Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Oct 30, 2010

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

KTM Strider PREbike targets toddlers
Mount Everest gets 3G connectivity
City Lights Globe
The Transparent hole-puncher
Driverless vehicles finish their journey from Italy to Shanghai
Chatbot fools judge into thinking its human
nPower – Presenting yet another alternative energy source – YOU!
Gadget Thumbnails for 28-Oct-2010

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 05:15 PM PDT

It is safe to assume that many dads out there would wish their sons (and even daughters) share their passion, regardless of whether it is fishing or something more extreme like motorcycles and tackling various dirt tracks. Well, come this Christmas, families who are motorcycle enthusiasts are able to share their passion with their toddlers thanks to the new ready to ride KTM Strider PREbike.

Just what is the KTM Strider PREbike? Well, this is a revolutionary pedal-free bike which was specially designed for children from as young as 18 months. Yup, you read that right – little Suzy or Johnny doesn’t even need to be 2 years old in order to hop atop one of these puppies. The KTM Strider PREbike is unlike outmoded tricycles and training-wheels, as it was designed for safe use on dirt and every other terrain – at the same time building up the skills and self-confidence in young kids for them to quickly transition to a pedal bike and a Sportminicycle.

The KTM Strider PREbike is no slouch when it comes to looking presentable – after all, it marries all the action, performance and styling of the popular KTM line of street and off road race cycles alongside an unique child-friendly design and function of PREbikes made by Strider. It will be able to teach little ones the necessary balance and coordination skills required to ride two-wheelers from an early age without ever needing the crutch of training wheels. This makes them “level up”, so to speak, to pedal bikes and Sportminicycles years earlier compared to their contemporaries.

According to Mr. McFarland, "The Strider PREbike™ was born out of my desire to teach my sons how to ride on two wheels at the youngest age possible. I wanted to share the thrill and adventure of the sport with my children and now thanks to the new KTM Striders, we can share our family's passion with motorcycling parents and their children around the globe."

The KTM Strider PREbike can be purchased for $109 a pop from November 3rd onwards if you are interested, where they will come in Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow and Pink colors.

Press Release

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[ KTM Strider PREbike targets toddlers copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Mount Everest gets 3G connectivity

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 05:03 PM PDT

If climbing to the top of Mount Everest is one of your life’s ambitions, then might we suggest you open a Facebook or Twitter account if you haven’t done so already. After all, you can now surf the Web as well as make phone calls via a regular GSM 3G network on Everest, so that equals to another blow to satellite phones if you want to communicate with those at the bottom of the mountain (and friends elsewhere around the world). Heck, video calls as well as FaceTime conversations will also be made possible from 17,388 feet above sea level. You can also tweet your exploits or update your Facebook status right there and then, thanks to network operator Ncell of Nepal.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Mount Everest gets 3G connectivity copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

City Lights Globe

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 04:59 PM PDT

Ever wondered how it felt like to be an astronaut, so many thousands of miles above the earth that you get to see the little globe which teems with life? Well, the City Lights Globe could offer a semblance of that experience, as this rotating globe will illuminate to show how the world’s cities look at night from space. It will boasts a true-to-the-view from orbit, glistening in a soft white glow where you will find major metropolitan areas located throughout Eastern Europe and North America, while sparsely lit areas are scattered throughout Africa and Russia. These city lights will automatically illuminate in low ambient light and dim whenever the globe is exposed to light, showing off a multicolor political map alongside topographical shading and place names for major cities, countries, and bodies of water. Measuring 10″ in diameter, this globe will rotate automatically on a mirrored base which reflects Antarctica and the surrounding bodies of water. No batteries required, but you will have to plug it into AC. The City Lights Globe can be yours for $89.95.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ City Lights Globe copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The Transparent hole-puncher

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 03:03 PM PDT

Disclaimer: There are probably a lot cooler gadgets to report on rather than this. After all, we’ve got robots that look and sound human, for crying out loud! Not to mention all the cool consumer electronics that get released on a daily basis.

So why should I consider writing about a three-hole punch made of transparent plastic? Because we flippin’ need one, that’s why!

I can’t begin to count all the times that I’ve gone to punch holes in a paper, only to find out that the hole is in the wrong place. And what am I supposed to do, glue the hole back? No, I’ve got to make a print another page and hope that I don’t screw it up this time.

I’m glad that inventors Kisang Yoon and Kyubok Lee have made hole-punching simpler by making the top of transparent plastic. This way, you can see exactly where your hole punch is going to land thanks to the red ring viewfinder there.

Now all they have to do is make one for a three-hole punch. This is where I really screw up when it comes to hole punching. At this point, though, it looks like the transparent hole punch is nothing more than a concept at this point. Seriously? We need this in offices now!

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ The Transparent hole-puncher copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Driverless vehicles finish their journey from Italy to Shanghai

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 02:38 PM PDT

Some of you might remember when we reported on the driverless vehicles who wanted to take a road trip from Parma, Italy to Shanghai, China. We are pleased to present a follow-up report on their success.

For those that don’t remember, these vehicles were not truly driverless, as they had people in them that could take over the vehicles at the push of a button. Although I haven’t read the official report yet, my Source says that the 8,078 mile (13,000 kilometer) trip was done “with minimal intervention”.

Apparently, they took the clearest roads possible, but they did go through cities like Moscow. The vehicles were completely electric, which meant no stopping for gas along the way. However, the EV nature of the vehicles was only good enough for four hours of commuting each day.

I suppose that the scientific method needs to be applied to this trip, and project leader Alberto Broggi will need to look at where the driverless electric vehicles made wrong “decisions”, and see if the laser scanners, GPS devices, and other internal programming in these cars can be made better.

I believe that the arrival of this team coincided with the Shanghai World Expo. Perhaps one Expo will feature a lone driverless vehicle arriving at the Expo. Now that would be an entrance.

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Driverless vehicles finish their journey from Italy to Shanghai copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Chatbot fools judge into thinking its human

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 02:14 PM PDT

Some of you might remember when we covered the Actroid-F, a robot that looks pretty human. Now, someone has created a chatbot that has fooled a judge to think that it sounds human.

For those unfamiliar with a chatbot, it is “a computer program designed to simulate an intelligent conversation with one or more human users via auditory or textual methods”. This is not a picture of a chatbot, by the way, this is a shot from Bot Colony, a computer game that relies heavily on chatbot technology that I encountered at E3 last year.

A programmer by the name of Bruce Wilcox designed a chatbot known as Suzette, and it managed to fool a judge after a 25 minute conversation. Wilcox won a $3,000 prize and a Loebner award for his efforts.

The test involves something that sounds like the opening scene of Blade Runner, where questions are asked and judges tally how “human” the responses are. It is similar to a Turning Test, or the test of a machine’s ability to demonstrate intelligence.

The good chatbots know how to sound human by straying off-subject just like a human. It sort of makes me wonder about some of the IM chats I’ve had. In the future, will we know if there is a real person behind the texts?

Source

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Chatbot fools judge into thinking its human copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

nPower – Presenting yet another alternative energy source – YOU!

Posted: 29 Oct 2010 07:10 AM PDT

I can't even tell you the number of times my phone battery died at the precise moment I needed to receive an important call, or how many times my Ipod quit 10 minutes before the end of a movie I was watching. I know I am not alone in my frustration of finding a charger, or worse.. the search for an available electrical outlet. Forget about hiking or camping, okay, I'd like to forget about camping altogether, but my daughter likes it, and when she forces me to go, I have the use of my phone for what? a day? What if I had an emergency? nPower has alleviated my concern with their nifty nPower® PEG and I will never have to lose power again, no matter where I am.

The device is relatively small, and requires only that you place it in an upright position in your purse, backpack or briefcase and then move. That's right, walk, jog, bike or hike and from the kinetic energy you generate from your activity, this little titanium wonder will continue to charge it's internal battery so it's ready for you whenever you need it!

The nPower PEG uses iGo® cables and the iGo® adapter packs to connect the Personal Energy Generator to your devices and is compatible with over 3000 different hand held electronics. At the present time the PEG is shipping only to the United States, but their website allows you to sign up for their newsletter to be notified when the PEG becomes available in your neck of the woods. You can get one now for $149.99 including 1 adaptor. Oh well, I guess I'll get out the tent.

Source: nPower

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ nPower – Presenting yet another alternative energy source – YOU! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]