Gadgets Blog

If you’re looking for an extremely versatile storage solution, you don’t need to confine your search to the storage department at Ikea as there are some pretty innovative ideas found elsewhere as well. The Scooter Pod is one of them - it is basically a one-step rolling stool that boasts storage space upon opening its lid, letting you store both supplies and tools. It comes with retractable casters that will roll easily in place, while locking up when pressure is applied. Don’t worry about falling off this as the manufacturers have included non-slip treads for a more secure footing. The Scooter Pod is able to hold up to a whopping 300lbs of stuff and is constructed from durable high-density plastic. This $49.98 home improvement idea is perfect to store away junior’s toys or even your hardware stuff.

USB charging is the way to go these days, and I long for the day where all USB connectors are standardized so that we need not bring so many different chargers when traveling. Gadget mavens Brando takes a step towards that reality with its AC to 5-USB Power Adaptor, allowing you to charge up to five different USB-powered devices simultaneously whenever there is no computer or notebook available, as long as it is hooked up to a wall socket. What happens if you’re in a different country then? Fear not for Brando has that ground covered by offering alternative plugs for the US, UK, Australia and Europe, making it compatible with virtually any country you step foot onto. The travel charger is smart enough to adjust all voltages and frequencies automatically when plugged in, so there is no need to lug around a heavy converter with you. This nifty device will cost you $22 a pop.

Orange has a brand new device for all of you out there - its wireless radio known as the Liveradio! It enables listeners to tune in to radio stations from all over the world in Hi-Fi quality, while taking advantage of the Liveradio service at the same time. Basically, the new Liveradio offers access to more than 5,000 radio stations as well as 11,000 podcasts (which consist of news, sport, music and comedy) from around the world. All your content can be personalized, while downloading tracks is a snap. Orange also doesn’t short change customers by compromising on sound quality, offering an excellent level that will surely be appreciated by most, if not all of its listeners. In addition, each purchase comes with an intuitive and easy-to-use remote control.

Orange has decided to go retro with its Liveradio as it comes in a vintage looking wooden casing. You are able to hook up to the Internet thanks to Wi-Fi or via Ethernet or any other Internet router, allowing you to have a go from virtually anywhere in your house. The Liveradio does not just receive broadcasts from all over the world, it also comes with a media player function that enables you to tune in to music stored on your computer when you want a more customized playlist - for example, during an intimate dinner where you would want to play your wife’s favorite song to roll back the years and relive your younger, love-enchanted days. Using the Liveradio does not require a rocket science degree, as it comes with three pre-set buttons up front, an LCD display, an infrared remote control and eight buttons that provide direct access to radio stations. The inclusion of a USB port allows you to listen to audio content in WMA, MP3, WAV and Real formats via a USB flash drive or compatible device, while the integrated FM tuner lets you tune in to what the local spinmasters are doing. Heck, you can even save your favorite tracks using the Favorites Button.

Press Release

Garmin International Inc. is a common name when it comes to satellite navigation, and this time round they show that they do not only care about ordinary drivers like you and I, but they also have the interests of over-the-road, long-haul navigation and delivery trucks in their hearts by announcing the new nüvi 465T. Unveiled at the Mid America Truck Show that is currently going on till the 21st, the Garmin nüvi 465T is able to support multiple truck profiles and features advanced routing and guidance to support truck-related road restrictions including height, width, length, weight and hazardous materials. All you need to do is clue in the device by entering the truck’s dimensions and load restrictions, and the nüvi 465T will get to work straight away by adjusting the many routes ahead based on your truck’s profile. Pretty neat - hopefully the map data is updated though as you wouldn’t want to drive into a tunnel or under a bridge that is too low for your rig just because Garmin says so.

In addition, the nüvi 465T holds the distinction of being the first navigational device that offers locations in the National Truck and Trailer Services (NTTS) Breakdown Directory, whihc is actually a comprehensive guide to semi-truck repair facilities nationwide. This preloaded guide offers drivers access to over 30,000 repair and heavy duty towing services for the continental United States, making it easy for drivers to easily find truck-specific points of interest, such as truck repair, towing and recovery, tire sales and repair, glass repair, fuels stops and more.

Each purchase of the nüvi 465T will be accompanied by subscription-free lifetime traffic alerts in most major metro areas nationwide courtesy of NAVTEQ Traffic, and drivers will be better able to plan their route by being notified of traffic delays and road construction in order to detour around the incident. Warnings of upcoming road conditions will also help drivers be more careful of possible hazards right up ahead including sharp curves, steep grades and road narrows among others. In the rare event where the driver loses his/her co-ordinates, there is the nifty “Where am I?” feature that will display one’s current exact latitude and longitude coordinates, closest hospitals, police stations, fuel stations and nearest address and intersection.

Press Release

The iPhone 3G is one of the more desirable handsets to date, and it has an impressive track record to back up that particular statement. How many people have thrown a glance of envy at somebody who walks by while fiddling with their iPhone? I myself have clamored for one, but the prohibitively high price tag when purchased unlocked ($599 for the 8GB and $699 for the 16GB model from AT&T themselves) is a major stumbling block. For those who want to have their cake and eat it, here’s one method to stay ahead of Apple’s own game by unlocking a supposed contract-tied iPhone to choose a network operator of your choice. While the latest iPhone firmware and baseband updates have already closed up a great many of the commonly exploited software loopholes, the UnlockAnyiPhone.net (www.unlockanyiphone.net) solution still has not been circumvented (much to the chagrin of the folks at Apple I presume) as it offers a safe, physical SIM insert designed to work with any iPhone model without having to cut or cause any loss of service.

According to Peter Smit of UnlockAnyiPhone.net, “Our solution is one of the most reliable unlocking products on the market, and we’re proud to offer our customers an easy route to unlocking their iPhone. Unlike many of our competitors, our SIM unlock solution is completely unaffected by the latest updates from Apple, and as a result, UnlockAnyiPhone.net customers can still enjoy safe, legal and easy unlocking thanks to our product. Those that provided software unlocking solutions have been closed off in later models, with Apple successfully closing down the security loopholes that made software unlocking possible. However, our physical unlock will continue to function regardless of modifications made to the 3G handset’s programming, allowing the user to bypass the automatic network configuration to choose their own preferred operator.”

You can pick up unlocking solutions for both models of the iPhone from $29.95 onwards.

Press Release

Sanyo is on top of its game yet again by offering a new dual camera range which has certainly blurred the line when it comes to digital still cameras as well as video camcorders, giving users the ability to shoot beautiful stills and record videos of their favorite memories at the same time. While these functions are nothing new when merged into a single device, Sanyo goes a step further by offering full waterproof capability of up to three meters, making their new dual camera device suitable for folks who love to go snorkeling or spend plenty of time by the water, be it by the beach or at the stream. One would expect these will be pretty pricey in nature, but Sanyo has reassured consumers that these will not burn the pocket linings but instead be actually affordable to the masses - a moot point during the current global financial crisis.

The two new waterproof dual camera models are known as the VPC-CA9EX and VPC-WH1EX. Both of them can record underwater, although the former is able to do so only up to a depth of 1.5m while the latter is able to double the amount to 3m, with a restriction of 60 minutes thereabouts. We’re not sure whether that is due to the memory/battery limitation or the physical design - if it is the latter, we suppose the waterproofing isn’t done too well and hence its inability to swim with you for too long. Still, either one is perfect for those who want to shoot a mini-documentary or capture beautiful stills of our pristine underwater life (or whatever’s left of it).

Features found on both models include high definition recording for clearer and crisper images. The VPC-WH1EX comes with a stunning 30x zoom, making it the largest zoom of any waterproof camera in the world at press time. It is interesting that you can record video while capturing stills simultaneously at the press of a button, making sure you do not miss a single moment no matter where you are. Memory is flash based for enhanced battery life and it makes the device more compact and lightweight.

Source: Gizmag

Hope you have that Friday feeling, it’s time to vote for what you think is this week’s coolest gadget (leave a comment for a chance to win a $50 Amazon voucher).

Dell’s Adamo World’s Slimmest Laptop

The complete specifications of the Adamo place it at 33cm wide, 24.1cm deep and the thickness which gives it the ultra-slim appearance at 1.65cm.

The full post can be found on EliteChoice.

Protect Yourself From Narcolepsy Related Injury With Pillow Suit for Workaholics!

The suit looks rather thick and it may not be very comfortable to wear during the summers.

The full post can be found on Trends Updates.

Sound Asleep Pillow

If you enjoy listening to music or radio in the morning then the Sound Asleep Pillow might just be perfect for those morning you feel like a lie in. On the other hand if you struggle to get to sleep sometimes then why not play some background music or a sound of your choice to help you drift off to sleep. All you need to do is plug your MP3 player into the Sound Asleep Pillow and your set for a comfy night of musical dreams.

The full post can be found on Tech Styling.

ThumbTack - The iPod Microphone

ThumbTack is a microphone for the Nano 4G and Touch 2G. Shaped like an ordinary thumbtack, this device plugs into the 3.5mm headphone jack and can be used as a voice recorder. Small and unintrusive, this may go well with the anticipated iPhone OS 3.0 mic applications.

The full post can be found on Coated.

Handpresso DomePod - Portable Espresso with Ground Coffee

Handpresso has announced a Handpresso DomePod which uses ground coffee instead of ESE espresso pods. Personally we prefer less mess when making out portable espresso, but if you’re a true espresso snob you’re going to want to grind and use your own. The DomePod allows you to pack up your favorite Arabica, Robusta, or Fair Trade coffee instead of being able to source your coffee in ESE pod form. The patented Handpresso Domepod system makes it easy to empty the coffee grounds â€" a simple click on the dome is enough. You can fill 3 DomePods and take them with you in the included case.

The full post can be found on Single Serve Coffee.

Scan Toaster: Wear your heart on your toast

This nifty Scan Toaster will transform your plain piece of bread into an art canvass, and the best thing is, you can still eat it. Once hooked up to your PC via USB, the Scan Toaster will download the design for your piece of toast. It has the ability to download everything from the weather to the latest news headlines. What better way to catch up on the news than by biting into it as you go?

The full post can be found on Gaj-it.

World’s Fastest Hard Drive

The Fusion ioDrive Duo is according to the manufacturer, the fastest SSD solution available today, and from the looks of the specification they might be right.

The ioDrive duo comes with 160GB of storage, for the basic model, with up to 1.28TB for the top model, it has read speeds of 1.5GB per second and write speeds of 1.4GB per second.

The full post can be found on Geeky Gadgets.

Shower for your iPhone

Touch screen gizmos are all very impressive but you have to touch them. Lots. And because your fingers are greasy, mucky and coated in a layer of unidentifiable gunk, beloved screens soon resemble windows dipped in chip fat and sprinkled with dust, dandruff and gawd knows what else. So thank goodness for the Procare Mobile Touch Screen Cleaning Kit.

The full post can be found on RGS.

SolarGorilla laptop charger

PowerTraveller make a range of portable batteries that can be used to recharge devices on the fly and the PowerGorilla is the largest of these, storing enough juice to recharge a laptop.

Charge the PowerGorilla before you leave the house and when you need juice just plug it into your laptop (adapters for common laptops included). It will also juice up an iPod or phone at the same time via a secondary power output.

The full post can be found on Coolest Gadgets UK.

Thanks again to all the sites for their submissions now over to you guys for voting (don’t forget to leave a comment with your reason for a chance to win a $50 Amazon voucher).

Want to hear about future contests first? Subscribe to our daily digest via email or RSS.

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

The winner of last week’s coolest gadget competition is the Great Pyramid PC.

This has to be one of the coolest PC case mods we have seen so far here at geeky gadgets, the Great Pyramid PC Mod, made by modder polo360x from the Techpowerup forums.

This amazing case was made from a customized Luxor Pyramid case, which was made from laser cut aluminum, and is a combination of black and silver aluminum, the base measures 19 by 19 inches and the case stands 25 inches tall (there were only ever 200 of these cases ever made, and it looks like there is one less).

Congrats again to Geeky Gadgets.

In second place we have the Tiny worktop dishwasher.

This tiny dishwasher is small enough to fit on your worktop. It prides itself on being green and saving on energy and water and is ideal for people living on their own or for couples. Whoever uses it, it certainly beats washing up.

Finally in third place comes the Dolphin Monofin.

If you ever imagined what it must be like to swim like a fish, you may just get your chance. Engineer Ted Ciamillo has come up with a carbon fiber and fiberglass monofin, allowing a swimmer power through the water at 8 mph, twice the speed of Michael Phelps.

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

Brandi (hamrickb@…), congratulations.

Thanks again everybody and good luck with the next CGOTW contest which will be posted shortly.

Want to hear about future contests first? Subscribe to our daily digest via email or RSS.

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