Daily Digest Coolest Gadgets for 12/20/2012

The latest and coolest gadgets daily digest Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dec 20, 2012 09:30 am | Edwin Optisort figures out dead batteries, sorts them accordingly Getting rid of old and exhausted batteries is definitely an issue in the modern world, where more and more folks are able to afford pieces of consumer electronics such as toys and devices that run on, well, batteries. There is a proper way to get rid of old and unwanted batteries, as just simply throwing it into the landfill is not going to bode well for our earth in the long run, considering the kind of toxic material that one would find in the battery itself. Obviously, trying to sort out all of the different types of batteries which arrive at a recycling depot would definitely be an extremely tedious experience. Humans would find it tedious, robots, well, robots don't have any feelings, and it would just be "another day at work" for them. The Optisort is such a robot, where it is capable of recognizing approximately 2,000 kinds of batteries, and currently sees action in sorting out around 33% of batteries recycled in the UK. You know how it is – if there is a problem that is in your way, finding a working solution would be best, and the machine proved that saying right after being the brainchild of Claes Strannegård, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) researcher with Sweden's University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. He was going through his own garbage and must have felt bummed to do all the sorting, where he then contacted Swedish recycling company Renova. With the universities and Renova working together, the Optisort was 'born'. Batteries go through the Optisort via a conveyor belt, where each one will be shot by the machine's camera, compared to an existing database of different batteries until a match is made. Depending on the battery's chemical content, a jet of compressed air will then come into play, directing the battery into a designated bin. It can process up to ten batteries per second, and as the Optisort's AI system lets it learn from what it "sees," it is even capable of recognizing damaged or dirty batteries. Never send a human to do a machine’s job, right? Source [ Optisort figures out dead batteries, sorts them accordingly copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Dec 20, 2012 08:57 am | Edwin Mirrorcase for iPhone There are smartphone cases, and then there are smartphone cases. If you are looking for something unique to stuff your spanking new iPhone into, then you would not be able to go wrong with the Mirrorcase for iPhone. After all, what more can you ask for in a protective case that also doubles up with an extension of an angled mirror? Basically, this embedded mirror is not meant for you to check out your pearly whites after a meal with a hot date to make sure that there are no bits and pieces of food stuck inside, but rather, the angled mirror allows you to snap photos of other folks without having to be in the direct line of sight of your subject matter. When you do not see the back of your handset aimed at people, then folks would not get suspicious, and will continue to act naturally. There is one thing however, don't you think that folks will feel that something is just not quite right when they take a look at the Mirrorcase, simply because there is this unsightly bulge at the back? Surely your mates would ask you if they could have a look at it, and upon discovering what the angled mirror is for through simple deduction, they might just reel back, aghast in horror and start to wonder for just how long you've been a pervert. Once all those thoughts pass through their minds, and they become conscious of all the moments in the past when hanging out with you and then performing some sort of unsavory physical act that could have gotten captured on a camera via the Mirrorcase, they would then turn to you and ask where they can get the Mirrorcase for iPhone themselves. The Mirrorcase for iPhone will not cost too much, at $49.95 a pop, and I would be careful with it if I were you, as mirrors generally don't react too well to drops. Product Page [ Mirrorcase for iPhone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Dec 20, 2012 08:00 am | Alison Tech Fails of 2012 Late December not only means Christmas, it means recaps of what happened this year. Best movies, best music, best technology…worst technology. The Gadget Lab at Wired is back again with their top 10 Tech Fails of the Year. And the winner is… Apple's iOS 6 Maps. Yes, Apple wins many of the "best of" competitions. But their cartography blunder puts them on the other end of Wired's list. Aside from putting landmarks in the wrong spots, not showing roads and distorting images there were more serious situations due to the map program. Like law enforcement officials in Australia warning travelers to not use iOS 6 Maps after numerous visitors were wrongly directed into a desolate part of the desert. Let us rejoice this holiday season that the Google maps app is available! RIM made the list too – for the ongoing delays in the launch of Blackberry 10. Other technology fails called out Nokia's valiant attempt at a comeback and downward spiral of Zynga. And of course the lack of use of 3-D television. Sure, many are being sold, but how much programming are people really watching? Read the entire article of 2012's Tech Fails for a smile. Who knows? Maybe 2013 can out-do this list! [ Tech Fails of 2012 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Dec 20, 2012 07:00 am | Alison Gifts for Darth Everyone needs love this holiday season, including your favorite villain, Darth Vader. Darth gets a little down this time of the year. With neither kid really wanting to spend time with him the best he can do is open his gifts, recede into his meditation chamber and give the mask a rest. I am sure he gets lonely, what with only a couple thousand clones to keep him company. If a person was going to send him a couple gifts to boost his spirits we think these would be the ones. I'm sure Darth is a Mac user. So he would need to distinguish his MacBook, iPhone and iPad from others. And this Darth Vader Decal, $6.50 on Etsy, would easily identify his technology and prevent the need to use the Force Choke on any generals. Let Darth also commemorate himself with a Darth Tater Mr. Potato Head, $10.99 at Toys R Us. He can play around with the pieces and see if a different look would work. And to put a smile – if possible – on his face, remind Darth of one of his greatest moves against the rebels. Han Solo in Carbonite mini crayons, $3.75 also on Etsy, will keep Darth coloring through the holidays and remembering his conquest.     Thanks: Gadget Review [ Gifts for Darth copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Dec 20, 2012 04:30 am | Edwin Not One Less camera ensures everyone gets their photo taken I was about to call the title of this story as "Not One Less camera ensures everyone gets shot", but the use of the verb here proved to be rather insensitive at this time of bereavement for folks who are grieving at Newtown. Well, capturing photos with a camera would come across as second nature to many by now, but there is one caveat – most of the time, group photos tend to miss out on the photographer him/herself, and this is what designer Ji Lin hopes to solve with her 'Not One Less' camera design. This concept will see the camera sport dual lenses – one in front, and one at the back, where it will capture the group portrait while simultaneously snap a photo of the photographer – all at the same time when the shutter button is pressed down. Following that, the Not One Less camera will get to work by superimposing the photographer's image into the main photo. This is a 2012 IF Design Talents entry, and it remains to be seen whether such a concept has the kind of wings to take off on a commercial scale. Source [ Not One Less camera ensures everyone gets their photo taken copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Dec 20, 2012 04:00 am | Edwin Bacteria Eliminating Toothbrush Having great dental hygiene is an essential part of life, but sometimes when you come home too pooped at all to do anything else other than to flop on the bed, that is when the moment of weakness is the beginning of your cavity nightmare. Why not establish a routine of brushing your teeth regularly with the help of some technology? A simple toothbrush might not work, but when you hear the clarion call of the $189.95 Bacteria Eliminating Toothbrush, your ears might perk up as you take every opportunity to spend time with more technology. First of all, the Bacteria Eliminating Toothbrush has been described to be the only ultrasound toothbrush that is capable of killing bacteria instantly on the teeth, tongue, and even below the gumline. There is a microchip that is embedded within the toothbrush head to create safe ultrasonic impulses which help make short work of bacteria, doing away with the nasty germs that cause gingivitis, periodontitis, and bad breath. Each purchase comes with a couple of brush heads and a charging base to get you started. [ Bacteria Eliminating Toothbrush copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More In This Issue Optisort figures out dead batteries, sorts them accordingly Mirrorcase for iPhone Tech Fails of 2012 Gifts for Darth Not One Less camera ensures everyone gets their photo taken Bacteria Eliminating Toothbrush Recent Stories Pedal-Powered Holiday Decor Portable Performance Bottoms Up Draft Beer Dispensing System Brain-controlled bionic arm edges humanity closer to android age

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