Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jul 20, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Memorex Game Controller Plus and Wireless Sidekick Gaming Controller for the Wii
Jedibot makes Star Wars gaming impressive, most impressive
Robot from Japan does human speech
PowerSkin wants to protect your BlackBerry Bold and Curve while offering power simultaneously
Takara Tomy’s “First Digital Camera” for toddler shutterbugs
Logitech’s security solution targets small businesses
Hands Free Hair Rejuvenator

Memorex Game Controller Plus and Wireless Sidekick Gaming Controller for the Wii

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 10:50 AM PDT

I got a chance to try out some Wii controllers from Memorex, which include the Wireless Sidekick Controller and the Game Controller Plus.

The Wireless Controller Plus is the Wiimote that you see in the photo, and it has built-in Motion Plus. Besides that, it is essentially a Wiimote with some features that I will go in greater detail about after the jump.

The Wireless Sidekick Controller is a better Nunchuk as it is completely wireless. It gets a charge from a USB cable, and it syncs with the Wiimote with a plug-in adapter.

There are other features that set these Wii controllers apart from others of its type, such as the ones from Nyko. For example, the Game Controller Plus has a 360 Degree rubberized directional pad, which is good for games like Super Mario Brothers Wii, or others that use the old-school type of directional keyboard. It also has some concave buttons, which makes the “gaming experience more comfortable”.

Both of these have LED lights to make them look even better, and are available in all kinds of colors including the black, metallic pink, and metallic blue. You should be able to get the Game Controller Plus for about $29.99, and the Wireless Sidekick Controller for about $29.99.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Memorex Game Controller Plus and Wireless Sidekick Gaming Controller for the Wii copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Jedibot makes Star Wars gaming impressive, most impressive

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 10:05 AM PDT

While there are no shortage of Star Wars games on the market today, it is always difficult to put a new spin on them. I personally liked the Fleet Commander game that we reported on the other day.

The Fleet Commander game captured the massive starship battles from the movie, but this Jedibot captures the lightsaber battles from the trilogies. The Jedibot allows the user to fight with an automated arm, and it uses a Kinect to detect where the player has his lightsaber.

There is a video of it after the jump. As you can see, it is about is fast as Ben Kenobi or Darth Vader from the first film. Something tells me it will take a while before we get the lightning-fast moves of the prequel trilogy.

This is a project from Grad students at Stanford, and I would imagine that more work needs to happen before it is ready for the Xbox 360.

As I mentioned before, the Jedibot is slow, but when it gets faster, I would imagine that we could have fun as it whacks us in the seat of our pants. Yeah, this thing will have to be pretty durable if we as consumers want to take a hack at it.

Source

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Jedibot makes Star Wars gaming impressive, most impressive copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Robot from Japan does human speech

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:59 AM PDT

Robots are really big in Japan as well as South Korea, as societies in both countries tend to adopt the use of robots around the home and at work far more than other countries – or at least, that is the impression that I get judging by blog posts which we filter through each day. Just how far and closely intertwined will robots be in our lives eventually? Well, they are certainly taking big steps towards being more realistic, leading us down the Uncanny Valley road headlong at speed.

Trust the Japanese to churn out a robot which is capable of replicating human speech – yes, real human speech instead of synthesized audio. Complete with moving lips as well, now how about that? Read all more about this robot-vaganza in the extended post.

There was a bunch of robots on display at Robotech at Tokyo Big Sight, with Kagawa University's artificial voice system robot being one of the stars there during the event. Apart from that, you can also say that this is one of the more unique looking ones, with some other people thinking it was something else at first glance instead of a robot.

The silicone mouth on this non-living entity has perfectly moving lips with a tongue that will work together to replicate human speech without the need for speakers or digital waves, helping deliver sound quality that is as close to real life as possible. Sounds like a treat? Hopefully no one comes out to programme one that nags you to complete your house chores…

Just how the heck does the silicone mouth robot work? Well, it will rely on airflow and control valves so that a human trachea and vocal chords are reproduced to a certain extent. Not only that, a resonance tube that will work in tandem with the silicone throat will further manipulate the air into distinct sounds. Both lips and tongue do their job to shape the sounds, and a microphone will help record all noises that come out of the silicone lips.

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Robot from Japan does human speech copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

PowerSkin wants to protect your BlackBerry Bold and Curve while offering power simultaneously

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:44 AM PDT

When it comes to your smartphone device, it goes without saying that getting the right kind of protective case is important – after all, you can never quite tell just when you would experience a “butterfingers” moment, often resulting in scratches and even worse, a broken display (and heart). Well, PowerSkin is an old hand at providing the right kind of protection for your smartphone, and it also adds more value as your protective case also will offer a battery boost.

Yes sir, PowerSkin has announced new battery-boosting, shock-absorbing skins for the BlackBerry Bold and Curve series, not to mention sweetening the deal with a $10 discount as well as free shipping. The latter will apply only to the continental US, as long as you place a pre-order before July makes a gracious exit and welcomes August.

David Becker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at PowerSkin/XPAL Power says, "BlackBerrys are among the most heavily used phones, with the BlackBerry Curve trailing as the second top mobile behind the iPhone. PowerSkin provides the largest selection of battery-boosting mobile solutions across an array of smartphones and phone carriers. We're expecting the new BlackBerry skins to have a major impact within the professional community."

The BlackBerry Bold PowerSkin will play nice with model 9700 (AT&T and T-Mobile) and model 9780 (T-Mobile), delivering up to 230 minutes of additional talk time. As for the BlackBerry Curve PowerSkin, this will work with model 8530 (Sprint and Verizon) and model 8520 (T-Mobile and AT&T), giving you another 225 minutes of extra talk time. Regardless of the additional talk time, both the Bold and Curve skins will have 1150 mAh of battery capacity.

You can place your pre-order for $59.99 a pop if it suits your fancy. Any takers? This is definitely one of the more useful smartphone accessories to carry around apart from a mere pretty looking case.

Press Release

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ PowerSkin wants to protect your BlackBerry Bold and Curve while offering power simultaneously copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Takara Tomy’s “First Digital Camera” for toddler shutterbugs

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:34 AM PDT

If you have young kids, then you know that they love mobile gadgets as much as we do. Recently, my four-year-old son has discovered my wife’s digital camera on her cellular phone, and it has quickly become his favorite toy.

Of course, my four-year-old son’s hands aren’t always the cleanest, nor is he the most careful. Fortunately, Takara Tomy has created the “First Digital Camera” made exclusively for his age group.

As you can see, the “First Digital Camera” is like any other toddler toy with bright colors, big buttons, and embellished with cartoon characters. It has a 1.44 inch LCD and an image sensor of 3 Megapixels, and is capable of up to 99 photos.

I’m not certain whether or not the parent can download the photos via USB, but that really should be a feature if it isn’t already. After all, who wouldn’t want to see life from a baby’s point-of-view?

Best of all, this camera is durable, not like your iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. According to my Source, the viewfinder is placed above the pane, so the shot might be slightly off. I wonder if a toddler will quickly adapt to that. I’m guessing the answer is yes.

I believe this is only available in Japan, but it can be found at the Japan Trend Shop for a price of $110.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Takara Tomy’s “First Digital Camera” for toddler shutterbugs copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Logitech’s security solution targets small businesses

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:30 AM PDT

Logitech is a name that is well known among computer users due to the many peripherals that they roll out, and webcams are one of them. Well, Logitech’s webcams are not just there for you to hold a video conversation or conference with your family or colleagues – it will even add value to small businesses by functioning as a HD video and audio security solution – thanks to the introduction of the Logitech Alert B700i PoE Camera and Logitech Alert B700e PoE Outdoor Camera.

With Logitech’s Alert PoE system, it delivers Power over Ethernet (PoE) connectivity so that small business owners are able to monitor their cash register, storage rooms, warehouse or front desk regardless of what time it is, and where they are – as long as there is a decent Internet connection. It must be said that this is no pansy video feed – we’re talking about High Definition video here. The cameras will come with a smart HD camera, a built-in microphone, professional-grade wall mounts, and powerful PC software. Not only that, you will be able to enjoy free live remote viewing over a variety of devices, be it desktops, notebooks or on a smartphone.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Logitech’s security solution targets small businesses copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Hands Free Hair Rejuvenator

Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:22 AM PDT

For many women, the very thought of shaving their head bald for a noble cause such as raising funds is nothing short of a nightmare – and for them to know that they might end up bald because of some hereditary illness might be deemed to be a fate worse than death. This means companies which churn out hair care products need not worry as they will always have a ready market waiting out there for them. With that, we want to introduce the Hands Free Hair Rejuvenator to the masses.

This device is meant to be worn on the head (where else?), and as the name suggests quite obviously, it needs no hands to work, relying on a similar photo-biostimulation therapy employed by medical professionals. It seems that parting $699.95 for this has a very good reason – it was made by a company that supplies hair rejuvenation technology to physicians.

Using low level laser therapy (LLLT) which delivers pain-free light stimulation for cells in hair follicles, this method will encourage those follicles to repair themselves. Each purchase will deliver five pre-set, 20 to 25-minute treatment programs for both men and women, and it is said that results can be seen in just two months. Anyone given this a go already, and how are the results?