CES 2014: iPhone-Controlled Ambient Lamps and Smart Contact Lenses

This year starts off on the right foot with CES 2014, the biggest technology expo in the US, where we can see today what tomorrow holds for us: smart contact lenses with built-in displays, 3D printers, the next generations of phones, tablets, laptops and many other tech innovations will be revealed in the next few days.

We’ve already seen some of the gadgets at CES 2014 and everything promises to be more impressive than what we’ve seen in the years before, with the spotlights shining on wearable tech and the smart, connected home. One manufacturer even promised to give us working contact lenses with built-in display and internet connectivity, and Google will also show off their glasses and other new stuff.

Among the things that have been presented so far, a smart ambient lamp that’s controlled by an iDevice was very popular with many attendants: called Holi, the LED-lamp can reproduce a large variety of colors and you can choose the color and adjust the light’s intensity with an app that’s installed on your iPhone or iPad. Furthermore, you can download “Ambiental Themes”, various patterns of changing colors that will enhance your mood. If you don’t like the available themes you can also create your own themes with the app and share them with your friends. When you listen to music on your iPhone, Holi syncs with your tunes and creates a ‘dancing’ pattern that fits your favorite music style, and it can also notify you of messages or missed calls.

Finally, the smart lamp also has a ‘dawn simulator’, meaning that it knows when you’ve set your alarm and it tries to gently wake you up by simulating a sunrise’s light. Holi can be ordered online and it is probably one of the many smart, interconnected gadgets that will fill our homes in the upcoming future.

The Tools You Need To Replace a Broken iPhone Screen

One of the most unnecessary and frustrating things people do with their iPhones is fall for the silly idea that when you break the screen or casing that the phone is no good. They go and buy a new one, and we all know that’s a pretty penny to throw away. The fact is much of the damage that’s commonly done to iPhones is fixable—particularly a broken screen.

A few cheap iPhone repair tools can turn out to the most valuable iPhone 5 & 5s accessories you’ll ever buy. So if you’re one of the millions who’ve dropped, sat on, tossed, squashed, or stepped on your iPhone this could wind up saving you some big bucks. Let’s take a quick look at super doable iPhone repair and the simple tools you need to get the job done.

4 Simple iPhone Repair Tools

1)   Pentalobe screwdriver

The pentalobe screwdriver is what you need to unscrew the casing. (Pentalobe just means five “lobes”, it refers to the five pointed star shape of the screw). You’ll find two pentalobe screws on the bottom of the phone that will need removing first.

2)   Philips screwdriver

A mini Philips screwdriver (often called a star screwdriver) will be necessary to remove all the screws on the interior of the phone. There are quite a few, so this is a key tool, and it has to be a mini.

3)   Swivel tools (sometimes called spudgers)

A plastic swivel tool will be necessary to pry out all the components from the phone’s interior, (battery, vibrator, camera, connecting tape etc.) making it possible to get to the screen.

4)   Disassembly Suction Cup

This mini suction cup will help you easily remove the screen itself as well as the battery and some other components. It’s super important to be careful when removing these components and all too easy to force it when trying to force them out with your fingers.

Cellz carries a variety of options for iPhone repair tools including this all-in-one iPhone tool kit which includes all of the above tools.

To see a great video explaining step by step how to replace the screen and reassemble your phone using these tools check out this pair of videos from our friends at DirectFix. Note the instructions are for an iPhone 4 or 4s but it’s exactly the same for the iPhone 5 & 5s.

Now go out and do yourself a favor, if you’ve had the misfortune of breaking your iPhone screen don’t go out and buy a new phone, just buy these few simple tools!

CES 2014: iPhone-Controlled Ambient Lamps and Smart Contact Lenses

This year starts off on the right foot with CES 2014, the biggest technology expo in the US, where we can see today what tomorrow holds for us: smart contact lenses with built-in displays, 3D printers, the next generations of phones, tablets, laptops and many other tech innovations will be revealed in the next few days.

We’ve already seen some of the gadgets at CES 2014 and everything promises to be more impressive than what we’ve seen in the years before, with the spotlights shining on wearable tech and the smart, connected home. One manufacturer even promised to give us working contact lenses with built-in display and internet connectivity, and Google will also show off their glasses and other new stuff.

Cheap iPhone 5 Accessories

Among the things that have been presented so far, a smart ambient lamp that’s controlled by an iDevice was very popular with many attendants: called Holi, the LED-lamp can reproduce a large variety of colors and you can choose the color and adjust the light’s intensity with an app that’s installed on your iPhone or iPad. Furthermore, you can download “Ambiental Themes”, various patterns of changing colors that will enhance your mood. If you don’t like the available themes you can also create your own themes with the app and share them with your friends. When you listen to music on your iPhone, Holi syncs with your tunes and creates a ‘dancing’ pattern that fits your favorite music style, and it can also notify you of messages or missed calls.

Finally, the smart lamp also has a ‘dawn simulator’, meaning that it knows when you’ve set your alarm and it tries to gently wake you up by simulating a sunrise’s light. Holi can be ordered online and it is probably one of the many smart, interconnected gadgets that will fill our homes in the upcoming future.

The Best Mobile Innovations from CES 2014

A case that will turn your iPhone into a scientific tricorder, another one that can charge it or one that gives it thermal vision capabilities are just a few of the coolest gadgets revealed at CES 2014, the biggest electronics show in the United States!

CES 2014 has been going on for a few days and the innovations and gadgets presented this year are something else compared to previous editions; they reflect the huge leap in mobile technology and processing power that happened during the last few years, and some of them are things that we couldn’t even imagine possible just some time ago. Mobile innovations are all about various sensors this year, and including them into wearable items, which is normal since we are carrying powerful smartphone CPUs in our pockets that can read and interpret data coming from many parts. Some of the most impressive accessories presented so far at CES 2014 are:the thermal vision iPhone case, which seems to be something taken from a Bond movie, connects to an iPhone’s camera and with the help of heat sensors hidden inside it can display thermal images just like Predator could see with his tech. Called FLIR, the case will cost almost as much as an iPhone 4S:

• a toothbrush that connects to any iDevice and with the help of a dedicated app will send you useful info about your dental hygiene, telling you how often you brush and which areas you tend to neglect, or when it’s time to brush again.

• the tricorder-case, named Sensor Jacket, is a bulkier-than-usual iPhone case that’s packed with sensors that will turn your iPhone into a Star Trek tricorder that can analyze breath, take temperature, monitor heart rate and much more. The case is still in development and we can expect different cases with different sensors, depending on what we need to measure.

• the iPhone screen protector that adds 3D depth to your screen, called EyeFly, contains more than half a million microscopic optic cells that can display 3d content on your smartphone’s screen, provided you also use the EyeFly apps to play 3D movies or watch 3D photos.

• the smart-socks, which are used for fitness purposes, are a sensor-packed pair of socks that can tell the difference between walking and jogging and offer step-counting, speed and distance monitoring, calorie counting and also info about your walking and running techniques the weight distribution on your feet. All of this through an iPhone app, of course.

• the case with an extra battery and storage space, from manufacturer Mophie, includes a battery that can double the life of an iPhone 5S and an extra 16 or 32 GB of storage space, but don’t expect it to be cheap.

• the augmented reality contact lenses, dubbed iOptik, promise to bring anything that’s on your smartphone’s screen and more right in front of your eyes just when you need it, but they only work when paired with some special glasses. They may be a worthy competitor to the more geeky-looking Google Glass.

Make Your Life Better in 2014 With These Apps

In 2013 you’ve seen how a few apps can make your life better and the New Year will surely bring even more great ideas to the app world, new gadgets and maybe wearable tech. Start 2014 with these apps that will make your life easier and will help you achieve the goals you’ve set for the upcoming year.

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It’s a popular habit to set goals and make promises or resolutions at the beginning of each New Year, but few manage to achieve the goals they’ve set, actually most of us just forget them after a few weeks. But things can change this time, with the help of smart apps that can make differences in our lives if we use them. We already have apps that can help you live a healthier life, eat better, learn new things and keep a tab on your finances, which are the most popular goals set by people during the New Year celebrations. Here are some apps that will make your life better in 2014:

One of the most common things wished for and one of the hardest to stick to is a healthier diet. But this was before Fooducate or Calorie Counter for MyFitnessPal were available for both iOS and Android. Fooducate helps you determine the quality of food before you buy it; you can either scan a product’s barcode or enter its name if it’s something like a banana or an apple and it will give you its nutritional information, some comments or warnings if it’s the case, and an overall grade determined by nutritionists that will tell you how good it is. It also has a social component, displaying how many likes or dislikes a products has. MyFitnessPal’s calorie counter also has a large database that contains more than 3 million foods where you can check your food and lets you keep a calorie diary and set fitness goals. You can then share your goals on Facebook and check your friend’s goals, for that extra bit of motivation.

Another common New Year resolution for many is quitting something that’s not good for us. Whether it’s cigarettes, alcohol or other bad habits, apps can help here too. For iOS smokers that want to quit, My Last Cigarette can be a start. The app asks you what your smoking habits are and starts a counter when you quit. As you progress you will see what benefits you’ve gained so far, such as how much your life expectancy grew and how much money you saved. Android users can do the same with Quit Smoking: Cessation Nation, an app that’s backed up by a large community of ex-smokers who will encourage you to quit. If drinking is your vice, an app called Stop Drinking can be installed on both iDevices and Android smartphones and will help lead you in the right direction. For any other bad habits, any goal-setting app will do.

Learning a new language, or any new thing is something you’ll find on 99% of all resolution and bucket lists, and of course there are apps for this. For new languages there’s Duolingo, which was voted app of the year by many, for many discussions on all topics and for learning a lot of new things you can try downloading the TED talks app, and for general knowledge install the Wolfram Alpha app, a science encyclopedia that you can ask many things and that also helps Siri with some of her answers.