Friday, March 26, 2010

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets


Contigo Autoseal Bottles

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:31 PM PDT

Ever tried to drink a beverage while you’re in a moving car? That can be quite a feat to perform without spilling a drop eh, not to mention running the risk of the beverage leaking due to dodgy screwtops and ill-fitting lids, but those could be a thing of the past with the Contigo Autoseal Bottles that has a wide range of 100% leak-proof travel mugs, water bottles and kids' cups. What makes Contigo Autoseal Bottles so special? Well, they’re BPA-free and utilize the patented Autoseal push 'n' sip lid system, which “automatically seals between glugs, making Contigos 100% spill-proof and 100% leak-proof”. To get a sip of your favorite beverage, just press the button to sip then release it to reseal the bottle instantly. Depending on the type of container you use, it will retail anywhere from £16.99 to £24.99.


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[ Contigo Autoseal Bottles copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


Danger Bomb Alarm Clock

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:27 PM PDT

Some of us find it really difficult to wake up, especially after a long hard day at the office and we arrive home dead tired only to realize that you promised your kids to go through their homework with them in detail. Once done, you can barely keep your eyes open – plopping onto the bed only to snore a few seconds later. Fast forward 6 or 7 hours and your ears are greeted by a sound that is second only to your wife’s nagging – that of an alarm clock. You shut it up, and go back to sleep “just for five more minutes” only to wake up during your office’s morning coffee break, adding another blemish to your working record. The Danger Bomb Alarm Clock helps alleviate that by making sure you get up, as it will start beeping like a real bomb a minute before it goes off, and you will need to defuse it carefully by unplugging the corresponding color wire as indicated by a glowing LED located in front. Disconnecting the wrong wire will cause it to explode with a loud noise over and over with no way of shutting it up. $34.99 is the asking price for this interesting alarm clock.


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[ Danger Bomb Alarm Clock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


Kyocera Zio M6000 Android smartphone

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:21 PM PDT

CTIA might be dubbed to be the poor man’s Mobile World Congress that happened in Barcelona earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean the event does not have its fair share of new cellphones and smartphones ready and waiting in the wings to be launched. Case in point, the Kyocera Zio M6000 which adds yet another handset to the Google Android OS stable. The Zio is touted to blend an elegant design with an ultra-intuitive user interface to unlock the vast array of content and applications in Android Market. This is also a landmark handset for Kyocera, as it marks the company’s return to the smartphone space which it helped to create nearly a decade ago with the release of two Palm-based smartphones, where the Zio is being prepared for a Q2 release later this year.

The Kyocera Zio will run on CDMA2000 1xEV-DO rev. A and Wi-Fi network technologies to help you stay connected to your family and friends, where it will feature an impressive, high-resolution 3.5″ WVGA motion-enhanced, touchscreen display as a backdrop, offering a fully customizable mobile multimedia experience. Apart from that, you will also find that it has an intuitive, effortless trackball which allows users to navigate through features in a jiffy including a 3.2-megapixel camera with 30fps video record/playback, media player, full HTML web browser, Google Maps support and numerous widgets and applications including Facebook, Twitter, Open Table and more available in Android Market. You are equipped with 256MB of internal memory – not too impressive when compared to other Android phones like the older DROID, but at least its microSDHC memory card slot can compensate for that shortcoming with another 32GB of storage space. There is also an ambient light sensor and accelerometer for easy viewing virtually any way, anywhere.

Other hardware specifications include a virtual QWERTY keypad, advanced voice dialing, a superior speakerphone, stereo Bluetooth and 3.5mm stereo headset jack, USB 2.0, and a dedicated camera key to have fun with apps such as PhotoVault and Google Goggles. It supports a wide range of audio, video and image formats including AAC, AAC+, eAAC, MP3, H263, H264, MPEG4, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and SVG. No idea on pricing though, and whether it will be carrier locked or not.

Press Release


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[ Kyocera Zio M6000 Android smartphone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


BlueAnt application heads for Android phones

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:13 PM PDT

BlueAnt Wireless is more famous for their line of Bluetooth headsets as well as hands-free accessories than anything else, but today they take a slightly different route. This time round, BlueAnt Wireless is offering the BlueAnt Q1 Android application which is a no-brainer by its name alone – it will be an Android-specific software which is the first of its kind to enable text messages to be read aloud into a headset in a concise and discrete manner. Hopefully the voice used will be pleasing to the ears, and it won’t be too hard to decipher unlike other software in the market which does sound too robotic still in this day and age. Apart from that, the application also enables Bluetooth Q1 users with pairing and connection guidance, support information and a direct link to BlueAnt Customer Service.

With the recent addition of A2DP capability to the Q1 headset thanks to a free firmware update for users, it will now enable the reading of GPS turn-by-turn navigation as well as audio streaming, helping you concentrate on the road better so that the chances of you getting yourself and your passengers lost is lowered. Apart from that, the Q1 is touted to be the most advanced voice controlled headset in the industry thanks to its intuitive voice interface, where saying simple spoken commands is a snap to perform, not to mention its capability to hear voice prompts that tell them what the device is doing.

Among the functions and features of the BlueAnt Q1 Android application include :-

  • Listen to your text messages – When the user receives a text message, the Q1 headset will say, “You have received a text message from 555-1234″ followed by the full text message.
  • Help and Support – The BlueAnt Q1 Android application provides a direct connection to BlueAnt's Customer Service center to help users with any product need. In addition, the BlueAnt Q1 Android application allows you to access a user-friendly, searchable manual displayed on your phone's screen.
  • The BlueAnt Q1 Android application is available April 1, 2010 as a free download from the BlueAnt website, http://www.blueantwireless.com/android/, as well as from the Android Market, http://www.android.com/market (service carrier data charges may apply).

Press Release


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[ BlueAnt application heads for Android phones copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


Gadget Thumbnails for 24-Mar-2010

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 10:01 PM PDT

Nintendo updates the DS for glasses-free 3D

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:07 PM PDT

Just when I thought that I could focus on reporting on the mobile technology at CTIA, an announcement comes forth out of nowhere that makes me drop everything.

In case you haven’t heard, Nintendo is not only planning on replacing the DS with a DS2, but they are going to skip a number and sell a 3DS. I suppose it skips the number because it is going to be way more advanced than the DS, and it will also be in 3D.

That’s right, 3D. You know that type that you saw in Avatar and the television companies want you to purchase. Unlike those 3D venues, this 3DS will not require any special glasses.

I am so not sure how that will happen, as glasses free TVs are not estimated to hit the market for five to ten years, says industry experts. Nintendo is is pretty silent as far as how that is going to happen. However, word is that this guy won’t be released until around this time next year (March 31, 2011), and it will be reverse compatible with other DS games.

By the way, Nintendo stock climbed 10 percent. Microsoft and Sony are probably wondering what they can do now to compete. Oh, and that Move looked so good.

Source


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[ Nintendo updates the DS for glasses-free 3D copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


My Visit with Cinterion Wireless Modules

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 10:01 PM PDT

While I was at CTIA 2010, I had a chance to visit with Cinterion Wireless Modules. If you have never heard of them, then I don’t blame you. It’s not like they are a household name like Microsoft, Samsung, Panasonic, or any other big tech company.

No, Cinterion Wireless Modules is a Munich-based company that makes GSM-based machine-to-machine (M2M) communication devices. M2Ms can produce, transmit, and then decode data over a cellular network.

You’re probably wondering why I am writing about this. Usually my spiel is to open up with some remark, introduce the coolest gadget, give the specs, and hopefully conclude with a funny or thoughtful ending, along with the price and availability date. Yes, I am aware that I am falling into patterns.

This is sadly the mindset that I went into with my interview with Cinterion. Man, I was like a kid who had to watch an educational film. However, after listening to their presentation, it occurred to me that there are a lot of modules within devices that make our lives a lot easier. M2M Modules come in handy all the time like in metering, health care, payment, tracking, security. Now that sounds like a kid’s educational film right there.

In short, I learned something about the importance of the unnoticed technology.


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[ My Visit with Cinterion Wireless Modules copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


NTT Docomo shows off “Eye-Controlled Earphones” at CTIA 2010

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 09:54 PM PDT

Now this is why I go to conferences like CTIA 2010, to see a man control headphones with his eyes.

Yes, it is true, and it was on display at the NTT Docomo booth. Here is how it works. Apparently, it can detect eye movement by electrodes. Eyeballs have electric potential positive at the cones, and its negative at the retina. When the eyes are looking forward, they both carry a neutral charge. When one looks left, the left side carries a positive charge and the right side is a negative. When one looks right, the charges on the sides of the face switch to the right side being positive and the left side being negative.

The charge around the eye changes with the eye movement, and this signal is captured by an electrode called an electroculogram (EOG). So, moving your eyes quickly from right to left is like pushing play or pause. Two quick shifts to the right is advance track forward, and shifting your eyes around in a circle will adjust the volume.

If you are thinking that I am joking with this report, I am not. Those two diagrams to the left of the man standing in the photo is my source material. If it’s lying, then I am, but I’m just repeating what I saw.

Are we looking at age when the controls for headphones will be on our eyes? I’m just going to leave it at that.


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[ NTT Docomo shows off “Eye-Controlled Earphones” at CTIA 2010 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]