Gadgets Blog

I find camera phones to be extremely useful these days as the camera is used to snap a photo of the level as well as spot where I parked my car, allowing me to find my way back there once I’m done at a mall. Well, for those who think that this method isn’t good enough since some sprawling malls can get very confusing with multi-level car parks and such, the ECCO GPS keychain sounds like just the right tonic to have.

Simply ‘lock’ in your starting location, go do your thing, then follow the ECCO’s idiot-proof LCD display. You’ll be tucked up before you can say ‘I’m sure I turned right at that big tree.’ Cooler still, the ECCO will store up to three locations, so you can find your way back to your remote guesthouse via the pub with a quick pit stop at that kebab shop you stumbled across the night before. Despite its diminutive dimensions, the ECCO utilises the very latest GPS technology. Satellite acquisition time is 30-60 seconds max, and it is accurate to within 10m.

Can’t really argue with that sort of accuracy eh? One thing though - what happens if you’re in an underground car park - will the £69.95 ECCO GPS keychain still be able to obtain a position lock?

Forget about the good old Teddy Bear that has come in all sorts of shapes and sizes over the years - it is the 21st century, after all, and the time is ripe for a refresh with the Smart E Bear.

Smart E Bear is freakin’ incredible. Connect him to your computer and sync him with his downloadable software, and your kids will be amazed in no time. Why? Because Smart E Bear will actually talk to your kid by name (he’s got over 1,000 in his database). He’ll sing and tell stories and play games with your urchins in English or Spanish - all you do is load up the content you want, and your child triggers Smart E into action by squeezing his paw. And here’s the kicker: sure Smart E Bear is preloaded with tons of good educational content, but (like iTunes), you can always download more (even new languages for him to speak and teach your geeklings). This means that Smart E Bear can evolve and grow as your children do. He’ll be their friend, teacher, and teddy bear for all time. And when your children move off to college and say they’ve outgrown their Smart E Bear - then you can finally have him back all for yourself.

An evolving bear that has the ability to continue “growing” over the years? Hopefully the amount of quality that goes into its $59.99 build is enough to last your little ones till they enter college, as you know how many stories parents have heard about teddy bears getting their arms and legs ripped off during a more vigorous playing session among kids.

Harman Kardon has finally made their mark in the world of High Definition playback by offering the first Blu-ray Disc media player from their stables, aptly known as the Harman Kardon BDP 1. It would be interesting to see how this audio expert that has a long line of respectable products where the sound industry is concerned will tackle the video segment of Blu-ray with the BDP 1, so let us delve deeper into the system specifications and functions supported right after the jump.

The Harman Kardon BDP 1 will be able to let users enjoy features found in the next generation of Blu-ray discs as it features BD Live support, giving access to a whole new world of interactive content for those who have built up a sizeable collection of Blu-ray disc movies over the past couple of years. Some of the benefits of BD Live include the ability to access games, ringtones and other specialized content straight from the BDP 1 itself. Not only that, Harman Kardon realizes just how important it is to maintain a sleek profile on the outside as well, hence resulting in an elegant design for the BDP 1 that will definitely look in place right smack in the middle of your living room as it sits alongside other high-definition displays and audio/video receivers.

Another plus point of the BDP 1 is its ability to handle standard DVDs, upconverting them to 1080p through an HDMI connection, making sure your extensive DVD collection that you’ve carefully built over the years will be able to be enjoyed in greater clarity and higher resolution than ever before. It also does not just handle movie playback but can also display JPEG images and MP3 audio files directly from discs and USB memory sticks for greater versatility. Other system specifications include :-

• Disc formats: Blu-Ray Disc media, including BD-R/RE, BD-Live and BonusView, DVD/DVD+R/DVD-RW, CD/CD-RW, MP3 or JPEG files on disc
• Audio formats: LPCM, MP3, Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD Master Audio and WMA
• RJ-45 connection for Internet access
• IR-remote in/out jacks for system integration
• HDMI output (V.1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD bitstreams and high-resolution video)
• Front-panel USB jack for additional BD-Live memory or MP3 or JPEG file playback
• Optical and coaxial digital audio outputs
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 66mm x 440mm x 352mm
• Weight: 3.7kg

Harman Kardon has priced their BDP 1 at $499 when it hits retail stores this month.

American Industrial Systems, Inc. (AIS for short) has recently introduced a couple of medically certified 8.4” and 10.4” Rugged Tablet PCs that will target the medical industry. Being that small in size, you are spot on if you thought that the famous Intel Atom processor found in netbooks will be the heart and engine of these rugged tablet PCs - they will utilize the latest N270 Intel Atom Processor that offers high reliability operation in an ultra low power environment. On the outside, you will be pleased to note that the tablet PC sports an elegant, practical design that boasts an aluminum-magnesium alloy construction with individually sealed ports for complete IP54 compliance waterproof and dustproof protection. In addition, these two tablet PCs have already made it past the UL60601-1 Medical Equipment Certifications that make them approved where electronic compatibility and reliability in the medical field are concerned. Not only that, AIS has made sure they are tough as nuts by virtue of its engineering that complies with Military 810F shock, vibration, and drop standards. Never knew the hospital environment would be that tought, but hey, you can never tell when your tablet PC might drop to the ground when a patient starts to trash around in bed, right?

Features of the AIS tablet PC include :-

• UL 60601-1 Medical Equipment Certified
• 8.4” & 10.4” Industrial TFT-LCD Panels
• High Performance, Low Power Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz with Intel 945 GSE Chipset + ICH7
• 1 x SODIMM, Max 2GB DDR2 400/533
• Rugged Alu-Mg Alloy Housing Design with Protective Rubber for MIL-810F Shock, Vibration, and Drop Std.
• Versatile Mobile Communication Functions including WWAN (GPRS/GSM/CDMA/UMTS/EDGE) and GSP Module
• Wireless 801.1 b/g and Bluetooth Module
• Ergonomic Portable Design with Handstrap and Carry Belt Accessories (optional)
• 6 Cell, 4800 mAh Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
• IP54 Dust and Waterproof Rating

They will be powered by Windows XP, although we’ve no idea how much it’ll cost.

Press Release

The E-LEAD Bluetooth Lazy Pad is a terrific product for those who want a combination Bluetooth and mouse for their laptop or netbook. Don’t ask me why you want that, but someone people prefer that remote action, I guess.

For those who like wireless action, then you will enjoy the Bluetooth feature. Of course, some of you may have laptops or netbooks that don’t come with Bluetooth, Fortunately, you can connect to the keyboard via USB. The battery in this keyboard is a 500mAh that is capable of up to 8 hours of usage.

I see a small problem with this product. You will notice in the middle of the keyboard is some sort of crease, but the frame doesn’t look like it could fold in. What is strange is the “mouse” segment of the device is located underneath the keyboard, which means you’ll need to flip it over whenever you want to use the touchpad on the other side which is accompanied by a couple of buttons (left and right click, of course).

I also think that this Lazy Pad is misnamed. I have no idea why E-LEAD Electronics has named their product the Lazy Pad, because I see nothing slothful about it. After all, if we are going to call this Bluetooth keyboard and mouse a Lazy Pad, does that mean that every remote control device or mobile is inherently a product of a lazy culture?

Sadly, I think that it is true. Yes, our gadgets and electronic devices make us lazy. I can’t stand it when some product comes out with some name which describes our culture too well.

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Sure, we loved the iPhone with its complete touchscreen interface, so you can imagine the excitement when a holographic interface finally comes out. Yes, I am fully aware that a holographic interface sounds too good to be true, and the Trou Hologram phone isn’t, at least, not yet.

I’m sure we all love the basic concept photo behind this, with the 3-D hologram of the car sitting on the screen. Just imagine how cool it will be when you turn your mobile around and can see the car at nearly every angle.

Still, holographic projectors have been known to eat up lots of power, so that is definitely one obstacle for the small projectors on the surface of the display. I’m sure there are many other things that prevent our science-fiction visions of a holographic future from becoming reality.

So until Princess Leia can send “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi” as a text message, keep your fingers crossed on this one.

Now it is the time on Coolest Gadgets where you comment. How long will it take before holograms on our cellular phones become reality? Are we looking at 10 years? How about 20 years? Chime in and let me know what you think.

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We already discussed an oven that cooks via USB, and we would be remiss in our duties at Coolest Gadgets if we did not report on other advancements in oven technology, such as this particular oven that cooks with lasers.

That’s right, lasers (just imagine the hands doing quotes like Dr. Evil). In fact, this oven uses a combination of three lasers to cook your food, which are specifically under your control. So if you want your pizza cooked at 350 degrees, you can make that distinction. I’m not really sure how that distinction is made, though. I mean, do you just use one laser for Jiffy Pop and three for a turkey?

I would imagine that complications will arise when cooking with lasers, which is why this oven has a “specially designed ventilation system”. I’m guessing that this system fans away the odd scents that occur with laser cooking. Then again, I really don’t know much about cooking with lasers. Man, that sounds like some futuristic cooking show. “Hello, everyone, and welcome to Cooking with Lasers. Today we’ll be blasting a pot roast”.

That is about all my sources tell me about this particular oven, which is still a concept for “Cooking in the Futur”, an Electrolux competition. Personally, I think it is a neat idea whose time has come, and I hope designer Ludovic Peperstraete wins some sort of award for this.

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For those that can’t be merely satisfied with plain boring earphones, these will definitely stand out from the crowd.  There’s no chance of blending in when you have a set of earphones that not only have LED lights that shine, but they blink to top it off.  It’s kind of like wearing a target on your chest, just begging people to stare right at you.  They’d also make for a great way to make it easier for people to see you at night, of course it’d only work if they’re in front of you.  I wouldn’t advise substituting the reflectors on your bike for a set of these.

These are just normal earphones, despite that they have lights, they’ll still work with any old MP3 player or iPod.  They claim that they’re quite comfortable, but in all honesty, they don’t really appear to be all that comfortable.  The lights don’t just randomly blink, they pulsate along with the beat of your music.  Indicating to the world just what kind of mood you’re in, whether it be a slow song kind of day or a fast beat day.  They’re fairly cheap too, despite that Chinavasion claims that these are exceptional quality.  You can pick them up for $13.71.

Source: RGS

For those of you that enjoy wandering aimlessly throughout the summer months, you might want a little something extra to give you a little direction.  Of course then it stops being wandering aimlessly and instead just simply wandering.  This 3-in-1 gadget will make sure to point you in the right direction.  Of course you’ll have to know what the right direction is, so you’re on your own there.

It’s of course a compass, but a digital one, instead of being the classic type.  In addition to the compass function, it also has a clock to keep track of the time.  Then a thermometer to let you know how warm or cold it is outside.  Anyone else find it a little silly that they tell you the temperature?  Especially when it’s likely that you’re already standing outdoors while you’re using it.  Perhaps you could use it while you’re camping.  Hold it outside of your tent long enough to find out how cool it is, before you decide to crawl out from under the warm covers.  The LCD screen, that gives all of the information, can be tilted to make it easier for you to read it.   You can purchase the compass for $25 from Gadget4all.

Source: Ubergizmo

Hi, I’m excited to report that LG have kindly agreed to give to one of our UK readers a cool new 42″ LCD Television, the LF7700 (which we reviewed).

We are running the contest on our UK spin off site UK.Coolest-Gadgets.com and the rules are pretty simple. The easiest way to follow the contest is to subscribe to the UK site via email or RSS.

Good luck everyone and apologies to our none UK readers, we’ll have more global competition prizes soon.

I remember back in my day when a we just had normal blow up chairs in the pool.  Normally they were the kind you have to lay flat on too.  Now all these crazy kids have their new fangled technology tossed in.  They can’t just have a normal blow up chair, no, they need speakers and cup holders.  Well this blow up gadget would definitely make for a relaxing day out at the pool.  Especially since you’ll have you tunes handy and playing right by your head.

It also has a vibrating massager that targets your lower and upper back as well as your thighs and calves.  It has a spot to hold your iPod or MP3 player that will keep it safe, it stores it within a built-in waterproof dock.  There’s an attached remote that fits into the armrest to control the massager, but no such remote to take care of the MP3 player.  Which means you’ll have to either deal with a song or brave taking it out of the waterproof area to change the song.  To keep the lounger powered it requires 4 AA batteries.  It’ll cost you $199.95 from Hammacher and Schlemmer.

Source: GadgetGrid

Trust the Japanese to come up with the zaniest of ideas that actually work - the latest among them, the Nano-Tech Japanese Aqua Dance Game.

A cross between Pachinko and a waterfall the Nano-Tech Japanese Aqua Dance Game is Bandai Japan’s second foray into frivolous uses of nano-technology. The original Aqua Drop was a kind of simple puzzle game using hyper-beading water particles. Now the Aqua Dance turns water into a automatic cascading frenzy of beads that zoom and bounce their way to the bottom. The secret of course is an internal nano surface that causes water to hyper-bead using “Adesso WR”, a nano-tech agent invented and patented by Nikka Kagaku Co., Ltd. Japan. Simply fill the tank on the top of the Aqua Dance with water then push the pump a few times to pressurize. Turn the lever beneath to control the size and speed of the water beads as they drop repeatedly out of the tank. With the reduced friction the natural surface tension of the water takes over to create some unusual liquid dynamics. You’ll find beautiful patterns in the water that are different each time. The ridges and funnels on the surface scatter the water in unpredictable ways as it zooms like quicksilver to the bottom.

Well, if you have $39.99 to spare and would want something non-electronic in your hands for once that is able to keep you entertained and mesmerized, why not give the Nano-Tech Japanese Aqua Dance Game a go?

Logitech is an old hand when it comes to computer peripherals, and this time round they’ve released yet another model for those who do plenty of traveling and yet want something that isn’t too serious - the Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks. This new notebook mouse will come in a variety of limited-edition patterns and colors, and is based off the design of the company’s most popular mouse. Color, comfort and convenience are rolled into a single device, where you can pick it up for $29.99 a pop.

Press Release

Magellan hasn’t exactly lit up the world with its offerings of late, but it is nice to know that they’re still in the GPS navigation system game with their latest device, the RoadMate 1475T. This model from MiTAC Digital Corp. will bring together premium features in a relatively compact body to make sure that you’ll always reach your destination using the most efficient route possible, regardless of whether this is your first time in a foreign land or not. What makes the Magellan RoadMate 1475T special is its ability to be equipped with traffic-enabled device (VPA) that offers subscription free, real-time traffic alerts, incidents and road congestion reports, letting you avoid all the potential traffic hotspots in the area..

Just like many other new models in the Magellan RoadMate series, the Magellan RoadMate 1475T will boast the revolutionary OneTouch favorites menu which will place personally selected addresses and searches within a mere click away. Once the user has identified and stored his/her preferred banks, restaurants and other destinations into the OneTouch favorites menu, they’re easily accessible regardless of where they travel, as the RoadMate 1475T dispenses with the closest preferred destinations there and then. In addition, the Magellan RoadMate series comes with searchable AAA TourBook listings that comprise of AAA Diamond Rated restaurants and lodgings, alongside attractions, events and campgrounds, making it much easier to plan your trip whenever you hit the road. You can also access AAA-Approved Auto Repair shops and businesses that offer AAA member discounts through the listings, and Magellan assures you they won’t bring you round the block like a headless chicken as all listings include the exact GPS location.

Features of the Magellan RoadMate 1475T include :-

• New 4.7-inch, WQVGA - color, anti-glare touch-screen display in an ultra-thin design
• Acclaimed easy-to-use OneTouch favorites drop-down menu with personalized search icons to easily find favorite places
• Features AAA TourBook listings and member Roadside Assistance menu
• 6 million points of interest (POI)
• Spoken street name guidance tells the user the street name and which way to turn before each maneuver
• Highway Lane Assist points the user in the right direction and ensures the correct lane will be chosen before the next interchange or exit
• Highway Exit POI search let the user find gas stations, restaurants and hotels near upcoming exits
• QuickSpell with New SmartCity Search intelligently narrows searches and checks spelling when entering addresses
• Offers multi-destination routing with route optimization lets the user plan trips with multiple stops in the order they want or optimize a trip for the most efficient route, saving them time and money
• Includes NAVTEQ maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico

Expect to fork out a relatively affordable $299 for this puppy.

Press Release

Western Digital has released its latest My Book Studio Edition II that will now come with 4TB worth of data, double from the previous version which had just 2TB capacity. This new My Book Studio Edition II dual drive storage system was specially built to play nice with Mac computers, bringing together a balance of high performance as well as power conservation. It works great with the Apple Time Machine automatic backup feature is specially formatted for Mac computers, targeting creative professionals, workgroups, small offices and folks looking for superior speed in data transfer courtesy of its dual-drive RAID 0 configuration and high-speed interfaces. Regardless of any system you use, the My Book Studio Edition II is able to hook up thanks to the four interfaces it offers - eSATA and FireWire 800 for maximum performance as well as FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 for maximum flexibility.

Not only that, since hard drives tend to sip up a pretty amount of juice off the grid, Western Digital has made sure that their My Book Studio Edition II will play nice with Mother Nature, featuring an eco-friendly system that complements WD GreenPower Technology for power savings and cool and quiet operation. According to Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s branded products group, “The new My Book Studio Edition II is the best choice for creative professionals who require massive capacity and extra-fast performance,” said . “With 4 terabytes of capacity, photographers, graphic artists, videographers, and home video enthusiasts alike will have the space they need to store hours of high definition videos as well as the performance they need for demanding video editing applications.”

Those who are interested in upgrading their backup storage solution can look to the My Book Studio Edition II dual-drive storage system that will retail for $649.99 a pop.

Press Release

I remember watching some documentary special on roller coasters, and was very surprised to find that there is nothing holding the cars upside-down on the loop except centrifugal force. In other words, there is very little advanced technology involved with roller coasters, which is why I am skeptical of Universal Orlando theme park calling their Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit “the world’s highest tech roller coaster”.

The 3,800 foot long attraction is unique because it allows the user to select his or her personal soundtrack from many genres, then an individual song. I would hope that Universal would choose “Song 2” by Blur. Just listen to it, and you’ll see why it is perfect song for a roller coaster.

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit also has a various LED flashing lights, and fourteen digital video cameras to capture the experience. I can’t help but wonder if the user has the option of getting a video clip of their experience after it is over.

As for the ride itself, it begins with a 167-foot vertical lift that the coaster car climbs in 16 seconds. There are also six “near miss encounters”, where the spectator’s roller coaster car will appear to collide with other cars going around the track. There are also many “Treble Clef” curves, like the one you see in the photo here.

So, if the family is headed to Orlando for summer vacation, you might want to stop by Universal Studios Orlando and be prepared to Rip, Ride, and Rockit. The ride is due to open sometime this summer, but I don’t have the exact date.

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Some of you might remember one year ago when we reported on the Nike Hyperdunks, the shoes that Marty McFly and his son wore in Back to the Future II. For those of you who are looking to complete your Future wardrobe, you might consider purchasing the Back to the Future Marty McFly hat.

Some of you might remember that weird rainbow pattern on it, and this one-size-fits-all cap has it. I was never certain if that material was popular in the future, or if only a “complete wimp” like Marty McFly Jr. would wear it. I suppose we will have to wait until the year 2015 to find out. Either way, this cap with its chromatic glory are the ultimate homage to that classic time-travel trilogy.

Now all that is missing is that odd-looking jacket that can adjust its size and dry itself at the touch of a button. I’m sure that somebody is going to make that jacket, if it hasn’t been made already. I imagine that their version of the jacket would be a mere replica, and it wouldn’t do those things. After all, the Hyperdunks failed to have the “power laces” that allowed the shoes to tie themselves.

Fortunately, this rainbow hat has no technological advancements save for a Velcro strap, so it can be purchased for a moderately small price of $20.00.

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Ever since that Amazon Kindle DX came out, news of e-book readers has been spreading like weeds. I already reported on iRex’s promise of a full-color ebook reader by 2010, and Jointech, a company that I had previously never heard of, has just unveiled the JE100.

The Jointech JE100 has a 7-inch screen that uses an LCD touchscreen in lieu of e-ink. It also has a 400MHz CPU, 128MB of flash memory, and 64 MB worth of RAM. The user has the option of using Transflash cards for up to 4GB worth of extra storage.

The JE100 will also have Mobipocket Reader, as well as support for eReader and MSReader. Rumor has it that it will also have video and audio playback, with the possibility of viewing Microsoft Office documents.

Other features include an integrated speaker plus audio output socket, and the battery life is about 3-6 hours from the 1,500mAh pack. It also features two USB ports: one is for hooking up extra peripherals, and the other for hooking the e-reader to a computer, presumably.

As you can read, details are a little sketchy on the other features of this e-book reader. My sources don’t seem to know the release date or price.

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With summer just beginning, that’s clear indication that it’s time to torture students with the thought of going back by releasing information on back to school products.  Nothing will make a student cringe more than discussing the next school year in early June.  Well at least it’s for a decent reason this time.  HP is releasing a laptop specifically for students and they’re even giving it a slightly more artistic look.

The HP Pavilion dv6z Artist Edition notebook is likely to appeal to a great deal of students that are tired of the usual look of laptops.  Of course most just slap a skin on their laptop if they want to give it a colorful look.  It has a 16-inch LCD and comes with a software suite including Video Studio X2, Corel Painter Sketchpad and Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo x2.  It uses AMD processors with up to 500GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.  They also toss in Magix Music Maker 14.  It’d be a great machine for students into art and music.  It will be shipped as of June 10th and will start at $949.

Source: SlipperyBrick