So there’s this thing floating on San Francisco Bay. Luckily enough, making things sound ever so cool, it’s actually moored to an island in the Bay just off San Francisco called Treasure Island. That’s right, Treasure Island.
Here is the island:
And here is the thing:
It’s a bunch of shipping crates stacked 4 wide, 4 high and 4 long and welded together. And it belongs to Google.
Up until a little while ago, this thing was a complete mystery. There was a front company called ‘By and Large’ who were eventually traced back to Google. But why were Google building it? What could be it’s purpose? Could it be for the launch of Google Glass? To house tiny pet dinosaurs? Or are google finally using their sea-water cooling data centre patent?
To be honest, the mystery of it all was pretty fun. We went out there to take a few photos ourselves, make a few stabs in the dark about it’s purpose and try to outstare the security guard there. Here’s one of our pictures:
And then, Google went and ruined all the fun/solved the mystery by releasing a statement saying exactly what the Google mystery barge is. Kinda.
This is what they said:
“Google Barge … A floating data center? A wild party boat? A barge housing the last remaining dinosaur? Sadly, none of the above. Although it’s still early days and things may change, we’re exploring using the barge as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology.”
And here’s what it is proposed to look like when it’s completed.
So, a clever publicity stunt designed around a pretty floating building where people can learn about technology. We’re thinking that when they say ‘technology’, they mean their technology. Namely, in all likelihood, Google Glass.
So we guess that’s still cool. Less full of dinosaurs than we would like, but whatever. They did say things could change, so we bet if we wish really hard, it could probably still end up being full of tiny pet dinosaurs for really special deserving people who want tiny pet dinosaurs?!
iPhone Antidote LOVES christmas. We put our christmas tree up in October, no joke.
AND we’ve been tracking the best gifts this year so you can get everyone in your life the best damn christmas present they’ve ever had. We’re talking tears in the eyes of the toughest man you know kind of christmas gifts. You guys are gonna get so much christmas karma this year!
Although tech stuff tends to be on the higher side of the budget range, we’ve tried to include a broad range of prices AND gifts for a broad range of ages and interests.
We’ve also provided some nice gift viewing music to serenade you whilst you read. Did we mention that we love Christmas?
You ready? Here we go!
Health Conscious
For the health conscious in the family, any of the Fitbit product line will make for a perfect gift. At iPhone Antidote, we recommend the FitBit One (seen above), but the Fitbit Flex has been reviewed positively as well.
The gadget tracks steps, miles,and other activities undertaken as well as calories taken in and expended, weight and even your sleep patterns. A very effective tool for maintaining or improving healthy living.
The Fitbit range is sold in most good tech stores. The Fitbit One is $99.99 and the FitBit Flex sells for $99.99 everywhere. Try Best Buy or Target.
Speakers.
Cos everyone loves music, right? And how awesome is it when you can just press a button on a device and music comes pounding out across the room? Or across the campsite? That’s why everyone needs a portable bluetooth speaker, like the Beats by Dre Pill ( shown above), $199.95 at most good techy retailers. Try Macy’s or AT&T.
We’d also highly recommend the SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker from Bose. Get it here for $199.99.
Groupon currently has a good deal on the BassBoomz Portable Bluetooth Speaker, usually $130, now $29.99. Click here to see the deal.
On the other hand, Airplay speakers ( strictly Apple only connectivity) give better sound quality than bluetooth, but you certainly pay for it. The one we like the most is the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air for $599.99. Click here to get that price.
The iKross Bluetooth Stereo Music Audio Receiver makes any speaker in your house a bluetooth connectable speaker. Uh, awesome? Get it for $24.98 here.
Game systems
If you haven’t already snapped up one of these and are wanting to, well, we wish you luck my friend. They are a little scarce on the ground at the moment, but we think that supplies might bulk up towards the pointy end of Christmas. Might.
But if you can, either of these would make a smashing christmas present. Just make sure you get the right one, and we’re not telling you which one that is- they are both awesome, but it is a fierce battle forged in people’s minds as to brand alliance, much like Samsung and Apple products. If the person you’re getting it for has no alliance, you’re good to go on what suits the budget and environment.
The Playstation4 is $399.99 at Walmart, Best Buy & most good retailers. The Xbox One is $499.99. Consider getting a product bundle as well.
The alternative to the two big players is the Nintendo Wii Ufor just $299.99 at Best Buy -that’s the Wii U Console Deluxe Set with New Super Mario Bros. U AND New Super Luigi U games.
Games
Games! Woop! These are the top coolest games we can think of to recommend!
Grand theft auto V. The game everyone’s been talking about! Be warned, this is not the game to get your 10 year old! Mature themes run throughout, but those, uh, mature enough to play it? They say it rocks socks. In a more mature way of saying that. Available now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.$59.99 at Best Buy.
Groupon currently have a deal to buy Just Dance 2014 for Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect, or PS3 Move . Super fun and easy game for everyone to play. Usually $39.99, now only $29.99.
Toys
We scrounged the very bowels of the internet to get the top 5 coolest kids toys for your little munchkins this year.
The new Furby Boom toys are the most interactive Furbies yet. And they’re back, in a BIG way. Starting at $47.80 at Walmart.
Snap Circuits – super award winning learning toy, where the objective is to build projects such as AM radios; burglar alarms; games, etc. Shop Amazon for $45.07 with Prime here.
Romo Robotic Pet for iOS. Romo is a little guy creature ( downloadable app) that lives in your iOS device – attached to his wheels he can roll around, snap photos and interact with and adapt to his environment. Get this at Brookstone for $199.99.
Ubooly Smart Toy is an interactive smart toy that doubles as a really cute little thing AND an educational toy with 1,000+ fun activities for ages 4-10. Ubooly tells stories, plays games, teaches lessons and every week, new activities are pushed wirelessly to your mobile device. Yes please.
The iStabiliser Monopod. A smartphone and gadget holder thingy, so your photos turn out super stable, and your arm doesn’t hurt when you’re filming. Get it here for $ $34.95.
Hellonomad Charge card (seen above).USB powered charge card that is the size of two credit cards, so can fit easily in your wallet. Get it here for $25.
For cases, we reccomend trying out either Opena casefor function ( they have the bottle opener case among others) or Red Bubblefor design.
Groupon currently has a deal for Agloves Touchscreen Winter Gloves, so you can use all your smart gadgets even when it’s super cold! Usually $25.99, now only $ 7.99! Get in fast, it’s super limited.
Groupon currently has a deal on for the HMDX Bluetooth Speaker & Alarm Clock with Apple Lightning Pin Dock. Usually $79.99 now only $39.99! Get it here.
iHip Robot Mini Speaker. Super cute brightly colored little speaker guys! Groupon currently has them down from $29.99 to just $6.99. Excellent stocking stuffer!
Quadcopter/helicopter
No matter what age, a Heli or Quadcopter will bring a lot of joy this holiday season. The best of the lot would be the Stunt Copter ( seen above) at Brookstone for $69.99. It takes a little learning, but comes with a repair kit and takes some good smashes with no damage. Designed for inside and outside play, it’s a perfect toy that takes some practice- but the practice is hella fun.
For more of a toy than a project, we’d recommend this the Hovermaxx UFO RC Helicopter, for only $19.99 from Brookstone, it’s perfect for beginners age 6 and up for inside play and includes 6 LED lights on the device.
For the Quads, we’d definitely recommend the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 App-Controlled Quadricopter($299.99 at Brookstone), it’s big brother the Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter Power Edition which lets you stay in the air for 3 x longer ($369.99 at Brookstone), or if you want to go REALLY LARGE – the DJI Phantom Aerial UAV is really top notch. Check it out. ($453.44 with prime at Amazon)
Smartwatch if you cants wait ( but we suggest you do).
If you or one of your loved ones realllly can’t wait for the iWatch or similar expected far advanced tech, then it’s ok, we got you.
We recommend the Pebble Watch if you’re after a standalone smart watch (173.99 from Amazon), or the Martian Passport Smart Watch if you’re after a stylish accessory to go with your smartphone ($299 with Prime from Amazon).
Both are great Smart Watches and hella stylish to match, but expect big advances in battery time and capabilities as early as next year in their own updates and in new products.
Cool things
Light show fountain speakers. Turn on your favorite jam ( do we still say jam for music? ) and the water inside the speakers will dance to the beat and the 4 multi-colored LEDs will light up. Super rad. $49.99 from Thinkgeek.
GoPro Hero 3. You’ve all seen the video’s right? These are the cameras that you attach to things as you go hurtling down a ski-field, climbing up a rock or simply hiking to the ocean. They’re also beginning to be a must have. Starting at $199.99
Bird Photo booth. Catch the au naturale side of your backyard bird friends with this bird photo booth. Uses your own iPhone or GoPro, but comes with macros and polarising lenses. You can also, uh, talk to the birds using FaceTime? $149.99 from Thinkgeek.
Game boy watch. Everyone loves vintage gamer stuff! And now you can wear it on your hand! $86.87 including shipping here.
Perfect Drink App-Controlled Smart Bartending. Exactly what it says it is; a fancy cocktail machine. It includes a smart scale and app that lets you choose from hundreds of drink recipes, follow real-time pouring instructions, and watch as a virtual glass fills on your smartphone or tablet, as well as suggesting what drinks you can make from what you have. (Kahlua and Bacardi 151 anyone?) $69.99 from Brookstone.
Really cool things
ELECTRIC DELOREAN DMCEV.Brought to you by the DeLorean Motor Company in association with Epic EV, the Electric DeLorean is battery powered but its AC induction liquid-cooled electric motor packs 260 horsepower. That means a top speed of 125mph and 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.
The Flying Hovercraft. Yes, it’s a flying hovercraft. It glides over land and water yet also soars in the air up to 70 mph with the aid of integrated wings. A 130-hp twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled gasoline engine, turbocharged and fuel-injected, drives its 60″ wood/carbon composite thrust propeller while a 1,100-rpm 34″ lift fan inflates its durable vinyl-coated nylon skirt for hovering above the ground.
That’s a wrap! ( get it? …Christmas wrap? ..no?) I hope you guys found some nice gift ideas for your loved ones and enjoyed the dulcet tones of Miss Mariah!
Happy Happy Holidays!
P.S. Watch out for our 2nd tech christmas guide coming soon on where to find the best deals on everything Apple!
Apple is in the process of purchasing a company that has the technology to bring super, super exciting things to it’s product line.
The Israeli firm Primesense is responsible for the technology associated with 3D body sensing used in Microsoft’s Kinect platform.
You know, the thing where you dance around all silly in front of the game system and don’t care because it’s AMAZING that what you’re doing is copied/simulated on screen? Yeah, that stuff.
The original asking price back in June was 280 million buckaroos, but according to Israeli newspaper Calcalist, the deal is now worth a slammin $345 million. Yowzer.
There are still some minor issues that need to be settled before the transaction is done and dusted, but we’re on purpose getting ahead of ourselves here and getting excited about what this could mean for future products or what it could mean for current products, like the iPhone. Ooh, also The iTV, (duh).
Although Apple has not commented (not unusual), and PrimeSense has not publicly acknowledged the deal, the company did release the following statement:
“PrimeSense is the leading 3D technology in the market. We are focused on building a prosperous company while bringing 3D sensing and Natural Interaction to the mass market in a variety of markets such as interactive living room and mobile devices. We do not comment on what any of our partners, customers or potential customers are doing and we do not relate to rumors or re-cycled rumors.”
We’re hoping that ‘re-cycled rumor’s part is just PR spin. Cos this? Could be really cool.
We’re crossing our fingers and looking forward to an official announcement in the next 2 weeks!
Now you can access all Yahoo has to offer direct on Apple TV. Similar to their recently launched iOS app, this means you can access all the content that Yahoo hosts as well. That means AWESOME! Hello SNL, Hello The Colbert Report, Hello The Daily Show!
The shows aren’t live but you can get them shortly after they’ve aired. You have to sign in using Google Plus, Facebook or or using the app’s registration.
This latest addition to Apple TV comes after they’ve already, just this year, added Time Warner’s HBO Go, WatchESPN, Sky News, Vevo, Disney, Weather Channel, and Smithsonian.
We see what you’re doing here Apple. Slowly building up an excellent service, then BLAMMO! June 2014, hello Apple iTV!
Hello already killer service, hello agreements already set in place with the top TV making peoples, hello awesome design aesthetic AND HELLO major league new tech.
Here’s a couple of excellent, techy, exciting, WONDERFUL Black Friday deals for y’all to look out for!
1,
Walmart will have the 16GB Apple iPad Mini + $100 Walmart Gift Card for $299.00.
Apparently they will have stock guaranteed for 1 hour BUT you can’t use the gift card on the mini. Walmart says they will price match but you must have the ad and the store must be open with their sales starting when you try.
Walmart, opens at 6 p.m on Thanksgiving day.
2,
Target will have the iPad Air 16GB w/ WiFi + $100 Target Gift Card for $479.00 for Black Friday.
Target opens at 8 p.m on Thanksgiving day.
It also seems that both online and in-store shoppers get a 20% gift card if they spend at least $75 between Thanksgiving and end of business on Black Friday. The gift card can be used Dec. 1 to Dec. 7.
The Galaxy Gear, Samsung’s wearable tech effort has only sold around 50,000 units according to a report from BusinessKorea.
Launched a short time ago in September, the watch has not been received well by critics, or as it turns out, by buyers. It costs $299, it is not standalone, and this is what it looks like:
Samsung were (/are?) impressed with themselves for getting their version of wearable tech in watch form out first. Especially when the perception is that Apple usually play the role of tech innovators. This was their turn to create history with a first, but should they have waited?
The people say …mmmmmmmyeahprobably.
The customer and critical reviews of the Galaxy gear have mentioned that it is too bulky, it doesn’t sync with all of their smart-phones, and the battery life, at one day, is nowhere near good enough.
Apple is among other tech giants said to be working hard on their own version, named in the press the iWatch. A standalone gadget, it is said that a huge priority for the company is in trying to make the battery last at least four days and have a design aesthetic that will make people who don’t wear a watch currently, want to wear the iWatch.
So, kinda sucks for Samsung. But you know what this means, don’t you guys?
This can only be a fantastic thing for us, the consumers. Wearable tech, in this case specifically watches can and will only get better from here.
And if you were one of the 50,000 peeps who bought the Galaxy Gear, kudos to you! If things continue in the same vein, now you’re the proud owner of some rare tech. Rare tech is good for the wallet!
The Twitter IPO happened this morning! Lots and lots of money was made/exchanged/flurried about, and people were happy! Yay!
The bell was rung by Sir Patrick Stewart, Cheryl Fiandaca from the Boston Police department and Vivienne Harr from the charity Make A Stand Lemon-aid (An awesome charity btw, check it out here).
The stocks started selling at $26 a share but soon shot up topping out at $50.09 and closing the day at $44.94, up 73%! Way better than Facebook (although concerning less money) and better than we think some people were expecting.
Twitter is now worth about 25 billion dollars.
That’s a lot of clams, kids.
We imagine the mood at Twitter today was a little like this;
There are still more products coming our way right from the magical world of the Apple production line! Next year! That’s like only a few tomorrows away!
A couple of days ago Tim Cook confirmed to members of the press, that Apple is definitely planning on introducing new product categories in 2014. Categories baby! That’s like, things we’ve never seen before. Woop.
According to Cook, Apple believes that it can use its skills building software, hardware, and services to create “great products” in categories that Apple does not participate in today. “We’re pretty confident about that,” said Cook.
Woop!
Things to look forward to (probably) include the iWatch, the iTV and a little baby unicorn that makes all your dreams come true.
Apple, Google, New Releases | iPhone-Antidote | 
December 8, 2013 11:24 am | 
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