Cool toys and Gadgets

Section: Peripherals, Storage

With the advances in technology meaning things are smaller and more valuable people are always looking for new ways to stop things from getting lost, and stop them from getting nicked.  Memory sticks certainly fall into this category: it is now far too easy to lose your new tiny memory stick, and if you are that sort of slimy person, it is also very easy to take them off your desk and copy all your valuable documents.  Bring in the CurrentKey: the height of USB stick disguise and poor puns.

The main idea behind these USB sticks is “acts” like coins, sitting nice and safe in the coin section of your wallet out of harms way and unlikely to get lost (as you always know where it is).  But if you were to twist it the snazzy rotation system brings out a USB stick capable of holding up to 8GB of work, music or whatever else you keep on your memory stick.

Originally a European company LaCie are now one of the world market leaders for computer peripherals who specialize in practical solutions for both the general public and professionals.  This is obviously aimed more at the public market (no where near geeky enough for a computer technician) along with many of their brightly colored not-easily-lost USB “solutions”.

This really is a neat product: designed to look like Euro coins (as the image suggests) they will fit in very well in any purse with the bronze (4GB) and silver (8GB) versions. T he only problem?  If you are in a rush you may end up giving someone one of these instead of a coin, which will be a fairly expensive mistake (admittedly not one your are likely to make in America) but the nice little USB logo and number indicating capacity is a bit of a give-away.

It is also not the sort of thing that a passing opportunist is going to take; I know that USB thefts are not very common, but I have heard of them and if you store valuable data (such as credit card details) there is definitely a motive for people to steal them.  However I doubt that anyone will steal a small foreign coin that is on your desk, so perhaps this is an advantage.

The only problem is the price, in a day where you can get 4Gb for around $8 the $20 and $30 price tags seem a little high, but I suppose that is the price for style and practicality, something that this little number has in buckets.  The pun (CurrentKey - Currency) isn’t that bad either so overall this is a solid piece of consumer orientated design, something we all want to see.

Source [UberGizmo]

Full Story » | Written by Christian Milsom for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

If your current phone just can’t handle the extreme conditions such as dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, low pressure and solar radiation, all you need is a rugged phone. Are you on the hunt for a phone that could take a beating? Here we present the 10 best rugged mobile phones of all time. Check the out after the jump…

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Disk fragmentation leads to system slowdowns, PC crashes, slow startup and shutdown and sometimes to system failures. Auslogics Disk Defrag is designed for fast optimization of today´s modern hard disks. (more…)

Check out this silicon iPhone case for the sight-impaired, via Core77:

Portugal-based designer Bruno Fosi has developed a prototype iPhone case that would enable the sight-impaired to use the device. The silicon case has debossed, tactile logos, icons and characters, yet is still thin enough for the screen to register touches. Used in conjunction with text-to-speech features, it opens up a world of possibilities for those without sight. Not to mention the blind could eke out some extra battery life by turning down the backlight.

The JukeBrick is a concept that aims to revolutionize portable music, you know should it ever actually exist. It’s a portable audio player, it also doubles as a performer as well. You see, when JukeBricks get together, they each become individual performers, and you are can listen to individual instruments or even vocals since sound sources can be identified via Music 2.0 technology.

Connecting two or more JukeBricks will extend the screen size, add speakers and you have 3-way or even 4-way channel surround sound speakers. It may just take this kind of radical thinking to put the iPod in it’s place one day.

For now however, it sadly remains just a concept.

[Yanko]

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Mobile

Let’s get this out of the way right up front: this phone runs on something not invented yet.  In the future, let’s assume we can make anything clear or invisible.  Very well, with that caveat out of the way, let’s take a look at the future of phones: GlassyGlassy.

As you can see, or see-through, this phone is conceived in a variety of form factors, each as elegant as the next.  The impressive concepts are created by Mac Funamizu.  Sadly, Mr. Funamizu doesn’t believe we’ll discover a new form factor as he iterates his design in the usual suspects: flip, slider and candy bar.  Certainly we can come up with something new, yes?

Presumably finger prints, grease and grime will not be an issue either as a new film will prevent these from smudging the view.  In the concept, the clear panels are touch sensitive and allow for an almost unlimited array of inputs and screen configurations.  This things just oozes style.

Is clear the next frontier for phones?  Will we tire of black and silver?  If only the future was so clear…

Read: [Yanko Design] via [JoshSpear]

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

If you were a big fan of Charlie Brown growing up or just have a fondness for all things Snoopy, or maybe your kid does, you’ll be delighted to hear Kokuyo has just announced three new items just in time for Christmas: the Snoopy Mouse, Snoopy Mouse Pad and Four Port USB Hub.

Coming on December 22, Peanuts lovers will be able to get their hands on these three new items. The Snoopy Four-Port USB Hub is small and is available in two colors and shows off Snoopy and Woodstock. The Snoopy Mouse, on the other hand, is available in blue and features an optical 800 dpi resolution.

Lastly, the Snoopy Mouse pad is available in a vibrant pink and sports an ergonomic design with a gel pad for a comfortable experience for your wrists and an anti-skid surface on the back. You can get all three starting on December 22 with the Mouse costing $16.50, the Mouse Pad costing $16.99 and the USB Port costing nearly $25.

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Section: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Web, Web Apps, Websites

Genius.  Why trust the ability of the pizza franchise worker to jot down your order correctly when you can simply SMS your order in and be assured you get mushrooms and meatballs, not anchovies and steak tartar?  Apparently one out of five of us already are and this has forced Papa Johns, pizza purveyor, to start to focus on their new mobile site.

The mobile site is now optimized for the iPhone (boy, what isn’t these days?) and brings pizza, coupons, and directions all in one spot.  Papa John says $1 million in sales has come from mobile devices so far so there is considerable excitement from the Papa Johns team:

“As these devices are getting more powerful browsers, we’re able to take advantage and offer upgraded features and better designs,” said Richard Wise, vice president of operations at wiseOutlook, the company that developed Papa John’s mobile ordering service.

Convenience is big in the pizza business and this trend shows a good application of our devices and technology to advance it even more.

Source [Intomobile]

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Most PC desktop/notebook now comes equipped with a HDMI output for external display or digital flat screen (unless you have Mac), there are alternate solutions if your equipment lacks the output in question, you can get a DVI-HDMI adaptor or try out Atlona’s AT-HDPix Universal USB to HDMI convertor.

Compatible with both PC and Mac platform; the Atlona Technologies’ HDPiX is designed to add a HDMI port to any computer, provides a quick and dirty HDMI connectivity to view content on any HDTV at a maximum resolution of 1600×1200 PC signal or HD content at 720P.

The unit has a unique design to preserve full bandwidth of its USB input for HD Video content. Audio input is separated from video path from a 3.5-millimeter stereo input jack rather than through the USB port. The HDPiX is slated to ship before Christmas with a MSRP of $179.

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It is no secret that many companies are working to reveal their own version of Android phone. However, one Aussie company beats everyone with their Kogan Agora phone, making it the second official Android phone. The phone will come in two variants – Basic and Pro which more or less looks like a design mixture of Samsung’s Blackjack and Motorola Q.

Anyways, Kogan is now taking up pre-orders but the phone will be shipped at the end of January next year. Good thing about this phone is that it will be sold unlocked and international buyers could also pre-order it albeit coughing up extra for the shipping charges.

Kogan Agora will sell for AU$299 (US$193) and Agora Pro for AU$399 (US$257).

Full Specifications:

Operating System: Android
Google Mobile Functions: Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Calendar
Display: 2.5-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 262K QVGA (320 X 240 pixel) resolution
Device Control: 5-Way Central Navigation Key
Keyboard: QWERTY keyboard
Keyboard backlighting
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
Audio: Built-in microphone and speaker, Headphone output
Ring tone formats: MIDI, MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, PCM
Video: MPEG2 H263, H264, MPEG4, AVI
Mail attachment formats support: JPEG,GIF,WBMP,MIDI,AMR,MP3,WAV
Dimensions (HxWxD): 108 mm x 64 mm x 14.8 mm
Weight: 130g
Battery: 1300 mAh Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Talk Time: Up to 400 minutes
Standby Time: Up to 300 hours
Processor: 624 MHz
Memory: 256 MB On-board + 128 MB Flash
microSD card expansion slot
Network: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Pro Features:
GPS
Wi-Fi b/g
2 megapixel camera

Kogan Agora Basic
Kogan Agora Pro

[Via DVICE]