Tinke is not an app, not quite a doctor’s appointment replacement, and it doesn’t even use a ba
ttery. But it is almost stupidly-simple to use – and why wouldn’t you? The bite-sized cerulean plug eases into your iPhone’s pin connecter; once it’s in, place the bottom half of your thumb onto the keypad’s pea-sized button and get the following instantly: your blood O2 level, heart rate variability (or HRV), actual heart rate and find out how well you’re breathing – or not. That’s your respiratory rate, for those of you who aren’t well-versed in the medical field. In case that wasn’t enough, Tinke offers cardiorespiratory monitoring: is everything regulated? (If not, start worrying.)
Plus, use Tinke’s unique Vita Index in the same way you use your Klout score to measure your fitness level(s). An good score’s about 75, according to their website
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Already recognized by top tech sites like TechCrunch and CNET, Leikr is your one-stop shop for GPS tracking and time tracking, too. Designed by a team of Danish Nokia engineers-turned-watch experts who also double as triathletes, marathoners, and swimmers (to name just a few of their extracurriculars), calling this device a watch might be putting it to shame.
The device boasts a plethora of features not found anywhere else: a 2” high-resolution color screen with gorilla glass, the option to connect to WiFi or plug into a USB, a super-long lasting battery (a must when you’re a triathlete, we’d guess)
These guys know what’s up. And they sure as hell can tell you what time it is. Back the project (we recommend pledging $45 or more to get a bonus Leikr cycling jersey) on Kickstarter here.
Most impractical iPhone case ever
Mashable covered it already but we wanted to give this iPhone case one last hurrah in the tech space. No, it’s not actually a lobster – but the size is pretty damn comparable.
The size, shape and awkward factor make it the least user-friendly gadget of any we’ve actually ever encountered. That being said, it’s hilarious enough that Facebook users gave it more than 2,000 likes. We’re also giving a big thumbs-up to the commenter who said this: ‘You know what would make this even more epic? If, when your phone is ringing, it dances. And when you talk into it, it snaps its claws.’
Um, yes. Someone please invent this now.
The newest tablet(s) isn’t really one at all. Hailed from Cambridge, UK and Kingston, Canada, here at The Next Web, we’re currently talking (read: obsessing over) about a flexible computer developed in order to aid people in working with computers. Fancy that.
A brainchild of a three-part (read: kickass) trio of minds from Intel, Plastic Logic and Queens University, PaperTab was invented in hopes that a lightweight flexible plastic-glass display will revolutionize the way you and I already operate digitally. PaperTab has the ability to file and display literally thousands of paper documents, so say ‘goodbye’ to years of marketing and research decks. Unlike existing tablets PaperTabs also keep tabs (ha, we couldn’t resist) on your file’s location, so think of them in the same way you’d organize files on your desktop. About its look and feel: It’s literally a sheet of paper – with a flexible, high-res plastic display of nearly 11 inches (see it and weep, MacBook Air owners).
PaperTabs’ downside, if you’re as much a multi-tasker as we are, you can’t use one PaperTab, since each allows for only one per app in use. Ryan Brotman, a research scientist at Intel, says of the product, “We are actively exploring disruptive experiences.” We agree.
As you’re reading this, MakerBot 2X has already taken center stage at CES. Covered by Venture Beat and dubbed a ‘flamethrower’ of a printer, the 2X combines heat, thermoplastic and a tightly-enclosed space to make your 3D printing experience more affordable, reliable and, well…easy.
If you have an appreciation for the sick stunts pulled off by nifty contraptions in Burn Notice, or if you even know who Macgyver is, you’ll like this printer. Designers, you guys too. A large ABS allows for more reliable, quick printing, and the metal construction and airtight sides make for some idiot-proof printing.
In the words of the product manager for the new experimental model, priced at $2,800, ‘It’s going to make designers stop thinking of how to print…and make them start thinking of what to print.’
Touche. Now let’s turn this thing on and watch it go.
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