Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

My Review of the 3M Shoot and Share Camera Projector
The Board Game Remix Kit, not just in time for the holidays
Introducing LiteLocker, just in time for the holidays!
Fireplace HEPA Vacuum
Rugged PS3 created for the military
Kno ships tablets to students at last
Gadget Thumbnails for 21-Dec-2010
SmartFish Whirl Mini Notebook Laser Mouse defies gravity
From Me to You – Make friends with Tatty Teddy on Facebook

My Review of the 3M Shoot and Share Camera Projector

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 04:31 PM PST

The Shoot and Share by 3M is a combination of the currently popular brand of “candybar” design cameras like the Flip and a pico-projector.

These two come together to make a product that allows the user to snap a 5 Megapixel picture or shoot a 720p (1280 x 720) video, and then immediately project it on a big screen. Any blank wall will do, and the image can be as large as 65 inches on its diagonal.

The Shoot and Share is powered by a USB that also allows for easy downloading to a computer. It is capable of about 20 hours worth of video, which is about 32GB.

The button configuration is quite interesting, and resembles a telephone keypad. In fact, my eight-year-old daughter thought it was a phone when she first saw it. The configuration makes usage rather instinctive, and I was shooting and filming in seconds as soon as the thing was charged. Then I hit the projector button to make me feel like I was watching a movie in the theater.

The one drawback I found was that the camera didn’t have a flash, so good lighting is a requirement. It also only has 14 MB of internal memory, and the microphone is only mono.

However, if you want some quick picture-taker and projector, this is one (but not the only) option. You should be able to get the Shoot and Share at the 3M site for about $300.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ My Review of the 3M Shoot and Share Camera Projector copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The Board Game Remix Kit, not just in time for the holidays

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 04:03 PM PST

We just covered how LiteLocker is set up for the holiday, and now here is a holiday gift idea that I want to get before the holiday.

Granted, it isn’t a gadget in the tech sense of the word, but it is something to make our lives a bit more interesting. Most of us only have the time to play board games during the holidays, and this Boardgame Remix Kit is determined to shake things up a bit.

The Kit has some alternate rules made for classic games such as Clue, Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and over 20 more.

I don’t know how much this will shape up your game, as my Source does not give examples. Maybe the kit will show the rules of “speed Monopoly”. Perhaps there will be a version of Clue which has a Murder on the Orient Express ending where all the suspects did it.

As I said before, you can’t get this item now. This kit, which I believe is nothing more than a book, is listed as “coming soon”. Some limited edition cards that feature twelve game remixes are currently available for $18.50. It is also available as a downloadable DRM-free ePub or PDF eBook as well as an iPhone App for about $4.60 a pop.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ The Board Game Remix Kit, not just in time for the holidays copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Introducing LiteLocker, just in time for the holidays!

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 03:30 PM PST

I’m sure most of you know the hassle of putting up Christmas lights in the wintertime, and I’m sure you have that one guy in your neighborhood that simply leaves them up all year.

Fortunately, LiteLocker makes it more dignified to leave up the Christmas lights all year because it is able to cover them up when they are being used the other ten or eleven months out of the year.

LiteLocker comes in individual lengths of four feet each. They can then be lined up as long as the user wants, and then attach them to eaves with vinyl siding. I have a video after the jump so you can see how the lights “come out of their box”.

After Halloween, or whenever you normally light your Christmas lights, all you need to do is get your ladder and open up your lights. There is even a tool available to open up the LiteLockers without a ladder. I would imagine that they will make it so you can just flip a switch and the lights will come out of their box and turn on.

LiteLocker is available at its official site for about $24.95 per 24-foot kit. I doubt that you will get them sent to you before Christmas, but honestly, at what other time could I have posted about the LiteLocker when I just heard about it today?

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Introducing LiteLocker, just in time for the holidays! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Fireplace HEPA Vacuum

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:30 AM PST

Just in case you thought that Santa is nice enough to clean your chimney every year when he drops by to give your household presents, think again. The chimney and fireplace isn’t going to clean itself by magic, since you aren’t living in an enchanted castle. No sir, it takes backbreaking hard work to make sure all the dirt and soot are thoroughly cleaned after each use so that none of it will settle and soil the rest of your expensive furniture. That’s what a vacuum cleaner is for, and the Fireplace HEPA Vacuum works differently from other typical fireplace vacuums where it won’t recirculate microscopic ash particles into the air, thanks to its HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of all airborne particulates as small as 1/3000 of a millimeter. The HEPA filter is located within the intake side of the motor, hence preventing fine, abrasive ash particles from damaging the vacuum or being exhausted into the air you breathe. Powered by an 800-watt motor that quickly suctions ashes via a 5′ fire-retardant aluminum hose into a 5 1/4-gallon fire-resistant steel tank, the Fireplace HEPA Vacuum sports an integrated handle where the lid will unclasp in a jiffy to enable easy emptying of ash. At $149.95 a pop, this is certainly worth looking into, since you might be spending more time around the fireplace during winter than summer.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Fireplace HEPA Vacuum copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Rugged PS3 created for the military

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Our men in green are there to make sure that they keep the peace – not only back in the homeland, but around the world as well. After all, if there isn’t a world police, don’t you think we would have all obliterated one another by now in a shower of nukes due to retaliatory attacks? Of course, in their tour of duty, it is safe to say that these brave men and women would have undergone plenty of stress and seen untold horrors – so how are they going to destress in the midst of the battlefield? Taking drugs and booze are definitely two of the wrong choices, but it is a good thing there are healthier alternatives out there – such as playing video games. Then again, you can say that video game consoles aren’t all that tough, and in the event of enemy fire, you might as well kiss goodbye to your saved games whenever a grenade goes off nearby. Ben Heck, modder extraordinare, has come up with a spanking new mod of the Sony PS3 – one that has been ruggedized enough to withstand the rigors of the battlefield.

Ben Heck pays tribute to our troops with a military-grade portable gaming system that was specially designed for a married couple working with the military overseas, and although we would have liked the army to commission a slew of these modded portable PS3s, we don’t think that is possible due to the amount of work required in each individual mod, and no factory is going to change their production line just to make it a reality.

Let’s get back to the lucky couple – Ben’s latest work is the result of a personal request from civilian unmanned aerial vehicle pilots in Afghanistan, Erica and Kris Kokkeby, where this ultimate portable gaming system sports a Sony PlayStation 3 stored within an iM2600 Pelican Storm Case that was specially constructed to withstand extreme gaming situations. The Kokkebys intend to take up gaming as their hobby, where this hardy console will help them pass time and boost morale in-between maneuvers. We definitely look forward to see what else Ben Heck has up his sleeves for future console mods – will a new Xbox 360 that is much more compact roll out? Only time will tell, but keep ‘em coming, Ben.

Press Release

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Rugged PS3 created for the military copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Kno ships tablets to students at last

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 04:30 AM PST

Do you know Kno? OK, so reading that aloud might sound a little bit weird at first, but if you haven’t heard about Kno, then this is the company that has come up with a new educational tablet, hoping students will pick it up instead of lugging around heavy textbooks and giving their shoulders a nice workout. The company has just announced that they will start to ship its highly anticipated product to pre-order customers, where the first batch of Kno tablets will start to arrive on doorsteps this week – perfect if you’ve placed a pre-order for your little bird who is about to leave the nest for university pretty soon. Kno’s tablets will come in two iterations – one with a single screen just like every other tablet device out there, while another will sport a couple of displays, which is pretty much like a blown up Nintendo DS, except that this is more educational centric instead of helping you while your time away playing games.

Why the name Kno, you ask? Well, it is apparently short for knowledge, where it boasts a rather generous 14.1-inch touchscreen display which will blend textbooks, course materials, note-taking, web access, educational applications, digital media, sharing and more into a single tool that delivers a more powerful and engaging educational experience. Not only that, Kno also boasts their very own digital bookstore (www.kno.com/store/books) that will hold tens of thousands of tomes from most of the major publishers, where new books will be added to the total on a regular basis. These digital textbooks will typically cost between 30 and 50 percent cheaper comapred to physical textbooks, and Kno claims that it will pay for itself in just 3 semesters with the amount of money saved in terms of textbook costs. Of course, having a physical textbook can be pretty rewarding for those who love thumbing through physical pages, but knowing how modern our students are these days, they might just fall for the Kno instead.

As mentioned earlier, the Kno will come as a single and dual 14.1-inch screen tablet, retailing for $599 and $899, respectively. Not everyone is able to purchase the Kno outright since it is available in limited quantity, and availability is also subject to invitation only. Shipments to pre-order customers will be staggered over this month and January 2011, so you might just be one of the lucky ones to get it before Christmas.

Press Release

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Kno ships tablets to students at last copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 21-Dec-2010

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 09:01 PM PST

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 21-Dec-2010 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

SmartFish Whirl Mini Notebook Laser Mouse defies gravity

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 04:00 AM PST

Don’t get any funny ideas that the SmartFish Whirl Mini Notebook Laser Mouse is capable of floating while it is here on earth without any strings attached (literally) to the ceiling, but rather, it has been dubbed as a “gravity-defying travel mouse” because it can adapt to the motion of your hand movements. This is possible thanks to a patented comfort-pivot technology, where the Whirl Mini will become a natural extension of your arm to provide you with the feeling that your hand is floating in mid-air even when you work, resulting in the “most comfortable, healthy computing experience imaginable”. We do hope they’re right for their sakes, as the conventional method always had the mouse plastered to a surface, with it looking (and feeling) good ergonomically whenever you hold it in your hand. Featuring an ambidextrous design, 800-dpi hi-def laser sensitivity, 2.4MHz wireless connectivity and extra long battery life, you can choose from Carbon Fiber, Black, Blue, Silver, Red, and White colors for $49.95 a pop.

Press Release

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ SmartFish Whirl Mini Notebook Laser Mouse defies gravity copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

From Me to You – Make friends with Tatty Teddy on Facebook

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 09:25 PM PST

I love nothing better than the time late in the evening when I finally get to relax and catch up with a few friends on Facebook. I write a few comments, maybe a message or two, and if I have the time, I might play a game.

Well, today I was introduced to something new, Carte Blanche Greetings Ltd. the English greeting card company that brought you Tatty Teddy, in collaboration with Sharkius Games, known for some very popular Facebook apps, brings you a delightful and adorable romp around the world, in search of friendship, called Me To You "My Place".

Set out on adventures in search of Blue Nose Friends, rescue them and bring them back to your garden where you interact with them by playing games, feeding them, chatting or just giving them a good washing. Your efforts won't go unrewarded because when Tatty Teddy is a good friend, he gets "friends for keeps"

Complete with soothing music and a charming little theme, "My Place" is a very relaxing way to spend a few moments and it gives me some hope, that things can be fun and popular without high speed chases, fights or explosions, and that people still believe in the message of friendship.

Source: www.facebook.com

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ From Me to You – Make friends with Tatty Teddy on Facebook copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]