First Look of JOLLA

Jolla may be a completely new name in the smartphone game, but the people in charge are no rookies. Founded by former Nokia employees, the Finnish company is looking to give the MeeGo platform a new lease of life. Established in 2011, it took Jolla two years to unveil its first product.

Their first handset is called just like company itself - Jolla, but while the naming wasn't particularly innovative the Sailfish-based smartphone certainly is. It's pretty clear that plenty of fresh new ideas went into its development and the result is quite different from anything else you can get in the market.

The Jolla smartphone runs Sailfish OS - a successor of the MeeGo open platform, which Jolla took and developed further. In a way, it could be viewed as MeeGo 2.0 However, Jolla would like to start fresh and not carry the burden of its neighbor, who abandoned the project that many truly loved.

We are yet to see if the new Finnish kid on the block will feature the same sort of magic as the Nokia N9, which made so many mourn the end of MeeGo. For starters here are the key Jolla specs.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Dimensions: 131 x 68.0 x 9.9mm, 143g

Display: 4.5" IPS LCD display of 960 x 540 pixels resolution, Gorilla Glass 2, 245ppi pixel density

Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400; dual-core Krait 200 at 1.4GHz, Adreno 305 GPU, 1GB RAM

OS: Sailfish OS

Camera: 8MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash

Video camera: 1080p @ 30fps video capture with main camera

Storage: 16GB built-in, microSD card slot with support of up to 64GB

Connectivity: NFC, A-GPS+GLONASS, WLAN (2.4) a/b/g/n, microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 LE

Battery: 2,100mAh Li-Ion

Misc: Android app compatibility via the Yandex.Store and Amazon Appstore

Given the price tag, the mid-range specifications came as somewhat of a nasty surprise when Jolla unveiled its smartphone. However history has shown that a smartphone can be much more than a sum of its parts and we shouldn't write off any device before giving it a proper test.

And while the screen resolution could have certainly been higher, you can't blame this one for skimping on innovation. The Jolla phone is made out of a unique combination of aluminum and premium plastic and sports a replaceable back panel dubbed "the Other Half", which allows you to automatically change profiles with covers.

Milktape Is a Modern-Day Mixtape for Music Lovers

Product Name: Milktape

Price: $15

Who would like this?: Hopeless romantics, significant others, high school crushes and BFFs

      "I made you a mixtape" is a phrase you probably haven't heard since 1992. Even burning CDs is passé in the era of Spotify. But somehow, sharing a playlist with the click of a mouse just doesn’t pack the same romantic punch as an actual, physical gift. Let's face it, nobody is going to blush like a schoolgirl over a file shared on Dropbox.

Awaken your inner awkward teenager with Milktape, USB cassette tapes that are breathing life into the romantic (albeit antiquated) tradition of exchanging mixtape cassettes with loved ones. Milktape adds a 21st century twist to the gesture by hiding a pop-out USB drive within an iconic cassette case, enabling users to upload 128 megabytes to the device (or approximately 15 songs).

Ladies and gentlemen — this is a great way to step up your game during the holiday season

Milktape is customizable –- drag and drop your favorite tunes onto the drive, eject the device, and then decorate the blank label, case and stickers any way you choose (leave it blank, bust out the Sharpies or simply scribble down the song titles).

Playlist Ideas

Need a few ideas for the perfect Milktape playlist? From sappy to laugh-out-loud, here are a few theme suggestions to boost your creativity:

SEE ALSO: How Spotify Engineered the New Music Economy

1. 'Tis the Season — Christmas carols/seasonal playlists

2. Love Through the Ages — love songs through the years

3. Old Time Rock & Roll — old-school classic rock

4. Drive — great road trip songs (perfect for anyone traveling over the holidays)

5. Year in Review (in Music) — best or top songs from 2013 (or year you met or married)

6. Country Classics — nothing says romance like a sappy country song

7. All-Time Faves — share your all-time favorite album or jams

8. Classically — exude classiness with a few classical tracks

9. Best Of — personal favorite artist compilations

10. Winter Weather — rainy (or snowy) day playlist

11. Pump It Up — party playlist (or a workout playlist for your gym buddy)

12. The Drop — different versions of one EDM beat or song (or just various house songs)

13. LIVE from... — compilation of live songs from a show attended together

14. By Candlelight — songs for a romantic evening

15. Guilty Pleasures – songs you’d never publicly admit to listening to (on repeat, obviously)

16. I Love the ‘90s — or ‘80s, or ’70s, etc.

17. Cash & Cline — Johnny and Patsy

18. LOL — favorite comedy standup sketches

19. Desert Island — the 15 tracks you'd listen to if stranded

20. Exclusively Acoustic -– acoustic versions of favorite tracks

For the musically inclined, recording your own versions of popular songs (or, depending on your level of ambition, original tunes) is a surefire way to give a one-of-a-kind gift. Fellas, here’s your chance to make up for last year's oh-so-thoughtful “as seen on TV” eyebrow-waxing kit.

Bands, agencies or organizations looking for more customization (or to buy in bulk), check outUSBtape, Milktape's sister company.

What would you put on your playlist, or what songs would you hope to hear on a Milktape made for you?

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. :)

6-inch Nokia Lumia 1520 to ship with massive 3400mAh battery

Your awesome smartphone’s awesomeness is often tempered by its somewhat-less-than-awesome battery. Nokia has decided that it’s going to make sure that isn’t a problem with the Lumia 1520, which will reportedly ship with a 3400mAh battery.

That’s 200mAh more than the Galaxy Note 3, and it’s even larger than the battery in the Droid Razr Maxx. It’s bordering on tablet territory, really. Of course, so is a 6-inch smartphone.

Yes, that might make the Lumia 1520 a tad on the heavy side compared to other phones on the market. Will people mind? Probably not. It’s hard to imagine anyone being surprised by a slightly-heavy 6-inch device. People will buy the Lumia 1520 because of its size–and perhaps in spite of it, if they’re looking for a device with really great standby time.

We’ll find out for sure whether the 3400mAh battery is part of the 1520′s spec sheet on September 26. That’s the date Nokia recently slapped on invitations to the tech press. The big reveal is set to go down in New York, though plenty of other details about the new Lumia have already been leaked.

The biggest Lumia yet is expected to ship with a muscularSnapdragon 800 processor, 32GB of internal storage, a full 1080p HD display (that can squeeze in more tiles than any other  Windows Phone), and a 16MP/5MP rear-facing PureView camera.

Many of these details have come from @evleaks, who’s repeatedly proven him or herself to be a highly accurate source of pre-reveal information. It all adds up to make the Lumia 1520 a seriously interesting phone… to some !!!

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HOME AUTOMATION MOBILE-WIG WAG

Life automation is a concept that is really growing lately. All kinds of products designed to connect our homes and businesses and make mundane tasks automatic are hitting the market, and many of them are seeing fast adoption from users. WigWag is another device with that goal, and it has some distinct features that its creators hope will help it stand tall above others on the market.

In many ways, WigWag functions like popular website IFTTT, in that it allows users to set up all kinds of rules for their homes, and it acts upon them when the "if" condition is met. For example, a user can tell the system to turn on the lights in a room when motion is detected, or turn the heat on when the temperature falls below a certain level.

The system works because each of the Sensor Blocks comes equipped with eight environmental sensors:

• vibration
• motion
• humidity
• temperture
• sound
• ambient light
• a trip wire
• a contact switch

The sheer range of sensors is one of the key things that separate WigWag from other devices on the market such as Twine. The same holds true for another home connecting device we've seen called Knut.

Another major difference between this and Twine is the included mobile application, which offers a wider range of options for customizing and creating rules. Twine requires users to jump on the the computer to customize everything; with a mobile app, WigWag lets users tinker from more or less anywhere.

Additionally, the system is designed to work with other third-party adapters, and as such, it features two expansion ports. This will allow devices like a plant moisture sensor to be hooked up to the system. Third-party devices are actually quite important to all of this. After all, a traditional outlet will not be connected, so even if WigWag senses motion, the lights are not going to acknowledge it unless they have some kind of connection. Thankfully, the system appears to support many popular devices, as you can see in the image above, so getting it tied in to the WigWag sensors should not prove difficult.

The Sensor Block also includes an IR blaster, which opens them up to things like turning on a TV and setting it to a certain channel or opening a garage door automatically.

Another unique part of the system comes from the optional Glowline and its sensor. This part of the system features its own dedicated sensor that sees motion and detects ambient light. It also comes with 2.5 m (8.2 ft) of strip lighting that can be used to illuminate stairs or other pathways.

The whole system is tied together through a relay. This connects to the internet and communicates with WigWag's cloud servers. It allows it to communicate with web services like Dropbox and Twitter, so when a certain trigger occurs, something can happen online. For example, it could be set to log a date and time into a spreadsheet in Dropbox each time someone enters and exits a room.

WigWag is seeking funding for its system on Kickstarter. It has far exceeding its US$50,000 goal with the support of almost 1,000 backers. The options for preordering a WigWag system range from $139 for just a Sensor Block and Relay, all the way to $579 for the Home Kit, which lets users pick a combination of 10 Sensor Blocks and Glowlines.

Orb Bluetooth headset redefines the EAR RING



Although Bluetooth headsets have come a long way in the style stakes, you can still look and feel a bit like a dork getting about town with one permanently affixed to your ear. Also, since they are usually designed to mold to the shape of the ear, they can be a little awkward to stuff in a pocket when not in use. An innovative new Bluetooth headset called the Orb solves this problem by transforming from a wireless earpiece into a ring that can be worn on your finger.

The Orb transforms from a ring with a simple twist to become a Bluetooth headset capable of hands-free calling. Incorporating NXT technology the Orb provides high quality bone conduction audio without the discomfort of placing a device inside the ear. A Deluxe edition also features a Flexible Organic Light Emitting Device (FOLED) screen to display caller ID, calendar reminders, and voice-to-text information for communication without taking the ring off the finger.

Developed through a partnership between Hybra Advance Technology Inc. and AbsolutelyNew Inc. the Orb will cater for the petite and stubby fingered alike through the availability of different ring sizes. Those who like their Bluetooth headsets with extra bling will be able to opt for a limited edition designer model featuring decorative gemstones. All units will offer a class 2 Bluetooth range of 30 feet.

The base model Orb is scheduled to launch in January 2010 carrying a suggested retail price of USD$129, while the Deluxe edition is due in April 2010 with a price of USD$175. The Limited edition designer models are also due in April 2010 with their price based on the value of the gemstones incorporated into the device.

Talk to the hand: HOT Watch turns your palm into a mobile phone

The smart watch market is barely in its infancy, but it's already feeling a bit crowded. With crowd-funding success stories like the Pebble and the Agent rubbing shoulders with juggernauts like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, a new smart watch has to bring something truly innovative to the table in order to stand out. PH Technical Labs seems prepared to do just that with the HOT Watch, which has a directional speaker and microphone embedded in the wrist, allowing the wearer to answer phone calls just by cupping their hand to their ear.

The developers at PHTL designed the watch primarily around their patent-pending Hands On Talk technology, which is where the HOT Watch gets its name. When synced to a smartphone via Bluetooth, users can take calls privately just by using their palms to reflect and amplify the audio directly into their ears instead of relying on a separate headset. Strange as it seems, the designers claim this method delivers incredibly clear sound for both the caller and the wearer.

It's not uncommon these days to see someone with a Bluetooth headset seemingly talking to themselves, but watching a person appear to answer a pretend phone might take more time to get used to. Unlike a regular cell phone though, there's a lot less risk that you'll drop it or accidentally forget it somewhere.

Aside from this unusual method for answering phone calls, the watch comes packed with almost as many features as a full smartphone. From the HOT Watch, users will be able to access their contacts for caller ID and text messaging, read their email, and even listen to music through their phone's native player. It will also come equipped with some basic apps for checking the weather, stocks, calendar, news, Facebook, and Twitter, amongst many others. PHTL is also planning to provide an SDK so programmers can create their own third-party apps.

Of course it's still a watch, so wearers will have a choice between different watch faces, along with alarm, timer, and stopwatch functions. You'll still need to take out your regular smartphone however for more advanced functions, like GPS, internet browsing, or the camera. The Bluetooth connection between a phone and the watch usually ranges from 20 to 30 ft (6.1 to 9.1 m). As an added precaution, if they get too far away from each other a proximity alert will sound to let you know if your phone is being left behind or stolen.

A basic HOT Watch measures just 34 x 42 x 8 mm (1.3 x 1.7 x 0.3 in), with a Sharp 1.26-inch E-paper display on the front. The capacitive screen uses multi-touch controls and is made of a smudge-proof, anti-reflective glass that's easy to read even in bright sunlight. Four shortcut buttons are located along the top of the screen, which can be customized to open specific programs. An energy efficient Cortex M3 processor handles most of the watch's basic functions, along with a separate DSP processor just for Bluetooth, call controls, and any audio enhancements. The final design will be water resistant as well, though the developers haven't revealed how much pressure it will be able to withstand.

The watch is also equipped with a vibration motor as well as a six-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, which opens the door for some unique controls and functions. With the optional HOT Gestures activated, the smart watch will respond to specific hand motions and touch commands. Moving you hand toward your ear while receiving an incoming call will automatically answer it, while shaking your hand will send it to voice mail, for example. You can also draw letters on the screen to unlock it to specific programs, like "C" for the clock or "D" for the dial pad. There's even an optional program that will detect if the wearer has fallen down suddenly and then automatically text a pre-set emergency number, unless it's canceled within 30 seconds.

The developers have built several working prototypes of their new smart watch in a variety of styles, but they still need to finalize the design and begin manufacturing it. They recently launched a Kick starter campaign to mass produce the HOT Watch and exceeded their US$150,000 goals within the first 30 hours. Since receiving feedback from backers, they've already decided to remove the large logo from the front in favor of a more subtle symbol, which will be voted on by the community.

Right now, anyone who backs the Kick starter for $119 or more can receive a smart watch of their own when they ship (which should be December). The watch is available in Basic, Edge, Classic, and Curve styles with either a gold or silver finish. For the most part, the various models only differ in aesthetics, though the Curve is a bit more expensive and includes a built-in 2,200 mcd flashlight. All watches will be compatible with Android and iOS phones at launch, with similar support for Windows phones expected for March of next year.