Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Aug 13, 2011

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Vuzix Wrap 1200 3D Video Eyewear
Portal 2′s robot ball Wheatley comes to life as a complex puppet
IBM wants to create a virtual Portland
Ollie The Twitterific Bird
Rocket Launcher accessory for Bigtrak and Bigtrak Junior
Dell rolls out Inspiron 13z and Inspiron 14z
V-MODA Crossfade M-80 hits the market

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:30 AM PDT

I always like reporting on what Vuzix has to offer its consumers, even though I am not certain whether or not the mainstream market will ever accept video eyewear.

Their new model of video goggles is the Wrap 1200, and it boasts a 16:9 widescreen display that is the equivalent of a 75-inch screen viewed from 10 feet. There are convenient on-screen display controls like brightness, contrast, hue, and color saturation.

It is compatible with all sorts of devices like game consoles, media players, phones, tablets, and DVD players. As far as power is concerned, two batteries are good for about 3 hours worth of video playback.

It can apparently do both 2D and 3D content, but I’m not certain how the 3D content is planned to work on this. I never was able to get it to work on previous versions of the goggles. Until I can just put on my glasses and be immersed in a 3D world, I’m not certain whether I can testify to the power of Vuzix 3D.

The Vuzix Wrap 1200 is available at the company’s official site for about $499.99. Yeah, that is a lot for a peripheral, and I’m not certain if video eyewear will ever be made for a cheaper price.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Vuzix Wrap 1200 3D Video Eyewear copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Portal 2′s robot ball Wheatley comes to life as a complex puppet

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:15 AM PDT

I have played the Portal video game before, but I haven’t tried out Portal 2 as yet. I have heard that it has some interesting robots that look just darling. One of them is Wheatley, a robot ball that is quite animated, and it has now come to life by username TRP-Chan.

I have a video of it after the jump if you want to see it in action, and I highly recommend that you do. Even though it is limited to a lap, this Wheatley is quite lively.

The puppeteer also does an amazing job of working out all the expressions on this little guy. Actually he isn’t little, but 12 inches across. There is a hole in back, and there are wires snaking all through the Wheatley ball to make it move.

Apparently, it has 10 quotes from the game, but honestly, I don’t know whether it is quoting them in the video. I would probably have to play Portal 2 in order to talk about it.

This is quite a DIY project, and TRP-Chan has been working on it since April. You can actually do it yourself if you follow this link, and have more robot puppet fun than Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Source

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Portal 2′s robot ball Wheatley comes to life as a complex puppet copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

IBM wants to create a virtual Portland

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT

Last January, at CES, I witnessed a very interesting photo-realistic 3D-city visualization display from C3. I got a chance to view San Francisco from the air through the power of 3D graphics, and IBM is now working on a project that is somewhat similar.

The company’s Systems Dynamics for Smarter Cities is planning on mapping out the city of Portland as mathematically as possible. The end result will be this massive “SimPortland” that is the product of 3,000 equations and constants inspired from the popular Oregon city.

So if you want to see what would happen if you change things in the city, you can see it happen. Like if you want to put in a new road, then run it to the simulator to see how much it will mess with commuter traffic.

Of course, we all know that what is ran through a simulator is often not what happens in the real world, and I’m not expecting this simulator to be 100 percent accurate. After all, is it really possible to account for every variable in an city of millions?

Perhaps this is where we are headed as human beings. One day, the entire globe will be mapped out, and we will be able to see exactly what happens when we mess with the planet. Now that would be a better SimEarth game than the actual SimEarth game.

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ IBM wants to create a virtual Portland copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Ollie The Twitterific Bird

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 06:30 AM PDT

Are you part of the Twitterati crowd, loving every bit of the Twitterverse so much that you cannot bear not to fire off a few tweets every single day? Well, if that is the case and you want yet another device or gadget that will “interact” with Twitter, here is Ollie The Twitterific Bird who will set you back by £19.99, but just what does Ollie bring to the table?

This bird will work in conjunction with the Twitterific app that will allow Mac, iPad or iPhone users to inform the world at any time of what they want to say, within the confines of 140 characters, of course. Measuring a mere 4″ tall, you can always perch Ollie by the side of your computer to be a visual reminder that you last tweeted half an hour ago – which is far too long a break to keep your followers waiting as to how your breakfast went. Would be nice if he could interface with the computer and chirp each time you had an incoming tweet…

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Ollie The Twitterific Bird copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Rocket Launcher accessory for Bigtrak and Bigtrak Junior

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT

Remember the Bigtrak that we covered a while ago? Well, it is nice to know that boys too, can accessorize their toys – and without getting the help of stuff like make-up and miniature dresses. What we want are more testosterone-laden stuff – and if that does not include weapons of mass destruction that has a wanton disregard for imaginary human life, so much the better. Enter the Rocket Launcher accessory which will target the Bigtrak and Bigtrak Junior. It costs £19.99, which is £20.00 cheaper than the Bigtrak itself – where it holds a quartet of foam rockets that you can aim and launch at unsuspecting enemies.

Not only that, you are able to program your route and fire all four rockets simultaneously – now how about that for some strafing action? Of course, those who prefer to conserve their ammo will be able to opt to fire rockets individually. The Rocket Launcher itself requires yet another two AAA batteries to get it going, and if you want to outfit your Bigtrak Retro with this, you will need to fork out more for an adaptor.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Rocket Launcher accessory for Bigtrak and Bigtrak Junior copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Dell rolls out Inspiron 13z and Inspiron 14z

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:30 AM PDT

Dell has a couple more models from their Inspiron line that hopes to, well, inspire you to make a purchase decision in the near future if you are mulling over whether to bring home a new notebook or not, especially since your current notebook is already in its death throes, with a hard drive that makes more noise than that bone-shaker you call a “classic” car, while the battery can’t even last for more than 5 minutes whenever it is unplugged from a power outlet.

Well, just what does the Inspiron 13z and Inspiron 14z from Dell have to offer? First of all, they are both lookers – guaranteed to turn heads wherever you go, simply because they come in a sleek and stylish form factor, and while looking good, they also pack a performance which should keep you more than happy to retain their services in the long run – and perhaps seek out their successors when the time arrives.

Thin, mobile and powerful, the Inspiron z notebooks are extremely suitable if you are looking for a portable entertainment device that will not break the bank – after all, we do know just how shaky the world’s economy is right now. With high definition displays as well as built-in SRS Premium Sound HD already a standard on both models, you will be able to enjoy a theater-like experience wherever you go. Heck, why not stream full HD movies and video wirelessly with Intel Wireless Display technology while you are at it? Alternatively, you can always hook it up via an HDMI cable to a compatible big-screen HDTV.

You will be able to choose from the standard Diamond Black color or optional Fire Red LCD back if you so desire the latter, where it will come with a matching palmrest, full-size chiclet-style keyboard and HD webcam. Underneath the hood lies the speedy, second generation Intel Core i processors, with Microsoft Windows 7 as the operating system of choice. Other hardware specifications include an integrated memory card reader, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, USB 3.0 support, and up to 8GB RAM.

Breaking it down individually, the Inspiron 13z will sport a 13.3″ widescreen HD (1366 x 768 resolution) display, a 320GB or 500GB hard drive or 128GB of solid state storage, while the Inspiron 14z has a 14″ widescreen HD (1366 x 768 resolution) display, a 500GB, 640GB or 750GB hard drive, accompanied by an internal tray-load DVD combo for playing and recording DVDs/CDs.

The Inspiron 14z (as seen above) smiles at your pocket with prices starting from $599.99, while the Inspiron 13z will target select countries in Asia.

Press Release

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Dell rolls out Inspiron 13z and Inspiron 14z copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

V-MODA Crossfade M-80 hits the market

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:00 AM PDT

V-MODA – the trusted name amongst pros, the elite and even everyday MP3-toting folks, is back with what they deem to be their “best-sounding metal masterpiece” yet, where it is known as the Crossfade M-80. Cleverly tuned by a bunch of legendary musicians, producers and DJs, the M-80 will not be short on performance. First of all, it sports a composition of unique materials, professional acoustics, natural noise isolation, ultimate ergonomics and military-level ruggedness – all crammed into a design which is more than twice less the size of its over-the-ear sibling, the Crossfade LP.

The V-MODA Crossfade M-80's choice of first-class materials are like Wolverine’s skeleton – virtually indestructible, sporting a steel frame, STEELFLEX headband, interchangeable brushed metal shields, durable microfiber suede and replaceable memory foam cushions. You must live a really extraordinarily rugged lifestyle if you attempt to break the M-80, that I must say. Not only that, it will ship with a couple of Kevlar-reinforced microphone cables that will play nice with just about any smartphone out there, while an exoskeleton carrying case offers yet another layer of protection.

In the heart of the M-80 would be its patent-pending and biggest-in-class 40mm Dual-Diaphragm Drivers, capable of rolling out multi-driver sound with the energy efficiency and consistent quality of a single driver. No batteries or artificial sound processing are used with the M-80, hence it is capable of recreating a pure balanced sound that is similar to vinyl.

With the masterfully crafted V-PORT V3, it will also deliver natural noise isolation, life-like staging, vibrant bass, vivid mids and vivacious highs. Your ears will definitely appreciate the 31-band EQ with select master musicians and producers, where each of the frequency response curve was finely sculpted by audio masters. It must be stressed again that the M-80 is one tough cookie, where it can survive over 70 drops on concrete from 6 feet, which is just about three times the industry standard. Having undergone MIL-STD-810G environmental tests that include high and low temperatures, humidity, salt spray and UV exposure, and passing those with flying colors, you know you’ve got quality with the M-80 even if you fork out $230 for this puppy.

Product Page

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ V-MODA Crossfade M-80 hits the market copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]