Gadgets Blog

For some, expensive tastes just come naturally, unfortunately the money to supply those tastes doesn’t always come so easily.  Well if you’ve always wanted just one shiny new gold bar, you can show your appreciation for it with this USB drive.  It’s not quite as snazzy as having the real thing lying around, but at least it’s better than nothing.  It’d also make for a humorous USB drive for a banker to have handy.

The Gold Bar USB Drive has all of 4GB of memory.  To hold to that gold bar look, they made it so that the USB drive actually retracts within the gold bar.  That also means this is one of the good drives that makes it so that you never have to worry about losing the cap to the USB drive.  It’s not made of real gold, which I would think is fairly obvious.  Instead it’s built with metal housing surrounding it to keep your data safe and at hand.  You can purchase it for $27 through USB Geek.

Source: GizmoWatch

Finding ways to store gaming accessories can at times be a bit of a chore.  For various reasons, like the plastic guitars are large and awkward.  Then there are the regular controllers that usually get stashed in a drawer somewhere.  To top it off, if you have a 360, you have to be careful about the type of entertainment center you use with it, for fear that it might overheat and get the wretched RRoD.  Well this storage system from GameOn solves all of those common issues.

It mounts to the wall, meaning it’s not going to take up any of your floor space.  It will store up to 4 different hand controls and guitar accessories.  At the top it can hold various games and then the bottom shelf is where the console or consoles can be stored.  To make sure the console stays cool there are vents on either side of the shelf.  It comes in 6 different colors, black, white, green, red, blue and yellow.  You can purchase the GameOn Video Gaming Console Storage System for $59.99 on Amazon.

Source: SlipperyBrick

For those that have started grilling out already, you might want to pick up this handy gadget.  Grilling out is fun, but sometimes it can be frustrating if you’re stuck standing near the grill all day.  Then if you do happen to become distracted, you’ve just burned everyone’s dinner and there is no one around to blame except for you.  It’s the short ones you have to worry about the most though, if they aren’t fed, they will come after you.  With this remote thermometer, you’d always know when the meat is done, without having to hover over the grill all day long.

Just grab the handheld and hook it on your belt with the belt clip.  Meanwhile the thermometer stays in the meat.  Your handheld will display the temperature and even announce out loud when the meat is almost done and then done.  Giving you time to run inside to grab something to place the meat on before it’s actually finished.  Both are of course water resistant, so you won’t have to worry about screwing up the electronics while cooking.  The handheld has a backlight for late night grilling.  To keep them powered you’ll need two AA batteries and then two AAA batteries.  It’ll cost you $69.95 from Brookstone.

Source: OhGizmo

This Dustbot robot is the type of concept technology that I live to report on. European scientists have come up with a new way of removing trash in narrow streets with these wheeled guys. Clearly, Disney-Pixar was the inspiration as the Dustbot is essentially a WALL-E without the ecological apocalypse.

This new garbage collection process would start when a consumer with a bag full of trash gives the Dustbot sanitation organization a call or sends a text message. The automated system then sends the nearest Dustbot right to the user’s door, navigated via GPS.

From there, the consumer selects the type of trash he or she is disposing on the touchscreen, and put it in the drawer/compressor that comes from the Dustbot itself. I can only presume that the Dustbot goes somewhere and dumps the trash in an eco-friendly spot after that.

You may notice that the Dustbot is precariously balanced, like a Segway. So what happens when you call up a Dustbot, drop in your garbage, and then it tips over? Talk about awkward.

Well, I’m certain that you can see the potential for the Dustbot in today’s society, and it would definitely change society as we know it. Just picture a big city where Dustbots roam the sidewalks like the taxis that fill our streets. Better yet, picture a world where people actually separate their trash.

Source

Sony Ericsson has just released a mobile phone called the Aino which is able to sync wirelessly with a PS3. I am not certain if this is the first mobile phone to connect to a video game console, but if it is, then it is a long time coming.

After all, who wouldn’t want instant access to their digital content on their PS3 from their mobile phone? As long as there is mobile internet available on the Aino, the user can sit back at watch whatever content is on that large PS3 hard drive.

In addition to that huge connect-to-PS3 as their biggest selling point, the Aino can also sync wirelessly to your PC. Other features include a 8.1 Megapixel camera, 3G connectivity, and assisted GPS. It also comes with a Bluetooth headset, a wireless dock, and light-up headphones.

When I first saw that the Aino could sync with the PS3, I immediately had visions of surfing through the main menu of the PS3 on my mobile and playing games, sans joystick. Not in this version of the Aino, but I am hoping that I’m giving Sony Ericsson a few ideas. Not that they aren’t already thinking what I’m thinking, I’m sure.

Sony Ericsson’s Aino should be available in the fall, but so far, there is no word on a price. Rumor has it that the Aino is slated for a European-only release.

Source

I’m not certain if the traditional glass photo frame has gone the way of the dinosaur, but I think we all agree that we are in the age of the digital picture frame. It seems like every time that I am looking for new material to write about, some company somewhere has a new digital picture frame. Even now, I am hoping to give a hands-on review of Viewsonic’s TrueView line in the near future.

In short, the digital picture frame market is flooded, which is why a unique take on the traditional photo frame like the Wrap-Around-the-Corner from Photojojo is so needed. As you can see, it can hold about 7 to 12 photos in its stained and lacquered frame. Since it is non-digital, there is no slideshow option. However, with all these frames packed into one, do you really need one?

You may notice that some of the photos are split down the middle for a “folding” effect. In case you are wondering, you have to splice the picture like that yourself. The auto-splicing effect is hopefully a feature for Wrap-Around-the-Corner 2.0, the digital photo frame version.

If you are interested in getting this stand-out frame in your “corner” of the world, you will have to pay about $99. Some of you may find that a high price to pay, but I can’t think of a more personalized look for the home of the future.

Source

Having a bottle opener handy is essential this summer as you pop open a whole crate of bottles in the summer sun. Well, opening bottles might be simple to the sober person, but once you’ve gone through an entire crate by yourself, things could get rather tricky after that. Enter the cue for the Be Open Beer and Soda Bottle Opener that makes popping open a bottle a snap, where all it requires is for you to press and push down the gadget, opening that bottle of golden liquid with a loud pop!

Product Page via Craziest Gadgets

Had a great time with Star Trek: The Future Begins? Well, now’s the time to brush up your Trekkie word power with Star Trek Scrabble, the only official form of Scrabble on earth that comes with a Klingon dictionary, allowing you to use words from the sci-fi franchise without being penalized in any way whatsoever. It is currently available for $29.99 before discounts, and each puchase will come with all the nitty gritty including a board, tiles, tile racks, logo inserts, instructions and a 50-word bonus dictionary.

Nokia has, in recent memory, revealed classic versions of its handsets from the same model number, and this time round we’re privy to the 6730 classic that will ship sometime this month, available worldwide exclusively in countries where Vodafone is a mobile carrier. Some of the more interesting features made available on the new Nokia 6730 classic would be mobile Internet, Vodafone Music Client and personal and business email access alongside mobile navigation capabilities. All of these will be powered by the Symbian S60 operating system, enabling customers to download additional applications straight from the Internet to suit their needs.

No longer do you need to get lost whenever you enter into unfamiliar territory with the Nokia 6730 classic, courtesy of its integrated GPS navigation. Just make sure you have subscribed to some sort of unlimited data plan if you want to take full advantage of it. Mobile navigation capabilities offered on the handset include accurate turn-by-turn instructions, allowing one to use but an address, a company or even a person to find their destination through the use of a comprehensive point of interest databases as well as both white and yellow pages information.

You will be able to choose from either black or white colors for the Nokia 6730 classic, and this is the perfect upgrade for users of the older Nokia 6500c or 6300 which were released quite some time ago. After all, shouldn’t your contract for either handset be up by now, allowing you to make a new choice? There is no word on pricing as at press time, but that will depend on which country it is released in as well as how long you want to tie yourself down to a particular contract for. Bear in mind this isn’t a high-end handset, but is functional enough to be above average - those who want something flashier would do well to consider an iPhone 3G or the upcoming Palm Pre instead.

Press Release

Pure Play Music, Ltd. has teamed up with WSA Distributing to launch a spanking new music download service that will offer content from both new as well as emerging artists. In the terms of agreement, WSA will frontline as Pure Play’s exclusive provider of microSD flashing and distribution in North America. Both companies have come together to co-develop an automated system which enables flashing music directly onto microSD memory cards, letting folks enjoy tunes on a regional and/or local basis. All mobile subscribers will benefit from a microSD card as long as selected mobile devices are purchased, and alternatively, they can opt to add a music accessory bundle with the purchase of any music capable phone. Regardless, all new users will receive a century of DRM-free tracks, alongside the capability of subscribing to the monthly service where up to 20 tracks can be downloaded monthly without forking out more than $5.

Several US carriers will launch the service from the 1st week of July onwards. According to Rick Sterger, COO at Pure Play Music, “With more that 50% of mobile devices having music capabilities, it is no longer necessary to carry two devices. With the design of this program the two companies believe they can educate users on the music capabilities of mobile devices at the point of sale. They predict that nearly all mobile device purchasers will walk out of their carrier store with 50 songs, ready to play, on their phone.”

Pure Play is rather different from what is available at this point in time, since this whole music infrastructure enables artists to self market their own music. The special and yet expansive distribution network aims to alter the way unsigned, emerging artists and indie acts get their brand of music played commercially. Well, that would open another can of worms as those who are underground get their music out in the open, receiving accolades from the so-called ‘commercial world’ while getting heckled by fellow indie bands for selling out, but that’s another can of worms altogether.

Press Release

The winner of last week’s coolest gadget competition is the Self-charging phone.

This phone takes top-of-the-range watch technology and teams it up with a touchscreen to create a stylish hybrid handset. Its built-in battery is charged by the kinetic energy generated by the moving rotor so that your phone charges without you even noticing, while it’s working.

Congrats again to Decide What to Buy.

In second place we have the AccuVein AV3000 Helps Doctors Locate Veins.

The AccuVein AV3000 is a device which requires no contact with the patient and the device illuminates veins so that they can be observed.

Finally in third place comes the Samsung LED TV.

“That’s not a gadget” we hear you sigh, but when a TV is as clever as this, it most definitely is. For starters it looks sexier than a strip club to a monk and is thinner than a supermodels lunchbox (1.2″). It also posseses a multitude of connection possibilities. These stack up to an impressive 4 x HDMI ports, 2 x USB ports, a DTV Tuner, wireless LAN and internet TV. Yup, we did say wireless Lan and internet TV.

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

xolin (cgjeff…@), 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.

Summer’s here, so why not make the necessary preparations in advance for your kid to enjoy their summer in the great outdoors instead of spending their time cooped up at home right smack in front of the video game console? The Children’s Inflatable 2MPH Speedboat should make for a welcome distraction to Mario and Metal Gear Solid, offering your little one that there is more to life than just achieving a high score or pounding baddies to submission via the video game controller.

This is the inflatable speedboat that provides a safe 2 mph speed on calm water, such as pools or small ponds (play the video). The outboard electric motor is controlled by a child sitting in the inflated hull–a handhold with a finger trigger turns the motor on or off immediately; the boat can accommodate two children at once. The motor drives a shrouded propeller with no exposed blades that provides smooth movement over calm water; the motor can be turned 360°, so even backward movement is possible. Requires eight D batteries that provides up to five hours of operation. Deflates for off-season storage. Hull constructed from 3mm thick PVC. Supports up to two children (or 100 lbs.)

This is one $99.95 toy that is worth considering if you want to get your kid to obtain a tan this summer!