Electronics Circuits

As time goes on, the devices around us get more and more complicated. Our phones can perform hundreds of tasks, our mice want to do more than just move the cursor on the screen, and even our clocks aren’t just limited to displaying the time, and waking us up in the morning. But sometimes you don’t need all of the bells-and-whistles.

Sure, this LED Alarm Clock with USB Outlet has one extra function, but it’s a pretty useful one. Usually we have to have a special dock for our phone, or just plug it into the wall, when we want to charge it overnight. However, this simple clock gives you the opportunity to charge any USB device without tying up another outlet.


The clock is about as basic as they come. The digits are displayed in red LEDs, and you can set an alarm to get you out of bed. If the power goes out, the three AA batteries (not included) will keep it going, so that you don’t miss work in the morning. Finally, the two USB ports can be used to charge phones, tablets, and anything else you need. The $78 price does seem a bit steep, since it only adds the one function to an otherwise ordinary clock.

OS X 10.9, which is internally codenamed “Cabernet,” will focus on various “power-user” enhancements and take core features from iOS, according to our sources. Unlike operating system updates such as OS X Leopard and OS X Lion, OS X 10.9 will likely not be an overhauled approach to how the operating system feels and functions.


The new operating system includes major enhancements to the Finder application such as tags and tabbed browsing modes. Those additions are notable as many pro-users have relied on third-party solutions and hacks to enable these features. Additionally, the new operating system will include a new Safari web browser with a redesigned backend for improved page loading, speed, and efficiency…

The much anticipated next gen Apple iPhone (be it 5S or 6) continues to make the rounds in the rumor mill. According to the latest gossip it will feature an improved 2 megapixel front-facing camera. The report comes from iOSDoc and says the next iPhone will come out with iOS 7 on board and the smartphone will have the ability to record full HD videos (shocker, right?). Furthermore, the latest version of iOS, which is yet to be announced.


It will have a new feature called dual-shot, which is quite similar to the dual-camera mode on the LG Optimus G Pro and Samsung Galaxy S4. The dual-shot feature allows you to capture images and videos with both front facing camera as well as the rear camera at the same time. The feature is still in its beta testing phase and is expected to be integrated into the final iOS 7 version as soon as the testing is completed. Unfortunately, the dual-shot feature will be made exclusive for iPhone 5S and will not be available on any older iPhones. [via]

Since Jony Ive took the 'design' office at Apple, there have been rumors that he is working consistently to direct the design team away from skeuomorphic designs and into a new and different approach for the future of iOS.


Gruber from DaringFireball, the most well informed blogger on all-things-Apple, has two very interesting insights about the upcoming changes in iOS 7.

1: iOS 7 is running behind, and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it. (The opposite thing happened in 2007 when engineers were pulled off from OS X development to focus on iPhone as the launch schedule was running late)

2: iOS engineers with carry privileges all have some sort of polarizing filter on their iPhone displays, such that it greatly decreases viewing angles, thus making it difficult for observers to see the apparently rather significant system-wide UI overhaul.

According to Gruber, "Ive’s work is apparently making many people really happy, but will also apparently make rich-texture-loving designers sad."