lights

These light switches are sure to turn you on

The mundane task of turning on the lights generally involves a simple flick of the switch, but Norwegian designer Stian Korntved Ruud thinks it could get a lot more interesting.

Korntved Ruud, who graduated last year with a master's in industrial design from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, created "Circuit breaker," a series of five switches that force users to interact with the panel and thus present new ways of turning the lights on.… Read more

Lightning-to-30-pin adapters for iPhone 5 land on Amazon, eBay

Third-party versions of the new Lightning-to-30-pin adapter cooked up by Apple are now selling via Amazon and eBay.

Amazon shows generic versions being sold through two companies -- Nanotch and iTronz. Nanotch is offering the 7-inch cable adapter for $17.95, a part that Apple sells for $39. iTronz is selling the smaller stub adapter for $9.99, for which Apple charges $29.

Both items are available for preorder, with the cable adapter scheduled to be released September 30 and the stub adapter September 26. Nanotch has a 94 percent positive review on Amazon, while iTronz has scored a thumbs-up … Read more

Turn your iPhone into a butt-mounted bike light

"Oh my god, Becky, look at her butt. It is so bright!" That's because she has a Monocle bike safety light fashioned from her iPhone.

The Monocle from Studio KMD consists of two parts. It's a holder that slips onto your belt and an app that triggers a bright red flashing light. Hang it down over your rear and bike away with your iPhone flashing behind you.… Read more

Add lighting effects to your stereo

Adding blinking lights to anything is a surefire way to make it totally obnoxious. For some of you, that's a good thing.

Here are two techniques you can use to add sound-reactive lights to your stereo, boom box, computer, or pretty much anything that makes music.

The first option is to use something like an EL Wire Sound Kit. These are sold online from various places and include some combination of electroluminescent wire, a power adapter, and a special power inverter that drives the wire's power in response to sound picked up by an integrated microphone.

The whole … Read more

Arcade-style light switch turns click into pew pew pew

Turning light switches on and off is a necessary, but dull, part of our lives. It doesn't have to be like that. With a $29.99 Power-Up Arcade Light Switch Plate from ThinkGeek installed, turning on the living room light will become a retro-gaming adventure.

A bright red joystick turns the light on and off. The switch plate makes classic "pew pew pew" noises when you press the buttons. This will allow you to pretend to play Space Invaders in the dark of your bedroom at 3 in the morning. … Read more

Beware the allure of Apple's Retina Displays

Apple's Retina Displays are drop-dead gorgeous. But be careful what you wish for.

Like many, I got the third-generation iPad because of the 2,048-by-1,536-pixel-density Retina Display. And, like many, I didn't see a huge difference at first.

That was then. Now it's painful to pick up my Dell laptop with its 1,366x768-pixel 13.3-inch display and Windows 7 fonts (note: font-smoothing utilities go just so far).

And while my 11.6-inch MacBook Air fares better than the Dell (it packs the same number of pixels but into a smaller area giving it a higher PPI … Read more

The 404 1,105: Where we light the future (podcast)

As an expert on the subject of LED lighting, Sal Cangeloso of Geek.com helps us understand the challenges facing early adopters of the technology, the cost and performance advantages of LED bulbs, and the creative ways that people are using them, from the Occupy movement to the opening ceremony at the London Olympics.

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Check out Sal's book, "LED Lighting: A Primer to Lighting the Future."

- Follow Sal on Twitter.

- How to make your own LED throwies.

- LED lights shine at the London Olympic opening ceremonies.

- LED wallpaper is the nerd's ultimate nightlight.… Read more

Paparazzo Light brings old-school flash to iPhone

Vintage footage of Hollywood stars shows photographers snapping photos with their big, old-school flashes mounted on large film cameras. Now you can outfit your iPhone with a bit of that retro glamour.

The Paparazzo Light looks like a mini version of those shiny flash attachments. The heart of it is a 300-lumen LED that can be dialed up or down from full brightness to zero. It has both photo and video modes to supply the right amount of light for the occasion.

The battery-powered add-on won't suck down your iPhone's juice. A Kickstarter pledge of $45 will get you either a black or white version. If you want to look more authentic, then spring for the $55 chrome version.… Read more

Smart Tools are powerful, yet simple

Even with its belt full of powerful tools onboard, Smart Tools is, for the most part, simple. The app opens up to a wall of choices, and if you've used any of Smart Tools' apps before, then all of them should look familiar. Smart Tools combines the powers of all of the developer's individual Pro tool sets.

The first set lets you measure length and angle, using a level, ruler, and two protractors (one which uses the screen, and the other your device's camera).

The second offers a Distance tool, which is a bit more complicated, as … Read more

Koreans flock to Galaxy S3 at Samsung showroom

SEOUL, South Korea -- Samsung's Galaxy S3 LTE hit stores in South Korea a few days ago, and the phone's popularity was plain to see at the tech giant's store here in the Gangnam district of Seoul.

Koreans swarmed around the oversized handset at the flagship Samsung D'light Shop, which is roughly equivalent to Apple stores.

The quad-core phone debuted on Korean carriers KT, LG U+, and SK Telecom this week. Samsung apparently sold 50,000 units on its first day.

Staff at the Samsung store say the phone's selling points are its battery life and speed, LTE support, and features like the ability to show a video feed in one window while using other functions. … Read more