Coolest Gadgets

Considering that practically everything has some sort of technological upgrade, I have always wondered why surfboards have never received one. Believe, it has nothing to do with the fact that they get wet. We have waterproof technology now. After all, don’t you think that it would help to have a gyroscope, accelerometer, GPS, and compass on board? This is what Pukas and Tecnalia have done, and there is a video of their creation after the jump if you want to see it in action. Not to be too much of a spoiler, but the video shows the board moving around on the water, and it looks like its movement is being matched on real-time. This is because the team installed the data and gathering electronics like sensors and hardware into the surfboard to transfer it to the computer. I can see how this would easily improve surfing. Imagine being out on the waves, and a computerized voice tells you that a huge wave is coming, and tells you how you should hit it. Man, the Beach Boys never sang about...

Before you start panicking at the sight of this monster, you should know that it is made to shoot only paintballs…for now. This is the Mega Hurtz, and this battle-bot is designed to be piloted by remote control to take out as many paintball baddies as possible. It was designed by Chris Rogers, and it is equipped with video cameras and a remote with an LCD screen. I realize that this photo doesn’t give a good idea of a size of this thing, but it weighs in at 280 lbs. I’m guessing that you’ll need at least a pickup track to haul this guy into battle. Of course, once you let if off the chain, you’ll be able to use the red laser sights, night vision, and shoot opponents at a range of 500 feet. Yes, you would probably dominate driving one of these. Of course, this thing has an Achilles heel. A few precisely aimed paintballs could take out the cameras which would leave the Mega Hurtz blind. The Mega Hurtz is one of those Kickstarter projects. For those who aren’t familiar with Kickstar...

Mention VIA and chances are you will think of motherboards first, with LCD displays in a distance. Well, the company does more than just motherboards as you can tell from their new VID series of digital touchscreen displays that were specially designed for action in a wide range of modern interactive kiosks, POI and POS embedded systems, further extending VIA’s position as a total system and embedded component provider. It will come in ruggedized and open frame configurations to suit a slew of environments, where the VIA VID series will range anywhere from 7 inches all the way to 19 inches, delivering excellent compatibility with VIA embedded systems not to mention added longevity support, complete scalability and a robust feature set ideal for commercial and industrial deployment. The VIA VID Series displays that come in a ruggedized configuration will feature IP65 water resistance compliancy as well as being capable of operating in temperatures of -10°C to 70°, which makes it ide...

HTC has just announced that their latest HTC Merge smartphone will arrive across various North American carriers from the beginning of spring onwards. Just what does the Merge bring to the table? For starters, it will deliver a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard that is powered by the Google Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, coupled with the highly vaunted HTC Sense experience. Apart from that, it brings along with it a large 3.8-inch touchscreen display and a 5-megapixel camera that will result in a complete mobile experience for those who want a complete smartphone experience. Apart from that, the HTC Merge will also be the first CDMA world phone from HTC that is powered by Android. HTC has taken great pains to create unique solutions which will meet the needs of different customers, and the Merge does just that with features such as a full keyboard and global 3G roaming. HTC hopes that the HTC Merge will be able to deliver a reliable mobile experience with the features and function...

Do you happen to do a whole lot of traveling via car or 4WD? Well, if your ride is used to transport a whole lot of stuff, then you might be interested in picking up the Inflatable Roof Rack. This roof rack for your set of wheels is able to inflate within minutes, making it a snap to provide easy transportation of oversized loads. Of course, this looks a whole lot better than the unsightly permanent racks which require tools and time to install and remove, but we suppose there is always a risk of it being punctured – all in the name of convenience. Each of these two heavy-duty rack supports come with inflatable PVC bladders, boasting double straps at all four ends to make sure it remains stable even when tucked into the top of the front and back windows. Sturdy ABS buckles will cinch the straps taut in the car’s interior. The rack inflates thanks to the included 12-volt electric pump, so you need not huff and puff your way through. At $149.95 a pop, it does seem like a pretty decent i...

Urbanears has long been a quality name associated with headphones, and their latest foray into this department has resulted in the Bagis. Pretty weird name, don’t you think so? Well, as Deng Xiaoping of China once said, it doesn’t matter what color the cat is, as long as it catches mice. Same goes for the Bagis, call it what you will, but as long as it performs up to par, that should be more than good enough. The Bagis is a compact version of the Urbanears experience, where it boasts earplug construction for direct sound and efficient noise reduction. Not only that, it feaures a rubber housing alongside a combined fabric and TPE cord that helps eliminate distortions caused by friction. This results in each earpiece snapping together so that you can tote it around your neck when not in use. Retailing for $30 a pop, they will come in bright colors such as cerise, navy, orange, red, lavender, grass, white and black. Press Release

Are you a true blue health buff? Then chances are you will have involved yourself in a variety of sports, where among them include swimming, cycling and running, classic triathlon motions which most people will find comfortable with. Well, Velocomp has decided to help you out in this department with their new iBike Dash Cycling Computer. This is a lightweight wireless bicycle computer system which is capable of turning any iPhone or iPod touch into your own personal fitness trainer – without breaking the bank, of course. Priced at $199, the iBike Dash CC might just kick start an entirely new category of interactive cycling devices, capable of enhancing the cycling experience in a whole lot more intimate, intuitive and fun manner than ever before. Perhaps this might be the way to achieve your New Year’s resolution of keeping slim and trim, never mind that we’re already about to enter March. Each purchase of the iBike Dash Cycling Computer will include a free iPhone/iPod touch Bike Ap...