Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jan 15, 2011

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Angry Birds brought to life in Carnival form
BAE Systems creates e-ink camo for tank armor
See this Arduino-based ArduSpider robot toy!
Saw & Trowel Cake Serving Kit
95 Decibel Telephone Ringer
MEA Mobile delivers instant vintage video for iPhone
Sony Ericsson does Xperia arc
Gadget Thumbnails for 13-Jan-2011
This Slinky house can hold 10,000 people

Angry Birds brought to life in Carnival form

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 05:52 PM PST

As I mentioned before when I was at CES, I have just got myself a new Droid X Android phone and I am addicted to Angry Birds.

Of course, I am not alone. Millions of Angry Birds fans have enjoyed the thrill of shooting birds at flimsily built structures with big green pig heads inside.

Now there is a way to play it for real. This is a carnival game in Guangzhou, China, which probably did not get an approval from Rovio, creators of the very popular game.

I believe that the point is to put the stuffed bird into a slingshot and aim it at the stuffed pig. I’m not certain if the point is to knock off the green stuffed pigs and when the stuffed pigs, or some other prize.

You might notice that the pigs here are directly in front of the bird slingshot, and not the two-dimensional side view that they are in the actual mobile game. You may also notice the lack of structures to smash. Yes, I am also disappointed by that.

Even though I don’t play those money-eating carnival games, I might be highly tempted to try this out. I wouldn’t mind if all I got for a prize is a stuffed bird or pig head.

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Angry Birds brought to life in Carnival form copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

BAE Systems creates e-ink camo for tank armor

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 05:16 PM PST

I have heard of stealth technology under development for years that uses some sort of cloak of invisibility reminiscent of Harry Potter.

I suppose someone wants the car that James Bond drove in Die Another Day. You know, that one that could turn completely invisible? I believe that Q summarized it as having cameras on one side that project an image on another.

This design from BAE Systems is essentially that concept, taken to a realistic level. In this case, the armor of the tank uses e-ink technology. Yes, that is the same stuff used in e-book readers like the Kindle.

Considering that many areas in Afghanistan and Iraq have areas where someone would only need to be beige or green to blend in, very minimal coloring is probably needed. I don’t think it would be up for those blue skies and mountains that you see in the picture.

Now, BAE Systems hopes to have this camouflage system available in four years. I wonder if these particular conflicts will be resolved by then. Perhaps will we find other conflicts where invisible tanks will be necessary. I wonder how these tanks would do in snowy terrain. All you would need is just pure white, and an all black skin would be perfect for a night mission.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ BAE Systems creates e-ink camo for tank armor copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

See this Arduino-based ArduSpider robot toy!

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 04:49 PM PST

I believe that what you are seeing here is a product of something that Jose Julio’s daughter said to him: “Dad, can you build a robot for me?”

Man, if my daughter asked me that, I would try to deliver as much as I could. Still, I could never make a product of this quality. Granted, the ArduSpider has a certain DIY quality, but mine would probably be made of Lego and would require an instruction booklet.

It would also have been poorly assembled, but this Arduino-based ArduSpider robot looks better than the Anti-Gravity WebRunner toy that we reported about a while ago. Check out the video after the jump.

The ArduSpider robot can be controlled remotely and can also be autonomously operated. Best of all, it can do a lot of tricks like gymnastics and such. It could probably do a flip if it could ever get off its back. All the aforementioned Webrunner could do was climb walls through vacuum suction power.

I have got some words of advice to Jose Julio. Find a way to make a kit and market it so fathers everywhere can build an ArduSpider for their children. Better yet, have the children build it themselves. This is definitely is the Zoids of this generation.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ See this Arduino-based ArduSpider robot toy! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Saw & Trowel Cake Serving Kit

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 08:30 AM PST

If you happen to have a taste for the gruesome, then the Saw & Trowel Cake Serving Kit might just take the cake – pun intended. After all, there is nothing quite like getting the right tools for the right job, so the next time you want to celebrate someone’s birthday, the Saw & Trowel Cake Serving Kit will certainly come in handy, although if the birthday boy/girl is rather young, it might result in some disturbance of their psyche down the road – you can never tell, can you? This rather unique cake and serving set will come complete with both a stainless steel hand-saw knife and trowel cake server. It would be interesting to see people bake cakes around this theme, designing them to be sawed instead of cut with a knife. This is going to be one satisfying renovation process, that’s for sure! Sporting gold painted wooden handles and metal, it will cost you $28.99 to bring this into your kitchen.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Saw & Trowel Cake Serving Kit copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

95 Decibel Telephone Ringer

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 08:15 AM PST

OK let us have a show of hands here – how many of you out there still own a landline? We do know that plenty of folks already eliminated their landlines simply because they rely much more on their cell phones to be connected to family and friends, and for the few of you who are still banking on that house phone to ring whenever someone says “I’ll call you on your house phone,” then the 95 Decibel Telephone Ringer might be just the thing for you. After all, you might have forgotten what a house phone sounds like since you haven’t had a call on that in like, a zillion years? Nothing quite like having 95 decibels of ringing goodness coming right at you to help you jump out of your seat. A slider control will adjust the volume of the device’s strong electronic ring from 80db to a rousing 95db, and you can select from a trio of pitches as well. The ring will sound continuously for four seconds with a four-second pause between each ring, while a bright LED flashes along with the ringer to attract attention visually. At $49.95, it might be just the thing for Uncle Harry who seems to be losing his hearing as well…

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ 95 Decibel Telephone Ringer copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

MEA Mobile delivers instant vintage video for iPhone

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 08:00 AM PST

While there are many great things about the iPhone that we know of, among them the camera is something that truly stands out. I must say that after using the initial versions of Android, I was pretty disappointed by the kinds of images those Android phones took, although Android 2.2 Froyo on select handsets did bring up the notch by some, albeit not coming near where Apple’s iPhone camera is. This is not a biased opinion as I don’t own an iPhone, but rather, an honest one. Well, those who own an iPhone and have a keen interest in photography and videography will certainly be looking forward to what MEA Mobile has planned for the year – an 8MM Film Filter that will help you shoot instant vintage video, wherever you are!

Not only does this 8MM Film Filter for the Apple iPhone allows you to capture your favorite moments while giving you that vintage feel, it will also groove to what most modern software does – dealing with our innate need to remain connected to one another, and social networking is where the action’s at these days. When used alongside the included motion video app known as iSupr8, it will deliver an unprecedented professional 8mm film treatment that allows you to share and lets you share the creations on Facebook. Thanks to MEA Mobile's algorithm, it is capable of individually grading each pixel based on exposure while adding a projector frame,
flicker, vignette, noise and film-burn for a realistic effect.

To help push sales of this app, the first 24 hours of release will see the iSupr8 go on sale for just 99 cents, featuring Tru8 processing, a simple user interface, the ability to share on Facebook with Facebook Connect or via email and the ability to record standard & high definition video.

According to Bruce Seymour, Managing Director at MEA Mobile, "iSupr8 was designed by film enthusiasts. It is a mobile social media app that acts to defamiliarize imagery making users appreciate what might before be considered common. You see the familiar in a new way. This app turns videos into warm and fuzzy memories and with Facebook integration your friends and family share in the fun."

Press Release

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ MEA Mobile delivers instant vintage video for iPhone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Sony Ericsson does Xperia arc

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 07:50 AM PST

Sony Ericsson decided that they will no longer release smartphones that are far behind in terms of OS updates compared to the rest of the mobile manufacturers, hence their latest addition to the Xperia family – the Xperia arc. This is one handset that will definitely stun you whenever you take a look at it, running on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. First unveiled at the recently concluded CES 2011, it is the first of a new generation of Xperia smartphones, so you can be sure that there will be more to come!

As we mentioned above, the design is what makes the new Xperia arc a looker, where it is super slim and hence, extremely light. Measuring a mere 8.7mm at its thinnest point, it will not sacrifice anything when it comes to performance, boasting an extra wide 4.2" multi-touch screen display. Sony Ericsson has certainly not gimped on material since they used premium materials to form its stunning arc body, so while you might think that this is going to break far more easily than a Hershey chocolate bar, it is still strong enough to fit nicely into your hand. One word of advice though – if you’re going to wear a really tight pair of jeans, we would suggest that you not put this in your rear pocket – you never know when it is in there and just jump onto a hard seat somewhere!

As for its innards, expect the best of Sony technology to be found, from its Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine for exceptional visual brilliance and a crystal clear image, to Sony's award-winning Exmor R for mobile sensor (at 8.1-megapixels) with the f/2.4 lens that is capable of shooting high quality, bright pictures and HD videos even in low light conditions. Of course, all images shot can be viewed over a HDTV (preferably a Sony one) using the built in HDMI-connector. Needless to say, other specifications are pretty standard such as a 3.5mm audio jack, aGPS navigation, Bluetooth and DLNa connectivity, and Wi-Fi support among others. There is no word on pricing or availability though.

Press Release

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Sony Ericsson does Xperia arc copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 13-Jan-2011

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:01 PM PST

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 13-Jan-2011 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

This Slinky house can hold 10,000 people

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 05:29 PM PST

I guess I’ve been reporting on all the new technology at CES, and sometimes I just want to break out and report on something that is total concept!

This is the case for a Russian architect Alexander Remizov, who designed this Slinky structure called “The Ark”. This Ark can be assembled in sections, and it has some serious green power there with a wind power generator, solar panels, and more. There is even an aqua version that can draw upon thermal water energy. I think it can float on water as well.

By the way, this Slinky house is big enough to house about 10,000 people. That means this is one of those giant civilizations to house a whole bunch of people in case of a huge disaster or something. The fact that it has a name like “The Ark” is very reminiscent of the book of Genesis. The only difference is that this can be assembled in a lot less time than you would think. I believe it took Noah hundreds of years to build his Ark.

Now, if there is only a gigantic flight of stairs that I could set this loose on. That would be something to see.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ This Slinky house can hold 10,000 people copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]