Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

60beat GamePad developed for the iPad
In some alternate universe, this is the iPhone
Giant Spider Web created from packing tape and plastic tubes
China rolls out first 3D TV channel
Samsung DV300F DualView digital camera
The Burn Machine helps you shed those pounds

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 06:30 AM PST

I think we all know what is missing from iPad games, a button-munching controller. Yeah, how else can iPad gaming compete with the Xbox and Playstation if it can’t reproduce the experience that gamers are so used to?

I don’t know if you are like me, but I can’t stand to do controls on the touchscreen. I recently downloaded some nineties-era X-men game and found that moving around was difficult. Those control touchpads in the corner take a lot of getting used to.

Fortunately, there is the 60beat GamePad, which connects to iPads and iPhones via headphone jack. Somehow, signals are sent to through the 4-foot cable and the iPad user can play any games that are compatible. This makes iPad gaming a lot like console gaming.

In all honesty, I am surprised that Apple hasn’t come out with some official gaming controller for the iPad. Maybe they will totally optimize the iPad 3 for games, and then have an official iPad joystick. I wonder if I am giving Apple any smart ideas for making more money.

Perhaps the 60beat should come up with a way to make a Wiimote for the iPad. Then again, that Wii U looks like a tablet, and we will probably never see the Wiimote again after its release.

Other features of the 60beat includes an ergonomic design, dual joysticks, D-Pad, and 10 action buttons including 2 for joysticks. You should be able to purchase the 60beat iPad Gaming Accessory for about $49.99 on this website.

Source

Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ 60beat GamePad developed for the iPad copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

In some alternate universe, this is the iPhone

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 06:15 AM PST

Now that we have just started the new year, people tend to get nostalgic over the last year. While I was thinking about the passing of Steve Jobs, I started thinking about what might have been.

Sure, Jobs gave us the iPhone, but this Apple prototype dates a quarter-century before its unveiling. In 1983, a designer named Hartmut Esslinger created this landline phone with a touchscreen.

Esslinger’s creation was never put into production, but he did design several other products that were a hit for Apple. After the jump, I am going to describe an alternate history where the landline iPhone became the ultimate gadget.

Yes, in this 1984, Apple went against big brother by empowering their users to write checks online, like you see in this image. As a result, the Silicon Bank founded all electronic banking, and Apple became even more rich.

In 1985, Apple creates “apps”. As a result, users have touchscreen phone access to the King’s Quest series and other popular games like The Oregon Trail. Nintendo never gets the NES off the ground as users play interactive multiplayer games on their landline iPhones.

I would imagine that texting would have become huge before 1990, and ringtones would have been on landline phones before they ever hit the mobile market. Now I wonder when the mobile phone revolution would have hit in this Fringe-like alternate universe.

Source

Coolest Gadgets UK – For all your UK centric tech and gadget news.
[ In some alternate universe, this is the iPhone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Giant Spider Web created from packing tape and plastic tubes

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST

In case you were worried that Shelob, the giant terrifying spider from The Lord of the Rings, was in this art installation, allow me to relieve your arachnophobia.

What you are seeing here is an artificially made web that is not made for the next Spider-man movie (coming this summer). I’m not certain what the webs from the Spider-man films are made of, but this web is made from long, hollow tubes and packing tape.

The purpose of this faux spider web is to create a gigantic bounce house or jungle gym for adults. There is a video after the jump if you want to see how it gets created, and the web uses 117,000 feet of tape that weighs in at 100 pounds.

Yes, I would be happy to play on this fun web, and I am an adult. I have always wondered how it feels to lounge around on a giant web like Peter Parker. There must be a group of adults that would love to play on this together. I wonder if someone would think this is weird.

I’m not certain if there is any market for giant spider webs, unless someone is making a Spider-man theme park. Maybe I should try and build one of these at home, but I hope I don’t screw up the design and fall through this web.

Source

Conference Calendar – The global conference and expo finder.
[ Giant Spider Web created from packing tape and plastic tubes copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

China rolls out first 3D TV channel

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 05:30 AM PST

Hmmm, being in a communist country like China seems to be a whole lot more fun than spending winter at a place known as Hell on Earth, otherwise called North Korea. Well, that is considering the fact that capitalism has already crept into China, and its bustling cities like Shanghai and Beijing have certainly attracted a whole lot of expatriates, while tourism and easy access to the country have also made China the second largest economy in the world (with its economic engine running mainly on cheap labor and highly affordable exported goods, of course). Add a 3D TV channel to the list of China’s attractions while you’re at it, too.

According to China’s regulator, 3D TV is capable of delivering significant revenue into the coffers of the industry in due time, but I guess a whole lot of groundwork still needs to be done beforehand. Firstly, you will need to make sure that your people are financially well off enough to be able to afford 3D TVs in their living rooms, and for the country that still has plenty of folks getting around on bicycles and motorcycles, that can be quite a thorn in the flesh – but hopefully the overall economic situation will continue to improve in due time so that this might eventually end up as the world’s largest 3D TV market. Who knows, right?

Currently, the 3D TV channel is available on a trial basis, and is operated by China Central Television (CCTV) and five local stations. It is hoped that it will be formally launched over the upcoming Chinese New Year that is happening three weeks from now. Those who own 3D TV sets and high definition digital TV set-top boxes are able to take advantage of this new service, and China is certainly not lagging at all on the home entertainment front, as they play catch up to Japan, South Korea and India while the rest of the world will need to get their 3D fix either at the cinema or from 3D Blu-ray discs, and not terrestrial broadcasting.

Even better is the fact that this is a free-to-air channel, where it will initially broadcast 4.5 hours of 3D programming daily that will be repeated twice. It would be interesting to see how much the industry makes of China’s half billion TV sets were to be ushered out and replaced by 3D models.

Source

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ China rolls out first 3D TV channel copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Samsung DV300F DualView digital camera

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 05:00 AM PST

Samsung has certainly carved quite a comfortable, secure niche for itself in the world of consumer electronics, delivering quality products at prices that you would not shy away from even in times of economic crisis. Their reach is certainly far and wide, and one of the company’s more innovative releases recently would be the Samsung DV300F, where it is part of the DualView family that further innovates this hugely popular category.

Touted to carry the latest in Dual LCD technology, while sporting Wi-Fi connectivity, it will allow you to shoot and share your favorite memories in a jiffy. The Samsung DV300F will continue from where its predecessors left off, using a 1.5" front facing LCD screen which makes sure you know what you are shooting even in an extremely challenging situation. Not only that, you can keep a bored child happy with the Child Mode that will display an animation, so that the little ones remain focused for you to capture that picture, or should I say, pixel perfect shot.

Not only that, the DV300F is also the first DualView model that will come with Wi-Fi connectivity. The camera's integrated Wi-Fi connectivity will allow you to email your images or even to upload them to your favorite social network sites, such as Facebook, Picasa, Flickr and YouTube. All images saved will be stored on a microSD memory card, where you can then transfer it over to a desktop machine without the need for any pesky cables, thanks to the Auto PC Backup function. With the introduction of Cloud services, including Samsung's AllShare Play and Microsoft SkyDrive, users can store and share their precious pictures from virtually anywhere as long as there is a decent Internet connection.

The Samsung DV300F is also quite the looker, sporting sophisticated design and premium build quality, as it comes in a range of shimmering metallic colors to choose from such as mock black, silver, navy and red. With 16-megapixels of image quality, a 5x optical zoom and 25mm wide-angle lens, this is one casual camera for the newbie or for folks who simply just want a fancy digital camera, without having to go through the lengths of shooting manually or selecting various shooting options. Auto ought to get the job done most of the time.

Press Release

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool

[ Samsung DV300F DualView digital camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The Burn Machine helps you shed those pounds

Posted: 03 Jan 2012 04:30 AM PST

The recent spate of holidays might have actually caused you to gain a couple more pounds around the waist, and since you have started off your New Year with a bang, resolutely making sure you are able to shed all those love handles around your waist, here is a little bit of outside help that you might want to consider. I am talking about the £119.99 Burn Machine, where you need not head down to the gym and give the speed bag a good walloping. Rather, this 12lb contraption is capable of letting you replicate all the different actions performed by boxers on speed bags, right in the comfort of your own home. Nice to know you need not smell Good Guy Greg’s sweat anymore, right?

The Burn Machine has already caused a storm in the fitness world, where it will be able to deliver an amazing workout from the core outwards thanks to a range of exercises. You will hold it away from your body, where you mimic a speedball routine (use your imagination here) by performing a hand-bike-like circular motion, as you go ahead to spin it via its rotating grips. You can also opt to walk, march or perform mobile lunges while circulating The Burn Machine, regardless of height or angle to make sure those calories are burnt away – for good.