Gadgets Blog

I’ve already covered the Rotating Speaker System from Sharper Image just the other day, but this next product from that company is for those who want to take their speakers out of the room, or even out of the house.

The Indoor Outdoor Wireless Speaker comes in two main parts. The first is a transmitter that hooks up to your laptop or MP3 Player via headphone jack. This transmitter beams the sound to the stereo speaker (that you see in the photo) for a range of 160 feet.

I had a chance to try it out for myself, and the speaker plays the “rich, full-range sound” that it advertises. There is a volume control on top of the speaker, so the user doesn’t have to go to the transmitter to turn it up or down.

It has a weather-resistant finish for when the speaker goes outside. That finish is probably good enough for a few splashes or some light rain.

As for the dock itself, it seems to be made for an iPod or iPhone. I’m not certain why this dock is only AC powered, but the speaker can run off on 4 D batteries or AC power.

The Sharper Image Indoor Outdoor Wireless Speaker is available on the now up-and-running Sharper Image site for about $69.99.

My source called these EPORO robot cars, but I don’t know if I feel comfortable calling these things cars. Unless these are cars from some alternate universe where penguins rule the world.

Yes, they may not look like what Nissan usually rolls off the assembly line, but the EPORO robot cars are an advancement for the day when cars drive themselves like Knight Rider.

You see, these EPORO robot cars are able to move in groups, and have software built in that keeps them from crashing into each other. Just think of them as bumper cars without the humans and without the bumps.

I suppose a better comparison would be to schools of fish, who are able to travel without bumping into each other and fluidly avoid other obstacles.

It sort of reminds me of the software used in Pixar’s classic Finding Nemo. Remember how the schools of fish traveled in schools, just like real fish? It would appear that Nissan took that tech a step higher, and plans to put six of the EPORO robots on display at CEATAC Japan next week.

I like where EPORO technology is going. I suppose automated cars could easily be programmed to follow traffic signals, but Nissan has finally figured out how to keep automated vehicles from hitting each other.

Are we that far away from Minority Report style automatic vehicles? I hope not. I would like to take nap in my car while on the way home.

Source

There is never a shortage of air fresheners out there that perfume the air, at least temporarily.  However, none really last.  Then you can have something that sprays the air on a regular basis, but those are just air fresheners on a timer really.  Well this does things a little differently, it’s more like the devices you’d find in casinos and the nicer hotels out there.  It does things a little more subtly and the clean scent sticks around far longer, which is definitely a plus if you have indoor pets.

This would be a great item to put right on top of a cat box in your house or in the kitchen to get rid of garbage smells.  It’s about the size of a box of tissues, so you won’t have to worry about it eating that much space.  It then plugs into an outlet to keep it powered.  It creates a mist that the droplets themselves are a fraction of the size in comparison to the aerosol mist droplets you usually would use.  These mircrodroplets also don’t instantly drop to the floor, instead they stay in the air for up to 14 hours.  Admittedly there is something slightly creepy about knowing you’re walking through a mist all the time.  The cartridge will last up to 60 days, you can pick up either Pine, Lavender-Herb or Citrus-Mint.  The full kit will cost you $199.95.

Source:  Bookofjoe

Want to get hold of the latest offering from Sony? It will be one with a gaming slant this time round – the new Sony PSP Go, also known by its model number PSP-N1000. Out in North America a few months after it debuted in Japan, the $249.99 handheld console will target consumers who want to bring their entertainment along with them wherever they go. Currently, there are 16,000 pieces of digital content available for PSP owners to purchase/download over the PlayStation Network, ranging from games to popular TV shows, and this number looks set to grow by leaps and bounds so that the UMD-less PSP Go will have a greater chance of survival. We’re not too sure whether the $249.99 price point will prevent it from selling tons, but we do know there is always a bunch of loyal early adopters who absolutely adore Sony to provide decent sales figures in the beginning. If you already own a Sony PSP, would you fork out money that can pick up a Wii with change to spare instead of the PSP Go?

Press Release

Polaroids are famous for being instant, and the company has moved with the times to keep up with the digital revolution by offering the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer that will help you print out your favorite digital snapshots in a jiffy. Well, this time round the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer will come in pink for one sole reason – to appeal to ladies worldwide to pick up a gadget that they otherwise wouldn’t spend a minute looking at it. We jest, this new shade is for a good cause to show support for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month that started yesterday. Each $49.99 printer sold on Polaroid.com will see $10 donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Go on now, be a good samaritan.

Press Release

Verizon Wireless has decided to partner Gateway to bring the latest Gateway LT2016u netbook to the masses, where this little netbook that could will feature an integrated Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband service so that you won’t need to rely on Wi-Fi hotspots in the big bad world out there each time you visit a different place for work (or leisure), as long as there is a decent 3G signal within Verizon’s network coverage areas, you’re able to surf and stay connected to the Internet. Available from October 4th onwards, the Gateway LT2016u is no slouch when it comes to computing capability, featuring enough processing muscle to offer decent performance for e-mail management, checking out social networking sites and blogs, Web site browsing as well as uploading videos to your favorite video sharing sites.

Too bad you can only choose from one color – Night Sky Black, where we would welcome a wider array of shades to keep up with the times. Guess black is always safe with the business crowd Verizon is targeting with this, but still, people like options. Some of the specifications available on the Gateway LT2016u include the following :-

• 10.1″ high-definition WSVGA LED backlit TFT LCD display
• Extended 6-cell battery for up to 6 hour operation
• Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB hard drive
• Digital media card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MSPD/xD)
• Optimized Dolby Headphone technology
• Two built-in stereo speakers
• Built-in digital microphone
• Integrated 0.3-megapixel webcam
• Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11 b/g)
• Ports: USB 2.0, headphone out, microphone in, Ethernet, and VGA

It will run on the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and those who are interested will be able to pick up the Gateway LT2016u for $149.99 after they send in a $100 mail-in rebate while agreeing to a new two-year contract. As for the monthly Mobile Broadband access fees, it will cost $39.99 per month for a 250MB data package, where anything more than that will be charged $0.10/MB. We would recommend topping that amount by another $20 so that you can enjoy a monthly allowance of 5GB, which is more or less “unlimited” for those who are average Net users without any intense downloading of Torrents.

Press Release

Vook? What is a vook? Is a vook a book? I would like to look at a book that is a vook. I could look at vid on a vook, and tap into my FaceBook.

That is the Dr. Seuss description of this product. The vook, or virtual book, is designed by Simon and Schuster’s publishing house, and allows you to read a book, then watch video about the book, and uplink to Facebook so you can talk about it.

Now, you might be thinking: “Oh come on, just read the book or watch the movie, don’t do both”. Yes, I would have to agree with that, but think of what vook could do to the how-to book industry.

For example, if you get a vook cookbook, you can not only read the recipe, but watch a chef prepare the dish on a video. Then, you can follow the easy example, and, after you have eaten it, you can share with your Facebook friends about how good or bad it really is.

So, is there any chance that this will compete with the ebook reader market? Perhaps vook could go hand and hand for those who have Kindles. These vooks are only $6.99 for the PC Platform, and $4.99 for the iPhone version.

Source

AverMedia’s latest AVerVision 355AF portable interactive document camera ought to come in handy if you happen to work in an office that requires you to scan a whole lot of documents day in, day out, through various rooms and areas across different floors. Having a dedicated scanner in one place won’t be that effective then, would it? The AVerVision 355AF portable interactive document camera will offer a greater amount of flexibility, where it will feature a mechanical arm display device that boasts a full 1080p High Definition output as well as a 5-megapixel camera head that will bring first in class clarity and image quality. In addition, the 355AF holds the distinction of being the first document camera that is able to offer one touch video and audio recording straight onto a USB flash drive, doing away with the traditional middleman whose role is often fulfilled by a PC. Apart from that, you can also take down videos with audio thanks to the on-board microphone in a similar manner, making it ideal to create podcasts on-the-fly.

Plagued with a backlog of larger documents and objects? Fret not – the 355AF will boast an expanded 11″ x 14″ viewing area, letting one view student projects and ledger sized objects in crystal clarity, while those who want to zoom in on the finer details can always rely on the powerful 80x total zoom which will include the 10x AVEROPTICAL. Other presentation features include Split Screen, Picture in Picture, AVerBox and AVerVisor. Those whose vocation is in the classroom will realize that lessons and demonstrations can be injected with new life by integrating it seamlessly with the new AVer+ software which is compatible with both Mac and PC platforms. The AVerVision 355AF will retail for $799.99 a pop. Any takers? We’re sure an office drone somewhere would love to have this for Christmas…

Press Release

Now here’s a camera that is way better than any of the other types of cameras that give you instant pictures.  Polaroids are cool and all and digitals are convenient, but this tops them all.  With this you get your pictures instantly, plus you get to let out all that pent up aggression.  No more just holding it all back and pretending to be chipper all the time.  Now you have a valid excuse to beat the snot out of something.

In order to get the image that you have just captured on the camera, you’ll have to pound it out.  This is of course tragically just a concept design.  Otherwise, I imagine there would be a lot more stress-free individuals in this world.  The designer didn’t exactly have that goal in mind though, they were more worried about tangible memories.  You know connecting both physical and digital while minimizing materials.  Personally, I just like that you get to thump on it.

Source: SlipperyBrick

I’ve discovered I seem to have a thing for odd flashlights that make things easier.  Perhaps it’s just that I really hate having to work on anything in the dark and I know I’m not the only one.  Well this ClampLight has the ability to be used just like your everyday flashlight, which is a must.  Then to top things off, it allows for you to have hands-free lighting when you really need it.  Be it to work on something or just using it while you’re out camping so you can read a book at night.

Despite that the commercial likes to show off the ClampLight as if it’s some friendly robot, it’s not quite that awesome.  This ClampLight does indeed clamp onto things, just like the name indicates.  Then the head of the flashlight can swivel around to get you the ideal angle you need.  If you don’t need it to clamp to anything, you can either hold it like normal or you can do a quick adjustment and have it sit up on a tabletop.  The bulbs in this are said to run forever and it runs on 3 AAA batteries.  You can purchase it for $29.99 from BlackFire.

Source: Bltd

While I was at CES last January, I had a chance to view The Sharper Image’s new product line for their comeback for the fall, and the Rotating Speaker System was one of them.

Contrary to what its name implies, the Rotating Speaker System is not designed as an apparatus that spins your speakers, but is a speaker system for the iPod or iPhone.

So what does rotating have to do with it? Well, let’s say you have an iPhone, and you want to watch a movie on it. At the touch of a button, the Rotating Speaker System will turn the iPhone ninety degrees on its side so you can watch it in the proper format.

I had a chance to try it out for myself, and it does produce the “full, rich sound” that the box advertises. The illuminated controls are good for advancing or going back on playlist tracks, volume control, and play/pause. When the Rotating Speaker System is turned off, it starts charging the iPod/iPhone. This dock came with inserts for the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 3G, the iPod touch (2nd generation), and iPod nano.

All in all, the Rotating Speaker System is a good system if you need an iPod or iPhone dock. The Sharper Image Rotating Speaker System should be available on October 15, wherever Sharper Image products are sold for a price of $79.99.

The winner of last week’s coolest gadget competition is the Children’s GPS Tracking Watch.

A simple solution to keeping track of your child should they go missing with this fairly standard looking children’s digital watch that is actually equipped with a GPS tracking system, which will also alert you if the watch is removed by a third party.

Congrats again to Zath.

In second place we have the Philips Wireless HDTV Link transmits 1080p video up to 30 feet.

Philips intends to clean up your home theater cable clutter with the Wireless HDTV Link, a small box capable of transmitting 1080p/30 content to any major brand HDTV from up to 30 feet away. Small enough to fit behind a standard wall mount, the Philips Wireless HDTV Link also has 2 HDMI ports and 2 component slots. Costing the equivalent of US$850, the Wireless HDTV Link is expected to ship soon (probably in Europe).

Finally in third place comes the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster Sports Car.

Certainly not the symbol of the recession but the Lamborghini brand is synonymous with luxury and the Reventon Roadster maintains this tradition. The open top sports car is capable of 0 to 62 in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 205mph.

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

Thyago (Thyago@…), 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.