Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Rollerphone projects the time on the wrist, and a pull-out transparent screen for phone calls
Windows 8 to have Picture Passwords?
Armstar BodyGuard is a Gauntlet for your iPhone
CooTek TouchPal Tablet Keyboard app announced
Google and NORAD help to track Santa
Path Illuminating Umbrella

Rollerphone projects the time on the wrist, and a pull-out transparent screen for phone calls

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 06:30 AM PST

This is the Rollerphone, and it is currently a concept watch/telephone, but can do two things which are quite revolutionary.

The first is the pull-out screen which is good for making and taking phone calls. You can see in the image here that it is located on the back of the watch, and the user puts it to their ear to conveniently speak and listen.

As for where the front of the watch, the time is projected on the user’s wrist with a tiny projector. I have an image of that after the jump if you want to see how that works.

I suppose that selling a phone or a watch is difficult, as most features have been done before, but either of the two that I would have described would revolutionize either industry.

Especially the pull-out transparent screen. I’ve heard that technology has been under development by many big electronics companies for quite some time. If so, then I would imagine that the rollout screen has some other uses than just a phone dialer.

Yes, once those rollout display screens get developed, then we will see a lot of technology that will be similar to the Rollerphone. Of course, this is really just a concept, at least for now.

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Rollerphone projects the time on the wrist, and a pull-out transparent screen for phone calls copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Windows 8 to have Picture Passwords?

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 06:15 AM PST

For those that are really looking forward to Windows 8, you may have a very interesting feature for identification.

This possible feature is “picture passwords”, which involves the user selecting an image of their choice and then drawing on it with selective gestures, like the dot, circle, and line that you see in the image to the upper left. Basically, the lines, circles, and taps help to unlock Windows just like a typewritten password or thumbprint scan.

Of course, there are doubts as to whether this is a good method for keeping data secure. After all, someone from another table at the coffee house could see you drawing on your picture and note the gestures for a future “data-heist”.

According to my Source, these Picture Passwords are not going to be the only way that Microsoft is going to protect your data, but it is an additional layer of security for authentication. I’m guessing that the gestures on a picture can’t be too exact, or you might have a difficult job unlocking it every time.

I would love to see this type of authentication on a mobile phone. I have the option on my phone to connect the dots to unlock my phone, why not use a picture and do some interesting gestures?

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ Windows 8 to have Picture Passwords? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Armstar BodyGuard is a Gauntlet for your iPhone

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST

In case you are wondering, this is not where Batman stashes his iPhone when he is patrolling the streets of Gotham. I mean, do you see any armblades there?

No, this is Armstar’s BodyGuard 9XI-HD01, and it is made from cotton, Kevlar, as well as Nomex, a flame resistant fiber. It is made with a slot for housing your iPhone, and it is also made for charging your iPhone as well.

Other features on this gauntlet include a 720p video camera, a flashlight, as well as a 300,000-volt arc device for stunning people. There is also a rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack for recharging other electronic devices.

The ArmStar BodyGuard isn’t meant to be a superhero iPhone accessory, but an idea of Dave Brown who created this “in response to a string of mountain lion attacks near his Southern California home”.

I wonder if we will be seeing more devices like these for smartphones. In all honesty, if I was a professional bodyguard and I saw an ArmStar Bodyguard, I would be on alert. I would probably be on my shoulder radio saying: “We have a Batman arm here”. You can forget about boarding an airplane with this.

The ArmStar BodyGuard 9XI-HD01 can be purchased in quantities of ten or more, but I don’t have any word on a price.

Source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Armstar BodyGuard is a Gauntlet for your iPhone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

CooTek TouchPal Tablet Keyboard app announced

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 05:30 AM PST

CooTek has just announced their TouchPal Tablet Keyboard app which will play nice with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and what makes this special is it is the only Android tablet keyboard app which will rely on gestures in order to split and resize the keyboard. Not only that, you will be able to enjoy swiping and typing input methods.

With the plethora of Android-powered tablets having rolled out recently, as more and more people take on these devices, it goes without saying that some of them would have concerns about the overall typing experience. Well, CooTek’s TouchPal makes sense of it all, where it will address the concerns by offering a powerful soft keyboard that was specially designed for tablets. If you happen to have unwrapped an Android-powered tablet (from any manufacturer) under the Christmas tree this year, then you might want to make a beeline and download this free app so that your tablet typing experience is a snap. For those who are interested, there is a a video of the TouchPal Tablet Keyboard app in action after the jump.

Just what are the key features? For starters, there is the Sliding and Typing input, allowing you to type the way you want, and when you want. With the TouchPal Tablet Keyboard delivering both swiping and typing input methods, you are able to kick off a sentence through the simple act of swiping and finish by typing. As to how you opt to enter the text, that is entirely up to you.

There is also the option to use gestures so that you can resize and split the keyboard, where the clever and innovative use of simple swiping gestures will be able to split the keyboard in landscape mode. Fancy to resize the keyboard in any orientation? That is not a problem, and at the end of the day you end up with a perfectly customized experience. Being different from other swiping applications that requires you to swipe through each and every letter to input a word, there is also a predictive sliding for faster input. The app also does the job for you by delivering words choices that are based on the letters selected and the context of the
To make sure it retains its smart vibes, CooTek also threw in mixed language detection which will automatically detect languages so that there is no need to switch around constantly, never mind if you are used to mixing up multiple languages in a sentence.

Press Release

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ CooTek TouchPal Tablet Keyboard app announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Google and NORAD help to track Santa

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST

I know, I know, the entire excitement of Christmas is already over, and chances are you might be in bed right now or having a nightcap (depending on the time zone), or just having woken up if you happen to live across the pond. Another day to reflect on the year, as well as to think about what the next year will bring. Well, have you ever wondered how you are going to tell or explain to your kids the manner where Santa actually managed to fulfill his title of being the busiest man in the North Pole by going across the globe to drop off presents in just about most houses?

Well, Google as well as NORAD have come together to add a modern, technological twist to the Santa-tracking experience. This is a rather long standing tradition though, as NORAD started tracking Santa on Christmas Eve all the way back in 1955. This happened when a Sears and Roebuck ad promoted the Talk-to-Santa hotline which sent callers to CONAD (NORAD's predecessor) commander-in-chief's operations hotline. There was the initial shock from a small boy who asked if the commander was Santa Claus, where Colonel Harry Shoup decided to ask his team to check their radar for signs of Santa's sleigh – and hence, giving birth to this tradition.

OVer the years, the Santa tracking tradition has actually changed to stay up with the times. Now, it is a wonder that we are able to track Santa using Google Earth and Google Maps over at the NORAD Santa site. Of course, being a highly mobile society this year, you can also do so on your mobile phone. Ever since December 24th kicked off yesterday, you were able to track Santa’s position at this website, www.noradsanta.org, starting from the North Pole to homes worldwide.

NORAD’s technology is fast enough to keep tabs on Santa's sleigh, regardless of how fast he whips those reindeer into shape. Of course, you are no longer able to check out where Santa is since he has continued his flight, but chances are he has kicked back his boots and is relaxing in his La-Z-Boy chair as Mrs. Claus comforts him and gives him a back massage.

Press Release

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Google and NORAD help to track Santa copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Path Illuminating Umbrella

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 04:30 AM PST

We have seen an LED Umbrella in the past that offers some sense of illumination whenever you take that long and lonely walk back home, with all the streetlights seemingly working against your fears as they remain turned off for no particular reason. Well, that is a rather general shower of light, and as we all know, it is always better to remain focused in life – hence the $39.95 Path Illuminating Umbrella.

This umbrella will feature a flashlight that has been specially built into the handle, where it will do its job well to illuminate paths during dark, rainy strolls. At the flashlight’s end, it can articulate up to 180º (maximum 90º perpendicular to the umbrella’s fiberglass shaft), making sure your next step is always a safe one, thanks to a trio of bright white LEDs that deliver 100 lumens of brightness. Boasting corrosion-resistant fiberglass ribs and speaders that will help support its 60″ nylon gust-resistant canopy, it comes with a manual open/close mechanism and pinchless runner. Powered by a trio of AAA batteries, they offer up to 48 hours of non-stop lighting action.