Tabla de contenidos para Issue 12 en Gadget

The Cronzy Pen has built-in scanner that works like a real-life eyedropper tool, enabling you to detect the exact shade of an object’s colour. However, Cronzy also claims it can synthesis these colours using ink cartridges built into the pen, so you can doodle in any of 16 million different shades! Colour scanners are nothing new in themselves, with Pantone’s handheld Capsure device able to accurately match over 11,000 shades against its famous colour chart. But it’s larger than a smartphone and retails for a hefty £495/$650. Cronzy, which is currently on Indiegogo, says its pen will be a conventional size and will retail for around $180 (about £140). “We want our pen to become the essential tool for every designer and digital artist, and to be found on the…

Some gadgets cannot fail to astound you. They drip with desirability, leave you open-mouthed and drooling at their mere existence and have you reaching into your wallet for your credit card in the heaven-held hope that there’s enough left on your limit for the sale to go through. The devices on these pages are among those that will have you screaming, “Take my money now!” at whatever vendor happens to be selling them. They’re innovative and good-looking for the most part, but unanimously astounding in what they’re capable of. As well as taking a look at what wonders these amazing pieces of kit can perform, we’re also going to get under their chassis and explain how they work. One thing’s for sure: they’re only the top of a large gadget…

Think before speaking Nest Protect uses a human voice to send out an early warning. It’s a handy way to make you aware of the seriousness of the smoke threat Steam, not smoke Thanks to its built-in humidity sensor, the Nest Protect is capable of distinguishing between smoke and steam, allowing you to shower in peace Nest Protect This smart smoke detector also sends alerts directly to your smartphone in case you’re not home. It’s also the first fire alarm that you can silence with a swipe of your phone as well. We’ve all seen adverts alerting us of the potential danger we face when our smoke detectors aren’t working properly; especially if you don’t test them regularly. While, for many, a bog-standard smoke detector will be enough, we implore…

While smart home tech might help protect your phone from conventional criminals like burglers, they might put you at risk of another threat: hackers. In a recent study by market research firm Park Associates, it found that one third of broadband households in Europe have security concerns about smart home products. Scare stories about hackers being able to control your smart home and Internet Of Things devices are more prevalent than ever before. Earlier this year, it was uncovered that cyber criminals had managed to hack a wide number of smart home devices, adapted and implanted the malicious LizardStresser code on them, and used them to help take down banks and government agencies. Security researchers TrapX, also showed how hacking the Nest thermostat could be used to control other devices…

OFFICIAL SAMSUNG BATTERY PACK This Samsung power bank is super minimalistic in design, with only one blinking light that signals how much battery the 2,100mAh pack has left in it – green for full, orange for half and red for low. It’s light and effortless to use. For its price, the charge and build is great, too – a great purchase for those on a tighter budget. The only caveat really is its shape as it juts out of your pocket a fair bit, so it’s definitely better suited for bags. £10 | $15 | mobilefun.co.uk OLIXAR POWERCARD PORTABLE CHARGER This thin 1,400mAh credit-card-shaped charger fits perfectly into your pocket or wallet. It’s small and an easily portable tool for catching those little monsters, but the charge isn’t brilliant. We…

Touchscreen controls Jaguar’s self-built infotainment system includes everything you need for an easy drive. There’s an array of mapping tools, which even work in full 3D, partnered with high-speed internet for you to stay connected at all times. It also closely works with the Activity Key wristband, letting you know if it can’t pick up the signal of the wristband and even indicating to you that you may have lost it Infrared HUD windscreen Users can choose to have their F-Pace fitted with an infrared reflective windscreen – at a cost, of course – which opens up the option of having a built-in HUD appear in front of them. The HUD projects key travelling information, relating to various cruise control options and traffic reports through a series of small, but…

There are more reasons than ever before to stay glued to our digital screens, but doing so comes at a hefty cost. Our eyes are particularly sensitive and the constant use of digital screens causes them to switch between far and near vision frequently. The end result could potentially be a simple case of neck strain, all the way up to permanent damage to your eyes, causing blurred vision. Zeiss Digital Lenses aim to put this problem in the past, providing a simple way to help you avoid straining your eyes. Each pair of Zeiss Digital Lenses includes an optimised lens design that supports close-up vision on digital devices and the specialised nature of them, means that each optician will charge a different amount for each pair. Each lens is…

1. Set the scene Start by laying out your documents on the ScanPad’s mat. Smooth them down out carefully and they’ll remain perfectly in place for scanning, thanks to the surface’s excellent grip 2. Place your camera Grab your smartphone and lay it on top of the ScanPad’s overhanging arm. Use the viewfinder to line it up – you should have a perfect overview of your subject 3. Scan away Use your smartphone camera to photograph your document perfectly. Make sure your desktop area is well lit, your camera is steady and that it’s correctly focused 4. Share your image Your scanned photo can be shared however you wish, whether that’s via email, or any social network. Alternatively you can produce a physical copy by linking your phone to a…

“Over 650,000 campaigns have raised $950M dollars from 232 countries and territories” Back in 2013, a company called Kreyos raised $1.5 million on Indiegogo. It was a meteoric success for the startup – Kreyos simply uploaded video footage of an engineering test that it had done with one of its new smartwatches, and it caught the public’s imagination. It was designed to go head-to-head with the Pebble (Kickstarter’s most rampant success story), but alas, not everything went to plan. Instead, a fraction of the backers got their units – and the ones that did felt they had been deceived. The product, it seemed, was a pale imitation of what backers had seen on the various videos that promoted it – the few customers that did receive units claimed they were…

“The BBC has given every Year Seven student in the UK a free Micro:bit” ARM processor At the heart of the Micro:bit’s processing power is a small, embedded ARM micro-controller which has 128KB of flash memory and 16KB of RAM Magnetometer This sensor detects magnetic fields and uses the readings to calculate the direction that the Micro:bit is pointing. It can also be used to calculate magnetic North and create a simple compass Motion sensor When moving, the Micro:bit this sensor measures how quickly the speed changes. This data is used to calculate its acceleration, which can be applied to track player directions in a game, create a motion alarm or bedroom door trap! I/O pins Five input and output (I/O) pins allow you add extra wires and hardware…

01 Shake it This project utilises the accelerometer, which is used to measure the movement of your micro:bit. It focuses on identifying the action of shaking, and then responds by displaying a randomly-generated number on the LED screen. Create a new script and rename as appropriate. From the ‘Input’ tile select ‘On Shake’: this is the code to set up the Micro:bit to respond with an action when you shake it. 02 A random number It needs to be able to select a random number between one and six. Click the number ‘0’ in the brackets, then from the blocks click ‘Maths’ and then ‘Random’. Assuming you are creating a standard six-sided die then enter the value ‘6’, (for other games where dice have more sides select the appropriate number).…

01 Create a variable With this step-by-step we will make a program which counts a step each time you take one. Start a new Touch Develop script and rename it to a more suitable title such as ‘Step Counter’. Then create a variable to store the number of steps you have taken. Select the ‘var’ tile and then make the variable equal to zero. When you start the program or restart it the total steps will always start from zero. Now, click the ‘X’ and then select the ‘Rename’ tile, rename the variable, calling it ‘Steps’. This makes it easier to refer to later on in the script. 02 Display the number of steps You have just created a variable that will store the number of steps you take, when…

“There’s something you can do that’s guaranteed to perk up your MacBook” That gorgeous, shiny and worryingly-expensive MacBook Pro you bought a couple of years ago has done you proud, but like anything, the ravages of time have taken their toll. Where once it would burst into life in a matter of seconds, now it takes a minute to boot up. Thankfully, there’s something you can do that’s guaranteed to perk up your MacBook, and it’s a lot cheaper than grabbing a new one. Where once upgrading RAM on a computer was a costly affair – and, in the cases of laptops, mostly impossible – now it’s both simple to do and incredibly cheap. For example, an 8GB kit can cost around £35. The first thing you need to do…

Face contact foam A thin layer of interchangeable foam acts as a cushion between the headset and your head. It can be removed and reshaped to get the perfect fit Adjust for your eyes Also available in the Homido V1, you’re able to adjust the IPD (interpupillary distance) as it helps to improve the immersiveness of the VR experience Field of view The 100° field of view that the Homido V2 sports is comparable to many of the leading headsets currently on the market Improved compatibility A larger, thinner fixed space at the front of the headset means Homido will now work with bigger phones like the iPhone 6S Plus VR headsets tend to fall into one of two camps. There are those that are recognised household names, and those…

The smart home is more than just colour-changing lightbulbs and Wi-Fi-connected thermostats. It can also be the frontline defence for protecting your home, thanks to a growing trend for consumer-friendly security cameras, smart smoke detectors, and motion sensors that will alert you when anything is wrong. It’s still a jumbled market, with lots of competing products of varied quality and working across different platforms. To help you cut through the noise, we’ve rounded up the very best tech for all price points and compared the leading surveillance cameras out right now. We’ll also show how to make your smart security kit work together using IFTTT. Many of the gadgets featured here, including the August and Kwikset Kevo smart locks, Ring door bell and Canary security camera, are all Apple HomeKit…

It’s not easy being a Pokémon Go Trainer. Imagine seeing the silhouette of a Dratini in the ‘Nearby’ tab and sprinting over to its general direction in the hope you’ll run into it – all with only five per cent battery life left in your smartphone. Are you going to find the elusive dragon in time? Or will your phone die out on you first? Not only that, but trying to take over a seriously strong Gym will zap the juice from your device quickly. You could just miss out on taking up a free spot on a Gym after spending all your time, taps and battery power vanquishing its defenders. To avoid such situations, it’s important to kit yourself out with fully-charged battery packs before heading out on Pokémon…

WHO WORE IT BEST? The Avegant Glyph offers something similar to the iWear, although each device has its strengths and weaknesses. iWear has functionality on its side, with the advantage of OSVR support on PC thanks to built-in motion tracking, alongside everything the Glyph does offer. Avegant’s headset, however, just wins out in terms of form factor – it looks like a pair of headphones that you slip down over your eyes for video playback and the design is slightly sleeker. Given that the two are around the same price, it all comes down to what you want: VR support (whether now or down the line) and the choice for full immersion, or a more streamlined device without those options.…

For the job they do, your eyes actually contain the strongest muscles in your body, but the more pressure they’re put under, the more likely problems will arise. Due to the required focus and constant switching between near and far vision when using digital screens, your eyes are likely to get visually fatigued. Commonly, this will lead to headaches and general discomfort in your eyes, but it can lead to permanent damage to your eyes and, ultimately, your vision. What makes each lens on a pair of Zeiss Digital Lenses a perfect solution for this is that they combine visual aids for both near and faraway objects, helping the eye easily focus on an object and not have to strain over long periods. Due to this canny combination of lens…

CROWDFUNDED – the term to describe a project that is paid for by the public directly, where people can pay what they like towards a campaign BACKER – someone that has pledged money to a campaign (no matter the amount), who has a direct stake in the product on offer EARLY BIRD REWARDS – a set of rewards that are reserved for early backers: they usually include customisation or limited edition versions of a product CAMPAIGN – the word used to describe the period to a project’s launch, where the product is shown off. It’s basically the sales pitch to potential backers. CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM – a website which facilitates crowdfunding by allowing people or companies seeking money to raise it from members of the public CROWDSOURCING – piecing together skills…

01 Set up a simple script This project covers most of the basics that you will need for creating future scripts. Plug in your Micro:bit via the USB port and open it from ‘My Computer’ and then the ‘devices’ folder. Click the webpage link and select ‘Create Code’. You will be presented with the main programming languages. This project uses Touch Develop, select this. You will then be presented with the main coding window which contains a random script name and the placeholder for your script. This is where the main code sits. Rename the title to something more identifiable such as, ‘My First Script’. 02 Add the button press Select the line that reads ‘Add Code Here’: this is where you will write your script. From the tiles at…

MUSICAL FRUIT Take some fruit or vegetables and combine them with the Micro:bit to create a musical instrument. Touch each piece of fruit to trigger a musical note, drum beat or sound. This uses the I/O pins and wires to create a simple circuit. Create a script that checks for a small current and when it detects one it plays a sound or a note. Take your piece of fruit and attach one of the wires. Hold the other wire in your hand and run your code. When you touch the fruit you complete the circuit and the current flows, the Micro:bit script responds to this. make.techwillsaveus.com/projects/touch-arpeggiator ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS The BBC has created a interactive tutorial which walks you through each of the stages and the code required to…

01 Location, location, location The first thing to do is pick the perfect spot for your tent. If you’ve got an allocated plot on a campsite, then it should already be sheltered and flat, but if not, make sure you get a spot that’s as level as possible, sheltered from the wind – next to a hedge is always a good idea – and with no trees or power lines overhead. If the spot is exposed, try to make sure you have the wind behind you so that it doesn’t blow through the tent, and always pitch it at least ten metres away from any open fires or barbecues to avoid any stray sparks landing on the tent’s material. 02 Get yourself organised So you’ve picked the perfect spot; now…

Magnetic hold To avoid too many screws, the cover for the speaker is attached quickly and easily via a series of small magnets that are built into the rim of the speaker Kevlar cone The speaker comes with a 6.5-inch (165mm) Kevlar cone for top-quality sound performance across the mid-range frequencies Ball-joint tweeter The tweeter, the type of speaker that’s designed specifically to produce the highest range frequency of sound, is right here. It’s a ball-joint one, too, so it can be fine-tuned for direction Speaker output Overall, the design of this ceiling speaker is pleasantly minimalist – meaning you have the least amount of stress to install it. If you want to hardwire your speaker to another sound system, or attach a second speaker, here’s where you connect it…

Built-in monitor The nine-inch black-and-white CRT monitor could display a one-bit graphical resolution of 512 x 342. A printer could output an exact copy of the screen The internals With a 32—bit Motorolla MO68000 processor, 128K of RAM and 64K of ROM, it wasn’t the most powerful machine but good enough for graphics work Graphical User Interface The Mac’s mouse-driven operating system – simply called System 1.0 – made its debut along with Mac OS staples such as Finder Good venting The Macintosh did not need a noisy fan. Instead, there were enough vents on the casing – fans didn’t arrive for the Mac until 1987 Floppy disks Each side of a floppy disk could hold 400K. The Mac’s operating system ran from a floppy rather than from a hard…

Lightweight materials To keep the AeroMobil as light as possible, the aircraft is built from advanced composite materials and a steel frame, weighing 450 kg or 992 lbs in total Rotax 912 engine The engine gets the plane to 90 mph so it can take off successfully, then can push it up to 124 mph while it’s in the air Adjustable wings The pilot can adjust the angle of the wings to make it more efficient at taking off, landing and gliding through the air Compact size Despite being able to, you know, fly, the AeroMobil 3.0 is still small enough to fit inside a normal parking space and is six metres long Emergency parachute If something goes wrong in the air, the car is fitted with a parachute that’ll…

30 free games Many games are included in the system itself – no cartridge swapping necessary. Nintendo has said it won’t be making any more available for future purchase Output upgrade One of the biggest and most obvious upgrades is the addition of an HDMI port, so you can play those 8-bit classics in high definition on your modern TV set Controller ports One authentic-looking NES controller is the box, and extra ones cost £8 extra; you can also use the NES Classic Mini controllers with your Wii U, if you want Saved data Another upgrade for the 21st century: each game has been fitted with support for multiple suspend points or ‘save states’, so you can walk away and resume games at will From Ghostbusters to Pokémon, nostalgia for…

If you’re looking for headphones that you can wear on the go and still enjoy a rich sound quality, check out Denon’s new AH-MM200s. Described as having a ‘European design,’ there’s no denying they look swish. Available in black or white for just £100, they have ellipsoid cups for comfort and fold inwards for added portability. They are made from glass fibre and ceramic, so they are lightweight and scratch resistant, while having the high rigidity for resonance-free audio quality. Designed for die-hard audiophiles that like to listen to their music loud and often, you should know the ‘MM’ in the headphones’ name stands for ‘Music Maniac’. These over-ears have Denon’s exclusive Triple Layer diaphragms which help to deliver a wide frequency response and high dynamic sound, along with 30mm…

Answer from anywhere Use the microphone feed on your smartphone and August camera to communicate directly with the people at your door No new wiring Connecting August is easy, as it’s an extension of your existing doorbell system. It shares the same required house current of 16 or 24 volts August Doorbell Cam The August Doorbell connects to your smartphone, offering you a live video feed of anyone who arrives at your door, where you can then see and speak to them. £150 | $200 store.august.com Haven This is a Bluetoothconnected barricade that keeps your door completely shut until you wirelessly unlock it. £165 | $220 | havenlock.com Friday Smart Lock Friday is European-designed, so better suits regional locks. Also comes in a range of colours. £150 | $200 |…

01 CRYSTAL-CLEAR VIDEO RECORDING While it provides a good motion-tracking system, the Withings Home is one of the few security devices that also offers a noise alert. When it detects a loud, unusual sound, it’ll send a notification your way. It’s powerful enough to pick up the sounds throughout your home, not just the room the camera is in. As well as night vision, the Withings Home offers an impressive digital zoom option, which is perfect for picking up on the smallest of details. Withings Home £170 | $200 | withings.com » Camera RESOLUTION: 1080p FIELD OF VIEW: 135° NIGHT VISION: Yes » Sensors Air quality, Accelerometer Ambient light » Audio Two microphones 2W speaker » Connectivity WI-FI: 2.4GHz BLUETOOTH: Yes WIRED:…

Get even closer to the action For such a compact device, there’s a lot going on with the iWear’s exterior – buttons and switches surround the left speaker in particular, although there’s plenty of interesting and useful stuff going on all over the device as well. Take a look at the other annos for the iWear’s notable functions and features... Seeing is believing  iWear employs twin-720p displays, housed in its frontal portion. Image quality is generally pretty good, but don’t expect it to completely fill your field of vision Complete immersion The optional clip-in light shield shuts down all peripheral vision for when you want total immersion. It can get quite warm in there, though, so be wary of the screens steaming up Wire so serious A single cable runs…

Massive capacity The stainless steel 4.8 litre bowl is great for particularly sugary mixes: the stainless steel means nothing gets left behind or stuck to the rim when it’s all being combined Motor-powered mixing The retro-inspired whisk is powered by a 800W direct-drive motor, meaning even the stickiest of mixes are no match for the machine Changing the gearstick Contrary to popular belief, you can’t just mix everything together using the same speed: the SMF01 has ten unique speeds, making it perfect for everything from dough to pastry mixtures More than just a mixer The SMF01 comes with a pasta roller and cutter, spaghetti cutter and meat grinder - this is more than just a mixing machine Practical design The machine’s attachments are all designed to look smart together, and…

1 Leatherman Signal £125 | $100 | leatherman.co.uk TOOLS Needlenose pliers, regular pliers, 154cm wire cutters, 154cm replaceable hard-wire cutters, wire stripper, 420HC combo knife, saw, hammer, awl with thread loop, can opener, bottle opener, 1/4-inch hex bit driver, carabiner, 3/16-inch box wrench, safety whistle, ferrocerium rod, diamond-coated sharpener. 2 Victorinox Pioneer X £35 | $45 | victorinox.com TOOLS Blade, scissors, reamer, can opener, 3mm screwdriver, 5mm screwdriver, bottle opener, wire stripper, keyring. 3 Gerber Outdoor Crucial £35 | $30 | gerber-store.co.uk TOOLS Needlenose pliers, regular pliers, pinch-cut wire cutters, fine/ serrated blade, Philips screwdriver, Large flat screwdriver, bottle opener, carabiner clip, pocket clip. 4 Nite Ize DoohicKey £5 | $5 | niteize.co.uk TOOLS Box cutter, bottle opener, wrench, ruler, flat-head driver. 5 UST Survival Beast 0.5 £10 | $10…

01 Connect the wires Take your micro:bit and remove it from any device that it may be attached to. Make sure also that the battery pack is also removed. Take two crocodile clip wires and attach one of them to the pin hole located above the number two. Rotate the clip so that it sits within the hole and is nice and secure. Now clip the second wire on the pin hole marked ‘GND’. This is the ground pin. Check that it is secured and in place. 02 Link the LED to the wires When connecting your LED to the wires, it is important to connect it the correct way round to ensure that it is not damaged. Take the long leg of the LED – this is also known…

It’s impossible not to love a slushy, as no matter what drink you prefer, it’s certain to taste better semi-frozen on a hot day. And although there are plenty of machines out there that will do the job for you (starting at just a few pounds and then going up into the thousands), it’s actually incredibly simple to do it yourself with just a few things you’ve probably already got lying around the house. What’s more, making your own slushy is made even easier with the aid of science, as it would be impossible without using salt on the ice to slow down its melting process. The salt actually makes it possible to produce a delicious slushy in no more than 15 minutes. You could always try making an alcoholic…

We’ve said ‘hello’, Adele, so now let’s say ‘goodbye’, Drake’s ‘One Dance’ is over, and it’s about time we all shook off Taylor Swift. In fact, let’s forget about everyone in the Top 40 chart. With the help of social networks like Soundcloud and YouTube, its never been a better time to launch your own music career. But first you need to record your own irresistible single. We can’t help you with the lyrics or the arrangement, but we can show you how to use Apple’s Garageband to lay down your track. Available for both iOS and OS X (priced at £3.99/$4.99), it’s powerful enough to produce professional results, but with the minimum amount of fuss. For maximum ease of use, we’ll show how to use to get started with…