Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jul 16, 2010

Friday, July 16, 2010

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Rex bionic legs helps this man to walk again
Spiked bench has you pay to sit
Advertising billboard in Tokyo knows your age and gender, targets ads accordingly
Xplore iX104C4HD Tablet PC launched
7′ Animated Black Widow to scare the jeebus out of folks
TextHook Stroller Smartphone Holder
Do You Play With Your Food?
Gadget Thumbnails for 14-Jul-2010

Rex bionic legs helps this man to walk again

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 04:36 PM PDT

Some of you might remember the story about Oscar the bionic cat, and how he was given legs to walk again. Rex is a set of bionic legs that is ready to make a person walk again.

I have included a video after the jump of Hayden Allen, a man who has not been able to walk for five years. However, he is now using Rex, and is learning to walk again.

Granted, it seems a little slow walking, but he is up on his feet and can manage stairs. Notice the controls on the hands, and how easy it is for him to put his legs in the Rex contraption from his wheelchair. He says that it takes about five minutes.

Now, this is the sort of bionic technology that we want to hear about, isn’t it? I think one of the things that I noticed about the video is the sincere happiness that Hayden has about walking again. I definitely want to see more healing bionics in everyday life. Apparently, keeping his legs moving helps the blood flowing, which cut down on infections for those who no longer have the use of their legs.

Of course, this technology is pretty expensive, and a pair of these legs costs about $150,000.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Rex bionic legs helps this man to walk again copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Spiked bench has you pay to sit

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 04:11 PM PDT

While I was in Los Angeles for E3, I was staying at a nice hotel that was located in a poor side of town.

I noticed that one of the buildings had, on its outside window panes, spikes. They were not spikes like the ones seen on punk rocker clothes, but they seemed to be part of the architecture itself. I began to realize that the spikes had probably been put there to deter loiterers from sitting on these window panes all day. No one wants to sit where it is uncomfortable.

I couldn’t help but think of this when I saw this bench designed by Fabian Brunsing. The basic premise is that if you want to sit on it, then you must pay for it. Depositing half a Euro will cause the spikes to retract, and you can sit comfortably.

I’m not certain if I want to live in a society that would put something like this in a public park. I realize that nothing is free, including benches. However, what is next, coin-operated water fountains? I’m already quite disgusted with pay-toilets.

Also, what happens if I am sitting on the bench and the time runs out? I’m not certain that I would be comfortable taking a leisurely rest on a device that could go all iron maiden on me if I stay there for too long. Please tell me this bench is a joke.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Spiked bench has you pay to sit copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Advertising billboard in Tokyo knows your age and gender, targets ads accordingly

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 03:55 PM PDT

Billboard technology is just getting more and more advanced. We had that one with augmented reality in the Netherlands a while ago, and, more recently, the Forever 21 billboard at Times Square.

This one is not a billboard, per se, but a large advertising station at a Tokyo subway station. It is fitted with cameras that “read the gender and age group of people looking at them to tailor their commercial messages”.

So, if you are eight years of age, you will probably see an ad for a toy, or something. I would imagine that a person sixty years of age would see an ad for pharmaceuticals. A man in his fifties would probably see an ad for Viagra. Just kidding on that last one.

I’m sure all of you have already drawn the comparison to these Tokyo advertising stations and the ones seen in a subway in the film Minority Report. It is astonishing how many times I reference this movie in my writing, and the scene I am referring to is one where an electronic billboard actually calls Tom Cruise’s character by name. It did so by eye-scanning, and I can see this type of technology easily becoming a reality.

After all, the sidebar ads seem to be asking me if I am looking for Singles in my area, and they guess what area I’m living in quite accurately. Yes, that is a little scary, and so is this billboard technology.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Advertising billboard in Tokyo knows your age and gender, targets ads accordingly copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Xplore iX104C4HD Tablet PC launched

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 11:15 AM PDT

Do you happen to hold a job which happens in a hostile environment which will definitely affect the performance of an ordinary notebook or PC? Well, for those who happen to fall under this category, Xplore Technologies Corporation has just the thing for them by rolling out the brand new iX104C4HD Tablet PC. It seems that the iX104C4HD Tablet PC is no slouch when it comes to being rugged and durable, where it is more than capable of shrugging off 2 meter drops. This height is currently unmatched by Xplore’s rivals, making the iX104C4HD the highest rated mobile computer on the market where operating drop tests are concerned. Of course, we don’t know whether this occured on a concrete floor, or did the iX104C4HD Tablet PC have some sort of additional casing, but surviving a 2 meter drop is still very impressive in any case, especially when you consider most folks would drop theirs from a height of 1 meter thereabouts – by accident, of course, and not on purpose unless you happen to work as a unit tester for said tablet.

The iX104C4HD design will implement best in class indoor/outdoor AllVue Xtreme display technology, boasting a flexible user interface with Dual Mode functionality, Intel Core Duo technology, Windows 7 and Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F) compliance for mission critical computing. Among the key features found in the iX104C4HD, they include :-

Withstands 26 operating drops from 6'6" (2 meters)
AllVue Xtreme LCD technology for viewing in all lighting conditions
Dual Mode technology accepting both pen and touch input from the user
MIL-STD-810F compliance
Extended Thermal Operating ranges
Customizable mounting solutions for a wide variety of vehicles types

No idea on pricing or availability just yet, but you can be pretty sure that the iX104C4HD is not going to come cheap. After all, most rugged tablets and notebooks have a premium price tag attached to them simply because of all the additional failsafes integrated within.

Press Release

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Xplore iX104C4HD Tablet PC launched copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

7′ Animated Black Widow to scare the jeebus out of folks

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 10:21 AM PDT

Halloween is still a long time away, but that doesn’t mean you cannot make early preparations for said festival, right? Hammacher has a bunch of Halloween-themed stuff for you to part your money with, but the 7′ Animated Black Widow is one of the more interesting ones, being an inflatable arachnid that is capable of turning its head automatically in a deliberate, calculating manner as though it was stalking its prey. As any self-respecting arachnid ought to be, the spider comes with eight legs in total accompanied by menacing fangs and a bulging abdomen which ought to make some kids pee in their pants when they go trick-or-treating at your doorstep. Made from durable tear-resistant nylon, the spider won’t go anywhere thanks to a quartet of stakes and tethers. This $79.95 arachnid needs to be plugged into a power outlet to keep it going, and is immune to pesticides and other insecticides.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ 7′ Animated Black Widow to scare the jeebus out of folks copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

TextHook Stroller Smartphone Holder

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 09:43 AM PDT

So you happen to own a smartphone? Well, most of the smartphones these days come with built-in GPS navigation capability, which would be great if you happen to be new in a particular city. For new parents who swear by GPS, why not pick up the TextHook Stroller Smartphone Holder? After all, it is able to hold your smartphone securely onto a stroller, helping both you and baby get around town on foot without getting lost. Not only that, it frees up both hands to perform other parental tasks such as holding a baby, feeding him/her or changing the diapers – basically anything that requires both hands to jump into action. Targeting the geek parent, it won’t interfere with display accessibility be it touchscreen or keyboard, but be forewarned that moving around while using your smartphone might not be too wise as you don’t know where you’re pushing baby to. It will set you back by $25.99.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ TextHook Stroller Smartphone Holder copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Do You Play With Your Food?

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 08:46 AM PDT

This is a neat idea to make kids meal times a bit more fun, the Chew-Chew Train.

The Urban Trend Chew-Chew Train© is a great way to make sure your kids eat their entire meal. This Chew-Chew Train© transforms from a train into a functional dinner set. The engine becomes the cup, the conductor's house becomes a bowl, the train's platform becomes the plate and the coupling rods become the fork and spoon. Keep your kids entertained while they eat their meals. Gone are the days of not playing with your food.

More info and images can be found over on Urban Trends. Also check out the Build-A-Meal, which turns dinner time into a construction site (could get messy).

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Do You Play With Your Food? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]