Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jul 8, 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Air Pick is a guitar without the guitar
LEDMaps lets you use glowing pins
Onkyo BD-SP809 THX Certified Blu-ray Disc player
NASA has a way of turning urine into a sports drink
IK MINI universal microphone stand adapter
On This Day Poster
Omnidirectional robot gallops around

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 11:27 AM PDT

Considering the popularity of music-oriented games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, I am not surprised that something like the Air Pick has been made.

I’m not certain whether the Air Pick has come to late, as it seems that the music gaming fad is dying with Guitar Hero. However, Flair’s Air Pick is essentially a guitar pick that is thicker than a normal, and has “built-in jams”. The jams include such classics as “Satisfaction”, “Jumping Back Flash”, “Smoke on the Water”, “Born to be Wild”, and “Sweet Home Alabama”. All you have to do is strum the Air Pick in the air, and it will play the right notes.

Yes, it is totally cheating, and it doesn’t sound as good as playing the actual guitar. However, how close are we to creating a pick with accelerometers that will be as close to holding a real guitar as possible?

Seriously, think about it. Your phone is probably wireless connected to your headset via Bluetooth. Your laptop can do Wireless Internet. I don’t seem to remember this technology from a decade ago. My point is that you never know what sort of technology will become reality, and the air guitar could be as good as a real one.

These Air Picks from Flair should be out in a few weeks. I don’t have a price, but you should probably consider how long your thrill will be from a product like these before you purchase one.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Air Pick is a guitar without the guitar copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

LEDMaps lets you use glowing pins

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:52 AM PDT

Some of us might have maps on our walls, with pushpins in them to show where we have been or where we want to go. Sort of like Julia Stiles character in The Prince and Me.

Yes, I have seen it, and I prefer the original ending where Julia puts a pushpin in a map and doesn’t marry the prince. Perhaps the studio would have kept the ending if she used a more interesting-looking LED map.

The LED map is available in the United States and World map models, and have holes in each of the major cities. These holes can power LED lights, and the proper pins will glow in a variety of colors. You can even get blinking LED markers, and you can decide what the blinking ones mean.

I have to admit that it has been a while since I have seen a map on anyone’s wall. In all honesty, I am sure that Google has some sort of software that can give you a pushpin map as a screensaver. Still, I like the map on the wall, and having glowing pushpins on it is a technological update.

As mentioned before, these maps come in two types (world and United States) and both measure at 35.5 x 24.5 x .75 inches. They have 100 LEDs in a rainbow of colors, along with a power adapter with a 9-foot cord. You can purchase a map in a black powder-coat aluminum frame for $199.99 or burled wood frame for $249.99 at the LEDMaps website.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ LEDMaps lets you use glowing pins copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Onkyo BD-SP809 THX Certified Blu-ray Disc player

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:30 AM PDT

Onkyo has a high end, BD-SP809 THX Certified Blu-ray Disc player for the masses that will bring an even greater clarity to your home entertainment system – especially for you folks who love keeping yourselves entertained in the comfort of your living room instead of spending your time jostling with others at the cinemas, trying to get a ticket to the latest movies. What’s the rush? Summer blockbusters are going to end up on Blu-ray eventually, and you can always watch those amazing action scenes in slow motion, pause the movie to take a leak – you name it. Delayed gratification’s the name of the game.

Back to Onkyo’s BD-SP809, it is capable of handling a wide range of disc media, apart from Blu-ray, it also does old school DVD (can’t believe I’m saying that since DVD technology isn’t exactly that old), while sporting sophisticated home-network functionality which supports video on demand (VOD).

The Onkyo BD-SP809 will handle the latest 3D-encoded Blu-ray discs as well, so make sure you have the right kind of 3D glasses to wear (and a compatible TV, of course), and if movies are not your thing for that particular evening, you can always use it to play your favorite audio CDs. Popular encoded compressed formats such as DivX HD, MP3, and WMA will also be supported, and if you decide to plug in a USB flash drive containing compatible files, that’s a go as well.

If you happen to have a local network set-up in your home, you can take advantage of the BD-SP809 to incorporate videos, music, and photos which are sent from a DLNA 1.5-certified media server. Talk about bringing together greater convergence in the realm of home entertainment.

Since the Onkyo BD-SP809 supports video-on-demand, you can now stream relevant movies and TV shows straight to your TVs in either HD- or SD-quality video, using Netflix, Blockbuster, Film Fresh, and VUDU routes. Expect the Onkyo BD-SP809 to arrive later next month for $599.

Press Release

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[ Onkyo BD-SP809 THX Certified Blu-ray Disc player copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

NASA has a way of turning urine into a sports drink

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:29 AM PDT

Remember the opening shot of Waterworld where Kevin Costner pees into a cup, puts it through a machine, and drinks it? Would it greatly surprise you to know that NASA is working on giving this technology to the astronauts?

The process uses forward osmosis, which is “the natural diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane from a solution of a lower concentration to a solution with a higher concentration”. This allows you to urinate into a bag, and then use the syringe attached to the receptacle bag to turn your liquid waste into a sugary electrolyte drink.

That’s right, you can turn your pee into Gatorade! I’m not certain whether I want to be the first to drink this. Some of you are probably finding this entire subject matter to be “gross”, and I think that is a perfectly human response. I would imagine that someone has to go against their natural instincts and actually try to drink the filtered urine.

It is pretty clear why NASA would need something like this aboard the space shuttle. I’ve heard that every pound adds $10,000 to the cost, and stored water is quite heavy. However, there has got to be a limit to how much you can pee and drink. Just like to cannot recycle a product continually, real water has to be drank.

Since I already mentioned Waterworld at the beginning of this piece, let me go on about it. Why did Kevin Costner have to pee in a cup to get fresh drinking water? Couldn’t he just use the miles of sea water around him? And why did he put the cup on the unsteady surface of a boat and urinate into it, instead of holding it closer to his bladder? Stuff like this just bothers me, or maybe it’s just the movie Waterworld.

Source 1 and Source 2

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[ NASA has a way of turning urine into a sports drink copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

IK MINI universal microphone stand adapter

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:22 AM PDT

IK Multimedia has just unveiled their latest iKlip MINI, which is the universal microphone stand adapter that will play nice with just about all other versions of Apple's iPhone and iPod touch models. With the iKlip MINI, it is a snap to mount the iOS device on a microphone stand, pole or tripod without missing a beat, which would find itself at home whether on the stage, in the studio, at school or at the office.

You would definitely want something sturdy and tough to hold your iPhone or iPod touch in place, and the iKlip MINI does not disappoint since it is made of sturdy, durable thermoplastic. It also doesn’t matter whether you’re rocking to a first generation iPhone or iPod touch, the iKlip MINI does not discriminate against any model. It is capable of holding the device in place in both horizontal and vertical positions, where the multi-angle adjustable design will enable optimal viewing. Not only that, it also provides access to all controls, buttons, connection ports and camera without any obstruction.

If you happen to rock with another popular IK Multimedia mobile device accessory – the iRig, you are able to use their guitar interface adapter with the iKlip MINI, thanks to the included detachable bracket support. To put it in a nutshell, the iKlip MINI is the perfect accessory when it comes to the AmpliTube range of apps or any other guitar effects app.

Apart from that, the iKlip MINI will also work with the iRig Mic, a handheld microphone for iOS devices, where it enables vocalists and speakers to conveniently operate the device at a close distance on the same mic stand, while their device will be running IK's VocaLive – in addition to other vocal processing apps, of course.

Expect the iKlip MINI to ship sometime in August for $39.99/€29.99 a pop prior to taxes. Any takers?

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[ IK MINI universal microphone stand adapter copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

On This Day Poster

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:55 AM PDT

Most teens tend to have idols – and sometimes, they put up posters of them around the room, with movie posters also being a hot commodity as well. The £15.99 On This Day Poster might be worth checking out even if you’ve outgrown the awkward teen years – especially when it features heat sensitive squares that can be revealed the moment your finger approaches it. Move your finger away (or any other source of heat), and whatever you were able to read will disappear. Nifty, no?

The poster’s extremely innovative design also leaves room for you to mark all the important dates in your life, not to mention setting reminders for yourself. Should you opt to leave it unmarked, it can function as a calendar perpetually – every single year after its purchase. This is definitely a conversation starer in any home or office.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ On This Day Poster copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Omnidirectional robot gallops around

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 09:42 AM PDT

We know that humans have always taken nature’s designs to be their inspiration – such as the plane and robotic worms, but how about using a snail as a model? That certainly would be farthest from most people’s minds, but snails “gallop” around such as the inchworm, sticking the front of its foot to a surface, drawing up the rest of its body right behind. The galloping technique has been studied closer, and adapted and improved for robots by the Biomechatronics Lab at Chuo University in Japan.

Known as the “Snail-Wave Omnidirectional Mobile Robot,” Toro II, it definitely isn’t a snail at all, and there is no shell to crush, but the biggest advantage would be to have it move in all directions, thanks to a large and grippy area which is always in contact with the ground.

No idea on how it is going to be applied in real world use. What do you think? I’m quite sure the military would have a good idea on implementing it on the battlefield…

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Omnidirectional robot gallops around copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]