Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Sep 30, 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

PURE Contour is one fine iPod/iPhone dock
Wahoo Fitness Bike Pack is ANT+ compatible
The Powerbag Messenger charges your devices as you carry them
String Thing helps you get it right
Pajamas Warming Pouch
Amazon fires up tablet scene with Kindle Fire
Joby launches trio of new portable tripods

PURE Contour is one fine iPod/iPhone dock

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:30 AM PDT

After years of seeing PURE products at CES and electronics shows, I finally got one to try out with the Contour. The PURE Contour is an iPod/iPhone dock, but it is quite extraordinary.

I’m not certain if its rounded shape has anything to do with its high quality sound, but it has full range 3.5 inch speakers and dual bass ports for 36W RMS of sound that really shook the floor. It has an iPod dock that is retractable, as well as an FM radio.

The Contour can also connect via Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection so you can hook up to Internet radio stations and podcasts. It also allows for streaming music directly from a PC or Mac. Also included are composite, component and S-Video out for connection to the television.

The remote for the Contour allows the user full control over this iPhone/iPod dock, but there are also touch-sensitive controls on the unit itself. Other features include some alarms and timers, 40 FM presets, unlimited internet favorites, and a Stereo headphone socket. Another feature is that it is powered by the Lounge service to register your radio, organize your favorites, and even listen online.

All of this does cost, but I would have to say that the Pure Contour is one of the finest iPod/iPhone docks that I have listened to. I am not certain when it will be available, and the lowest price that I can find for it was on Amazon for about $310.00. You can find out more information on the official site.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ PURE Contour is one fine iPod/iPhone dock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Wahoo Fitness Bike Pack is ANT+ compatible

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:15 AM PDT

If you thought that the All-Weather Soft Case Bike Mount from Bracketron was something to sing about, you will be crazy about the Wahoo Fitness Bike Pack.

The Bike Pack has an integrated bike mount that allows you to use your iDevice touchscreen, which makes it both shock and water resistant. It also has a built-in ANT + radio transceiver which can support ANT + heart rate, speed, cadence, and power sensor. In fact, it even comes with a Premium Speed and Cadence Bike Sensor made just for it.

The Wahoo Fitness Bike Pack is designed for the iPhone 4, but it comes with a liner for the iPhone 3G/3GS. Just to let you know, it is apparently not compatible with the iPod Touch.

The Wahoo Fitness Bike Pack also comes with a free application for your iDevice. In fact, as soon as I plugged in my iPhone, it automatically wanted to download the app. It is nice when technology works conveniently for us, isn’t it? By the way, the Bike Pack is also supported by 50 other apps, and many of them are the top biking apps on iTunes.

If you want to get in on this biking iDevice accessory, head over to the Wahoo Fitness site and be prepared to pay $149.99.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Wahoo Fitness Bike Pack is ANT+ compatible copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The Powerbag Messenger charges your devices as you carry them

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:00 AM PDT

Once again, a device has shown up on the market that allows users to forget that they have charged their mobile devices instead of forgetting to charge them. This type of charger does sit on your desk, but it is a bag that you take with you. This is the Powerbag Messenger by Ful, and it allows you to charge your tablet, smartphone, iPod, or other mobile devices.

The secret is the removable battery inside, that can be charged with the included AC cord. When the battery is docked with the cradle inside the bag, the user can check its battery level by hitting the power button. LED light indicators (four in all) reveal how much power is in the battery. The user can then hook up to the Apple connector, micro-USB, or mini-USB, which are conveniently located in the Messenger bag’s pockets. The battery even has a USB port for anything that is USB chargeable!

According to the official web site, one Powerbag charge is sufficient to double the battery life of a smartphone. It definitely could make the difference to someone on the road.

You should be able to find the Powerbag Messenger, as well other terrific models of the Powerbag, on the Powerbag web site for a price of $139.99.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ The Powerbag Messenger charges your devices as you carry them copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

String Thing helps you get it right

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 06:30 AM PDT

You know what they say – a good workman never blames his tools, but sometimes, you just think that if it weren’t for your tools and not the lack of skill, you would be able to do so much better in a particular sport or activity. If you’re an avid fan (and player) of racquet sports such as tennis, then surely you would need to know a little bit of basic physics. For example, the nylon strings on your tennis racquet were specially designed to shift, stretch and spring back as it comes into contact with the ball to deliver power to your shots. The strings won’t stay evenly spaced out and in place all the time though, so eventually they will get misaligned.

Enter the £19.99 String Thing which is rather curiously named, allowing you to reset strings to their proper position without having to do it the old fashioned way by hand, and the latter most probably would be a disaster since they probably would not end up being perfectly straight anyways. Made from polycarbonate, this virtually indestructible String Thing is able to give Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton a run for its money in terms of toughness.

The entire process of running the String Thing through your racquet takes mere seconds, so you can get back to your playing best as soon as possible.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ String Thing helps you get it right copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Pajamas Warming Pouch

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 06:00 AM PDT

For those of us who live in temperate countries where the four seasons come and go like clockwork, here is a little food for thought – which season do you like best? Some of us would most probably love the summer warmth, while the others would prefer the chill of winter because there is no need to take a bath all that often then. Well, should the mercury start to plunge below levels which you are comfortable with, perhaps you might want to check out the $39.95 Pajamas Warming Pouch.

After a nice, warm bath, what better feeling is there to slip on your silk pajamas – only if they aren’t so cold as though Death just passed by, of course. Hence this particularly nifty device that should be compulsory in all households, where this pouch sports integrated heating elements which can reach 118º F and a thermal satin interior to retain heat, making sure your pajamas is toasty warm in a mere 10 minutes.

The heating elements will be able to maintain the temperature automatically at all times as long as power is supplied to it, sipping a mere 50 watts of juice to make it more environmentally friendly than most light bulbs. Pajamas aren’t its only specialty though, as it can also accommodate towels, hats, or glove. Want to bring it around when you travel? No problem – just fold it to half its size and you’re good to go.

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Pajamas Warming Pouch copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Amazon fires up tablet scene with Kindle Fire

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 05:30 AM PDT

Amazon might have a clear winner on their hands with the new Amazon Kindle Fire – making it the new top of the line tablet from Amazon without breaking the bank at a mere $199. Just how well will it fare against the iPad 2? I guess only time will tell as it starts to ship from November 15th onwards, but before that day comes, you might want to continue reading to check out just what the Kindle Fire is able to deliver.

First of all, this is going to be a multimedia powerhouse in terms of keeping you entertained while you are on the road – with the Kindle Fire, you can access content that comprises of more than 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, apps, games, books and magazines.

You can stream, download, purchase or rent all of those entertainment with but a single tap – while those who are in the privileged “Amazon Prime Members” segment, things just get better from there as you are able to enjoy instant, unlimited, commercial-free streaming of more than 11,000 movies and TV shows without having to spend an additional cent. Nice to know that all new Kindle Fire owners will automatically receive one free month of Amazon Prime to get you, er, primed. I guess once some have swallowed that hook, they’ll be caught for life.

It is also interesting to note that the Amazon Kindle Fire will also boast a cloud-accelerated web browser known as "Amazon Silk" which introduces a radical new paradigm known as a "split browser" architecture. This unique architecture is capable of accelerating the power of the mobile device hardware through the use of computing speed and power of the Amazon Web Services Cloud. Since the Silk browser software is found on both the Kindle Fire and on the huge range of servers that are made up of the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), individual page requests will see Silk dynamically determining a division of labor between the mobile hardware and Amazon EC2.

With the proportionally split workload, you basically get served your web pages faster than usual without requiring high powered hardware. Similar to other Kindle e-readers, the Kindle Fire will also come with free storage for your collection of Amazon digital content in the Amazon Cloud, where all Amazon digital content will be backed up automatically for free.

Press Release

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[ Amazon fires up tablet scene with Kindle Fire copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Joby launches trio of new portable tripods

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 05:00 AM PDT

Joby made a name for itself with the release of the GorillaPod which by the way, does not resemble a gorilla in any way apart from the fact that it can “hang” from just about any place as long as the pole or branch is able to support its weight alongside the camera it is attached to. Well, certainly they cannot rely on just a single device along to roll in the dough, right? Enter three more portable tripods to ensure they remain the best at what they do.

All three new releases are the GorillaPod Micro 250, GorillaPod Micro 800 and GorillaPod Hybrid, where they were specially developed and designed to meet the needs of today’s digital camera consumer, regardless of whether you are an enthusiast who shoots on-the-go with a point-and-shoot camera, or have moved up a notch to the prosumer category with the most recent compact system camera in tow.

Even better news would be the price points – these three devices won’t break the bank, retailing anywhere from $19.95 to just $39.95. Certainly Joby has come a long way with its GorillaPod Original that was launched over five years ago, and it is heartening to see them continue their mission with a passion. The GorillaPod Micro can be said to be the indispensable companion for your point-and-shoot by virtue of being the first always-on tripod which delivers stability, range of movement and versatility of full-size supports. The GorillaPod Micro series will comprise of the GorillaPod Micro 250 and GorillaPod Micro 800 which supports cameras weighing up to 250g (8.8 oz.) and 800g (1.75 lbs.), respectively.

Up next is the GorillaPod Hybrid that can support cameras weighing up to 1kg (2.2 lbs.), boasting flexible, wrappable legs that deliver rock-solid stabilization on any surface and integrated aluminum ball head (90 degrees tilt, 360 degrees pan) so that you can enjoy precise positioning to capture professional-quality images.

Which would you gun for?

Press Release

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Joby launches trio of new portable tripods copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]