Air Swimmer Remote Control Inflatable Flying Shark

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Alan Shazan

Enjoy hours of fun with your remote control air swimmer.  These cool fun gadgets are very true to life as they smoothly swim around the house.  No matter how small the space you are in, these swimmers make for hours of great indoor activity fun.  Control their movement with their 360 degree turning capacity. The actual shark moves via remote infra-red and has a very flexible fish-tail like movement too!  This fun toy really shows how true to life remote control can be.  The fish body is filled with helium and made from durable nylon and stays inflated for weeks. It makes a great toy for any kid 8+ or even the adult with the kid inside of him/her.  See how good your navigation skills are by getting it to travel from room to room. For a quick preview, watch the YouTube video.

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Heat Sensitive iPhone 4/4S Backing

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Alan Shazan

For anyone who wants to see a cool color change on their iPhone, the heat sensitive iPhone 4/4S Backing will make the perfect gift.  Fitting a self-adhesive laser cut on to the back of the phone causes it to change colors from 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or just below body temperature.  Since it is particularly thin, it can fit comfortably under any bumper one is already using for their phone.  The backing changes color from heat from one’s hands, pocket, etc.  It even changes colors and reveals outlines from its inner components while you’re doing something else with the phone like surfing, listening to music or even on a call.

It really is pretty cool.  Check it out on YouTube to see just how you can impress your friends with your cool new tool and how much you can enjoy it yourself as well.  Colors it goes from are black (cold), red, yellow green and then deep blue (when it’s really hot).

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Legal Drinking and “Driving”?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Alan Shazan

Nevada Legalizes Driverless Cars

You might not have to actually drive your car, but as the “driver” it will still be illegal to drink and drive.  At least for the moment in Nevada where computer-driven cars have been legalized. It is the first state in which people will be able to get into their cars and not actually have to drive them on public roads. Don’t expect to find a bunch of self-driving cars lined up at your car dealership though, but this is the sign of things to come. 

Currently, it is only Google that is marketing driverless cars. But it seems it is only a matter of time before other cars take the driver out of the mix.  Yet this concept is not quite ready to go to market.

“Driver” Benefits

So how, one may ask, does this benefit the driver if one still is not allowed to drink and drive?  According to one report in Geeky Gadgets texting apparently is legal, but drinking is not.  Still, it’s great for people with medical conditions who cannot get a driving license to be able to enjoy this type of independence by using a virtual chauffeur.  Gov. Brian Sandoval test drove a Toyota Prius last year. Human drivers will be able to override the autopilot function (this is probably why they need to be sober while in the car). 

In addition, there must always be two drivers in the car, with one of them being able to take control of the car, should the need arise. In addition, the cars need to have something like an aircraft black box that has the capacity to store the sensor data for at least half a minute before a collision occurs. In addition, ultimately whether or not there is a human driver present, the operator will be held responsible whether or not he or she is actually in the vehicle at the time of something happening.

Car Expenses

It won’t be cheap initially.  It seems that if a company wants to test one of these cars, a bond of between $1-3m (depending on how many cars they are planning to test).  Following the testing, the firms must provide data to the state on what they found.

So it is going to take time but it looks like Nevada is showing the rest of the nation the sign of things to come vis-à-vis mobility.

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Macworld 2012

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Alan Shazan

The first Macworld/iWorld Expo since the passing of Steve Jobs recently took place in San Francisco.  Now in its 27th year, it was held at the Moscone Convention Center.  Apart from being filled with iPhones, iPads, and cool new gadgets and gizmos, the expo ended with something that really went back to basics – a drum circle led by guru Arthur Hull from the Village Music Drum Circles.  He claimed that the circle group was “ancient futurists. We're using this technology to connect with community.  Remember that who's on the other side of this technology has heart, spirit, eyes, fingers, and is sharing.”

But for those who still wanted something new and exciting from the modern technological world, the Alljack diamond-studded speakers were certainly drawing a lot of attention.  Priced at a mere $68,000 and fresh from the CES, they are probably somewhat beyond the financial capacity of most viewers but still, it was a great way for Alljack to show off its skills. And indeed, while the diamonds probably do not make the speakers sound any better or louder, they certainly add to their beauty and glamor!

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The Victorinox SSD

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Alan Shazan

Unveiled at the recent CES, the Victorinox has brought a whole new understanding to Swiss Army Knives.  Not content with just being a really tough, stay-away-from-me knife, it now has 21st century technology embedded into it as well.  The Victorinox SSD has a USB 3.0-capable SSD and capacities of up to 1TB.  So if you need a ton of data for your camping experience, this is the Swiss Army Knife you should be taking along.  For those for whom size is important though, they might not want to purchase it as it is boasting its smallness.

The cool gadget also comes with a 96 x 48 Bi-Stable monochrome graphic display that tracks what it has inside and users can enjoy 220 MB/s read and 150 MB/s write speeds.  For those interested in the device, it can be purchased in either 64, 128 or 256GB sizes.

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Self-Healing iPhone Case

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Alan Shazan

 

Nissan has partnered up with Apple to create a self-healing iPhone case.  What does that mean exactly?  The Scratch Shield iPhone case, when scratched, is able to fix itself with no outside help.  Small scratches can take less than an hour to complete the process, but larger ones might need up to a week.

It’s a nice combination – Nissan and Apple – and clearly it’s gone well.  Nissan is confident that this could be a real commercial success when it arrives in stores later this year.  So rather than think “cars” when we hear the word Nissan, we can now think “iPhone” as well. 

Nissan did not develop this technology alone.  It had some help along the way. The company joined forces with Advanced Softmaterials Inc., and the University of Tokyo.  So how did Nissan come into the equation?  Apparently the paint it uses on some of its cars is being put into the case.  Made from polyroxatane, according to the Nissan website, “when damage occurs to the coating in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react to change back to its original shape and fill the gap – ‘healing’ the blemish.”

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EcoATM

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Alan Shazan

The EcoATM is exactly what it sounds like – an ATM for encouraging and promoting eco-friendly behavior.  In other words, whatever electronic gadget you have that you no longer have any use for, rather than simply trashing it, you put it into an EcoATM, a  photo will be taken, a quote given and thereafter payment.  The quotes given are based on hundreds of electronics-recycling companies and what they would pay for it.  The machine is so technologically-advanced that it can even identify how well your internal devices are performing. 

This is particularly good for those gadgets (especially phones) that are not worth reselling.  Your EcoATM will still accept it and then give you a dollar just because you recycled.  Thereafter it will be melted in an eco-friendly way.

Currently the device is still relatively new and thus there are only around 50 of them that have been put into malls and grocery stores throughout California.  Still, the company that is behind the technology – based in San Diego – plans on installing around 500 nationwide by the end of the year.

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Personal Recorder

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Alan Shazan

For those who want high quality – or even a decent standard – of audio and video recording then the  Olympus LS 100: Smart, 24-Bit Pocket-Sized Recorder is for you.  This device gives you top quality audio recording which is essential for any kind of audio documentation. Bad audio simply cannot be recovered; so use a device that will not let you down. 

It is small enough to hold and has two phantom-powered XLR inputs as well as built-in microphones that are able to capture the scene perfectly. So high quality are the microphones though, that most recordings do not even require the XLR inputs – they are just there for those using plugging-in instruments.  In addition, the microphones can capture audio even in very loud settings without any clipping required.  And unwanted background noises can be minimized with this device too.

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Post-Christmas Wish List?

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Alan Shazan

For those who felt like they didn’t get quite what they wanted over Christmas, there might still be some items worth waiting for in the New Year.  If you are one of those, look out for a good price on the new Apple TV (once it’s out).  This really is worth having for those who feel the need to have it all, or even those who just love to be in control of their TVs and not the other way round.  It was the late Steve Jobs who first introduced the concept of controlling everything on the TV with the Apple TV, so what is the new one set to do? 

The Apple HDTV is said to be a totally independent entity in that it will be a standalone, high definition TV.  Different sizes will be available, and it will integrate with every other Apple device one owns.  It will be controllable through the iPhone and the iPad and maybe even via Siri.

But rumor has it, that before it hits the stores, iCloud access along with Apple TV software needs to be constructed into new iMacs.  Its establishment will also enable Apple to gently make a presence in the whole world of TV.

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Quad Lock Case

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Alan Shazan

Of course, it used to be the case that you couldn’t possibly even exist without an iPhone.  Now it’s gotten even more serious; it seems you have to have quite the right mounting system for the phone as well. One of the latest, most popular ones is the Quad Lock Case, rumored to be the ultimate.  Manufactured by Annex Products, it is an extremely safe way of mounting the phone on pretty much any surface making it very convenient for all iPhone users, irrespective of how it is sitting – vertically or horizontally placed.  This way it is easy to view photos, watch movies and read emails without needing your hands.

The case is also extremely protective and great for everyday use. Slim in design, simple in beauty and extremely practical, the Quad Lock Case Mount also has a holder that is built-in.  So for safety, simplicity, attractiveness and ease this case will make a great Christmas gift to the guy who seems to have way too many gadgets already anyway.

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