to The Next Web, the…

imoji lets you turn yourself into an emoji!

Here at shinyshiny, we LOVE emojis, but we’re well aware of the fact that there still isn’t enough diversity among emoji characters, even after Unicode updated the little pictures last month. However, that can now all change, as imoji makes it possible to create your own textable emoji stickers from photos on your phone! The…

New campaign uses iPhones to diagnose malaria

We've heard crowdfunding stories about cool new gadgets which need extra cash to get them into distribution, but this latest campaign is for something altogether more altruistic, and potentially life-changing: an app which can identify malaria. If caught in its early stages, malaria can be treated, but the traditional microscopic method of diagnosis costs both a lot of…

Are these your next 4 social networks? Shots, Secret, Pencourage, PumpUp

If you're getting bored of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you're obviously not the only one, as there are so many more social networks out there that are still managing to tempt new users away from the social media giants. With users tiring of being trolled on Twitter, there are social networks popping up everywhere trying…

Is Microsoft about to release two new Windows Phone 8.1 devices?

Could Microsoft be planning to launch two new Windows Phone 8.1 devices soon? If The Verge is to be believed, it certainly looks that way, and one of them has even been described as the ‘selfie phone’! The selfie phone, known as codename Superman has a 5-megapixel forward-facing camera and 4.7 inch display, while the…

The Gherkin’s in a pickle: five alternative uses for the iconic building

Here at the shinyshiny offices, we have a bit of a soft spot for the friendly-looking Gherkin (real name 30 St Mary Axe) just around the corner. So when news of its imminent sale broke this morning, we put our heads together and decided there are some much better uses for the pickle-shaped building... 1. Giant greenhouse…

Bluetooth-enabled Casio watch automatically adjusts time

Electronics giant Casio has officially announced that the Casio Edifice EQB-500 will be coming to the UK in September - and this is exciting because it'll have Bluetooth 4.0 enabled. Bluetooth will allow the sleek-looking watch to connect with a smartphone, meaning it will automatically sync with the local time-zone. It will also detect summertime hours and adjust…

Wireless earphones from FreeWavz also track your fitness

Regular readers of shinyshiny will know that we recently covered a story about OwnPhones' 3D printed earbuds, and now there's another exciting Kickstarter project underway: FreeWavz wireless, fitness-tracking earphones. As the first 100% wire-free smart earphones with built-in fitness monitoring, they are useful for all forms of exercise. With runners' complaints in mind, the smart earphones have…

Mobile rumours: Samsung, HTC, Google, and more

There are a lot of mobile phone manufacturers out there making things for us consumers to enjoy, but with that many companies creating that much stuff, how are you able to keep track of it all? Welcome to out daily mobile rumour round-up, where we find the best rumours and goings on in the world…