Watch the demo below to find out how to use BlackSMS:

I find it a bit tedious to keep switching between the Message app and BlackSMS, especially if you end up engaged in a long conversation. It would’ve been nicer if it was integrated into iMessage itself; then again I’m not sure if Apple will allow that. Also, keep in mind that both you and the person you’re texting have to have the app and need to be texting with iMessage, not regular SMS. But if you can’t wait to pass digital secret notes, download BlackSMS from the App Store for $0.99 (USD). Just don’t render it useless with a weak password, okay?

[via Lifehacker]

In the case that you happen to have an account with a company that had been hacked, then fret not, because you can use PwnedList to check if your information has been compromised.

The online tool was developed by Alan Puzic, who is a professional security intelligence researcher who’s into “white-hat” hacking (or the good kind, if there really is one). In an interview, Puzic said: “Our goal was to design a simple-to-use online portal where an average user could check to see if his or her account credentials were leaked.”

You can check if your accounts are safe simply by typing in your username or e-mail address and hitting “Check.” If you find you’ve been compromised, now would be a good time to go change all of your passwords that use that email address. And if you’re worried about PwnedList itself, don’t, because they won’t store any of the information that you enter or any hits on searches you’ve made for your accounts on its database.

[via PCWorld]

For starters, there’s a safe that looks just like the TARDIS, complete with all the appropriate blue Police Box details, including a flashing blue light on the roof. It looks like it’s a pretty decent size, and could hold small, but precious things like coins, jewelry or even small documents. Of course, there’s no telling if they might get transported to some other time or dimension once you put them in there and shut the door.

Star Wars fans can skip the TARDIS and go straight for the R2-D2 safe, which finally proves that there wasn’t actually a little person inside of the droid, but a hollow storage compartment perfect for holding onto your precious galactic credits and other goodies.

Each safe locks using an app which runs on your iPhone, iPod Touch or Android phone which outputs a series of blinking lights when docked – so your only key is a mobile device with your code keyed in. Of course, the biggest problem with small safes like these is that if a criminal really wanted what was inside, they could just pick it up and crack it open with a lightsaber, a sonic blaster, or a ball-peen hammer.

Both safes both come from UK watch and gadget company Zeon, and are expected in stores sometime around June.

[via Pocket-Lint and C|Net]
(Thanks for the tip, Mo!)

Tests have yielded a 98% percent recognition success rate. The data gets sent back to a laptop where it is aggregated into a reading of your specific butt. Then it can be used as the “key” to keep others from using your car.

It might also alert you to the fact that you are gaining weight if it one day refuses to turn on the car. That will teach you to eat the entire bag of chips.

[via TechCrunch via Geekosysytem]

The problem was that when people tried to get into their rooms, they found the keys no longer worked. Huge crowds of people lingered in the lobby and halls since they had nowhere to go. The hotel elevators were also locked out. The police even had to be called as some fights broke out in the hotel. When it was all over, guests were locked out for about four hours. The lockout didn’t end until about 3am, and people were given free rooms as a thank you for not destroying the hotel.

Strangely enough, the problem started at about 11pm, so it’s not clear if the cutover to 2012 was responsible for the failure, since the system clock would have had to have been on Central time for that to have had an impact.

[via 9news]

Of course, it would also be insane to just carry a bag while you workout. Imagine having to lift weights and keeping a close eye on your purse or backpack. Why not just bring along your valuables and essentials with you–in your towel?

Playing on this idea, the Zhu PockeTowel has a pocket compartment at the bottom with a hidden zipper. Just put your stuff inside and hang the towel around your neck or over your shoulder while you go do your thing.

Aside from its handy pockets, the towel is made from bamboo, which has natural anti-microbial and hypoallergenic properties.

Each Zhu PockeTowel retails for $19.95 (USD). You can get two at a discounted price of $33.95 and three for $41.95.

[via Oh! Gizmo]

The LockDown has a touchscreen keypad and LCD screen to facilitate password entry. It uses AES 256-bit hardware encryption, and you can use it with any OS or USB-based device. Here’s Satechi’s setup video for the LockDown:

Turn on private browsing and head to Satechi’s website to order the LockDown. It sells for $99 (USD), which isn’t too bad considering it comes with a USB 3.0 cable, USB-to-DC cable and screwdriver for assembly. Note that the encryption will still protect the hard drive even if you take it out of LockDown, so you can make and swap out multiple encrypted hard drives. Just make sure you don’t lose the enclosure, or you’ll never access your data again.

(This article has been significantly revised because the whole “Cryptex” concept from The DaVinci Code flew over my head. My apologies. And now, we return to your scheduled programming.) The Crypteks USB drive doesn’t just have a mechanical lock like the DIY Cryptex drive. It has additional security features aside from the mechanical lock, like 256-bit AES hardware encryption, a read-only mode and the ability to set the number of wrong password attempts before the drive goes Men in Black and wipes its contents.

The Crypteks USB has already earned more than twice its target goal on Kickstarter. The fundraiser will still be up for 22 days, so sneak your way to its project page if you want to be one of the first to own a Crypteks USB drive. Those of you who want to play it safe with your money (but apparently not with your data!) can avail of the retail version when it drops mid-2012. My only complaint about this drive is that it’s USB 2.0-spec only, which is kind of disappointing considering the drive costs $130 (USD) for the 8GB version and $160 for the 16GB version.

[Crypteks via The Verge]

The Ballistic Clipboard was actually developed upon the request of law enforcement personnel. Not to take anything away from the conventional bulletproof vest, but the clipboard can actually protect the officer (or clipboard-wielding person) in areas where the vest can’t – providing he or she has fast hands and lightning-quick reflexes, that is.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The discrete protection that the Ballistic Clipboard provides costs $150 (USD), which seems like a pretty reasonable amount for something that could literally save your life at some point.

[via Ubergizmo via Oh Gizmo!]

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think having one of those emergency distress buttons would be pretty cool. Not for your home or office or car (although it would be pretty cool to have a button at each of these locations), but for yourself. And that’s essentially what you’ll get with MyRingGuard.

Currently in the prototype stages, MyRingGuard is a ring that’s molded from silicone and plastic that, when triggered, sends off a signal to your smartphone via Bluetooth to fire off a pre-programmed text message to a set group of people, along with your exact location via GPS.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

MyRingGuard is up for funding at Indie Gogo with a target goal of $30,000. Assuming the project is funded, a $39 pledge will get you a MyRingGuard personal emergency button for yourself. Now there’s another way of putting a ring on it.

[via Oh Gizmo!]

I didn’t have the mind to reason with her then that it was because the peephole was way up there and I way way down here. So that was the last day I answered our door (until I grew tall enough), which wasn’t much of a problem for me because it’s not like I wanted to stop what I was doing every time someone would knock or ring the bell.

But with this premise in mind, designer Hyun-june Yang has come up with the “Who Is Out There?” peephole that’s designed for kids and elderly adults who can’t reach the regular old peephole anymore.

Aside from being a normal peephole, “Who Is Out There?” also integrates a periscope to create a child-friendly peephole. What results is an extended peephole that looks a bit like some pipes welded together, but it could prove to be really useful.

[via Yanko Design]

To use the camera, simply look through its lens, press its button and then “scan the room at a slow and methodical pace.” Like a boss. Spy. Like a boss spy. You should then see any camera lens flash red, as shown in the video below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can order the SpyFinder Personal hidden camera detector from Spytronic for $99 Canadian (~$94 USD). Next step, a hidden hidden camera detector. Or a hidden camera that looks like a hidden camera detector. Or a hidden camera detector that looks like a hidden camera. Get on it folks. And by folks I mean Brando.

The flaw apparently opens these devices up to allow anyone to copy all the data off the phone as long as they craft an app that asks for the right permission. The data could then be grabbed remotely by anyone since an app can open a network port on the device.

The key flaw is in the android.permission.INTERNET permission and when that permission is called into action, a nefarious app could access just about everything. That permission allows the theft of things like GPS location, email addresses, SMS logs, call logs, and any information in a currently running app. HTC is investigating now and promises a fix if they determine the issue is truly a threat.

[via Android Community]

The CCD-Me-Not is a modified umbrella created by Mark Shepard, studded with infrared LEDs, which are designed to confuse the object detection algorithms used in computer-aided surveillance systems.

It’s definitely an interesting device to have if you are worried about Big Brother watching your every move.

This project is an offshoot of Sentient City, which offers a number of different and unusual devices including, sensor-detecting clothing and setting up an ad-hoc wireless network with your thermos, among other things.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[CanadianArt via DVice]

Scary thought, I know, which is why I think the City Scars app is a very good idea, even though that’s all it is right now: an idea.

The app has a pretty scary (and strange name) but in a way, it does make sense. It tracks down the scars of the city you’re in (scars being crimes, broken street lights, among others) from user-submitted information and pushes alerts and notifications to other users of the app.

Through the app, concerned users can also share “digital witness” information to the authorities about stuff that they just happened to capture and, well, witness.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Yanko Design]

Just drop a mobile phone SIM into the back of this GSM Remote Security Camera, and you can keep watch from any place you have a cellphone connection. In addition to being able to automatically send alerts when it detects motion (using an IR sensor), you can send an SMS message to the camera for it to send you a reply with a series of images on-demand via MMS or email. It even lets you listen in to audio at the monitored location in real time. And unlike some of the gadgets that come out of China, this one offers Quad-Band network support, so it’ll work worldwide – as long as you’re on a GSM network.

Image resolution from the camera is nothing to write home about, though – with a maximum 640×480(VGA) resolution, but this is a security camera – not something you’ll use to take portraits with. In keeping with that theme, it captures a wide 70-degree viewing angle, and can capture clear images from up to about 25 feet away in nightvision mode. It’s not clear from the specs, but it sounds like it doesn’t capture video footage at all – instead sending you a series of JPEG stills.

Since you’ll want to have this thing on all the time, you’ll probably want to have it plugged into the included AC adapter, but it does have a built in Lithium battery and can stay in standby mode for 24 to 36 hours on the battery pack if needed. Keep in mind that the camera does not automatically stay in nightvision mode in order to conserve on battery power. This can be activated by remote SMS message.

The GSM Remote Security Camera is available over at ChinaVasion for about $130 (USD), and includes everything you need to get started – except for the mobile phone SIM. You’ll have to add on service from a cellphone provider for that.

The lock is a deadbolt for your door and it communicates with an app on an iPhone that appears to be in some sort of NFC case. You run the app on the phone and can choose from multiple keys. When you walk up and press the smartphone to the door, it opens the lock.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This would be much better than my keypad because if my hands are full I can give the phone to someone to unlock the door for me without having to yell the code across my yard. It’s so easy, my kids could do the unlocking too. You also don’t need a Wi-Fi network or home automation to use the lock either.

No word yet on when the Yale electronic key and lock system will be available for purchase.

[via CEPro]

Using the complementary app, you can tweak the Bungee Air’s security settings, including the separation distance at which the alarm will go off. In case you still can’t picture how the BungeeAir works, here’s a demo:

The functionality works both ways too – if you have the iPhone on hand but can’t find the key fob (and whatever else may be attached to it), you can trigger the alarm from the app:

The Kensington BungeeAir iPhone case is available in two versions. The case that comes with an additional battery that provides up to 4 hours of call time is available at Amazon for $100 (USD). But if all you need is the security function, an $80 version is forthcoming and can be pre-ordered directly from Kensington.

[via Chip Chick]

Like a scion of a blue blooded line with three middle names, all of them fancy, the LG Roboking Triple Eye VR6180VMNC deserves its typically long and convoluted designation. That’s because aside from the two cameras that it uses to decide how to go about sucking dirt, it has a third camera that users can activate to capture the robot’s surroundings. The camera combos with the robot’s Wi-Fi capability and a complementary mobile app, allowing its master to monitor headquarters from a smartphone.

But that’s not all that the Roboking Triple Eye can do. It’s also equipped with voice recognition technology, allowing its master to verbally command it to stop cleaning, charge itself, annihilate all who stand in his way, etc.

For now it seems like the impossibly smart Roboking Triple Eye is exclusive to Korean households, but you can bet competitors all over the world will come up with something similar soon enough. After all, the Roboking wasn’t the first of its kind. Jeez. Robot vacuum cleaners. If aliens came to Earth and the first thing they saw was a robot vacuum cleaner they’ll have awfully high expectations of us Earthlings. Boy will they be disappointed.

[via Robot Buying Guide & Akihabara News]

Talk about paranoia. The Ila Portable Door Alarm Wedge probably wasn’t meant for me, but it’s definitely something I can use the next time I go traveling. (I also plan to get my parents several of these. I’m sure that will get me back on their Daughter of the Month list pretty quickly.)

The Door Alarm Wedge is teeny tiny, which makes it easy to stuff into your luggage. Once an intruder tries to force himself into your room, the alarm is triggered and a high-pitched 130dB alarm will sound off, waking everyone who’s on the same floor and terrifying your would-be assailant (or some hotel maid who should probably learn to knock.)

These babies are available from Firebox for appx. $24 (USD).

[via Coolest Gadgets]