Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jul 9, 2011

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Apple App Store shifts over 15 billion apps
Western Digital has a heart for Mac owners
iLuv ArtStation Stereo Speaker Dock
Sleepy Bunny lets your new pup sleep
Ballistic HC Case gives 5 layers of protection to the iPhone 4
Could myCopter give us the age of flying cars at last?
Project Mimicry uses sand to create a virtual landscape

Apple App Store shifts over 15 billion apps

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 06:30 AM PDT

15 billion and counting – that is the juggernaut that Apple has built over the years with their App Store, having shifted that amount of apps by more than 200 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users around the world. We do wonder at the spectacle of it all, and just how many more apps could have been downloaded the official way instead of devious minds taking the jailbreak route? That cannot be answered at the moment, but it is certainly worth pondering over.

The Apple App Store is said to offer over 425,000 apps, with developers being credited for churning out more than 100,000 native iPad apps as well. It has taken a mere 3 years for the App Store to grow to its current size, and definitely the kind of hardware which Apple rolled out over the years did play a role in propagating the purchase of apps. After all, having great software but poor hardware is never a winning combination, and vice versa. The others (Android Market and Windows Marketplace) are clearly playing catch up, with Android Market having the remote chance of eventually catching up with the App Store.

The App Store has been a hotbed for start ups and small time developers to share their genius with the world. Take for instance, Dr. Ge Wang, a Smule co-founder and assistant professor at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He said, "We sparked musical magic when iPhone users experienced Ocarina three years ago. And now with iPad, we've created the Magic Piano and Magic Fiddle apps. Who could've dreamt an iPad would make its way into the San Francisco Symphony?"

The App Store is available to consumers in 90 countries, and it is not short on categories, where among them include games, business, news, education, sports, health, reference and travel. While Apple has paid developers more than $2.5 billion to date, it goes to show just how much more Apple has made in the same time frame to be able to afford such a payout. Here is to the next 15 billion, Apple, and watch your six!

Press Release

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[ Apple App Store shifts over 15 billion apps copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Western Digital has a heart for Mac owners

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT

When it comes to additional storage for your precious data, surely the name Western Digital would have come across your mind. Well, Mac users might have had their brush with the Western Digital range in the past, but those never really jived in terms of design with what Apple offers. Not anymore though, as Western Digital’s latest generation of the popular My Book Studio external hard drives were specially designed to be aesthetically compatible with Mac computers and Apple Time Machine.

Heck, there is even a 3TB capacity model in the pipeline, where the new design will sport a brushed aluminum casing that matches the appearance of a Mac computer. Not only that, the aluminum case is used for more than its beauty – it will also do its part to keep the drive running cool when in use. Needless to say, Western Digital will promote the use of its own Caviar Green drives within, partly because it does away with the need for an internal fan, further reducing noise levels while extending the life of the drive.

Despite the fact that it has been formatted for Mac computers, those running on PCs can still take advantage of the My Book Studio external hard drive by reformatting them. Hardware specifications include FireWire 800/400 and USB 2.0 interfaces, user-controlled automatic backup software and drive management, password protection and hardware encryption.

According to Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products and consumer electronics groups, “WD has updated the design of its My Book Studio drive while providing natural cooling features delivered by the new aluminum enclosure. The drive will maintain all the features that are important to the creative community, including high speed FireWire 800 and adding large capacities up to 3 TB.”

You will be able to choose from 1TB, 2TB and 3TB capacities which will retail for $149.99, $199.99 and $249.99, respectively.

Press Release

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[ Western Digital has a heart for Mac owners copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

iLuv ArtStation Stereo Speaker Dock

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 05:30 AM PDT

Now here is a dock will keep owners of the iPhone, iPad and iPod happy – the iMM727, or better known as the iLuv ArtStation Stereo Speaker Dock. Targeting iPad users mainly, this audio dock will be able to turn the iPad into the centerpiece of a home entertainment center. Of course, the iPhone and iPod touch would also fit into the scheme of things nicely as well, but with the larger real screen estate on the iPad, isn’t that the more logical (and obvious) choice?

The ArtStation will make sure that the iPad’s multimedia capabilities are brought to the fore, thanks to the iLuv patent pending jAuraÒ sound technology. You can further enhance its performance thanks to the free iLuv App that can be downloaded from the App Store, where it will go ahead and transform the iMM727 into an Internet Radio with more than 40,000 stations to choose from.

Expect to see the iLuv iMM727 arrive at the market sometime this month for $129.99 a pop. It does look sleek in nature, and hopefully it delivers all it promised.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ iLuv ArtStation Stereo Speaker Dock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Sleepy Bunny lets your new pup sleep

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 05:00 AM PDT

If you happen to have rescued a puppy from the local shelter, or one of your friends decided that a litter of 8 labradors are too much to handle, hence giving away some of them, then you might want to enlist the help of the £15.99 Sleepy Bunny. Why so? Puppies might find separation anxiety of be an issue, of course, and when they’re removed from their litter and their mom, it can be quite hard to sleep – and when puppy whines at night, no one else gets their fair share of rest as well.

The Sleepy Bunny intends to provide a sense of security to puppy, where it is not powered by carrots but a couple of AA batteries. The Puppy Pulse inside will simulate a heartbeat that calms and reassures the latest addition to your family, making them doze off to puppy dreamland, chasing balls and having unlimited treats in the process, before waking up the next morning to a pleasant greeting and plenty of love from the family.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Sleepy Bunny lets your new pup sleep copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Ballistic HC Case gives 5 layers of protection to the iPhone 4

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 04:01 AM PDT

You read this right, your iPhone 4 can have five layers of protection. That’s more than one layer per version of Apple’s phone! Just think, but the time the Ballistic HC comes out for the iPhone 5, the numbers will be even.

We have covered the Ballistic cases before, like the LS last Christmas prior to CES. Right now, I have one beside me that looks like the one in the picture, but it is all black.

Before I talk about it, check out the layers after the jump. It’s quite impressive.

Layer 1 – Built in screen protector
Layer 2 – Ballistic shock absorbent polymer
Layer 3 – Tough impact resistant polycarbonate
Layer 4 – An additional layer of our Ballistic shock absorbent polymer
Layer 5 – Optional outer layer of silicon, with plugs for all ports

All that, plus it has a durable holster with a rotating clip. Not bad.

In all honesty, it is hard to review this case without mentioning the Otterbox Defender Series for the iPhone 4 that we reviewed about a week ago. They have the polycarbonate and shock absorbent material working for them, and I’m guessing that it allows the iPhone 4 to take a lot of damage. I believe the trademarked slogan is “Designed to Survive Life”. I would imagine that this would help my iPhone survive my most extra-ordinary day.

Right now, it is only for the AT&T iPhone only, and it can be purchased on the Ballistic Case site for about $29.99 in black/pink, black/gray, and black/black.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Ballistic HC Case gives 5 layers of protection to the iPhone 4 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Could myCopter give us the age of flying cars at last?

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 03:32 AM PDT

Another day, another flying car. Yes, we have covered flying cars like the Terrafugia Transition before, and the Transition has just received clearance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

So are we really prepared for an era of flying cars, otherwise known as Personal Air Vehicles (PAVs)? That depends on whether or not people are going to be responsible flyers. Yeah, right. Do we really think that air-related injuries won’t spike exponentially with the advent of PAVs?

After all, I can easily see a group of teenagers out on a joyride and crash a flying car. Or a guy who has had too much to drink kill several people because of an FUI (Flying Under the Influence). Or some guy who forgot to check his gas gauge and plumets from the sky, putting a permanent crater in his town. Hit the jump to read the myCopter solution.

This is where myCopter comes in. The myCopter system is designed to created a network of partially automated flying vehicles. The purpose is to keep the flying cars out of controlled airspace, not to mention avoiding other obstacles, and fly in formation.

Fly in formation? The myCopter looks like nothing more than a cable-less cable car. Personally, I think this myCopter would take all the fun and freedom out of flying cars. However, I still think we are decades away from this type of technology anyway. Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Could myCopter give us the age of flying cars at last? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Project Mimicry uses sand to create a virtual landscape

Posted: 08 Jul 2011 02:47 AM PDT

I would imagine that one of the hardest things in real life to imitate in 3D computer graphics is stone.

Some of you might remember the canyons in Cars that looked like fins on an Impala, but what if you really want a more realistic virtual canyon landscape? With Project Mimicry, all you need is sand and a special sensor.

This is one of those technologies that you have to see to believe, which is why included a video after the jump so you can see it in action. You can see the top-down sensor lights that create a most colorful world of sand, and how shaping the sand changes its digital counterpart.

You can see in the video game that Monobanda, the developers of this technology, intend to use their sandbox graphics emulator for gaming. They already have some crazy type of game with bouncing balls, and it looks like it is rigged with an Xbox 360 controller.

I don’t see this technology being used by the gamer to create user-based content. Do you really want a gaming accessory that you have to constantly use a vacuum around after using? Or a sandbox in the middle of the room, for that matter?

Yes, this looks like something that game developers would use, but the technology for Project Mimicry is still “in development”.