Boo! Augmented reality comes to LEGO

NEWS – LEGO is entering the world of augmented reality with their new Hidden Side play theme.  Aimed at builders age seven and older, the set allows for a traditional LEGO block building experience.  It then adds augmented reality (AR) to that experience, where the builder can turn a haunted world back to normal, one ghost at a time.

LEGO will release eight “haunted” building sets.  The sets offer builders the traditional fun of LEGO building and role playing.  Once the sets are completed, that’s when the new fun begins.  Using the new AR app, builders will discover a hidden world with challenges and mysteries to solve. This adds an entirely new experience to LEGO building fun. The builder will join Jack and Parker, the apps lead characters, on an adventure in each of the eight sets in the town of Newbury.  By using their phone camera to view their built creations, the app will show the builders otherwise unseen characters and events, providing an immersive and interactive experience. The app also is a short digital game that can be played independently from the AR experience.

LEGO is also planning to release continual updates to the app, so builders can continue having new experiences within the Newbury world.

Global release is expected in August 2019.  Sets will be priced from $19.99 to $129.99. The Hidden Side app will be available from Google Play and Apple App Store.  For more information, visit LEGO’s Hidden Side website.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Boo! Augmented reality comes to LEGO originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 18, 2019 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Saddleback Leather Boot Leather iPhone Case review

REVIEW – A warm leather hug for your iPhone. That’s what I’m testing this week with Saddleback Leather’s latest phone case design. Forget about plastics, silicone, or rubberized bits… this is 100% leather, and each one is made by hand. To the review!

What is it?

The name says it all. It’s a handmade leather iPhone case. ‘Nuff said.

Design and features

The Saddleback Leather Boot Leather iPhone Case is made from a single piece of heavy boot leather, by hand, in a process that takes 5 hours to complete. Not only are there no plastic or rubberized components, but you won’t even find a stitch of thread in the build. Check out this video to see how each case is cut, shaped, and molded by hand for the final product. Neat, huh?

The cool thing about this process is that the finished piece also shows all the little handmade details, so each item has its own unique personality. Here’s a shot of the front and back of the case… note that mine has been in use for several weeks now, so it’s started to pick up some patina from use (and maybe a water spot from an accidental splash… but that’s another story):

The edges are cut and molded to wrap around the phone. You’ll even see the marks from the shaping process:

The volume buttons on the left side are covered, with the leather being shaved to a thin bevel to allow for clicking. The mute switch is also shaved, but a bit of a cut out so that you can flip it:

The main button on the right hand side is also covered & shaved from the leather, while the camera pod is cut out:

 

I’ve got an iPhone XS Max, and the case is perfectly sized for a snug fit.

Just slide it into the case, and you’re good to go. Note that the bottom panel is completely open for access to your speaker and ports. The camera pod cutout is right on the money, cut perfectly so that it doesn’t interfere with the functionality.

And that’s all there is to it. Slide your iPhone into the case, and you’re off and running!

Performance

There’s something refreshing about the simplicity and elegance of the Saddleback Leather Boot Leather iPhone case. Don’t get me wrong, I love how designers are pushing the limits with cutting-edge materials to create new products. But it’s also impressive to see a company that’s able to create the same modern usability we demand from our tech with the classic attributes of materials like leather.

From the minute I opened the package, the Boot Leather iPhone case was fully functional. Not only is it easy to install, but I haven’t seen any signs of stretching or loosening in the case that would cause it to slip off the phone. It’s just as tight and snug as any molded plastic or silicone case I have played with. In reading the product details, it looks like Saddleback made some tweaks to this design to address issues with access to the ports and buttons. I’ll tell you that I have seen no issues with any of that so far. The lightning cable pops right into place, buttons work as designed, and the speakers aren’t obstructed. The cutout for the mute switch was a *teeny* bit tight but loosened up after about a day of use. You really don’t notice any degradation in performance or functionality when using the phone on a regular basis.

The protection offered by the phone is also excellent. I’m prone to fumble fingers, so my iPhone takes its share of drops and bangs on a regular basis. The heavy leather does just as good a job of protecting my precious as any silicone or rubber base I’ve had. Now don’t get me wrong… I’m not planning on tossing it out a second story window to be sure! But for general whoopsies, it’s good. Note that the screen is not protected, but that’s common to all phones in this category. I have a secondary screen cover on the phone for that purpose anyway.

You also get all the benefits of beautiful full-grain boot leather with this case. The leather is just fantastic, as we’ve come to expect from Saddleback Leather products. A month in and my case is already starting to pick up a nice patina as well as some personality from use, which will just get better over time. It’s also surprisingly slim and lightweight, well in line with other cases geared towards protection. I’ve had no issues carrying it in a bag or in my jeans pocket; I really don’t notice anything different from a typical phone case.

What I like

  • Simple, elegant construction
  • No parts of any kind that could come loose, break, or fail
  • Beautiful leather that will age wonderfully
  • All the protection benefits of modern-day materials in a classic looking case

What needs to be improved

  • None that I am seeing yet

Final thoughts

This is my second review from their newer lineup of Saddleback Leather products that feature the simpler, streamlined design language. Like the iPad case review I did last October,  the Boot Leather iPhone Case is another winner. Usability and functionality are both excellent, imparting all the benefits of modern design with the simple goodness of high-quality handmade leather. It’s beautiful and durable, and will probably outlast my phone. It also retails at $79, which is well within the competitive price range for high-end iPhone cases… and pretty great for a hand made product. I’m a fan.

Please note that, as of this writing, the Boot Leather iPhone Case is available for the newer generation of iPhones (X, XS, XS Max, and XR).

Price: $79.00
Where to buy: Get ye to the Saddleback Leather product page for this item.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Saddleback Leather

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

Saddleback Leather Boot Leather iPhone Case review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 18, 2019 at 9:17 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

The Air Doctor is a breath of fresh air



NEWS – Since most of my immediate family member face the challenges of allergies and the effects, I am always interested in products that can help to alleviate the horrible coughing, sneezing and runny nose and eyes which are some of the symptoms we experience. Over the past few years, I have been lucky enough to test a few air purifiers including some that are currently being used in my home every day.

During one of my notorious internet browsing sessions, I came across the Air Doctor. According to the manufacturer: “the AIR Doctor combines our UltraHEPA™ filter with our proprietary dual action Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC filter to remove or substantially reduce virtually all the particles, toxic ozone, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and gases from the air in your home.” Some of the features include professional WhisperJet fans which are 30% quieter than ordinary air purifiers, a built-in air quality monitor, their proprietary dual action Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC Filter, and a professional-grade air quality sensor to assess the air quality in the room and immediately adjust to the correct level of filtration. The AIR Doctor is a 100% sealed system to ensure all the air you breathe is pure and filtered.

If you would like to learn more about the Air Doctor or if you would like to purchase one, you can head over to the Air Doctor website. The Air Doctor can be purchased for $629.00, plus $29.95 S&P. When it is time to purchase additional filters, one year of the combo pack of filters can be purchased for $144.95, plus $9.95 S&P. You can also set up a recurring plan for a discount or purchase the filters separately.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

The Air Doctor is a breath of fresh air originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 18, 2019 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Easy Digital Downloads Review: A Superb WordPress Plugin for Selling Digital Files Online!

Easy Digital Downloads is a popular eCommerce solution for WordPress that was created to help website owners sell digital products such as eBooks, documents, music, graphic designs and more. The plugin is free to download, and, as with other high-quality WordPress solutions, its functionality can be extended by many free and premium addons. A host… View Article

The post Easy Digital Downloads Review: A Superb WordPress Plugin for Selling Digital Files Online! appeared first on WinningWP.

Peeqo is a robot that uses memes to make you smile

NEWS – Peeqo is a personal robot designed to cheer you up by responding with memey GIFs and video clips.  Say its name, ask it a question, and it will respond with a cute little snippet of video.  Although it can respond to practical questions–“What is the weather like today?”–Peeqo’s at his best when providing “little moments of delight and entertainment to get you through your day.”

Peeqo is a hands-on little robot, literally.  It comes as a set of parts that you assemble yourself.  The brains of the robot is a Raspberry Pi 3.  It includes a 4-inch display screen, a pair of omni-directional microphone, and a 5 MP camera.  Peeqo has been programmed using Electron, and all his code is open sourced on GitHub, so if you’re interested in programming, you can contribute to the project and/or modify your own little robot.  Maybe you can teach Peeqo to remind you how smart or beautiful you are?

Peeqo is a Kickstarter project that has not yet raised its goal of $70,000.  If you’re interested, you just need to back the project before March 14, 2019. A pledge of $149 reserves a Peeqo which is estimated to ship in September.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Peeqo is a robot that uses memes to make you smile originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 17, 2019 at 10:30 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.