Month: February 2015
Shopping on an empty stomach makes you spend more (!)
Next time you go shopping, you might want to line your stomach first. You’ve probably heard that we tend to spend more money when we go grocery shopping when we’re hungry. It only makes sense that we can’t resist creamy pasta sauces and tubs of Ben & Jerry’s when our stomachs are rumbling. But it…
Pushbullet now lets Android users reply to messages on their computer
Pushbullet is one of those apps that I often wonder how I lived without, since it's so monumentally useful for transferring files and links between devices. Now, though, Android users are going to find that it's even more useful, because they canrespond to messaging apps from their computer. At the moment Pushbullet supports WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger,…
Facebook’s suspending Native American people’s accounts under its ‘real name’ policy
Facebook’s much-unloved ‘real name’ policy is under fire again. Having upset the LGBTQ community, now Native American people are having their names changed and accounts suspended. As the Guardian reports, Dana Lone Hill, who is Native American, had her account suspended because the company didn’t believe her name was real (!), and she’s not the…
The Mu fold-up USB phone charger gets an international update
If I got commission for all the people who've bought a Mu charger plug after seeing mine, I'd be rich. The innovative Mu is a USB wall plug that folds flat. Seriously. Why don't all UK plugs do this? My white Mu, after several years of faithful service, recently broke. The fact that I was gutted…
Ethertronics wants to ‘steer’ Wi-Fi to extend range
Heading over to the far end of your house and finding that the Wi-Fi signal is insanely poor is a terrible experience. Many devices, like range extenders or systems like Eero, are available to solve that problem, but it still means you have to buy new equipment. Ethertronics believes it has a solution that can be built…
Introji is new emoji for introverts
Despite what some joyless grumps might say, emoji are great/essential. Sure, they don’t have everything (like diversity) but they save a lot of time and energy. I mean, just think how long it would take to say what a smiling poo or dancing twins in a leotard can express with one quick tap. But there…
Apple has a patent for an iPhone virtual reality headset
Virtual reality is massive, and it seems like everyone is getting involved in one way or another -- even Apple. The tech giant has just been awarded a patent for its own virtual reality headset, one that is designed to be powered by the iPhone. Officially named the "Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic…
VLC will be adding Chromecast support soon
Some of you may remember a time before VLC, a time when downloading a video file meant you had to find one that would actually work on one of the many media players you had installed on your computer. VLC changed all that with its universal approach to video playback, and it could be bringing that feature…
Aki Inomata makes beautiful 3D printed tiny homes… for crabs
Hermit crabs are born without shells, so they have to keep finding new seashells to cover themselves. Aki Inomata, a Japanese artist, is providing a new solution/art project: 3D printed plastic tiny homes. As Fast Company reports, she’s inspired both by nature and real life architecture. First she creates scans of shells, and then she…
HTC confirms a new HTC One will be revealed on 1st March
After much speculation and countless rumours about what's going on, we finally know exactly when we'll be hearing about the next HTC One smartphone. HTC has confirmed that the phone is coming to MWC, and will be officially launched on 1st March. The announcement was made through HTC's UK Twitter account, confirming that the phone is…
