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Walyou

Justice League Beers: Getting Drunk For Justice
NES Style Plush USB Controller: It Actually Works!
Project Ara Aims to Create Entirely New Mobile Industry
Peres Food Sniffer Tells Good Food from Bad
Microsoft Offers Motorola Solutions Access to Its IP Portfolio

Justice League Beers: Getting Drunk For Justice

Posted: 22 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT

It turns out that most of the heroes in the JLA actually have a hobby for when they are not stopping Darkseid’s plans, or something. This hobby is brewing.

This is a project straight from Marcelo Rizzetto‘s mind, a graphic designer who put forth these "Super Hero Beers". In it, we see different packagings and brands designed to match the style of the DC superheroes.This first edition has Batman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Sorry, Martian Detective, maybe next time!

Our favorite detail about these is how it’s not only the bottle, but the type of beer itself also matches somehow the personality and color scheme of the heroes.Can I have some Flash please?

Source: Nerdgasmo

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NES Style Plush USB Controller: It Actually Works!

Posted: 22 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT

We’ve seen plenty of weird, funny, and cute controllers and stuff themed after the classic NES, but this is the first time we see a working plushie. This is the dawn of the hug & play age!

There’s a plethora of things you can do with a good NES-themed controller on your computer, but Adafruit's Becky Stern created something different. By combining a Flora Arduino-compatible with the cutest plushie fabric, the result is a plushie that can be used to play the classics. And the best part about it is that she even made a tutorial so you can create your own. Need a better excuse to learn how to stitch? Because this is the real thing.

Source: Technabob

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Project Ara Aims to Create Entirely New Mobile Industry

Posted: 22 Apr 2014 05:00 AM PDT

Technophiles and geeks have been building custom computers for years, but in the next few years they could also be building custom phones.

Last year, the startup Phoneblocks started a social media campaign to turn people on to the idea of a modular smartphones. Many people were very receptive to the concept and it really took off when Google and Motorola announced their version in Project Ara, which Google is retaining in Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola.

There are many benefits to a modular smartphone, which is why it got so much attention. Phones are currently designed and built with a one-size-fits-all mentality, but a phone that can be completely tailored to any individuals needs–and budget–would be a large draw to anyone with tailored needs.

It also makes repairs much easier. If a component of your phone is damaged, it will be much easier to diagnose and replace to component on your own, rather than have to potentially replace the entire phone.

Project Ara is so much more than just a proof of concept for a modular phone, though. According to Paul Eremenko–the head of Project Ara–it is an attempt to create an entirely new industry for what he calls ”the most custom mass-market product ever created by mankind.” That may be a tall order, but Google tends to aim high with such projects.

Project Ara is, in fact, a part of Google’s Advanced Technologies and Products (ATAP) division acquired from Motorola. ATAP is one of Google’s Moonshot Projects, which also includes Google’s self driving car and Google Glass, but not all of these projects end up getting a green light. If Eremenko and company can’t finalize an actual product that can actually be actually sold within their two year deadline (the clock started ticking sometime last year), then the Ara modular phone will not see the light of day.

Ara will likely be successful, but it is a concept that is fundamentally the opposite of the direction the rest of the industry is moving. Most of the gains in things like performance, battery life, and form factor that we’ve seen in the past few years are the results of integration. Removable batteries are less and less frequently seen. Removable SD card storage is also less popular.

These benefits are not entirely negated by the use of a modular design, but the infrastructure to support the design, production, and service on modular components is non existent, which is why Eremenko says he’s not designing a phone, he’s designing an “industry within an industry.” So in the end, it’s not really a matter of if Project Ara can produce a viable product, but whether demand is truly high enough for hardware partners to sign on and carriers to agree to provide support (which will be much more difficult in the US).

The future of smartphones is likely going to be something along the lines of what we see with Project Ara, but the question is “are we ready for it?” If ” an industry within an industry” can’t be supported at this time, then it may be a few more years yet before modular phones hit the mainstream.

Source: The Verge

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Peres Food Sniffer Tells Good Food from Bad

Posted: 21 Apr 2014 01:55 PM PDT

Depending on how it is stored, food can go bad long before or long after its expiration date, and Peres Food Sniffer can help you know for sure.

The reason behind the development of the Peres Food Sniffer pocket gadget is represented by the great number of people who at some point in their lives have experienced food poisoning or any other type of discomfort caused by the ingestion of food with disease-causing bacteria. By measuring the amount of volatile organic compounds and ammonia from the air surrounding the meat, Peres Food Sniffer can easily predict the state of the food. Considering how easy a concept this is, it’s quite surprising that no one thought of it before.

Augustas Aleši?nas, the CEO of PERES, emphasized the context that made the Food Sniffer a necessity: “Have you ever had a food-related illness? It's likely that you or someone you know has. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that more than 200 diseases are spread through food, and one out of three people living in industrialized countries may be affected by food-borne illness each year. After experiencing food poisoning myself, I have decided to create a device that would help me and my family easily check the freshness and quality of our food, and PERES was born.”

The developers of the Peres Food Sniffer are running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. At press time, the makers had raised 55% of the $50K goal, but considering that they went for flexible funding, even if that goal is not reached, we might get to see a version of this product on the market, probably a bit later than anticipated.

If you’re among the ones who consider this little gadget useful, head over to Indiegogo and secure a Peres Food Sniffer for yourself for $120. There are plenty of Early Bird spots, so you should definitely take advantage of this, as the retail price may be a lot higher than that. At first, it might look like the device is a bit pricey, but considering of how much trouble this could save you, the cost is more than worth it. Hopefully, such detectors for other foods than meat will be invented in the future, so that vegetarians can use such gadgets, as well.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Food Practice Shooter that encourages you to eat more vegetables and the TARDIS mini fridge that preserves your geeky food.

Microsoft Offers Motorola Solutions Access to Its IP Portfolio

Posted: 21 Apr 2014 01:15 PM PDT

The agreement signed today by Microsoft and Motorola Solutions affects Motorola devices running Android or Chrome OS that could be in any way affected by the Redmond giant’s patent portfolio.

By doing so, Motorola Solutions protects itself against any lawsuits that could be initiated by other tech companies.

Nick Psyhogeos, general manager, associate general counsel, IP licensing of the Innovation and Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft, wanted to emphasize that “Microsoft and Motorola Solutions share a respect for intellectual property and a commitment to fair and reasonable patent licensing programs. Microsoft prefers licensing to litigation, since licensing is a more effective way to share technology and accelerate the pace of innovation.”

Obviously, Psyhogeos recognizes the power of having a strong patent portfolio, as this can be a great advantage in many types of negotiations. On top of that, the fact that two such great companies decided to share some of their common patents protects both of them of lawsuits in the future.

On the other hand, Joe White, vice president of Enterprise Mobile Computing, Motorola Solutions, pointed out that “Our Motorola Solutions communications technology works best for everyone when it is backed with robust intellectual property and patents. We are pleased to have agreed upon a solution that allows our customers to purchase Android products from Motorola Solutions with confidence.”

In today’s world, sharing patent portfolios is a great sign of trust. Intellectual property became more and more important, and now it is an essential element for maintaing healthy tech ecosystems. Since December 2003, Microsoft has provided coverage in about 1,100 licensing agreements. This way, many of this tech giant’s customers, partners and competitors gained access to its intellectual property portfolio.

Mind you, Motorola Solutions is by no means the first Android manufacturer to gain access to Microsoft’s patent and IP portfolio. In time, such companies as Samsung, ZTE, LG, HTC, Acer and Barnes & Noble have had the same benefits.

Hopefully, more companies will realize in time that technology progresses a lot faster when there are less disputes regarding intellectual property and patents. It’s not wrong to be proud of your own inventions, and protecting them is actually encouraged. Still, a lot more could be achieved if tech companies joined forces and started solving problems together.

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