Gadgets Blog

Kids these days often need to change their toys extremely frequently as they tend to get bored super fast. Enter the Musical KaleidoDisk - a single unit that offers two amazing toys that will be described in greater detail below.

First you have decorative disks that you can insert into the unit. As the disk spins, it surrounds the mirrors, plays music, and lights up creating a musical kaleidoscope (it’s very hard for the image here to show how cool it is in action). There are four disks with four different songs like a CD player. You can mount the whole unit on a crib so that you can get some extra sleep while they are enthralled by the images of the disks or you can even position the mirrored disk so that it reflects your child’s face and hand movements. If you want floor time with your baby, this toy will snap into the (included) discovery base so that they can play with it on the floor. The base has engaging features such as squeakers, spinners, clickers and removable balls. With such an array of activities, how can you not get one?

Would you fork out $59.99 for this, or do you think this money could be better spent onto the Lego fund to buy more bricks at let the kid’s imagination do the rest of the work?

Ever played Guitar Hero or Rock Band and wish you had your own set of instruments to rock your heart out? Well, guess what - somebody actually came up with a Desktop Live Band Stage - Rock/Jazz Band Set that allows you to play songs using selected instruments. For example, placing the saxophone on the left side of the stage will allow it to groove, with audio coming out only from the left speaker. Whenever you include other instruments on the stage as well, those will kick in not to create a ruckus, but a real harmonious tune as though you were the conductor of a band. The stage itself is equipped with 30 pre-loaded audio tracks and features flashing color LED spot lights effect as well as left and right loudspeakers. In addition, you can always download additional tracks from the product page onto an SD card and slot it in for greater variety. Prices start from $249 upwards.

At long last - the Dell Adamo will finally be made available to the masses. I can safely say that this is the best looking Dell notebook to date, even though Dell has moved forward pretty much in terms of design over the years, nothing holds a candle to the Adamo once you lay your eyes on it. The Adamo is also the first product under the new Adamo by Dell brand, and it offers premium craftsmanship and design inspires new aesthetic across Dell family of products. In a marketing propaganda, Adamo by Dell was specially created to disrupt people’s perceptions of what personal computing is today. I guess Dell didn’t send me the memo as I personally don’t think personal computing is boring and backwards-looking in design at all. Ah well, enough nitpicking - let’s take a look at what this svelte new notebook offers.

Touted by Dell to be the world’s thinnest notebook, the Adamo will definitely have MacBook Air fans up in arms as their favorite notebook has just been usurped, of all things, not by one of their own, but a Windows-powered machine instead. Bitter rivalry aside, the Adamo (meaning “to fall in love” in Latin) will be the flagship model in a line of products that was developed to disrupt the personal computing space by merging new design aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies. The chassis itself is milled from a single piece of aluminum (sounds familiar here…), boasting precision detailing and a scalloped backlit keyboard. As for the display, you get a stunning high definition edge-to-edge glass display for all your entertainment needs, while it remains fully connected with a plethora of options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an optional integrated mobile broadband service. No hard drives here to keep the bulk level down, which means you will enjoy speedy response with its built-in solid state drive.

The Dell Adamo will come in Onyx and Pearl colors, accompanied by a broad range of complementary accessories. Prices start from $1,999 upwards.

Press Release

Apple has just previewed its iPhone OS 3.0 software, and released a statement that a beta software release to registered developers is available. We are all looking forward to what the iPhone OS 3.0 beta release has to offer since the iPhone will be facing some serious contenders sometime this year as Palm launches their Pre, while there is whiff of news bytes pointing towards new Android-powered devices from HTC as well as Samsung among other cell phone manufacturers. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release will also be accompanied by an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with more than 1,000 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) such as In-App Purchases; Peer-to-Peer connections; an app interface for accessories; access to the iPod music library; a new Maps API and Push Notifications. Good news to Apple fans who have long clamored for the cut-and-paste function on their iPod touch and iPhone devices - Apple has confirmed that among the 100 new features available this summer, it will include that much desired capability.

Other features among the 100 new ones include MMS; landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes; stereo Bluetooth; syncing Notes to the Mac and PC; shake to shuffle; parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots. Nice to see the iPhone OS 3.0 beta release include a new Voice Memo app as well as expanded search capability for all important iPhone apps. Spotlight search is also thrown into the fray to function with both the iPhone or iPod touch.

Even the Stock app will receive an update - it will now be able to display recent company news and current trading information like opening or average price, trading volume or Market Cap, alongside the ability to offer a landscape view to see a full screen of any stock chart. Shared calendars can also be viewed on their iPhone with CalDAV support, where they can subsequently synchronize with with iCal, Yahoo, Google and Oracle. You can pick up the iPhone OS 3.0 beta software and SDK if you’re one of those who have already registered as developers from today onwards. As for iPhone customers, they are able to download the new iPhone OS 3.0 software for free this summer while iPod touch customers will be charged $9.95.

Press Release

Epson is no stranger when it comes to projectors, and recently they have unveiled four more projectors that have been specially optimized for the classroom, featuring new features that make them a no-brainer to operate, inexpensive and extremely effective for both teachers and students. The new models in question are the PowerLite 84, 85, 825 and 826W that offer extended lamp life up to 6,000 hours. In addition, other features among the four include a built-in closed captioning decoder, USB Plug ‘n Play technology, a powerful internal 10-watt speaker, network connectivity for remote presentations (via wired LAN), and optional wireless connectivity. Epson introduces another first with the four by offering a dedicated microphone input that enables teachers to amplify their voice thanks to the built-in speaker to make sure no student is left out when it comes to tuning in to the lecture or lesson.

The PowerLite 84 and 85 that will retail for $799 and $899, respectively, will come with 2,600 lumens white light output, 2,600 lumens color light output and XGA resolution. As for the $999 PowerLite 825, this model boasts 3,000 lumens white light output, 3,000 lumens color light output and XGA resolution. The high end PowerLite 826W is also going for $999 and features 2,500 lumens white light output, 2,500 lumens color light output and WXGA resolution (16:10 aspect ratio), making it perfect for use with widescreen laptops and DVD content. All three - the PowerLite 85, 825 and 826W will come with extra features that provide educators with tremendous flexibility within the classroom as they remotely deliver presentations, monitor and control the projectors over the network. Not only that, the inclusion of EMP Monitor software will turn these projectors into a broadcast system to show event flyers, updates and emergency instructions.

The Epson PowerLite 84 and 85 will be available in May this year while the PowerLite 825 and 826W will be out a month after that.

Press Release

For those of us who are frustrated by how our neighbors do not think about our own well being when it comes to keeping the place quiet (especially folks who live in apartments), there are only some limited options we have if we want to preserve the relationship and friendship. How about moments at the office where you would prefer to have your colleagues shut their gab as you’re doing your level best to concentrate on an important piece of work at that moment? Well, the solution could come in the form of this new iPhone application that is touted to offer instant relief by converting annoying noise into soothing sound. Sounds pretty good (pun not intended), perhaps someone can think of a new application that converts bad debts into a money churning enterprise?

The iPhone application in question here is the SoundCurtain which is the brainchild of Royal College of Art graduate and founder of FutureAcoustic Andreas Raptopoulos. This young designer received his inspiration when he first moved to London - no doubt one of the world’s noisiest cities. Instead of fighting against the noise by blocking out outside noise, this high tech application intends to replace it with something environmentally kinder - a highly effective sound barrier. After all, over 50% of the world’s population currently reside in cities, hence making personal space a premium. Regardless of where we are, most of us live with noise, be it at our homes, in workplaces, in public spaces. Andreas realized that we could fully design and control our physical environments, although we fail at effective sound control.

The a3 technology is able to ‘listens to’ outside noise using the microphone on the iPhone headset, while transforming it into relaxing ambient sound. According to Raptopoulos, “SoundCurtain doesn’t block out outside noise, as much as replace it with something environmentally kinder. Imagine the sound of the sea, always fluctuating. At first you listen to it, then it just fades into the background.” I suspect this will be one hit iPhone application when it is released.

Press Release

Picnics and pot luck dinners share something in common - plastic utensils and paper plates. Not the kind of equipment if you’re seeking to make the dining experience a little more classy. Fundraising dinners, for example, which don’t have the budget of a political campaign can’t really make an elegant impression and still keep the costs low. Enter Snap and Dine

With a design that rather reminds me of a snap kit plastic model car, Snap and Dine uses a single plastic injection mold process to create a complete, yet recyclable, table setting to make such culinary endeavors a little more elegant and yet, provide for the convenience of a portable or temporary meal. It offers a complete 3-course setting with a very ornately designed plastic plate and recyclable plastic cutlery designed to look like elegant silverware.

Snap and Dine is not only an affordable way to make an impression on a date or fund-raising benefactor, but is both easy to use and dispose/recycle at the same time and reintroduces a disposable society into the notion that dining can be an elegant experience now matter where the table is set.

I don’t know why someone didn’t think of this sooner.

Hat Tip â€" Tech Blog