Your's Web Tech Power Blog's: Jan 21, 2012

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Miveu camera mount for the iPhone4/4S
Apple announces iBooks 2 for iPad
LG Optimus Pad LTE announced
Garlic Zoom XL
Stationary Epicycle
Snap Cuts: Changing the way we communicate

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 05:00 PM PST

Every time I go to CES, I always try to find trends in technology. For example, it appeared that every major electronics company had an ultrabook, and most of the newer cameras have a design that I call “ready for action”.

These are like the cameras that GoPro puts out, designed to attach to your ski helmet or other type of helmet so you can show off your extreme lifestyle from your own POV. Liquid Image, for example, unveiled the EGO camera that does such a purpose.

The Miveau isn’t a camera, but it is mounting for the iPhone 4 and 4S camera. It straps to the user’s chest, and he or she puts on the lens, which can extend the iPhone viewing angle to record from a sweet perspective. You can watch an actual Miveu video after the jump, and I will tell you that it is pretty amazing. The way the biker goes through the trees reminds me of the space bike chase scene from Return of the Jedi.

You should be able to purchase the Miveu X for about $79.95, and it also comes with a shutter click button for still shots. You can given push the button with gloves on. If that price is too expensive for you, then you might conisder the Miveu Z, for mounting on a ski pole or roll bar. It is also a camera mount for the iPhone, and it only costs $19.99.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Miveu camera mount for the iPhone4/4S copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Apple announces iBooks 2 for iPad

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 05:30 AM PST

Apple wants to change the way we look at the education system, by announcing iBooks 2 for the iPad. What does iBooks 2 bring to the table? For starters, it will obviously feature iBooks textbooks, which is a totally new kind of textbook that intends to make learning far more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. With the iPad’s display, iBooks textbooks are said to offer students gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks complete with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, and unrivaled navigation among others.

Not only that, you need not worry about your textbook being out of date, since this is digital content that we are talking about, iBooks will ensure that its collection of textbooks will remain up to date at all times, and even better is the fact that you need not lug around a really heavy backpack unlike your now-graduated seniors have experienced. Apple has a penchant for wanting the best always, and this has caused them to team up with leading education services companies such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson in order to bring educational titles on the iBookstore.

As not all students are a privileged lot and most of them do learn how to operate on a shoestring budget each month, most of the textbooks are priced at $14.99 or less – leaving you with more money left at the end of the month to blow it on a really nice meal, or stash away for a rainy day. Not only that, the new iBooks Author is a free authoring tool that allows anyone with a Mac to come up with their own iBooks textbooks.

Those who are interested will be able to download the new iBooks 2 app for free from the App Store. Just to recap, iBooks 2 will offer gorgeous, fullscreen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, fast and fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, amongst many others. Now is a good reason as any to bug your parents to get you an iPad 2, rattling off the list of benefits that the iBooks 2 app offers, while keeping secret the many wonderful games available for Apple’s best selling tablet yet from them.

Press Release

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Apple announces iBooks 2 for iPad copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

LG Optimus Pad LTE announced

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST

When it comes to the world of tablets, only two behemoths on the operating system front rule – Apple with their iPad range, and Google’s Android ecosystem that has seen (safe to say) hundreds of tablets hit the market already, with no signs of abating anytime soon. LG, who has churned out its fair share of Android-powered smartphones in the past (and even a 3D-capable handset), continues to explore the possibilities of Android on a tablet – hence rolling out their first LTE-capable tablet which is known as the Optimus Pad LTE.

Originally launched in South Korea, LG throws in LTE technology and a True HD IPS display that is guaranteed to wow whoever looks at it, and these are the the two features which have assisted LG in differentiating its latest smartphone, the Optimus LTE, from the rest of the competition.

Dr. Jongseok Park, President and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company, says, "With tablets generating five times more traffic than the average smartphone, it's not a huge jump to assume that tablet users need and want faster connectivity. The combination of LG's LTE technology with the tablet form factor is a clear advantage for consumers who use a tablet as their primary consumption device when on the move."

The LG Optimus Pad LTE will come with a 1280 x 720 True HD IPS display that is more or less guaranteed to wow whoever looks at it for the first time, and that display also works great in displaying your creativity as you snap photos of your surroundings with the 8-megapixel camera located at the back. This camera too, can shoot high definition video for posterity. Not only that, the Optimus Pad LTE is proud to be the world's first tablet that supports an SD memory card of up to 32GB in size, so you need not worry about storage space. Other features include Android 3.2 Honeycomb as the operating system of choice, a 2-megapixel camera in front, and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, all crammed into a body which measures a mere 9.34mm slim and tipping the scales at 479 grams.

Connectivity options include HDMI and DLNA, and you also have functions such as the Smart Movie Editor for editing pictures and videos in a jiffy. No idea on pricing or availability Stateside, although we do hope to see the LG Optimus Pad LTE make its way to the FCC – and soon.

I do have one particular concern though – such a display, coupled with LTE connectivity – will the 6,800mAh battery be able to hold up? After all, LTE-enabled devices are notorious for guzzling battery life like nobody’s business, and I am willing to go out on a limb to say that the LG Optimus Pad LTE will not be able to hold a candle to Apple’s iPad 2 in terms of battery life with LTE turned on all the time. What do you think?

Press Release

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[ LG Optimus Pad LTE announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Garlic Zoom XL

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 04:30 AM PST

Just like Johnson’s baby shampoo that has the tagline of “No more tears!”, so too, should the $14.99 Garlic Zoom XL from ThinkGeek have something similar. Granted, this is no onion that will send a river of tears flowing down your cheeks, but I do wonder whether it works for onions as well. If you happen to be a huge fan of this medicinal vegetable, or are a vampire who has a strange fascination and appetite for the very thing that reputedly chokes the life out of you with its scent, the Garlic Zoom XL is just the kitchen tool for you. It not only makes mincing garlic a snap, but turns the entire process into one that is fun – the more you drive it, the smaller it minces, and you need not worry about your fingers smelling like garlic after that.

All you need to do is insert a couple of peeled cloves in the trapdoor on top, close it up, and then drive your Zoom around. The stainless steel blades within will get the job done for you in no time, and the entire blade unit can also be removed for cleaning to keep hygiene levels up to par at all times. Mom, or the dad who loves pottering around in the kitchen, would definitely appreciate something like this.

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Garlic Zoom XL copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Stationary Epicycle

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 04:00 AM PST

Shed those pounds that have strangely made an appearance around your waist after the recent festive season of feasting without having to leave the comfort of your home – and this also means rain or shine, you can still get your daily dose of exercise in, not to mention doing so while you watch your favorite sitcom on TV at the same time. The Stationary Epicycle will not come cheap though at $12,000 a pop, and it might actually be more worth your while trading that amount for say, 10 years of membership at a reputable gym? For those who have the cash to spare, the Stationary Epicycle is self-describing – it will not go anywhere when you hop on it and start working those muscles, but rather relies on an epicyclic transmission and magnetic resistance to provide intensive spinning workouts.

Inspired by 19th-century monowheels, the Stationary Epicycle boasts dual-satellite transmission that can turn a single pedal revolution into four flywheel rotations, which means someone spinning at 100 rpms causes the flywheel to spin at 400 rpms. As the flywheel engages the cycle’s 36″ diameter copper ring, half a dozen magnets which are installed around the ring’s enclosure will work in tandem to generate a magnetic field in order to deliver up to 12 levels of resistance that are controlled by a touchscreen display. Definitely a calorie burner, this – and also a wallet bustin’ purchase for most.

Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Stationary Epicycle copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Snap Cuts: Changing the way we communicate

Posted: 19 Jan 2012 06:52 PM PST

I usually don’t report on apps on this blog, but every once in a while, I find something that could change everything.

Snap Cuts is that thing. Snap Cuts is a way of sending a video via MMS text to show how you feel. They have thousands that you can choose from and an easy editor for putting on together.

For example, if you want to show everyone what a bad day you are having, you can show some beginning text that reads: “this is the type of day that I am having”. Then you can show someone being slapped in the face with a shovel.

I don’t know if they have a clip like someone being hit in the face with a shovel, but they have thousands of others. In case you are wondering how the company can make money, it is because they own the rights to their clips. You can even buy products off of them, if you chose.

Snap Cuts is clearly prepared for a future where we speak in images and video clips rather than words or phrases. I think they are right on track, honestly, but I’m not certain what this says about society as a whole.

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