Instead, he or she will pilot the iTray flying drone from afar using the corresponding iPad app. The “food delivery drone” can fly around in the restaurant and onto the patio at speeds of up to 25mph. I’m not really sure what they’re doing to prevent the food from flying off the tray or how to make sure the drone doesn’t go flying straight into someone’s face, but there you have it.

Yes, it’s totally a gimmick and it’s really just a “shiny new tech” evolution of conveyer belt sushi (except it’s a burger… at a sushi place… in the UK), but if that’s what it takes to get people to eat at your restaurant, all the more power to them. “It was delivered as if by magic,” says diner Mark Rose. “Like an alien flying saucer bringing food directly onto my table.”

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Will it be worth the wait? While the exact specs and features are still totally up in the air, the latest rumor says that Apple’s iWatch will come with some interesting biometric technology. Indeed, according KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, biometrics could play a big part in Apple’s invasion of your wrist. This is for both security and health tracking. The prediction lines up with the fact that Apple bought biometric sensor company AuthenTec last year.

Given the rise in popularity of devices like the Nike Fuelband, Fitbit and Jawbone Up, it makes a lot of sense that Apple also wants to capitalize on this biometric fad too.

As far as the other rumors go, Kuo also says that the iWatch will have a 1.5 to 2-inch display, but earlier reports also indicated that this could be the first Apple device to utilize flexible display technology too. It will be interesting to see how something like the iWatch stacks up against Google Glass.

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While Google Glass is a leader in its field, it lacks on one thing: attraction and applicability to that of sports and athletes.  While it is water resistant, it is not the toughest of products and probably wouldn’t hold up to someone dripping sweat for long periods of time.  Recon Instruments saw the obvious hole in the market and developed the Jet.  The Jet is a pair of sport sunglasses with an integrated Android powered display that has an endless amount of possibilities.

Recon, previously known for its MOD ski goggle inserts, takes the idea one step further and applies the same technology to a sporting pair of shades with a list of supped up features.  They also added a huge amount of connectivity options and sensors, it comes with WiFi, Bluetooth, an accelerometer, thermometer, GPS and most exciting, ANT+.  These features will allow the shades to gather data from different capturing sources such as heart rate monitors, cycling power and cadence.

Strava users will be chomping at the bit to get this technology with the ability to get real-time displays of everything they desire.  Engaget tried a pair of prototypes and described the glasses as a bit flimsy and stating they had a difficult time seeing the display.  But keep in mind this was a pre-production prototype and I’m sure they will work out some of the bugs and finalize a marketable product.  The removable battery is said to have a projected life of six hours, way more than I would need to get winded!

The Recon Instruments Jet is set to ship by the end of the year and we have no official release of expected price, though some speculation it will cost around $500 — give or take a hundred or so.  Seems a bit steep, but those that already spend thousands on their bikes and gear will have no problem dropping that much for the real-time applications and training possibilities.

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It’s spring and summer is just around the corner. That means it is camping season! While camping is certainly a way to get away from the grind of the city, and the buzz of technology, it doesn’t mean you have to ditch your cellphone completely.

If you are looking for a way to keep that phone charged without paying the cost of an electric campsite, you might be interested in the VOTO. This unique device has a special fuel-cell end that is placed into an outdoor grill, below the charcoal. It can stay in the stove while it is cooking and later can be removed and used either for charging a USB device – like your phone – or it even has a built-in LED light that outputs 25 lumens.

Certainly an interesting idea for those that really love the great outdoors. It could also have potential in the developing world.

Check out the video below, where the CEO better explains how the device works:

What do you think, interested in a VOTO or not?

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Gadgets, gadgets are everywhere! We live in a world where ideas run free and people have the power to turn them into real projects. Sometimes these ideas are by big companies, sometimes they are by independent designers. They range from extraordinarily practical to devices that leave you thinking, “WTF is the point of this thing?”

Looking for some of the coolest, strangest or downright most unique gadgets out there? So are we.

In our latest feature, Mobile Magazine scores the net looking for some of the most interesting (or odd) gadgets we can find. Some of these will be mobile gadgets, some will be for automobiles or really anything in between.

Without further ado, we present you this week’s gadget roundup:

BACtrack

While not the first mobile breathalyzer, this one is a bit unique. The purpose of this breathalyzer goes beyond just knowing your current ‘score’. With a detailed smartphone app, you can get information on when you will be able to drive again or simply an ETA on when you will appear sober – Perhaps for those of us returning home to an angry wife just waiting to catch you at your worst? Whatever reason have you, this is a pretty slick idea.

Beyond giving you an ETA on when you will be sober, the information can also tell you information like how well you can hold your liquor and give you a better idea of when you’ve had too many to safely drive, walk or whatever have you.

The device itself will run you $150 and works with devices like the iPhone using Bluetooth technology.

BlueBulb

Alright so we don’t normally think of light bulbs as sophisticated pieces of technology, and certainly not what we could call a ‘gadget’. The BlueBulb LED light does things differently, though it isn’t the first of its kind by a longshot.

BlueBulb is designed to use Bluetooth and an iOS app that allows you to control and color customize the light. It works with any light socket and can produce quite a vast array of colors.

Quirky.com Concept Paper Shredder

Ah, one of the standard office gadgets that just about everyone has around the office or even the house. While this particular ‘gadget’ isn’t yet an available device, it comes from Quirky.com and is one of the many devices on the site that start as concepts and a voted on. If enough votes are achieved, the device is made a reality.

So what makes this paper shredder different? According to its creator Pavol Huserka, it is designed to not only shred paper but also has a unique compactor function that turns the shreddings into cubes that work great as briquets for your fireplace or where ever else you are looking to start a fire.

While not a totally revolutionary idea, it is still a pretty cool concept that we felt was worth mentioning.

McDonalds “Potato Holder”

Most of us should and could live without the fast food french fries. Still, if you are not only tempted to occasionally munch of some fried potatoes but like to do so while driving, then you’ll find this potato holder to be exactly what you are looking for.

With this McDonalds holder you can simply have your fries propped up in your cup carrier, instead of scrounging around the bag making a mess of things and diverting your focus away from the road.

The potato holder is designed by McDonald’s of Japan, so you probably won’t have an easy time getting ahold of it elsewhere.

Predator Helmet

What could be cooler than a specially modified motorcycle helmet designed to look Predator headgear? This unique helmet is the work of Russian company NLO Moto and weighs in at a rather protective price point of $780 – and that’s just the base model. Extra optional features like a protective face shield adds $59, teeth adds $95, carbon fiber shell brings up the price by $249 and carbon fiber tips for the Predator’s dreadlocks adds another $109. That means a top of the line helmet would run $1292.

Outside of looking pretty awesome, the helmet is actually built on a certified motorcycle helment and features three optional red LEDs to replicate the Predator’s targeting system.

While it might have been certified before the modifications, it is worth noting that the helmet could seriously limit visibility and so it isn’t actually recommended for wearing on the road.

Watermelon cooler

Not going to lie, when I first heard about this one, I wondered what the hell would someone do with this. Still, the Japanese “Tama-Chan” could be great for those who wish to picnic and want a way to keep their watermelons absolutely cool outdoors in the summer heat.

The Tama-Chan is a product of Joybond and the cooler is designed to work through a car’s cigarette lighter and of course it will keep things cool even after being unplugged at least for a while and until you open it up for a while.

What’s even more interesting and worthwhile is that the it can also work as a heater, keeping items that need to be warm from getting too cold in the winter.

The Tama-Chan is priced at 19,950 yen – about $200 – which is probably more than most of us would pay for something like this when we can simply put some ice in a standard cooler and call it good.

That’s A Wrap

So that’s this week’s Gadget Roundup. Which of the gadgets were your favorite? Could you see yourself buying and using any of these, if so, which one?

If you know of a relatively recently released unique gadget that we didn’t cover, let us know about it in the comments. We will be watching this page and if you come up with a cool idea, we will be more than willing to add it!

The post Mobile Magazine Gadget Roundup (4/24) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

While devices like the Pebble smartwatch are currently billed as niche devices, a new report from ABI Research claims that things are going to change in a hurry when it comes to smartwatch market penetration. The forecast suggests that by the year’s end, 1.2 million smartwatches will have shipped.

ABI says that with more folks switching to smartphones, it is likely that at least some of these folks will be interested in the idea of getting notifications and other data from their phone onto a watch.

Further, ABI believes that there will likely be four categories of smart watches in the near future: the notification type, voice operational smart watches, hybrid smart watches and completely independent smart watches.

The notification type is simply a watch that offers alerts for incoming calls, messages and other notifications. Voice operational smart watches differ in that that can start and stop calls and issue commands using voice.

Next we have hybrids, which combine notifications with voice functionality. They also have their own primitive OS and might have limited functionality when not synced to a smartphone.

And then there are independent smart watches. According to ABI, this could end up being devices like the iWatch, Samsung Galaxy watch and Microsoft’s rumored watch. These devices would have their own operating systems and likely their own apps and other features. While independent from your smartphone, they could still likely sync to a device to pull notifications, though.

While ABI’s predictions and category breakdown are interesting, keep in mind that it is all speculation at this point. What do you think of the idea of a smart watch, is it something you could see yourself using? Conversely, are you interested in other wearable computing devices like Google Glass?

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Wearable computing is here to stay. While the revolution is just beginning, Pebble has managed to make a pretty big splash in its own right. While the Pebble isn’t an ultra-powerful smartwatch it is still very capable and will soon see its hardware pushed to the limits thanks to its recent release of its SDK to developers.

One of the first unique apps to hit the Pebble is a Tetris clone from developer Robert Hesse. While Tetris or in this case “Pebblis” isn’t exactly the most advanced game out there, it is still a nice treat for those looking to expand what their Pebble can do.

If you own a Pebble and want to give the app a try, you can grab the files from the Pebble forum and check it out for yourself.

What do you think of the idea of smartwatches? Is a bigger revolution brewing or is it merely a niche and a fad that will eventually fade away into obscurity?

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In today’s world, retro is cool. This is especially true when it comes to DIY projects. We’ve seen devices over the years that allow you to use original controllers from game systems on modern devices, mobile game players using cartridges and so much more.

Now one DIY enthusiast has decided to pay tribute to one of the greatest gaming systems of all time, the SNES. In the video below the YouTube user liberty5 takes apart an SNES controller and transforms it into a unique set of headphones that are sure to stand out in the crowd.

Pretty cool idea, though it would be even better if the D-Pad and buttons actually did something other than were there solely for aesthetics. What do you think, is this a project you’d be interested in trying out for yourself or not?

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The post DIY Video Shows How to Transform SNES Controller into Unique Headphones appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The world of technology continues to evolve at an impressively fast paced, and the same is equally true when it comes to gaming tech. While we live in a world of life-like visuals, sometimes you just want to kick tter and an enjoy a classic game or two.

There are many ways to go about this. You can download emulators for your computer or mobile device, you can even own and maintain the original classic game hardware. Or you can enjoy those original cartridges on your TV using a modernized game player. That’s where the Hyperkin RetroN 5 gaming console comes in.

This unique system could be perfect if you have a collection of cartridges laying around but the system hardware no longer seems to work like it should. Additionally you could just want to reduce clutter by having one system that can do it all.

The RetroN 5 is capable of playing NES, SNES Genesis, Japanese Nintendo Famicom, Gameboy Gameboy Advance and Gameboy Color cartridges all on the same system. Even cooler, it has HDMI for upscaling to 720p, or an AV port for those with older televisions. The package will also include two modern gaming controllers that use Bluetooth wireless technology.

The positive-side to this device is that you get one system that plays all your older favorites on a modern TV. The downside is that you don’t get the original controller look/feel. Still at a price that is expected to be under $100, this could be perfect for a retro gamer.

No word on when it is coming for sure, though it is supposed to be available sometime after June. What do you think, interested in this one or not?

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Apple and Samsung could soon be joined by Google in the future smart-watch market. According to Financial Times, Google’s Android division is currently working on a smart watch device running the popular open-source operating system.

Details are thin on the ground, but the device will likely connect to your Android smartphone and also even Google Glass to provide you will watched based updates, reminders and info. Personally, I’m pretty content with my current smartphone to be too excited about a Google watch, however it will be interesting to see what Google can come up with.

Do you think that the smartwatch market is a temporary fade that won’t ever really catch on in a long-lasting way, or is there plenty of potential in this market, especially with advances in technologies like flexible screens? Let us know what you think in the comment section.

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The post Google Working on a Smart-watch to Rival Apple and Samsung? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.