Metal Art Meets 3D Printing
What happens when a laser and a milling machine have a baby? You get the new LaserTec 65 3D… Printer? Actually, it’s a laser deposition welding and machining… machine.
The new LaserTec 65 basically has a laser torch with a channel around the tip that allows the machine to basically blow metal dust out while the laser is on. When the metal hits other metal it melts and bonds instantly. Now, imagine moving that around with a precision CNC and well, you get the picture! A 3D printed metal object.
The problem is, that object is going to be rough. So to smooth things out the LaserTec 65 incorporates a built in milling machine that allows it to go right back over whatever it just made and polish it off nice and fine.
So if anyone is looking for ideas for my birthday, this is what I want!!!
What’s in Your Google Wallet?
And in digital payment news, perhaps you’ll be able to buy me that laser deposition welder with your smartphone! No, I don’t think you’ll be able to just trade it in, but if Google has their way, the rumor is that very soon Google Wallet will be integrated into the Android OS, as well as with all of the US mobile carriers, to allow Apple Pay-like convenience for Android users.
I know I just told you about Samsung’s purchase of LoopPay last week, but maybe that is why Google is coming forward with this info. There would clearly be an advantage in owning the mobile payments space and perhaps they are trying to cut Samsung off at the knees before they get a stronghold.
Personally, I’m just glad some options are coming to Android, and frankly it’s better to have multiple options anyway. With Apple it looks like users will be stuck with one monopolistic system.
New Pebble has Color Screen and 7 Days’ Battery Life
If you’re a fan of the Pebble, get ready to break out your wallet – digital or otherwise – because the company is back with a new crowdfunding project on Kickstarter.
Today they launched the Pebble Time which will incorporate a color e-ink display, a microphone so you can talk to your watch Dick Tracey style, and 7 days of battery life. Oh, plus it’s waterproof.
The new Pebble will work with all 6,500 of the apps already out there, and they say they’ll be ready to ship it in May!
In the Kickstarter campaign, $159 gets the first 10,000 people the early bird pricing, which sounds like a lot of people could get it. Except within the first few hours they moved all 10,000 of them and as of a few minutes ago they’ve booked nearly $4.5M worth of orders for over 21,000 Pebbles! And even as I wrote this episode you could just watch the orders streaming in by the thousands! Which goes to prove that Pebble owners LOVE their watch.
The question is, will the Pebble Time be able to break the $10M record setting round of the original Pebble? Only TIME will tell…
Mount Your Camera Anywhere with VBag
Finally, to wrap up today’s episode we’re going handheld for a demonstration of the VBag camera stabilizer! This is an bag that will allow you to mount your camera almost anywhere to get some shots that might be impossible without it. It costs $250 and you can find it at VBag.com.
Sponsored by Lynda.com
Lynda.com has created thousands of tutorials covering a HUGE range of subjects and it’s all available to you starting around $25. Go learn something new at lynda.com/geekbeat.
