Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Acadalus CPS-H1 self-leveling camera head
Cyberwalk Omni-directional treadmill looks like a lot of fun
Augmented Reality Billboard shows us our ignorance
Paw Plunger keeps floors clean
Canine Shower Stall
Nuvo giving away 15 Ritmo Pregnancy Sound Systems
SuperBiiz to offer SuperTalent USB 3.0 Express Drive
Gordian Knot’s Puzzle
Gadget Thumbnails for 29-Apr-2010
No Wrong Notes Strumstick
BenQ E1260 HDR camera
HICE Hydrogen-powered vehicle made by high-schoolers

Acadalus CPS-H1 self-leveling camera head

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 04:05 PM PDT

One of the most difficult problems about shooting pictures with a camera on a tripod is keeping the camera level.

Generally, the bubble level attachment is for that, or you could get the Acadalus CPS-H1.

The CPS-H1 is a self-leveling camera head with a built-in digital inclinometer, and it can automatically level the camera at the touch of a button. I’m guessing that the other buttons are for subtly adjusting the camera for artistic angles.

I can tell you that this device is probably better than my so-called steady hands or eyeballing what is level. I mean, do you really want prints that look like the world is tilted?

Heck no! Everyone knows that a machine with their technological ways of aligning are so much better than probably the greatest photographer. I’ll bet artists that can draw a perfect circle can’t keep the camera level. Assuming they would want to take photos, of course.

Unfortunately, this technology costs, a lot. It is about $5,000, which is more than most cameras or tripods, for that matter.

Man, if you can afford one of these things, then you had better be one of those photographers that thousands of dollars per job. Because at five grand a pop, this device had better focus and do all the other settings for me.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Acadalus CPS-H1 self-leveling camera head copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Cyberwalk Omni-directional treadmill looks like a lot of fun

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 03:50 PM PDT

Yesterday, I was covering an “augmented reality floor”, that was really more of a floor that could replicate whatever texture you wanted to. Yes, I am serious. Read that one here if you don’t believe me.

Now, here is another unusual floor for those who need to have a room that I would like to describe as “versatile”. The Cyberwalk is actually more of a platform to work an omni-directional treadmill.

You might wonder why in the world anyone would want an omni-directional treadmill, but most of the reasons boil down to recreation.

Just imagine if you want to run inside, but you don’t want to run in place or in one direction, like on a regular treadmill. You are free to run anywhere.

I think there might be a limitation to this technology, though. Most pictures that I see of this show someone with some sort of support. I can see why. It looks like the Cyberwalk might be very difficult to maintain one’s balance on.

Another application is gaming. Just imagine a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game where the player does not move with the A, S, D, W or arrow keys, but by just moving his or her feet. Attach some motion controllers to the arms, and you’ve got yourself a very interactive gaming environment.

Sadly, this guy is just research at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, Germany. I’m guessing it would be expensive to set up in an ordinary home, but what a ride it would be to have this.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Cyberwalk Omni-directional treadmill looks like a lot of fun copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Augmented Reality Billboard shows us our ignorance

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 03:22 PM PDT

I personally think that this is a terrible situation, but the people of the Netherlands have a problem with public service employees such as paramedics being attacked while doing their job.

What makes this problem even greater is those who see such crimes often do very little to stop them. I can understand why people would want to avoid being hurt, but some people who pass by such scenes don’t even bother to call for help.

There is a new public service message that involves a billboard and augmented reality technology. I’ve discussed augmented reality before, and this is the first time I have seen it used like this. Check out a video after the jump to see it in action.

What happens is that the billboard shows some studio-made footage of an assault on some paramedics, but the augmented reality adds people passing by and doing nothing. These people who are passing by are shot by hidden cameras and placed in the footage in real-time.

Talk about an object lesson! Man, if this doesn’t show people that they should get involved, I don’t know what will. I wouldn’t mind seeing this billboard outside of the Netherlands. Something like this could prevent any more Kitty Genovese cases. For those of you who aren’t aware of Kitty Genovese, she was a woman who was stabbed to death near her New York home. This incident was witnessed by thirty-eight people, and not one of them called the police.

In the video, it shows four steps of what to do if you see something in the augmented billboard. It would probably be best if we all did them. Whoa, that got preachy. Then again, it’s hard not to be preachy when talking about issues like this.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Augmented Reality Billboard shows us our ignorance copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Paw Plunger keeps floors clean

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 02:30 PM PDT

Alright dogs need to go outside to do their business, even on exceptionally rainy days. Then when they go trapsing through the house they leave their muddy footprints all over the floor. Now with kids you can bellow out for them to wipe off their feet, making it so you don’t have to mop every 2 minutes. Sadly yelling that out to the dog usually just makes them drop their head and leave the footprints a little slower than normal. This Paw Plunger may look silly, but at least it keeps your carpets clean.

On the inside it has soft bristles, then you just slowly move their paws up and down within the plunger. That is after you fill it up with some warm water. The bristles will knock off all of that dirt and the water cleans off any excess dirt. You can also apparently use it to do medicinal soaks and to melt the ice balls that attach themselves to your dog’s paws. You can purchase it for $34.99 through Improvements.

Source: Bookofjoe

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Paw Plunger keeps floors clean copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Canine Shower Stall

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 02:07 PM PDT

I’m not sure why, but giving the dog a bath is my least favorite household chore and usually the most procrastinated one. Truthfully I have a small dog, plus he’s actually extremely obedient about the whole affair, so it shouldn’t be so bad. The part I have a problem with is having a not so good back and bending at bad angles in order to clean him up. Alright so a shower just for the dog is a bit much, but if you’re in desperate need of an alternative then it might be just the thing.

This shower is even better than my full-sized people shower. I can’t believe I’m jealous of a dog shower. It has 16 water-jet nozzles and a showerhead that is capable of rinsing off all of the dirt and shampoo. The jet nozzles produce streams of water strong enough to remove dead skin cells. The showerhead can be used as a handheld and has a hose 38 inches long. There are 2 leashes built into it to make sure your pet stays steady. You can purchase it for $1250 through Hammacher.

Source: SlipperyBrick

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Canine Shower Stall copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nuvo giving away 15 Ritmo Pregnancy Sound Systems

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 12:16 PM PDT

There is no end to products that could be added to the expectant mother wishlist. It seems like the more new technology that’s released the longer and more impossible that list gets. Thankfully Nuvo is helping you take off a decent chunk for those highly interested in the Ritmo, which would save you $129. When you’re trying to get supplies for a new baby, that’s a huge help. If you’re not expecting but know someone that is, you might want to give them a heads up on this one.

Nuvo will start this in May and will end it in September, they’ll give away one of these per month. If you’re unfamiliar with the Ritmo, it allows for you to not only play music for your baby, but also recordings. That means if a family member records themselves reading a story, you can play it for your baby and create a stronger bond. Plus you could use it even during the most sweaty of activities (like working out), since it’s completely machine washable. Just follow this link to find out more, although keep in mind that link won’t go active until May 1st. If you’re reading this before then, just bookmark it and check back later.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Nuvo giving away 15 Ritmo Pregnancy Sound Systems copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

SuperBiiz to offer SuperTalent USB 3.0 Express Drive

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 06:00 AM PDT

SuperBiiz is more than ready to offer the SuperTalent USB 3.0 Express Drive for folks who want a USB 3.0 drive that will not break the bank. Of course, it still remains to be seen when will the USB 3.0 standard actually pick up and become a mainstream feature for the masses, as the adoption rate isn’t exactly that impressive at the moment. We’re pretty sure though that as time passes, more and more motherboard manufacturers will throw in USB 3.0 connectivity to keep up with the times, and this alone will help USB 3.0 devices proliferate the market. SuperBiiz is proud to participate in this exercise, who hopes that the USB 3.0 standard will further prompt flash manufactures to create new high performance architectures which are capable of outperforming even the fastest USB 2.0 devices on the market. The USB 3.0 Express drive will come in 16GB and 32GB capacities, and for folks who wonder whether it will play nice with older machines, the USB 3.0 Express Drive is fully backward compatible to USB 2.0 connectors.

When connected to a USB 3.0 port, the new Express drive is capable of supassing 125MB/s speeds. Needless to say, that figure drops dramatically when attached to a USB 2.0 port due to the limitations of USB 2.0 standards, but even so it doesn’t perform like a slouch, being far faster than any other drive in its category, maxing out the bus with speeds up to 43MB/s. Basically, you are looking at a "future proof" product. You are able to make full use of the product as a USB 2.0 flash drive and take advantage of its best in class performance today, while placing you in good stead for tomorrow’s technology as USB 3.0 standard starts to make its way across a variety of machines.

The 16GB and 32GB SuperTalent USB 3.0 Express Drive will retail for $69 and $119, respectively. Any takers?

Press Release

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ SuperBiiz to offer SuperTalent USB 3.0 Express Drive copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gordian Knot’s Puzzle

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 05:30 AM PDT

Are you a puzzle lover who has a penchant for traditional puzzles instead of electronic ones? If that is the case, then the Gordian Knot’s Puzzle might be of interest to you, as it lets you live out the Shakespearean life by solving the Gordian Knot instead of trying to untie it by unsheathing your sword, taking over the whole world in the process. This is a much more gentlemanly manner of course, and we don’t see any good reason to ditch $9.99 by destroying this potentially mind boggling puzzle that ought to provide hours of frustration as well as entertainment with it. There are six colorful interlocking puzzle pieces waiting for you to separate them, and if you have wrecked your brain in the process, you can always give in to the temptation of the included 40 page, step-by-step solution book.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Gordian Knot’s Puzzle copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 29-Apr-2010

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 10:01 PM PDT

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 29-Apr-2010 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

No Wrong Notes Strumstick

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT

Hitting the right notes all the time does not come naturally for most folks, which is why the No Wrong Notes Strumstick comes in handy for beginners who want to give this three-stringed instrument a go. You will not need any kind of musical training beforehand to handle this 29″ long instrument which is more or less similar to a ‘dulcitar,’ where it relies on a special diatonic fretting of an Appalachian dulcimer. The strings have been specially tuned in a drone relationship in such a manner where there are no wrong notes, letting one play a major scale by simply fretting just one string and strumming like a guitar. It comes with a pitch range of 2 1/2 octaves, featuring a sound that might be mistaken to a banjo and mandolin to the unseen eye. Nice to know this $199.95 purchase comes with instructional DVD to guide you right out of the box in a step-by-step manner alongside two- and three-string melodies as well as folk classics.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ No Wrong Notes Strumstick copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

BenQ E1260 HDR camera

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 06:57 PM PDT

Here’s a little point-and-shoot from our friends at BenQ: the E1260 HDR.

I can see why that its slogan is “Make Every Shot Amazing”, as it probably could. This camera has 12 Megapixels, and with a 28 mm 4x optical wide angle zoom lens. It also has a 2.7 inch LCD display, and is capable of shooting 720p video.

The E1260 HDR has image enhancement technology that is “designed to bring out the finest details in the darkest and brightest part of an image”. This helps to make pictures with the highest contrast lighting conditions, which is good for any lighting challenge.

The lens is a wide-angle that enables panoramic shots of scenic landscapes or bustling cityscapes, friends and family, and close-ups.

It has many other bells and whistles, such as “Auto Face Tracking; Blink Detector; Self/Love Portrait; Beauty Enhancer; Smile Catch; Smart Focus; File Management; Auto Rotation; 3 Second Prerecording and Super Shake-Free (S.S.F.)”. It also has twelve advanced smart scene modes, as well as a user-friendly interface with explanatory text matching clear icons.

The BenQ E1260 is available in colors of “Metallic Gun-Metal Gray” and “Metallic Blue”. I don’t have a price as yet, but its release date is sometime next month.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ BenQ E1260 HDR camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

HICE Hydrogen-powered vehicle made by high-schoolers

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 06:38 PM PDT

For those that are interested in green vehicles are probably looking to electric or even hydrogen-powered cars.

The hydrogen-powered car that you see in this picture was, believe it or not, designed by a group of high-school students. They are from the Los Altos Academy of Engineering in California, and they have been working on cars like this for a while, in conjunction with companies like Toyota and Boeing.

This particular vehicle, known as the HICE (Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle was nearly completed back in February. It is powered by a four-stroke Honda engine, and has three wheels.

I’m pretty amazed that a group of high-school kids were able to build the HICE. Granted, it lacks a little bit on the interior room, but it is better than what I would have done in high school. I probably couldn’t have done the flame-job on the sides.

Not only do I think its terrific for these kids to do something constructive, but it looks like they’re on one of those “save the Earth” crusades. That’s good, because I think I only heard of Earth Day during my Senior year, which was in 1990.

Considering what these kids are doing in high school, I can’t wait to see what they do after college. Maybe we’ll see some serious hydrogen vehicles on the road by that time.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ HICE Hydrogen-powered vehicle made by high-schoolers copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Saturday, May 1, 2010