Office phones are probably the drabbest ones designed in the industry. So the Callmate (specializes in conference calling) comes as a breath of fresh air with its cool smartphone-esque physique and transparent touchscreen applications. Taking advantage of LCD batteries, Bluetooth and the ergonomics of a curved body, this office phone is sleek and sexy! What do you think?
Btw, the Callmate works with Smartphones, Tablets and Laptops as well.
In our collective, constant quest to keep all mobile devices charged, CH came across two great options from Ventev that had us super-charged. The company covers all the mobile…
Are you seriously going to risk frosted-fingers because you can’t use your smartphone with regular gloves? Think innovative and think design…think Glove.ly! Exceptionally inventive and warm, Glove.ly are stylish gloves that invisibly work with your touchscreen. The innovative quotient is upped thanks to the special fibers sewn throughout the glove, that make it possible to use them with an iPhone, iPad, Samsung or any other touchscreen device! Hit the jump to know how you can WIN one!
Using MagLove technology, the gloves stay together even in your pockets and won’t separate in your bag. No glove on the market can boast about that! Glove.ly also sport a tag inside that can be used to clean your device’s screen; how thoughtful!
Thanks to a little bit of technology and loads of great styling, the folks at Glove.ly are able to bring us their philosophy of making gloves that people will use. The secret recipe in here is the Invisitouch material, which helps them look as stylish as regular gloves, but allows you to use your whole hand on the touchscreen easily.
The Glove.ly Classic is amazingly affordable (under $20) and the Glove.ly COZY has a super delicious lining that makes it the warmest touchscreen gloves. The Glove.ly LEATHER is the best full touch leather where the entire leather works without ugly tips! In short, if this holiday season you are looking for Form, Function and Innovation, then Glove.ly it is!
Glove.ly Classic is a fully conductive touch screen glove with real silver threading that is guaranteed to work invisibly with a touch screen using your whole hand (instead of just small, ugly fingertip pads). It’s simple. You want gloves that look good, and you love using your phone. So why use anything but soft, warm gloves that let you use your phone without exposing your skin to the cold?
A perfectly simple aluminum stand, Mika is a new accessory from Bluelounge that offers convenient reading across all portable devices. The height of the stand can accommodate everything from smart phones to oversized tablets, cradling them snugly between rubber ends. The angle is meant for reading or typing on…
Two updated tablets focused on content consumption
Announced today, Barnes & Noble has updated the popular Nook tablet with HD and HD+ versions. Unlike competitors like the Kindle Fire or iPad, the new generation of Nooks are offered strictly as content consumption devices; while users can peruse books, music, magazines and movies, you won’t find a…
The latest ways to enhance game play with your smartphone or tablet
With additional reporting by James Thorne
Realizing that competing with the popularity of smartphones and tablets is a game they’ve already lost, toy manufacturers are finding ways to incorporate apps and devices into their product experience. New options range from simple tactile cases to QR codes and elaborate augmented reality board games. We’re really impressed by the breadth of the examples we discovered at the 2012 Toy Fair in New York City this week, even if more often than not the concept is more impressive than the execution. This is a space in which we expect to see a huge amount of innovation, and look forward to seeing how large companies and startups jockey for position in the growing market.
The simple foam design of this ball opens the gaming experience to loads of new opportunities. By combining motion sensors, app-based games and TV visualization, the toy from Phyiscal Apps is able to dramatically expand the capabilities of your smartphone simply by securely wrapping it up in a foam ball. Experience bowling by watching the game on your TV and roll the ball against the wall to simulate bowling, for example.
A range of games from Hasbro slated to appear this year are swapping out traditional game boards for iPads. Old favorites like Life and Monopoly are among the ranks, although we were most excited by the company’s plans for Battleship. The strategic two-player game has come a long way since pegs and model ships ruled the board. The game leverages an app and is supplemented by placing battleship pieces on your iPad’s screen. For the game of Life, significant “moments” trigger relevant videos, from graduations to wedding ceremonies.
iBounce is reminiscent of treadmill televisions, giving kids an interface to play along with as they engage in physical activity. Currently accompanied by an eBook, the story prompts children to jump along with RompyRoo on his adventures. Apps are already in the works.
Age-old card games like Hearts, War and Solitaire aren’t left out of the appcessory world. The standard decks are enhanced by QR codes on some of the cards, which can be ignored offline or scanned to instigate new ways of play. For example, one scanned during Hearts may say to draw more cards, or to throw cards out. It’s a simple, clever way to engage those who are interested without modifying the game experience for those who aren’t.
Touted as “huggable learning”, these adorable smartphone holders give children something to grab on to as they learn through educational app play. The stand also serves as a charger.
This quiz game app and is created for family play, and leverages a dish that holds and counts tokens, and shields your screen-based entries from other players. Answer questions displayed on the screen by putting your colored pieces in the corresponding dish. Correct entries are then collected in the basin below without the need to manually tally responses. The company makes several other appcessories, including game show style buzzers for question-based games.
The original Eye Know card game has been enhanced with a free app component. Scrambled images gradually become clear, and players win points depending on how fast they can guess the person, place or thing coming into focus.
Featuring several different games, this triptych board by Identity Games uses the iPad as the central interface surrounded by two panels for real-world movement. Several two-sided inserts are included with the game board. Play is enabled by rotating the die in the holder, each face corresponding to a different game. Character pieces help keep kids involved as the integrated apps track progress, keep score and provide instruction. A version for smartphones is on the way, too.
The world of tablet styluses is given a natural kid-friendly counterpart with this “crayon” styled stylus by Dano. While not a game, it facilitates both drawing and game play. The triangle-shaped stylus teaches correct grip as users draw on the screen of the tablet, engaging with their app of choice.
Improve your technique with this comprehensive culinary tablet
Scaling back the general capabilities of all-purpose tablets, the French-made QOOQ (pronounced “cook”) delivers a highly specialized kitchen assistant. The recently upgraded model is about to hit the U.S., and, while it doesn’t set out to revolutionize the tablet market, QOOQ offers an easy-to-use interface with seemingly limitless options for foodies.
Content-wise, there simply aren’t any cooking apps that can match the QOOQ. The tablet contains 3,600 recipes—including 1,200 videos with expert chefs—available 50 at a time with a monthly subscription. Besides offering recipes by acclaimed chefs, QOOQ encourages users to upload their own family recipes. One of QOOQ’s most impressive features is the recipe calculator, which enables users to adjust recipe measurements according to the number of people being served and, once you know what you’re cooking, the tablet generates a shopping list. Schedule a week’s worth of meals, and QOOQ will send you off with all the ingredients you need, streamlining your family meal-planning.
The hardware is set up to withstand culinary beatings with a splash-proof 10-inch screen and rubber feet to ensure a secure grip. The attractive red casing is robust enough to take some punishment without negating the tablet’s mobility. The software is built off of a customized Linux OS, with web browsing, media streaming and social media enabled.
In the new version of the device, the artisanal French recipes have been slightly modified to fit the American palate. QOOQ also offers access to online content if you’re not interested in the full tablet experience, or simply want to check out the goods before you splurge. While $399 might seem a bit high for a single-purpose device, the French-made construction and abundance of regular content justify the investment.
The English version of QOOQ will launch in the U.S.A. this Fall, while the French version is available now through the QOOQ shop.
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