Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Iomega offers new USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drives
Raytheon’s “pain gun” has gone to jail
Arctic Drifter keeps on rolling
Steelcase Node desk chairs: Just in time for back-to-school
SoundOrb Aurora offers a light show with your music
Outlet shows a little love for USB gadgets
T-Fal Digital Toaster
Gadget Thumbnails for 24-Aug-2010
Kodak Pulse extends size to 10-inches
Kodak Easyshare M590 digital camera ready to rock and roll
36 Cube targets the brainy ones
JVC unveils Picsio pocket cameras for the masses

Iomega offers new USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drives

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 06:10 PM PDT

Iomega is at it again when it comes to portable hard drives, and the company has just released their latest device – the all new USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drive. Not only will it take advantage of the super fast USB 3.0 connection, it will also be able to keep your precious data inside safe and secure using hardware encryption as well as boasting exterior toughness that ought to put even the most paranoid person to shame. This new eGo will surely boost your very own whenever you take it out for a spin, and you won’t even find your jaw dropping when your friend or colleage drops it to the floor by accident, courtesy of a drop spec which is double that of the industry average.

Iomega is proud to announce that they are the first to move towards an all USB 3.0 portable hard drive lineup without charging a price premium to their customers. For those who are not in the know, USB 3.0 connectivity will help deliver speeds of up to 10 times that of USB 2.0, and as we mentioned earlier, this new range is extremely tough considering it can withstand a 7-foot drop without missing a beat. Not only that, your important data within can be kept secure thanks to AES 256-bit hardware encryption, placing Iomega's eGo Portable Hard Drive comfortably within the premium must-have portable storage product range. It isn’t just all hardware though, as Iomega ensures you get value for your money on the software front as well thanks to a bundled software Protection Suite that comprises of popular titles such as Iomega's QuikProtect, v.Clone and Trend Micro's Internet Security.

Iomega aims to move all eGo Portable Hard Drives in 500GB and 1TB capacities to the new USB 3.0 interface before October is over, where it will play nice with all USB 2.0 computers as well. From the first quarter of 2011 onwards, the entire Iomega Prestige Portable Hard Drive line will migrate to USB 3.0 across all models, and this 2.5″ hard drive is also highly portable since it is bus-powered, which means there is no need for an external power adapter. The 500GB and 1TB drives will cost $114 and $189, respectively, when they ship.

Press Release

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[ Iomega offers new USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drives copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Raytheon’s “pain gun” has gone to jail

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 04:39 PM PDT

I realize that this headline is a little misleading. You might remember the last time we covered the Raytheon pain gun being banned from Afghanistan. I am not implying that it has committed crimes and is being sent to jail.

However, it is being used in a prison, specifically, the Pitchess Detention Center in Los Angeles. This non-lethal weapon is used to shoot a ray that is as thick as a CD ROM is round, and made to stop mobs of unruly prisoners.

You might wonder what this pain gun feels like. I have heard that the wardens of the aforementioned prison have actually had to be shot by this thing. One of them, Commander Bob Osborne, has described it as “opening an oven door and feeling that blast of hot air, except instead of being all over me, it’s more focused”.

I’m sure all of you are familiar with that blast of hot air, and that usually takes me aback. Especially when you open the door, don’t feel the blast, and then you feel it. I don’t know what a focused beam of that would feel like, but it sounds like it burns. (Still a non-lethal weapon!)

I think we are getting into some sort of weird science fiction territory with this Raytheon device at this prison. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get all dystopian on us.

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Raytheon’s “pain gun” has gone to jail copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Arctic Drifter keeps on rolling

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 04:16 PM PDT

This is the Arctic Drifter, it is a very different mobile research station.

Instead of being some sort of RV thing with wheels or tank treads, the whole thing is one big ball! As you can see from this image, this ball-shaped room has some weird cushions on the outside so it blows up like a giant volleyball.

Apparently this is made so it can roll around by Arctic winds, and then collect data along the way. Hopefully it won’t fall prey to the snowball effect. By the way, that whole room is on a gimbal that keeps the food on the table while it is rolling along.

In case the researchers do want to actually stop, they can deflate the cushions around the ball-shaped room, and the steel cage should stay in one place.

Clearly, the Arctic winds must be pretty strong if you can keep rolling along like this. In all honesty, I feel like I could live here very comfortably. Unless the heater broke down, which leads to the question of where does this thing get its power from? Perhaps a big battery?

This is still an idea from New York based Stuido Les Betes, and I wonder if anyone has an Arctic research experiment that would require this big ball?

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Arctic Drifter keeps on rolling copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Steelcase Node desk chairs: Just in time for back-to-school

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 03:41 PM PDT

Where I live, school is beginning. The day that most kids have been dreading is here, where they will find their assigned seat for the next 8 months.

I remember when I was going to school, there was always the issue with desks. There were always teachers that would probably die if they came to class and found the desks screwed to the floor, as they would move their desks randomly in weird rows, clumps, and, my personal favorite, the giant circular formation.

Steelcase Node must have made these specialized desks for those type of teachers. As you can see, every desk has wheels for easy movement, and can swivel so the student is always facing the teacher.

You will also note that there is ample space underneath for baggage. After all, a modern-day student often carries a laptop and laptop bag, and they can take up a lot of space, especially with a stack of textbooks.

You will also note that the desks come in all sorts of colors. Considering that most of the schools I went to in my youth always had manila colored tabletops, this is a diverse and welcome change.

My Source doesn’t have a price on these desks. I’m sure if there are too expensive, then you won’t see them in most classrooms.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Steelcase Node desk chairs: Just in time for back-to-school copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

SoundOrb Aurora offers a light show with your music

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 03:00 PM PDT

If you have a thing for pretty lights, then you’ll never run out of options. However, getting pretty lights and a docking station all in one could be a little trickier. Thankfully this SoundOrb Aurora can take care of both of those needs all the while making the music that comes out of your iPod sound great. Don’t worry, that pretty light doesn’t just shine in one color either.

It has a great speaker, plus a separate sub-woofer that can be places up to 30 meters away. If you don’t want to just hook it up to your iPod, you’re in luck. This gadget will work for your home theater too. The light offers 1000’s of colors to offer you some ambient light. Plus, it allows for you to choose for it to go through all of the colors or just stick to one color. You can purchase the set for £249.99 or about $385 through Gear4.

Source: Gearlog

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ SoundOrb Aurora offers a light show with your music copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Outlet shows a little love for USB gadgets

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT

The more you use gadgets that require a USB port to receive a charge, the more it’s probably going to die before you can get to a computer. I’ve become more and more reliant on my iPod and now that I switched to a radio without a dock in my kitchen, my iPod is constantly dead. I’m really starting to consider making it possible for my outlets to be able to work with a USB connector. Thankfully I’m not the only one, this designer has designed an attractive and handy solution.

It’s nothing fancy, but it doesn’t stand out as an eyesore and it’ll solve a lot of your problems. It’s just always better to have multiple areas that you can charge up your gadgets. After this concept created by a team from Zhejiang University of Technology in China, all you’ll need are some ports in your car to really finish things off. Sadly right now this is a concept. Plus, unless you have a European plug, you’re out of luck even if this outlet does get created.

Source: Technabob

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Outlet shows a little love for USB gadgets copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

T-Fal Digital Toaster

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 12:54 PM PDT

This toaster is definitely making my toaster look bad. I really thought I was doing pretty good, mine even has buttons for bagels and frozen items. Sadly it turns out that my shiny metal toaster is getting behind on the times thanks to T-Fal feeling the need to show off. Not only do they have the buttons I adore, but they also have added an LCD screen.

They have the usual buttons, but they have some added ones that could come in handy. Things like defrost and reheat are a little new to me. Although I can’t really think of an instance that I’ve needed a reheat function. The toaster shown here is $34.95 through Cooking, but that’s not the only Digital Toaster that T-Fal has fixed up. They also have a longer one that will accommodate 4 slices of bread and it’s not much more. To get the larger one it’s only $39.95.

Source: ChipChick

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ T-Fal Digital Toaster copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 24-Aug-2010

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 10:01 PM PDT

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Gadget Thumbnails for 24-Aug-2010 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Kodak Pulse extends size to 10-inches

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 09:15 PM PDT

Kodak’s Pulse digital photo frame has grown up, this time round extending its display size to a good 10-inches so that every single generation in your family will need not squint any more whenever they want to see their favorite family moments in your living room. This new 10-inch frame is touted to hit the market this coming fall, retailing for $199.95 – pretty pricey for some people, especially when you consider all it does is loop image after image. Of course, it consumes a whole lot less juice compared to your regular projector, and if budget is your concern, you can always purchase the 7-inch model of the Pulse. Features of both devices will come with Wi-Fi connectivity for easy file transfer, a customizable email address for you to email recently snapped photos to the Pulse directly to keep it updated in real-time. Not only that, it can be connected to Facebook and Kodak Gallery photo albums in an easy set-up procedure without the need to go through pesky software installation procedures. Seems to be a decent gift for the upcoming holiday season, especially if you have a sentimental lot you call family.

Press Release

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Kodak Pulse extends size to 10-inches copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Kodak Easyshare M590 digital camera ready to rock and roll

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 09:00 PM PDT

Kodak has introduced its latest Easyshare M590 digital camera which is more than ready to knock your socks off – those who are looking for a consumer class digital camera with pretty intelligent controls without having to fiddle with the knobs and dials found on a DSLR. Of course, a compact digital camera like this might not be able to offer the flexibility of a real DSLR or Micro Four Thirds shooter, but at least it is dummy-proof so to speak, as you let the camera’s processor select all the settings for you to capture your favorite memories. The latest Easyshare M590 is dubbed by Kodak to be the “ultimate social networking accessory for people who love to share their pictures”. Hmmm, is that really so? What defines a social networking accessory anyway? We would say that a smartphone is by far and large a much more suitable social networking accessory.

The introduction of Kodak’s exclusive Share Button will enable consumers to tag pictures and videos straight on the camera itself for effortless uploading to popular social networking sites such as Facebook,Kodak Gallery, Flickr, Orkut and YouTube. Not only that, pictures can also be tagged to email and to send to any Kodak Pulse Digital Frame. Touted to be the thinnest thinnest 5X optical zoom digital camera of its class in the world, the Easyshare M590 will feature advanced capabilities such as Kodak’s Face Recognition for great looking portrait shots as well as Kodak’s Smart Capture feature which allows even the beginner to start taking better images right out of the box without knowing what aperture size and shutter speed are.

Images can also be previewed via its 2.7″ bright LCD display with Kodak Color Science technology, giving you a pretty clear representation of what the final printout at the studio will be like. Expect to bring home the Easyshare M590 later this fall for $199.95, where you can choose from silver, red, purple and blue colors. Of course, we would still recommend a Micro Four Thirds camera if you want something comparable to DSLR class performance and yet don’t want to worry about lugging around a whole lot of stuff while worrying about your lenses and other gear, although the price might easily be five times the amount. There’s a price to pay for everything, eh?

Press Release

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Kodak Easyshare M590 digital camera ready to rock and roll copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

36 Cube targets the brainy ones

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 08:45 PM PDT

Want to give your brain an exercise? The 36 Cube from Firebox might do the trick, and it is a no-brainer that spending £19.99 on a brain teaser of a puzzle is a good investment regardless of your age. Unlike Sudoku, you won’t need any pencils or pens to play this, and using your hands to manipulate a physical object while solving something is always magical. 36 Cube fills up this niche, and is a 3D version of Sudoku so to speak, where it is touted to have you hooked within seconds. Don’t discount the fact that it will deliver hours of infuriation while keeping you riveted for a long time to come. The whole idea of 36 Cube would be to place all 36 towers onto its skyline-style base to form a level cube. Sounds too easy like taking candy from a baby, but you will soon find out that it might just be mission impossible since the towers do vary in height, not to mention the bits on the base itself. Of course, there is the other issue of being unable to repeat the same color in any single row or column.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ 36 Cube targets the brainy ones copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

JVC unveils Picsio pocket cameras for the masses

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 08:35 PM PDT

Don’t you just love miniaturization? Just rewind the clock by a few years to find full HD camcorders for the home consumer, you’ll be surprised at their size and price points. Fast forward to today, and you will be able to pick up devices such as JVC’s latest Picsio pocket cameras in the form of the GC-WP10 and GC-FM2 that will come with full HD video recording capability, working great even under low-light conditions. Other hardware specifications include a three-inch touch screen for easy operation and playback viewing, compatibility with Eye-Fi cards that will throw in instant Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless transfer of files to your computer from the camcorder itself, not to mention the waterproof ability of the Picsio GC-WP10.

Camcorders these days are also worth checking out, since they are also more than able to shoot still images of comparable quality. While you might not be able to use it to blow those images to sizes that can fit into palace halls, at least they will still make more than decent 5R prints. The new Picsios are no exception, delivering up to five-megapixel native resolution without any interpolation issues. Apart from that, it will records up to 1920 x 1080p/30 fps Full HD video with image stabilization, allowing you to enjoy it over a HDTV instantly thanks to the camera’s HDMI output. Of course, if storage space is your concern, you can always choose from four different recording resolutions, and they are Full HD 1080 (1920 x 1080/30p), HD 720 (1280 x 720/60p), iFrame (960 x 540/30p) and Quarter High Definition (960 x 540/30p).

In addition, the inclusion of time-lapse recording will do its bit to reduce hours-long segments to mere seconds – perfect for budding directors. One more hardware feature that stands out would be its 3″ touchscreen display that delivers on-screen graphics for shooting and playback controls, including the 4x digital zoom. You can even use the touchscreen display while wearing gloves, making it functional regardless of the season you’re in at the moment. The JVC PICSIO GC-FM2 will hit the market from early September onwards for $179.95, while the JVC PICSIO GC-WP10 will arrive later in the same month for $199.95.

Press Release

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[ JVC unveils Picsio pocket cameras for the masses copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Thursday, August 26, 2010