Pyramidal holographics have become popular fast, with crowdfunding projects offering you ways to get into the game for just hundreds of dollars, but here is a way to put together your own small-scale version effectively for free.

Required tools: a smartphone, compact disc case, graph paper, pen, scissors, knife, tape or superglue. Basically, you cut a partial pyramid from the clear material, fasten it together, set it on your phone, and load up a video that turns those surfaces into four-way reflectors simulating the visual experience of objects moving in midair.

Critics will argue that this is not a true hologram and that is absolutely true, but the effect is nonetheless extremely compelling, and you can use it to animate not just the examples above but basically anything you want as well. The next step: scale things up and turn a television or computer screen into your base and buy a larger surface for the reflection.

Or, for additional easy fun, try this hand-drawn hologram tutorial (above) – it won’t be quite as visually complex or impressive, but it is still a neat trick to show friends or kids.

The post DIY Holograms: Hack a Phone & CD Case to Make 3D Videos first appeared on Gajitz.

Metal and glass with a big screen, it looks at a glance like any other smartphone, but this verified leak shows something only older phone owners will remember well: a clamshell-style, flip-out component that turns back time to the era of the flip phone. Effectively, it is a Galaxy S6 with a fold-down addition that will help protect the screen and make for easier shoulder holding all without adding too much in thickness.

According to one source, “It will most probably be released as the SM-W2016, and it features two 3.9-inch Super AMOLED displays, each with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels, a numeric (T9) keypad, a 16-megapixel primary camera, and a 5-megapixel secondary camera.” While Samsung did recently release a flip phone in Korea, it is hoped that this one may make its way to Europe and the United States as well.

In terms of internal hardware, the SM-W2016 features a 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 processor, 3GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, and runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. The device weighs 204 grams and has dimensions of 120.4 x 61 x 15.1 mm. It’s a high-end smartphone, and will definitely have an appeal with clamshell lovers who want a Galaxy S6 like premium device.

The post Return of the Flip Phone: Leaked Photos of New Galaxy Cell first appeared on Gajitz.

Smartphones can do pretty much anything, but most of us still tend to use them in at least one very low-tech way: as flashlights. Getting to the bedroom after you turn out the house lights, finding your keys in your bag, or finding the way to the bathroom in an unfamiliar hotel room all call for the use of the handy-dandy camera flash as a surprisingly powerful light.

The Travelamp, designed by Sebastiano Tosi and Mattia Fossati, uses the same flashlight functionality for small, portable nightlights. These little lights are officially known as “light diffusers” since they aren’t powered in any way; they’re simply shapes attached to little straps that attach around the body of your phone.

The Travelamp comes in two shapes: lamp and lantern. Both are made of soft, durable silicone that won’t scratch up your phone. Just slip the strap around the body of the phone and position the lamp over the flash. Then turn on your phone’s flashlight function and you’ve got a handy little bedside table shining a soft, diffuse light that’s perfect for reading by…or just walking around without battering your poor toes.

The smartphone accessory is expected to be in stock at Fred & Friends in October 2015 and will cost you a cool $8. You won’t need a cable or special battery or anything else to use the Travelamp, but you’d better have a charging cable for your phone on hand since the flashlight function tends to kill batteries in record time.

The post Lighten Up! Silicone Accessory Turns Phones Into Lamps first appeared on Gajitz.

Why buy an entirely new computer along with your drone when you already carry a powerful device with a built-in camera right in your pocket?

The PhoneDrone lets you insert your smart device right into a quadcopter shell, then fly the resulting hybrid via defined flight plans, in ‘follow’ modes or remote-control (via a tablet, computer or another smartphone). The PhoneDrone will also automatically return to you when it is running low on batteries, then folds up for easy portability.

Beyond the obvious benefits, there are some subtle ones as well – no more need to transfer photos or videos back to your device, since they will be taken with that device to begin with.

And upgrades are much easier when you are already regularly upgrading your own personal portable computing gadgets and can just insert the next one in the same drone body. The interface, of course, will be familiar as well – you can use iPhone or Android devices.

From its makers: “The PhoneDrone returns when the batteries are running low, the integrated flight management tool in the app means that you can control altitude and location for your flight path, and you can even tether the phone on-board with another phone.”

The post Phone Drone: Turn Your Mobile Device into a Flying Robot first appeared on Gajitz.

As devices get ever smaller the need to sacrifice functionality and screen size seems inevitable, but could be prevented by something that like this clever device that uses an external surface as both its display and interface.

The Cicret Bracelet is a wristband that turns your arm into a tablet, allowing you to use swipe, tap and pinch gestures along your own appendage instead of on a built-in screen. Naturally, it is possible to also use this device on either wrist for those who are left- or right-handed.

The tiny projector works in concert with a series of long-range proximity sensors and, while still being developed, is intended to come in multiple storage capacities, sizes and colors. Games, maps, phone calls, the device will do anything your current mobile gadget can.

“Here is a video shot by the Cicret Team showing the uses of the first working prototype of the CICRET BRACELET. It shows that the Cicret Team is the first one and only one in the world who succeeded to combine 4 technologies which create this groundbreaking wearable device: – project with a low-angle. – make it work on any skin color. – controllable with the finger. – and make it work even in bright daylight.”

The post Wearable Smartphone: Bracelet Projects Screens onto Arms first appeared on Gajitz.