SXONE iPhone 5 Case Made Out Of Stone

iPhone cases come in a wide variety of materials including hard plastics, flexible silicone rubbers and thermoplastics, aluminum, wood and leather. But one abundant material has been left out from this group until today. A an upcoming British case manufacturer by the name of SX-One is looking to revolutionize the case industry with the SXONE - the world's first iPhone 5 case made out of stone. It's literally a case that's as hard as a rock, yet machined to Incase Slider-like case specifications to be used as a minimalist protective case with very unique marble texture and patterns that'll disguise your iPhone as being a part of your stone countertop. Known for adapting to cool temperatures, the 'stoneafide' SXONE case offers a unique earthy feeling Fred Flintstone would have approved of.

And although the SXONE stone case is made from an artificial blend of stone that's easier to machine into the necessary shape and curves of an iPhone case, the end result is a stone case that's lighter than natural stone yet retains its natural properties. SX-ONE does warn its SXONE stone cases are prone to damage if dropped from a high altitude of undefined height. It's highly likely for stone to chip and even crack when faced with impact, leading us to believe that stone and glass-made protective iPhone cases aren't going to be anything more than a short-lived niche. The SXONE stone case is available to be pre-ordered on Kickstarter in three different stone colors for the iPhone 4/S and iPhone 5 for $49 and $52 (estimated), respectively.

Google’s Location-Discovery App “Field Trip” Arrives On The App Store

Long an Android only app, Google’s Field Trip finally arrives on the App Store today. The app works by silently running in the background all while finding interesting and unique things around you. When it finds something, it will alert you about it and bring up relevant information regarding the find via a digital card. If you’re a bluetooth headset user no worries, the app will read the information to you wirelessly. What makes Google’s Field Trip app work so well is that it aggregates information from a variety of sources like Arcadia and Historvius for local history and Thrillist, Zagat, and Eater for some of the best places to eat and drink. In addition to history and restaurants, it also aggregates information to you for unique stores and little hidden gems near your location. One of the more unique features is that it can sense when you are driving and can “talk” you through some of the nearby interesting places almost like a virtual tour guide. The app is free and is available on Apple’s App Store now.

Apple’s Tim Cook And Beats Jimmy Iovine Meet To Discuss Potential Partnership

Reuters is reporting that Tim Cook and Jimmy Iovine met in Los Angeles in late February to discuss Beats planned music streaming service. Along with Tim Cook was Eddy Cue, Apple’s Internet Products Chief, who was a key player in launching iTunes, and the discussions were regarding the business model Beats planned on using for its “Project Daisy” music streaming service. The meeting was more informational than serious as talks ranged between a variety of music-related topics. Apple has been rumored as of late to be in the works to create their own music streaming service to combat the likes of Spotify and Rdio and this meeting only cements its validity. Beats on the other hand has already expanded past its stylish headphones by working with HTC to have their hardware and software built into many of the Taiwanese company’s smartphones. 

High Quality All Around With The T-Sound X Bluetooth Speaker

We have come upon another gem on Kickstarter in an “Apple-esque” bluetooth speaker. It all starts with the build quality when it comes to the T-Sound X and the body is made of high quality aluminum with an Apple outlook finishing. On the surface are six capacitive touch buttons, similar to the technology found on the iPhone, and appear and disappear when you use it or leave it alone. On the inside, the T-Sound X comes built with Bluetooth 4.0 for any device you are using and uses proprietary drivers along with a passive radiator inside the body for high quality sound that doesn’t slack off on bass. With the specially designed antenna that can cover up to 60 feet and the 10 hour lithium battery life, the T-Sound X could last longer and reach further than even your phone could. No bluetooth available? No worries because they have a 3.5mm stereo input to connect directly to your device and weighing in at roughly 0.7 lbs, you can take this anywhere as a compact and powerful speaker. Currently raising funds on Kickstarter, you can pledge $75 and secure yourself one or spend $99 and get the limited edition that includes a free laser engraving and a protective case. 

Google+ Sign-In To Challenge Facebook Connect

Today Google+ introduced Sign-In, their version of the widely adopted Facebook Connect in an effort to expand and widen its reach on the web. Google has already partnered with several companies including: Fancy, Fitbit, OpenTable, and Flixster. The concept is pretty much the same as Facebook Connect with you signing in to your Gmail, Youtube, or other Google Service account and having that information save as your login. An interesting feature that Sign-In has is that if the company has an Android app (like Fancy), you can remotely install it when you sign in on their website. Another feature that Sign-In has is the ability to share links with specific Circles on your Google+ account in addition to allowing them to view the post in a special “interactive” layout. Google has been on a roll as of late, introducing Glass to the public, a new Chromebook, and now an easier way to sign in to your favorite websites and apps. For more details and full list of companies participating in Sign-In, please visit their announcement page.

Update on 2013-02-27 06:53 by Jed Wu

Update: Fancy posted this photo on their Twitter account of the cake Google sent them for the launch of Google+ Sign-In.