Thursday, July 30, 2009

Posted by Shikamaru on/at 8:00 PM

Coolest Gadgets

Coolest Gadgets

The Kitchen Timer Retro Wall Clock

    6a00d83451cbb069e2011571547371970c-800wi

    Here’s a kitchen gadget for those that enjoy retro designs and don’t have a whole lot of counter space.  It may not do any fancy tricks, but it keeps things simple and takes away the need to have an extra timer laying out on the counter.  This would be especially great for those that feel like they need multiple timers whenever they cook, which on occasion I have had to deal with that myself.  Having one timer on the oven just doesn’t always cut it.

    Just hang this clock within reach and you can easily glance to see the time, as well as reach to set the small timer at the bottom of the clock.  To give you an idea on size, the dimensions of the clock are 8.5 x 12 x 2.5”.  The clock comes in a total of 6 very retro colors, black, chartreuce, red, silver, turquoise and white.  You can find these cool clocks for $29 from Pure Modern.  Which is a touch on the pricey side, but it’s not too shabby either.

    Source: RetrotoGo

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Underwater camcorder needs no case
    This Underwater camcorder can record video to a depth of 10 feet.

    This Underwater camcorder can record video to a depth of 10 feet.

New Logitech Webcams go HD
    Logitech's new line of webcams come with 720p HD Video Capability

    Logitech's new line of webcams come with 720p HD Video Capability

Veggie Peel does a cook a huge favor
    The Veggie Peeler saves the hassle of cleaning up those messy peels.

    The Veggie Peeler saves the hassle of cleaning up those messy peels.

Baseball Bat Pepper Mill is an All Star
    Grilling during the big game? Go for extra bases with the Baseball Bat Pepper Grinder.

    Grilling during the big game? Go for extra bases with the Baseball Bat Pepper Grinder.

Acer to to offer netbooks powered by Android
    Acer to launch world's first Atom based Android Netbook

    Acer to launch world's first Atom based Android Netbook

Splitter Bot Earphone Splitter lets one more listen in

    splitterbot

    Even tiny robots can be extremely useful and this is one of them, not to mention he’s incredibly cute too.  Not so cute that no man would be ashamed of carrying him around though, which is a difficult balance to walk.  However, robots can usually get away with looking just a little on the cute side, while still being considered awesome.  The tiny white robot doesn’t do a whole lot, but he will help you share your music with one other person.  That is, instead of carrying portable speakers and forcing everyone around you to listen in.

    To work the little guy you just plug in your MP3 player into the robot.  Then you can plug in two different sets of headphones into him as well.  It’s pretty basic stuff.  Plus he has a small keychain attached to him, so if you wanted to you could keep him on your keys.  That way when he’s needed he’s already easily within reach.  You can purchase him for about A$19.60, which converts into about $16, plus whatever it would cost to get it shipped to the US or UK.

    Source: NerdApproved

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The Invisible Flash

    nyu_invisibleflash_cameraI’m sure there are many who can’t stand taking pictures with Flash. I mean, not only do they create too much reflections, but then there is that horrid red-eye effect. The worst case scenario is taking a picture at the aquarium. I mean, you think you got a great shot of the kids by the fish tank, but the picture ends up with a giant white spot. So instead of the kids staring in awe at a cute seal cub, you get a shot of kids looking at a will-o-the-wisp.

    Fortunately, some NYU researchers are working on an Invisible Flash. I realize that sounds like a song by Genesis, but it is actually could “reach out, and grab right hold of your heart”. (That’s a reference to the Genesis song “Invisible Touch”, by the way.)

    The Invisible Flash works by taking a picture with IR and UV light to produce a black-and-white image. Then another picture is taken with ambient lighting, and both images are then combined with special software.

    The best part of this technology is that it doesn’t require any special equipment to make invisible flashes work. Still, taking two pictures instead of one and then combining them could create quite a lot of blur.

    Well, the Invisible Flash isn’t selling right now, but it will be presented at SIGGRAPH 2009 in August.

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Wink Glasses Refines your Blinking Habit

    wnk44323-thumb-550x550-21576When I first saw the Wink Glasses, I thought they were those joke/novelty glasses that have those weird pictures that change if you tilt them. Yeah, I probably should know the proper name for this technology, but I don’t. I’m also not doing a good job at describing it, but remember those cheap plastic glasses that make you look like you’re winking or blinking?

    No, the Wink Glasses are no joke, as they are designed for those who taking gaming too seriously. Did you ever hear of those stories about how video games reduce the player’s blinking ratio, and how it can lead to long-term damage over time?

    Well, the Wink Glasses are designed to detect whether the user is blinking and then fogs up the glasses if the user doesn’t blink at the normal five-second mark. I suppose this encourages you to blink, even if it spoils your game.

    I’m not certain how long it takes to charge this particular wireless device, but it can apparently hold an eight-hour charge. Of course, if there is an outlet or USB port nearby, the Wink Glasses can always be attached there for power.

    If you are interested in the Wink Glasses, then you might have to be in Japan to get them. They won’t hit the market on August 10th for a price of $150.

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WowWee Cinemin Swivel projects films everywhere

    wowwee-cinemin-swivel-pico-projector-0I’m sure most of the readers are familiar with WowWee, makers of some of the coolest toy robots on the market. I’m also sure that many of you are aware of the Pico Projectors designed to project video files form mobile devices.

    Welcome to the new age of the Cinemin Swivel, a mini-projector with 480 x 360 resolution, a three-hour battery life, and an adjustable 90-degree hinge.

    It is designed to work with the iPhone, iPods, and other mobile devices, as well as laptops. Once it is connected, it projects what the user wants, wherever the user wants. My source does not say how big the projection is.

    I’m not certain how good the sound is, as it has a tiny speaker, and I’m not certain who wants a tiny projector. I suppose it might be nice to project my favorite DVD on a screen and pretend that I am watching it in a walk-in theater, but it isn’t really my dream to project my films wherever I want. I mean, if I was on the bus, does anyone else want to see my vids but me?

    The Cinemin Swivel is available for pre-order in U.S. and Europe for about $349.99.

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Hideaway Elliptical Trainer

    elliptical-trainerDon’t have enough space in your home? The Hideaway Elliptical Trainer ought to be a staple for you then, as it not only helps you keep fit right in the comfort of your living room without taking up a whole lot of space once you’re done.

    This is the compact elliptical trainer that provides the same lower leg motion as full-sized elliptical trainers but is small enough to slip under a bed or stow in a closet. The non-slip footpads provide stable footing as you move your feet forward or backward, forcing you to engage your abdominal muscles to keep balance–typical elliptical machines do not engage your abdominal muscles because they have handholds to provide balance. Tension can be adjusted using the dial. The LCD shows you the number of strides per minute, total number of strides, exercise time, and calories burned, scrolling through each statistic one at a time.

    The LCD display will run on a LR44 battery, while the steel frame is able to support up to 250 lbs., so make sure you weight yourself before you step on this $129.95 compact exercise machine.

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Runco’s 5 New Plasma TVs

    runco-plasmawall-xp-opal50dhd-1080p-plasmaRunco has recently released five new 1080p plasma monitors to their line, which are the first to feature the company’s own OPAL (Optical Path Alignment) Technology as well as the DHD 3, “the most advanced video processor controller to date”.

    For those who don’t know what OPAL does (which included me before I wrote this article), it uses the best imagery for “deep blacks, impressive brightness, and contrast ratio”. It can reduce surface light reflections on the screen, which is distracting to viewers and from image quality.

    I’m sure there are those who don’t know what DHD 3 is either, which also included myself. Runco’s DHD 3 uses Vivix III 1080p processing with VirtualWide and VirtualCinema aspect ratios. It can enhance all digital and analog signals to near high-definition quality, matching output resolution, sync types, and output formats to prevent “double scaling”.

    Of course, the prices of these are not exactly affordable to the average consumer, but here they are in case you can afford them. By the way, I believe that all of these models are available now, so check out the Runco site for more details.

    • CinemaWall XP-OPAL50 - $6,999
    • CinemaWall XP-OPAL65 - $13,495
    • PlasmaWall XP-OPAL50 DHD - $8,995
    • PlasmaWall XP-65 DHD3 - $13,495
    • PlasmaWall XP-OPAL65 DHD - $15,495

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Hitachi’s Biometric Vending Machine

    hitachi_vending_machineI don’t know why high-tech vending machines like the Touchscreen Vending Machine from Samsung are coming out in droves, nor what is keeping them from being put on every corner in the world.

    The latest offering is one from Hitachi, which requires no cash in order to work. No, Hitachi has used a finger vein biometric authentication system so that all the customer has to do is give the machine the finger.

    Let me rephrase that. A user just puts his or her finger in the machine, and it will be scanned. As long as the user is registered, the amount for the soda or whatever snack food will be deducted from a chosen credit card account.

    According to my source, the “buyers will get to see personalized ads or other information on an LCD screen”. Well, Hitachi currently has just one prototype of this machine, and they don’t know if they will commercialize it. Hitachi employees should have it by the end of the year.

    I’m wondering if this biometric vending machine will encourage those Hitachi employees to buy more vending machine products. I think we all know that money that is easy to spend gets easily spent. It might be an interesting experiment if they were to do a before and after snack inventory.

    At least there will be no more of trying to feed a dollar into machines just to have it come right back on you. Lets hope the Hitachi vending machine doesn’t find new ways to eat your money.

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