Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Sep 2, 2011

Friday, September 2, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber
OggBoard could spell the end for “bored” games
iNecklace imitates the breathing Mac LED light
Samsung GALAXY Note 5.3 dances on tablet-smartphone border
HP celebrates 30 years of calculation with limited edition HP 12c Financial Calculator
Scandiphone Retro Telephone
Captain Rex LEGO Minifigure Alarm Clock

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:30 AM PDT

Hasbro, who apparently owns the rights to all Star Wars toys, sent me the Ultimate FX Lightsaber to try out. As someone who has loved Star Wars since the first time I saw it in kindergarten, I was happy to try out any replica of a lightsaber.

I will have to admit that the Ultimate FX Lightsaber is about as close to a real lightsaber as possible. It may not cut through steel, but it does light from the hilt up, and has all the mesmerizing sound effects.

The ignition sound is the same as the one from the movie, and if you wave it, you’ll hear the whirring sound as well. If you strike something with the hard plastic blade, it will make a noise, but only the noise of hitting another lightsaber. It can’t make the authentic “lightsaber cutting” noise, but I’m glad that it can’t cut anything. After all, I must have brushed up against several things with the plastic blade, and that includes my shoulder. Now I understand why lightsabers are only fictional.

I had the Darth Vader model with the red blade, but there are others to choose from as well, like Luke’s green blade from Return of the Jedi, Mace Windu’s purple blade, and Anakin’s blue blade. You can even get the Darth Maul version, which can screw together with another to from a double bladed one. This model also works as Asajj Ventress’ saber as well.

The Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber is available on the Hasbro Toy Shop for about $34.99. Also included with a lightsaber is a DVD of a “Force Tech Training”, which is essentially ten minutes of footage from the Clone Wars series mixed with CG characters doing lightsaber moves.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

OggBoard could spell the end for “bored” games

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:15 AM PDT

This is the Oggboard, and the “Ogg” is short for augmented reality. The Oggboard combines traditional turn-based strategy games with augmented reality, a nifty piece of technology that I have reported on more than once, for sure.

The board has a simplistic yet unusual design where each user places his or her smartphone to view the specially made tiles. This board folds up easily for compact storage.

You can watch the video after the jump to see that the phone’s view creates lifelike game avatars that battle each other out.

The video shows chessman looking like something out of the movie 300, and I can’t wait to see what Stratego looks like. Just think what Dungeons and Dragons or other pencil-and-paper Role Playing Games would look like. The same goes for card based games.

This is definitely another advancement in gaming that could change the gaming field as we know it. Having just returned from the PAX Prime gaming convention last week, I would not be surprised if something like this showed up next year.

As of right now, this is another Kickstarter project, which means it needs funding to get it off the ground. They need about $45,000, and they estimate that the board itself costs about $30.

Source

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ OggBoard could spell the end for “bored” games copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

iNecklace imitates the breathing Mac LED light

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:00 AM PDT

For those that are looking to give their loved ones something special, the iNecklace is definitely a must-give. Especially if your loved one loves tech, specifically, Apple tech.

As you can see, the iNecklace has a power button on it that glows. What you can’t see is that it emulates the breathing LEDs on iMacs and MacBooks.

The chain is 18-inch sterling silver. Other than that, there isn’t too much value as far as precious jewels or metals are concerned on its pendant. The housing is nothing but aluminum, and a battery is required for its shine. The battery is rechargeable, but I am not certain how.

If this iNecklace gets popular, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an iRing, iEarrings, iBracelet, or some other type of iBling. All of them would have that pulsating breath of light. I could totally see Ke$ha draped in these, or Lady Gaga. I’m trying hard to think of what male singer would do this.

If you want it, it costs about $75. That is actually cheap in terms of the cost of jewelry. It is also possible to build one of your own, if you follow the instructions on Adafruit website here.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ iNecklace imitates the breathing Mac LED light copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Samsung GALAXY Note 5.3 dances on tablet-smartphone border

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 06:30 AM PDT

I guess the Samsung GALAXY Note 5.3 is somewhat like the now discontinued (in the US, at least) Dell Streak 5 – with a 5.3″ display, this Android-powered device is slightly larger than the average full touchscreen smartphone, but definitely a couple of inches short of the smallest tablet. Still, we do look forward in anticipation of just what Samsung has in store for this new product category that intends to integrate core on-the-go benefits of various mobile devices while maintaining smartphone portability.

Basically, Samsung intends to deliver the artistic freedom of a paper notebook alongside the benefits of smartphone technology and services while you’re on the go. 5.3″ proves the GALAXY Note has the largest screen size where smartphones are concerned, being the first of its kind to carry a 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display, an expansive high-resolution screen, while sporting advanced pen-input technology known as S Pen.

What makes this generous display superior to the rest is also a 180 degree viewing angle that enables content to be shared comfortably with others, so that they need not constantly readjust your GALAXY Note while you’re trying to show the latest YouTube video to the rest of your mates behind you. Interestingly enough, it seems that Samsung has ported over their slimming expertise to the GALAXY Note 5.3 with a 9.65mm thin body.

Inside the chassis lies a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, HSPA+ and LTE support, Android 2.3 Gingerbread as the operating system of choice, an 8-megapixel camera at the back with LED flash, a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video calls, a beefy 2,500mAh battery, Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, Wi-Fi support, and a choice between 16GB and 32GB capacities.

No idea on pricing or availability as at press time, but we do know that this puppy is going to rock and take off in a big way. After all, Samsung might have just redefined the 5″ tablet/smartphone boundary with their latest addition.

Press Release

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Samsung GALAXY Note 5.3 dances on tablet-smartphone border copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

HP celebrates 30 years of calculation with limited edition HP 12c Financial Calculator

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 06:00 AM PDT

If you happen to be good friends with an accountant or basically anyone involved in crunching numbers in the financial sector and are scratching your head as to what to purchase for them as a present, might I interest you in what has long been deemed to be the gold standard of business calculation – the HP 12c Financial Calculator, a piece of equipment that the company has sold for three decades straight? Yes sir, how many companies are able to say that they have a product which has been in the market for 30 years or more without having to make any major revisions?

Just what made the HP 12c a classic? It has been touted to have revolutionized financial calculations thanks to a breakthrough landscape layout, making computations more accurate compared to federal standards publications alongside an unmatched keypad which enables users to enter complex formulas with ease, speed and confidence. Heck, it even sports replaceable miniature batteries that allowed the calculator to fit nicely in a (small) shirt pocket.

The 12c calculator has remained a vital tool in the lives of finance and business professionals, and I suppose that HP is more than proud to lay claim to this piece of hardware being one of only two calculators permitted for use during financial professional certification exams. Features of the calculator include Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) that improves efficiency, hence speeding up the calculation of loan payments and interest rates, time value of money, standard deviation, percent, cash flows, bonds and more.

To make sure the 30th birthday of the HP 12c is celebrated properly, HP will be delivering a limited-edition 30th anniversary HP 12c calculator that will feature a unique production number laser-etched on the back, where it will come in an elegant gift box. Apart from that, everything else remains the same. Expect to fork out $79.99 for this puppy when it arrives later this month.

Press Release

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ HP celebrates 30 years of calculation with limited edition HP 12c Financial Calculator copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Scandiphone Retro Telephone

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 05:30 AM PDT

Form or function – you have got to ask yourself this whenever you have a whole house to outfit with furniture, and a telephone is certainly something that you would have to consider. Do you take the retro route, or do you want something so modern, that it will make your standard landline phone look as though it belonged at the Smithsonian? The $59.99 Scandiphone Retro Telephone will cater for those in the former group, where it is inspired by the 1950s Ericofon that actually appeared in the Twilight Zone episode “Third From the Sun” in 1960.

Catering for anyone and everyone who has a soft spot for science fiction and love collecting all things weird, this upright phone is definitely one of the quirkier things that you can have lying around the home for decorative purposes, although it works perfectly fine to dial 911 in case of an emergency. If you have been looking for items that can be conversation starters around the home, you won’t go wrong with the Scandiphone Retro Telephone.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Scandiphone Retro Telephone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Captain Rex LEGO Minifigure Alarm Clock

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 05:00 AM PDT

It was painful seeing Order 66 being executed in the movies – somehow, most of the Jedi Knights as Jedi Masters leading the cohort of Clone Troopers got stabbed in the back – or should I say, got shot at the back. How many of them went down in a glorious manner, taking down at least one Clone Trooper? None that I could recall – it seems that they were not as attuned to the Force as Master Yoda was, hence failing to escape. I would say a nice jump away from the hot zone might have helped some survive.

Ah well, enough rambling – here is the £26.49 Captain Rex LEGO Minifigure Alarm Clock that is pretty much self-explanatory. Coming all decked out in a Clone Trooper uniform, this LCD alarm clock is an officially licensed product, featuring snooze and backlight functions that are obviously activated via the pushing down of his head. If you want, you can even position his arms and legs accordingly, although be warned, just like many other LEGO minifigs, this one has an extremely limited degree of movement.