Cool Geek Gadgets

Nowadays, it seems like watch brands compete for the most features on a model. One watch can have as many gizmos on the face as there are seconds in one minute. Simplicity will always have a place in my heart, though. But with modern gadgets rolling in, simplicity takes a whole new makeover. Simplicity now means something isn’t overly decorated, but that doesn’t mean that something is simple at all. Take this gadget for example. The Shinsoku looks like an ordinary metal bracelet except it’s not. This is actually — a watch.

Shinsoku is a model by the company famous for out-of-the-box watches, Tokyo Flash. Shinsoku’s industrial design makes it a cut above the mundane rest. The band is made of stainless steel punched with holes. Out of all the holes, 29 contain LEDs of varying colors, which are used to signify time. The sparklies you see on the pic are not mere design (though they do offer aesthetic pleasure) but what actually makes the Shinsoku a watch. The LEDs come in three varieties — All-Green, All-Red and Multi-Color. For the multi-color version, the red LEDs signify the hour, the green LEDs signify minutes in batches of 15 while the yellow LEDs signify each individual minute.

You can still tell the time if you’re using either of the monochromatic LEDs via markings on the bracelet. However, the multi-color version is a bit more user-friendly, don’t you think? The LEDs have a cascade effect every time you query for the time, but a button on the watch skips the display. The Shinsoku can fit wrists up to 8.5 inches in diameter and is available for sale at Tokyoflash for 14,900 yen or $135. Not too bad for a snazzy modern watch. A bit too pricey for me still, but if I do have the money, I’ll grab it up for sure.

From a gadget meant for the lazy, let’s move on to a gadget made for the extreme athlete. Do you play any type of winter sports? Snowboard, perhaps? Ever wished you could listen to your jams while sliding down the snowy slope? Or if you use your iPod, ever wished the wires don’t distract you as much as they do? Well, here’s the answer to your prayers. This is the Bluetooth Sports Helmet by Hammacher Schlemmer. Yep, a Bluetooth HELMET, you read that right. Because geeks come in all forms and sizes, we can’t ignore the sports-minded, right?

Now, this Bluetooth Helmet is designed for the winter sports. What’s better than skiing down the slope banging your head to your jam, not hearing everyone shouting for you to move over because an avalanche is right behind your back?

Frantic Friend: Dude! Hurry up! You’re going to get crushed by a raging avalanche!
You: Huh? Sorry! I can’t hear you, I’m listening to Thriller in full volume!

The outer part of the helmet is made of a durable material called injection-molded ABS. The inner part is foam-lined polycarbonate. There are removable ear pads, vent plugs and an adjustable strap. And of course, there’s the remote transmitter. The remote transmitter could be plugged to your MP3 player, whether it’s an iPod or a lower-end alternative (which is, sadly, the only kind I can afford), and there you have it! Said device could transmit the songs to your helmet via Bluetooth streaming. Can’t get any better than that. At least for now. Makes me wonder what would be invented in the next years to come. I think the user base for this product would be extremely limited, as not everyone’s fond of winter sports. And with a price tag of $299.95 — I don’t think the casual snowboarder or skier would bother.

Source: Hammacher Schlemmer via The Gadgets Weblog

In today’s time, watches have started becoming obsolete, what with other toys obliterating the need for any other product meant to tell the time. Who needs a watch when I have a cellphone? Honestly, I treat my mobile phone as pretty much a number of other things — an alarm clock, a watch, an organizer, etcetera. And sadly, the novelty of watches has began fading away into the background — a thing of the past which the new generation seem to have no need for. But in my humble opinion, the Tokyoflash Oberon could give your modern timepiece manufacturer a run for their money.

A tad eccentric at first look, the Oberon is a modernized timepiece which looks like it landed on earth inside a meteorite straight from outer space. Named after a character in myths and legends, the Oberon’s body or strap is made of black stainless steel. The face of the timepiece boasts white LED display in the form of white dots against a black background. It eerily reminds of the underside of UFO saucers as often featured in the news whenever there’s an alleged UFO sighting. A fantastic concept! And if I may say; a concept very appealing to my geeky taste. I expected no less from a Japanese company.

Reading time using the Oberon might take a while getting used to, what with its unorthodox design. There are three layers of white dots on the screen, each layer indicating a different time factor. The outermost layer of dots indicates the hour. The next layer of white dots is the single minutes. The innermost and third layer indicates the minutes in tens. There’s also an indicator for the date and if its is AM or PM. But don’t stress yourself reading the time in this pic. You can pick up the Oberon from Tokyoflash for USD$136.70.

Source: Techdigest via Gizmodo

There’ll always be a time in one’s life when everything would seem trivial and we’d rather sit in front of the television to watch soap (okay, sports for guys) than do anything else. During your down days, it’s hard even getting up from the couch or to stop binging on food until all the contents of your pantry is wiped out. Am I right? Did I hit the nail on the head? I most probably am, for most people at least. And sad to say, I’m really no different. When I’m feeling down in the dumps, there are times when I wish I could hide in a shell where no one can disturb me. Well, the Maya Single Chair is about as close as I can get to that.

The Maya Single Chair is more than just a chair. It’s tweaked, gadget-ified chair that will knock every lazy person’s boots off. It’s a dream come true for TV fanatics and anyone who wishes to succumb to the world of the lazy every so often. The chair itself is stylized, streamlined and padded — perfect for a whole day’s worth of relaxation. Directly in front of you, attached to the whole thing is a television size 26 or 32 inches, depending upon your preference. And looking like appendages; there are also 60W speakers attached complete with a sub.

The Maya single makes all others pale in comparison. I’ll monitor the product’s development because as it seems, it’s only a concept as of now. Too bad. Though if I might say, anyone who climbs in that chair would seem horribly alone and detached from this world. Still, it might be what some people want — a chance to have some alone time. With the Maya single poising to enter the market, the time of the lazy is nigh!

Sources: Studio AV via T3 via Gizmodo

Why oh why? Why cockroaches, why? Sure they survived billions of years, predating us humans. And in truth, I got a bad feeling they’ll be present in the next stage of the evolution. But just looking at them gives me the horrible creeps. Now scientists from Tsukuba University in Japan are dressing them up for research on espionage and search and rescue. The cockroach you see on the pic has its antennae cut off and replaced with a pulse-emitting electrode. Scientists could then transmit commands to the device attached on the back of the critter and they could make the bug go wherever they want. It won’t be long before they can make cockroaches tap dance — yes, that’s how scary science is. As was said, they’re developing this technology for search and rescue missions though truthfully, I’d rather get buried under an avalanche than be near a cockroach.

Next stop, more cockroaches. This time, scientists of the University Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium headed by Jose Halloy built small robots the size of cockroaches. These small electric bugs look nothing like the real deal (thank god), but they’re able to *influence* real cockroaches. You read that right. In order to emulate the aroma of the real bugs, these robots were doused in appropriate chemicals. Cockroaches which were attracted to the robots were influenced to live in places which are lighter than their usual habitats. The experiment was to determine decision-making for groups of animals. And seeing as these robo-cockroaches were able to influence a clan of their real counterparts, I say the experiment was a success. What it means for the future, we don’t know. But if the technology for controlling minds and behavior develops, I could only be afraid for us humans. How about you?

Source: Engadget (cockroach1|cockroach2)
Second Image Courtesy of ETHZ via Engadget

Remember when you were kids and you were playing house? You most probably have this tiny cooking set, at least for girls. When I played house, I had these miniature silver cooking utensils which I used for tea with my dolls. I didn’t have a tiny tea set like other girls, but we’d pretend we’re really cooking by using leaves and small fruits. I had a friend who took it to the next level and had her mother buy her a big doll house which I always wanted but can’t afford. And I had another friend who had a toy cash register.

Well, all those are things of the past because this new plaything is more than just your average little girl’s toy. In the era of the gadgets, even children’s playthings are technologically advanced. No more playing with leaves and fruits. Enter, the Hello Kitty ATM bank. This pink gadget by Sanrio is in reality, a piggy bank. That’s right. It’s the piggy bank of the modern generation.

This Hello Kitty ATM comes with its own Hello Kitty ATM card. Can’t believe it? Well, I can’t too, the first time I’ve read it. But it’s true! By having these features, the Hello Kitty ATM machine could not only teach children how to save but also teach them about responsibility. With the ATM card in their hands, they could withdraw anytime they want, so you’re putting them into personal finance training early on into their lives.

This cute gadget is priced at $42 in all its Hello Kitty glory. The price is a little steep for a child’s plaything, but in truth, even as an adult, I’d love to get my hands on these. I know, I know, the guys are probably cringing right now. How about you girls, what do you think?

Source: Sanrio via Gizmodiva via Ubergizmo

Ah, don’t we all love PlayStation? Do I hear boos from the Wii and the Xbox crowd? Anyhow, the popularity of the PlayStation console is undeniable and therefore, a post about the newest PlayStation console update also is, just like the last time I posted PlayStation news. Sony, developer of PlayStation — the console which everybody loves (or hates) — has announced two releases for PlayStation before Christmas this year.

First stop, Sony Europe. The Recording Media & Energy from Sony’s European arm has recently announced that PlayStation fans would be getting some PSP Christmas treat this year. Sony Europe has decided to promote their new merchandise — Memory Stick Pro Duo, gaming edition. In order to do so, they did a bit of the ol’ school bundled merchandise technique. Hence, the 8GB memory stick by MagicGate comes with the Smash Court Tennis 3 PlayStation Portable game. The memory stick provides the much needed memory capacity which could store multimedia files such as more music, videos and photos. I don’t know about you but I’d love to get my hands on that memory stick.

On another note, Sony will also be releasing another version of PS2! Talk about making money. Knowing that it’ll take a while before the market carries enough PS3 games for the complete satisfaction of gamers, they released a slimmer and sleeker version of the PS2 which no gaming geek in the world could resist. The slimmer PlayStation is reportedly under 1.6 pounds. Officially named SCPH-90000, the console’s components are smaller than the original PS2’s hence it has been made slimmer. Apparently, Sony wants to cash in on the selling point that the slimmer PlayStation will make it “easier to carry if you want to take it to a friend’s house.” Hah. Easier for you to make more money that is. The slimmer PS2 would be released in Japan on November 22 for $140 and to the rest of the world next year, retailing above $100.

Source: Mobilewhack (Slim PS2 | PSP Bundle)

 
A picture of KOBIE

A picture of RABIE

Isaac Asimov pictured robots (a term which he, himself, coined) in the far future to be so humanlike, they could even develop emotions. In the past, there have been many speculations on when robotics would achieve the seemingly believable fantasy science fiction has been portraying robots to be since time immemorial. I can’t count the number of Hollywood movies which showed robots to feel acutely as humans do: I Robot, Bicentennial Man, Star Wars, etcetera. In reality, we’re still at the stage of discovering the potential of robotics (of course, that’s discounting what robotics researchers are not telling people). However, the time of robots with emotions might not be as far off as we had imagined.

Enter KOBIE and RABIE — the two robots from Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute or ETRI. Both KOBIE and RABIE are robots which could express seven different types of emotions including happiness, sadness and surprise among others. The two robots have been launched by ETRI under the Active URC Server Framework Project.

KOBIE is an adorable little koala robot. KOBIE’s core technology was developed and based on the H/W module, which is basically a low-cost technology. KOBIE was designed to be a cuddly plaything for people with needs for any type of psychological comfort. KOBIE is armed with sensors so it could recognize touch and express appropriate emotions. On the other hand, RABIE was made to interact with children and be a plaything of sorts, like a network robot. Its big eyes are used as screens to display emoticons and it also has the capability to video record its surroundings and transmit a copy of the video to a mobile phone.

RABIE and KOBIE are merely glimpses of what robotics could be like in the (hopefully not so far-off) future. What will happen with this technology — for now, we could only speculate.

Source: Akihabara News via Ubergizmo

Look at the picture. Surprised? Before you start voicing your concerns or marking yourself as delirious, rest assured you didn’t bump your head and started dreaming of Gulliver’s Travels. This picture was taken in real life and no, you’re not in the fictional island of Lilliput, so don’t get too excited! This miniature, Lilliputian vacuum cleaner is REAL merchandise being sold to the public, believe it or not. So if you have a predilection for uber cute miniature items, this USB Desk Vacuum by Whatever Works will definitely knock your socks off!

For one, it’s not just ANY miniature vacuum cleaner — it’s a miniature RETRO vaccum cleaner. It doesn’t look like those new-ish vacuum cleaners you see today which I dislike because of their lack of classic beauty. This looks like something you saw your mother using ten years ago and I love it! Other than its good looks, this mini vacuum cleaner works just like it normal-sized counterpart. It has a 45-inch cord, so you can use it to clean hard-to-reach places, not just on your desk, but anywhere. Not only does it boast a long cord, it can also be flattened while you clean under tight places just like a normal vacuum cleaner. Clearly, with its functionalities and usability being apparent, this vacuum cleaner is not just for your Barbie dolls — you can truly and effectively use it.

This tiny household item is made of beige and brown plastic material. It has USB connectivity which means you can plug it in your computer or your laptop and you could vacuum away. It retails for $19.99 which, I think, is well worth the price. Imagine, for $19.99, not only can you ensure you’ll have a clean desk; you’ll also have a new toy. Now, next time you decide to play house with your dolls, they’ll have a real, working vacuum cleaner. How cool is that?

Source: Whatever works via coolgadgets via cutiegadgets

I imagine the first thing I’d think (if I didn’t know any better) when I see these items in real life would be if they were in the Harry Potter realm. Granted they’re not some freak items dropped by UFOs from outer space, I’d think these were Wingardium Leviosa-d by JK Rowling’s famous fictional wizard. BUT these aren’t mere figments of my imagination (or yours), these are real, existent, and yes, they’re available for purchase. These levitating items were designed and created by Crealev, a company based in The Netherlands. Just look at these stuff. The floating lamp, I could imagine (no, not exactly), but a floating Buddha?! Astounding. Not only that, Crealev is also reportedly designing a levitating mini stealth fighter (for what?!).

I imagine having a few of these in your house would turn your crib into something worthy of a science-fiction fantasy (Star Trek, anyone?). But how does this technology work, exactly? Well, unfortunately, Crealev is keeping mum about it and truth is that I have no idea how it happens. Crealev only hinted that the broader the base, the higher the levitation height is. Hmm…air pressure? Anyone hazard to take a guess? Anyhow, these items only require around 0.5 to 0.8 watts — not much, so you’d really have to wonder what technology is behind this.

At the same time, it’s exciting to think what would stem from the levitation technology. What else would be floating off the ground in the years to come? Tables? Beds? Everything else? I just went over to the Crealev web site and surfed over to the designer, Angela Jansen’s web site and saw a floating chalice! Beside the lamp on her homepage was written, “Fragile Floating Object.” Classic. Back to topic, whatever happens remains to be seen. For now, you can impress both science geeks and mystics alike because levitating house fixtures aren’t exactly a dime a dozen.

Sources: Techchee | Gadgets Weblog