Daily Digest Coolest Gadgets for 01/30/2013

The latest and coolest gadgets daily digest Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Jan 30, 2013 12:18 pm | Alison A Smartphone's Sensing Companion Ever run into a product and just say "I wish I was smart enough to think of that"? Yep, found one. Aside from lacking any knowledge about the topics, experience with NASA and a doctorate in who knows what, perhaps you or I could have come up with this innovation. But George Yu and Variable Technologies beat us to it. As our smartphones continue to control and guide more parts of our lives it makes sense to incorporate necessary job functions and even life-saving functions into the phone's capability. Meet NODE, a device that enables its attached, state-of-the-art sensors to communicate with your phone. Via conditional Bluetooth or Bluetooth 4.0 Low-Energy, information from the variety of sensors available is sent to a NODE app or – down the road perhaps other likeminded apps – on your device. Six different options exist for what you can measure with NODE and its modules: Kore ($149): required for any module, it serves as the heart of NODE. KORE contains a accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope to measure motion and space. Chroma ($75): color matching and sample collecting module. Therma ($75): measure temperatures at a distance or where you are via IR. Clima ($50): Senses barometric pressure, ambient light, temperature, and humidity. Luma ($25): Use up to 8 LEDs provide a flashlight or even a camera flash. Oxa ($149): Provides an industrial grade Carbon Monoxide gas sensor. Other gases can be requested. The professional and personal uses of NODE and the modules are really endless. Quality control on a production line can be aided by confirming the proper paint color of your product. Maybe you conduct house inspections. You could easily measure temperatures and humidity to detect faults. If you are a hiker or biker stop to read the climate and understand if adverse conditions are coming. Check CO2 levels even in your own home – while switching modules to make your picture hanging a level process. There are plenty of professions that require a variety of these measurements too. With NODE plus the applicable modules you save yourself multiple devices. I think you get where I'm going with NODE.  Presently, NODE is compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 5th Gen, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Mini, Macbooks and Android devices. Yu made it a point to leave the possibilities out there with open firmware & open API. And they will provide Arduino source code as well as iOS & Android source code so programmers can then create the applicable app for the measurements of their users. NODE is rechargeable via micro USB and is FCC and CE certified. Sure, it may be more expensive if you only have a need for one particular sensor. But I think most of us could easily find uses for NODE in a variety of places in our lives. [ A Smartphone’s Sensing Companion copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 30, 2013 05:30 am | Edwin Pen Sized Scanner You know, the scanner is one computer peripheral that you wish you had purchased when you didn't need it, only to find yourself ringing up a mate late into the night, asking him whether he could open up the doors of his home so that you can drop by and perform that necessary scan. Older scanners of yore tend to be large, bulky and noisy – not to mention slow, of course, but it is a good thing that modern day technology has ushered in the age of miniaturization, shrinking down what was once rather large scanners into a pocket-friendly form factor. Case in point, the $124.95 Pen Sized Scanner. The Pen Sized Scanner works as its name suggests – this is a ballpoint pen which allows you to leave your John Hancock on important documents, while also being able to laser-scan documents in a jiffy. The scanning bit is handled by a high-precision auto-focus lens, where it is accompanied by a 5-megapixel sensor that has been integrated into the pen itself, letting it scan letters, recipes, or important documents at 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. Whenever you press the shutter button down halfway, a visible red laser will be projected to frame a document, as it focuses on the image automatically before snapping a photo. Sporting 1GB of internal memory, it is good for up to 1,000 scanned pictures in JPEG format and also being able to hold 1,000 1-minute voice memos in WAV format. A single hour's charge offers up to 300 scans if you're interested. [ Pen Sized Scanner copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 30, 2013 05:00 am | Edwin Egreat rolls out Android 4.0 TV STICK H5 So you have more or less run out of stuff to watch on telly, and you are bored with your collection of Blu-ray discs which are starting to gather dust. Well, here we are with an alternative which you might want to consider – the Android 4.0 TV STICK H5 from Egreat of China. Yes sir, this is another PC-on-a-stick model that Egreat hopes to be able to spread its wings to all countries worldwide. Just what kind of hardware specifications does the Android 4.0 TV STICK H5 pack underneath the hood? First of all, it will plug itself into any available HDMI port on your TV, where the dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 processor will be able to chug along just fine, where it is aided by 1GB RAM, and will carry 4GB of storage space for a slew of apps and content for you to enjoy on your big screen TV. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the operating system of choice here, and the Android 4.0 TV STICK H5 will also play a host of video and audio files while delivering support for a range of online TV channels. Your ears will also appreciate the integrated FLAC lossless compression music player, while Full HD video transmission via HDMI ensures you will always be able to enjoy mind blowing visuals. No idea on pricing just yet, but TV Sticks do seem to have a place in our future. Product Page [ Egreat rolls out Android 4.0 TV STICK H5 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 30, 2013 04:30 am | Edwin Apple refreshes fourth generation iPad to include 128GB memory Regardless of whether you love or hate the iPad, I am quite sure that you have crossed paths with it at least once in your lifetime. For those who fall under the latter category of feelings, well, perhaps this bit of news might irk you more, but for Apple fans, this is definitely pleasant news that will send you scurrying back to your piggy bank, wondering whether there is enough inside to help you make the jump to an upgrade. I am referring to the fourth generation iPad with Retina display which has just been announced to receive a bump to the total amount of storage space – it has basically doubled from 64GB to hit the 128GB mark, making it an Ultrabook alternative when you think about it. All you need now is a wireless keyboard accessory to hook up to the 128GB iPad and you're good to go. The 128GB version of the fourth generation iPad with Retina display will be made available for the iPad with Wi-Fi and iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular models, and with double the storage capacity of its predecessor, this would mean you are able to stash away even more valuable content ranging from photos to documents, projects, presentations, books, movies, TV shows, music and apps among others. Sure, this is not exactly a quantum leap when it comes to hardware, but still, 128GB of storage space would make the iPad all the more desirable if you have yet to pick one up from Apple. Just to recap, the fourth generation iPad will come with a 9.7-inch Retina display, where it runs on the Apple-designed A6X processor, accompanied by a FaceTime HD camera with iOS 6.1 as the operating system of choice. Expect the new 128GB models of the fourth generation iPad to be made available before Valentine's Day, starting on February 5, where it will come in black or white colors. The asking price? $799 and $929 respectively, for the iPad with Wi-Fi model and the iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Press Release [ Apple refreshes fourth generation iPad to include 128GB memory copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 30, 2013 04:00 am | Edwin Samsung announces Galaxy Express smartphone Samsung does seem to be hell bent on occupying just about every single strata of the smartphone hierarchy, ranging from entry level to mid-range and high end models. I guess they are beginning to be the new Nokia, dominating the Android smartphone market just like how Nokia used to be the final word in featurephones. Of course, the smartphone landscape is a whole lot larger compared to just Android, as there are other contenders jostling for space such as iOS, Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10. Having said that, we come face to face with a new mid-range Android smartphone from the South Korean conglomerate, namely the Samsung Galaxy Express. The Samsung Galaxy Express has been touted to be a feature-rich multimedia powerhouse which will offer 4G LTE speed to just about everyone and anybody. Being a value-driven 4G LTE smartphone that was specially designed for the young social explorer, it will also be accompanied by the unique AllShare Play feature which allows a device-to-device remote sharing, letting you share and play content freely across Samsung Smart TV and Smart mobile devices. Apart from that, there is also the inclusion of S Beam, which lets you share and transfer whatever files you want from your Galaxy Express over to another compatible device so that you can enjoy sharing in real time. Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) functions as a simple mirroring interface so that you can hook up your smartphone directly to any HD display for convenient and comfortable viewing, while Near Field Communication (NFC) paves the way for auto-transfer of text or data wirelessly to other NFC enabled devices. As for the other hardware specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Express, they would include a crystal clear 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus screen, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as the operating system of choice, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal memory which can be further expanded via a microSD memory card slot, all running on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. There is no word on pricing or availability as at press time. Press Release [ Samsung announces Galaxy Express smartphone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More In This Issue A Smartphone's Sensing Companion Pen Sized Scanner Egreat rolls out Android 4.0 TV STICK H5 Apple refreshes fourth generation iPad to include 128GB memory Samsung announces Galaxy Express smartphone Recent Stories Grill – Come Rain, Shine or Snow Who Is At the Door? Check Your Phone. Clarity outs Amplified Captioned Telephone Brolly Rain Umbrella GammaTech Durabook TA10 Tablet

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Daily Digest Coolest Gadgets for 01/29/2013

The latest and coolest gadgets daily digest Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Jan 29, 2013 09:00 am | Alison Grill – Come Rain, Shine or Snow Whether you are in the midst of Summer or in the depths of Winter enhancing your grilling never hurts. Some continue grilling all year round. Others play it more conservative and just look forward to warmer months. Brookstone offers a couple of tools that empower you to keep on grilling – regardless of the elements. And they now ship internationally. Don't let early darkness get the best of your cooking. Light your way and leave your hands available for the true chef-ing duties. The Handle-Mount Grill Light, $39.99, gives you LEDs to help you see your handiwork. Clamp the device onto your grill handle and adjust the direction of the light where you need it. Don't fret if you forget to bring it in as it automatically shuts off after 6 minutes and can withstand the elements. For the die hard grill master I recommend protecting yourself from the elements. Don't let mother nature ruin your food or ability. Invest in a Grillzebo™! The metal roof protects you and your grill. Side tables and a hanging rack give you space for food, spices and tools. Rechargeable, overhead lights give you perspective on the whole space too. Sure, Grillzebo will cost you ($999.95) but the 8'x5' space will be your grilling haven to make the magic happen. [ Grill – Come Rain, Shine or Snow copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 29, 2013 08:00 am | Alison Who Is At the Door? Check Your Phone. Crowdfunding has to be one of the biggest buzz words of the last year. Kickstarter and Indiegogo really put a different spin on how to create a product. Unfortunately, many good products don't achieve funding goals. A new type of crowdfunding site began to emerge to help move these unfunded projects along, give inventors more infrastructure and feedback while also protecting buyers. Christie Street does just that and took on a product that is now funded and slated to launch this summer. DoorBot looks to be a next generation example of how our phones continue to integrate into and control parts of our lives. DoorBot is a wireless video doorbell that links through your home network to your phone or tablet. Included on the device are a video camera and doorbell. Rather than ringing in the house, DoorBot will ring the app on your device when activated. Whether at home or away, you will immediately see who is ringing. And similar to when a call comes in, you have the chance to speak to them or ignore them. In addition to not missing instructions for delivery people or friends dropping by, DoorBot provides a perfect deterrent for warding off unwanted solicitors. And it can even help you give an illusion that you are home to not encourage thieves. A few months ago we wrote about Lockitron, which enables you to lock and unlock your door remotely. Combined with DoorBot you can remotely see who is at the door and choose to let them in (or not!). Shipping in July, DoorBot on its own runs $189, Lockitron $179, or sign on for the DoorBot/Lockitron combo offered on Christie Street for $339 – and enter the world of remotely controlling access to your home or business. [ Who Is At the Door? Check Your Phone. copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 29, 2013 05:30 am | Edwin Clarity outs Amplified Captioned Telephone We have yet to live in a future where everything is voice controlled, just like how the Star Trek movies work. You know, there is just something that I don't quite get in Star Trek, why address the computer as, well, "computer"? "Computer, do this.." and "Computer, do that..", instead of giving it a name that would make it more personal. Imagine if the name itself was just one syllable long – you would be able to fire off commands faster than ever, and that microsecond could mean the difference between life and death, especially when it comes to a high tech space age. Thing is, we have yet to arrive in such a century – at least not now, so we will just have to be content with far less mature products like Clarity's Amplified Captioned Telephone. Basically, the Amplified Captioned Telephone by Clarity intends to help out those who have hearing difficulties in order to better understand what is being said over the phone. Using the same kind of technology that Japanese company NTT DoCoMo's Hanashite Hon'yaku app employs, it boasts of speech-to-text software which is capable of translating calls between people who speak different languages. The Amplified Captioned Telephone will target seniors, and whenever it detects an active call, the screen will switch to show off a text transcription of the conversation so that one can keep up. The Amplified Captioned Telephone will retail for $229, and it seems to be a US-only device at time of publishing. Source [ Clarity outs Amplified Captioned Telephone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 29, 2013 05:00 am | Edwin Brolly Rain Umbrella We all love our modern day devices, and if you were to remove a smartphone from the hands of a teenager, university student or yuppie, it would be as though you chopped off one of their arms, and they will walk around in a dazed state, wondering just how the heck they are able to tell the rest of the world on what they had for lunch, and horror of horrors, are unable to keep in touch with friends whom they will meet every weekday on campus anyway. Well, the moment where most of us will tuck away our smartphones safely into our pockets when the heavens open up and pour should be familiar to many, but with the $19.95 Brolly Rain Umbrella, that need not be the case at all. The Brolly Rain Umbrella is proud to be the most comfortable, fashion forward and fun compact rain umbrella ever released. Apart from ensuring that you remain nice and dry, it comes with a rather unique grip that ensures you will continue to be able to send text messages as well as e-mail in the rain, something which is a whole lot more difficult, if not impossible, to do with a standard issue umbrella. It will come in blue and black shades, so girls, so sorry that there is no Hello Kitty version of it in the pipeline. [ Brolly Rain Umbrella copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 29, 2013 04:30 am | Edwin GammaTech Durabook TA10 Tablet Do you think that you are a clumsy person, and tend to avoid purchasing the higher end mobile consumer electronics devices simply because you know that you are an accident waiting to happen, and woe to you when you break the 10th display on your smartphone because you stumbled and let the handset slip, sending it tumbling onto the concrete floor with a heart wrenching crunch. Well, this has made you far more wary on how you spend your money, and you avoid tablets like the plague. What if I told you that there is salvation on the horizon? This is where the GammaTech Durabook TA10 tablet comes in, where it is touted to be the latest rugged tablet which was specially designed and engineered for demanding applications such as those found in the utility industry. The GammaTech Durabook TA10 will occupy the high-end side of things where tablets are concerned, and it boasts of a 10.4" display with a high performance CPU, carry an ultra-high brightness LCD display, and runs on an Intel Ivy Bridge processor. Jen Chen, GammaTech president, said, "We are delighted to be able to introduce our new Durabook TA10 rugged tablet at DistribuTECH, the utility industry’s leading smart-grid conference and exposition. This new tablet makes perfect sense for utility workers out in the field with its ultra-high screen brightness for easy viewing. Its ruggedness and durability stand up to virtually any harsh environment. Its mobility factor is enhanced with Bluetooth and Intel WiFi wireless connectivity as well as an optional internal GPS function." Expect the 10.4" XGA TFT LCD display with LED backlight to work well under any lighting conditions, where the resistive multi-touch panel with tempered glass will be ideal for the viewing of drawings, files, and web pages. A couple of six-cell battery packs offer longer battery life on the move, and just to make sure you have an easy time with in-the-field identification and tracking purposes, the Durabook TA10 will feature an optional UHF RFID reader and Barcode scanner. Other optional accessories include a handle, hand strap, and docking station. I wonder how the executives over at Panasonic are feeling with their Toughbook receiving some, well, tough competition with the $2,300 GammaTech Durabook TA10 rugged tablet. [ GammaTech Durabook TA10 Tablet copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More Jan 29, 2013 04:00 am | Edwin Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 portable hard drive Having a portable hard drive these days is nothing new, and if you were to carry one around with you, it would most probably come in a rather large capacity. Well, there are a fair number of companies out there that do churn out their share of portable hard drives, with Western Digital being one of them, but today we will concentrate on what Toshiba has in store. The Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 range has just been expanded, where the highest end model is now capable of toting around up to 2TB of your favorite digital memories as well as any other files. Apart from that, Toshiba also has something a little bit extra special for the masses, which is a 2TB Canvio Special Edition portable hard drive. It is said that the new 2TB solution will enable Toshiba's customers who want basic functionality without having to sacrifice on storage capacity, and it must be said that majority of the basic users are "hard at work" whether they realize it or not, in growing an expansive digital library. The most basic storage solution from Toshiba is the aptly named Canvio Basics 3.0, where as mentioned earlier, it now comes in a 2TB capacity. Just in case you need to get a rough idea on how much data does 2TB equal to, we are looking at roughly 571,000 digital photos, 526,000 digital music files or 1,640 downloaded digital movies. Best of all is, you need not have to go through the hassle of performing a software installation as the Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 follows the usual plug-and-play maneuver. As its name suggests, the Canvio Basics 3.0 will offer support for USB 3.0 to deliver rapid transfer speeds, and will also play nice with USB 2.0 devices, where it will come equipped with a special internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology so that you can shrug off accidental drops. As for the Canvio Special Edition Portable Hard Drive, it offers spacious storage capacity and a complete, indeed simple-to-use backup solution. Sporting NTI Backup Now EZ software that makes backing up systems a cinch, users can now choose to store their digital files to the cloud, or back up their files and folders to their Canvio portable hard drive. The 2TB Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 portable hard drive will retail for $189.99 a pop, while the 2TB Toshiba Canvio Special Edition portable hard drive is a wee bit more expensive at $219.99. [ Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 portable hard drive copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] Read More In This Issue Grill – Come Rain, Shine or Snow Who Is At the Door? Check Your Phone. Clarity outs Amplified Captioned Telephone Brolly Rain Umbrella GammaTech Durabook TA10 Tablet Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 portable hard drive Recent Stories Tanks for the Charge Swann Security announces Bolt HD camera Feel that Touch Screen Keyboard! bēm wireless speaker trio starts to ship

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