Gadgets Blog

Forget about hiding your keys under the doormat or in the mailbox any more, those are old methods that are straight out from the textbook. Why not do something more imaginative? For example, the Sprinkler Hide-A-Key that resides in your garden instead, remaining inconspicuous to all and sundry and will be one of the last places a conniving thief would look at.

Rather than the old standard under-the-doormat or inside a plastic rock, this fake inground sprinkler head offers a good place to put a set of spare keys or maybe an emergency USB flash drive. It looks like a regular sprinkler head and the tough water-tight plastic case holds multiple keys.

Made from a tough, water-tight plastic case, you can bring this home for $5.95 a pop. Of course, it won’t stop stalkers from finding out where you place your keys, but at least dumber thieves who don’t check out their future victims and their key hiding position earlier will have a tougher time figuring how to perform a minimal fuss entry.

iSkoot sounds pretty cute, and you’ll be pleased to know that this mobile software pioneer won’t be releasing applications meant for the iPhone platform only, as it has offered a bunch of groundbreaking mobile Internet calling solutions in the past with bigger news today - additional support for the popular Twitter community to its innovative Kalaida mobile services platform, letting users deliver real-time Internet functionality to virtually all handsets sold in this day and age. Twittering can be a pretty bad habit if you’re the type who loves broadcasting to the world of your every movement and action, and could border on the obsessive. I think there might actually be a Twitterers Anonymous group starting in no time if folks continue to look inward.

Twitter has grown to be one of the fastest growing social networks in the world with its rapid updates and “micro-blogging” format, so you can be sure that something like iSkoot will definitely be huge if it offers even greater ease of use. iSkoot’s Kalaida platform will concentrate processing in the network, letting users’ phones connect to Twitter and other communications tools the way PCs do: simultaneously and in real time. All you need to do is sign in once and it will kickstart all services in order to keep the experience simple without being a drain on phone resources and battery life.

The Kalaida platform also features a host of other services such as full-time, real-time connection to social networks, personal e-mail, instant messaging, and leading news, sports, and entertainment feeds. Users will be able to take advantage of Kalaida to receive a full spectrum of Internet services to a single live screen on the handset, doing away with the need for users to open a browser or application to access one service at a time. These services will be delivered over all data connections, so it isn’t compulsory to have a 3G connection although it would be nice to do so.

Press Release

Apple’s iPhone, how will life be without you? Never before in the history of mankind have we seen humans line up for days before the iPhone was actually released, regardless of whether it is the original or the upgraded version with 3G connectivity. Some of us have even gone so far as to dub it the Jesus phone, lending some sort of divine quality to the handset, but does it really deserve such a tag? After all, holding it up to the Red Sea won’t be able to part the huge body of water in half, let alone the small drain right outside my house. However, after taking a look at this website - Parkingticket.com, I am pretty convinced the iPhone is just about the most versatile handset to date. How many other phones do you know are able to help you wriggle your way out of a parking ticket? You can quit thinking and squeezing your brain for the moment, as the iPhone is the solitary one at this point in time.

Parkingticket.com has just announced full compatibility of its online service with the Safari web browser that is found on the Apple iPhone, allowing users to contest a parking ticket the moment it is issued. Thanks to the built-in (albeit rather low on the megapixel count) 2 megapixel camera found on the iPhone, it will help revolutionize the way folks fight back against predatory ticketing via the website. No idea that there were so many authorized personnel running around issuing tickets, sounding as though they did so with wanton abandon.

Glen Bolofsky, President of parkingticket.com explains, “Imagine, you come back to your car from dinner and find a ticket on your windshield and you were positive you had parked legally. Now, without even leaving the scene, you can use your iPhone and begin to fight your ticket. You react instantly to a ticket using your iPhone.” Once you’ve entered your ticket and vehicle details, answer a few quick questions and snap a few photos, the process will begin.

To have parkingticket.com prepare a guaranteed dismissal request letter customers post 50 percent of the fine amount at the onset of the process. If parkingticket.com is successful in assisting you in getting the ticket dismissed, then the upfront deposit is retained by parkingticket.com. If, after a hearing, the parking ticket fine is reduced, rather then dismissed, parkingticket.com retains half of the amount you saved and refunds the balance. After the hearings take place, if parkingticket.com is unsuccessful in getting the ticket dismissed or reduced they will not only refund the posted payment, but also pay you an additional $10.00 just for trying! So, now, iPhone users will get paid to fight their tickets if they are not dismissed or reduced.

Press Release

Walmart.com will definitely brighten up the day of any video game fan by offering preorders for the upcoming Nintendo DSi console. Regardless of how many zillions of DSis that Walmart stocks, they will still sell it for $169 a pop, so don’t expect it to come any cheaper compared to other stores. According to Kelly Thompson, Walmart.com’s chief merchant, “Walmart.com has made tens of thousands of Nintendo DSi units available for preorder, giving more customers the chance to enjoy one of the most sought-after handheld consoles in history. Customers continue to choose Walmart.com to find the best online selection and strongest values in video games, especially for popular releases like the Nintendo DSi.” As usual, you are able to choose from black and blue finishes only, but that’s just because Nintendo hasn’t made other colors available - yet.

Press Release

For Christmas, my wife got our kids some of those Tamagotchis. Apparently, she always wanted one herself, and I am very surprised at how much fun my kids, who are ages 5 and 6, can have with these little toys.

It appears that Takara Tomy has a new virtual pet with the Yuruppy. The Yuruppy is like a Tamagotchi, but it has a touchscreen, so the user can “pet” them. Hopefully the Yuruppy inside will have some sort of adorable reaction.

There are also other activities that the user can put their virtual pet through, including 14 mini games. If the user doesn’t want a puppy, he or she can choose between a kitten and a chicken as well. I don’t think I’ve ever petted a chicken, but that’s because I don’t want to get pecked.

Best of all, the Yuruppy requires no care. I know that my kids have experienced some sadness when their Tamagotchi has died due to lack of care, and I’m not certain if this is a good “life-lesson” for them. Is this the best way to teach “if you don’t take care of your pet, it will die?”

The Yuruppy is slated to have a Japanese release, and should have a price of about $21. There are plans to release a Yuruppy deluxe with a larger screen for about $38.

Source

Expensive electronic brain trainers like “Brain Age” are no better than keeping the mind young and sharp than the daily crossword puzzle, according to experts in the United Kingdom. Based on a study commissioned by the consumer group “Which?,” three experts were tasked to check claims made by Nintendo and other devices that brain games increase memory and are instrumental in staving off mental disorders like Dimentia.

Games costing as much as $100, including “Dr. Kawashimas Brain Training” for the Nintendo DS state that the exercise games target the frontal cortex region of the brain and that they increase blood flow to that section. But experts such as Dr. Chris Bird of the Universiry College of London found simply doing a daily crossword puzzle, as well as eating a healthy diet and keeping to a consistent exercise regimen does just as well. In fact, the peer review found that research requested from the game manufacturers was wholly insufficient to support the claims.

In addition, the team found that these brain trainers weren’t any better than computer games like Tetris in accomplishing it’s aims.
Martyn Hocking, editor at Which?, said: “If people enjoy using these games, then they should continue to do so - that’s a no-brainer. “But if people are under the illusion that these devices are scientifically proven to keep their minds in shape, they need to think again.”

Hat Tip â€" The Beeb

A few years back, Samsung had a great idea. Create a solid-state camcorder for extreme sports enthusiasts which would use an auxiliary lens that could fit on a helmet to record the action. The next generation, had a wireless lens â€" but customer complaints about static and connectivity issues ended up deep sixing not only the wireless version, but the whole extreme sports line period. It may have been that extreme sports are simply too hard on recording technology â€" even solid state cameras that record on flash media â€" or that there simply wasn’t enough interest to warrant a long term commitment to the line. But even though there may not be enough And since nature abhors a vaccum, MotoComm has developed a Digitial Recording System that promises to fill the void Samsung left behind.

Looking for like a miniature VCR with a camera connected, the MotoComm DSR-1003G allows adventurers to connect the weatherproof (and no doubt shock proof) bullet style camera to a helmet. Turn the recorder on and it’ll record both sound and audio, or one can listen to the built in mp3 player. Some even suggest that thanks to it’s onboard LCD, that it can be used as a rear view camera system to see what’s behind. The MotoComm comes with 1GB of on-board memory and can take up to a 4 GB SD card.

Cost is $359.99

Hat Tip â€" Travelizmo

Have you ever been late because you forgot to set your alarm? Your boss might buy that excuse, but imagine telling him or her this one: “Sorry I’m late, but I forgot to pour water into my alarm clock”.

Yes, it does make sense if you own the Water Powered Alarm Clock. This is one of those eco-friendly gadgets that doesn’t require a battery or power cord. All you need to do is “just add water”.

Apparently, the evaporation creates a constant supply of energy, using an electrochemical reaction between the electrodes and the water. Believe it or not, you only need to fill the Water Powered Alarm Clock once every three months for it to work. Looks like the “I forgot to pour water into my alarm clock” excuse will only work four times a year.

In addition to telling the time, the Water Powered Alarm Clock can also give you a temperature reading as well. I’m not really certain how the user sets it, but I’m guessing that there are some buttons on the back, or something.

I’m also not certain if it is easily portable. You wouldn’t want this thing to spring a leak in your suitcase, what you? By the way, what is that thing to the left of it? It’s probably a tiny container to fill up the Water Powered Alarm Clock, but it looks more like a butane lighter.

Well, if you want to check it out for yourself, feel free to head on over to the Gadget Shop and lay down £19.99.

Source

LG and Verizon Wireless has recently announced the creation of the Versa, which they claim to be a real MVP (Most Versatile Phone).

So what makes it so versatile? Well, the big feature is that it comes with a QWERTY keyboard that is detachable, with an LED screen on the back. So if you are comfortable texting without the keyboard, you can just leave it at home.

Without the QWERTY, the Versa also works as a full touchscreen, and has an animated 3D interface with three different home screens and three options of layouts. The web browser is a full HTML that supports Flash and RSS feeds, with three browser windows open at a time.

Other features include a 2 Megapixel camera with face detection, a music player, microSD memory port, Bluetooth, plus it is VZ Navigator capable. Another feature is the Chaperone program, which allows the LG Versa to have its location shared with family members via the Chaperone Web site.

Of course, a lot of phones have the features listed in the previous paragraph. The detachable QWERTY is probably going to sell the Versa the most. I have a suggestion of how to improve it: create a detachable QWERTY that is the size of a normal computer keyboard, and make it so it folds up. That would make the mobile computing experience a lot easier.

The LG Versa should be available at Verizon Wireless stores on March 1 for $199.99 after $50 mail in rebate.

Source

There is nothing I loathe more than being cold, for some people overheating is worse.  Typically it’s the overly scrawny that hate the cold, either way, for those that do hate the cold, there are now these incredibly brilliant pants.  They aren’t the most fashionable pants out there and not exactly form fitting, but they’re heated.  For those that were wondering, the pants shown in the photo are the women’s pants, I was a bit surprised to discover that one myself.

Then again not every female out there wants pants that fit like a second skin, so these loose fitting pants might be a breath of fresh air for some.  They come in two different styles, one featuring the slightly plaid look and the other showing off plain gray.  The pants have a safe electric current that heats the pant’s Thermo-Tex ink-printed liner.  To control the temperature there is a small rechargeable battery pack that slips into your pocket.  The pants also have mesh-lined vents to get rid of excess heat and insulation to provide extra warmth when the heater isn’t going.  The pants used to be priced at $269, but are on sale for the still pricey $121.

Source: Gizmodiva

If you still love all that retro technology, but want to keep up with the current stuff.  Well, you probably shouldn’t buy these then.  It’s pretty much almost outdated technology featuring a design that makes it look like super outdated technology.  However, if you are still using CDs every so often (which I do on occasion myself), these would be fun to own.  Although, you’d probably start over thinking what you put on the CDs.  You can’t just place anything on cool retro CDs such as these.

You can’t just put pictures on these just before you pass them off to a family member who gets fussy over the concept of emailing pictures.  You have to put great tunes on these CDs and then put them on display, shown off to every guest that comes into your home or car.  Each recordable CD comes with a sleeve designed to look like a 7” record sleeve.  Each CD has 700MB of storage on it, with that amount of storage, it’s a wonder why we ever switched to flash drives.  You can pick up a set of four for £7.99 or about $11.50 on Thumbs Up UK.  Well, that is you could if they weren’t out of stock right now.

Source: Geeky-Gadgets

This is one way to make sure that you feel like you’re living in a small circus when you’re in your living room.  After all, life does have a tendency to feel as chaotic as one, so you might as well decorate like you’re in one and have all the fun that goes with it.  These cute little lamps feature shapes that make them look like cute balloon animals.  Which would make them great for fun lighting in your living room or just as decoration in a child’s room.  Some would be better for kids, but one or two look like they’re designed more for the adults.

Particularly the grenade lamp is probably not designed for children.  The rest would probably work well enough for them though.   Although the cute ice cream shape will probably have you and the kids constantly wanting to take a trip out to the local ice cream parlor.  They are all blown glass and are floor standing lamps.  The stand itself is silver finished steel to go with the glass lights.  Unfortunately, these are going to be a little pricey, at least they will likely be.  You have to contact the designer to get actual prices, but at least they are officially for sale.

Source: bbgadgets

Apple’s very lucrative fee sharing arrangement with AT&T over iPhone fees may be coming to an end in favor of a new carrier … Verizon Wireless. If Apple’s interim CEO Tim Cook considers what to do with the current carrier arrangement over the iPhone, rumors are flying that Verizon wireless may be courting Cupertino for a similar exclusive arrangement for Apple customer loyalty. But most tech reporters agree that changing one deal with the devil for another is just as bad and Apple should consider tossing iPhone use wide open for all carriers, and customers to enjoy.

The initial arrangement with AT&T for subsidizing the cost of the iPhone was supposed to be for 5 years. In the course of such an arrangement, Apple has enjoyed a very lucrative profit sharing position as provider of what many call “the Jesus Phone.” But it seems that support for sticking with AT&T seems to be waining in the hallowed halls of Apple and considering that Verizon has been nipping at Apple’s heels since the iPhone’s inception back in 2007 with a promised iPhone killer (get in line) could it be that Cupertino is finally taking a look at the popular wireless carrier as a potential replacement to MaBell?

Rumors are rumors and Apple is no stranger to them. But frankly, it would be complicated, but a much more lucrative arrangement for Cupertino if they got out of the exclusive deal and opened the iPhone wide open for any carrier to carry. They’d probably sell ten times more phones that way.

Hat Tip â€" PMP Today

Hershey has no problem creating non-chocolate products to go with their line of sweets.  They even have Hershey dedicated stores filled with t-shirts, mugs and some chocolate scented lotion so that you can cover yourself in chocolaty goodness, which I wish I had bought when I came across it.  Then again having Hershey products, you’ll probably gain 10lbs just due to being reminded of your chocolate cravings.  Well now Hershey is even breaking into gadgets to go with their line of Hershey accessories.

The new line will include a USB drive that will range from 1GB to 4GB  and features a plain Hershey bar (as shown above) or Mr. Goodbar, Krackel, Twizzlers or Bubble Yum.  The USB drives will range in price from $14.99 to $29.99.  You’ll also be able to pick up 2GB and 4GB drives in the shape of Hershey Kisses for $19.99 to $29.99.  Besides USB drives, they will offer digital cameras featuring a Jolly Rancher design, Hershey’s miniatures and Bubble Yum for $24.99.  Then for slightly more expensive, the Hershey’s Kisses camera will cost $29.99.  To go with your music you can pick up plus MP3 speakers in the shape of giant Kisses for $9.99 and Kisses earphones for $7.99.  You’ll be able to find all of this on Jazwares.  As of now, it’s still set as coming soon.

Source: Gearlog

The winner of last week’s coolest gadget competition is the Microwave Oven with a Pizza Drawer Underneath.

The days of soggy reheated pizza are over! Where was this when I was in college and ate pizza 6 days a week?! It’s a microwave oven with a built in pizza oven drawer underneath. The Stainless Steel Kenmore 1.1 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave & Pizza Oven has your standard microwave features (popcorn button, defrost, reheat, etc) as well as several very specific pizza reheating buttons.

Congrats again to Craziest Gadgets.

In second place we have the Gigapan Epic For Gigapixel Panorama Photography.

The Gigapan Epic is a robotic camera mount that allows photographers to capture gigapixel images and works with most digital cameras. The process consists of identifying the panorama you wish to capture. The included software will then activate the camera to take hundreds or thousands of pictures and will subsequently stitch them together to make the finished image.

Finally in third place comes the The Third Eye Video Camera.

Smaller than a golf ball, this ultralight spherical video camera attaches to a headband, providing a third eye while biking, hiking, or during other activities. The camera’s sensor captures images at 320 x 240 resolution at 30 fps (the built-in microphone records audio).

Thank you to everybody who voted, submitted, commented or told a friend. The randomly drawn winner of the $50 Amazon vouchers is:

Jabberwock (jaroslaw.m…@), congratulations.

Thanks again everybody and good luck with the next CGOTW contest on Friday.

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If you write for a gadget themed blog and wish to be included in next week’s contest check out the CGOTW instructions page.