Coolest Gadgets

Eton has a lot of solar-powered products such as emergency gadgets like the Raptor and the Scorpion. Their most recent product, the Mobius, takes a page from the Mophie Juice Pack playbook as it is a portable charger specifically designed for the iPhone 4. The Juice Pack is a battery that doubles as an iPhone case, and the Mobius is essentially the same thing, but solar-powered. According to the official Press Release, one hour of sun on the solar cells is sufficient enough for 25 minutes of talk time, 20 minutes of internet use, 35 minutes of video playback, and two hours of audio playback. In addition the 1800 mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery pack, this extra battery power will be held until the user needs it. All it takes is a flip of a switch, and some extra juice gets squeezed to an iPhone 4. The unit also has a micro USB port which can also charge the unit with the included micro-USB cable, and it will even sync with iTunes. I am not certain how durable th

Most dogs don’t take to a leash too kindly the first time you slip it onto them – the secret is to let them know that you’re the pack leader, and they’re supposed to follow a step behind you whenever the both of you take a walk. Any tugging or pulling is a no-no, but what happens when you think that you’ve exhausted all avenues, including those pronged collars that might seem a tad painful to some, and nothing has worked so far? Perhaps this $39.95 Tug-Preventing Dog Trainer might be able to help. This ultrasonic device is meant to help you train your four legged friend walk without tugging your arm off, especially if it is a large and active breed. You will attach the Tug-Preventing Dog Trainer between the leash and collar, and whenever Fido decides to tug, the built-in speaker will emit a harmless ultrasonic tone which irritates your furball without being audible to you. That’ll teach him to walk in step! The more the dog tugs, the louder the ultrasonic tone becomes,

Hmmm, I would have thought that with summer blockbusters well behind us now, no one would want to continue flogging the Transformers movie franchise with tie-in products. Apparently I’m wrong, or someone over at Razer must have gotten their calendars all mixed up. Razer has teamed up with Hasbro to commemorate the release of the third instalment of the Transformers movie on DVD and Blu-ray releases by offering a collector’s edition peripheral line. Folks who have been eyeing a mouse from Razer all this while but never really got to it might be pleased to know that the Razer DeathAdder mouse will now come in four special versions that feature Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Shockwave, where all four legends are crafted and transmuted to deliver unparalleled gaming performance with a Transformers slant. What’s the whole point of a mouse if there is no proper surface for it to glide across? This is where Razer’s got your back as well, with the dual-sided Razer Ve

It is difficult to review the iKurv from Speakal without comparing it to the PURE Contour iPod/iPhone dock that I reviewed the other day. The iKurv certainly has the most odd of shapes. The arch with the speakers on each side can create 20 watts of great sound, and the sight of the blue light makes it look very beautiful. In addition to the iPod/iPhone, you can connect your TV, Gaming Console, or MP3 to it as well. I will have to say that when I put my iPhone in the dock, the sound was very loud, and that was at the lowest level. I used the included 3.5mm headphone jack and plugged in my Droid X phone, and I found the sound was quite lower. I guess it is truly optimized for the iPod/iPhone. I was not surprised that it comes with a wireless remote. Not only does it control the play/pause and other track related to audio, but the user can adjust the ambient light as well. If you are interested in the iKurv, you can get it on the Speakal web site for an introductor

We have smart TVs, smart fridges, smartphones, and now in the world of athletics, smart boots. Football boots to be specific, as adidas, the sponsor of some of the more illustrious names in world football like Lionel Messi, has rolled out the miCoach-powered adizero f50 intelligent football boot. The 2011 model will deliver smart technology to the field of play, where it transforms the boot into the the supreme digital training tool. How does it do that? Well, you are able to track and upload performance data such as speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels and time, where all these details will be able to be analyzed by a computer software. Data transfer is done wirelessly where it is made possible thanks to the f50′s cavity in the outsole unit that holds the revolutionary miCoach SPEED_CELL as well as enough on-board memory to stash away all the important performance data for future analysis. I wonder how this is going to aff

Considering that I have a laptop that is over five years old, I still have need of a memory card reader. My wife has a newer laptop, and the SD card reader is located right in front. I take it memory card readers are now a standard feature of laptops. If you are in the need of a card reader, I would suggest this particular SD/MMC/MicroSD reader from IOGEAR. It has two memory card slots that support a variety of formats including T-Flash, MicroSD, MicroSDHC, MicroXC, SD, SDHC, MiniSD, MMC Plus, RS-MMC, and MMC Mobile. I realize that you can only see one card slot in the image, but rest assured, there is a smaller one underneath. Not only that, this card reader is for a good cause. For every pink card reader sold between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012, IOGEAR is donating $1 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. If you are interested in hearing more about the Susan G. Komen organization, you should go here. If you are looking to purchase this IOGEAR Susan G. Kome

If you’re one of the minority who subscribes to Virgin Mobile USA, then you might be interested to know that the carrier has yet another QWERTY keyboard smartphone that runs on the Android operating system coming your way – in the form of the LG Optimus Slider. Yes sir, this smartphone with a slide-out keyboard would make it perfect for those who absolutely loathe virtual keyboards even until today, simply because it is far easier to type with a physical keyboard, and the kind of tactile feedback that you receive makes it all the more satisfying. It doesn’t matter if you are a heavy social networker or just have tons of emails and text messages to sift through each day – the LG Optimus Slider will make short work of any messages that you intend to write out. It will arrive Stateside from October 17th onwards for $199.99 a pop at online sources, while those who prefer brick-and-mortar stores can look forward to the handset in Best Buy and RadioShack on October 31st (hello

We’ve seen a couple of devices from the SpyNet range before, and obviously this one is more of a defensive alarm than anything else. The name of the $39.99 SpyNet Laser Trip Wire gives the game away, where this trip wire will let you re-enact scenes from various films that offer nail biting moments, including Catherine Zeta Jones’ fine derriere snaking herself through a maze of trip wires in the movie ‘Entrapment’. The SpyNet Laser Trip Wire set will compries of a quartet of devices to make up your very own defensive office security system, and no longer will people be able to “borrow” your stationery on a permanent basis. Each Laser Unit sends out a class 1 laser, and when connected to the Receiver Unit which holds the alarm as well, a beam of light will be created. Should the light beam (or shall we say ‘laser’ for a more serious effect) be disturbed or crossed in any way, the alarm will go off.

Even though you might be best buddies for many decades already, human relationships can be pretty fragile at times – and a game of golf might end up in fistcuffs when some cheating has been discovered, or in accounting circles, ‘creative adjustments’ in the scorecard. What better way to prevent a slip of the pencil than with modern technology? I guess this is where the £14.99 PGA Tour Electronic Golf Scorecard would definitely come in handy. No longer do you need to remember to sharpen those pencils and remember to bring enough paper the next time you’re going to spend some time on the greens, all you need is the PGA Tour Electronic Golf Scorecard and you’re good to go. Just make sure there is enough juice remaining to keep it powered, where said device is able to score up to 4 players simultaneously. It clips on easily to your golf bag, and with a LCD display that makes it easy to tell the score at a glance, a sliding cover ensures it remains safe from any splashes, knoc

ConvenientPower lights up CEATEC 2011 in Japan with what they dub to be the world’s first Qi tilted wireless charging platform, which is extremely special in a sense since it boasts an in-use-while-charging design as well as functionality for Qi compliant smartphones. According to Bas Fransen, Chief Marketing Officer of ConvenientPower, “Customers are continually looking for wireless charging solutions which not only charge their smartphones, but also allow them to continue using their smartphones while charging. ConvenientPower’s Qi tilted wireless charger slants at a vertical diagonal for intuitive, convenient video conferencing in portrait mode or watching video clips, movies in landscape mode while charging at the same time. This is a first in Qi wireless charging.” Just what will the world’s first Qi tilted wireless charger feature? For starters, it will come with ConvenientPower’s cutting-edge hybrid Litz PCB coil array technology, which recently picked up approva

What does a labrador retriever and the Kodak Playfull video camera have in common? Well, they both love the water, although I would say that the labrador is more waterproof in a sense since it can remain in there far longer than the Playfull. We won’t talk about dogs today, but rather, Kodak’s latest version of their video camera which is meant to immortalize your tender and precious moments in a digital format, regardless of how wet it is around you. The Kodak Playfull video camera is not very large, but comfortably small enough so that it can find its way into to fit easily in a pocket or small purse. While you will not be able to capture precious moments in Full HD quality, at least it offers the bare minimum for today’s standard which is 720p quality videos, but it would have been nicer to see Full HD resolution supported instead in this day and age. Perhaps in the next version, Kodak? Just because it is waterproof does not mean it is super tough like a Sonim smart

There are many ways to kill bacteria – those microscopic life forms that sometimes do bring harm to us in their very own special way, which explains why we have different kinds of defenses against these in the form of disinfectants, antibiotics and other kinds of chemical warfare. Well, here is a little something that might just aid us in our fight against these nigh invisible opponents – a new kind of cloth developed that is self-cleaning, where it kills bacteria in the process whenever it is exposed to sunlight. Yes sir, you no longer need to worry too much about the kind of laundry powder to kill bacteria the next time you put your washing machine through another cycle as chemists at the University of California at Davis might have discovered a compound known as 2-AQC, where it will be incorporated into cotton fabrics. Whenever said infused fabrics are exposed to light, it ends up with a reaction, producing oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide that will make short

App-based accessories might just be the next big thing – case in point, the Atari Arcade that is powered by Duo from Discovery Bay Games. This particular device was specially designed to play nice with Apple’s two tablets – the iPad and its successor. Coming in a totally retro form factor, your hands might relive those teenage moments in dinghy looking arcades when it grasps the analog joystick, while four control buttons are at your disposal to enjoy the “Atari’s Greatest Hits” app in a mobile arcade-like experience. Currently, the “Atari’s Greatest Hits” app has already seen more than three million downloads to date over at the App Store, and with peripherals like this, I’d say the number is going to experience another curve in growth. Some of the 100 Atari classics include Asteroids, Centipede and Missile Command, but since you need not worry about wireless connections, the hard-wired dock ensures every movement of the analog joystick and button press is accurately tr

I have to admit that I didn’t see the point of iHome’s iDM15 Rechargeable Portable Bluetooth Speakers at first. After all, there are bigger speakers that you can buy on the market, perhaps at a cheaper price. I paired these speakers with my smartphone, and I found that the phone’s external speakers could not produce the sound of the iDM15 with its Music 3D sound enhancement. In other words, the iDM15 is just enough to give you that extra “umph” of sound that can’t be done by a laptop or phone. The iDM15 are Bluetooth wireless with a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The user has the option of plugging in their phone or compatible device with a headphone jack and go wired. What really makes this product unique is that the user can take phone calls at the touch of a button with SoundClear Voice echo cancellation. Let’s see other external speakers, wired or wireless, do that! These speakers also come with a protective case that you can see underneath the iPad in th

The Orb Music Player has realized that people aren’t using their stereo anymore. After all, most people have their music on their iPods, smartphones, and computers. What am I going to play on my stereo, radio and CDs? Fortunately, the Orb Music Player will allow the user to play their music library on their computer or smartphone. All it takes is a spare audio input on the stereo and a place to plug the Orb in. Set up takes a lot of time, but if I am singing your tune, and you want that old stereo to be singing your tunes, this could be your device. Setting up is all about downloading the software from the company site on your PC and Mac. You will then be prompted to connect the Orb Music Player via USB. Once it downloads everything it needs onto the Orb from your computer, you can set up your home network with your iPod, iPad, or Android smartphone as a wireless remote for your tunes. You can even set up several Orbs throughout the house. In short, your hous

It would appear that the mobile life and Lego have reached an intersection with Life of George. The game is designed for iDevices, and it involves pattern recognition. In this case, the pattern is some flat structure made with Lego, and the user/player must replicate the same structure using the 144 Lego bricks. When the user believes that he or she has matched it perfectly, then the Lego project gets put on the dotted mat and photographed. It has better be a perfect match to win the round! There are about 12 levels with 10 photos each, and there is even a two-player mode. There is also user based content options available too. So if you want something you have created to be in the game, just take a shot of it on the dotted mat. By the way, somehow this dotted map acts as a greenscreen. Don’t ask me how that works, but you can see how it works in the video after the jump. Life with George is available right now, for about $30 with the mat and the bricks. The

I think there is a clear mistake in naming the Pantech Hotshot just that, although I am not quite sure just which party is to be blamed. After all, Verizon Wireless is just a carrier, and will they have enough clout to call whatever they’re offering to the masses as they like? Still, we are in the business of bringing you news, and for folks whose contracts are about to expire and want to get a decent entry-level smartphone device, I guess the Pantech Hotshot would fit the bill rather nicely after all. Available online from October 6th onwards (that is this Thursday just in case your Calendar app is all wonky), the Hotshot will do what a basic smartphone is supposed o – and do it well. With a 3.2″ LCD touchscreen display, navigating through the bunch of home screens, apps, emails, browser windows and text messages would be a breeze and not be taxing on your eyes, although those who are used to far beefier (in terms of specifications) handsets from the likes of Samsung an

Yes, that is Dwight Schrute from television’s The Office in the photo, and the triangular shaped tablet is not a real product. I have to admit that when I saw this, I admired the writer’s ability to think outside the box when it comes to satirizing tablet technology. I can totally see a company trying a triangular shaped tablet, just because no other tablet company is doing it. Sure, the base of it is good enough for a full sized keyboard, but what you type out will probably look like an eye doctor’s chart. Perhaps we should consider other shapes for tablets, as we are stuck in this rectangular rut. Perhaps a perfect square? Better yet, round. I’m sure that either shape would really shake up app developers. You can see a video of the scene after the jump, and I wonder why Jim wants 5. Perhaps he wants to link them together to form an incomplete hexagon, or something. Dwight mentions on the video that it has “50L” of memory without the booster. I don’t know h

There never was a doubt as to when the digital still camera was going to cross paths with that of the camcorder family, and JVC might have pulled off a masterstroke with their latest model – the JVC GC-PX10. This is a video/still hybrid camera that is touted to deliver professional level performance as well as features, letting you choose between capturing the fleeting moment in 12-megapixel stills, or if you so desire the wonders of Full HD video, then 36Mbps progressive Full HD video and super-slow motion are also options for you. Apart from that, JVC ensures no matter how much of a beginner you are in photography, you will still be able to capture the perfect moment with 60 shots per second still image shooting, 300 frames-per-second video recording for high-quality super-slow motion as well as the ability to pick out pristine still images from video if the situation calls for something like that – especially when you realized that your photographer has missed out a c

In video games, winning is often about doing the quick action with as few buttons as possible. Players have to learn to change weapons in an instant, or they will be shot by opposing weapons. Datel plans on releasing a new controller called the Datel TurboFire 360 for the Xbox 360, which features a built-in LCD screen right on it. I don’t think it is a touchscreen, but it will allow the user to access menus which could make gaming fa ster. My Source claims that the addition of an LCD screen could give gamers an unfair advantage in party shooter games, and I will have to agree. Unless the player with the Datel can’t figure it out yet, and is slower on the draw as a result. If he or she is pretty fast, I am certain the other players will eventually gang up on him or her. A controller with a screen? Didn’t the Sega Dreamcast try that? That was the company’s final console. Uh-oh, doesn’t the Wii U have a screen on its controller? I wonder if we will get the same