Filed Under: Drag and Drop of the Future

Instead of fiddling with cables, glitchy apps, or little memory cards to move files between devices, what if we could just drag and drop through the air? Wireless data transfer is practically taken for granted now; we’re just waiting for the perfect interface to move data between devices—and this video shows a concept that is just that. With “spatially aware devices,” looks like it could be a smooth transition into the future of seamless data transfer. 

Filed Under: Laptop Landmark Tour of the World

No time to travel the world? No worries, with Google’s new Photo Tours feature in Google Maps, you can explore immersive 3D photo scenes at landmarks around the world—over 15,000 of them. The tours are created using public, user-contributed Picasa and Panaromio photos. Google explains the process:

We start by finding clusters of overlapping photos around major landmarks. From the photos, our system derives the 3D shape of each landmark and computes the location and orientation of each photo. Google Maps then selects a path through the best images, and adds 3D transitions to seamlessly guide you from photo to photo as if you’re literally flying around the landmark and viewing it from different perspectives.

We’ll be taking a Trevi Fountain lunch break!

Filed Under: Cereal Code

Don’t know much about UX and UI, but this photographic infographic by Ed Lea visually shows how a web application works in a language we all understand—cereal! 

This Kickstarter project for a simple add-on to the iPad to improve the sound of the back facing speakers has already reached their goal of 10K with 23 days still to go in their fundraising. Simple, attractive design that serves a purpose. So many great products are coming out of Kickstarter, and it almost feels like the best place to shop right now for interesting and innovative new products. If the goal is reached, you get the product, if not you get your money back. 

Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia permanently pranked his citizens with a tongue-in-cheek e-lane for those texting or e-reading on the go! We like this cheeky solution to the city of Philadelphia’s (and the world at large’s) real frustration with distracted pedestrians (when we aren’t them ourselves).

Recently, Mashable compiled a surprising top ten list of the most-tweeted moments of all-time. Why now? In case you’ve been living under an analog rock, Tim Tebow’s 80-yard overtime touchdown pass Sunday night propelled him to #2 on the Twitter’s most popular moments ever. His athletic feat was equally as impressive as the online reaction—even above Babyonce! And Steve Jobs! And #1? Looks like Japan has a proactive Twitter population. Based on how many Tweets per second (TPS, duh) an event sets off in the Twitter-verse, we can glean some interesting insights into what people think is worthy of actually tweeting about—and this list had more than a few that left me scratching my head.

1. Castle in the Sky airs in Japan (25,088 tweets per second on Dec. 9, 2011

2. Tim Tebow’s overtime touchdown pass (9,420 tweets per second on Jan. 8, 2012)

3. Beyonce reveals her pregnancy at MTV Video Music Awards (8,868 tweets per second on Aug. 28, 2011)

4. Troy Davis executed (7,671 TPS on Sept. 20, 2011)

5 & 6. FIFA Women’s World Cup (7,196 and 7,166 TPS on July 17, 2011), for both the end of the final match between the U.S. and Japan as well as the Paraguay vs. Brazil game, respectively.

7. Steve Jobs resigns (7,064 TPS on Aug. 25, 2011)

8. New Year’s Day in Japan (6,939 TPS on Jan. 1, 2011)

9. BET Awards (6,436 TPS on June 27, 2011)

10. UEFA Champions League, Barcelona defeats Manchester (6,303 TPS on May 28, 2011)

11. Steve Jobs passes away (6,049 TPS on Oct. 6, 2011)

12. NBA Finals (5,531 TPS on June 13, 2011)

13. Japanese earthquake and tsunami (5,530 TPS on March 11, 2011)

14. East Coast earthquake (5,449 TPS on Aug. 23, 2011

15. Raid on Osama bin Laden (5,106 TPS on May 2, 2011)

So you see an iffy mole on your body. What do you do?  You can wait days for a dermo appointment, check WebMD for hit or miss prognoses (that will inevitably send you into states of panic)… or you could just pick up your cell phone.  With SpotCheck, a new mobile app developed by noted derm Dr. Bobby Buka, it’s as simple as snapping a pic of the problem area.  The photo will then be sent to a board-certified dermatologist who responds with notes and referrals (in 24 hours no less).   Now that’s what I call good service! Doc…can you hear me now?

(Source: Vogue)

Our fearless leader Jane Buckingham appeared on Good Morning America last week to talk about this year’s tech forward holiday gifts- and in case you missed it, we’ll be sharing them with you here! First up, the Silverlit Ferrari Enzo remote control car that can be controlled via iPhone and iPad. So future-y!

Unplugged had a very interesting piece today on a new product, a rubber band no less, that changes your simple photo camera into the most low maintenance DSLR camera ever. This Macro Cell Lense Band is sold out on Photojojo, but for $15 let’s hope it’s back on the shelf before Christmas!

http://procatinator.com

The above site mixes GIFs of rad cats with songs available on YouTube.  Go to it. I promise. You’re Welcome!

Filed Under: Little Printer

Why is it that all the things I adore are usually a design concept and not an actual thing that I can buy here and now? This concept printer is slated to become real, in early 2012. Designed to print all the tiny things like an Instagram photo, a to-do-list, or a card, this printer will save paper and be perfect for creating tiny surprises!