OTB Gadget Blog

Archive for March, 2010

Flexible 5.0 Megapixel USB PC Camera Webcam with Microphone

• Sturdy, flexible neck allows for multiple viewing angles
• Built-in microphone
• 5.0 MP still image capture
• Plug & Play – No software or drivers to install
• Compatible with Windows XP / Vista / 7

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PalmOne Tungsten T3 Handheld

• Palm’s new breakthrough Stretch Display
• Device slides open to reveal a 320×480 display with 50% more viewing area
• Ultra-fast 400MHz Intel XScale processor and 64 MB of internal memory
• Wirelessly access email, dial phone numbers, send text messages and connect to the Internet
• Handheld device; Palm Desktop software, including Documents To Go and Adobe Acrobat for Palm OS

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Who would have thought that something as cute as a regular manga doll can actually be transformed into a robot? That’s exactly what an enterprising person did, using old, unwanted manga dolls to stuf a controller board behind her thick mane. The doll itself measures no more than 4″ in height, so there isn’t enough space to throw in more cool functions and features, so don’t expect it to go about serving you at your beck and call. Some servos have also been included into the chassis – or should we say, doll’s body, to have it gain some degree of movement. Nice to see what dedication can result in, eh?

Source: Hobby Media (Italian)

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Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Manga doll turned into robot copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Do you have trouble waking up each morning? We’ve seen our fair share of alarm clocks in the past, and some of them require extremely creative methods to help you get out of bed, but ThinkGeek has a more cerebral manner in the form of the Alien Hunt Alarm Clock. This model will see your typical green alien merge from an egg shell whenever it is time to get up, complete with menacing flashing red eyes and evil laughter. You will need to locate your trusty laser pistol (which comes included with each $18.99 purchase), and zap the alien to keep it quiet – which ThinkGeek hopes that using those motor skills of yours will help kickstart your body’s internal engine to shuffle into the shower right after that. Guess it works best from a distance, eh?

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Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Alien Hunt Alarm Clock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We know that April Fool’s Day is just less than a week away, so why not be well prepared with the TV Poltergeist Phantom Prank Device from ThinkGeek? For $12.99, you can always drive the resident couch potato mad and perhaps even have him/her call in an exorcist. Why do we say so? This unique device is capable of turning the TV on and off at completely random intervals every 5 to 20 minutes round the clock, for weeks on end as long as the trio of AA batteries powering it isn’t dead. Of course, you must have a pretty cluttered living room for this to work simply because it will need to have its LED aimed at the TV directly all the time, so a neat, well kept house would make it easier for the culprit to be identified.

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Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ TV Poltergeist Phantom Prank Device copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Toshiba’s latest UX600 LED TV is now available Stateside, where this LCD TV offers breakthrough picture quality with advanced interactive features for non-stop entertainment. Thanks to the UX600’s NET TV capabilities, you will be able to experience a whole new level of on-demand entertainment, where NET TV will comprise of a wide variety of applications that broaden the definition of “TV Content”, while enriching the overall user experience. Imagine enjoying VUDU Movies that are offered with true 1080p HD, 5.1 surround sound, with a library of more than 3,000 HD movies to choose from anytime you want. Apart from that, NET TV also streams audio applications including Pandora with the ability to create personalized “Channels” of the music users enjoy. Not only that, you can also keep in touch while watching TV via social networking applications including Facebook and Twitter. That is not the end of the story either, since video and photo services such as YouTube, Flickr and Picasa Web Albums are also accessible, letting you share content with friends and family wherever they live. Want to keep track of the latest happenings around the world? Fret not – there are always news services which include the New York Times, AP, National Weather and more, where you can obtain up to the minute information about the world. With a customizable “Ticker” located at the bottom of the display, you can always keep up to date with information from Twitter, News, Weather, or Stocks, automatically.

To make sure that your Toshiba UX600 LED TV will be able to access the Internet straight away, it comes equipped with its own Wi-Fi adapter, letting it deliver the latest content right out-of-the-box. The included WPA Wi-Fi adapter does away with the need to purchase additional accessories, and makes the entire set-up process a whole lot easier. Depending on the size of your living room, you can choose from 40″, 46″ and 55″ sizes, where all of them will boast rather similar features including a whopping 3,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a CrystalCoat high contrast screen coating, AutoView that analyzes ambient room light and the incoming video signal to make the necessary changes accordingly, and DynaLight which will adjust the backlight intensity based on the incoming video signal on the fly. With the Pixel Pure 5G engine running in the background, you can be sure of enjoying superior processing for optimal quality of high definition and standard definition images.

You will be able to pick up the 40UX600, 46UX600 and 55UX600 for $1,399.99, $1,699.99 and $2,499.99, respectively, from this month onwards. Sounds pretty reasonable to us – what do you think? Internet-connected TVs are the way of the future, no?

Press Release

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Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Toshiba UX600 LED TV recently announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Remember the Kempler & Strauss W Phonewatch that stirred quite a reaction from the audience at CES earlier this year? Well, the company knows that the economy is slowly but surely picking up worldwide, and signs of a recovery are imminent. This has led them to position themselves to ride the bullish wave when it arrives – by rolling out a Midas-inspired version of the said device. Basically, we’re talking about the very same W Phonewatch albeit being covered with a layer of gold this time round, making it the most luxurious smallest GSM quad-band cellphone dress watch in the world today. You can be sure that prices of this will only go up as time passes by since there will only be a thousand of these limited edition puppies to go around worldwide as it ships in Q3 later this year, offering consumers the convenience and functionality of a cell phone in a wearable fashionable wristwatch form factor.

As for those who want something less flamboyant than gold, you will be pleased to know that the long-awaited W PhoneWatch will also come in a range of stylish colors, which can be purchased via the company website at www.kemplerusa.com. First announced last year, the W Phonewatch will ship with The Communicator, an innovative Bluetooth headset which enables you to carry out hands free conversations without missing a beat, while listening to MP3 files in stereo format. Kempler & Strauss has thrown in a robust set of features which include a GSM quad-band phone, wrist watch, touchscreen interface, still and video cameras, MP3 player, and useful applications including a calendar, address book and the ability to easily compose and send text messages. Each purchase will be accompanied by a 2GB microSD memory card which holds a handful of feature enhancements including the ability to synchronize contacts with Outlook, not to mention the ability of the W PhoneWatch to double up as a webcam and USB mass storage device.

Other features include support for GSM networks at 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz bands, a 1.5″ TFT LCD micro-touch touchscreen display at 128 x 128 resolution and the ability to display 260,000 colors, with the entire watch measuring a mere 57mm x 45mm x 18mm and tipping the scales at all of 2.5 ounces. It can be charged via USB or the included battery charger, where you get up to 150 minutes talk time and up to 150 minutes of music playback. Expect the vanilla version of the W Phonewatch to retail for $199, with the gold one to cost considerably more.

Press Release

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Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Kempler & Strauss gold W Phonewatch copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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 ]

We’ve featured a number of Macbook decals here on Geeky Gadgets from Ironman, to Steve Jobs. However this clever and original decal commisioned by Gary Cruz is now available to buy on Etsy from seller SusieAutomatic.

Gary and his wife are always mixing their MacBook’s up and wanted a way to tell them apart. After scouring Etsy Gary still couldn’t find a suitable decal for their needs and commissioned Katie to create the design of the vinyl diecut sticker.

If you fancy your own Canon Mode Dial Macbook decal they are available to purchase from Etsyfor $15.

Via Gizmodo

Looking for a tiny high-capacity USB drive? Well Corsair have just released their new Voyager Mini drives in capacities from 4GB, 16GB upto 32GB of storage.

In traditional Voyager style they are all covered with an ergonomic rubberised case making them easy to grip. However rather than the traditional usable end cap the new Voyager Mini drives have a retractable connector.

The Voyager Mini drives will start at $15 for the 4Gb version and $50 for the 16GB drive and $100 for the 32GB model. All available from the Corsair website with all specifications and further details.

Via Oh Gizmo