Monday, July 23, 2012

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets


Bang & Olufsen Playmaker offers wireless connectivity

Posted: 22 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT

If there are three things from Denmark that I love, it would be these three – in no particular order, of course. They are (can I have some drum rolls, please) Danish butter cookies, Carlsberg beer, and of course, the high end stuff from Bang & Olufsen. We will be munching on cookies and drinking beer on this lazy Sunday morning while talking about the Bang & Olufsen Playmaker, their latest, state-of-the-art receiver which is said to be able to wirelessly connect digital music sources to just about any Bang & Olufsen speakers.

Normally, the name 'Playmaker' is invoked when it comes to team sports, where there is a central figure in the team who calls the shots and actually pulls the strings of the game. Bang & Olufsen's Playmaker, I suppose, lives up to its name on paper – where it is capable of unleashing the true, high-quality sound experience of Bang & Olufsen speakers within one’s digital music realm, thanks to one-step wireless operation straight from any smartphone. Not only that, it is also DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and AirPlay compatible. What does that mean? Head on after the jump to find out.

Basically, the Playmaker is able to stream music from practically any smart phone, tablet, Mac, PC or media server. It also delivers what Bang & Olufsen claims to be a "second-to-none sound performance", courtesy of its high performance Digital Audio converter which was specified for even the most powerful B&O speakers.

The Playmaker in essence delivers the best of both worlds to music lovers, ranging from outstanding audio quality from Bang & Olufsen’s extensive range of premium active speakers and one-touch access to digital music collections, all sans pesky wires that might trip you or your house guests up.

It is said that the Playmaker comes with extremely ease-to-use and intuitive operation, where you can add Playmaker to just about any set of Bang & Olufsen active loudspeakers, and it will take nothing but seconds for you to discover just how good a smartphone actually sounds. Playmaker is also capable of creating new wireless music scenarios, similar to how one is able to easily set different music zones in the house.

The asking price for the Playmaker when it arrives in Bang & Olufsen showrooms in US, Canada and Mexico at the end of July would be $425, although you can opt to have it bundled with a powerful BeoLab 3 loudspeaker for $4,310.

Press Release

[ Bang & Olufsen Playmaker offers wireless connectivity copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


Seidio announces Desktop Charging Cradle for HTC devices

Posted: 22 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT

The world of smartphone accessories is an interesting one, where many manufacturers zoom in on a particular make and model and start churning them out by the hundreds of thousands, be it cases or screen protectors as well as speaker add-ons. Of course, some third party manufacturers are even more daring, deciding to come up with a case for a yet unreleased device – as this had already happened with the iPhone 5 (or next generation iPhone, depending on how you want to call it). Seidio is much more conservative with their latest device release, announcing the Seidio Desktop Charging Cradle that caters for a range of HTC devices such as the HTC EVO 4G LTE, HTC One X, and HTC One S.

This would mean only the fairly recent and more powerful handsets from HTC are the ones being catered to here – if you are using a mid-range or entry level HTC device, then you can forget about it. Seidio hopes that the design philosophy of timeless and elegant products will be captured by the Desktop Charging Cradle, touting it to be an ideal accessory for the desk of the business professional. Is it really? Only those who have bought and used it are able to tell.

Sporting a unique design which enables one to synchronize and juice up your HTC smartphone simultaneously, it ensures your HTC device will always remain powered up at all times.

David Chang, CEO of Seidio, said, "This charging cradle is the final accessory to round out the full-line of products we [Seidio] offer for the HTC devices. Our goal is to provide our consumers with a complete system solution for their mobile device. The Desktop Charging Cradle works seamlessly with Seidio's HTC cases and, of course, the smartphone itself."

What makes the David Chang, CEO of Seidio so different from the other somewhat similar products on the market? For starters, it functions with or without a Seidio ACTIVE or SURFACE case, so you need not worry about removing a protective case while you dock the device, all thanks to a tiny albeit sturdy connector piece. The dock will also be able to hold your smartphone in a horizontal position to deliver a perfect viewing angle whenever you want to enjoy movies, pictures and other multimedia formats.

It comes in an all-black cradle with a smooth, matte finish, in addition to Seidio's signature soft-touch coating. The external layer will ensure the cradle remains clean, resisting fingerprints, dirt and grime, while a discreet power LED light will be located on the back of the unit. You can pick up the Seidio Desktop Charging Cradle for $29.95 a pop.

Press Release

[ Seidio announces Desktop Charging Cradle for HTC devices copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]