Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jan 18, 2011

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

iriver Story HD e-book reader
Hands on with the Wowee One Portable Speaker
Hot Wheels get some camera action
Gadget Thumbnails for 16-Jan-2011

Posted: 17 Jan 2011 04:51 PM PST

Are e-book readers going the way of high definition? That certainly looks like it, if the naming convention of the iriver Story HD ebook reader is anything to go by. Well, this is meant to help you pass time through long flights as well as other moments of commute, where it also holds the distinction of bringing yet another first to the world – we’re talking about it being the first 6" XGA resolution (that’s 768 x 1024 pixels) e-book reader worldwide, sporting 63.8% more pixels and faster page turns compared to other models in its class. To know more about this little puppy, you will have to read on in the extended post.

The iriver Story HD is touted to deliver outstanding legibility with crisp fonts, fast response and high performance courtesy of an advanced i.MX508 eReader applications processor from Freescale Semiconductor that is based on ARM CortexTM technology. Of course, we are also interested to see how it will fare against the Mirasol display from Qualcomm, which frankly at their CES booth this year, looked pretty stunning even under direct sunlight. What’s the whole point of having great hardware without the relevant software? This is where its integrated Wi-Fi connectivity comes in, where the e-book will be able to access content through the major content partner. As for which content partner will be available, that remains to be seen since it depends on where the iriver Story HD is going to debut.

Boasting iriver’s slim and lightweight signatures when it comes to form factor, you will also benefit from a QWERTY keypad, accompanied by a curve with two-tone colors at the front and back for easy grip and slim design. The Story HD will also not come up short where buttons are concerned, where they are located from the side to the center of the keypad, boasting an up/down layout instead of the right/left design that allows the unit to be more user friendly compared to other e-book readers in the market. iriver touts a 3-week battery life with the Story HD, although that remains to be seen whether it is left on all the time, or put in standby mode – guess we will need to have access to it before we are able to come up with a conclusion, eh? Supported formats include Adobe EPUB and PDF with DRM. No idea on pricing, but it will be competitive amongst its peers as it makes an appearance in the second quarter of this year.

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Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ iriver Story HD e-book reader copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Hands on with the Wowee One Portable Speaker

Posted: 17 Jan 2011 03:55 PM PST

While I was at CES 2011, I stopped by the WOWee ONE booth and was shown the particular unit firsthand.

The WOWee ONE is not related to Wowwee, a company made famous for all sorts of nifty robot toys, but the company with the single w “WOWee” are makers of a speaker for iPod, iPad, MP3, MP4, and anything else with a headphone jack.

The speaker has a unique ability that I have seen before. You place it on a flat surface, such as a table, and it becomes a speaker. It has hybrid technology of a standard speaker that delivers the mid to high frequencies, not to mention a Gel Audio driver for low end frequencies.

As far as the battery is concerned, it has an internal rechargeable battery which can be recharged via USB or a 5V USB power adapter. It delivers up to 20 hours of playtime per charge.

You should be able to get the WOWee ONE Classic in both matte and black finish for about $79.99. They are also available in other styles such as Black and Chrome, White, and Pink for the same price. Other accessories for the WOWee ONE include the WOWee ONE Hard Case and HUG, each for about $15.99. All are available at the official WOWee ONE site.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Hands on with the Wowee One Portable Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Hot Wheels get some camera action

Posted: 17 Jan 2011 03:34 PM PST

We have seen some neat developments in Hot Wheels cars recently. For example, there were those miniature R/C cars the size of regular Hot Wheels cars.

I suppose someone decided to give those tiny cars even more of an upgrade with Mattel’s Video Racer. The Video Racer has a small video camera that is able to record 30 to 60 frames per second, as it is speeding down the racing track or the kitchen counter.

When the racing is done, the user has the option of watching them. This can be done on a tiny LCD on the underbelly of the car, or the footage can be downloaded to a PC or laptop via USB. It doesn’t look like an SD card is an option, but it really should be.

After all the video footage is downloaded, it can be pasted together to make the Speed Racer sequel that will probably never be made. Now youngsters will know what it feels like to be behind the wheel of a Hot Wheels car! Something tells me it is not as thrilling as the real thing.

You should be able to get this particular toy this Fall for about $60 each, which includes the USB cable.

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