Posts from Coolest Gadgets for 10/11/2012

The latest and coolest gadgets daily digest Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Oct 11, 2012 12:00 pm | Alison T3 Awards: Gadgets of the Year Revealed this week were the 2012 T3 Award winners. T3 – the UK's leading consumer technology resource – once again pitted top manufacturers against each other in the biggest tech award show. Between the 7 judges and the 8th "reader vote" some surprises did arise. ASUS came out on top as Tech Brand of the Year backed by awards for their Eee Pad Transformer Prime (Design Award) and Zenbook UX31 (Computer). ASUS also boosted their presence as the Google Nexus 7 they manufactured took home Gadget of the Year. Samsung and Apple – although heavily nominated – only saw success in Phone of the Year for the Galaxy S3 and Work Gadget of the Year for the iPhone 4S. The complete list of winners is below: Innovation of the Year: Raspberry Pi Gaming Gadget of the Year: Sony PS Vita Gadget Accessory of the Year: Nike Fuelband App of the Year: Zeebox Retailer of the Year: Amazon Tech Personality of the Year: Rory Cellan-Jones Digital Media Service of the Year: Sky Go T3 Design Award: ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Commuter Gadget of the Year: Amazon Kindle 4 TV of the Year: Sony Bravia KDL-55HX853 Digital Camera of the Year: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 Work Gadget of the Year: Apple iPhone 4S Home Gadget of the Year: Nest Smart thermostat Computer of the Year: ASUS Zenbook UX31 Music Gadget of the Year: Bowers & Wilkins P3 Tablet of the Year: Google Nexus 7 By ASUS Tech Brand of the Year: ASUS Outstand Contribution to Tech: Lord Sugar Phone of the Year: Samsung Galaxy S3 Gadget of the Year: Google Nexus 7 By ASUS Visit T3 for details on all winners and nominees. [ T3 Awards: Gadgets of the Year copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Oct 11, 2012 11:15 am | Al Coolest Halloween Costumes Red Angry Bird$19.10 – $89.99 Terminator T600 Costume (Child)$8.97 Avengers Iron Man Mark 7 Classic$17.97 Black Bat Halloween Vehicle Costume $14.99 Nerds Adult Costume $26.95 Adult Ghostbuster Costume $31.54 Darth Vader Adult Costume $36.18 Astronaut Adult Costume $27.41 Kids Rubik’s Cube Costume $36.95 Batman Begins$44.99 Medieval Assassin Costume$52.99 Marvin the Martian Costume $59.97 Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head Costume $59.99 Rock’em Sock’em Robot Adult$85.46 Super Deluxe Neo Costume $189.39 Steampunk Vampire$129.35 [ Coolest Halloween Costumes copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Oct 11, 2012 10:03 am | Julie See Through Technology – Real X-Ray Vision! In one of our cars we have that annoying little back-up beeper, you know the one, it senses if anything is behind your car and emits a faster and faster beep tone the closer you get to running whatever it is over. The other car has a backup camera, much less annoying, and it has in fact, prevented me from running over my father in the driveway more than once. This next item may make both of those totally obsolete… Check out what researchers at Keio University, in Japan, are working on, a system that by means of something called optical camouflage, will make the backseat of your car appear invisible (wish that existed on the night of my senior prom) Anyhow, the technology isn’t new, the concept was developed by Susumu Tachi and his colleagues, almost 10 years ago and works by capturing footage from behind an object, and then transmitting that footage onto the object itself. Check out Tachi’s invisibility cloak HERE. This tech has now been integrated into what is being hailed as a see-through Prius which is going to be shown at this month’s Digital Content Expo in Tokyo, Japan. This nifty little Prius actually gives it’s driver the feeling of operating a vehicle that is made of glass. Researchers have now modified that idea to perhaps create a new safety feature in our cars. It appears that a display attached to the driver's headrest might someday project what was visible behind the car onto the back seat making the backseat seem invisible. Awesome. I’m all for a little augmented reality in my car, and anything that replaces the annoying beep alert is tops in my book, and while a good old fashioned head turn used to be good enough, I do see some real benefit to really being able to see behind my car. Hey dad? Where’d you go? [ See Through Technology – Real X-Ray Vision! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Oct 11, 2012 08:59 am | Julie 300° Simulator – Not Your Kid's Shooting Game Many years ago I used to teach skeet shooting, it was quite an entertaining job and it kept me on my toes, because almost everyday there was a very real possibility of getting shot by someone who wasn’t really listening as well as they should. Shooting was also a very expensive sport, so after I left, I didn’t get to shoot as much anymore. Well the folks over at Gander Mountain, the hunting and fishing superstore, have recently completed a multi-million dollar virtual firearms academy. Gander Mountain built this simulated gun range inside its Lake Mary, Florida store — which already has a traditional gun range! With both a 300° and a 180° simulator as well as a virtual range, Gander Mountain offers many different scenarios designed for full-immersion virtual reality training. Whether it be for self defense or law enforcement training, or simply for the sport of it, Gander Mountain’s shooting action surrounds you with five 8′ x 10′ screens, allowing threats to actually approach you from behind! These scenarios are all instructor assisted and they’re judgment based, not only teaching your body but training your mind in order to improve your decision making skills, and improving your reaction times and overall marksmanship. With multi-directional audio and real firearms that have been modified for laser fire , the sounds and and real feel recoil make this video-game-on-steroids about as realistic as it gets. Range time at Gander Mountain starts at around 35 bucks,which is far below the cost of the real deal, and you can do more shooting in a lot less time, without having to reload any pesky bullets, oh yeah… and not getting shot is a nice benefit too! Check out Gandermtnacademy.com for videos and for more information on additional facilities. [ 300° Simulator – Not Your Kid’s Shooting Game copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Oct 11, 2012 06:30 am | Edwin Star Wars Darth Vader Lunch Bag with Sound Have you ever wondered just how Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith eats with that mask on most of the time? I guess only in his meditation chamber when his mask is removed, will he be able to dig into the latest that the galaxy has to offer on the gastronomic front. Of course, little Siths running around who are packed for Sith School will want to make sure that they do not leave home without the $14.99 Star Wars Darth Vader Lunch Bag with Sound. The name of the Star Wars Darth Vader Lunch Bag with Sound says it all – a simple push button has been incorporated into the bag itself, where pressing it will result in a Darth Vader sound effect. It is 100% PVC-free with PEVA linings for that added peace of mind, is durable, insulated, and easy to clean – after all, you know just how messy kids can be. Just make sure that there are adequate batteries to keep the Star Wars Darth Vader Lunch Bag with Sound going in the long run, using the Force alone is not going to be enough. [ Star Wars Darth Vader Lunch Bag with Sound copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Oct 11, 2012 06:00 am | Edwin Light Therapy Visor You know how it is for those of us who live in temperate countries. There are times when winter or fall arrives, and we just for some strange reason feel unnaturally depressed, simply because of the change in weather. Don't we wish that the summer sun would remain there perpetually so that we can enjoy long days? Well, the $99.95 Light Therapy Visor is said to be the ideal visor to deliver the right kind of therapeutic light in order to counteract the effects of fatigue, jet lag, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It will work differently from that of static devices which requires one to stare into a lamp, as the Light Therapy Visor is not only lightweight but portable as well. You might look rather silly wearing this unit on your head though, but on the other hand, at least it is nigh portable that you can use it just about anywhere. A trio of white and a similar number of red LEDs will be able to emit 800 and 80 lux respectively, delivering daylight spectrum light in just the right amount that is recommended by the National Institute of Health. This is known as light therapy, where it will block the release of the sleep hormone melatonin, and has been clinically proven to result in increased energy and alertness. It is said that one should wear the Light Therapy Visor anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes in the morning for optimal results, and you can also opt to alternate between white and red light therapy with a single press of a button. Each purchase comes with a travel pouch, and make sure you have a three AAA batteries handy at all times just in case it runs out of juice. [ Light Therapy Visor copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Oct 11, 2012 05:30 am | Edwin Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 When you mention the name Logitech, what normally goes across your mind? Is it some sort of gaming peripheral? Well, gamers might think of that first, but for the majority of computer users out there, we would think more along the lines of a 'normal' computing peripheral as a standard working mouse as well as a keyboard that espouses all the virtues of ergonomics. This time around, with the imminent release of Windows 8, the Swiss company Logitech has decided to try something different which I believe, could very well be the first of its kind in the market – the Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650. Who would have thought that touchpads would come with a battery of its own, and needs to be recharged? Most of the time, the touchpads that we see are already part of our notebooks, instead of being a separate accessory. Ah well, I guess there is always a first time for everything. For starters, Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 boasts of a generous, ultra-smooth glass touch-surface which will play nice with Windows 8 gestures (when the operating system finally arrives, of course), and it will also let you speed up navigation among windows while making sure that your little piggies (or rather, fingers) will be able to have the adequate amount of room to roam around. With the Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650, you are able to perform the basic point, click and scroll functions at just about anywhere your fingers rest on the touch surface, at the same time being able to take advantage of Windows 8 gestures, and these will range from those such as edge gestures for app switching, app bar and charms bar activation, pinch-to-zoom and three-finger swipe to take you back to the Start Screen. The touchpad itself comprises of a single large touch-area with a glass surface that will deliver a smooth gliding experience for greater gesture and cursor control. You are able to perform left- or right-click actions anywhere on the surface of the touchpad, where it will also come with an embedded sensor so that precise tracking is the order of the day at all times for fast and fluid navigation. The Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 can recharge via USB, and comes with up to one month of battery life on a full charge. It is said to retail for $79.99 a pop in Europe and the US when available. Press Release [ Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Oct 11, 2012 05:00 am | Edwin NTT DoCoMo comes up with hands-free videophone Going hands-free right now means one of three things – turn your handset's speakerphone function on while letting everyone and their dog around you listen in on your conversation, use a wired hands-free kit that will definitely end up in a tangled mess when you stash the wired hands-free kit away, being extremely frustrating to untangle when the situation calls for it, and last but not least, scare people into thinking that you are talking to yourself or an imaginary friend while you gesticulate your arms all over the place in an animated conversation over a Bluetooth headset. NTT DoCoMo might have something right up your alley with a new futuristic looking glasses-type Head Mounted Device, calling it the Hands-Free Videophone. How blase, but I guess there is plenty of time to think up of a cool name later on. NTT DoCoMo came up with this particular future glasses-type device because they feel that there definitely is a market for such a device. How does the Hands-Free Videophone work exactly? For starters, it will be able to capture the user’s face using all three cameras which are located at the left and right sides of the frames. Video will be sent to the other person simply by combining the pictures together using a pre-rendered 3D model of the user's face. NTT DoCoMo described, “Each camera has 720p resolution, and a fish-eye lens, with a 180-degree field of view. This is the High Definition picture currently being captured in real time. If you look at the face, you can see it’s really distorted, because the fish-eye lens is so close. The distortion is compensated, and the picture is combined with a 3D model of the person in the computer. Currently, priority is given to the part around the eyes. As you can see when the man closes his eyes, the eyelids and the corners of the eyes appear quite realistic. Such a level of realism is hard to achieve with models like CG-based avatars, where parts are overlaid on the face.” That sounds like some serious bandwidth is required, although as at press time, the resolution is not quite high enough to be able to handle the mouth and upper body parts of the image, so what we see are are based on computer graphics. The face's orientation is based on six-axis sensor data, and the motion of the mouth is based on audio data from the microphone. The ultimate aim for such a project? To recreate the whole face, without the help of any computer rendering. That ought to be still some time down the road, we think. How about you? Source [ NTT DoCoMo comes up with hands-free videophone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More In This Issue T3 Awards: Gadgets of the Year Coolest Halloween Costumes Red Angry Bird Terminator T600 Costume (Child) Avengers Iron Man Mark 7 Classic Black Bat Halloween Vehicle Costume Nerds Adult Costume Adult Ghostbuster Costume Darth Vader Adult Costume Astronaut Adult Costume Kids Rubik’s Cube Costume Batman Begins Medieval Assassin Costume Marvin the Martian Costume Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head Costume Rock’em Sock’em Robot Adult Super Deluxe Neo Costume Steampunk Vampire See Through Technology – Real X-Ray Vision! 300° Simulator – Not Your Kid's Shooting Game Star Wars Darth Vader Lunch Bag with Sound Light Therapy Visor Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 NTT DoCoMo comes up with hands-free videophone Recent Stories Natural iPhone Amplification Your Phone's Camera = Microscope

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