OTB Gadget Blog

Archive for the ‘Luxury Gadgets’ Category

Many of us do leave our mobile wall device chargers plugged in round the clock, and even though you don’t have any device connected to that particular charger and the power switch is turned off, said charger will still consume electricity – that is what a study by Ventev Innovations has concluded. This manufacturer of wireless accessories aim to transform ordinary products into extraordinary innovations, and in the never ending battle against unnecessary loss of energy, (aka Vampire Power draw), they have come up with a potential game changer in the form of the EcoCHARGE wall charger – touted to be the most advanced, energy-efficient wall charger on the market.

According to Jeff Lime, vice president of Ventev, “The EcoCHARGE is a game changer in the mobile device charger market – both on the energy conservation and innovation fronts. In addition to being Energy Star certified and exceeding the 5-Star efficiency rating, the EcoCHARGE charges two devices at one time, is packed with user friendly features like our power strip friendly design, and gives our customers the confidence to leave it plugged in by eliminating the Vampire Power draw concern when no device is connected, or when the device is fully charged.”

Apart from that, Ventev Innovations also has some more innovative wireless accessory products that were on parade at CTIA 2010, where among them include the PowerCELL, a rechargeable power supply that enables users to recharge USB-friendly devices while they are on-the-go. The device itself comes in a compact design to make it a snap to stow away on your travels, and can be whipped out for use right away even after being stored for months on end. LED indicator lights are included to show just how much charge is left. As for the AlumiSNAP, this new case construction will follow luxury auto industry trends, combining the use of metal and plastic in a stylish and functional design. It is made out of actual brushed-aluminum and protective polycarbonate. Expect the EcoCHARGE to retail for $29.99, where each purchase comes in the form of either mini USB or micro USB, depending on your device’s needs. An iPhone/iPod version of the EcoCHARGE will be out sometime next month.

Press Release

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Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ EcoCHARGE wall charger unleashed copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Ever tried to drink a beverage while you’re in a moving car? That can be quite a feat to perform without spilling a drop eh, not to mention running the risk of the beverage leaking due to dodgy screwtops and ill-fitting lids, but those could be a thing of the past with the Contigo Autoseal Bottles that has a wide range of 100% leak-proof travel mugs, water bottles and kids’ cups. What makes Contigo Autoseal Bottles so special? Well, they’re BPA-free and utilize the patented Autoseal push ‘n’ sip lid system, which “automatically seals between glugs, making Contigos 100% spill-proof and 100% leak-proof”. To get a sip of your favorite beverage, just press the button to sip then release it to reseal the bottle instantly. Depending on the type of container you use, it will retail anywhere from £16.99 to £24.99.

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Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Contigo Autoseal Bottles copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Picking up the guitar might be easy for most people, but masting it is another issue altogether. Check out the Guitar Scale Magnets which opens up a whole new dimension to owning the guitar instead of all those complex chords making mincemeat out of your fingers. These removable magnetic strips are used as finger placement locators for learning guitar scales, and they will be located on top of the guitar fretboard. Basically, this is a guitar “Cheat Sheet” of sorts that ought to speed you up in terms of learning and locating the right scales, letting you impress the lady of your life by singing under her window with guitar in hand and rose in mouth. Truly, necessity is the mother of all invention.

Product Page

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Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Guitar Scale Magnets copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Since most of us would get a healthy amount of sunlight each day, harnessing the power of the sun’s rays makes perfect sense as it helps keep the environment clean without any additional emissions to further burden our ozone layer. Since having a fountain is always something soothing and nice to have in any home, why not make it run on clean juice – like this Solar Powered Fountain? Setting it up is a snap – just stake the separate solar panel in the ground in order to collect sunlight, and you’ll be able to enjoy the soothing sounds of cascading water in no time.

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Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Solar Powered Fountain copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Bang & Olufsen has announced its latest BeoVision 10-40″ TV to the masses who are living in North America, making it the third video product to be launched by the company this fiscal year, where it is more than capable of presenting a full HD picture thanks to its spanking new LED technology. As with many other Bang & Olufsen electronic appliances that have rolled out in the past, the BeoVision 10-40″ is no different from the rest when it comes to resembling a piece of artwork on the wall, although it is more than capable of revealing an impressive image as well as deliver stunning sound performance despite its relatively modest size.

For those who are interested to check out the BeoVision 10-40″, you will be interested to know that it will be traveling on an U.S. tour for five exclusive press and customer events in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. These events will obviously center on an art theme in order to demonstrate Bang & Olufsen’s continued commitment to design, all the while showcasing the company’s latest product launches for the rest of the 09/10 fiscal year. Chicago will have the honor of kicking off the event, where it will happen at the River East Art Center on March 18th, followed by New York at the Chelsea Art Museum on March 25th, and Los Angeles at the Kopeikin Gallery on April 8th. Apart from that, consecutive events will include San Francisco at Hosfelt Gallery and Washington D.C. at Addison Ripley Fine Art on April 15th. In order to commemorate with the class of the events, they will feature Dom Pérignon as the official champagne sponsor where guests who attend the evening events have a chance to win a bottle of Dom Perignon Vintage 2000 champagne.

Interested? The BeoVision 10 will make its way across all North American showroom locations by the time summer of this year rolls around. You will be able to choose from black, white, silver, dark grey, blue and orange colors for its front grill cover to suit the decor in your place, with prices starting from $6,248 upwards. Definitely not something that you can categorize as an impulse purchase, and you will probably need the approval of your other half before the money is released. If you prefer to fork out $7,675 for this puppy, it will include the wall bracket, Beo4 remote, and upgraded anti-reflective screen with other upgrades being available upon customer request. There will be a 46″ model rolling out later this year as well, although we don’t have word on its release date and pricing just yet.

Press Release

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Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Bang & Olufsen announces BeoVision 10-40″ copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

With so many devices to tote around these days, making sure they have enough juice to run on is essential wherever we go. Unfortunately, that means packing a plethora of chargers to go, which surely goes a long way in adding the amount of weight you have to tote around. The Zipcharge Quick Charger aims to help you out with that, where it comes in the form of a rechargeable power stick that takes a mere 15 minutes of charging to provide your iPod with another 20 hours of audio playback, while you get 10 more hours of talk time. Now, these are all theoretical figures, so you might want to take it with a pinch of salt. How about a 60 second charge that offers 2 hours of playback on your iPod? Armed with a bunch of adaptor tips for virtually any portable gadget out there, the Zipcharge Quick Charger is going for £49.99.

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Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Zipcharge Quick Charger copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Curious Displays from Julia Tsao on Vimeo.

Okay, I usually like to have a still shot of what I’m reporting, but could only find this video. However, a picture wouldn’t say a thousand words on this, and this video speaks volumes.

These are the pixel-bots, which remind me of that supposedly top secret MIT project with the swarming robots that I reported on a while ago. Granted, the individual units here don’t exactly fly, but the designers create what is clearly the next best thing. I’m certain that these Pixel-bots are just as conceptual as that MIT one, but since they made this cool video, you might as well watch it.

As you can see, the group of ants come in from somewhere and gather together on the wall to form a screen. I think it is fitting that the screen is showing Finding Nemo, which depicts a school of fish working together to form shapes, just like the Pixel-bots.

What really makes it weird is how the Pixel-bots branch off to give reminders of who to call, what meetings to attend, and even where the lost keys are. You’ll notice how the screen goes off like puzzle pieces with each task. Then they show the screen splitting into two smaller screens. Um, if it can split into smaller screens, why doesn’t the screen just become smaller when it branches off?

Source

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Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Pixel-bots will rock your world copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

If you don’t have enough remotes to lose as it is, now you can have a kit that’ll give you one more.  Sure, it’ll be helpful so long as you can manage to keep track of the remote.  Otherwise you’ll just have more spots to walk to and push buttons to turn everything off.  Since there are a lot of apartments that lack overhead lighting, this is a quick solution so that you don’t have to go around the room turning off various lamps.

The kit comes with a total of 3 outlets that will accommodate one gadget a piece.  The down side is that they look like they could eat up your outlet space.  On the up side though, it’ll simplify turning off and on electronics.  On the remote you can choose which of the specific outlets to flip off or on.  You can purchase the 3-Pack Wireless Remote Control Outlet Switch for $19.96 through Amazon.

Source: GadgetGrid

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Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Wireless Remote Controlled Outlet copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

If typical fireplaces are too boring for you, then Swedish company Vauni may have something for you.  From wall mounted fireplaces, to rolling fireplaces, they have some very interesting designs to complement any modern living space.

All Vauni fireplaces burn liquid denatured ethanol, which means that no chimney is needed since the combustion emits only small amounts of carbon dioxide and water vapour.  This allows for some very creative installations and designs, such as the Divider, which looks like a glass box full of fire.

More pics after the jump:

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Nothing says luxury like a Bentley logo… so why not have one on your laptop?

The new Bentley Laptop from Ego features all the high end laptop goodies you’d expect from a high end portable, but a look that you certainly won’t find anywhere else.  Each unit is hand made and bound in the same leather used in Bentley seats.  The deflated egg shape is somewhat reminiscent of a purse, which may deter potential male customers.  This “portable” is also much larger than many of the other offerings, but then again… so are Bentley cars.

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