Earl Backcountry Survival Tablet

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Your iPad is built for the couch. Earl is built for the wildnerness. The Earl Backcountry Survival Tablet is a surprise arrival on the tablet scene, a do-it-all survival gadget with maps, two-way communication, weather and solar charging systems all built-in. Earl is an Android-powered tablet with a 6-inch, flexible E-ink touchscreen display that is designed for the adventurer. It features just about everything a wilderness camper and his/her co-campers need to explore mother nature and stay safe far from civilization. Using its Android operating system, it provides detailed maps, GPS reference points, a satellite-powered compass, a two-way communications system, a screen-based emergency lantern, a radio receiver and more in a compact, touch-enabled device. It’s an extreme camper’s toolkit in a small package, precisely what the doctor explorer ordered when packing light.

When batteries or power outlets are not available, Earl’s rear-mounted solar panel can charge the device from the light of day. Its E-ink display sips power, ensuring that the device can last long on each charge and power-up on its own under the sun. It may not have a HULU app or play Angry Birds, but that’s the whole point of heading to the wilderness in the first place. With Earl, you can gladly bring along a bit of powerful tablet technology to enrich your experience, not escape it.

Earl is currently undergoing crowd funding on its own website at MeetEarl.com. Earl will be priced at an affordable $250 each when produced, which will come after the crowd funding is complete. We’ll be honest, we didn’t see this one coming, and it has instantly taken over as the most exciting tablet news of 2013 thus far. It may not be for everyone, but those with an adventurous spirit have just commenced drooling. We need to wipe up our keyboard…

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Earl Backcountry Survival Tablet | Gallery

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Light as a feather, stiff as a board, printed at home. The VRZ 2 BELT 3D Printed Bike is a fierce fixed-gear bike with 3D-printed titanium hardware. The stem, the seat stay and other connecting brackets were molded out of titanium using a 3D printer, then coated with a gold paint job. This design by Ralf Holleis is built to be lightweight and heavy-duty, weighing in at less than 11 pounds but looking like a million bucks. It features a belt-drive crank system, carbon-fiber wheels and a sliver of a seat to maintain a low profile. There may be a plenty of buzz lately about that 3D-printed gun, but we think this 3D-printed bike frame is a much more exciting, much more creative endeavor. Kudos, Ralf Hollies, let us know when we can take one out for a spin… [via notcot ]