Galaxy S6’s improved fingerprint scanner lets you log into websites with one touch [VIDEO]

The Samsung Galaxy S6 features improved finger scanning hardware that gives us something functionally identical to Apple’s highly-touted Touch ID, but its software-side enhancements build a case for the S6 as the benchmark for fingerprint authentication. Take for example the newly added ability to login to your favorite websites with just the touch of your finger.

While not a full-fledged password manager, Samsung’s finger scanner now sports the ability to securely store login credentials for use in the phone’s web browser. Find the site you want to login to, scan your finger, and the phone’s software will autofill the form. No more typing in usernames or fumbling over your super secure passwords (they are super secure, right?).

The first time you log into a site, the Galaxy S6 will ask you if you want to store the credentials and use the finger scanner to authenticate website sign ins in the future (provided you have already set up the fingerprint reader). You’ll have to do this individually at first for each login, so you can choose which sites require authentication.

While Apple has done a lot to improve the Touch ID experience and open it up to third-party developers, it has been slow to roll out core functionality in the same way that Samsung has with their Galaxy line. Before, we could say Samsung’s hardware lagged behind, but now it seems Apple may be the one with some catching up to do.

Atari turns your fitness routine into a game with Atari Fit

Here’s something completely unexpected: Atari is getting into the fitness game. Yes, that Atari. The same company that made Pong back in the day. Their new app, called Atari Fit, is aimed at making fitness more like a game, something they know a lot about.

Atari Fit is all about making fitness more like a casual game. Over 100 exercises and 30 workout plans are included in the customizable programs. Everything from running to full-body programs are included. What’s even cooler is that Atari Fit doesn’t require any fancy fitness devices.

Atari Fit supports existing wearables such as Fitbit and Jawbone. It also connects with fitness apps like Google Fit and Runkeeper. As you exercise you will earn achievements like you would in a video game. You can even earn rewards to unlock classic Atari games such as Pong, Super Breakout, and Centipede. If this is the motivation you need to get up and move, download Atari Fit right here.

Acer Liquid Jade Z melts Lollipop 5.0 into curved 5-inch frame

The name “Liquid Jade Z” may sound like a Wu-Tang/HOVA collaboration album when it rolls off your tongue, but instead it’s another Android phone from our friends at Acer. This time, though, Acer is packing the 5-inch frame of the Liquid Jade Z with Android Lollipop 5.0, instantly lending it some instant credibility.

In many ways, Acer has made their Android living off the budget and value side of Android handsets, but the Liquid Jade Z pushes the company into the upper echelon with specs that higher-end Android lovers can appreciate:

• 5” HD IPS Screen (Zero Air Gap Display)


• Gorilla Glass 3


• 64-bit quad-core processor


• 13MP camera2


• 5MP front camera


• 24-bit Hi-res audio thru HD speakers


• 7.9mm thin


• 110 grams

Although these specs don’t compare to the flagships of household favorites like Samsung and HTC, they offer Acer customers what seems to be a solid product in the upper-end. As you would expect, Acer has also packed the device with some proprietary enhancements including selfie taking features and navigation with Trip Advisor POI options.

The company hasn’t abandoned the low and mid-range market, though, as they also announced the Z220 and 2520 additions to the Acer Liquid Z-Series.

I love how the company positions the more lowly Z220 as a “a secondary, vacation or party device” and hadn’t thought of this use case scenario- it’s an interesting suggestion. Meanwhile the Z520 is positioned as an all-around work horse. These phones have 4-inch screens, dual core processors, and 5MP and 8MP cameras respectively. Nothing that’s going to blow your socks off, but we’ll give them the chance to as we check them out on the MWC show floor.

AutoMate turns your Android phone into an Android Auto dashboard

Android Auto is one of the coolest things Google is doing right now, but it’s also one of the most difficult things to try for yourself. In order to use Android Auto you need a phone running Lollipop and an expensive aftermarket head unit for your car. Why should we have to buy a display to put in our vehicles when we already carry a display around with us everywhere?

Many people have complained about the fact that Android phones can’t display the Android Auto interface. All you would need is a simple car mount and it would work just the same. That’s exactly what you can do with a new app called AutoMate. The app is not official, so there are a few kinks (it launches Maps and music apps externally).

AutoMate gives you easy access to Google Maps navigation, phone, music, and favorite apps for driving. It’s a nice, clean, distraction-free interface to use while you should be concentrating on the road. To give AutoMate a try you’ll need to join the Google+ beta community and then opt-in to test the app from Google Play. Drive safely!

[via Lifehacker]

Gameloft’s Dungeon Hunter 5 slashes its way into the Play Store

I have a confession to make. I’ve never heard of the game “Dungeon Hunter,” but apparently it’s pretty popular, because Gameloft has just released the 5th installment.

Dungeon Hunter 5 is a brutal hack-n-slash RPG reminiscent of Diablo. After stopping the demon invasion in the Kingdom of Valenthia, the world remains shattered at its very core. Only the warriors of the Bounty Hunter guilds keep the peace now. There are over 100 weapons and armor sets to choose from, which you will need in order to fend off the dozens of monsters.

You can play Dungeon Hunter 5 in single-player as well as online co-op and multiplayer. In typical RPG fashion you can find items to add to your arsenal as you play the game. You can ever craft new items by using the items you find. Since this is a Gameloft game you can expect plenty of opportunities to spend real money to speed up the game. You could spend a lot of money to win, or be a true warrior and beat the game with no help. That’s up to you.

Dungeon Hunter 5 | Google Play Store

Quick Tip: You can now type “Find my phone” into Google Search to locate it

Google’s Android device manager is a great way to locate your phone after it’s been lost, and we consider it a primary option to turn to whenever you suffer the unfortunate fate. The only issue is that it’s never been a great experience finding the Android Device Manager on the web — some folks don’t even know that the Android Device Manager is.

To make things easier, Google has created an interface that will show up whenever you type “find my phone” into their search engine (typing “how to find a lost phone” works just as well). You’ll see a map as the service begins automatically locating your device.

You’ll have to be signed in, of course, and you should have Android Device Manager enabled at all times, but once you’ve taken care of all that you can remember this handy search query the next time you’re frantically searching for your phone instead of having to remember a long URL or rely on a bookmark.

Google takes Apple’s cue and reviews Android apps before letting them into Google Play

Google today made a huge announcement regarding the way they handle app submissions in Google Play. To now, the company has been lax about letting developers upload applications and only looked to remove apps in hindsight if they were found to have violated Google Play’s developer policies.

But it seems Google’s tired of that approach — they’ve gone ahead and created a bit of a walled garden for Google Play not unlike the one Apple employs for their App Store (that is to say, they’re now reviewing apps before letting them into Google Play). Google says this move was made to better protect users and to ensure the quality of apps in Google Play remain top notch.

Google said this process actually started a few months ago, and developers have yet to even notice. Their crack team of “experts” are able to review a large amount of apps in very quick succession so apps still appear in Google Play just mere hours after submission.

This sounds scary at first, we know. It’s a road we never thought Google would take, what with their emphasis on Android being “open” and “free.” But malware, hordes of apps that don’t work, and other toxic material in Google Play is counterproductive to the company’s goal of making Android even more fit for the mainstream than it already is. Example: what workplace is going to want to participate in Android for Work if their employees’ devices are exposed to potentially harmful apps?

Google hasn’t further detailed their review process, though they ensure us that the only thing they’re looking to do is make sure developers’ apps adhere to the developer policies outlined here. This isn’t going to be some Apple-like affair where they turn apps away for “duplicating functionality” or other nonsensical reasons.

To drive that point home, Google also mentioned that they will now be more upfront and clear about why your app may have been rejected or removed from Google Play. Furthermore, they’ve made it easier to resubmit apps for review after they’ve been rejected, so the fear of being exiled from Google Play forever should you make one tiny mistake should now evaporate.

No one is more thrilled to hear that than us, of course, as we’ve been the unfortunate recipients of Google Play banishment in the past.

Our issue was never that our apps were removed in the first place. We’d eventually accepted and corrected our mistakes after having to comb through the developer policy ourselves and simply guess what we were doing wrong. It was Google’s lack of clarity as to why our apps were removed that drove us crazy, and that they didn’t make it easy to rectify the issue after identifying and fixing it didn’t help.

If what Google says is true, then we — and any other developer who has ever been in our shoes — should have a much easier time creating quality apps and uploading them to Google Play, even if it has to go through a very reasonable review period. And in the event that you do make an honest mistake and accidentally violate Google’s developer policies, it should be no sweat off your brow to get it fixed. This is great for developers and users alike, and it’s our hope that Google Play will become even stronger because of it.

PS: Google also detailed a new content rating system based on existing digital content guidelines established in each region. Developers will be asked to submit questionnaires about their apps and games, after which it will be given an age rating by an appropriate ratings board for each region the app is available in (ESRB in North America and PEGI in Europe, for instance).

The questionnaire isn’t required for existing apps right now, though Google notes that any apps without a rating may be blocked in certain countries where distributing unrated content is prohibited. The questionnaire will be required for all new apps and games uploaded to Google Play starting in May. Be sure to get your app situated by submitting questionnaires (available through the developer console) as soon as possible.

[via Google]

It’s official: Google+ photos have merged into Google Drive

Ladies and gentleman, it’s official: starting today, all the photos you store in Google+ can now finally be accessed in Google Drive. And why shouldn’t they? They’ve been using the same cloud storage this whole time. This really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. We’ve seen Google toy around with this idea a few weeks back, even mention the move more recently. But only today has it become officially available.

Google says you’ll see the new Google Photos option in Drive’s slide-out menu for everything you upload from here on out. For your older albums, well, those will take a few more weeks before they’ll be available in Drive. No word on when/if we’ll see a separate Google Photos app arrive in the Play Store in the near future, but we’ll keep an eye out.

[Google Drive Blog]

Microsoft is making a ROM that will transform your Android phone into a Windows Phone

Microsoft has been doing a lot of work to capture mind share by releasing many of their latest apps and services on Android, but the company could look to get the “market” share to go along with it in their latest move. TechCrunch reports Microsoft is working on a custom ROM that will emulate a Windows Phone 10 experience.

This won’t be some simple Metro-styled launcher, either — this is apparently going to operate as a full-blown operating system as if you had originally bought a Windows 10 phone with access to Microsoft’s wealth of apps and services.

Xiaomi has agreed to make their flagship MI 4 a testing platform for the projects, though the company is clear to note that this isn’t a “partnership” of sorts where Xiaomi will begin shipping Mi 4 units with Windows 10 instead of MIUI. Instead, this is a pure trial for only the most interested Mi 4 owners, and the opportunity to take part won’t be extended to everyone.

Microsoft issued the following statement regarding the program:

As part of the Windows Insider Program, Microsoft will partner with Xiaomi to offer Windows 10 free downloads to a select group of Xiaomi Mi4 users. Xiaomi Mi4 users will get the ability to flash their phones with the new Windows 10 OS and provide feedback to Xiaomi and Microsoft on their experience. This partnership will allow Xiaomi and Microsoft to get direct user feedback and continue to improve the experience for China. Microsoft is thrilled to see Xiaomi embracing Windows 10 and offering this great value to their customers. We’re excited to see the feedback we receive from this audience.

Xiaomi is a leading phone manufacturer in China undergoing significant global expansion. We are excited to partner with them in China and jointly gather feedback from Chinese users on their experience with Windows 10 to jointly collaborate on product and services development for the platform.

Availability will be announced in the months to come.

Microsoft’s motive for this interesting move isn’t clear. Is this meant to give users a taste of Windows 10 so Microsoft can entice them to buy into the real deal? Does Microsoft want to create an alternate platform for users to use and become a true device-agnostic platform that can be used on a wide variety of devices like their desktop operating system is? Are they simply bored? Who knows, but they have our ear either way and we can’t wait to see how well this project turns out to be once it’s available for folks to try out.

Real-time tweets making their way into Google search results, but only on mobile

It’s official: starting today, you’ll begin seeing tweets sprinkled into your Google search results. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. We told you guys about the deal Twitter struck with Google back in early February in hopes of bringing fresh, new meat to the social network. What better way to do that than by teaming up with the internet’s biggest search giant?

Don’t worry about seeing Twitter results for any search query, only specific keywords will pull them up. Google says only things like “NASA Twitter” or “#MadMenFinale” will display tweets as they appear in real-time. Oh, and keep in this mind content from Twitter is only being displayed on mobile for now, which includes searches performed in the Google app or in your browser.

That being said, you might be careful what you tweet. Wouldn’t want a prospective employer Google searching your name and pulling up tweets about how wasted you and your friends got the night before.

[Google]

It is now possible to hack WiFi support into your LG G Watch R

Developers developers developers developers! Steve Ballmer got it right — these guys are awesome. Once again, a stout mind from XDA has cooked up a way to improve a device, and this time it’s the LG G Watch R.

You can now enable that dormant WiFi radio inside the LG G Watch R if you’re hankering to use WiFi on the Android Wear watch, granted your watch has an unlocked and TWRP recovery. You should also make sure you are on Android Wear 5.1.1, build LDZ22D, because it hasn’t been tested in any other environment.

The usual warnings and red flags apply. You do this, and anything else outside of the scope of the device’s intended usage, on your own accord. That means you can’t blame anyone else if your smart watch decides to become sentient and refuse your every command (not that that would be devastating or anything, but definitely annoying). Knowing that, you can find download links and instructions right here.

I spent a week without Android Wear or how I turned into a savage without my smartwatch

I’ve been living like a savage barbarian the past week and I don’t like it one bit. In fact, my life has been inconvenienced more times than not, it’s been filled with various frustrations, and from time to time certain tasks that were once simple have been much harder.

Next month will mark twelve months since the launch of Android Wear and I’ve worn either my LG G Watch or my Moto 360 every day since the Google I/O 2014 launch. I’ve spent the past week without my Android Wear powered Moto 360 smartwatch and I can’t wait to get home and get it fixed.

You see, while traveling to China to attend the OPPO R7 and R7 Plus launch event, my Moto 360 got snagged on a cramped bus aisle seat and was roughly ripped off of my wrist. The accompanying strap pin went flying off into the unknown and I was left without a wrist computer for the first time in nearly a year.

Smartwatches are not for everyone. They’re accessories. Just like how not everyone needs a smartphone case, not everyone needs to wear a bracelet, not everyone needs a traditional watch, and not everyone needs a smartwatch. But that doesn’t mean that each of those items do not serve a purpose in one way or another.

Smartwatches are all about convenience and how I personally use Android Wear reflects that as notifications, Google Now, and Smart Lock are my three main use cases.

Managing notifications on your wrist is a godsend if your pocket is constantly buzzing with updates and notifications from your smartphone. While it’s not generally a big deal to pull out your phone a few times a day, this can become quite annoying and repetitive if you’re an avid smartphone user. Having this simple, yet extremely powerful capability removed from your life just plain sucks. Glancing at your wrist for a second or two is much more convenient than pulling your smartphone out of your pocket and interacting with it for a longer period of time. Think about how many minutes a day you waste just pulling a phone out of your pocket. Also, sometimes you just can’t get into your pocket because your hands are full or you’re in a meeting and anything beyond a quick glance would be considered rude, it happens.

Next on the smartwatch added convenience factor is Smart Lock and trusted Bluetooth devices. Smart Lock for Android Lollipop allows you to conveniently unlock your smartphone if a trusted device is connected or you’re in a trusted location, etc. With Smart Lock enabled, you won’t have to constantly unlock your phone if one of the security criterias are met. I like to use my Moto 360 as my trusted Bluetooth device. If my Moto 360 is powered on, then it’s on my wrist and that means my smartphone won’t prompt me for a PIN, password, or pattern each and every time I go to use it. It’s extremely convenient and a time saver.

Do you know how annoying it is to get hundreds of notifications per day and have pull your phone out of your pocket and unlock it each and every time? Sure, queue the first world problems meme, but the struggle is real.

Google’s contextual service, Google Now, is the last on my list of hardships I’ve gone through the past week. Google Now is an extremely powerful tool, giving you just the information you need, when it’s convenient. In fact, I’d argue some of the most powerful and useful features of Google Now don’t shine until you’re traveling. Having your boarding pass show up on your wrist when you arrive at the airport, having hotel information pop up on your check-in date, showcasing local restaurants, or even just the temperature, all of these just pop up with very little effort on your part. I really missed those things the past week. Though, in my case, most of them wouldn’t have worked anyways, because Google Services in China are worthless thanks to the Great Firewall of China blocking the Googs, but I’ll leave that to a future article.

Even as I type this now in the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, I hear my Nexus 6 vibrating in my backpack as it’s charging with a power bank. I can’t look at my wrist to see what’s going on and it’s driving me mad.

There’s no doubt in my mind that smartwatches are going to take off in the next year or two. Wearable tech is still fairly new, but once you give it a try, the convenience factor will win you over and you won’t want to go back to your savage, phone checking life.

Do you use Android Wear or another smartwatch? If so, have you gone an extended time without it? Let me know in the comments.

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga finds its way back into Google Play for $6.99

Earlier this year Warner Brothers released a Lego Star Wars game onto Google Play, but it was promptly pulled and never heard of since. Well, it’s popped back up and now available for all to download.

This .99 download is comprised of two games Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, and Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy. These two games combine to cover all 6 Star Wars episodes series. It features 36 levels of story content, over 120 characters, and more, all draped in Lego dressings for those who don’t mind the quirky styles.

Lego games are simple, but are fun enough to check out. This particular game features Force powers and lightsaber battles, the ability to mix and match characters by swapping lego bricks and other cool things you won’t find in a typical Star Wars game. You’ll also have two control styles to switch between. It doesn’t sound like a bad package for .99 so if you’re a big Star Wars fanatic and have yet to check it out be sure to head here for the download.

Watch Android M turn home buttons into magic with Google Now on Tap [VIDEO]

Google’s knowledge graph, combined with Google Now, is changing the way we think about search. Instead of reacting to direct questions we ask our devices through search engines, Google Now predicts what we want to know and when, delivering it right to our fingertips.

Google Now is already an amazing feature for Android users, but the newly announced Google Now on Tap integration may completely change the way you use your phone.

It’s that simple:

• You’re in an Android app


• You want to know something relevant to the current screen


• You launch Google Now on Tap by holding the home button

You’ve just started the magic trick better known as Google Now on Tap and it takes only a split second for it to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. Now on Tap collects and interprets the data on your current screen, predicts what it is  you’ll want to know based on the context of that information, and present you with – hopefully – exactly what you’d want. Without even having to ask. It already knows.

Here are 3 examples of Google Now on Tap in action.

(1) Discussing what movie to watch, when, and where

(2) Texting about dinner plans

(3) Current curiousity (in this case, your music)

 

As Google’s Knowledge Graph expands and more developers integrate with the new APIs, Now on Tap has the potential to become an outrageously powerful tool.

Think about it: how often are you inside a particular app, going about your merry mobile way, and something triggers a question or task for which you need to exit the app, conduct a search, or perform some other task to finish your thought? All. the. time.

Now (no pun intended) what if you just held the Home button down and Google automatically launched the answer for the question you were already intending to ask? Call me the king of laziness, but I’m pretty sure I’d smile with satisfaction every time my buddy Googs served up this mind-reading goodness on a silver platter.

Initially the use cases of Google Now on Tap may be limited, but over time will grow. The concept is so simple, yet so brilliant, that a year from now we may be wondering how we lived without it (or why someone else didn’t think of it first).

Brilliant idiot turns 16 years of selfies into epic time lapse [VIDEO]

He calls himself an idiot… we’d say he’s brilliant.

You’re featured in some devastatingly awesome photobombs. You’ve mastered the art of the duckface. Your front facing camera skills put the Selfie Stick to shame. Brag all you want… you’re a rookie compared to this guy who took 16 years of selfies and compiled them all into one mind-blowing video.

He calls himself an idiot (probably to generate more clicks) but I’d say moreso a self-depracating genius. It takes a lot of foresight and vision to start such a project before mobile phones were popular. Heck, before modern day selfies were invented.

The photos are creatively compiled on his site, allowing you to experience them in different ways:

His name is JK Keller and here are some interesting facts from this truly interesting project:

• He used Adobe After Affects Image Stabilization Plugin to maintain consistency across photos


• The project started out of spite when his girlfriend mocked his expensive purchase (Nikon Coolpix 900) by sarcastically asking, “Are you going to use it every day?”


• He was 22 years old when he started the project on October 1st, 1998


• He plans on continuing the project (and updating the videos) until the day he dies


• He doesn’t smile so the images are objective and similar across days, months, years, and decades


• There is 8 months of missing data during which time JK was a janitor in Antarctica. This is not a joke.

Now this is a guy with whom I’d like to sit down and have a cup of coffee. It’s one thing to have the idea, it’s another thing to start it, but consistently keeping at it for 16 years without some overarching motivation besides self interest? This is a real artist at work.

That being said, JK readily admits that he’s not the first to pursue such projects and acknowledges he won’t be the last. He has even compiled a list of related photo projects for those who enjoy his own.

Do you now feel inspired to dream up a project of long-term creativity of your own? Because I sure do…

‘Flic’ turns your world into a giant touchscreen with programmable wireless buttons

Mobile devices have made it possible to do almost anything with just a few swipes and taps. The world is completely accessible through our glass touchscreens, but what if the world itself became a sort of touchscreen? What if you could get in your car and press the “GPS” button to open Google Maps on your phone? What if you could snooze your alarm by simply pressing a button on your nightstand? Enter “Flic.”

Flic is a wireless “smart button” that can connect to your phone to perform a wide variety of tasks. It’s like taking some of the digital UI elements from your phone and transplanting them into the real world. The Flic buttons connect to your phone via Bluetooth, and with a companion app can be programmed to do a great many things.

Like what?

• Control lights


• Take a picture


• Snooze button


• Find your phone


• Play music


• Send a distress signal


• Start a timer


• Navigate


• Open your door


• Order food


• Share your location


• Send a message


• …and much more

You can also control Phillips Hue lights, Nest thermostat, August smartlock, and other home automation devices with Flic. It also integrates with apps such as IFTTT, Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook, Yo, and Tasker. Flic is currently in the process of being funded on IndieGoGo. If this sounds like something you’re interested in be sure to check it out.

‘Powder’ is a relaxing Android game, until you run into a tree [VIDEO]

There is literally a simulator for everything these days. Goat Simulator. Farming Simulator. Forklift Simulator. Street Cleaning Simulator. The list goes on and on. If you had a Windows PC in the 90’s you may remember a game called SkiFree, which could be considered one of the original simulators. Powder -Alpine Simulator brings back some of that classic SkiFree charm for Android.

In Powder your goal is to simply ski down a mountain as long as possible. There are tree and rocks that will get in your way, but no abominable snow monsters (as far as I know). To control the skier you tap or hold on the whichever direction you’d like to go. Your speed will build up and it will get more difficult to avoid the obstacles.

The other aspect of this game is its soothing nature. Instead of a rocking soundtrack there is only soothing white noise. Combine that with the rhythmic swooping back and forth down the hill and you’ll fall into a trance, that is until you run into a tree. At first it may seem a little boring, but after a while you’ll be hooked in.

For .99 you can unlock a bear skier to replace the default pixel skier. Playing the game is great, but once you venture outside of the gameplay it gets a little messy. On my LG G4 the menu is very hard to read and the buttons are difficult to press. The game doesn’t seem to be optimized for 2K displays. Other than that this is a soothing and fun game. Download it for free from the Play Store here.

You no longer need a Facebook account to log into Messenger

Despite having more than 1.44 billion monthly active users, Facebook knows that not everybody wants to join a social network just to keep in touch with friends and/or family. That’s why they’re eliminating the need to log in with a Facebook account altogether in their latest Messenger update.

Launching first for users in Canada, the United States, Peru and Venezuela, Messenger will not only require a phone number in order to get started using the service which we admit, is much more enjoyable to use than Hangouts. Users who login with their phone numbers will still have access to all the features in Messenger including sending photos, group chats, even voice and video calling.

Facebook does mention that there are still benefits to using your Facebook account to login vs only your phone number like being able to message Facebook friends/contacts (not just people in your phone book), as well as access messages across multiple devices and on the web.

As someone who spends a lot of time messaging friends/family on Messenger, this is absolutely perfect as my immediate family is no longer on Facebook. I’d be willing to guess more than a few of can relate.

Pizza Hut made a pizza box that transforms your phone into a projector

When Google unveiled Cardboard during last year’s Google I/O, they proved that innovative hardware doesn’t always need a complicated manufacturing process to get the job done. Running with that idea is Pizza Hut who, in their latest marketing stunt, has transformed a few limited edition pizza boxes into make-shift movie projectors.

The technology behind it is actually pretty simple and like Cardboard only involves a lens to project a smartphone’s display onto a wall. Yeah, you’re going to need a really dark room if you want to see what’s going on. Even if the quality is somewhat lacking, the boxes more than make up for it in wow factor. Something about this reminds us of tying cups together to form a telephone as a kid — not because it was an effective form of communication, but because it was damn cool.

Marketing stunts like this aren’t too uncommon in fast food. Last week, we saw KFC introduce a Bluetooth keyboard tray that allowed patrons to continue chatting without getting their phones all greased up. Like KFC, Pizza Hut’s boxes didn’t make it stateside and were instead only available in Hong Kong. Even if we couldn’t appreciate this for ourselves we have to admit, it’s still a pretty great idea.

[OhGizmo!]