Coolest Gadgets

Talk about giving a new spin on something that can be considered to be old, archaic even – Firebox has the £49.99 Quick Play USB Turntable just for you. It is the perfect device for those who want to make the jump over to the digital music environment from their precious old records. Vinyl lovers are able to do so with the Quick Play USB Turntable, where you are able to place your entire collection of LPs, 12″s and singles directly into a digital library. It can transfer your ancient music collection straight to the computer through the simple act of plugging in the turntable into a USB port. Once that is done, just boot up the idiot-proof EZ vinyl converter software and you’re good to go with the conversion process. There is no need to worry about special kinds of drivers or mismatched software for sure. Not only that, the belt-driven USB Turntable can also be connected to any home stereo with CD or auxiliary inputs. Basically, it allows you to spin your records via a re

I’ve seen some products from iLuv before, and the iMM514 ArtStation Pro is good for turning an iPad into a home theater. As you can see, the iPad is mounted in an articulated swiveling arm so you can position it at whatever angle you want, in landscape or portrait mode. In case you are wondering why there is such a big base, it is because it has a huge stereo speaker. In other words, this base has bass. There is also a wireless remote for volume and skipping tracks, and it looks like there are some controls on the base for when you lose the remote. As I mentioned before, iLuv has put out a lot of Apple accessories, and I will have to admit that this is one of the most unusual that I have seen. In fact, I am not even sure what kind of aesthetic that this is. The arm thing reminds me of Technic Lego pieces. I suppose the case is like a big Lego brick without and studs on it. Nice. By the way, this isn’t just for the iPad. The iMM514 ArtStation Pro is compatible

For those who see vehicles as a mode of transport, and not an expensive purchase that needs to be taken care of far better than an ancient mummy, then chances are you won’t let your pooch or cat roam free in the back seats of your vehicle. Here’s something for folks who love their furkids to bits, and want to provide the very best for them – hence the Heated Pet Car Seat, perfect for those winter moments. This can be touted to be the only kind of pet car seat which is heated to deliver a cozy, warm quarter for pets whenever you travel. There is a 12-volt heater located inside the seat cushion, where it is capable of producing a mild radiant heat up to 15º F above the ambient temperature. The seat cushion itself is filled with 3″ of soft, supportive foam, while the interior of the car seat is covered with smooth, plush fleece. You can string the car’s seat belt through the base of the car seat to help it remain stable even when you drive, and as long as Fido doesn’t chew

When is a USB flash drive an optical drive? Wait a minute here, before you think that I have had a little bit too much to drink, let me explain to you just how such a situation can happen. We’re talking about the Isostick, an idea that needs funding on Kickstarter. This particular device is a memory stick which is capable of converting ISO images into physical, mounted optical drives automatically – it does so by tricking the computer into thinking that way. The entire process happens in a transparent manner, letting you stash away an image of Ubuntu or Windows on an Isostick, reboot up your machine and boot straight from it. Your computer won’t care that physically it isn’t an optical disk, as it “sees” it as an optical drive. To sweeten the deal, you are able to cram in as many ISOs as you like onto the Isostick – as long as space permits, of course, limited by the 32GB of memory. Apart from that, a hardware read-only switch is thrown into the mix, letting you flip it

Bicycles are supposed to be a healthy mode of transport to help you get around from one point to the other without emitting any more greenhouse gases than you should, while helping you break a sweat so that you can burn off that Whopper from Burger King you had for lunch earlier in the day. Well, sometimes you might feel too tired to cycle all the way back – which is where an electric bicycle comes in handy, as that particular mode of transport will have a small motor to ferry you across those steep uphill slopes as you take a break. A designer from Ventura, California, recently came up with his very own home-built electric bicycle that will come with not one, but three power modes. This enables the rider to select from pedal-assist, pure electric motor or standard biking whenever he/she is on the road. Known as the eCortina v2, this electric bicycle that could will run on a 48 volt lithium polymer battery system, where it ought to deliver up to 15 miles of range although

I’m sure you’re probably familiar with Namco, creators of such great games like Time Crisis. If you never played that game, it involved the use of a light gun to shoot opponents. Time Crisis has just been put on the iPad 2 and Mac computers, with the name of a Time Crisis 2nd Strike HD. Namco has sweetened the deal by giving out a free app for the iPhone that can pair with the iPad or Mac. In other words, it turns the iPhone into a light gun. The app allows you to shoot with a variety of sounds like a handgun, machine gun, shotgun, and a grenade launcher. It is nice to see that the iPhone is pairing up to the other larger products. We reported about the Pirata Boat Race which can sync with the PC and the iPhone, and something tells me that we will be seeing more applications like this in the future. Personally, I think this is what the Wii U is all about, using something with a screen and interacting with something with a bigger screen. Perhaps one day, all of

Do you remember back when having a cellular phone was cool? This was back before everyone had them. If you are going for a more unique look, you could go with this Secret Agent Phone Holder. It is worn like a real FBI-style holster, around the shoulder and across the back. You could definitely look like some sort of cop or cool officer of the law like the the guy in the picture. The handlebar mustache is actually included, that is self-adhesive for the 70′s Starsky and Hutch appeal. I don’t know if the app to create a badge is included. Here is a problem that I see with this: you will probably be stopped at airport security. Can you imagine the nervous TSA agent when you try and get your phone past security? The Secret Agent Phone Holder signals one thing to me: concealed weapon. Still, I like the idea of having a place to put my smartphone. I just don’t really like putting it in my front pocket, as I always feel like I am going to shatter the screen by sitting

Ever wished you could pilot your very own helicopter, but did not have the money to go to flying school and finish up the course? Well, sometimes in life, you win some, you lose some – and this time around, you can still get your flying kicks with the AppToyz Helicopter. This £49.99 purchase is currently available for pre-order, where you will be able to use the iPhone or iPod to control this helicopter without having to work with a standard remote control instead. Surely, this is one of the things that most people probably won’t think that the iPhone or iPod touch is capable of when said devices were first released. Good news then, you can now bring this sucker out for a flight, where there is a tiny unit which is plugged into the headphone socket, letting your smartphone or portable media player send flight commands over to the helicopter via infrared. You will use an on-screen D-pad to move the helicopter around, and it might take some getting used to at first for tho

When it comes to portable storage, you can be sure that Verbatim ranks pretty high up there – and one of the company’s latest releases, the Verbatim SuperSpeed USB 3.0 portable hard drive, will now be available in a couple of eye-popping colors – Caribbean Blue and Hot Pink. What a great way to usher in the summer with such vibrant, bright colors, no? I am guessing that Verbatim wants to deliver both style and function in a single device, hence splashing a couple of colors that normally don’t see the light of day in portable hard drives. As for the amount of storage space, you might want to rethink all those downloads you make – after all, 500GB isn’t that much to go around these days. Good thing it is connected via USB 3.0, so make sure your computer has such a port to make full use of it. Transferring 500GB worth of data over USB 3.0 is going to be a snap, and with the ability to reliably back-up and transfer files anytime, anywhere, this might just be what you are loo

As long as the sun is out, the Solar Butterfly that you see here will definitely flit around your garden joyfully, even though there is nary a single flower for it to feed on, seeing nothing but patches of weeds everywhere. All you need to do is place the stake with solar panels in your garden outdoors, although you can also opt for your favorite potted plant if you want to, and the Solar Butterfly will flutter around, moving its wings just like the real deal. Of course, during those downcast, rainy days, if you’re so used to having a faux butterfly move around during the mornings, there is always the option to throw in a single AA battery to keep its fluttering action going. The solar stake stands at 16″ tall, where the butterfly is 2.5″ tall and 2″ wide. You will be able to choose from Orange Monarch or Yellow Swallowtail, and this is one butterfly that won’t die after a few days. How much, you ask? The Solar Butterfly can be part of you

Most devices these days have a USB port, and it goes without saying that this also means a USB charger is in order to keep said device juiced up at all times. Of course, finding a USB port wherever you are is definitely harder than looking for the ordinary, standard issue power outlet – after all, it isn’t as though all power outlets have a dedicated USB port crammed in at the moment, although we do wish it were otherwise. Bracketron has every intention to make sure that no matter where you go, especially if you’re a heavy road user, will be able to keep your USB-powered devices juiced up before you arrive at your destination, and it does so in style with the Dual USB Charger. As with many other heavy duty electronic devices in your vehicle that need power, the 12V cigarette lighter port is taken advantage of. Sure, you lose your car’s lighter in the process, but that’s a small price to pay to make sure your phone’s all juiced up for that important meeting in an hour’s ti

Gamers can be quite a fussy bunch, especially those who are at the top of the hierarchy. They want nothing less than the best hardware to go along with their skills, and that comes across as no surprise since it is human nature to feel that way. Well, if you are interested in gaming headsets and currently pondering just which model suits your ears (and favorite game) best, perhaps you would do well to consider what the Sharkoon X-Tactic SR gaming headset offers on the table. CompuExpert has just announced the Sharkoon X-Tactic SR that will ship this coming August 16th in North America as an Amazon.com exclusive. Sharkoon has already picked up accolades in the past for their specially designed gaming headsets, so the Sharkoon X-Tactic SR gaming headset is going to be another potential feather in its cap down the road. Touted to deliver the ultimate in multi-directional audio performance for maximum immersion and combat advantage, the X-Tactic SR is not

If you are that busy and need to answer your phone even when you participate in watersports or go swimming, then you would wish that some engineer out there actually managed to discover a way to mechanize fish’s gills and incorporate it into the smartphone – but until then, you will need to be happy with the £19.99 Aqua Phone Case. This is a form-fitting waterproof case that will ensure not a drop of water will seep inside to harm your smartphone in any way. Water is not the only ‘enemy’ that the Aqua Phone Case will prevent from getting into your smartphone’s pants, er, case, as it also provides protection against sand, dust and snow. With a touch-sensitive skin, you can be sure that your touchscreen display will still work, meaning you can play Angry Birds when you go scuba diving the next time around. Perfect for amateur underwater photographers or videographers, don’t you think so?

Sometimes, you just sit right there in front of your computer monitor when there are tons of work piling up right behind you. You are two months behind your mortgage payment, your wife just got laid off, and the car needs an overhaul – quickly. All that stress might result in you stare into space like a zombie, leading to a performance downgrade by your superior for being ‘idle’ at work. Why not get something to stare at for real in the form of the Hypnocube Animated LED Cube? That way, the eagle-eyed boss might just keep his eyes on this cube instead of your non-performance issues and zoned out moments as well. This cube comprises of flashing LED lights inside – all 64 of them, showing off a light show that will certainly mesmerize. Heck, at $99.99 a pop, it might just stop more people in their tracks than a $1,000 handbag. The animated light show is said to run for over 30 minutes without repeating itself once – try watching it and be mesmerized, losing count in the pro

I’m sure most of you know about insects like the water strider that have water-repellant legs to allow them to walk on the water’s surface . It is nice to see that technology has imitated mother nature yet again as scientists in China have created a microbot that walks on water. The robot is slightly larger than most water-striding insects as it is six inches long. It is also about 400 times heavier than a water strider, and it uses 10 water-repellent wire legs and 2 oar like legs to skim across water. I think that it is pretty amazing that the researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology’s School of Chemical Engineering and Technology have managed to replicate this process. It took a lot of studying in the water striders’ natural habitat, and it was time well spent. So what can you do with something like this? Perhaps you can build a giant nautical vehicle that people can ride. Actually, that doesn’t appear to be the plan, but something like this can hel

Summer is on where I am at, and it is a hot one. I recently got one of those Slip ‘N Slides for my daughter, but I wish I would have purchased this one. I’m not certain how this Water Soaked Knee Hockey Rink compares to real hockey, and I think it would be better to compare this toy to Air Hockey. This toy that you see in the picture here uses water from 30 tiny nozzles around it, and it makes the surface super slick. I like the over-sized puck, as it looks like a soft frisbee. It certainly looks like a lot of fun, but one thing I have discovered about these slip and slides is that the ground is usually never too soft. In other words, watch out for the falls. I would imagine that kids could break out into a fight with these particular sticks. I suppose that the penalty box will have to be off the “ice”. I wonder if parents will have to be referee here. If you want to get this, you should be able to get it at the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog for about $49.95. Y

Some of you might remember when we reported on the virtual grocery store at train stations, and here is another advancement in grocery shopping technology with SK Telecom’s “Smart Cart”. The “Smart Cart” has a tablet that can sync with your smartphone, and it knows where you are in the store. Yes, the cart has an app that syncs up with the store’s Wi-Fi network for “real indoor positioning”. As customers walk through the aisles, the tablet will display deals. For example, if you’re going through the cookie aisle, you might see a quick virtual coupon show up for Oreos or Fig Newtons. It will also inform you of updates on new products as well. So far, the SK Telecom “Smart Cart” program is a pilot program in Shanghai’s Lotus Supermarkets. I suppose that if it is successful, it will be adopted by others. So is this what we’re looking at? A future where every shopping cart has a tablet? If they can fit together like regular shopping carts, I don’t see why not. How

Some of you might be thinking: so QuickSmart invented a stroller that turns into a backpack. So what? Clearly, you have never been a parent. When you have a young one who needs a stroller, this young one can suddenly get fussy and want out of the stroller. Then you have to watch the young one and the stroller. However, if you could just put the stroller on your back, it would be much easier. (Of course, the young ones usually want back in the stroller at an inconvenient time, but that is a separate issue that QuickSmart can’t solve.) This also comes in handy when you are taking the stroller through some tough terrain. Say you are at the park, and you want to take a trail. The young one is going to have to do some walking, but the stroller is safely on the back. It weighs about 9 pounds, and I imagine that the parent can access whatever is in the stroller as well. What is really interesting is that the stroller is pretty advanced with a 5-point harness, canopy, pa

The iPhone is one smart device that has its fair share of apps which many folks think it can do just about anything, but what about helping save the earth from the threat of an alien invasion? Sure, we have seen such a scenario unfold many times over in the past on the silver screen, but when you think about it in terms of a mobile perspective, this is where the £19.99 AppToyz Blaster comes in handy. After all, surely even Steve Jobs would not have envisioned that his iPhone would have ended up as a crosshair cum monitor device that could be fitted onto an alien-blasting rifle. The awesome AppToyz Blaster reverses that trend, and will definitely result in one immersive augmented reality environment, as long as you have an iPhone 3GS or better. In some ways, those who have played Time Crisis or Virtua Cop in the arcades would have an easier time learning how to best use the AppToyz Blaster, as you can ‘reload’ the rifle simply by tilting it backwards – but do it quickly b

Love all things LEGO? I am quite sure that you know by now the wonders of LEGO and how it does its job in tickling your imagination. Well, LEGO’s back with a spanking new device for computer geeks – the aptly named LEGO Minifig USB Flash Drive. You would surely place this Minifig in a potentially embarrassing situation, as in order to access data, you will have to pull down his pants. Yes sir, I wonder how many of us have dreamed of going around naked before waking and realizing it was not real. Phew! This LEGO Minifig will hold 2GB of data inside, and he will play nice with both Mac and PC platforms. Accompanied by a keychain attachment, you can more or less carry around another 2GB of storage space with you – all that convenience will cost you $24.99 though. I am just waiting for someone at Hackaday to take this puppy apart and include a higher capacity chip – if only LEGO would come up with various capacity models.

Many laptops and notebooks do not come with quality speakers, they work just as it is right out of the box. Then again, if you want quality audio on the go, what the heck are you doing, relying on the stock built-in speakers? Surely a pair of decent portable speakers ought to do the trick. Well, sometimes you just are on the lookout for something better than the average, and yet it need not occupy the top spot in the technological hierarchy. Guess this is where the Laptop Speaker Bar comes in handy. ThinkGeek’s $59.99 offering is capable of delivering 360-degree sound right from your laptop or notebook without batting an eyelid. It will clip to the top of most laptops and even netbooks, remaining secure there as long as you require some tubthumpin’ audio. Since this is plug and play, the other end of the Laptop Speaker Bar will be connected to your notebook via USB. It has its own travel case, so you need not cram it into your already bulging laptop bag.

V-MODA’s latest foray into the world of headphones would be the True Blood REVAMP metal high-fidelity in-ear headphones, and just what kind of technology does it pack? Well, we will look at it in further detail right after the jump, but before that, we will proceed with further pleasantries concerning the headphones. Boasting silver bullet styling, “supernatural” sound and “immortal” durability, you can bet your bottom (hard earned) dollar that this model is not going to be “just another pair of headphones”. V-MODA lives up to their true music lifestyle brand with the True Blood REVAMP, where it was developed in partnership with HBO to deliver a pulse-pounding synthesis of sound, style and comfort that targets the mobile generation who tend to be far more active at night than during the day. Sounds like it is meant for the party animals at college, no? To explain in further detail, the V-MODA True Blood REVAMP will comprise of aircraft-grade aluminum silver bullet microp

Technology in vehicles have surely come a long way from its early days until now, and we even have some sort of Heads Up Display in BMWs operating for some time already to help the driver keep his or her eyes on the road all the time, while gaining access to vital information at all times without missing a beat. Well, MicroVision might just be in on the next big thing with their PicoP head-up display technology known as PicoHUD, being implemented in test vehicles already. This move, if it gains traction, might just end up with the commercialization of its PicoHUD technology within a mass production car model – perhaps targeted for introduction three years from now? MicroVision’s contract will see the automotive manufacturer and its Tier 1 supplier work together with MicroVision to roll out advanced HUD prototypes which will feature next-generation PicoP display engine that are based on direct green lasers. These prototypes were specially developed for installation in ea

Every once in a while, you will see some concept of a device that completely throws the old model of the device out the window. Case in point, the INgSOC bike concept. As you can see, the traditional diamond frame has been replaced by this small camel’s hump design. By the way, this bike has a removable battery in the back for some electric riding, in case you were tired of pedaling. Speaking of electronics, there is a battery charge indicator located conveniently on the handlebars like a fuel indicator on a car. In case you want to see more “F” than “E” on the indicator, you should know that a certain percentage of the pedaling energy will be charging the battery. Some of you might not like the new aesthetic of this bicycle, but I must admit that it looks kind of weird to me. Right now, the bike exists only in digital form by designers Edward Kim and Benny Cemoli. I sort of which they thought of a better name than INgSOC. I thought that arrangement of letters

I wonder if we are looking at a future where police officers will always use tasers instead of guns. If that is true, then taser technology will have to be much better than they are now. This is probably why the Australian firm Metal Storm and Taser International have created the MAUL. I have no idea what that is an acronym for, but what is more important is what it does: putting out five taser rounds in two seconds. That means you can zap a group of people quite speedily, and it sounds like it lives up to its name. I have no idea if they have eliminated those wires that I see in taser guns, but I have to say that my only experience with tasers come from movies. It reminds me of a science-fiction book that I read once where these soldiers of the future used guns that can shoot a bolt of electricity to stun an opponent. By the way, it was a book that I wrote, and that is all I am going to say about that, at least until my next book comes out. I wonder if I corre

Love all things from the Doctor Who series? Well, if you want to get something that has to do with the series, you won’t fall short when it comes to the Doctor Who Plush TARDIS. Imagine cramming both time and relative dimension in a squishy toy. Currently not available in the market just yet, you can always drop a pre-order for £16.99 a pop. For those who are not in the know, the TARDIS is one of the best science fiction inventions to date thanks to Time Lord technology, where you can transcend both time and space with this puppy. Not only that, there is a working lamp on the plush police box that will emit the unmistakable signature dematerialisation ‘vworp, vworp’ sound….

When it comes to the world of digital cameras, there are plenty of models to choose from where the entry level and mid-range segments are concerned. With that many to choose from, just which model should you part with your money for? Sony might have a new candidate that will suit your needs (and wallet) when it is released later this September for $350, coming in the form of the Sony DSC-TX55 digital camera from the Cyber-shot range. Boasting an exceptionally slim and stylish form factor, the new Sony DSC-TX55 Cyber-shot camera will feature a bunch of new new technologies, where among them include “By Pixel Super Resolution” technology that will boost the camera’s zoom range to a virtual 10x. Of course, many people might think that this would result in a loss of quality, but Sony’s effort would let you zoom in on the action from afar without losing quality even at the image sensor’s maximum resolution (16.2 million pixels). This is also the first camera from the Cyber-s

Are you an avid FPS gamer? For those who are purists, you won’t touch anything that isn’t on a PC as the keyboard and mouse combo does seem to be the best to play with to date, but console gaming has also taken off in a big way, where the FPS genre has also made quite a splash. This paves the way for peripherals to be introduced into this niche market, and Turtle Beach wants to be there to take advantage of the situation with their latest efforts resulting in the Limited Edition Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Co-branded Gaming Headsets that will see action on not only the PC but for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This is a result of their partnership with Activision, where the new range of exclusively licensed, limited edition Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Ear Force headsets have been specially optimized to deliver enhanced experiences. Of course, you can always play other games with this pair of headphones, but always bear in mind just which game i

My wife has an application on her Android phone that allows her to identify star constellations, but this AstroClip iPhone Accessory is taking star gazing on the mobile to a whole new level. The AstroClip is a camera enhancement that allows the user to attach their iPhone to their telescope with 3 adjustable screws. This gives the user the opportunity to take a picture of the new comet that he or she has discovered. I suppose that you will have to decide who is the best person to send the picture to if you find that asteroid that will destroy the world like in Armageddon or Deep Impact . I wonder if Hollywood will do this plot yet again, and whether this device will make a cameo appearance. I’m sure that this device is a must for the telescoping crowd, and I always wondered who finds looking at telescopes interesting. I clearly need to be more intelligent or disciplined to understand the astronomy crowd. Once again, this is one of those Kickstarter projects, whic

Griffin has just announced their latest musical innovation known as the StompBox – as this device is a programmable multi-functional foot controller which enables virtual guitar effects. Just what is the StompBox capable of? For starters, it was specially designed to function with just about any 0.25″ jack including the guitar, bass guitar, electric violin and keyboard. Not only that, StompBox will play nice (pun not intended) with Frontier Design’s iShred LIVE app. When you combine the StompBox and iShred LIVE, you won’t get Captain Planet, but rather, musicians with this unique combo will be able to switch effects with their feet – hence freeing up their hands to make ever more music using other instruments. To know more about the StompBox, why not read on and find out? The StompBox will come packaged with the Griffin GuitarConnect cable, making sure you are able to connect to instruments, headphones and an iOS device – simultaneously, of course. With the iShred LIVE

Heard of Zero1.tv before? Just in case you haven’t, Zero1.tv is actually the leading provider of user interfaces where home entertainment solutions are concerned. Well, the company is pleased to announce their latest release known as VooMote One. The VooMote One will need to be paired to a compatible app (which will be free, of course), where it will then convert your iPhone and/or iPod touch into an universal remote control without breaking a sweat. Of course, the good news does not stop there as the VooMote One is capable of much more than just creating a remote control. The VooMote One will slide nicely into your iPhone as though they were meant for one another. Despite that, your iPhone’s functionality will not be gimped in any way, since you will still retain full control of the iPhone. When connected with a loaded app, your hand will hold a fully functional universal remote that commands instant attention from your TVs, DVD players, stereo systems, and a myriad of c

Are you already the livewire at your own and other peoples’ parties? Well, you might want to spruce things up even more with the Musical Keyboard Tie, don’t you think so? The name of this particular techie piece of accessory says it all – and it would make the perfect gift for the musically inclined. This unique necktie will feature touch sensitive keys that is capable of playing 8 different notes. It fastens around your neck with a rather comfortable cord to boot, and just in case you do not want to “surprise” the office by dozing off with it as a pillow, setting off a cacaphony of notes by accident, there is always the On/Off switch that you can manipulate. The Musical Keyboard Tie is going to cost you $13.98, but no promises that you won’t be the laugh (instead of life) of the party this coming Halloween. Are you game enough to wear something this wacky to the office?

Are you a good pilot? If you want to hone your skills as one, then you would definitely need to obtain a license, but prior to that, attend lessons and be proficient at it. Of course, there are others among us who fly helicopters without a license – simply because we’re using remote controlled helicopters that are “commanded” using I/R (infrared) beams from a controller some distance away. What’s so special about the £69.99 Silverlit I/R Spy Camera Helicopter, you ask? Well, this chopper will let you have an eagle’s eye view of the proceedings below, thanks to a 1.3-megapixel camera that has been integrated into the lightweight body. All you need to do is launch the chopper and watch it’s camera get to work right away the moment you press the corresponding button on the remote controller. The Silverlit I/R Spy Camera Helicopter will come with a bunch of internal gyroscopes to ensure it remains incredibly stable in the air, so that your amateur attempts at being a papparr

Some of you might remember our report on the INgSOC bike, a bicycle that definitely challenges our current diamond frame bike aesthetic. This Frii prototype is doing the same thing. I’m going to assume that that the “ii” combination in “Frii” is pronounced like it is in “Wii”. That would mean that this is pronounced “free”. It is certainly free of normal biking conventions, but that might be a good thing. Designed by the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design student Dror Peleg in Israel, the lightweight and colorful bike is made entirely of plastic, which includes the tires. The plastic tires insure that they never go flat, and it looks like the seat is all plastic too. To me, the Frii looks like what would happen if a bike crashed into a bunch of milk crates. If that happened on a cartoon, that is. I’m not certain what is going on with the pedals, as I don’t see a good place to put your foot. Some people also might think that this bike looks like a bigger version o

Some of you might remember the Tokyo man who built a home in a place made for parking. This man, Etgar Keret, is going to build a house in the Wola district in Warsaw Poland, and this large thin triangle is designed to fit in between two buildings. It’s narrowest point is 28.3 inches, and it has a living room, bedroom, and even some sort of crawlspace/attic. I like how it has the retractable stairway at the front door. Clearly, this Etgar Keret, an Israeli writer, must be some serious claustrophile. I’m not certain whether or not I could live here, as the three-feet living area might get to me. However, if we want to a way to live between the narrowing spaces of two buildings, this is the way to go. This house has a three-dimensional steel frame, and it is covered with plywood and insulation panels with concrete cloth. I’m not certain why the architects chose a triangle instead of a square or rectangle for its initial shape. Even though the triangle model has les

We have reported on a lot of smartphone cases before, and I will have to say that Twelve South’s BookBook is one of the more unique ones. It is interesting to see that BookBook has managed to create a cover for an iPhone 4 that looks like a Bible. Not only that, but it also has some convenient pockets for credit cards and driver’s license. I have a video of it showing someone going on the town with it after the jump. You will notice that there isn’t a hole in the back for a camera lens. The user has to pop it out for picture-taking. Personally, I like the idea of an iPhone case that looks like a Bible, but I wish it didn’t have “Book Book” written on the spine. Also, if you watch the video, you can see that the guy meets a lady with a BookBook. Then, from it it appears, they spend the night together. So, what is this saying, that the BookBook can help you score with chicks? I can just imagine the pick-up line: “Hey, my iPhone case looks like a Bible too! Want

Some of you might be familiar with Kevlar, the material used to make bulletproof vests. This Mithril jacket is made from it. I’m sure some of you might be familiar with Mithril, the fictional armor from The Lord of the Rings which can apparently protect a hobbit, even if he gets impaled from a spear from a cave-troll. This Kevlar Mithril jacket is not made to be that hard, since it is softshell. So this Mithril might not be able to withstand an attack by a gun or a knife, but it can withstand wind, water, and ripping. So I guess we are looking at some material that can last a lifetime. It also looks like its durable design can withstand a lot of cold, and the material adds about 50 percent more weight to this jacket. I suppose that if you are an outdoorsman, this can withstand the most extreme situations. This costs about $518, but if you think of it as a clothing investment for a lifetime, that is only about $5 a year if you live to be one hundred. I’m not cert

It never ceases to amaze me the number of different gadgets and gizmos available for the iPhone, this latest one is the AppGun, touted as an interactive gaming system for your iPhone. To use, your phone is locked into the gun and serves as the view finder, triggers on the gun automagically make your phone shoot. The first game available will use augmented reality, so by using the iPhones camera your souroundings will become the background of the game onto which aliens to shoot will be superimposed. The AppGun is scheduled for release on August 11th and will be available from PrezzyBox in the UK for £19.95.

You’re never too old to enjoy folding up pieces of paper to create your own flying machines to use in airbourne attacks on your office colleagues. However you can now take your paper plane to the next level with the Electric Paper Plane Conversion Kit. First, make your airplane. Oooo, nice one. Then, you just slip your Electric Paper Airplane Conversion Kit propeller-stalk thing onto your paper airplane. It clips to the front, with the prop sticking out the back. Hold the battery pack up to the front and enjoy the sound of the propeller motor winding up. After 20 seconds (and don’t do more, or you’ll blow out the capacitor), you’re fully charged and ready for about a minute and a half of awesome, propeller-driven flight time. Get yerself an Electric Paper Airplane Conversion Kit, and you will be the ruler of the air! Yu can buy the conversion kit from TG for a reasonable $19.99, let the air chaos commence.

I love reporting on these giant aquatic constructions like this. I’m sure that this one would take years to construct. Island Yacht Design imagined this Tropical Mountain Paradise, and it looks like would would happen if you put every episode of Gilligan’s Island and put it on a big ship. It even has the episode where there is an active volcano. Granted, the lava flows out into the lagoon, but it is a creative use of the volcano on the ship. Yes, the ship has a great big artificial volcano on it, which is about the most extravagant as it gets. And I thought those rock-climbing walls on Carnival cruise lines were tacky. Have we actually run out of real islands with volcanoes on them? Right now, this is a concept, for pretty obvious reasons. Perhaps this is where they’ll film the next season of Survivor , with the winning tribe living on those posh huts. That would probably be the last season. I wonder if Island Yacht Design expects private buyers for this particu

They say a picture says a thousand words, right? I honestly can say that ZooGue’s BinderPad case can be summarized quite easily with just about ten words: a way of incorporating an iPad in a three-ring binder. Indeed, it is another iPad sleeve, with the proper holes in the proper places so you can access the controls. Then there are three other holes are to fit in the notebook, and I can summarize this picture with two words: the future. I think we are all wanting to live in a world where tablet PCs are just as good as real paper, at least it seems where technology is headed. I’m not certain whether or not tablet PCs will completely replace paper, but the ZooGue’s BinderPad case prepares us for a world where schoolchildren will work with both paper and tablet PCs. Can you imagine that? Schools and teachers everywhere should definitely be prepared for this tablet PC era of learning. It took years before schools adapted to personal computers. ZooGue is a least st

Since summer is in full swing, it makes perfect sense if your little ones want to get involved in some outdoor activity – which is what you would want them to do anyways, instead of being cooped up in front of the idiot box, video gaming their time away on an activity that promotes dormancy instead of burning those calories outdoors. Water balloon fights can be fun, and the team which can fill up and tie their water balloons fastest should, on paper, win. How do you achieve that then? Trust Thinkgeek to come up with the $9.99 Tie Knot Water Balloon Filler, where it allows you to fill up and tie a water balloon in under half a minute. It might take a while to get the hang of it, but once you’re able to use it even with your eyes closed, your team will definitely appoint you as the official water balloon “manufacturer”. Hopefully you won’t bear the brunt of the attacks from the opposing team after a few rounds!

Take a look at the smartphone in your hand today, and think back of the handset which you used to use over a decade ago. There was no camera obviously, the screen is a one-liner affair (hello, Ericsson and Motorola!) in monochrome glory. Oh yeah, text messaging was considered to be a high end “feature”, and you certainly can’t play your CDs or cassettes on the phone! John’s Phone rolls back the years, as this back-to-basics handset which comes in white, black and gold shades for £59.99, £69.99 and £84.99, respectively, comes with a pen and book for your contacts. Yup, that’s right – it is back to the analog road, and your battery life is conserved to do one thing and just one thing only – make and receive calls. There isn’t even a display on this, so just make sure you dial the right number and you’re good to go. Oh yeah, it comes unlocked and will work with just about any SIM card worldwide. If you want your kids to hate you for life, get them the John’s Phone instead o

Pix-Star is back with a spanking new digital picture frame for the masses, and just before you ask where were you all this while as you never heard of the name “Pix-Star” before, bear in mind that they pioneered the concept of “the frame with an email address”. They’re back with a spanking new model, which is the Pix-Star FotoConnect HD (PXT510WR02) – being the latest member of the Pix-Star FotoConnect family. It will sport a relatively large high-resolution 10.4″ LED LCD display with a 4:3 ratio, so forget about watching those widescreen movies on this. This particular model will sport an 800 x 600 resolution, and as mentioned, the 4:3 aspect ratio isn’t good for movies, but it is perfect for digital camera photos – which was what it was created for in the first place anyways. The FotoConnect HD has been slapped with a $189 price tag, where it is touted to deliver more features compared to its rivals in the market at the same price bracket. Using Wi-Fi connectivity, it

BlueAnt’s signature is their range of wireless devices, more often than not using Bluetooth technology to have them “talk” to other compatible devices while eliminating the presence of wires in your life. Well, perhaps the boffins over at BlueAnt figured out that there is a market for wired devices, which is why the Embrace headset that has already started shipping is the first BlueAnt wired device. First of all, the Embrace stereo headphones are said to reproduce the full audio detail and range faithfully as the artist intended, without having to manipulate or enhance the bass and treble. According to David Hogan, CEO of BlueAnt, “Enhancing our customers’ mobile entertainment and digital lifestyle experience is our highest priority. We are breaking new ground by leveraging BlueAnt’s heritage in voice-centric products to bring the highest audio quality at an affordable price to the world of stereo headphones. Whether at home, at work, at play or in-transit, EMBRACE is the

A while ago, we reported on the rumored new version of the Xbox 360. I think that we all know that a new version is coming, but it wasn’t unveiled at E3 this year. However, a special edition of the Xbox 360 was just unveiled at the next geek-fest after E3, Comic-Con. I guess that’s as good a convention as any to debut the Kinect Star Wars Limited Edition Xbox 360. This special edition bundle comes with a console box that looks like R2-D2, and the controller has a gold look like everyone’s favorite protocol droid, C-3PO. It also comes with a white version of the Kinect, but I don’t see the Star Wars influence there. Oh, and it also comes with the new Star Wars Kinect game, as well as Kinect Adventures. Yes, George Lucas has just made even more money on a Star Wars merchandise. This Xbox has a 320GB hard drive, and it makes some interesting R2-D2 sounds when a game is put in. For those who are really into Star Wars, then there is an Xbox for that. You can pre-ord

As someone who has worked with 3D graphics before, I never really got around to posing human characters. I suppose that I could have done better if I had the QUMA (pronounced Cooma). As you can see, the QUMA is essentially one of those small wooden posing statues from art class with a bunch of sensors on it. It is good for when you want to put your 3D digital characters in positions that are tough to model. Provided they are human. There is a video of it after the jump, and you can see how the digital modeler can create some basic action poses. It looks like the 3D video footage can be turned into 2D, so maybe this will be a tool used for comic books. I wonder if this is how Pixar does their animations, when they are doing movies about humans and not cars. Speaking of which, have you seen the preview for the Pixar film Brave , coming next summer? It looks pretty good, and dramatic as well. It is about time Pixar pulled out of their sequel funk that they have

Some of you might be thinking: so QuickSmart invented a stroller that turns into a backpack. So what? Clearly, you have never been a parent. When you have a young one who needs a stroller, this young one can suddenly get fussy and want out of the stroller. Then you have to watch the young one and the stroller. However, if you could just put the stroller on your back, it would be much easier. (Of course, the young ones usually want back in the stroller at an inconvenient time, but that is a separate issue that QuickSmart can’t solve.) This also comes in handy when you are taking the stroller through some tough terrain. Say you are at the park, and you want to take a trail. The young one is going to have to do some walking, but the stroller is safely on the back. It weighs about 9 pounds, and I imagine that the parent can access whatever is in the stroller as well. What is really interesting is that the stroller is pretty advanced with a 5-point harness, canopy, pa

What some deem to be the world’s thinnest notebook (some Apple haters still claim that this is a netbook, although I am inclined to disagree with that assessment even though I am not an Apple fanboy) has just gotten better – and just in case you were wondering how that is possible, why don’t you keep on reading? I’m sure you might even end up looking forward to get hold of the new MacBook Air eventually. Not only does the updated MacBook Air come with next generation processors, it will also be able to handle high-speed data transmissions thanks to the inclusion of the new Thunderbolt I/O technology, in addition to a backlit keyboard to let you work late into the night without any light in the background, and Mac OS X Lion doing the brunt of the work to keep everything together – software-wise, of course. Since it runs on “the world’s most advanced operating system”, you can be sure that the MacBook Air is no pushover unlike the first generation model. Apple claims that

Do you want to experience “the world’s most advanced operating system”? Well, surely you would have heard Apple “roar” when it came to the release of their latest version of the Mac operating system – OS X Lion. This is the 8th iteration of the operating system, bringing to the table (or rather Mac) over 250 new features. You can easily download it from the Mac App Store for $29.99 a pop, with the physical version coming your way in due time just in case you prefer having something physical in your hand for the amount of money exchanged. Among the features that are found inside OS X Lion would include new Multi-Touch gestures, system-wide support for full screen apps, Mission Control which is an innovative view of everything that runs on your Mac, the Mac App Store that has been built straight into the OS, alongside Launchpad – a new home for all your apps, not to mention an overhauled Mail app. The goodies do not stop there – how about the Resume feature that is smart