Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Phineas and Ferb CD Boombox
Lazer Tag gets a huge upgrade with Light Strike
Watson supercomputer wins big on Jeopardy
Will You Be Our 10,000th Facebook fan/like?
SeaLife Mini II Dive & Sport digital camera for casual users
Jabra goes public with next generation Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth headset
Water Powered Shower Radio
Gadget Thumbnails for 16-Feb-2011
Lumileaf solar LED desk lamp
Pagani Huayra car will cost…one million dollars in the United States

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 04:11 PM PST

If there is one show that I am surprised everyone doesn’t know about, it’s Phineas and Ferb.

I can understand why. It is an animated show on the Disney Channel, and, unless you have kids, you might not be watching the Disney Channel. Go ahead and hit the jump if you want to hear more about Phineas and Ferb.

For now, I should probably tell you more about the product in question, the Phineas and Ferb CD boombox. Not only can it play CDs, but it comes with built-in sound effects and an LED siren.

Okay, now I am going to tell you about Phineas and Ferb and why adults should watch it. Phineas and Ferb are two half-brothers who live with their older teenage sister Candace. The two boys spend their summer vacation building contraptions that are impossible to believe. In the pilot, they made a roller coaster, and some episodes they make machinery plucked from science fiction. Candace is always trying to “bust” her brothers, but her mother never seems to see what her brothers are up to. Usually this is because the brothers have a pet platypus named Perry who is a secret agent, and his fights with the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz conveniently remove the boy’s creations.

Why is this show not as popular as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were in the eighties? Please tell me this won’t be the last toy from this franchise that Disney needs to invest more PR into.

You should be able to get this on Amazon for about $70.

Source

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Phineas and Ferb CD Boombox copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Lazer Tag gets a huge upgrade with Light Strike

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 03:33 PM PST

Some of you might remember the Worlds of Wonder game known as Lazer Tag, the game with toy laser guns zap sensors on your opponent’s chest.

The Lazer Tag toy went out of style back in the eighties, but I believe that there are still places where you can go to play more advanced versions of this game.

It looks like WowWee is trying to bring back the fad with a vengeance with the Light Strike laser gun kits. You can see what they are with a video after the jump.

Light Strike has made it so the weapon is fully customizable. There is even a fingerprint identification, so no one can use your gun but you! Think of it as a trigger lock for a laser. The user also has the option of changing the sound the gun makes.

With a little bit of accessory upgrading, a player can get a grenade launcher to maximize on damage. He or she can also add on a machine gun or even a targeting scope.

Although the original Lazer Tag involved the players having unlimited ammo, Laser Strike players still have to “reload” by hitting the clip. The Laser Striker guns also have a health meter that reminds me of the game Dead Space.

These Laser Strike toys will be available later this year, but I do not have a price or exact release date as yet.

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Lazer Tag gets a huge upgrade with Light Strike copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Watson supercomputer wins big on Jeopardy

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 03:02 PM PST

I’m sure that you probably already know this, but the talking A.I. supercomputer Watson has amassed much money on Jeopardy.

Watson’s final score over its three-day run is $77,147, which is tens of thousands of bills above former Jeopardy competitors Ken Jennings ($24,000) and Brad Rutter ($21,600).

So now that a computer has beat us on a game show, should we, as human beings, feel a little intimidated? I know that Andy Richter, co-host of the TBS Conan O’Brien, sure thinks so. You can watch a funny video after the jump to see his revenge.

So, what does this mean? Well, it just confirms a statement that I read in Charlie Brown’s Book of Questions and Answers, when I was in grade school. Some of you might remember this particular book series, and one of the questions in one of the books asked was: “Is a computer smarter than a human being?”

I believe the answer was that “a computer is not smarter, but simply faster”. I still have heard that the human brain is more advanced than any computer that we can make, but that was several decades ago. The Jeopardy contest proved that computers are still faster.

Even though this three-day contest between man and machine is over, I have no doubt that a rematch is being scheduled as we speak.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Watson supercomputer wins big on Jeopardy copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Will You Be Our 10,000th Facebook fan/like?

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 07:47 AM PST

We are closing in on a Facebook milestone, 10,000 page likes. When I last checked we were at 9,999 (thank you all). So if you’re on Facebook and want to show your love of cool gadgets please give us a bit of Facebook like love and our gadget news in your Facebook stream.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Will You Be Our 10,000th Facebook fan/like? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

SeaLife Mini II Dive & Sport digital camera for casual users

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 05:30 AM PST

If you’re one who tends to love spending your vacation time near beaches as well as diving and snorkeling spots instead of the great outdoors in the mountains far away from civilization, then you would do well to tote around some sort of underwater-capable digital camera. We’re looking at either an underwater case for your camera, or if you want to get more direct, a waterproof shooter.

SeaLife intends to cater for that particular market with their new Mini II Dive & Sport digital camera, as this 9-megapixel shooter might be small in stature, but it is definitely no slouch when it comes to performance. Capable of shooting all your great underwater and outdoor adventures, the Mini II also comes with an intuitive interface so that you need not waste precious oxygen underwater when panicking on fiddling with its controls.

One standout feature of the Mini II would be its ruggedness – how many of you can say the same for your underwater equipment? Granted, this is a whole lot cheaper than the professional gear that you tote around, so the Mini II clearly targets casual users instead of seasoned professionals. The truly amphibious shooter is both waterproof and shockproof, where it is guaranteed to function underwater at depths down to 130 feet without the need for an external housing.

Not only that, its rubber armor also delivers a surefire grip, even when it is wet, and will still be able to keep on shooting even if you drop it from 2 meters high. An unbreakable ruggedized body more or less makes the Mini II virtually crushproof, but we wouldn’t want to take the chance by having a shark bite into this since we’re sure it will be crushed in no time.

There are new underwater modes in the Mini II, making it a snap to use and eliminate the common blue hues of images taken underwater. With the Land Auto mode, it will automatically control exposure and internal flash. When you’re underwater, the Sea Mode brightens up the exposure while eliminating the “blue effect,” and the Snorkel Mode controls exposure and color correction in shallow-water settings.

Would you fork out $259.95 to bring the SeaLife Mini II with you on your next diving adventure?

Press Release

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ SeaLife Mini II Dive & Sport digital camera for casual users copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Jabra goes public with next generation Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth headset

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 05:00 AM PST

Jabra has long been associated with Bluetooth peripherals right from the beginning – I clearly remember back in the days where having Bluetooth on your phone meant you were in the upper percentile of the population where earning power is concerned, but it is nice to see that technology being made available to the masses that these days, any phone without Bluetooth might be looked at in a strange way.

When Bluetooth connectivity has become a staple in handsets, you know that the accessory and peripherals market will blossom as well. Enter Jabra with their latest generation Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth headset, touted to deliver a whole new level of usability to Bluetooth headsets as it merges features with unprecedented style, bringing new meaning to the expression ‘form and function’.

Sharing a similar revolutionary design as the Jabra STONE, the next generation Jabra STONE2 will boast a new voice concept which paves the way for a truly hands-free experience. This new voice system is smart enough to informs the user who is calling and letting them say “answer” to take the call or “ignore” to reject it. With Voice Guidance, set-up is a snap, and you can even have your total battery remaining announced.

A quartet of “comfort-tested” ear-gels will also make sure that you wear the STONE2 in a comfortable manner the entire day lone, while there is also the wireless portable charger which makes it a whole lot easier to juice up your Bluetooth headset without having to wrestle with an entanglement of wires and cables. This also translates to easier packing if you’re one who lives out from a suitcase.

We do not yet have the pricing or availability details for the Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth headset as at press time though, but you can check it out at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona as the show is in its last day now.

Press Release

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Jabra goes public with next generation Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth headset copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Water Powered Shower Radio

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 04:30 AM PST

Now here’s a device that ought to be a gift to those who have family members that love singing in the shower, although they would never have made it past the audition stage of American Idol. We’re looking at the Water Powered Shower Radio, and as the name suggests, you need not burden your monthly power bill with this, and the other advantage would be to have its audio content drown out the voice of the one singing.

This is one radio that’s going to make waves in bathrooms across the country, and will ship only at the end of March for £34.95. Now, if only someone could figure out a similar principle and have vehicles run on water instead of gas.

Using the Water Powered Shower Radio is a snap, and installation does not require a rocket science degree. All you need to do is fit the radio in line with your shower hose, where water that flows through will power the H2O micro turbine that in turn drives a generator which produces energy.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Water Powered Shower Radio copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 16-Feb-2011

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 09:01 PM PST

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 16-Feb-2011 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Lumileaf solar LED desk lamp

Posted: 17 Feb 2011 04:00 AM PST

Sonelis Technologies has introduced the nature-inspired Lumileaf solar LED desk lamp for your home (or office, wherever you’re inclined), which might just change the way you view appliances. The Lumileaf will feature a 1.25W leaf-shaped solar panel that comes in an elegant brushed aluminum body, boasting an integrated 1800mA NiMH battery that makes sure the six 1.2W high-brightness energy efficient LED will be able to deliver ample light for just about any situation.

Specially designed to be used in both outdoor and indoor settings, the body has another advantage to help it survive outdoors – it is water resistant, which of course, doesn’t mean you can dunk this into a bathtub and expect it to function normally. We suppose light rain as well as the occasional splash of water wouldn’t hurt, especially when you have kids running around the yard with Super Soakers in hand.

Other features include an ambient sensor that automatically controls the LED's operation, and the world's first application of SMT LED directly onto the solar panel. No idea on pricing, but we do know that efficiency is the key here – heck, even the LED is embedded directly onto the solar panel.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Lumileaf solar LED desk lamp copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Pagani Huayra car will cost…one million dollars in the United States

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 05:25 PM PST

Some of you have heard about the Zonda, a huge leader in top speed and power contests for automobiles.

The Zonda is made by Italian supercar manufacturer Pagani Automobili SpA. They have a new model called the Huayra, named after the ancient God of the wind Huayra Tata.

It has a six-liter, 12 cylinder engine with two turbochargers built by Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance unit. This engine “breathes through a pair of air intakes behind the occupants that the company”, and is a “tribute” to supersonic aircraft of the late 1950s and 1960s.

So far, Pagani has developed five Huayra prototypes, and has road-tested for about the past four years. They traveled for more than 300,000 miles and they plan to cover about 600,000 miles before they come to the United States.

The Huayra is planned to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, and the price is going to be about $1 million dollars.

Remember in the Austin Powers movies how everyone laughed when Dr. Evil would say “one million dollars”. I don’t think I can laugh after hearing this price, because I see one million dollars as quite a lot of money. However, I will say that price is worth it, as this silver car with the gull wing doors look rather sexy.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Pagani Huayra car will cost…one million dollars in the United States copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]