Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Ten Person Water Totter
Vertical Vinyl Player
Nokia Oro for that Midas touch look
Bargain Deal at woot – Samsung Galaxy Android Tablet for $260
NZXT rocks on with Avatar S gaming mouse
Microsoft’s “Mango” – Making Smartphones Smarter
Gadget Thumbnails for 24-May-2011
Let the Yobot take your bag
Jacko Steps are straight out of Billie Jean video
Ubiquitous iRemoTap is a Wi-Fi connected power strip
lightRadio – There’s a lot of Jack in this Box

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:45 AM PDT

If you happen to be part of a really, really large family, and each time during the holiday season your uncles, aunts, siblings, nephews and nieces will congregate at your home due to this activity being a family tradition, why not offer something different to keep the little ones entertained this time around with the Ten Person Water Totter instead of letting them sit through yet another round of watching your wedding video while you adults sit down and talk elsewhere?

The Ten Person Water Totter needs no explanation really – this waterborne “toy”, so to speak, will be able to rock up to 10 people simultaneously, where five folks are meant to be positioned on either side, with all individuals grasping one of 20 built-in handles while using their respective body weight to rock the structure which stands 10′ above the water’s surface, splashing opponents in the process.

This is one resilient puppy thanks to the commercial-grade, 1,000 denier polyester fabric used which is sandwiched between two layers of 28 oz. PVC. Those who have some sort of military knowledge will be pleased to know that it goes through a similar same construction process for the material as with the inflatable boats used by the U.S. Navy Seals.

All seams are hot-air sealed, and the PVC has been specially treated to block damaging UV rays. The only drawback? It costs a rather hefty $4,000 to keep the little ones in your family happy.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Ten Person Water Totter copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Vertical Vinyl Player

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:30 AM PDT

Let’s face the facts – many of us who have visited our grandparents would probably have come across this ancient artifact (OK, so it wasn’t that ancient but you know how it is with the advent of MP3s and digital media content these days) known as a record, or vinyl player. If your memory serves you right, it would mean dusting off those old vinyls and playing them on the record player – horizontally placed, of course.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and iPods with its numerous clones of portable media players have taken over the world when it comes to the mobile music experience, but what happens when you retreat back to your home after a particularly long day at the office, hoping to relax in classic tunes that only a vinyl can offer with its warmth? Enter the Vertical Vinyl that will ship at the end of June onwards, although you can place a pre-order for it for £79.99.

The name itself gives the game away – you can mount this puppy vertically, helping you save space in your home at the same time. Grandpa might love to have this for Father’s Day, don’t you think so?

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Vertical Vinyl Player copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nokia Oro for that Midas touch look

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:17 AM PDT

Love gold? After all, that is the place where investors flock to if they are looking for a safe haven from all the uncertainties that are going on in the world where their investments are concerned. The failing US dollar and Euro have nudged more people to purchase gold over the past year, bringing it to new highs more frequently than ever before.

Why not show the world that you’re rich enough to afford a gold plated cell phone as well? That is where Nokia steps in with the Nokia Oro, a premium brand product (but nowhere near the Vertu’s range of handsets) that will incorporate 18-carat gold plating which is accompanied by a sapphire crystal and leather from one of Scotland's finest Caledonian herds (don’t let those animals get skinned in vain – purchase a Nokia Oro!).

Rip open the luxurious exterior and you will find similar high grade parts inside as with the rest of Nokia’s more recent smartphone releases. Based on the latest Symbian Anna update, the Nokia Oro will come with pentaband radio connectivity, HSDPA 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, an 8-megapixel camera that is capable of shooting video in high resolution (720p), and a 3.5″ AMOLED display among others.

It must be said that when you decide to bring a Nokia Oro home, you won’t be making a decision based on a hard spec vs. price comparison, but rather, you will pay more attention to the build quality and materials. Nokia has great plans for the Oro, targeting markets such as the Middle East and Russia where oil money is abundant, and sheikhs and oil barons don’t mind making impulse purchases of 800 Euros and above (yes, that is how much the Nokia Oro will cost before taxes and subsidies).

According to materials designer Robert Lihou, "Our aim was to use the best materials for the purpose. It's coated with 18-carat gold which has been made scratch-resistant. The leather is from premium Scottish stock. That's a real sapphire crystal in the home key, which makes it eight times sturdier than glass."

Press Release

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Nokia Oro for that Midas touch look copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Bargain Deal at woot – Samsung Galaxy Android Tablet for $260

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:12 AM PDT

If you’re in the market for a cheap tablet there’s a great deal over on woot for refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab (full spec: “1 Samsung Galaxy Tab 7″ 16GB Android 2.2, Wi-Fi + 3G (Sprint), microSD, BT, GPS, 3.0 & 1.3MP Cams”). As with all woot specials it’s only available today or until stocks run out. Happy wooting .

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Bargain Deal at woot – Samsung Galaxy Android Tablet for $260 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

NZXT rocks on with Avatar S gaming mouse

Posted: 25 May 2011 09:09 AM PDT

Are you a serious gamer who uses nothing but the very best hardware available in order to further cement your dominance at the top of the gaming food chain? Well, surely you know that even gaming equipment will not remain at the top of its game forever, and an upgrade from time to time would serve you well (although your bank account might beg to differ). NZXT might be next on your list if you are looking out for a gaming mouse, as they have just announced the Avatar S.

This will be the latest addition to their award-winning range of gaming mice, where the Avatar S will allow PC gamers as well as enthusiasts enjoy simple, precise gaming control, bringing to the table an array of intuitive, innovative features. It is rather similar to the original Avatar gaming mouse thanks to its sleek and stealthy design, while sporting an ambidextrous, low profile, light form factor that has Teflon feet at the bottom to help you glide this puppy over just about any decent surface, letting your reflexes do the talking.

The Avatar S will also offer on-the-fly DPI selection thanks to a DPI switch which will adjust it between 1600, 800 and 400DPI – all without having to go through the hassle of downloading different drivers. Apart from that, you can also save yourself precious seconds in games with the ability to custom configure in-game macros. That is accompanied by 5 media keys, X-Y sensitivity, and LED lighting, where all your carefully selected personalized settings can be saved onto the onboard 16Kb memory.

Johnny Hou, Founder and Chief Designer at NZXT has this to say, "We designed Avatar S as an intuitive solution that gives gamers maximum personalization with minimum hassle. Your profile settings can be easily configured and then saved onto the onboard memory in case you game on multiple rigs. When gearing up at a LAN party, the last thing gamers should have to worry about is whether or not their mouse is configured correctly. Avatar S eliminates that headache."

Best part of all? The Avatar S will retail for a relatively affordable $39.99 (€34.99 for our friends living across the pond), which is cheaper than other higher end gaming mice.

Product Page

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[ NZXT rocks on with Avatar S gaming mouse copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Microsoft’s “Mango” – Making Smartphones Smarter

Posted: 25 May 2011 08:41 AM PDT

Wow, we do a lot with our phones these days, I often have so much going on all at once It can be a bit frustrating, the phone can only do so much… I'm not sure a smartphone is really as SMART, as it sounds, The smartphone experience is complicated by tons of different apps and accounts that folks like us need to try and keep up with — from making calls, texts, emails and instant messages and then, status updates, Tweets, check-ins, photo posting and tagging. Its all too much, isn't it?

Well Microsoft Corp. today previewed the next major release of Windows Phone, code-named “Mango,” Mango will deliver more than 500 new features that will actually integrate the entire smartphone experience including all your communications, apps and the Internet. The new “Mango” release organizes information around the person or the group that we want to interact with, not the app we have to use. More on specific features after the break.

Mango allows its users to switch between text, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger all within the same conversation. It will group contacts into personalized Live Tiles to see the latest status updates right from the Start Screen and quickly send a text, email or IM to the whole group. Your Twitter and LinkedIn feeds are now integrated into contact cards, and Mango includes built-in Facebook check-ins and new face detection software that makes it easier to quickly tag photos and post to the Web and hands-free messaging with built-in voice-to-text and text-to-voice support that enables hands-free texting or chatting.

Mango is also a Multitasker. Mango allows you to quickly switch between apps in use and allow apps to run in the background, helping to preserve battery life and performance. In addition to including Internet Explorer, the Mango release will connect the power of the Web to the unique capabilities of Windows Phones, such as location awareness, camera and access to apps, to present a way of viewing the Web that is more localized, actionable and relevant.

They really aren’t going to produce a phone that only makes calls ever again, are they?

The “Mango” release will be available for free to Windows Phone 7 customers and is scheduled to ship with new phones beginning this fall.

Source: www.microsoft.com

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Microsoft’s “Mango” – Making Smartphones Smarter copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 24-May-2011

Posted: 25 May 2011 06:15 AM PDT

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 24-May-2011 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Let the Yobot take your bag

Posted: 25 May 2011 05:41 AM PDT

This summer, a 669-room hotel known as the Yotel will open up at Times Square. This particular hotel has a “sleek, techno feel”.

I suppose someone wants the Yotel to be the “hotel of the future”, which is why guests have the option of giving their bags to a robot for safekeeping. Yes, this robot arm can take your bag an put it in one of 133 storage lockers.

Yes, I was hoping for a robot who would take your bags to your room, but I suppose the technology just isn’t there yet. Still, for those who want to store their bags behind the counter while they peruse the town after checkout, this is your ticket.

Speaking of ticket, Yobot gives the user a bar-coded ticket so it is a more secure method of storage that is as good as a locker. Of course, I don’t know how much a locker in Times Square costs, but this Yobot luggage counter will cost you $2 per bag.

In all honesty, I can see a lot of major hotels having some automated system like this. I would imagine that some might find this robot futuristic, but I just see it as normal. However, I suppose a human being could do this, and it would probably look classier.

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Let the Yobot take your bag copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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Jacko Steps are straight out of Billie Jean video

Posted: 25 May 2011 05:11 AM PDT

I was listening to the radio in the car yesterday, and Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean came on the air.

While my wife and I were questioning the lyrics, I couldn’t help but think of the video for the song. I swear, Michael Jackson’s videos took music videos to a whole new level back in the 1980s.

I’m not certain how old our average reader actually is, but find the Billie Jean music video online and watch it if you have never seen it before. Not to be too much of a spoiler, but it shows Jacko walking on sidewalk tiles that mysteriously glow every time he puts his foot on them. Now you can have these glowing steps in your own backyard with the appropriately named Jacko Steps.

It does not look like these rocks glow whenever one steps on them. However, the purpose of these steps isn’t to replicate a video that is sadly retro, but an alternative to those lights that illuminate paths.

This totally makes sense. Why purchase lights that illuminate a path when you can just make the path glow. I suppose that The Wiz version of Michael Jackson would be totally easing down this road. Okay, I’m totally out of Michael Jackson references and still cannot believe it has been two years since his untimely demise. I think that is about all I should say about it.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Jacko Steps are straight out of Billie Jean video copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Ubiquitous iRemoTap is a Wi-Fi connected power strip

Posted: 25 May 2011 04:48 AM PDT

If you are like me, you have “that desk” in your house that is sort of the hub for digital information. On the desk is a laptop or desktop computer, and all kinds of accessories.

Chances are, all of these devices are plugged in to a power strip, and they are a source of great power consumption on your monthly electric bill. This power strip by Japan-based Ubiquitous is the iRemoTap, and it has a built-in Wi-Fi module.

The purpose of the Wi-Fi is so it can send information to connected devices in the household. The iRemoTap can automatically send out some sort of message like an email or tweet so you know how much energy that you are consuming.

In fact, you can program this thing for a preset level, so you can make energy goals and hopefully keep them. I guess you will have to know what levels your devices have, of course. I don’t really know that off the top of my head.

So is this the wave of the future? All of us knowing how much power we consume and making certain that we live up to it? Well, it is better than the model that most of us have, which is just use up power and then pay the bill.

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Ubiquitous iRemoTap is a Wi-Fi connected power strip copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

lightRadio – There’s a lot of Jack in this Box

Posted: 24 May 2011 07:33 PM PDT

I'm probably dating myself, but I actually owned one of the first cell phones, admit it, some of you remember… It came attached to a darn suitcase, and seemed to weigh about 5 pounds. I was pretty proud of it, and come to think of it, the reception was pretty good too! But look how far we've come…

As cell phones have become smaller and owning one is now almost compulsory, those unsightly antennas of steel topped by all the necessary transmitters and gizmos that we call cell towers have invaded practically every landscape known to man. So let us welcome Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio. Imagine if you will, much smaller antennas, some tiny enough to hold in your hand. A device like that could be placed anywhere, on lamp or utility poles on buildings, heck, anywhere with electrical and network connections. Seriously, a cell tower in a box!

If they can iron out a few details, it could upend the wireless industry and offer amazing service, fantastic voice and data transmissions with no dead spots, fewer dropped calls, and let's face it, the end of those unsightly towers. Because the antennas will be so much smaller and can be put in so many more locations, the result is increased signal strength for us all, and who would object to something the size of a Rubiks cube “erected” somewhere near their home?

Alcatel-Lucent also thinks that their new lightRadio can cut both the financial and energy costs of operating a network by 50% or more, because it diminishes upkeep and maintenance costs, energy consumption and because more information can be transmitted at the same time. Gee, I wonder if those claims came to fruition we would actually have our phone bills cut in half. Wait a minute, I'm holding my breath.

Look for these lightRadios to show up sometime soon… you know, if you can find them.

Press Release

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[ lightRadio – There’s a lot of Jack in this Box copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Thursday, May 26, 2011