Gadgets

• BlueLounge Sanctuar Recharger

  April 1st, 2008 at 11:48:04 AM

   

  The BlueLounge Sanctuary is a product that is shaped/styled a lot like a Mac Mini, but its used to store your daily fare. Below the surface of this gadget there are integrated charging tips for charging up to 1500 mobile devices and then a USB port for the fifteen hundred and first one that isn’t covered. This way you don’t have to worry about buying this device and then having to spend another $100 on tips that you are likely to lose, they are all already built in. There is also space enough to hold your spare change, money, wallet, keys, etc. alongside your iPod, cell phone and Bluetooth headset as they charge. Personally I’d love to have one of these as I’m constantly charging 2 mobile phones, a Bluetooth headset, and my iPod, and occasionally a pair of Bluetooth Headphones, and currently I use whatever fitted hat I wore that day to throw it all in, so this would definitely be a more organized method of temporary storage and charging. If you want one they will cost you $129.95 and are available from BlueLounge, FrontGate, and BlueLounge retailers this spring.

   

  

   

   

• USB card reader also has digital clock and thermometer

  February 19th, 2008 at 1:35:43 PM

   

  So the front of this card reader, when closed, shows just the display for the digital clock, the back holds the analog thermometer. Then you slide it open for access to the card reader slots, clock controls, and presumably the USB port for connecting it to your PC. It works with USB 2.0, the slide close design makes it relatively dust proof, and it supports SDHC cards up to 32GB as well. It will work with Windows ME and up as well as Macs. The cards it supports are really handy as it supports all the trans-flash cards without an adapter, those would be the M2, MiniSD, and microSD cards that many mobile phones and PDA’s use. It also supports SD, MMC, RS MMC, MS, MS PRO, MS Duo, and MS PRO Duo. For some strange reason I don’t see CompactFlash on that list which could be a big detractor for this device considering the number of higher-end digital cameras that use CF cards. If you want one, its $15, so, even without the CF reader, the price alone makes it still worth it.

   

  

   

   

• WMF1 Coffee Pad makes just one cup of java

  October 27th, 2007 at 3:57:21 PM

   

  Clearly, making a single cup of coffee isn’t all that new of a concept, but how you do it can win you awards. Such as the 2007 Red Dot award the creators of this coffee maker won. I am not a coffee drinker, I give it a go every so often just in case my tastes might have changed, but they never do, but I am a big fan of highly attractive consumer appliances such as this one. There is a single cup, and it takes a pre-measured 1-cup’s worth of coffee filter. It comes with the mug and you get your choice of one of the 4 accent colors. Now its meant to set on a table, counter, maybe desk, but I think it would look absolutely amazing if someone could figure out how to build it into the wall. Its only available in Europe with their 220-volt plug so you will have to buy a travel adapter, but first you have to come up with the $198 bones to buy one of these things.

   

  

   

   

• ECTACO iTRAVL NTL-9C Talking 2-way Multilingual Language Communicator

  August 31st, 2007 at 5:48:31 PM

   

  Don’t go traveling with out this device. Until they create a real universal translator system like they do on Star Trek (ever wonder how all the aliens can communicate with each other even if they’ve only met for the first time). ECTACO’s iTRAVL NTL-9C is a talking 2-way multilingual language Communicator and an electronic dictionary. The handheld device can translate words and phrases from to Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian Spanish and back. All you have to do is speak and the NTLC-9C will instantly spit back the translation. Running on Windows CE, The device also features a Travel Guide, a CIA World Factbook, travel audio books and an MP3 player. ECTACO’s iTRAVL NTL-9C retails for $499 and comes with a 1GB SD card to get you started. That price isn’t so outrageous, if it will work as advertised. The question is are you brave enough to talk to strangers by whipping out this thing? Not the greatest first impression.

   

  

   

   

• IFO 3000 Levitating Objects for Your Desk

  July 28th, 2007 at 11:38:35 AM

   

  Call it magic, we’ll call it the power of magnetic fields, but the IFO 3000 can make objects float mid-air. A special microprocessor inside the IFO controls the magnetic field used to hold and balance an object so that it levitates. You can choose from a range of accessories to make float in the IFO 3000, including a color changing night light, a picture frame, a globe, a mini cooper, or a LCD Alarm Clock that also displays date and temperature. It’s killing us that they can make something like this, yet it’s been 20 years since Back to the Future was in theaters and we still don’t have hover boards. The IFO 3000 retails for £54.50, with accessories costing about £12.95.

   

  

   

   

   

   

• Mathmos Light Charms silently alerts you of phone calls

  July 14th, 2007 at 7:55:57 PM

   

  Need to keep an eye on your phone calls, but you need people to believe your phone is off? This cute little Lava Lamp charm from Mathmos is the perfect thing for it. Leaving your phone on vibrate still is sometimes too loud, since it leaves you with that obnoxious buzzing sound. Your boss or in my case professors don’t usually like it if you have your cell on during work/class. However, from time to time you really need to know. The cute little Lava Lamp will start flashing to let you know you have a phone call.

   

  

   

   

• Maximum Exposure with Oregon's Scientific UV Sensor

  June 6th, 2007 at 12:05:44 PM

   

  The Sun used to be fun, but now it seems to be a glowing orb of evil, casting down menacing rays of cancer and wrinkled skin. You can fight the light by slathering on sunscreen, of course, but now there’s another weapon at your disposal; Oregon’s Scientific UV Sensor (19.99). The timer recommends exposure time based on how harmful the UV rays are at the moment, along with which kind of skin you have and your sunscreen’s level of SPF. Thus, you’ll never burn again, and feel free to tell the sun, “Not feeling so hot, huh, big guy?”

   

  

   

   

• Pacific Design's iPod and Cell Phone Cases Personalized With Your Name

  March 24th, 2007 at 4:20:12 PM

   

  Pacific Design is currently offering free personalization on many of their ipod and Motorola Razr Cases. We didn’t know that they offered that at all, but now that we do, we are ready to share the nerdiness of printing your name on a cell phone or ipod case. Customizing a case would make a great gift, and it is practical if you lose your gadget. But if you ask us, you have got to be a very confident person to carry around a personalized ipod case.

   

  

   

   

   

   

• MF 1000 from Fox Fury

  March 1st, 2007 at 12:22:38 PM

   

  The MF 1000 from Fox Fury is the brightest LED flashlight on the market. With a brightness of 1000 lumens it can be seen up to two football fields away. The case is shock, fire, and water resistant, so it’ll make it through just about anything. It is powered by 15 lithium CR123 cells. However, if you are using it at full-power, you’ll only get about an hour out of it. If you’re just using the LED’s you can squeeze about 3 hours out of it. It’s a bit salty at $1000, but that’s ok. In a post-apocalyptic world our paper money will be worthless anyway.

   

  

   

   

• Keep an Eye on your Children

  February 6th, 2007 at 12:43:36 PM

   

  Technology has changed the way we do even the simplest of tasks, so why wouldn’t it change the way we take care of our children? For the past twenty years baby monitors have been pretty much the same. Now in a day where we have monitors in our minivans to see the kids in the back it would be logical to take the next step and have cameras for while the baby is sleeping. I know some would think that this is paranoid; however, most of us have more to do than look in on our newborn every two and a half seconds and risk waking them. Not only that, but when they hit two years old and get their big kid bed they really enjoy sneaking out during naptime to play.

   

  

   

   

• Apex USB Battery Charger

  February 2nd, 2007 at 9:20:49 AM

   

  Apex USB Battery Charger helps charge everything. With all of the wireless gadgets we have these days, be it remotes, mice, keyboards, or any number of other things, you’re bound to need a lot of batteries. Now if you’re a smart shopper, you’ve mostly got rechargeable batteries. The question always comes up of where to put the charger. Personally, I like to keep mine by the computer. Both my mouse and keyboard use AA’s so it’s just handy. But, if your office is anything like mine, you’ve also filled up every outlet, and sometimes find yourself unplugging things that you’re not using just to make room for something else.

   

  

   

   

• GE introduces SmartHome Intellicorder

  February 2nd, 2007 at 9:13:26 AM

   

  SmartHome Intellicorder from GE has a little camera that fits right inside your regular peephole so that you can see who is at the door without getting caught peering out. It also has a motion activated device that records small bits of video and audio for while you were out. That way you know who has stopped by and depending on how sensitive it is what types of birds flew past.

   

  

   

   

• Rosendahl Alarm Clock Great Design

  January 25th, 2007 at 12:14:26 PM

   

  We just had to show you this cool looking alarm clock by Rosendahl whose case is made of polycarbonate crystal and features a chic blue backlight for its digital display. Take your pick of a 12-or 24-hour display, load it up with two AA batteries, and impress your friends with this upscale design by Flemming Bo Hansen.

   

  

   

   

• Bill Gates Coming to a Bathroon near you.

  January 17th, 2007 at 10:00:38 PM

   

  Well,  we at dlgear just didnt really know where to file this one.  So we placed it carefully in the "Gadget" Category.

   

   

   

  Microsoft announces at CES 2007 it's new e-Toilet. It surfs the net, monitors your personal hygiene and so much more. (we'll let you think about this for a bit).

   

  Mr Gates says it best:
  
  "Americans spend an average of two weeks per year in the bathroom," Microsoft chairman Bill Gates told a group of IT professionals during an invitation-only party following the conclusion of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "And as part of Microsoft's efforts to continue to make inroads in the home, we fully plan to capitalize on that time."

   

  We at dlgear want to get our hands on this baby.  But being that this is eToilet 2007 with thought we should best wait for the first service pack.  Will it be SP#1 or SP#2?? Or maybe Flush Pack 1... Oh we could have fun with this.
  

  
  
  

• Apple planning on licensing FairPlay to accessory makers

  January 17th, 2007 at 1:36:45 PM

   

  As reported at engadget,  Apple is planning on opening up their liciencing of Fairplay to major accessory makers.  

  
  engadget says:

  
  "There's also the possibility that such functionality could allow device makers to include enhancements to their accessories such as album artwork or other track info built into the codec, but we'll have to wait and see what Apple has to say about this, if anything: they're purported be to be launching the program in the next couple of weeks."

   

   

   

   

• Multi-color LED Flashlight from ThinkGeek.Com

  January 15th, 2007 at 12:21:16 PM

   

  We just had to add this cool looking "Digital Gadget" to our list of articles. We first noticed this LED Flashlight over at GearDiary where they wrote a lenghty review about this product.