Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Oct 8, 2011

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Kanex AirBlue Portable Bluetooth Music Receiver
Native Union Desert POP Phone
Jabra Supreme Bluetooth Headset
E FUN Nextbook Premium 8 does not do Honeycomb
LG Optimus 3D receives 3D game converter
Sibling Tricycle promotes sharing
Twilight Supernova for golfers who love playing till late at night

Kanex AirBlue Portable Bluetooth Music Receiver

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 08:30 AM PDT

This little disc that you see here is the Kanex AirBlue, and it is very similar to the Orb Music Player that I covered a few days ago.

It its own words, the Kanex AirBlue is a portable Bluetooth-based music receiver that enables a user to wirelessly play, listen and control all favorite media from an iDevice, smartphone, or any Bluetooth compatible device.

I got to try it out, and it involves pairing a phone with the AirBlue disc and plugging it into the speakers. The range is about 33 feet away, and it works with the “high fidelity and premium sound” that it advertises.

I guess what makes the AirBlue work is that it is small, and it is small enough to fit in your pocket. It is also easy to charge as it attaches via USB, and for those who have a car stereo, this might be what you need.

I had to admit that I had some difficult pairing with it, and had to check out the FAQ section on the official site to get it right. After that, it played just fine.

You should be able to get the Kanex Airblue from the official site for about $49.00.

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[ Kanex AirBlue Portable Bluetooth Music Receiver copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Native Union Desert POP Phone

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 08:15 AM PDT

I have seen Native Union products at conferences before, and with the POP Phone, I got to give my kids (ages 8 and under) an education.

You see, any phone calls that my kids have made were on cell phones. They always had the opportunity to hold the entire phone in their hand, and never had to deal with the wide receiver or a windy little cord.

For those that miss those days of the receiver might want to look into the Native Union POP Phone, which plugs right into the headphone jack of most smartphones and creates an old school phone effect. This version that you see here is the Union Desert POP Phone, and the camouflage design is made to honor the men and women serving the United States military. In fact, a portion of all sales of this will go to the USO, the organization that has been entertaining the troops for a long time.

So if you really want this, you should able to get it on the Native Union web site for about $49.99 for a limited time. I’m not certain how long this deal will be on, but since Veteran’s Day is about a month away, it should be available by then.

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Native Union Desert POP Phone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Jabra Supreme Bluetooth Headset

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 08:00 AM PDT

I have reported on many Jabra products before, such as the EASYCALL.

One of the problems with reporting on Bluetooth headsets is that they are essentially all alike, but the SUPREME has more than one interesting function. It’s fling-boom arm serves to keep it compacted in storage, and also serves as its power on/off function as well.

The SUPREME also has a very soft cushion for the ear. It is pretty comfortable, but I will have to say that it will come off if you shake your head a lot.

It also features Active Noise Cancellation, which lives up to its promise of hearing someone very clearly. Other features include Wind-Noise Reduction Technology, which removes the gusty sounds of the wind noise in your Bluetooth conversation. It also has Noise Blackout 3.0, for “noise reduction technology”.

At first I found the SUPREME a little hard to use, as its design was very different from most Bluetooth headsets. There is a button on the flip-boom arm that allows the user to make Voice Guidance and Voice Control, which helped me out a lot.

All in all, I would recommend the SUPREME for indoor use, but if you are situations where you will be shaking your head all the time, don’t expect it to stay on. The important thing to note is that the sound is quite good. You can get the SUPREME sometime this month, but I can’t seem to find a price for it. You can click here for more information.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Jabra Supreme Bluetooth Headset copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

E FUN Nextbook Premium 8 does not do Honeycomb

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 06:30 AM PDT

E FUN joins the tablet fray with their latest addition to the Nextbook family, but one thing that we’re sore about is this – it does not run on the tablet optimized version of Google’s Android operating system, which is known as Honeycomb, but rather, will be running on the smartphone-centric Android 2.3 Gingerbread instead. Lest I fall into the temptation of pooh-poohing it before I continue with the rest of the specs, I’d better not judge this tablet by its operating system.

The Nextbook Premium 8 (as you already know by now, most devices that sport a number after the model name tend to depict the screen size, and the Nextbook Premium 8 adheres to this principle faithfully) will come with an 8″ color TFT capacitive multi touch screen which ought to be enough for the average user, but those who are used to higher resolution displays might probably see this as not good enough. Other hardware specifications are available after the jump.

Want to go online? Fret not, as with most devices these days, the Nextbook Premium 8 will sport Wi-Fi connectivity, and it does seem to be more of the e-book reader type than a multimedia centric tablet – after all, it comes with an e-book reader software, the Kobo eBook Store app, SlideME application manager, OfficeSuite Viewer and ASTRO File Manager. Powered by Rockchip’s RK2918 processor, Flash programs will be able to run on it just fine with Flash 10.1 installed, while thankfully the operating system can be upgraded in the future via its over the air (OTA) update capabilities.

Not only that, this is the first model under the Premium range that will feature a 2.0-megapixel front facing camera just in case you’re up for some video calls, while 4GB of internal memory can be further augmented using a microSD memory card slot (to carry around another 16GB of data), sporting a mini USB port, integrated speakers and a 4-way G-sensor.

Expect to fork out $299.99 for this puppy as it arrives at online retailers from today onwards.

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Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ E FUN Nextbook Premium 8 does not do Honeycomb copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

LG Optimus 3D receives 3D game converter

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 06:00 AM PDT

Going 3D (stereoscopic 3D, that is) seems to be the in thing these days – first we have 3D TVs to help usher in 3D movies to the living room, nearly every other movie that appears on the silver screen today also sports a 3D version in order to rake in more moolah, and even gaming has taken the 3D route – see the Nintendo 3DS as well as 3D-capable titles on a PC and the console platform? Heck, even stereoscopic 3D has arrived on the world of smartphones now, with the LG Optimus 3D being one of them.

I’ve tried out some native 3D games on the LG Optimus 3D recently, and they do look good although my eyes tend to get tired after a while since it requires no glasses to wear, and when you move the handset around during the more frantic moments of gameplay, the viewing angle gets skewed – which is why my eyes need to constantly readjust themselves. Definitely far different from viewing 3D photos on the smartphone, that works brilliantly, but for now we’re talking 3D games on the LG Optimus 3D. If you have some 2D games on it and wondered how it will work in 3D, LG has released a 3D Game Converter app.

This exclusive 3D Game Converter recently received plenty of interest at IFA 2011 in Germany, and is already available for download for LG Optimus 3D smartphone owners. It is part of the first Maintenance Release (MR), and the software will have hit Europe alraedy, while rolling out in other regions over the course of the next few weeks.

Touted to be the first software engine which enables smartphone users to transform Open GL-based 2D games into 3D, while boasting the option to switch back to 2D again at any time, can you say, “How cool is that”? It would definitely be fun to see how older 2D games are converted – will the software be smart enough to be able to figure out what to put “behind” in terms of depth, and which sprite should be up in front?

As long as your 2D game is based on Open GL and runs in landscape mode, the 3D Game Converter app will play nice to it – changing modes between 3D and 2D is just a flick of the 3D Hot Key away. You can install the 3D Game Converter automatically via WiFi by checking for software updates directly on the phone's settings menu.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ LG Optimus 3D receives 3D game converter copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Sibling Tricycle promotes sharing

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 05:30 AM PDT

What’s life without a little bit of conflict here and there? The $299.99 Sibling Tricycle that you see above might cause a dent in your monthly budget, but at least it kills two birds with one stone, but I might dig up another feathered friend to the collection if I manage to find more points to support the purchase of this particular trike. For one, you need to buy only one tricycle instead of two, so that means a lower cost of maintenance in the long run. Even better if you gave birth to twins, don’t you think so?

Number two, you get to keep an eye on two of your kids simultaneously since they’d be on the same trike, instead of having one about to fall down from the tallest branch of the tree in the garden, while the other is about to make a dive into the shallow part of the pool. Surely managing two little kids on a single trike is far less heart-stopping, and easier of course.

Ah, the third ‘bird’ so to speak with a single stone – you need not purchase a larger bicycle for some time to come, since both sides are wide enough for stability, spring-cushioned for additional comfort and can be adjusted for growth spurts. There is even a wooden cargo box located behind the rear rider’s seat to stash away some toys or other items (but certainly not a third sibling!). Make sure you have a penchant for assembling stuff, otherwise this might lower opinions of you in the next parents’ poll by the kids.

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[ Sibling Tricycle promotes sharing copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Twilight Supernova for golfers who love playing till late at night

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 05:00 AM PDT

Not everyone has the vision of a cat at night – but that doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy your game of golf even though you’re whacking away in poor light conditions. This unique £29.99 Twilight Supernova is a professional-quality golf ball which will feature built-in impact-activated LEDs. Once you tee off (or having some bunker issues, trying to chip your way through), it will flash rapidly to the tune of 7.2 times per second – and remain that way for up to 8 minutes. That ought to provide ample time for you to see the ball long enough and walk to it, don’t you think so?

Not only that, there is a back-up plan with the Twilight Supernova. The moment the LEDs stop flashing, Supernova's patented After-Glow technology kicks in to make sure the ball will be able to glow brightly for several hours more. Available in blue, green and white colors, they look positively radioactive after you’ve given it a good whack. The built-in battery is able to last for around 40 hours or 300 hits whichever comes first, and I think it might even make for an alternative toy for cats to chase around with at night.