Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Hoyos Eyelock USB Iris Scanner Eye-dentifier
Exoskeleton lets UC Berkeley graduate walk for his graduation
RcSuperhero won’t be getting his own movie, but he can fly!
Gadget Thumbnails for 16-May-2011
Zoomy Handheld Digital Microscope
Hide & Seek Plush Monkey
Aleratec PortaStor Secure USB flash drives – more secure than ever
Elgato HDHomeRun lets you enjoy wireless HDTV on computer at home
MyWeather.com – Weather gets Personal

Hoyos Eyelock USB Iris Scanner Eye-dentifier

Posted: 17 May 2011 02:26 PM PDT

Some of you probably have those biometric readers on your laptops to scan your thumb, but some of you might want more security than that.

I suppose that Eye-dentification is the way to go, as no two irises are exactly alike. This particular Hoyos Eyelock Iris scanner hooks up to the computer via USB.

It looks like that this is designed to rest on the desktop, and I am guessing that you’ll probably have to lean over in order to get a reading. Hopefully, no one will use those contact lenses that you see in movies to trick eye scanners. I would imagine that these are harder to fool than fingerprint scanners.

There is another advantage to the Hoyos Eyelock USB Iris scanner in comparison to biometric scanners. The Hoyos makes it very difficult to get a false positive. Of course, you could just get a password, unless you are very forgetful.

For some reason, I don’t have a price on this guy, but you can check out their website if you want some more information. According to Hoyos, this will be a “paradigm shift” in personal identity protection. I don’t know about that, but I do know that I never see the word “paradigm” without seeing the word “shift”.

Source

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[ Hoyos Eyelock USB Iris Scanner Eye-dentifier copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Exoskeleton lets UC Berkeley graduate walk for his graduation

Posted: 17 May 2011 01:54 PM PDT

Now that June is here, there are a lot of people who are “walking” for their graduation. However, if you are paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, you can’t literally “walk the walk”, so to speak.

A wheelchair-bound UC Berkeley student named Austin Whitney wanted to walk for his graduation so badly, he had an exoskeleton made for it.

The exoskeleton was developed by UC Berkeley before Whitney arrived at the school. He worked with the team for years, giving them feedback from his point-of-view. He found that the “feet” of the exoskeleton had to be more flat, the hand controls should have locks, and the height should be adjustable. Check out the video after the jump to see the results.

As you might imagine, Whitney is very thrilled. He is quoted as saying: “Ask anybody in a wheelchair; ask what it would mean to once again stand and shake someone’s hand while facing them at eye level…it will be surreal, like a dream.”

It certainly is a testimony of how exoskeleton-based technology can help the paralyzed walk again. UC Berkeley also found a way to do this technology cheaper. Apparently, projects like these cost about $90,000 to do, but they managed to do it for about $15,000.

Source

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RcSuperhero won’t be getting his own movie, but he can fly!

Posted: 17 May 2011 01:14 PM PDT

Look, up in the sky, is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s the RcSuperhero!

Seriously, if I saw a man-sized figure flying through the sky, I might think that I was looking at a real superhero. This is probably the purpose of this kit, which weighs in at 3 pounds and has a motor with 6 pounds of thrust. Check it out on the video after the jump, with glowing eyes and feet.

I suppose that this is probably as close as we are going to get to superheroes in real life. It reminds me of the superhero shows where the hero is a huge robot with his sidekick, the guy who built the robot. I guess I’m not certain who would be the sidekick, then.

Anyway, if you want to get in on this action, it is definitely a DIY project. You should be able to get the kit as a PDF file for about $19.95 for the 57-inch and 75-inch version. It is possible to get a more advanced kit with pre-cut parts for about $295. Don’t expect your RcSuperhero to be fighting crime, though.

I suppose that if RcSuperhero needed a real superhero name, it would be Balsa Wood Man. I’m not certain whether or not the RcSuperhero is made of Balsa wood, but technically, Iron Man’s suit isn’t made of iron.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ RcSuperhero won’t be getting his own movie, but he can fly! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gadget Thumbnails for 16-May-2011

Posted: 17 May 2011 12:10 AM PDT

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Gadget Thumbnails for 16-May-2011 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Zoomy Handheld Digital Microscope

Posted: 17 May 2011 06:30 AM PDT

Let your little one pick up a little bit of science wizardry with the Zoomy Handheld Digital Microscope, where it is not only easy enough for a 3-year old to pick up and use, even an adult will find it to be powerful. This handheld digital microscope will let you see things around you in new light as we are talking about 35 to 53 times the magnification compared to the naked eye.

Retailing for $59.99 each, the Zoomy Handheld Digital Microscope is a snap to use, as all you need to do is turn the top to focus on a particular object, while pressing the single control button helps you record down still images or video, depending on your requirement at that time. Expect your toddler to start walking about, examining things in greater detail as he/she explores the environment with a passion you’ve never seen before. Heck, you can even connect it to a computer via USB for reviews later on.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Zoomy Handheld Digital Microscope copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Hide & Seek Plush Monkey

Posted: 17 May 2011 06:00 AM PDT

Hide & Seek used to involve a bunch of giggling children, and it works best if they are at a really, really large house. Well, it seems that the tables have turned with the tide of technology – just take a gander at the Hide & Seek Plush Monkey and tell us otherwise. This $34.95 purchase intends to be the perfect hide and seek companion for your little one.

You can hide him indoors or outside, in places that normal kids aren’t able to get to. The seeker wand will track the monkey, letting out a signal that only the monkey is able to hear. Whenever your little one goes near the monkey, it will start making monkey noises. This causes your kid to be alert and listen for the sounds as he/she hunts around, and to look for the monkey’s hiding place.

There are two hide and seek monkeys available, and the plush version would be the more ideal choice for young uns. Nice to know that this purchase comes with batteries already, I’m sure that will go some ways in convincing parents to pick it up.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Hide & Seek Plush Monkey copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Aleratec PortaStor Secure USB flash drives – more secure than ever

Posted: 17 May 2011 05:30 AM PDT

Aleratec knows that data security is of utmost importance for many people, and this is why the company decided to come up with new additions to their family of 256-bit AES encrypted USB flash drives under the PortaStor Secure guise. Osama bin Laden would have done well to store his porn collection on these, it might just slow down those investigator’s a wee bit before realizing that the man lived differently than he preached. These highly secure flash drives are touted to feature hardware encryption for fast, dependable performance and superior ease-of-use.

The USB flash drive, after all, is one of the most widely used tools that is used for transporting important data and multimedia files, courtesy of its relatively small physical size as well as near-universal compatibility. Of course, the flipside of it all would be the very same strengths end up as a weakness when exploited – they are vulnerable to loss, theft and other potential breaches in security. Aleratec intends to address this double edged sword with their PortaStor Secure.

The PortaStor Secure family of USB flash drives will come with a secure partition for confidential files, where all information that are stashed away in this secure partition will be encrypted using a time proven, always-on hardware encryption method known as 256-bit AES – which by the way, was approved by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) in 2001, resulting in it being a worldwide standard.

Basically, it means all data in the secure partition will be rendered as useless to anyone without any authorized access. For an even greater security level, this secure partition will be automatically formatted after six invalid login attempts.

You will be able to choose from a quartet of capacities – too bad they aren’t large enough for our tastes – 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB. Each drive can be managed without having to install any additional software, as the management application itself is stored right on the PortaStor drive. The Aleratec PortaStor Secure 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB models will retail for $40.99, $42.99, $58.99 and $75.99, respectively.

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Elgato HDHomeRun lets you enjoy wireless HDTV on computer at home

Posted: 17 May 2011 05:00 AM PDT

Elgato’s latest device to hit the market, the HDHomeRun, is a dual network tuner that enables you to watch HDTV sans wires regardless of whether you are on the Mac or PC camp. After all, HDHomeRun will connect to a TV antenna or digital cable, where it will go ahead and stream live TV in full HD to any Mac or PC in the house. One more step closer to the wireless lifestyle, we guess.

Thanks to technology from SiliconDust that has found a home inside Elgato's HDHomeRun, this tuner will play nice seamlessly on multiple computers. Imagine your dad watching and recording TV on a Mac, while mom is busy watching and recording a different channel on a PC. HDHomeRun works by connecting to your existing TV antenna or cable TV outlet, in addition to your router via Ethernet.

The entire setup will let the device remain concealed in a discreet location that is away from your computers. Once it is hooked to your Wi-Fi network, you are able to watch live TV wirelessly on a device that has a Wi-Fi connection – ranging from a notebook to an iPad, virtually anywhere around the home (within bounds of the Wi-Fi network, of course).

HDHomeRun will also ship with EyeTV 3, the award-winning TV software for Mac. Too bad for PC users here, eh? EyeTV 3 will let you watch, pause, and rewind live TV on your Mac. Not only that, you are able to search the Program Guide, record TV shows, and export recordings to iTunes automatically for playback on another device like the iPhone or iPad. HDHomeRun will work on a PC as well, and it will treat Windows 7 Media Center like a long lost friend.

Elgato's HDHomeRun solution that is paired with the EyeTV app will pave the way for live streaming and recorded TV to an iPhone, iPod, and iPad via 3G. Of course, this will be limited only to those using Macs, so that might just rule out your PC purchase that you were mulling over. HDHomeRun can be purchased from the Elgato Store as well as other online retailers for $179.95 a pop.

Product Page

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Elgato HDHomeRun lets you enjoy wireless HDTV on computer at home copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

MyWeather.com – Weather gets Personal

Posted: 16 May 2011 05:53 PM PDT

Has anyone ever wondered about the weather reporting lately? Its gotten to a point in my neck of the woods that if the weatherman says its going to rain, I break out the sunglasses and tanning lotion. My 15 year old knee injury is a much better predictor of the weather than my local news. The weather at my house is quite different than at my parents, who live only 9 miles away, but they live in the valley.

Finally there is something different, MyWeather.com is changing the way folks receive and use weather information with a brand new, free app for iPhone and Android devices and an app for the iPad will be available soon. MyWeather.com is the most precise compilation of weather information for customers anywhere in the world, MyWeather is six times more precise in providing location-specific weather conditions than its competitors and offers users completely personalized weather reports tailored for their lives, locations, and interests, whether they’re online or on the go.

MyWeather users receive forecasts specific to their block, not merely their city, with data that lets them anticipate lightning strikes during a golf round; determine the best time on a cloudy day to walk the dog in the park; or decide whether or not to pack an umbrella for a sporting event. Imagine a weather report that was spot on? Imagine not lugging your coat around all day, or wishing you had a sweater? Cool.

“MyWeather is a weather application for the Facebook generation,” said Chris Kelly, President, MyWeather. “We set out to provide users with a degree of customization and portability that they demand in an increasingly mobile world. MyWeather does that better than anyone else, offering a platform that is as intuitive as it is expert.”

“With the launch of MyWeather, Weather Central is thrilled to bring its industry-leading weather data and graphics directly to consumers worldwide, and with a new level of personalization that’s never before been available,” said Terry Kelly, Founder and CEO of Weather Central, LP. “We’ve been a trusted weather information provider for more than 35 years, and we’re confident that consumers will find our products as reliable, useful, and accurate as our enterprise clients do.”

Source: www.myweather.com

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