Coolest Gadgets

Sennheiser intends to offer big performance in a small package with their CXC 700 ear-canal phones that will be part of their already successful travel range, where this pair of earphones will sport active noise cancellation. Since it is a completely new feature, you will find that the innovative NoiseGard digital system deliver a choice of three noise-cancelling profiles for travelers. All three choices have been specially optimized for the wide range of surrounding noise that one encounters when traveling, regardless if it is a rickety old bus, the incessant hum of a jet engine, or even the loud chatter of a bustling morning market while you walk around, mingling with the locals and doing your utmost best to blend in – all while enjoying your favorite artist performing on your iPod. Basically, the new CXC 700 is “smart” enough to adapt to its surrounding environment with but a single push of its button. We shall now take a closer look at the three noise-cancelling prof...

Some of you might remember when I reported on the Swiftpoint Mouse back at CES 2011. For those who don’t remember, the Swiftpoint mouse is a tiny mouse that is designed to be the size of your thumb. The purpose of the tiny mouse is to use that space you don’t use on your laptop as a mousepad. As many of you know, I have to have a mouse, but I have been in situations where I don’t have enough space (or a busted mouse) and had to resort to the trackpad. I can’t stand the trackpad, but I had no problem using the Swiftpoint Mouse. The Swiftpoint Mouse has a wireless dongle and a mouse that can be joined together and charged via the USB. The kit comes with a sticker to be put on the laptop as a Swiftpoint mousepad. I am told that it will last 2 to 4 weeks on a single charge, but I didn’t get a chance to try that out. I definitely think that the Swiftpoint Mouse is going to take some getting used to, but it doesn’t take long. Just so you know, it is available now for a...

Forget about using your hands to control knobs with the Tip & Tilt Internet Radio, for as its name suggests, this £89.99 purchase will instead rely on a built-in gyro-sensor, making sure that less is more. Similar to other Internet radios, this one takes the cake in terms of funky-ness, where it is fully rechargeable and will receive all the Internet radio your ears can stomach via a Wi-Fi connection. Nice to know that no buttons to be pushed are required, and neither do you need to turn any knobs. Just switch between all four preset stations simply be turning it over from side to side. Tilting it forwards or backwards will help you adjust the volume, and if you need it to remain silent, just lay it on its front. Of course, after purchase, you will need to download the relevant software online and plug in the USB cable that came with each purchase to add your favorite channels. You can choose from white, black, pink, blue and green colors, where a single charge ought t...

Let’s face it – USB Missile Launchers are old hat by now, but that doesn’t mean you cannot improve on it. Enter DreamCheeky’s version of their USB Missile Launcher, where it has been specially re-engineered to deliver the additional power required to land that knockout blow. Of course, this is meant to be a prank toy, and if your colleagues complain to the boss about you fooling around in the office, tough luck. Boasting easy mouse and keyboard control, each purchase will come with a quartet of foam missiles that will not put anyone’s eyes out, so choose your targets carefully. This is Angry Birds in the flesh, albeit in a different form factor. Boasting a 25’ range thanks to its new “Ballistic Missiles”, you have another 4’ of USB cable to toy around with – making it more than suitable for any decent sized office. Mac users will have to wait until a Mac version of the software launches (no pun intended).

Samsung is a company that does seem pretty intent to dip their fingers into many a niche market, and the world of digital cameras is no different. Of course, while they are not as famous as established names such as Canon or Nikon, the South Korean consumer electronics giant has certainly made large strides since their early forays into the imaging market. In fact, with the latest release of the ST95 digital camera, Samsung underlines their serious intent of staying in the digital camera market for a long time to come, and perhaps even with the hope of being top dog one day down the road. The ST95 will not compromise in terms of performance for a device in its class, packing in some decent technology despite coming in an ultra-slim line design. We shall look at the ST95 in greater detail in the extended post. The ST95 will measure a rather manageable 17mm in thickness, making it one of the sleekest and most stylish compact digital cameras out there at the moment. The wh...

CES 2011 is the platform where Samsung announced their partnership with DIRECTV, and the result of this alliance is the birth of the first RVU-compatible production televisions, providing over 19.1 million DIRECTV subscribers with the ability to watch live broadcast and stored content from their DVR on Samsung smart TVs – and all this without requiring any more set-top boxes. Sounds like good news, don’t you think so, as there is one less thing to buy and have around your home. This is because of Samsung and DIRECTV’s position as founding members of the RVU Alliance, hence their commitment to deliver a more seamless entertainment experience for consumers across multiple rooms and a variety of screens, thanks to the availability of standardized Remote User Interface (RUI) technology. The RVU protocol will see action on Samsung’s LED D6000, LED D6400 and LED 6420 TV range which will in turn reflect the company’s commitment to delivering consumers high-quality, visually enhanced and con...

Garmin is more often than not known for their range of GPS navigation devices, and this time around in conjunction with the London International Boat Show, the company decided to roll out something slightly different from the usual – the Garmin GHS 20/20i Wireless Remote Handset. To put it in layman’s terms, these are a couple of full-function wireless remotes which will play nice with Garmin’s range of compatible VHF (Very Hugh Frequency) radios (case in point – Garmin’s VHF 200 and VHF 300 series radios, alongside the VHF 200i and VHF 300i international radios). The use of the GHS 20 or GHS 20i means your boat’s communication station does not have to be stationary any more, making it an invaluable accessory to mariners since it provides freedom to move around the boat without losing an iota of control of their VHF radio. Sporting a rugged, waterproof form factor that is easy and simple to use, the GHS 20/20i will come with a backlit LCD display, soft keys, a rotary knob to adjust t...

Pyramat – surely you have heard of that name before, where they are fine purveyors of sound furniture. Well, the company is back in the thick of action this CES with their Tablet Chair and Tablet Chair DLX, where both chairs were specially designed to provide tablet users with a hi-tech haven of comfort and function. The Tablet Chair will boast a fully integrated tablet support system that boasts of an adjustable swivel arm, built-in speakers, and USB power among others. This is in line with the wide range of tablets that are already in the market today (as well as in the months ahead after seeing a plethora of them hitting the CES showfloor). Among the features of the new Pyramat Tablet Chairs are a swivel arm that sports adjustable height and angle, 2.0/2.1 speakers, a POWERSUB subwoofer in the DLX model, an MP3 cable jack, USB power and audio as well as being virtually compatible with all tablets – including the super popular iPad. Out this fall, the Pyramat Tablet Chair and Tablet ...

It’s no surprise that I love gadgets and gizmos. I play video games, computer games, games on my iPod, Wii, Xbox, the list goes on and on. A giant kid at heart, my daughter cant wait till I’m finished playing with the stuff she got for her birthday. Well, I’m happy to introduce you to a different game system for truly hands-on play. I’m putting it on my list, so I won’t have to share. Say hi to Sifteo. Sifteo cubes are 3 tiny block size computers with full color displays that can sense motion, sense each other, and wirelessly connect to your computer from as far away as 20 feet. You will be able to select from numerous interactive games that range from educational, to just plain fun. Sifteo has games for adults, kids, and games people can play together. Sifteo’s one and a half inch Cubes come in sets of 3, but games can be played using up to 6 cubes. The cubes are rechargeable, allowing play for up to 4 hours on a single charge. You will need to play with Sifteo near your computer, ...

Just so you know, CES is officially over. However, we’ll be reporting about its ripples in the tech world all year round. I figure it will probably take me the rest of the month to report on all the coolest gadgets that I saw in Vegas this year, so I will start with the Swiftpoint mouse. Actually, it is not a new product, as we covered it almost three years ago. I guess it takes a while for these gadgets to get in the hands of consumers. The Swiftpoint mouse is designed to fit just on the end of the user’s thumb, and made for places where there is no room for a mousepad. Say you are on an airplane or sitting on a bus, and you only have the little bit of room to manipulate your mouse on the edge of your laptop. It comes with a wireless dongle for the USB port, and allows for charging via USB as well. Not only does it have the left and right mouse keys, but a customizable “up” direction and SmartTouch sensor. Swiftpoint is designed just for that, and it won the CES Design and Engi...

You get to see a lot of cool things at CES, some from companies you know and trust, and some that are brand new. This looks to be the case for Calibur11. Their Vault collection appears to be some sort of protective armor for an XBox 360. Just imagine if you had to send your XBox 360 to play hockey, then this is what you would want to send it out in. On closer inspection of their catalog, I believe that Cailbur11 wants their Vault series to be more than just for protection, perhaps even decoration. The picture that you see here is the MLG edition, and it has its “game face” on. I believe that the MLG is an abbreviation for Major League Gamer, and it shows, doesn’t it? In addition to that special edition version, Calibur11 wants to accessorize the Xbox 360 with Name Plates that can be chosen from ten background templates. The user can also add their own tag line as well. In the summertime will be announced some “acessory packs”. You should be able to get the Base Vault in five colors...

While I was walking along CES 2011, I tend to gravitate toward the booths that interest me personally. Such was the case with the ViNCi Tab. This is not one of the eighty tablet PCs that took up space at CES. The whole reason I was attracted to it was because it looked to be a giant iPod Touch designed for a toddler. As the parent of a toddler, I know how attracted my youngest son is to the iPod Touch. Granted, it is possible for my littlest one to mess up the information on the iPod Touch, not to mentione what harm he could do online. Fortuantely, this Android tablet is designed with no WiFi or 3G functions, which can distract junior with some serious learning while Mommy or Daddy uses the iPad or Galaxy Tab. The ViNCi has some games that show the baby in realistic places of play, like a nursery, kitchen, farm, and zoo. They are purposely designed to introduce the baby to the world at large and “stiumulates curiosity, develops fundamental decision-making skills, and celebrates a se...

Ever since the mass production of digital cameras, we have certainly seen an explosion in the number of digital images to hit the Internet, with billions more trapped on your local hard drive. Well, printing them out is definitely going to take a whole lot of time and money, and the Polaroid GL10 Instant Mobile Printer intends to change all of that by offering an instant method of getting those precious memories out on paper – all without the need for ink. Yup, you read that right – the Polaroid GL10 Instant Mobile Printer is an extremely small, mobile device that boasts an intuitive design and easy-to-use feature set which produces Polaroid Classic Border, full bleed and contemporary 3×4” photos in under a minute – basically a portable photo booth in a box. Will this help Polaroid become the household name that it used to be? Perhaps, but with the high cost of the Zink paper which it uses, it might just take a whole lot more than that to turn the company’s fortunes around for the be...

HTC intends to make the most out of this year’s CES by announcing their latest masterpiece, touted to be the first 4G LTE Android smartphone in the world – the HTC Thunderbolt. Needless to say, something as exclusive as this will be made available via Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network, and you can be sure that with Verizon Wireless, having speedy connections under plenty of areas is something that you can expect without having to keep your fingers crossed. This phone looks set to blaze new trails, and for those who want the latest and the greatest, the HTC Thunderbolt should be on your radar. Also carrying the HTC Sense experience inside for a more enjoyable Android experience instead of the stock user interface, this is also one of the first smartphones to integrate Skype mobile with video calling – a feature that was recently announced, and with 4G connectivity, it makes perfect sense to use the handset for video calls rather than regular phone calls. It will not re...

We’re not too sure when this will end up as an Olympics event, but in any case, it is always better to be prepared, no? That’s what the Sports Stacking Set with Practice Timer is all about as its name suggests, it will allow you to stack up and down a dozen specially designed cups in pre-determined sequences as fast as humanly possible, where you will do your utmost to beat your previous best mark. Alternatively, you can always give this a go with the rest of your mates especially during one of those drunken outings, to see who is the fastest (while the loser drinks even more booze to decrease his/her chances of winning). Retailing for $25.90 a pop, you can always bring this home by telling the missus that you need it to improve your hand-eye co-ordination. Hopefully she’ll buy that idea.

When it comes to swimming, what’s your favorite stroke? For those who raised their hands when freestyle is called out, the Freestyle Swimmer’s Snorkel is just the item for your perusal. This snorkel basically allows the proper freestyle swimming stroke technique without having to take a breath to the side – definitely a way to “cheat” your way to a personal best. Of course, when it comes to the actual swimming event, you will still need to breathe some time or the other, so take this as a training tool as used by regular training programs by collegiate sports teams. It is attached to the wearer’s forehead with a strap, leaving more than enough space for swim goggles. This will help keep your head aligned with the spine while swimming, helping develop body balance, rotation, and alignment in the water durign the entire process so that a solid foundation can be laid for learning more advanced skills including bilateral breathing. $39.95 sounds like a bargain when it comes to being a trai...

Can you watch me now? With rumors that the iPhone may finally be coming to the Now Network, and now, a real announcement of a package deal that pairs the SlingBox to an LTE/4G Mobile Phone, Verizon has been very busy at CES. Here’s the deal – customers who subscribe to LTE broadcand can get a Slingbox Media Streamer and a copy of Slingplayer bundled right in. The app itself is a $39.99 value and will be available for select 4G smartphones from Sansung and HTC, as well as being coupled with the Samsung Galaxy Tab. There’s no word on how much the extra service will run, but it is expected to be a separate tiered service and will add to the already over $100 monthly cellphone bill subscribers are used to. The offer will be available later in the year and will also include Vcast. Hat Tip – Slash Gear

Samsung's Smart TV line will stream wireless DirecTV in multiple rooms Samsung is joining forces with DirecTV to cut the cables on your home entertainment with a multi-room wireless DVR. The standard that makes it possible is Samsung’s RVU protocol, which is available on all LED6000 and D6400 HDTVs which will start to be available in March of 2011. The RVU experience will give users DVR services, live pause on all screens in the home, over 200 hours worth of shared storage, picture in picture capabilities, and the ability to record up to ficve shows at once. Course, users have to have a Samsung Smart TV in each othe rooms they want to stream digital content to wirelessly. But it’s a cool idea. RVU enables a set top box and turns it inso a digital media server of sorts which then broadcasts live and recorded television to each room that contains a Smart TV RVU supported television. And there’s no additional hardware required except a DirecTV RVU box. Hat Tip – Electric Pig

Today I am doing something for the very first time as I am doing my first post on the road here at CES. Right now, I am in a slow moving line, waiting for a bus to bring me to the Las Vegas Convention Center. My brand new Droid X is giving me access to this blog, but I cannot see what I am typing as I go. After I typed the first paragraph, I lost track of the words as the keyboard took up most of the screen, and never could successfully get back to them. This is sadly a failed experiment. Right now, I am continuing this blog at a party at the Venetian sponsored by Lenovo on one of their desktops. Granted, I will have to say that the Droid X is a terrific smartphone. I don’t know if there is any saying about “once you go Droid”, but there really should be. I enjoy the all the features including the Android Market, and, as you may have guessed, I am addicted to Angry Birds. I also find the 8.0 Megapixel camera to be quite good, and it is easy to transfer the files from the included 16G...

Okay so let’s face it, a digital frame, is a digital frame, is a digital frame, and as you get your 3rd one, as a gift from your soon to be ex-boyfriend, you wonder why the screensaver slideshow on your computer wasn’t already good enough to put some of these guys out of business, but you smile, and put on your “oh I love it” face anyway… Well, fresh from CES, Parrot just unveiled the DIA, the first digital photo frame that you really will be happy to receive. The DIA is less like an old digital frame and more like a movie screen that has a picture projected upon it. The DIA’s LCD display is separate from it’s backlight, which gives your favorite photos a beautiful, designer friendly, transparent effect, very different from the digital frames of, well, just yesterday. The frame itself is fairly plain, with its controls on the top and the SD card slot and USB ports on the side. Photos are added by USB, SD or alternatively, you can send photos to the frame wirelessly via Wi-Fi or Blu...

Philips intends to light up CES 2011 with their latest Wireless HDMI Blu-ray player known as the BDP7580, which is actually the first of its kind in the world. Just what does this wireless HDMI player offer? Well, it should be able to appease even the most curious of home theater fans, as who doesn’t want to move on to the world of wireless connectivity? At least the Philips BDP7580 would mean losing the risk of tripping over a wire – not that you need another one in your living room, right? Besides, having another wire behind the TV cabinet would mean an extra place for dust bunnies to settle down, which is something nobody wants considering the amount of work required to clean it up. Let’s take a look at the Philips BDP7580 in a closer manner right after the jump. Expect the Philips BDP7580 to come with features including 3D playback, Philips MediaConnect, NetTV, Netflix and Blockbuster streaming – this will clearly expand the boundaries on just how much entertainment you will be a...

OCOSMOS from South Korea has just introduced what they dub to be the “world’s most user-friendly personal computer and gaming device” – although we aren’t too sure on whether that claim warrants such a title or not. Of course, you can always settle for the official name of the OCS9 Tablet PC, where it is touted to revolutionize both professional and gaming PC markets. This tiny tablet will run off Intel’s next generation Atom platform known as “Oak Trail”, where Windows 7 Home Premium is the operating system of choice. The spokesperson claims that it can run the most demanding online PC games, MMORPG, 3D, productivity and social networking applications, although we’re not too sure whether you will get Crysis on full-blown graphics settings without it dropping to 1fps or something. Bear in mind that being able to run a game and running it smoothly are totally different things, so we wouldn’t get our hopes up on something like this just yet. Using the rather unique and yet usable OMOS ...

Are you sick and tired of taking in so much drugs into your body to soothe that pain, that you are looking for an alternative method in which it will not kill your kidneys or liver in the process? This is where the Cordless Electrotherapy Pain Reliever comes in, as this device will soothe sore muscles without having it tethered to a power outlet. Utilizing a similar technology that is employed by physical therapists, the battery powered device’s electrodes will emit low-voltage electrical pulses which stimulate muscles, help facilitate blood flow and oxygen to injuries, and reduce lactic acid, relieving muscle aches and pain. It isn’t too large to tote around either, being roughly the size of a wristwatch, allowing it to be attached anywhere on the body thanks to a reusable self-adhesive pad which can be worn under clothing while you work, or perhaps even during some light exercise sessions without hindering your movement. Boasting up to eight levels of intensity which can be easily ad...

A piece of NASA's historic technology goes up for sale ... If you’re like me, growing up, you never got the space program out of your blood. I remember watching Neil Armstrong take that one small step on a grainy black and white TV and thinking I’d graduate college on Mars. Alas, my martian education wasn’t meant to be, but if I could afford it, I’d definitely be springing for some of the coolest NASA gadgets that are currently up for auction … Included in the auction, certified and run by RR Auctions, is the headset that astronaut and capcom Charlie Duke used to communicate with Apollo 11 when Neil and Buzz set foot on the moon. You may recall his infamous retort upon landing – “Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot!”. And with a few adapters, I know I could do a skypecast with it on my laptop! Also up for grabs is an official, pre flown, Apollo command module control panel, a page torn...

Grace Digital Audio intends to upgrade its range of Internet radios by keeping up with the times – and we’re talking about including a color display this time around. CES 2011 will be the platform where the Solo Touch, Bravado X, and Mondo Internet radios are unveiled, where the entire Grace Digital product line includes internet radio services Pandora, Sirius XM Internet Radio, CBS Radio, iheartradio, Live365.com, MP3Tunes, NPR, National Weather Service, WeatherBug and Rhapsody. Enough about the services already though, we will prefer to have a look at what the three Internet radios offer on paper, at least. The Solo Touch is a compact tuner device that touts to offer you complete control over the world of Internet radio directly on your home stereo, sporting a 4.3” touchscreen color display with a remote control for couch potatoes. Other hardware specifications of this $249.99 device include Ethernet connection, RCA out jacks and a headphone connection. As for the Bravad...

I hate to admit it, I want an iPad and I don’t even know why. I have an iPod Touch, an e-Reader and an Archos Tablet. I have MP3 payers and handhelds of all shapes and sizes. I’m just a sucker for new technology, so I guess I’ll keep saving my pennies. While I’m waiting, I can take my iPod Touch to the next level with Hammacher Schlemmer’s exclusive, iPhone Screen Enlarger. This is a portable device that enlarges videos from your iPhone or iPod Touch for viewing on a 7″ LCD screen. Your iPhone or iPod touch docks horizontally into the base of a black laptop-like case, providing you access to all your iPods video controls with your LCD viewing area above, where your computer screen would be. Hammacher’s tech specs tell me the device provides 400:1 contrast for vivid images, and the thin film transistor screen provides 480 x 234 pixel resolution. Clear sound is provided by its two built-in speakers and includes a headphones jack for private listening. Its video port and inc...

HDTV giant Vizio sets it's sites on mobile gadgets ... Known for it’s low cost, but value added HDTVs, budget electronics manufacturer Vizio is setting it’s sites on the mobile gadget market with Android based smartphones and tablets that can interface with their TVs. Now that’s a huge broadside … The gadgets are called the Via Phone and Via Tablet respectively. Both will be based on the latest Android Gingerbread OS and will have integrated IR blasters to control their HDTVs. In addition, these mobile devices will have 1Ghz processors, HDMI output, WiFi, Micro SD card slots and Bluetooth. The Via Phone will have a nice 4 inches LED screen, while the via Tablet goes to 8 inches. No word on price just yet, but knowing how Vizio’s core customers are value based, you can bet they’ll be competing in that arena, and could be quite attractive to carriers looking to court new customers with a phone that does a lot for little money. And although there are many low budget Tab...

I realize that CES is a time to talk about technological advancements, and I never thought I would bring up the subject of earplugs when it comes to the biggest consumer electronics convention of the year. Hey, CES doesn’t officially start until Wednesday, and these earplugs are worthy of being on display at CES unveiled. These ETY Plugs have won a design award at CES this year, and they are designed to block out the harmful decibels, but keeps music and speech intact. I had a chance to talk with Mark D. Karnes, the Managing Director of Etymotic Research Inc., and he said that the U.S. military has earplugs, but most do not use them. As a result, there are a lot of soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with permanent hearing loss. Not only is it designed for men in uniform, but created for musicians so that they can hear their own instrument as well as their blend with others. I don’t seem to have a price for these from their site, but I’m guessing they are che...

Iomega's TV will feature Boxee and have iOS data backup for the iPhone With it’s array of zip drives back in the mid 90s, Iomega was the kind of media storage. Then along came CD burner and larger hard drives and suddently, and zip drives were the 21st century equivalent of 8 Track tape players. Soon, the name Iomega was equated with “remember when.” Not that they died out. They just went under the radar, designing a smooth array of portable hard drives and other solutions. But with the world changing again and moving to the cloud, Iomega is changing with it, offering a cool new media device that marries the Boxee streaming software with the iPhone. Iomega TV with Dlink’s Boxee will provide not only streaming of iptv over the internet, but also giving to 1 and 2TB storage solutions for saving of personal media. Known as a “hub,” Iomega TV will also interface with the iPod/iPhone through it’s Super Hero backup interface, and have a DLNA media server running as well. Ba...

Kodak's new ultraslim Playful HD Pocket Camcorder I love CES. So many new announcements for new toys. And this one is great for those loving to capture the moment with a pocket video camera. Kodak is adding two new HD cameras to it’s line of great pocket camcorders. The first is a very slim PlayFul, which will sport the usual autofocus and image stabilizaiton, but also smart face tracking and full 1080p HD video. And the dedicated SHARE button sends video directly to media sites like Facebook, Youtube and Flickr via USB and your PC. It’s available in silver, blue-silver, purple-silver and blue-black. Kodak has upgraded it's rugged Playsport camcorder The next is an upgrade to the Playsport camera. In addition to similar features in the Playful, the Playsport also has low light performance, shock and waterproof (to a depth of 10 feet) design, and a cool feature on it’s LCD which adjust automatically to the lighting conditions it faces. The Playsport is available i...

Just when you though Asus had already had a big day with announcing four tablets, they have now created the WHDI-based WAVI, the very first wireless PC-to-TV gaming package. Asus teamed up with Amimon to create this service that allows the user to wirelessly connect a desktop PC to a television with 3D content. The end result is playing 3D PC video games and/or movies on any 3D capable HDTV. According to Amimon, the WHDI standard used by the Asus WAVI is capable of delivering the highest image quality, which is uncompressed 1080p/60Hz HD video, from up to 100 feet away, through walls, and can support multiple wireless links, so you can stream from one source to multiple TVs. The standard utilizes a 40MHz channel in the 5GHz unlicensed band. As for controlling the unit itself, it is maintained via virtual USB link for controlling the PC from a distance rather than the television. By the way, did I mention that Asus is also working on a Wavi Xtion system with two Wavi boxe...

The Kindle has several features you may not know about .... The Kindle 3 was one of the hottest selling ebook readers of the holiday season. And for reading books, there’s really nothing better to curl up on a cold winter day next to the fire. But not many know that the Kindle has other useful features which may turn this eBook reader into a serious internet device. Under the “experimental” option in the main men, the Kindle offers three pet projects they have added to the ebook reader for real world testing – Web Browser, MP3 player, and Text to Speech. The web browser works just like your basic browser, only imagine that you’re trying to use it and your mouse is broken. Now you have to navigate with keys instead of pointing and clicking. This is the web browser experience. Not very great for every day use, but if you find yourself reading a passage of a book and you want to share it on Facebook or fire off an email to a friend, it’s certainly useable. Next is play mp3....

Fujitsu certainly wants to grab headlines by the scruff of its neck with the ScanSnap S1100 document scanner, where it is touted to be one of the smallest in the world without compromising on performance and functionality. The new ultra-portable scanner will tip the scales at slightly more than 12 ounces, cramming inside enough technology to pay homage to its larger brethren in the series despite sporting a new sleek style that allows you to easily fit it into a briefcase or purse and digitizes your documents anywhere, and at any time. Live product demonstrations of the new ScanSnap S1100 can be seen when CES 2011 opens to the public, so we’re stoked to have a look. The ScanSnap S1100 was specially designed to see action with a PC or Mac, where it will rely on its innovative paper path system and fast front-side color scanning functionality to quickly scan anything ranging from contracts and long receipts to business cards and plastic IDs. A single USB cable is all it takes...

We all know that talking on your phone while driving is a definite no-no, and unless you have a hands-free kit with you, doing so will only endanger your life as well as that of others on the road. Why take the risk when you can always do your part in being a law-abiding citizen (and treasuring your life as well as that of others) with the BlueAnt S3 Speakerphone? This latest release from BlueAnt Wireless comes in the form of a visor-mounted car speakerphone which will draw upon the company’s extensive experience with voice-control features, such as voice answer/ignore, caller name announce and text-message readout, all without breaking the bank – sweet words in these economically challenging times, eh? The S3 will definitely not tarnish BlueAnt’s heritage of delivering products with superior voice quality, outstanding wind, road and background noise reduction and superior call clarity. To make matters more enticing, the new BlueAnt S3 will come with a useful auto reconnect...

So you’re a gamer and a serious one at that. If you’ve played WoW you probably already know that the sound is an awesome part of the game. Creative Labs knew it too, Enter the World of Warcraft USB headset, specially designed for World of Warcraft gamers, this headset will transport you directly into the world of Azeroth. Also available in a wired version, the WoW Headset allows you to instantly access your volume, mute and connection controls directly on the headset itself and the THX TruStudio Technology lets you immerse yourself in deep into the realms. The VoiceFX technology actually lets you alter your own voice in order to sound like different World of Warcraft characters and creatures. Show your allegiance and customize your cans with interchangeable headset lenses, your WoW headset comes with both Horde and Alliance lenses, so you get to choose. Each wireless headset comes with a detachable microphone, USB wireless transmitter, travel pouch, braided USB Type-A-to...

The £49.99 RedEye Mini Universal Remote for iPhone and iPad is something that couch potatoes who thrive on iDevices might have been waiting for, as this pretty interesting gizmo can be plugged into the iPhone or iPad’s headphone socket, giving you instant control over the TV, stereo system, Sky/digibox, DVD player or virtually any other device that receives its command from IR signals. Boasting a range of up to 30 feet, it ought to be more than enough for just about any kind of living room unless you live in a palatial mansion, that is. The RedEye Mini doesn’t need batteries since it acts as a parasite to your iDevice when connected, resulting in one less charger to tote around on your travels. With its online IR code database, you can even gain control of devices even if you don’t have the original remote to hand. Could this be perfect to pull off another Gizmodo-like TV prank at this year’s CES?

The £49.99 RedEye Mini Universal Remote for iPhone and iPad is something that couch potatoes who thrive on iDevices might have been waiting for, as this pretty interesting gizmo can be plugged into the iPhone or iPad’s headphone socket, giving you instant control over the TV, stereo system, Sky/digibox, DVD player or virtually any other device that receives its command from IR signals. Boasting a range of up to 30 feet, it ought to be more than enough for just about any kind of living room unless you live in a palatial mansion, that is. The RedEye Mini doesn’t need batteries since it acts as a parasite to your iDevice when connected, resulting in one less charger to tote around on your travels. With its online IR code database, you can even gain control of devices even if you don’t have the original remote to hand. Could this be perfect to pull off another Gizmodo-like TV prank at this year’s CES?

Fujifilm wants to keep innovation flowing with the FinePix XP30, where this latest addition to the FinePix range will sport GPS capability, with the company touting it to be the first in the world for an outdoor compact camera. How about its performance, you ask? Well, the Fujifilm FinePix XP30 will come with a 14.2-megapixel sensor alongside CCD-shift image stabilization, a 5x optical zoom, fact detection and automatic panorama functionality among others. Sounds like a pretty good deal to us, considering all you need to fork out is $239.95 from next month onwards, while the non-GPS version (FinePix XP200) is $40 cheaper just in case you need a techy yet useful gift for the coming Valentine’s. Not only does it have GPS capability, it is also pretty tough being waterproof up to 5 meters, dust proof and sandproof while shrugging off drops of up to 1.5m. Source: Geeky Gadgets

Razer certainly ain’t playing around when with a couple of new releases – the Onza Tournament and Standard editions of Xbox 360 controllers. Of course, Razer has more often than not been associated with gaming hardware for the personal computer, but not quite so with the video game console environment. Well, all of that is going to change from now on as Razer has just announced both the Razer Onza Tournament and Standard editions for Xbox 360 owners. These new controllers are high precision devices that certainly intend to deliver the best gaming experience possible for everyone who places top priority on accuracy and responsiveness when it comes to gaming. After all, there surely isn’t a fate worse than death when it comes to losing to your hated rivals online, right? Specially built for the hardcore competitive gamer, the Razer Onza Tournament Edition will deliver superior customizability with adjustable resistance analog sticks. This is one of the main reasons why Onza’s...

Wowwee has done much with projectors, like the Cinemin Swivel, and they put their best foot forward on display at CES Unveiled last night with the Cinemin Slice. The Slice is a portable pico-projector that is designed for Apple products such as the iPod, iPod Touch, new iPod Nano, iPhone and iPad. It comes with the docking trays for them all. It also has a Mini-HDMI and AV ports for other Personal Media Players (PMPs), as well as a VGA port for a PC, laptop, or netbook. For those that want their content on the big screen, it can do this. It is able to make a 60-inch image from about 10 feet away, with a viewable range of 125 inches. The resolution is WVGA at (854 x 480), a 16:9 aspect ratio, and it is very bright at 16 ANSI lumens. I have used projectors before, and have found that most of them are weak when it comes to sound. This doesn’t seem to be the case for the Cinemin Slice which has 6 watt stereo speakers. Other features include a headphone jack as well as an inf...

Having a dead battery in your car is not something everybody wants, but it does happen to the best of us from time to time. Well, in such an event, you can always rely on the Glove Box Battery Jumper to help you out of a particularly tight position, and even better is you won’t need to have a friend or stranger who is willing to “lend” their car’s battery for you to jump start it. This device will help juice up your car’s battery from the comfort and safety of the driver’s seat, and to make it a whole lot more convenient, it is tiny enough to store within the glove box. The 30-volt battery will plug into your vehicle’s 12-volt lighter outlet, and is capable of jump starting your car’s battery in just 10 minutes. Heck, it is good enough to provide a two-amp “trickle” charge, even in temperatures as low as -10º F. Doing something as simple as reversing a switch will allow the device to recharge in 30 minutes from a running car. Each $34.95 purchase already comes fully charged, ...

Most of you are familiar with Joby, and they are most famous for their Gorillapod accessories. These are tripods with some very flexible feet for cameras, flashlights, and even the iPhone 4. At CES 2011 Unveiled last night, the company revealed that they have two new iPad related products. The first is the Yogi, and it is a case for the iPad with those famous Gorillapod legs (seen on the left). Not only can the user take these two legs and twist them around to mount the iPad in many places, but it makes the iPad so it literally stands on two feet for viewing in portrait and landscape mode, perfect for those who like to watch iPad vids. The second iPad product is the Ori, and it doesn’t have the Gorillapod feet. It does allow the iPad to stand up by itself. Not only can it stand it up in portrait or landscape mode like an easel, but the case itself can fold up and around the iPad, giving the user an extra layer of metal protection for their favorite Apple tablet. I wasn’t a...

I can’t tell you how often I wish I had a reliable internet connection in my car. There are so many times I wanted to check something, like movie times, or handle some last minute paperwork or bill paying while I was waiting in line at the car wash, sure with the phones we have these days you might think it redundant, but in my case I use a proprietary computer for my day job and I can’t access my files on any other PC. Enter CarFi, the portable wireless router and docking station that provides wireless Internet service for your vehicle. CarFi turns your car into a secure Wi-Fi Hotspot, connecting passengers to the Internet in, and even around your car for about 150 feet. Patented TRU Technology allows a seamless connection regardless how fast you are traveling and keeps you connected to the Internet even if your cruising down the freeway or tailgating at your favorite sports arena. CarFi has a new docking station that allows you to move it from one car to the next. With ...

There’s always a few stars at CES 2011. These are the products that get billboards devoted to them at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and one of them was the Casio TRYX. Since the digital camera market is flooded, it becomes very hard to come up with a camera that defies the usual conventions. The TRYX is that camera, as it has a very cool body. See how it flips out of its frame? The frame then becomes the handle of the camera for one hand, which really frees the user up from snapping photos with the other hand. The frame also allows the TRYX to work as a tripod. In addition to this framing technique, the TRYX has a unique LCD screen that “puts all camera controls right at the user’s fingertip”. It has a touch shutter that can focus on an area or subject in the frame and capture it. As for the specs, the TRYX is a 12.1 Megapixel job with a CMOS sensor, dual core processors, and Casio’s EXILIM ENGINE HS. The video is the expected 1080 at 30 fps. Other features include Slid...

Generally, I am very pleased with what I see from Parrot at CES every year. Last year, it was the AR.Drone, and this year, it is the ASTEROID. The ASTEROID is a car receiver that works on the Android operating system. If it is connected to a GPS dongle, which is provided, and a 3G key, which is not provided, it is capable of giving information like traffic and construction alerts. Parrot ASTEROID also includes Parrot Maps, a cartography service that enables the identification of streets and businesses close to the vehicle. This allows the user to zoom on an address and hands-free dialing of the phone number or even plan an itinerary. Since the ASTEROID is where the radio would be on a car, it wouldn’t be right if it couldn’t do music. It can play tunes from various sources that include the iPhone/iPod, MP3 player, SD card, and USB key. Music files can also sent to the ASTEROID via Bluetooth. Additional features of the ASTEROID include hands-free telephony, with access to...

I saw this watch from shoe giant Nike last night at the CES 2011 event Pepcom. The Nike+SportsWatch GPS uses the Nike+ sensor based in the shoe for tracking time, pace, distance, calories burned as well as heart rate. It also has something else: a GPS powered by TomTom. This allows the watch to track “what a user does, how they do it, and then motivates the user to improve on previous performances over the each route”. After the user is completed with their run or other exercises, they can take off their watch and connect it to a PC with the built-in USB dongle. From there, data is uploaded to the NikePlus.com site for viewing of completed runs, setting new goals, as well as interacting with other runners. I’m sure that this technology comes in handy for those that like to run. However, I can’t help but wonder why this tech couldn’t be put on a new version of an iPod nano. After all, most people are mounting their nanos on their watches anyway. Perhaps in the next version o...

Do you use your iPhone often for Facetime? Well, if you’re one of the select few who does so, then you might want to check out what the Satarii Star is capable of doing. This unique device will definitely need your iPhone to remain docked within, where it can swivel around to track your movement. To make things more flexible, it allows you to dock your iPhone in either portrait or landscape mode, literally allowing you to position it where you want it. As for the second part of this setup, it comprises of a small tracking device that allows you to clip onto the subject. The tracking device will communicate with the base within a 25 foot radius, where the base can rotate up to 180 degress, aiming at the tracker always. No idea on when it will be released commercially and for how much, since this is still part of an in-development project from a team of California-based designers. Source: Craziest Gadgets

Skype Video Chat for Android ... coming soon to a Droid near you. Fresh off releasing video chat capability for the iPhone, Skype isn’t wasting time resting on their laurels, as they plan to bring it to Android sooner than you think. According to a demo seen by some Engadget geeks at the Motorola booth at CES. The Demo was on their prototype Motorola Droid Bionic, and while it wasn’t a working demo, mind you,it was far enough along to demo the interface, show access to a caller’s contacts and initiate a call (which doens’t connect just yet) … that clearly shows that Skype is hard at work to make it happen and is comfortable enough to show it to the masses to get them psyched about it. And considering the Droid Bionic is 4G going over Verizon’s LTE network, it’ll be lightning fast and no doubt crystal clear. Considering the news that they’re buying Qik, and having already fired a broadside square at Apple’s Facetime app, it’s clear that Skype is up to something serious for...

I remember my childhood dog, Digger. Digger was one of those dogs that just loved everyone, and ran away all the time. No matter what we tried to do to contain him, he managed to “break out” and wander around visiting the neighborhood, everyone knew him and loved him, but we were worried every single time he took off. If you have ever experienced the fear and anxiety of losing your dog, cat, ferret or free range chicken, you will love Loc8tor Pet, using Active RFID Technology, Loca8tor allows you to press a single button, and it will instantly provide you with continuous location information including walking directions within an inch of his hiding spot. Loc8tor provides the direction in which you need to walk in order to find your pet via a credit card sized handheld device and mini homing tags that are the smallest and lightest of their kind. Pets get out and get lost regardless of fences, doors and other boundaries. If you’ve ever been through the anxiety of losing a ...