Gadgets Blog

Instead of just plugging your usual iPod cord into your computer, there is now this Dexim DWP005.  In some ways it initally looks like it’d just take up space.  However, it’s slim, it’d keep your iPhone/iPod in the upright position, plus best of all it has other devices built into it.  Giving you even more functions and a nice sleek dock to pop your iPod into.  Since it is so sleek, you have the added perk of it being easy to just toss into your laptop bag for traveling purposes.

In addition to being a charger, it has a memory card reader and a 3-port USB hub built-in.  Plus it has provided cables that work for devices that use micro and mini USB ports to recharge, such as the Blackberry.  All around it gives quite a lot of function on a very small device.  Sadly though, it is a bit pricey.  It’ll cost you $69.99, which does seem a bit on the steep side.  However, it offers quite a bit of functionality for that price.

Source: Ubergizmo

I’m sure we have all heard stereotypical comment by those viewing modern art paintings: “My kid can paint that”. Well, we might be entering a new age where people will be saying: “my robot can paint that”.

In fact, graduate student Oscar G. Torres is trying to figure out a way to make a robot paint with Jackoon. Jackoon is a robot that is connected to a camera that allows it to “see” what it is painting.

In other words, the Jackoon isn’t just randomly splattering paint, it “knows” what it is doing, in theory. Now, does this make paint better than abstract expressionist artists like Jackson Pollack and Willem de Kooning (who serve as namesake of the Jackoon)? Well, take a look at the picture here and judge for yourself. While you are at it, you might want to see the robo-artist at work in this video after the jump.

I remember hearing in Art class that some artists killed themselves after photography was perfected. Of course, art has survived long after the age of digital photography, and photographs can be works of art in and of themselves. This example, like the Jackoon, makes people think about mixing art and technology.

Well, let’s put it this way. If a robot painted a realistic picture from a digital camera, you know what we would call it? A printer. That sort of puts it in perspective, doesn’t it?

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Jackoon Painting from Oscar G. Torres on Vimeo.

For those that haven’t heard of the Power Plate, it’s a device that might remind you of the old belt exercisers.  Which those took and shook you from the waste, whereas this one shakes your entire body.  It’s more effective, because with this you can do some of your normal exercisers while it’s vibrating.  That gives you a  more intense workout than if you were to do those exercises off of the Power Plate.  The Power Plate itself has been out a little while, well now it’s been redone and covered in bright flowers.

The original was a dull gray, much like your average exercise machine.  Well now Kenzo Takada created this limited edition version that looks nothing like your average machine.  The original home version would cost $3,500 and the gym model $9,250.  So with that in mind, I’m sure you can imagine that this limited edition one is far more expensive.  Although in reality it isn’t priced at much more than the gym version.  This one costs EUR 7,990 or about $10,900.  Which is expensive for the average person, but it’s a lot more attractive than what you would normally find in the gym.

Source: BornRich

Ah, strollers. For those of you who don’t know the fun of wheeling a baby around all day, you are in for quite a treat. Welcome to days of wearing both your arms and legs out as junior gets pushed around to places that may or not be compatible for wheels.

When my wife and I had our second child, we decided to buy one of those double strollers. Although they “conveniently” hold two kids, they really are hard to get around. What I would have given for the Taga stroller/trike. As you can see, the parent sits in a seat behind the tykes and pedals them to places.

Now, I’m not certain if this is something that you want to take to the zoo or something. After all, do you really want to be the parent who is zipping around on a trike, endangering all the other animal-spectators?

No, the Taga stroller trike is something that you probably want to take on a bike trail, and have a blast cruising many miles until your tykes need a feeding or a diaper change.

The Taga stroller trike can fold up and fit in the trunk. It also has covered seats for rainy weather. Right now, it is only available in Europe, but it really is needed all across the world.

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It is always refreshing to see what iHome is up to. Last time, we covered the small iHM77RC Portable Multimedia Speakers, but iHome has really upped its game as far as iPod/iPhone docks are concerned.

The iP1 Studio Series Model has “museum quality” speakers, which apparently means they are made up of smoked acrylic. It is nice to know that someone has finally made an iPod dock that looks like a boom box. After all, iPod and iPhone docks are a dime a dozen, but the iP1 looks like an iPod dock on crack.

According to the specs, these speakers are “100 watt class D biamplified architecture with Bongiovi sound processing through twin 4-inch woofers and matched 1-inch dome tweeters”. If you aren’t familiar with Bongiovi, he is a music producer, and the second cousin of Jon Bon Jovi. Yes, Tony Bongiovi invented the Acoustics Digital Power Station, “an active digital signal processor that the company says makes the MP3s sound better”.

This Digital Power Station is on the iP1. Other features include GSM shielding for the iPhone, and a video out port in case you want to watch video from the iPod or iPhone.

The iHome Studio Series iP1 will be available in July, for a projected retail price of about $300.

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I guess you must have a pretty strong intestinal fortitude if you are going to take up medicine as your career path of choice, after all, how many of us are able to stand the sight of blood and gore without grimacing or flinching? I’d probably drop a scalpel into the patient myself after a few minutes due to the extraordinary amounts of blood (much more than those depicted in violent video games), only to be revived with smelling salts by my fellow students a short while after. Guess there is no better way to prepare someone in the medical field than with a dummy, and Laerdal Medical from Norway have come up with a new and improved version of the Resusci Anne CPR training simulator, known as the SimMan 3G. Just like the average human, the SimMan 3G can cry, bleed, convulse, go into cardiac arrest, and suffer from virtually any and every medical condition possible, allowing newbies to practise on something that’s not alive rather than on a human subject.

The SimMan 3G is capable of measuring the quality of CPR, offering students real-time feedback on compression rate, depth, release, and hands-off time as well as generating palpable pulses , blood pressure wave forms and ECG artefacts. Examiners can also test the resolve of their students by inducing various degrees of seizures and convulsions via the Instructor Mode. As part of their training, students will also be able to experience the effects of bleeding and wounds thanks to the ability of the SimMan 3G being connected to an internal blood reservoir that will bleed from both arterial and venous vessels. When hooked up to the simulator’s physiological modelling, the SimMan 3G will also react appropriately according to treatment dished out.

Other features include new eye secretions, a new and advanced Drug Recognition System which enables students to administer drugs simultaneously, responsive eye signs that include pupillary responses to light, blinks at slow, normal and fast rates, winks and open, partially open and closed reactions, vascular access in the right arm and new intraosseous access via the tibia and sternum allows for procedure accuracy.

Source: Medgadget

Everyone could probably use being a little more mindful of water usage.  Even knowing exactly how much it is you use on different things is helpful.  One big way water can get away with you is when watering the lawn or flowers.  It’s just easy to do when you’re not paying close attention.  Which is where this nozzle comes into play.  Not only would a nozzle make things a little more efficient, because you can stop the flow of water when it’s not needed, but it can also read your water usage.

It has a small dial at the top of the nozzle that can read up to 100 gallons before it rolls over.  After each use the dial will of course go back to zero.  Although it doesn’t have a beeper or anything when you’ve reached a major limit, the dial could at least help you keep track of how you’re doing.  There are two different types of these, one has 8 different spray patterns and the other is just a fan nozzle.  The first is $17.95 and then the fan nozzle is $12.95.

Source: OhGizmo

It is good form for a dog to bark only at threats that the master gives his/her approval, otherwise mutts should be trained to be silent where possible. Training your puppy from young is a good idea, but then again not all puppies have the same teachable temperament. Just before you give up on Lassie, how about considering the Stop Barking Collar?

Each time your dog barks, the vibration in his neck activates an ultrasonic signal that only your dog can hear, and he soon learns to stop. Water-resistant sensor is attached to a stretch collar that adjusts to comfortably fit any size dog. Features an on/off button and choice of ultrasonic or audible signal. Batteries included.

The Stop Barking Collar could greatly reduce the frustration when it comes to training between you and your mutt, hence tightening the bond even further. At $12.99 a pop, there really isn’t any loss in picking this up.

Folks who suffer from hay fever as well as other nasal allergies constantly whenever the seasons change will be pleased to know that there is yet another device out there in the market which could help them combat their respective maladies - the SneezerBeam is one of them.

SneezerBeam is a non-invasive light therapy that treats allergic symptoms such as congestion, runny nose, watery eyes and a headache using only light. SneezerBeam works by using two combined beams of light to inhibit the cells in your nose that release histamine, which is at the center of what triggers your allergic symptoms. The technology is based upon a clinical trial on 40 patients suffering from allergic rhinitis. During the trial 20 patients were given the same light therapy used in Sneezer Beam and 20 received a placebo. The results showed 72% of patients using the light therapy showed a marked improvement of their symptoms (compared to just 24% in the placebo group) and were published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Don’t worry about being too dependent on the SneezerBeam as this is one drug-free device that won’t leave you with any side effects. For £39.95 a pop, it is well worth a try especially when you’ve run out of options to combat your allergies over the years. Just don’t share this with anyone else for hygienic purposes.