Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Cars 2 Toys look more advanced than the toys from the first movie
Samsung Galaxy Tab II and Galaxy S II announced at Mobile World Congress 2011
Nerf Swarmfire could end the Nerf Wars as we know it
Heat Changing Love Mug
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure offers a new way to play
VTech InnoPad introduces little ones to tablets
Gadget Thumbnails for 13-Feb-2011
2011 Best Nose Hair Trimmer
JOYSTICK-IT, A Must Have iPad Arcade Accessory
Tetris Link – From the Virtual World to Your Tabletop?

Cars 2 Toys look more advanced than the toys from the first movie

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 05:05 PM PST

I have a three-year-old who absolutely loves the movie Cars, and somehow diecast replicas of the characters from the Pixar film have ended up in my house.

I hope I am not coming off as someone who hates Pixar, because I love their body of work. I just feel that their recent contribution of Toy Story 3 and the release of Cars 2 this summer has shown that the company that gave us some of the most original films in the last two decades are hitting a creative slump, and hopefully not a creative peak.

The Cars 2 toys are currently being shown off at Toy Fair 2011 in New York City, one of two conferences that I would love to attend this week (the other being MWC in Barcellona). See what they have in store after the jump.

The Blue car that you see in the photo is Finn McMissile. Seriously, that is this car’s name. He is a suave spy in Cars 2 and he is voiced by the one and only Michael Caine. He will be out in May for $35, and the toy has the ability to literally drive up the wall. I’m guessing the two wheels in front of him get the grip, and there is some vacuum sucker underneath that keeps him on the wall.

Also on the toy agenda is a 1:55 scale version of Lightning McQueen that moves its eyes, wobbles, drives in circles, and spouts Owen Wilson dialogue. You can see him after the jump. I’m not certain when he arrives in stores, or what the price will be.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Cars 2 Toys look more advanced than the toys from the first movie copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Samsung Galaxy Tab II and Galaxy S II announced at Mobile World Congress 2011

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 04:38 PM PST

Right now, in Barcelona, Spain, there is a huge conference for mobile devices known as Mobile World Congress (MWC). I have never been there, but I think I really need to go next year. The use of “Congress” in the name make it sound very official.

Whenever there are big electronics conferences, Samsung has their big products out on display. It has been rumored that the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Galaxy Tab 2 were on their way, and we have the official confirmation over the weekend when MWC began.

The Galaxy S II will have a “4.3-inch, 800 x 480 Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1GHz dual-core Orion / Exynos processor, NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, and 24Mbps HSPA+ connectivity”. It is very thin at 8.49mm, which would make it the thinnest smartphone on the market (so far).

The Galaxy Tab II is a 10.1-inch Honeycomb Tablet, and has a 1280 x 800 resolution, an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz, and storage of 16GB/32GB/64GB. It looks similar to the XOOM that Motorola is bragging about.

I’m sure that we will see these things and more at Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona next week. Some other expected surprises were the Xperia Play from Sony Ericsson and the LG Optimus 3D Android 2.2 Smartphone.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Samsung Galaxy Tab II and Galaxy S II announced at Mobile World Congress 2011 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nerf Swarmfire could end the Nerf Wars as we know it

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 04:15 PM PST

We have reported on a lot of Nerf toys in the past like the Stampede ECS Blaster and the Nerf Raider. This Swarmfire is definitely like the weapon that Tony Stark told us about in Iron Man: “I say that the best weapon is the one you only use just once”.

The Swarmfire has the ability to fire off about 20 Nerf darts at once. I’m not certain if that is a record for a Nerf gun, but it is certainly enough to give any warrior a distinct advantage in the coming Nerf wars. Personally, if I had a gun that could hold 20 Nerf darts, I would want the ability to shoot them off one at a time. I don’t have any word from my Source on whether or not you can do what seems to me an obvious feature.

Nerf recommends that safety glasses or goggles need to be worn while this gun is going off. It would appear that the line between Nerf gun fights and paintball is slowly fading.

Unlike other Nerf guns, the Swarmfire takes C batteries. Six of them, as a matter of fact. According to my Source, that is enough batteries to give the weapon a “heft”, but not enough to make it hard to use.

The Nerf Swarmfire should be available this Spring for a price of $30 for any child that is eight years old and up.

Source

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[ Nerf Swarmfire could end the Nerf Wars as we know it copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Heat Changing Love Mug

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 05:30 AM PST

Heat up those tender moments in your life with the Heat Changing Love Mug, where it comes dots with plenty of small hearts that aren’t too clear to look at at first glance, but upon making your spouse’s favorite hot beverage, the heat from within will have a message made up to the mentioned tiny hearts appear as though by magic – saying the three words that will be extremely popular today – “I Love You”.

The ability to change its color stems from the thermochrome coating that is on the mug, where it will become transparent when hot liquid is poured in, to make the message visible. Just like all sensitive items, this is hand-wash only, so keep it out away from dishwashers or microwaves! The former isn’t too bad, but the latter means you can no longer heat up your drinks just like that.

The Heat Changing Love Mug can be yours for £8.99.

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[ Heat Changing Love Mug copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure offers a new way to play

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 05:00 AM PST

I remember back in the day when I was still a young ‘un, games were more often than not moments where imagination was required. Imagine cops and robbers or cowboys vs Indians – those classic physical games involved plenty of running around and screaming, and we needed no pixelated adventure to spur us on or remain addicted.

How times have changed, where today, nothing less than 1080p and a large screen HDTV is enough to grab the attention of your little ones. Activision has announced Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure, an entertainment breakthrough that will target both toy and video game industries. Using technology in an innovative manner, the game will enable players to transport real-world toys into virtual worlds of adventure via the “Portal of Power.

These “toys with brains”, or so they’re called, are able to come to life inside the game in connection with multiple gaming platforms, not to mention handheld gaming devices, mobile devices and on the web. All your achievements and level-ups will be remembered wherever they go, marking a wholesale change in the interaction between toys and video games, while opening up new possibilities and revenue streams for both industries.

According to Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, “These are more than action figures. They are inter-action figures. By pairing world class character design, world class video game design and world class story telling into one entertainment experience, we’ve given players a whole new genre that bridges the gap between the real and virtual worlds. From the first time a kid picked up a stick and pretended it was a sword, toys have unlocked kids’ imaginations. And how often have you wanted to bring those toys to life, to see them become animated and take them on an adventure? Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure does just that.”

No idea on pricing just yet, but you can be sure that your little ones won’t be disappointed if you get them this during the year (or even during the holiday season in December).

Press Release

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[ Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure offers a new way to play copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

VTech InnoPad introduces little ones to tablets

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 04:30 AM PST

The tablet world has just gotten more competitive, what with the iPad 2 being imminent for a release later this year alongside plenty of other tablets that intend to challenge Apple’s dominance coming your way as well. Of course, what better way to introduce your little ones to tablets without having them break your new iPad than with a child-friendly model?

We’re talking about the VTech InnoPad, where this cutting-edge, multi-function tablet is capable of delivering interactive and animated reading, educational gaming and creative activities via a library of cartridges.

The InnoPad multi-media educational tablet will target little ones aged 4 to 9, where it will merge interactive and animated reading, learning games, creative activities and a rich collection of applications. Specifications include a 5″ brilliant color touchscreen LCD display, a tilt-sensor for game control, microphone, and connectivity options that include USB, an SD memory card slot and a headphone jack.

Since it intends to be child-friendly, expect the InnoPad to come housed in a sleek, kid-tough and compact design for easy portability. Stories that are read through the InnoPad, will be able to come to life via interactive, animated e-books which deliver story narration, character voices, animation, vivid graphics, sounds and music.

Learning games will also be made all the more engaging thanks to its touchscreen display and tilt-sensor, providing kids with hours of fun. With the InnoPad, they can control how they play, while developing the skills of using touch applications including tap, flick, pat and drag-and-drop – a precursor of sorts to a future tablet that they might just own down the road.

Among the full-feature cartridges that deliver interactive e-books, learning games and creative activities comprise of titles such as Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2, Disney Fairies, Disney Princess, Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Penguins of Madagascar, Scooby-Doo, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story.

The InnoPad will retail for $79.99, while each piece of software is going for $24.99.

Press Release

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[ VTech InnoPad introduces little ones to tablets copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 13-Feb-2011

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 09:01 PM PST

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 13-Feb-2011 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

2011 Best Nose Hair Trimmer

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 04:00 AM PST

All right, we know that we’re less than two full months into the year 2011, but even so, don’t you think that it is a little bit preposterous to name this product the 2011 Best Nose Hair Trimmer? After all, does Hammacher have some sort of secret palantir that we do not know off, capable of seeing what’s going on in their competitors’ lives that they absolutely know for sure their Nose Hair Trimmer is the best for the year?

Perhaps reading into its specifications might help – this nose and ear hair trimmer is capable of cutting hair closer, faster, and with more comfort compared to any other model. Boasting a curved, narrow head, it can reach more parts of the ear without causing any irritation or tickle while it cut. Apart from that, it can be used in a shower even as the head rinses under a faucet for easy cleaning.

The trimmer itself comes with dual hypoallergenic stainless steel blades, while its ergonomic, lightweight design provides optimal maneuverability. Powered by a single AA battery, the 2011 Best Nose Hair Trimmer can be yours for $19.95.

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JOYSTICK-IT, A Must Have iPad Arcade Accessory

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 08:19 PM PST

Having just left the aisles of The New York Toy Fair, I am exhausted and amazed. There were many items that drew attention, some were educational, some were environmentally friendly and some were, well, just darn fun.

So meet JOYSTICK-IT a neat little attachable device that will bring your iPad gaming, or any tablet based gaming, to the next level. The JOYSTICK-IT attaches with a low tech suction cup, for some super high tech fun with your touchscreen based games. Simply press down on the JOYSTICK-IT to attach it to your tablet's screen for a much more satisfying gaming experience.

JOYSTICK-IT sticks to the screen, is removable, and can easily be repositioned. Any game that requires directional input of any kind AND has an on-screen control pad, is perfect for the JOYSTICK-IT, allowing you more precise movement and faster response times for enhanced playability. When you’re done, simply pull-up on the JOYSTICK-IT to remove it from the screen.

The JOYSTICK-IT is compatible with thousands of different game apps and was invented and designed by our friends at ThinkGeek.com. Having watched a rousing game of Pacman played on a tablet equipped with JOYSTICK-IT, I have to say thumbs up.

Available now at www.thinkgeek.com

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[ JOYSTICK-IT, A Must Have iPad Arcade Accessory copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Tetris Link – From the Virtual World to Your Tabletop?

Posted: 13 Feb 2011 07:36 PM PST

Having just left the crazy and chaotic word of the Toy Fair in NYC, I am still reeling from the experience. Not to mention the cost of parking. I would have to say that it was not the high tech world I envisioned, although there were some exceptions, the trend seems to lean toward, shall we say, more grounded play?

Enter Tetris Link, coming to you live from almost every gaming platform known to man, and in this case, when I say "live" I'm not talking the world wide web, or a handheld, I'm talking your dining room table. Thats right, Tetris has taken high tech and brought it back to the box. In an unusual move, we have found a game originally high tech, remember the green screen days? Now decidedly low tech. Not a battery or a plug in site.

They manipulated the game a bit in order to allow up to 4 players. You score points by linking three or more pieces. The opposing players place their pieces to try and block you.

Look for it soon, in any of the usual places. I have to admit, it might not be exactly the Tetris you remember, but it certainly will be nice to have the family sitting around the table for once.

Source: www.tetris.com

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[ Tetris Link – From the Virtual World to Your Tabletop? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]