Gadgets Blog

This seemed like it might be a good idea at first glance.  After all, feet slipping off of your bike pedals is obnoxious.  Especially when you’re attempting to get a faster time, your feet slipping is often going to slow you down.  Therefore these pedals having magnets built into them that keep your feet fused to the pedal would most definitely help out the situation.  However, what’s going to make most people pause and rethink things is how much it’s going to cost to keep your feet on your bicycle pedals.

The biggest catch with these is that you need special shoes to go with the pedals.  Those special shoes come from Mavic and Mavic only.  Which means little to no chance of finding these any cheaper.  The shoes themselves are sold in both male and female forms.  Plus the soles of the shoes have been stiffened to make your bike ride a bit more comfortable.   The pedals themselves will cost you $60 per pair and then the shoes $90.

Source: GadgetLab

For those of you in larger families, there’s not always just one camera for the household.  It being just me within mine, even I have two different types of cameras.  Which makes charging them up a little obnoxious.  Personally, I’m getting tired of trying to remember which cord goes with which camera.  Well instead of putting yourself through all of that nonsense, you could pick up this universal camera charger that not only simplifies your life but is capable of charging your camera in an eco-friendly manner.

The charger can function with 85% of the block camera batteries.  If you’re concerned that it won’t work with your cameras there is an online tool they offer to allow you to check things out before you purchase the universal charger.  It’s compatible with both Solar Technology’s FreeLoader and FreeLoader Pro solar gadget chargers.  The CamCaddy can also be hooked up to your car socket or your PC or laptop.  For those of you that do a bit of traveling in both the US and the UK you’ll be happy to know that it comes with an adaptor for both US and European outlets.  You can purchase the gadget for £24.99 or about $41.

Source: Ubergizmo

It’s time for another contest, simply browse the entries, vote for the coolest and leave a comment for a chance to win a $50 Amazon voucher

Yoostar in your favourite movies

Yoostar is a gadget that lets you edit famous scenes from movies so that you can replace the big Hollywood actor and maybe do a better job. The Yoostar comes with a webcam with integrated microphone, which it claims to be studio grade, so hopefully won’t make your rendition of the famous Godfather speech as jerky as stop motion animation and as fuzzy as a hamster with a blow dry. You also get a 6 foot by 6 foot green screen to film in front of and all the software needed to actually make the videos.

The full post can be found on Gaj-it.

Ectaco iTravl Multilingual Communicator

Yoostar is a gadget that lets you edit famous scenes from movies so that you can replace the big Hollywood actor and maybe do a better job. The Yoostar comes with a webcam with integrated microphone, which it claims to be studio grade, so hopefully won’t make your rendition of the famous Godfather speech as jerky as stop motion animation and as fuzzy as a hamster with a blow dry. You also get a 6 foot by 6 foot green screen to film in front of and all the software needed to actually make the videos.

The full post can be found on Marks Technology News.

iHome Audio iP1 Speaker System

iHome Audio’s latest iPod/iPhone speaker system is the iP1. With an output of 100W through 4″ woofers and 1″ silk dome tweeters, it features Bongiovi Acoustics’ DPS technology for better sound. The system comes with remote, component video outputs and iHome has given it a dedicated website so you
can enjoy its superior sound (unless your computer has inferior speakers.)

The full post can be found on Networking Audio Video.

Keyscaper 510 Mac or PC Keyboard

Since the computer begin to use by first man to our hand, there are no many color options for our keyboard, as you know the basic colors that we always seen is Black but some times we will found several colors such as White and Grey. All of the colors that we already seen are always in plain colors.

The full post can be found on winarco.com.

The $3,000 Steampunk USB Flash Drive

We absolutely love anything to do with Steampunk here on Geeky Gadgets, and when I spotted this cool handmade Steampunk USB drive I thought it looked very cool until I noticed the price.

Most of the stuff that appears on Etsy seems to be reasonably priced, unfortunately this isn’t one of those items, as you will have to part with $3,000 to get your hands on it.

The full post can be found on Geeky Gadgets.

Backpack for your iMac

Sometimes there comes along a gadget so simple, you have to stop for a moment and go ‘huh…’. Such is the case with the BackPack by Twelve South. Designed to clip onto the back of your iMac monitor, it’s basically just a heavy gauge steel shelf for, well, anything you fancy plugging into your computer- external hard drives and so on. Keeps your desk clutter free, helps you ventilate your electronics, and even tidies up cables all on one slab of metal.

The full post can be found on Gaj-It.

Whole Body Massage Chair

The Only Whole Body Massage Chair delivers the most comprehensive robotic massage available, covering over 1,200 square inches of your body.

The full post can be found on Marks Technology News.

Advanced Elements Solar Shower

We have found another cool camping accessory that will make your trip a lot more comfortable. Advanced Elements’ 5 gallon Summer Shower contains an insulator panel to generate warm water quicker. Made with a durable 4-ply construction, it has a large fill valve, twist off cap, water temperature gauge and mesh pocket with mirror. The roll up shower comes with hose fastener and d-ring tie downs.

The full post can be found on Solar Snob .

R2-D2 Coffee Mug

For those of you Star Wars fans with a serious caffeine addiction, now you can suck down your favorite cup of joe from the insides of R2-D2. This Japanese coffee cup has a lid that you pop open when you’re ready for a drink and when it’s closed will likely help keep your coffee warm longer.

The full post can be found on Foolish Gadgets.

Thanks again to all the sites for their submissions now over to you guys for voting (don’t forget to leave a comment with your reason for a chance to win a $50 Amazon voucher).

Want to hear about future contests first? Subscribe to our daily digest via email or RSS.

If you write for a gadget themed blog and wish to be included in next weeks contest check out the CGOTW instructions page.

“You’re a 21st century music lover but your stereo is stuck in the 20th century.” That is the opening that our Logitech friends gave on their Press Release for the Squeezebox Radio and Squeezbox Touch, two Wi-Fi enabled devices designed for playing music.

The Squeezebox Touch comes with a 4.3 inch touchscreen that allows the user to select and play music. It syncs with the user’s wireless network, and plugs into speakers for added sound quality. The Touch has a USB port and SD card slot to access music and photos.

The Squeezebox Radio is designed to be simple, also syncing with the user’s home network for Internet radio and personal music collections of DRM-free iTunes. Users can also play subscription based services like Napster, Pandora, Rhapsody, SIRIUS, and Last.fm.

It comes with a color screen that can display cover art, visualizers, as well as track and station information. It has six preset buttons on the side of the display, and the user can program it to play his or her favorite song at the touch of a button.

The Squeezebox Radio will be available in September in the United States and Europe for $199.99. The Squeezebox Touch will be available in December for $299.99.

Source

ValueRays isn’t the first company in the world to have the best interest of your hands at heart, although they do offer something unorthodox for those who are chained to their cubicles all day long. The produces on offer include a Warm Mouse, Warm Keyboard, USB Infrared Heaters, Hand Warmers and a Heated Mouse for Mouse Hand Pain.

Our USB hand warmers are infrared heaters and provide “infrared heat” therapy for computer users with hand pain and cold hands. ValueRays USB infrared heated warm mouse, heated mousepad, heated keyboard pad and Mouse Hand Warmer provide deep healing infrared heat for the cold mouse hand and cold keyboard hands. ValueRays USB Hand Warmers provide a healthy way to use the computer! Make the computer work for you, not harm you! Reduce stress. Improve circulation. Keep warm!

The use of infrared heat apparently penetrates deep through the skin’s layers to the muscle tissue, helping relieve tension and stress while improving overall blood circulation as well. This further heals and reduces the risk of computer-related hand injuries such as RSI, CTD and CTS. We wonder whether you can work this into your office budget for next year. Anyone used something like this before, and what are the results?

Company Page

ZINNET’s CinemaTube is a next-generation product that in reality, is a USB hard drive-based high-definition media player which not only stores all your favorite media files, it also boasts the ability to stream your entire digital entertainment collection directly to a TV from your computer. Apart from that, it helps you get your Torrent downloads done whenever you’re not around without needing any help from a PC as well.

Through the HDMI output, CinemaTube supports full 1080p high-definition video quality in a wide variety of formats, including H.264, MKV, Dixv HD, MOV, VC-1 and FLV. It also supports Dolby surround sound and downmixes DTS files to stereo. CinemaTube comes with embedded YouTube XL, a version of YouTube optimized for viewing YouTube videos on any large screen. This allows users to watch YouTube videos completely PC-free when CinemaTube is connected to the internet and the HDTV. CinemaTube also plays movies stored on external hard drives.

You can place a pre-order for the CinemaTube for $99.99 on Amazon.com.

Press Release

Mention Garmin and what comes to your mind straight away? Why, GPS, of course! The company isn’t about to go belly up anytime soon with more and more people jumping aboard the GPS bandwagon, and their latest portable navigation device would be the nüvi 1690, where it will come equipped with a built-in wireless module that enables customers to access Garmin’s nüLink! service which will offer direct links to selected online information including Google local search, traffic, weather, fuel prices, movie listings, flight status, local events, white page telephone listings and Ciao!. Ciao! is actually Garmin’s exclusive location-based social networking system which will hook up with multiple networks to form a solitary portal specially for Garmin users. All US-based nüvi 1690 will be equipped with a couple of years’ worth of Garmin nüLink! service for free.

The nüvi 1690 when used in combination with nüLink! will basically place the most comprehensive set of POI search capabilities in your hands, unrivalled by any other PNDs in the market. With Google’s local search, you are automatically able to bring online points of interest (POIs) to your fingertips in a snap, letting you look for destinations using names or keywords - similar to what one does on a computer. In addition, Garmin has also thrown in a “quick search” function that enables one to look through various categories including food, lodging and fuel, doing away with the need to type a word or phrase into the search box.

The nüvi 1690 also holds the distinction of being Garmin’s first mobile navigation device that is able to turn traditional social networking into location-enabled social networking through the use of Ciao!, a patent-pending social network application which will connect multiple location-centric social networks into a single application. This allows you to share your current location with family and friends, while seeing where they’re at as well. The US-bound nüvi 1690 will also be equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, where it will come preloaded with maps of North America. Exepect to fork out $499.99 for this delectable puppy.

Press Release

Samsung Electronics has released a couple more portable hard drives that hail from its S Series line up. First off is the 3.5″ 2TB S3 Station that ought to offer more than enough storage space for the discerning home user, while the 640GB 2.5″ S2 portable hard drive caters to those who live an active lifestyle and find that the netbook’s standard 160GB hard drive is less than suitable for storage of their work and media files. The S2 portable hard drive as veterans will note, comes in only up to 500GB of storage space in the past, making the 640GB model the current king of the hill - capable of holding roughly 128,000 digital images, 160,000 MP3 music files or 77 hours of high definition movies.

As for the massive 2TB storage space offered by the 3.5″ S3 Station, this model was specially developed for large data file back-up of desktop PCs as well as several notebooks in your home/office, where it will come in a classic piano black glossy case alongside a space-saving footprint that further ensures you have more than adequate desk space to place other items and peripherals. Both models of these portable hard drives will come with similar security features that are available in other S2 Portable and S1 Mini drives, including (and not limited to) Auto Backup, SecretZone and SafetyKey for added peace of mind.

The high density 640GB S2 Portable will connect to a machine of your choice through a high-speed USB 2.0 interface, where the same interface is used to send power to it for added convenience - doing away with the need to tote around yet another external power supply. The implementation of the USB interface eliminates the additional circuit board on the hard drive, making Samsung’s S2 Portable roughly 17% smaller compared to conventional 2.5” external hard drives. This more compact design also translates to lower failure rates and less power consumption thanks to simplified electrical hardware. Those who are interested in the 640GB S2 Portable can pick it up sometime this month, while the S3 Station will only be available early next year. There is no word on pricing details.

Press Release

I have heard rumors that the iPod Classic as we know it, is dying. It is due to the sales of the iPod touch and iPhone are climbing, but the sales of the traditional iPod are declining.

Yes, pretty soon those iPods that were so hot a few years ago will be seen in the same light as the Sony Walkman (The ones that just played cassettes). Then I suppose all that we will have is just touchscreens, because that’s what everyone wants, right?

It would appear that Microsoft is seeing the end coming for their traditional Zunes. Yes, the Zune HD is planning on being “the” Zune as Microsoft will no longer be making the earlier version of the Zune. (Not that anyone was buying them. Oh, snap!)

Yeah, I think we all know how much people have been making fun of the Zune since its initial announcement. Perhaps this supposed iPod come lately will have a revival when the Zune HD appears on the market September 15th.

So, if you want a Zune without a touchscreen, better hurry out to the nearest store and get it. Otherwise, the only Zune you’ll be buying will have to have a touchscreen and cost $220 for 16GB and $290 for 32GB.

Source

We have reported on a lot of digital picture frames here at Coolest Gadgets, and I’ll tell you one thing: they are all alike. Well, for the most part they are.

I suppose what makes this photo frame different is that it is motion activated. Every time someone walks past it, an unusual effect begins to happen: it starts to snow.

That is, it snows in the 4 x 6 image. Hopefully you have an appropriately themed winter picture, or it could look a little odd. If you have a summer picture, perhaps you could have a caption reading: “Greeting from St. Helens”.

Some of you might think the motion-activated snow thing is just silly, like one of those snow globes that you shake and snows. At least you get to pick the scene.

I say, make the next version of this digital picture frame do more. Make so it rains when you pass by it, or better yet, make it do a meteor shower like the opening scene of Armageddon. The possibilities are just endless here.

Of course, adding those features would make the price go up a few notches, wouldn’t it? As it is, the price is at a very low $25.

Source

There is never a shortage of various portable ways to charge the iPhone, mostly due to people being very unhappy with the battery life.  However, for those of us using an iPod Touch, it seems like there are far less options.  Which is bad for those like me that are notorious for forgetting to charge their iPod while they’re at home.  This Surge case will help out those that are always on the run and always forgetting to plug in their iPod.  It’ll make sure you can get a charge no matter where you’re at.

It will of course make your iPod quite a bit more bulky, but at least you’ll be powering your iPod in an eco-friendly and portable manner.  The best part of this case is that they were smart enough to make it possible to sync your iPod without worrying about taking the case off.  You’ll also get a decent amount of selection when it comes to choosing the color of the case you would like.  They have these in green, blue, black and lastly pink.  These Surge Cases are retailing for $70 later this month.

Source: GeekyGadgets

Earbuds and earphones are of course the most portable way to listen to your music.  However, if you’re not fond of that way of listening to your music, you might consider these mini headphones.  I’m one that I always prefer headphones over earbuds, but it seems like headphones break when you toss them in a bag.  Making these Sennheiser headphones extremely convenient.  They’re a little smaller than the rest and will fold up to make them even more compact.

You won’t have to sacrifice your own comfort just to get portability with these.  The headphones are said to have clear and natural sound thanks to their powerful transducers with neodymium magnets.  The cable itself allows you to control the volume on the cord itself.  So far these are in the early stages of production, so there isn’t much more information on them.  They will start hitting stores this month, but there’s no word on which ones or how much these will cost once they are being sold.

Source: Gizmowatch

Sure, that Twitter thing has made our lives easier for others to keep track of, but the NFL isn’t really liking it too much.

The NFL has set up a new rule saying that players, coaches, as well as league officials are forbidden from posting tweets or Facebook updates 90 minutes before the game. They can all resume transmission after the post-game interviews are completed.

Of course, this “tweet ban” has always been in effect, but I suppose its like that NBA regulation of not hanging off of the rim. I mean, it says in the books not to do it, but all the cool B-Ball players do it, and no one seems to penalize them.

Some people attribute this tougher twitter policy with Donte Stalworth, a player who was arrested for DUI and manslaughter. Stalworth felt a need to tweet all about his arrest, suspension, and his incarceration, and sort of made the NFL look bad.

Personally, I think that NFL just doesn’t want a team’s playbook to be posted online. Do you really want to see a coach tweet: “Gonna try an Inside Charge play. Should be a good one.”

By the way, the NFL says that members of the media will be banned from posting game updates on Twitter or Facebook. Good luck with that.

Source

There are all different types of lights you can wear when you’re out walking or biking in the dark to make it easier for drivers to see you.  If you’re one that takes a stroll with your dog at night, then you might as well put lights on the dog.  After all, it will keep your dog protected and you ensure that you’re not going to ruin someone’s  evening either.  Since obviously,  if someone ends up hitting your dog, it’s not going to make their day any better.  These lights from Luna Light Technology would make it possible to see your dog from a decent amount of distance away.

The collar is choke free and has both luminescent and reflective technology to make it easier to be spotted.  Both the collar and the lead have the same type lighting on them, making it simpler for people to spot you and the dog.  Since it is going to be used outside, they’ve made it so that both the collar and the lead are weather resistant.  They also won’t chip or peel from normal usage.  As of now there’s not a lot of information on availability, but you could always contact the company to find out information on that.

Source: Gizmodiva

If you have kids that are under the age of seven, then I’m sure you are quite familiar with SpongeBob Squarepants.

The man who lives in a pineapple under the sea celebrates his 10th anniversary this year, and if you missed the SpongeBob SpongeBash celebration on Nickelodeon, then you can get the SpongeBob themed watches from Nooka (not to be confused with a big cell phone company from Finland).

Yeah. That’s what you’re looking at in the photo there. I’m sure you’re probably thinking: “shouldn’t you put, I don’t know, SpongeBob on your SpongeBob watches?”

Well, apparently Nooka was not going for a literal SpongeBob merchandise with these. I was hoping to see SpongeBob bending over with ripped pants from one of my favorite episodes, but they were going for the “geometric nature of the SpongeBob character” rather than a literal print of SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, or Mr. Krabbs.

Designs include the SpongeBob ZenV Alumnium Spongenvader, the SpongeBob Zub ZenH 20 Spongelevator, and the SpongeBob Zot Aluminum SpongeBamo. I’m not certain which is which in the photo, but the prices are, left to right, $275, $175, and $250. These are definitely not some cheap SpongeBob watches that you would find at your local Wal-Mart.

Source

Man, I had a difficult time getting up this morning, and just had to sleep in. Something tells me I would have been completely awake if I had the Traffic Alarm Clock.

Yeah, we have reported on many strange alarm clocks at Coolest Gadgets, and has the startle factor of the Lifetone Bedside Fire Alarm Clock. However, this is the first alarm clock that I have seen with a 40mm speaker to wake the user up.

The user gets to choose between four sounds, and one of them is traffic noise. I’m not certain what the ones who live near traffic are going to do, because they are probably used to it by now.

Yeah, I don’t know what type of room this would really go well with. This would be furniture that Ty Pennington would use for his “special project” that he does on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

I can just see it: “Once I found out that little Johnny likes cars, I did his whole room with a theme of traffic lights”. I’ve always wondered how those themed rooms end up after the cameras have stopped rolling.

But I digress. If you want this traffic light, feel free to lay down $27 for it on the November 25.

Source

Summer might be over for most of us, but those who live in tropical climates that is basically sweltering all year round, the Handycooler Personal Air Conditioner might come in handy especially during the more unbearable moments.

Take cool air with you with our new Handycooler personal air conditioner! Evaporative cooling is the trick here. Simply drizzle a few ounces of water onto a sponge, and place it in a device a little bigger than a cordless phone, and enjoy cool breezes wherever you go. The fan draws air over the damp sponge, cooling it by up to 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The ducted fan rotates to move the air where you want it, but you’re gonna want to blow that heavenly cool air right past your sweating noggin.

It will require a quartet of AA batteries to keep running, so we’d suggest getting rechargeable batteries to go along with this if you want to be environmentally friendly in the long run. Of course, four batteries will bring you around 5 hours of cooling, but you can always opt for USB power whenever your computer or notebook is turned on. The Handycooler Personal Air Conditioner will retail for $39.99 a pop.

V-MODA has introduced its latest Faze metal headphone that boasts a built-in microphone, where it was specially designed to offer great sound without cramping its style. One will notice that the Faze offers an upgraded listening experience from traditional headphones, and works with a wide range of devices including iPhones, iPods, Blackberrys (you’ll need to use the included 2.5mm adapter with this though), Palm Pre, MP3 players, portable media players and computers among others. Made from lightweight ergonomic aluminum alloy design partnered with a Kevlar reinforced cable, the Faze features a hands-free microphone and call/music control button which enables one to seamlessly alternate between talking over the phone and listening to music. You can also share this with friends thanks to three pairs of both black and clear silicone fittings (S,M,L) that offer a personalized fit every time. The V-MODA Faze will retail for $49.99 a pair.

Press Release