Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Hands on with the NightWave Sleep Assistant
Pepsi unveils its new Social Vending program
Google Docs comes to Android in App form
WOW-keys for the iPhone announced
Genius LuxeMate T810 Media Cruiser goes wireless
Engage Keyboard comes with ErgoMotion
Personal Cooling Collar
Gadget Thumbnails for 27-Apr-2011
Washable RFID Tags – Soon to be Tracking your Hotel Towels

Hands on with the NightWave Sleep Assistant

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 04:23 PM PDT

We have reported on the NightWave before, and it is essentially a light in a box that helps users fall asleep.

I got a chance to try it out for myself, and I got to see how it is supposed to work. NightWave has a single button controls which control a blue light which glows high and then dims to nothingness in increments that are as long as breaths. The user is supposed to time their breathing with these light phases. This stops the over-stimulation of an active mind, and relaxes the user until he or she nods off.

In all honesty, I have been working so hard lately that I haven’t had a hard time sleeping, but I tried the NightWave last night. I found that the blue light created a soft mood, and concentrating on nothing but breathing is enough to make me relaxed enough for sleep. As a rule, I usually just stop trying to sleep if I lie awake at night for too long. Next time, I’m going to turn on the NightWave.

The NightWave is powered by a single 9 Volt battery which is oddly included, and automatically shuts off to conserve power. The NightWave innards are nothing more than a 1 1/2 x 2 inch circuit board, and my only complaint is that the box case falls apart too easily. It does have a handy feature of being a blue flashlight, in case you need some light in the dark.

You should be able to get the NightWave for about $49.95 at the company site. That might sound expensive, but figure out how much it costs for sleep meds, and decide for yourself what is a better deal.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Hands on with the NightWave Sleep Assistant copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Pepsi unveils its new Social Vending program

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 04:03 PM PDT

Pepsi has figured out a way to tie-in social networking with their product once again with their Social Vending program.

I believe that this idea actually requires some special soda vending machines that have touchscreens and have to be connected to the Internet or a phone line of some type. Not only will these new machines let you buy a Pepsi product, but you will be able to send one to another location.

All you need to do is enter in your friend’s cell phone number, and soon a text message will appear on your friend’s mobile device that will contain a redeemable code to be used at one of the aforementioned special Pepsi machines. You can even send a 10-second video message, or even send a Pepsi product to a complete stranger at random. I’m not sure precisely how all this works or is supposed to work, but you can see Pepsi’s video presentation of this service after the jump.

Something tells me it will take a long time to get these special machines to every place where non-connected Pepsi machines are, but prototypes are planned on being on display from April 27 to the 29 at the National Automatic Merchandising Association’s One Show in Chicago. If there are enough people on this service, I would imagine that we are looking at the future of soda sales.

Source

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Pepsi unveils its new Social Vending program copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Google Docs comes to Android in App form

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 03:38 PM PDT

Some of you might remember when an official Google Reader came to Android, for those Android users who are a big fan of what Gmail can do should probably look into Google Docs for Android.

I’m sure you are familiar with Google Docs, as a text reader and editor on the internet browser of your computer. This dedicated App allows for the creation, editing, and collaborating, but according to my Source, it is more of a document manager than a solid word processor.

However, I downloaded the app, and I tested out typing out a new document, and was able to access it on my laptop later. I also found all of my old documents that I had originally typed on my laptop there and easily accessible.

If nothing else, it does allow the user to do what he or she most likely wants to do, which is search through documents, share them with contacts, and upload and convert the files into the Google documents format. Changes that are made will be done in real-time, and an Internet connection is required to edit new documents.

In other words, the Google Docs App is not really intended for creation, but consumption. I have been getting a lot from this quote since CES. It is available on the Android Marketplace now for a low price of free.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Google Docs comes to Android in App form copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

WOW-keys for the iPhone announced

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 10:26 AM PDT

There are some of us who love all the nuances of a virtual keyboard, while the rest absolutely hate it and would very much prefer the standard physical keyboard that has tactile feedback and the comforting “clickety clack” sound – although some people have already moved on to silent keyboards, especially those who tend to work late into the night in their bedroom and do not want to keep their spouse awake.

CompuExpert, a division of Digital Interactive Systems Corp., has come up with a rather interesting solution for those who have not yet gotten used to the virtual keyboard on the iPhone, and that would be through the release of the WOW-keys, a full-size QWERTY keyboard that was specially built for the iPhone that will also double up as a docking device for synchronization and charging purposes. Omnio Technologies is the brainchild behind the WOW-keys as it functions as the ideal bridge between your iPhone and PC or Mac machine,

The iPhone in its latest iteration, the iPhone 4, is by no means a pushover – after all, for a device this small, it is more than capable of being a portable productivity tool, and the WOW-keys is the perfect platform to unleash its potential. Since it is so small, entering or extracting a lot of data from it could prove to be a rather awkward and time-consuming experience, hence the WOW-keys that lets you favorite smartphone make full use of its power and multitasking abilities on the computer itself.

Thanks to the presence of laptop-style soft keys, WOW-keys will enable you to input text comfortably and efficiently into your iPhone, as well as input commands from the iPhone to the computer courtesy of the integrated touchpad. You will be able to swap between modes in a jiffy with but a touch of a button, while executing common tasks through the dozen iPhone hotkeys. The WOW-keys will also double up as a charger via USB, and can also synchronize with iTunes.

Expect to pick pu the WOW-keys at retail stores from May 24th onwards for $99.99.

Product Page

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ WOW-keys for the iPhone announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Genius LuxeMate T810 Media Cruiser goes wireless

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 10:08 AM PDT

So the modern office and home wants not only to be paperless but wireless as well, and Genius answers this clarion call with their latest release, the wireless Genius LuxeMate T810 Media Cruiser. Of course, it will not come with a paperless direction, but this will be an all-new media and PC control device which offers three functions in a solitary form factor.

For instance, users are able to use it as a wireless Remote Control (by the way, how many of us have seen a wired remote control unless it is really, really old or some sort of super basic children’s toy?), or alternatively as a mouse and keyboard combination. It will not play nice with Mac OS X platforms though, since it was specially designed to work in tandem with Microsoft XP and Vista media center software.

Imagine using the Luxemate T810 to help you watch live TV, tune in to an online radio, watch your favorite DVDs, browse through your collection of photos and even surfing the Internet. Using the anti-interference 2.4GHz wireless connection, you are able to obtain full control over whatever you are doing – as long as you remain within a reasonable distance of 10 meters. Since more and more folks are working on integrating their computers and TVs, Genius intends to offer something worth purchasing in the form of a genuine controller.

The Genius LuxeMate T810 Media Cruiser will “talk” to your PC using a USB receiver, where you will achieve unprecedented wireless control thanks to four way scrolling capabilities (up, down, left, right), coupled with the "OptoTouch Cursor Control" that delivers greater cursor accuracy, quicker movement and response time. Never mind if your palms tend to sweat it out – the LuxeMate T810 will sport a rubber-coating that delivers anti-slip control and 34 hot keys for quick and easy navigation.

Any takers for yet another remote control to adorn your living room?

Press Release

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Genius LuxeMate T810 Media Cruiser goes wireless copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Engage Keyboard comes with ErgoMotion

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 09:48 AM PDT

Now here is a moving experience for a computer peripheral if we ever saw one – the Engage Keyboard that comes with ErgoMotion. Retailing for £89.99, it intends to help you alleviate the pain that is normally associated with your wrists when you sit in front of the computer keyboard, hacking away (gracefully or not, it doesn’t matter) for hours on end.

Smartfish is the brains behind this super smart keyboard that sports sophisticated intelligence which will monitor your typing behavior, including the location of keys your fingers dance across the most among others. It is smart enough to determine when to subtly change its position thanks to a patented motorized motion system. These discreet movements means your hands and wrists will never be in the unenviable position of a fixed state whenever you type, kissing the dreaded three letter acronym RSI goodbye – for good.

Typing will never be the same again with the Engage Keyboard, and all it takes is a single USB connection to have it powered – perfect as that means you will not need any more batteries or wires to do the job.

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[ Engage Keyboard comes with ErgoMotion copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Personal Cooling Collar

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 09:42 AM PDT

Feeling hot under the collar? You might want to have something to help you out when the hot summer arrives with the Personal Cooling Collar. As the name of this gizmo suggests, it is something personal that will produce a cooling breeze across your neck, making sure you have a cool head to think with even when the situation gets out of hand. The collar is capable of holding up to 4 ounces of water, and with an internal fan that generates evaporative cooling right across the back of your neck and base of your head, you will more or less be guaranteed that you can make level headed decisions under all circumstances.

We wonder whether this is capable of holding its own in the desert environment with all the dusty action going on, but at $39.95 a pop, we must say the hope of this lasting a long time might be shortlived. The collar’s interior is lined with aluminum which will conduct a cooling sensation onto the back and sides of your neck. Tipping the scales at less than 1 pound, it boasts of a couple of spring-loaded hinges so that it can rest gently and yet securely against your neck. Boasting a two adjustable fan speeds which won’t wake up the dead, an AA battery will power it for up to four hours of non-stop cooling. Just make sure there is adequate water left inside to let it work its magic.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Personal Cooling Collar copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 27-Apr-2011

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 06:37 AM PDT

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Gadget Thumbnails for 27-Apr-2011 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Washable RFID Tags – Soon to be Tracking your Hotel Towels

Posted: 27 Apr 2011 07:13 PM PDT

Imagine this if you will, it's about a week after your fabulous vacation to Miami, and you just finished washing your clothes, and all the really cool towels you stole form the pool area, when there's a knock at your door, as you put the last towel on the shelf, the towel police take out your front door and rush up your front staircase.

Okay, thats probably not exactly how its going to happen, but thanks to a Florida company that has patented a washable radio frequency identification, or RFID, chip designed to track towels, robes and even bed sheets, at the very least, you could be getting a bill for the darn things.

So here's the deal, the articles are scanned and monitored to and from the laundry, in and out of linen closets, at various check-in or check-out stations, down laundry chutes and even at the pool and beach. AssetTrack monitors everything in real time and then offers insights via its reporting and analytics engine.

Right now, the Washable RFID tags are being used in Honolulu, Miami and Manhattan, and to hear the story be told, they are saving the places using them some pretty hefty pocket change…

The Honolulu property, which introduced the technology last summer, has reduced theft of its pool towels from $4,000 a month to a mere $750. Thank goodness my towel collection is complete… I couldn't deal with the stress.

Source: www.smartplanet.com

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Washable RFID Tags – Soon to be Tracking your Hotel Towels copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]