Gadgets Blog

With the new Star Trek movie finally out, fans are showing their geeky colors a bit more proudly.  Not that they were ever really hidden to begin with, but now manufacturers are coming out with new fun gear.  For those that like to run around in their blue pajamas costumes and try to look as authentic as possible, there is a new recreation coming out.  This Tricorder is the one from the original Star Trek series, which means it’ll have a nice vintage look to it.

The Tricorder measures 8” x 4” x 2” and runs on four AA batteries.  Those batteries are used to make sure that the sound effects keep going.  All of which are of course from the original series, there are also blinking lights that make it look like it’s doing something.  To go with the Tricorder there is a removable scanner accessory.  It won’t be out until June 4th of this year, so you’ll have a little bit of a wait.  Once it is out, it will only cost you $49.99.

Source: RetroThing

Typically people try to clean up and hide their cords and don’t want to draw attention to their outlets.  Lately though people have been getting creative with their cords and instead of hiding them, decorating them.  Which makes it only logical that eventually outlets would get their own strange form of décor.  Not just some silly face plate that gives it a cheesy design.  Instead, it’s a sticker that manages to utilize the outlet to spruce up the plain wall it sits on.

These very large decals stick directly to your wall, provided your wall is a normal texture.  With these around, not only would you not be concealing the outlets, but you’d be doing a great job at making them stick out.  No one could possibly walk past the sticker and not manage to notice it.  Due to the fact that the website is in a foreign language, it makes it difficult to be sure on the price.  However, it appears that a set of these goes for $71.  If you do decide to pick them up, you’ll have to pay the price for them to be shipped out of the country.

Source: OhGizmo

Here in the US we have access to all kinds of UV gadgets that will sanitize your toothbrush.  Oddly there aren’t many toothbrushes that have some sort of lighting within the brush itself in the US or UK.  Yet Japan has managed to take their toothbrushes to a whole new shiny level.  These new and improved versions have LED lights that are placed inside the brush itself.  Giving you a shining light to go directly into your mouth and shine on those pearly whites.

The LED light is said to somehow help with illness prevention.  It doesn’t explain that statement a whole lot, partially because it’s not always the best translation going from Japanese to English.  I’m sure if you could read Japanese, it might be a little more clear on that.  The design is supposed to be released at about the middle of May, so it should be fairly soon now.  It doesn’t give pricing information, but if you’re outside of Japan it’s going to be difficult to get your hands on this toothbrush anyway.

Source: Ubergizmo

There are dime a dozen GPS navigation and tracking devices in the market these days that it can get pretty hard trying to figure out which is more suitable for your personal use. Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc. (RMT) has recently added to the number of GPS devices in the market, although their product has the potential to be the most innovative device yet. Known as the Trac-King (GPS Tracking) device, this convenient and portable-passive GPS will be powered by a couple of AA batteries, where those simple, readily available batteries will be able to juice up the Trac-King for up to 80 hours of continuous movement on a single battery cycle. Useful when you’re on long road trips and visiting countries where power outlets are not easily available -there’s nothing quite like the widespread availability of AA batteries to help you out here. Of course, it would be better to obtain rechargeables that can be juiced up using solar panels.

The Trac-King was specially developed to be a more advanced version of the Tracking Key and 3100, where both of them are passive devices has seen RMT move around 12,000 units over the past 2 years. The Trac-King is capable of tracking virtually every second of movement, and this data is accurate to within a few meters, in addition to taking note of times, addresses, direction and speed of travel, and stop duration. Guess bosses who want to know where their employees have gone to as well as parents who can’t bear the thought of their kids being responsible drivers when away from home will find the Trac-King useful.

All tracking data is stored within the device itself, where the user can retrieve it at a later time by downloading the information via USB to a computer. You can choose from a daily log, route display from street maps, or route display on satellite imagery using Google Earth when it comes to viewing the collected data. The Trac-King is pretty hardy, coming in a completely water resistant ABS plastic casing and has been magnetized to install it within or outside of a vehicle.

Press Release

With so many LCD monitors to choose from these days, what are some of the choices available to the common man? Well, Samsung has just added to your headache by compounding the “problem” with a trio of new 70 Series Monitors, and they are the P2070, P2370 and P2370HD. Two of these slim LCD monitors will feature a screen depth of 30mm, while the P2370HD is measured at 65.5mm. The three of them will also boast Samsung’s very own Touch of Color (ToC) design. The 70 Series of LCD monitors were meant to impart the performance capability of Samsung TVs onto the average desktop, as more and more people take up the option to view their TV shows on a computer in addition to using it for daily productivity tasks.

All three models of the 70 Series Monitors will come with a dynamic contrast ratio (50,000:1) for deep, rich colors, while the 2ms (GTG) video response time minimizes blurring for watching sports and fast-moving gameplay. The inclusion of its crystal-like bezel frame complete with ToC helps reduce the reflection of light and glare for a more comfortable viewing experience. Samsung designers also decided to make the monitor look as though it was floating in mid-air thanks to a clear, crystal-like acrylic neck.

Samsung has also integrated its very own Startlight Touch Controls in terms of the On Screen Display (OSD) buttons being merged into the bezel itself, making the entire monitor feel and look like one seamless device without any ugly obtrusive buttons on the front or sides. All it takes to activate these buttons is a single touch, where light illuminating these controls will disappear automatically after a determined period of time in order to minimize distractions while you’re engrossed in your favorite movie. There is no word on pricing or availability for all three 70 Series LCD TVs as at press time, but you’ll be pleased to know they come with a suite of eco-conscious features such as reduced energy consumption, making it sip around 33% less power to operate against standard monitors of similar size. Guess you can shortlist the Samsung 70 Series if you’re looking to upgrade your monitor in the near future.

Press Release