Friday, March 5, 2010

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Review of the Adesso SlimTouch Pro

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 02:48 PM PST

The last Adesso keyboard I reviewed was the WKB-4000BB, and it was a netbook-sized keyboard for syncing with a PC, laptop, or even mobile device.

I just had a chance to try out the WKB-4200UB, which is a regular-sized keyboard that isn’t really that different from the former model, really. Then again, I’ve reviewed many wireless keyboards, and there isn’t much to distinguish one from the other.

I will say that this model of wireless keyboard does have the advantage of having a “power-off” button, something that is surprisingly a new feature from the Adesso wireless keyboards. I suppose that would make it the king of the Adesso wireless keyboards, and there are more features after the jump.

The USB dongle has a wireless connection with 2.4 GHz RF Smartlink with 12 Auto-Changeable channels, and it linked with my computer right away. Turning the power on and off caused no delay in the wireless connection, and the keyboard works instantly, provided you have the 2 AA batteries to power it.

The Wireless Slimtouch Pro has a trackpad with two buttons, as well as Internet hotkeys (Home, Scroll Up, Scroll Down, E-mail, Forward, and Back) and Multimedia hotkeys (Play/Pause, Stop, Previous Track, Next Track, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Mute). There are also three PC hotkeys of My Computer, Search, and Sleep.

You should be able to purchase the Adesso WKB-4200UB Wirless SlimTouch Pro on the Adesso shop site for $119.99.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Review of the Adesso SlimTouch Pro copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Porn Detection Stick searches a hard drive for…you know

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 01:59 PM PST

Just to let you know, one of the reasons why I reported on this device is because I wanted the hits that will occur from those who search for the word “porn” on this site. For those that are looking for porn, beware, because the Porn Detection Stick is going to find you out.

This simple device from Paraben looks like an ordinary USB thumb drive, and, when it is connected to the computer, it will search the hard drive for any pornographic material. It might take a while, as the company says that a 500GB hard drive containing 70,000 images will take an hour and half for a full search.

According to my Source, the Porn Detection Stick uses “advanced image analyzing algorithms that categorize images as potentially harmful by identifying facial features, flesh tone colors, image backgrounds, body part shapes, and more”. I’m guessing it uses whatever technology that screens for porn on YouTube. By the way, if you have deleted pornographic images in your Recycle bin, the Porn Detection Stick will sniff them out. In case you are wondering if the Porn Detection Stick can mis-detect, then you should know that it has a one percent false positive rate.

I can’t help but wonder what it would mis-detect as porn. This is the part where I’m not going to state the reasons why you would want to purchase the Porn Detection Stick, and just say that you can get it for $99.99.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Porn Detection Stick searches a hard drive for…you know copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Driving Simulator from Honda

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 01:28 PM PST

You know what I think is really hysterical? We have these flight simulators to help out would-be pilots, but when it comes to teenage drivers, we just put them behind the wheel with a driver’s permit.

Why can we not put them in a simulator? After all, pilots who land airplanes for the first time often say: “it was just like the simulator”. If we can give this amount of realism to pilots in training, then why not make a realistic driving simulator?

I am guessing that this is what Honda was trying to do with this driving simulator. If you put your fifteen-and-a-half-year-old behind the wheel, then it’s probably as close to driving on the road as it can be.

It has three LCD displays to give the realistic feeling of a windshield view. The software includes programs that can make night driving, driving in fog, and highway driving. I wonder how it can do with traffic. I’m not certain what happens if the driver crashes, but I’m guessing there will be some virtual cracks on the screen with the word “CRASH”. Oh, wait, that’s what they did on the old-school version of Flight Simulator.

I’m sure a lot of you have probably realized that this driving simulator “just can’t be as good as getting behind the real wheel deal” which any pre-16 teenager wants to do anyway. Granted, you should make a rear window display or something if you want future drivers to practice parallel parking and backing around a corner.

Well, the device itself is $66,000, which is hardly worth paying for, no matter how many drivers that you will have in our family.

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Driving Simulator from Honda copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Steampunk 4GB USB Drive

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PST

Instead of always purchasing a modern USB drive, we thankfully live in a world where people enjoy customizing their electronics.  Even better there are select few that offer up their unique creations to be purchased by those of us that are incapable of designing something quite as complex.  This steampunk drive will cost you a whole lot more than the average drive, but at least you’ll have something unique.

The unfortunate part about this drive is that as of now it’s no longer available.  However, the Etsy seller does actually have a different drive for sale.  Hopefully they’ll keep pumping out interesting USB drives though.  Although truthfully the other drive isn’t quite as attractive as this drive.  If you were considering picking up one of the drives from Steam Workshop, you can expect to pay around $150 for a 4GB drive.

Source: Instructables

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Steampunk 4GB USB Drive copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Thodio A-Box Speaker

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST

If you are looking for a speaker that looks just as awesome as your MP3 player, then you’re in luck.  This retro ammo box is sure to make you stand out from the crowd.  It would look great in anyone’s home that enjoys first person shooter games or just likes the look of military supplies.  Although it’s made out of metal, don’t worry, the creator has taken all the necessary precautions to still make sure this has quality sound.

It has a 6mm trespa on the inside with vibration dampening material, to help out the quality of sound.  It’s durable enough that you can cart it around outside without having to worry about it being damaged somehow.  It has a rechargeable battery that has a light to let you know the status of the battery.  There are a few variations with this speaker and options you can choose from.  Such as, there’s a heavier version that has warning lights behind the speakers to warn you against distortion when the speaker is cranked up too much.  You can purchase it for 350 euros or about $479.

Source: RetroThing

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Thodio A-Box Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Music Planet Waterproof Speaker

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 07:00 AM PST

If you prefer to enjoy your music while you’re soaking in the tub, this is one speaker that can bob along in the water right with you.  It doesn’t just sit on a shelf at a safe distance away from the water, this round speaker can dive into the bathwater and still play your favorite music loud and clear.  Which is a bonus for those of you that have the tendency to clumsily knock your electronics into bodies of water.

The MP3 player has an alarm clock, an FM tuner and stereo speakers.  On the inside of the protective waterproof cover you can plug in an SD/SDHC card (up to 32GB) or a USB drive.  The round speaker can run an SD card for 13 hours, a USB drive for 9 hours and the radio for 28 hours.  In order to keep it up and running it requires 6 AA batteries.  With having that many it’d definitely be a whole lot more convenient to pick up some rechargeable batteries.  It’s priced at about $120, but unfortunately it’s a Japan product.  Which means it might be a little difficult to get your hands on.

Source: Crunchgear

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Music Planet Waterproof Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 05:30 AM PST



SteelSeries is a name synonymous with quality gaming peripherals, and it ranks right up there with other players including Logitech and Razer. This time round, the leading manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories has taken advantage of its presence at CeBIT to introduce a brand new gaming keyboard in the form of the SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard. This model was specially designed with 18-karat gold-plated mechanical switches (don’t think you can pawn this off if you’re in a tight spot though), making sure the keyboard offers quicker reaction times and advanced key combinations that results in more Actions Per Minute and a lifetime more than 10 times that of conventional keyboards. Hmmm, but how does it stack up against its rivals that produce quality gaming keyboards as well? Surely it can’t stand up to the frustrated pounding of fists whenever the more violence-inclined gamer loses a round, eh?

Similar to the SteelSeries 7G, this new keyboard will rely on a powerful buffer-system that was created specifically for gaming, making it capable to support a myriad of simultaneous key presses – in fact, as many as there are keys on the keyboard. This special "anti-ghosting” feature will enable gamers who delve in first person shooter games to move, crouch, aim, fire and even check the scoreboard, all at once without missing a beat. In fact, SteelSeries is proud that their SteelSeries G product line is the only series of keyboards on the market right now which allows such functionality all at once.

Apart from that, you will find that SteelSeries’ Media Controls has been incorporated in the 6Gv2 keyboard, enabling quick access to volume, mute and other audio controls. You won’t find the audio ports for headphone-in and microphone-out on this though as compared to the SteelSeries 7G, while the couple of USB ports and removable plastic handrest are also missing, but guess those aren’t terribly important to have. The switch lifetime can last up to 50 million operations, which we probably think by then that you would have purchased a brand new keyboard already. Expect the SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard to cost 79.99 Euros when it hits the market in Q2 this year.

Press Release

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool :)
[ SteelSeries 6Gv2 keyboard copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Polk Audio rolls out HitMaster

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST



Video games have certainly come a long way since its early Pong days, where the only kind of audio you got was that of musical ditties at best. Apart from beeps and digitized chirps, gameplay and graphics had a much more engrossing hold on the gamer. Of course, this has changed over the years with the advancement of technology, and games these days are really the complete package with lifelike graphics as well as realistic audio cues. For those who have played music-based titles such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, you will know just how important audio quality is to you, which is why Polk Audio has come up with a brand new speaker known as the HitMaster, bringing your gameplay to a new level of depth and detail.

In order to celebrate the availability of HitMaster, Polk is feeling extra generous by giving away one free music game every single day until April 15. You don’t even need to buy anything at all beforehand, since all you need to do is drop by www.polkhitmaster.com and enter. Retailing for $99 a pop, the Polk Audio HitMaster debuted at CES 2010 a couple of months ago, paving the way for a new category of gaming stage monitors which was specially designed for use with the latest music-based games. Polk Audio believes that once you have tried out their HitMaster, you won’t ever go back to regular TV speakers again, especially if you play lots of Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

HitMaster can be purchased from Polk Audio dealers as well as online, where it comes with a single-point stereo design that comprises of a couple of 2.5″ x 5.5″ horns with two 1″ neodymium tweeters surrounding a 6.5″ woofer. All of those are housed in a cabinet which measures 14″ x 9 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, tipping the scales at 13 lbs. The use of single-point stereo by HitMaster results in a wide, immersive soundfield which will bring a live concert sense of realism to the latest crop of music-based games. If you want to rock the house, the HitMaster is equally capable, playing loud, clear and detailed audio, pumping out 100 Watts maximum, 80 Watts RMS, with total frequency response rated at 40Hz-20kHz. Maximum PL is rated at 103dB 1M/1W. Other connectivity options include line-level inputs and outputs for daisy-chaining two or more monitors.

Press Release

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Polk Audio rolls out HitMaster copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Flashlight Hidden Camcorder with Nightvision

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 04:30 AM PST

As if having a flashlight to help you in your nightly rounds isn’t enough, this one comes with an added advantage – it has a hidden camcorder within complete with nightvision capability, letting you collect evidence if the situation requires without your subject being any wiser for it. Of course, this is good only as long as you are no more than 8 feet away from your subject, since that is as far as the nightvision range works (including audio) in complete darkness. All videos are recorded in 640 x 480 resolution @ 30FPS, where a microSDHC memory card slot allows you to store up to 20 hours of recorded video. You can pick up this discreet device for $149.95 a pop.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Flashlight Hidden Camcorder with Nightvision copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 03-Mar-2010

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 09:01 PM PST

Magic Globes

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 04:00 AM PST

Loved geography at school? Why not bring home one of those globes if you don’t have one already? We would recommend you pick up the Magic Globes from IWOOT, where you can choose from Geographical and Classic Globe designs, where either one will set your pockets back by £24.99. What’s so special about these Magic Globes? Well, they will revolve constantly (to resemble a much scaled down version of our earth as much as possible, of course), where it will complete a full revolution every 18 seconds without any need for self-spinning. What powers it is not magic though, since it runs off a battery. Definitely something that will keep you mesmerized for hours on end at your cubicle if you’re stuck in a boring, dead end job.

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Magic Globes copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Netgear unveils new networking accessories for home theaters

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 06:49 PM PST



Netgear has rolled out a bunch of new networking accessories which will target the home theater market in the form of the High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) as well as the Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001). The former is a carrier-grade, tested and proven solution for wirelessly playing multiple jitter-free 1080p HD video and audio streams to virtually every room in your home flawlessly, boasting twice the performance and range of solutions in the market currently. As for the latter, it is capable of delivering Wireless-N performance of up to 300 Mbps via its Ethernet port of consumer electronic (CE) devices including Internet TVs, game consoles and Blu-ray players among others.

These devices are currently on display at CeBIT in Germany, just in case you were interested in getting a hands-on and will be paying the trade show a visit. We will take a look at the High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) first, where you get multiple streams of simultaneous, jitter-free 1080p HD video sans the hassle of wires regardless of how many rooms your house has – barring the fact that you live in a palace, of course. This is touted to be the only solution currently available which has been tested to provide sustained throughput of HD streams in excess of 40 Mbps 99.9% of the time, despite going through multiple walls. Sounds neat, eh? This kit comes with a couple of two High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Adapters (WNHD3004), where set-up is a snap thanks to its plug and play capability.

As for the Universal WiFi Internet Adapter, this USB-powered device won’t require you to tote around an extra power adapter or cable, and that alone makes it more visually appealing since it remains close and tight to your machine. Thanks to the inclusion of the Netgear Push ‘N’ Connect technology and set up process that doesn’t require any CD at all, this is a true plug and play experience. Expect the Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001) to hit May for $79, while the High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit (WNHDB3004) will follow up sometime in Q3 for a yet unannounced price point.

Press Release

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool :)
[ Netgear unveils new networking accessories for home theaters copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Western Digital rolls out SiliconEdge SSD

Posted: 03 Mar 2010 06:30 PM PST



Solid State Drives (SSDs) are getting more and more popular these days for obvious reasons – after all, who doesn’t want superior data transfer speed as well as less bulk in their notebooks and netbooks? Well, Western Digital seems to be moving towards the SSD segment by rolling out their first consumer-oriented SSD in the form of the new WD SiliconEdge 2.5″ SSD family. For those who want speedy read and write speeds alongside high capacities, then they will be able to look forward to the WD SiliconEdge Blue SSD range, making it ideal for read-intensive applications requiring high performance and plug-and-play compatibility. More details are available right after the jump.

WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs comes in a wide range of capacities, where it can hit a whopping 256GB – still a far cry from the highest capacity hard drives, but in the world of SSDs, this is king at the moment. You will find that the SiliconEdge Blue SSDs sport a native SATA 3.0 gigabits per second (Gb/s) interface with read speeds up to 250MB/s and write transfer rates up to 170 MB/s. Being fast and rugged, WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs will be able to offer a noticeable acceleration in application performance as it delivers maximum tolerance for drops, shock and vibration along with silent and low-power operation. Sounds like the perfect addition to your new netbook, eh?

It is also interesting to note that the new WD SiliconEdge Blue product family has already passed WD’s extensive functional integrity testing procedures with flying colors. Basically, this means each WD SiliconEdge Blue SSD that comes out of the factory was already subjected to more than 250,000 hours of testing to ensure it meets the industry’s highest data integrity, reliability and compatibility standards. Capable of handling read-intensive client/consumer applications and write-intensive, 24/7 OEM applications with aplomb, WD’s new multi-level cell (MLC)-based SSDs boast patented and patent-pending technologies including advanced wear-leveling and error correction control, TRIM and NCQ (Native Command Queuing) command support. You will be able to pick up the 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models for $279, $529 and $999.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Western Digital rolls out SiliconEdge SSD copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Posted by Mohammad khuram shahzad at Friday, March 05, 2010  

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