Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jun 29, 2011

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Review of the VueZone System
The Mophie Juice Pack Air, in snap mode!
DXG offers low-budget 3D stills
Prelit Halloween Tree
iCADE iPad Arcade Cabinet
Volkswagen semi-autonomous hands-free driving system introduced

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:32 AM PDT

I have been wanting to try out one of Avaak’s VueZone Systems for a while, and I finally got my wish.

For those who aren’t aware of this technology, VueZone uses tiny cameras that you see to the left of this photo. These cameras are wirelessly synced to the “gateway” that you see on the right of the photo.

All you need to do is set up the cameras, which come with these dome-shaped stands that magnetically lock to the cameras for easy angle adjusting. Once everything is set up, you can view the footage from your computer or the App on iOS or Android.

Of course, it was a slight inconvenience to set up. After I plugged the gateway into my router, turned on the cameras, and set up my account, it didn’t recognize my cameras. At least not at first. Eventually, it kicked into gear, and then I was able to record and take still photos. Sometimes the pictures or videos wouldn’t show up at first, either.

Another downside was that even though I had two cameras, I couldn’t view two footages at once. I’m not certain whether or not my computer is too slow, but it definitely gives me more video surveillance than I had before. That is why I can recommend them, and understand why their network might have some trouble.

It is also a good budget for about $289.95, and there are other cheaper models that with only one camera or lacking motion detection at the VueZone site.

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[ Review of the VueZone System copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The Mophie Juice Pack Air, in snap mode!

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 09:49 AM PDT

It seems like any time mophie makes any changes to the juice pack air, they make a very big deal of it. We have reported on the juice pack air before, and it is designed to give some extra juice to an iPhone device.

They have now made it a snap. I have tried them out before, and it looks like the only change is that the snap has a removable bottom to make the phone easier to insert. You can see the seam on the removable snap in the picture.

I’m not certain how many of these other features are new, but it has a Standby Switch that can toggle between charging and standby. Then there is the LED Status Indicator that indicates charging mode and current battery life. Oh, did I mention that it has a USB Charge and Sync for when you want to connect to iTunes without removing it from the juice pack?

Like I said, I have no idea how many of these features are new to the snap, but here are the stats: it has additional talk time of 6 hours on 3G, up to 12 hours on 2G. It also has 36 hours of audio playback, and 9 hours of video playback.

You should be able to get the mophie Juice Pack Air snap at the Apple Store for a price of $79.95.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ The Mophie Juice Pack Air, in snap mode! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

DXG offers low-budget 3D stills

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:00 AM PDT

What you are seeing here is a new type of 3D viewer from DXG, creator of a lot of terrific HD camcorders.

This 3D viewer can only take still shots, and I got to try it out. You get the 3D that you may or may not have been looking for, but you really have to jump through a lot of hoops for it.

What happens is that you take pictures with the dual-lens camera. The viewscreen on the back of the camera is only 1.44 inches, and you can see the images in realtime. You can then print them out and put them in the included paper 3D viewer for a “Viewmaster” effect.

When it comes to printing them out, I had trouble at first. I used the included USB cable, but it didn’t quite work. I eventually ejected the SD card (which is not included with the product) and inserted it into my printer’s slot. Thanks to PictBridge technology, it recognized my 3D images and printed them out in the form of two 2D images that merge together to form a 3D image in the viewer. I hope it works without any difficulty on other printers.

I tried this out with ordinary 8 x 11 paper, and it worked, but the company recommends 4 x 6 photo paper. There is a clear difference, and I mean that in every sense of the word.

In all honesty, we are looking at one of the cheapest ways to bring 3D to the average consumer. Granted, it is in still form, and not for video. If you want it, you can get it in various colors for about $69.99 on the official DXG site.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ DXG offers low-budget 3D stills copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Prelit Halloween Tree

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 06:30 AM PDT

If you’re the type who loves being early for anything and everything, then the Prelit Halloween Tree would definitely be in the pipeline – assuming you celebrate that holiday, of course. After all, Halloween’s still a long way off in October, but it doesn’t hurt to bring home this $249.99 garden enhancement now, does it? Boasting 240 colored LEDs that are encased in plastic four-leaf blossoms, this metal tree will cast an eerie, orange Halloween glow. The LEDs have been rated to work for 25,000 hours, while the branches and trunk are made from weatherproof metal which are sheathed in a black vinyl wrap that contrasts the orange light.

Standing at 6.5 feet tall, the tree sports 10 branches with pliable tips so that you are able to shape it to replicate the random, natural pattern of a live specimen. With an integrated stand and a quartet of stakes, stability outdoors is more or less ensured – unless, of course, a tornado decides to drop by and say hello. Just make sure you have a power outlet nearby to light this puppy up when the occasion arrives.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Prelit Halloween Tree copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

iCADE iPad Arcade Cabinet

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:30 AM PDT

The iCADE iPad Arcade Cabinet which was first spotted on ThinkGeek as part of their April Fools' prank, has finally been turned into flesh thanks to the demand from users who think that it isn’t such a zany idea after all. Being of sturdy built (it needs to be, otherwise who else is it supposed to be able to stand up to the rigors and abuse that arcade cabinets go through out of a player’s frustration at losing?), the iCADE gaming cabinet was specially designed in a retro manner so that it can hold an Apple iPad or its successor, the iPad 2, bringing users back to the good old days when quarters were being fed to the ever hungry machines at a dingy looking local arcade, as you attempted to best the locality’s high score.

According to Ty Liotta, head of ThinkGeek's GeekLabs, "We partnered with ION Audio to make our vision of the iCADE a reality. After it was announced as an April Fool's Day joke back in 2010, thousands of our customers wanted it and we're excited to make it a reality through this partnership."

The iCADE will come across as a desktop-sized arcade game cabinet, where it will boast a fully-functional gamepad that is complete with retro arcade joystick and buttons. Gameplay is a no brainer on this puppy – all you need to do is slide an iPad into the built-in cradle, hook it up to the iCADE via a Bluetooth connection and you’re good to go. The iCADE itself will be powered by a couple of AA batteries, so we would suggest you get rechargeables such as Sanyo Eneloops if you’re going to do a whole lot of gaming on it.

Not only that, the ThinkGeek iCADE will also sport the original April Fool's Day retro style graphics that made folks all over the world fall in love with it. With this $99.99 release, expect more downloads and purchases of classic Atari games from the Apple App Store. Atari is also hyped up by this release, having rolled out 100 of its Classic games that are compatible with the iCADE. Atari managed to configure the games for compatibility with the iCADE, where among them include beloved titles such as Pong, Asteroids and Centipede amongst others.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ iCADE iPad Arcade Cabinet copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Volkswagen semi-autonomous hands-free driving system introduced

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT

Wait a minute here – did I read it correctly? Is Volkswagen’s semi-autonomous hands-free driving system supposed to help you get around in your vehicle while keeping your hands free to do something else? The answer is in the affirmative, where Volkswagen has dubbed their new system as the Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP), where it will link between existing driver assist technologies and completely automated vehicles. You as the driver have a role to play – monitoring the system, but at least TAP paves the way for semi-automatic driving on a highway at speeds of up to 130 km/h (80 mph).

You won’t find a driverless car here, but TAP will merge automatic driving assisting technologies that are already in place, alongside semi-automatic functions which require constant monitoring by you, the driver.

TAP is capable of controlling the car’s speed, making sure it maintains a safe distance from other vehicles, while dropping its speed right before a bend. Apart from that, it will also ensure that your vehicle’s central position is retained with respect to lane markers. Needless to say, TAP can be deactivated at any time in case an emergency arises. Despite it being semi-autonomous, that doesn’t mean you can now take off both eyes from the road and play around on your iPhone instead.

Do you happen to look forward to these kinds of driving systems in the future, or do you prefer to remain firmly behind the wheel? We guess that most folks would want to stick with the latter, since humans love to be in control, unless you’re this extremely busy executive who cannot afford a driver. We say stick to the driver – most of them double up as bodyguards anyways on your payroll, so why not get the extra protection? It isn’t as though such smarter vehicles have the IQ of K.I.T.T. in the Knight Rider series…

Source

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[ Volkswagen semi-autonomous hands-free driving system introduced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]