Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Nokia Lumia 800 software update boosts battery
Zombies, Run! – and Don’t Look Back!
Take photos with your fingers thanks to the Ubi-Camera
Angry Birds Action Game
X-Gaming USB Joystick

Nokia Lumia 800 software update boosts battery

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 06:30 AM PDT

The Nokia Lumia 800 is a Windows Phone-powered smartphone from Nokia that has been for nearly half a year already, and it has received some rave reviews to boot. I guess this is one area where Nokia got it right, by working together with Microsoft using their new mobile operating system. Well, we do know that even the best hardware can only go so far, unless it is augmented using the right kind of software. Nokia knows this, too, and they have just announced the third software update within the smartphone’s relatively recent existence in the market.

This particular software update will bring the Lumia 800 to version 1600.2487.8107.12070, where you are able to enjoy significant improvements in battery performance and power management. Originally scheduled to arrive on April 18th, it is a pleasant surprise to see the folks over at Nokia bring the date forward – and now you can even enjoy this new software update before the month is over, for those who live in certain countries only, of course, since this update does not span the entire globe.

The latest update for the Nokia Lumia 800 is queued up over the course of 4 weeks, from today onwards for the first batch, to be followed by subsequent phased updates that will happen on 4, 11 and 18 April. Just in case you feel maligned that Nokia did not list your country or operator in either the first or second batch, bear in mind that Nokia has not forgotten about you, but have a very good reason for doing so. First of all, each software update for Windows Phone needs to go through Zune (Mac users will know it as the Windows Phone 7 Connector).

Not only that, the new software update needs to go through the customary testing and approval process from each and every operator, and the variant for your network will be slotted into a batch the moment it is ripe and ready. Just what does this software update deliver? For starters, it will enhance the battery life of the Nokia Lumia 800, with some folks touting anywhere betweeen 25 to 30 hours of juice while maintaining their daily usage pattern, in addition to better voice quality and soft keys that illuminate at all brightness levels settings.

Press Release

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[ Nokia Lumia 800 software update boosts battery copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Zombies, Run! – and Don’t Look Back!

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 06:29 AM PDT

We don’t often write about apps. Its only when a particular app enhances your exercise routine, tells a compelling story and involves brain hungry zombies that the story begs to be told. While in search of an engaging exercise app, I came across Zombies, Run! and we haven’t stopped talking about zombies ever since.

Zombies, Run! is a fitness application and its not your ordinary post apocalypse kill-the-zombies game. In Zombies, Run! The undead are on the prowl, and out to get YOU. The story begins as you bring in supplies to a safe zone in a zombie infested area, a helicopter crash leaves you stranded outside the compound, but in radio contact with the base, they warn you of the zombies approaching, you can hear them groaning, and yes, you want to run like hell. So lace up your sneakers and get moving! GPS lets you keep track of distance traveled, and a timer lets you know how fast you’re going.

As you run, the story continues and you are entertained and engaged for your entire run. If brain hungry zombies chasing you is not motivation enough, as you run you are also completing missions and picking up supplies along the way. These supplies help you enhance the compound and complete your missions.

The game can be used with GPS, but for treadmill runs you can opt to use your accelerometer instead. The company has kept good on their promises to add additional missions and seem to be constantly improving on an already fun and entertaining fitness concept.

I decided to test the application at night, and that did add to the scare factor. I have always said that I hated to exercise and that the only time you would find me running is if someone was chasing me with a knife… well add to that – flesh eating zombies, they seem to work pretty well too. The app is a bit pricey at $7.99 but it is an exercise prograand a roleplaying game and a story, so I can’t complain check out zombiesrungame.com for more information.

source

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[ Zombies, Run! – and Don’t Look Back! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Take photos with your fingers thanks to the Ubi-Camera

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT

You remember when you were a little kid, and there was no such thing as digital cameras back then? Most of the time, when our parents wanted to snap photos of their exuberant and energy filled children running around, a stern shout is required to make sure we all stop in our tracks, tuck in our shirts, straighten out ourselves and pose in front of the camera. Dad would then use his hands to “frame” a particular shot, by making an L-shape with his thumb and pointing finger on both hands, merging them into a rectangle, followed by clicking on the shutter button.

Who would have thought that such a physical act would finally end up in the 21st century as a gesture that might just kick start the way we shoot photos? These days, digital cameras are all the rage, and even smaller kids do have a DSLR that they can call their own. Well, the Ubi-Camera might just change or rather, revolutionize the way things are run – allowing you to capture photos that have been composed simply by framing them using your hands. This is a prototype miniature camera that is being developed by a research group at the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences, which we will read about later after the jump.

According to the folks behind the Ubi-Camera, “When you draw a picture or take a photo, you sometimes form a rectangle with your hands to decide the composition. With this camera, you can take a photo using the exact same motion. You attach this device to your index finger, and form a rectangle with your finger like this. You take the photo by using the rectangle as the viewfinder, like this. When you push hard with your thumb, the shutter is pressed.”

The camera itself comes with a range sensor, while the framing is determined by the distance between the camera and the photographer’s face. Using the current system that is still in development, the lens will feature a fixed focal length, while all zooming is done digitally on a PC. This particular method of photography renders viewfinders and displays as unnecessary. Basically, even using a miniature camera, you are able to snap photos intuitively while peering over the actual scene.

Source

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[ Take photos with your fingers thanks to the Ubi-Camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Angry Birds Action Game

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 05:30 AM PDT

The Angry Birds franchise has certainly flown far and wide, with their latest adventures seeing our feathered friends ending up in space. Well, you might want to have non-digital Angry Birds action right in the comfort of your living room with the £24.99 Angry Birds Action Game, but of course, this means resetting any level would require some time compared to just tapping the “Replay” button on your smartphone’s display. It does not matter whether you want to play this indoors or outdoors, the Angry Birds Action Game is a brilliant kit that allows manages to transfer all the brilliance of the game itself into the physical world for the whole family to enjoy.

Just lay out the scoring mat, set up the rickety wooden platform with a carefully placed green pig on top, and you are good to go. Remember that in all the excitement, different parts can go missing, especially since you are required to pelt birds in the direction of the green pig to knock it off its perch. Points are scored depending on where he lands on the mat, leaving it a whole lot to random chance with some skill required.

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[ Angry Birds Action Game copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

X-Gaming USB Joystick

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 05:00 AM PDT

So you think that you are one of the best gamers in the family, always having a rivalry with that little brother of yours? Perhaps it is time to set the record straight in a digital duel, and while you do so, just make sure you have the right kind of equipment to go along with your effort. Enter the $99.99 X-Gaming USB Joystick that hails from the old school of thought. Measuring a generous 11″ from side to side, it is made out of eight pounds of industrial-grade materials to make sure that even during the most frenzied moments while gaming, it will not just fly off the table or crack under pressure. All you need to do is plug it into any available USB port and you are good to go.

Each purchase will come with half a dozen full versions of authentic Midway Arcade Games for the PC – Joust, Robotron 2084, Smash TV, Gauntlet, Rampage and Defender to get you started right out of the box. Just like how Gandalf mentioned to Theoden, “Your fingers would remember their old strength better… if they grasped your sword.” Substitute sword for the X-Gaming USB Joystick in this case, and you have a better idea.

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[ X-Gaming USB Joystick copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]