Tag Archives: bluetooth

PowerUp 4.0 Is a Remote-controlled Paper Airplane on Steroids

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When it comes to paper airplanes, they usually don’t stay airborne for more than a few seconds. The guys at PowerUp weren’t satisfied with that, so they set their sights on making motorized paper airplanes. We’re now on the fourth-generation of the PowerUp, and it’s the most capable version yet, enabling paper airplanes to fly better and further than ever.

The PowerUp 4.0 consists of a lightweight airframe, along with a pair of motors at the rear and a sophisticated flight control computer in its nose. Working in concert with a smartphone app, it can automatically smooth out flight thanks to the use of both a gyroscopic sensor and an accelerometer. It can even stabilize flight in windy conditions.

The kit includes a design for a basic, reliable paper airplane, but it will work with your own custom designs too, and the motors are powerful enough to fly models made out of cardboard, styrofoam, or balsa wood as well. While the app and computer smarts aboard the plane should keep your flight stable, the frame’s durable nylon and carbon fiber construction means it’ll survive in the event of a crash landing.

Flying is easy – simply tilt your smartphone to steer, and pull the on-screen throttle control to accelerate. Depending on conditions, the weight of your plane, and your flying technique, your plane can fly for up to 10 minutes on a charge. The PowerUp 4.0 also has the best control range of any model so far – up to 230 feet.

You can get your hands on the PowerUp 4.0 smartphone-controlled paper airplane kit over on Amazon for just $79.99. They also sell a companion book with a variety of paper airplane designs for another $19.99.

Sony’s budget WH-CH710N bluetooth headphones drop to record low of $88

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When you need to tune out the world, nothing beats a pair of wireless ANC headphones — provided you can afford them. While top models from Sony, Bose and Sennheiser cost north of $300, you can pick up our favorite budget phones, Sony’s WH-CH710N, rig...

Valve tests wireless rumble support for the DualSense in Steam

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There’s good news if you’re trying to use Sony’s new controller to play PC games. Valve started beta testing initial support for the PS5’s DualSense pad a few days ago, and followed up with support for advanced features like its gyroscope, trackpads,...

SmartThings Find app can track down lost Samsung Galaxy devices

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Smartphones and other devices are so intertwined with our lives that losing one can be traumatic. To that end, Samsung has unveiled SmartThings Find, an app that uses a variety of technologies to locate your phone, even if there’s no cell or WiFi sig...

This electric Ukulele comes with its own speaker and is Bluetooth-enabled!

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If you look at Google keyword rankings for the year, the word ‘Ukulele’ began trending in the second half of March, well into the first week of April. The Ukulele is one of those instruments that doesn’t need much effort to pick up, which makes sense why a lot of people gravitated towards it at the beginning of the lockdown. It’s small, portable, and comes with four strings – a feature that’s convenient because you’ve also got four active fingers to press the strings (while your thumb grips the instrument). The Ukulele is also, for the most part, an acoustic instrument. While electric versions of the popular instrument exist, they’ve never really caught on, although the guys at FangCun Design believe they know why… and they have a solution too.

Electric guitars have an attitude that Ukuleles don’t. They’re associated with rock, metal, aggression, and the general demeanor of rebellion… traits that seem too extreme for something as soothing and joyous as a Ukulele. The Yuan Man Ukulele by FangCun Design, however, gives the instrument a makeover, allowing it to remain electric but still be approachable.

The Yuan Man Ukulele comes with a circular body and a matte-black paint job, complete with red nylon strings. It retains its friendly appeal, but does look a little more serious than its acoustic counterpart. The electric uke’s body even serves as a speaker unit, allowing you to play music without being plugged into an amplifier. If you do want to externally route sound, the Ukulele has its own quarter-inch input for standard guitar cables, but its most breakout feature is the fact that the Ukulele even comes with Bluetooth, allowing you to connect it to your smartphone and jam to your favorite tunes as you play them from streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music!

Designer: FangCun Design

This Creepy Metal Spider Holds a Bluetooth Speaker

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There’s something about creatures with more than four legs that creeps me out. The more legs, the worse the creepy factor. While spiders sit somewhere in the middle between an ant and a millipede, they can still be pretty terrifying, especially if you’re an arachnophobe. But if you don’t mind having a big metal spider sitting on your desktop, you might want to check out this unusual Bluetooth speaker kit.

This thing looks like some kind of robotic arachnid out of the 1980s Tom Selleck movie Runaway. This spider’s bulbous body is actually a small Bluetooth speaker. To make things better, this spider comes with the warning: “This toy contains sharp metal parts.” It’s made up of 171 individual components, and you need to put them all together yourself.  At least they’re kind enough to include all the tools you need in the box. Though I don’t think a can of Raid is part of the deal.

If you like the idea of a creepy spider speaker on your desk, you can grab this guy over on Amazon (affiliate link) for about $47. Just be sure to read the reviews. It sounds like it’s a really challenging build, and like most spider-related things, it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Muzen Wild Mini Bluetooth Speaker Review: Small But Mighty Good

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There are countless Bluetooth speakers to choose from these days, so if audio companies want people to take notice, you have to do something pretty different. The Muzen Wild Mini speaker is just that. Measuring about 3″ high x 2.25″ wide x 1.375″ deep, this ultra-compact speaker is small enough to carry in the palm of your hand, but this tiny speaker punches way above its class in build and sound quality.

The Wild Mini comes packaged in a sturdy plastic case that’s substantially larger than the speaker itself. The rugged, foam-lined case is a nice touch but given the speaker’s own rugged look and feel, I’m not sure I’ll ever be putting it back in its packaging.

The speaker is the true star of the show, featuring a high-quality body made from high-density zinc alloy, and a design inspired by military radios. With the exception of a couple of trim pieces and buttons, everything on the Wild Mini is made from metal. Combined with the weight of a battery that can last up to six hours at full volume, the little speaker feels incredibly substantial and weighs in at over half a pound.

Despite being a pre-production model, my review unit feels really well built, with no gaps or rattly bits. The 5-watt amplifier and speaker produce a surprisingly big sound, without discernible distortion even at high volume levels. Physics prevent a speaker this small from ever producing booming bass, but it handles low end admirably for its size, and mids and highs are clean and pleasing to the ear. Overall sound quality is much better than I expected for a speaker this small, and I think the metal enclosure and rubber feet help to eliminate unwanted vibrations.

Every detail of the Wild Mini’s case and controls are smartly designed and engineered. There’s a satisfyingly clicky knurled metal thumbwheel for adjusting volume, a spring-loaded flip switch for powering the unit on and off and Bluetooth pairing, and a pushbutton surrounded by a bi-directional ring for pausing and changing tracks.

A MicroUSB charging connector hides beneath a hinged door that keeps moisture out. The speaker enclosure is IPX5-rated, which means it’s water-resistant, so it’s fine if it gets rained on or splashed at the beach, but you don’t want to submerge it.

In addition to its above par audio capabilities, the Wild Mini serves double duty as a flashlight. There are three modes – high, low, and SOS. It’s not an exceptionally bright light even at its highest setting, but it does provide enough light to guide your way on a pitch-black trail, or to find your keys in the dark. Plus, it can be operated at the same time as your music plays. The speaker’s case also has an “n”-shaped loop on its top, which lets you lash it to a backpack or belt loop with a piece of paracord or a small carabiner clip.

I absolutely love this little speaker. It’s got a unique look, is built really well and sounds very good considering its size. You can pre-order the Muzen Wild Mini Bluetooth speaker now over on Kickstarter. While the MSRP for the speaker is $99, there are still a number of Super Early Bird and Early Bird deals available, priced at $69 and $79, respectively.