Best Gadgets World

Posted Feb 13th 2008 12:26AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Apple isn’t one to let a new product out the door without a video guided tour lately, and today’s release of the Apple TV take 2 update is no exception. Nothing too shocking in the walkthrough of iTunes rentals and the new Flickr features — when will Apple learn that all we really want is some hardcore settings menu action? — but fans of The Anonymous iphone Guy and John, The Classy Leopard Dude will be disappointed to see that they’ve been replaced by Hannah, The Pleasantly Boho Apple TV Lady. Check it out at the read link — and if you’re hungry for some real deets, you know we’ve got you covered.

Dreaming of a futuristic looking home with futuristic fixtures? The Hoverit levitating lounger might suit your taste.

Simply called “The Lounger,” this levitating home fixture was designed and created by British company, Hoverit.

This is actually the first in their planned “hover” line of furniture. Gravity is defied, and hence, nature, by astutely utilising another fact of nature — repelling magnetic forces.

Hoverit describes the sensation of lying on your back across the lounger as “floating on a cloud.” The Lounger is made of scratch-resistant clear acrylic by default although the company accepts customisation requests.

Each piece is handmade and comes with both limited edition certificate, as well as a serial number. Due to its handmade, limited edition status, we reckon this baby won’t be cheap. But hearing Hoverit’s tag line of “Don’t just sit – Hoverit,” we also reckon many people (who can afford it) would be compelled to try The Lounger out.

Posted Feb 12th 2008 8:28PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment
With a name like BlackWing, it’s gotta be good, right? At least that looks to be the case with Cineversum’s latest trio of BlackWing Three projectors, as these bad boys sport a design eerily reminiscent of something straight out of the Star Wars galaxy and a specs sheet that impressed even Yoda would be. The entire trio gets blessed with a 30,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD resolution, two HDMI 1.3 inputs, Color-Select filters for wider color reproduction and a motorized zoom / focus. As for the Pro model, you can expect everything you see above coupled with an optional SD-SDI input and 12V triggers board, professional color management tools and VGA compatibility. Finally, the Ultimate ups the ante a touch further with two more HDMI 1.3 sockets, Mosquito Noise Reduction technology and Theater Mode for 2.35:1 anamorphic setups. ‘Tis a shame these start at £8,199 ($15,955), isn’t it?

[Via AboutProjectors]

It reminded me of that children’s shoe which lit up and squeaked as the child walked, but upon closer inspection, I realise it’s actually a work of art.

Designed by Freedom of Creation (concept by StrawberryFrog and created by Janne Kytannen and Mads Thomsen) as a suggestion for the Onitsuka Tiger (an ASICS Japan premium heritage brand) Eletric Tiger campaign, the OT Electric Shoe stops the show with its unconventional design.

Freedom of Creation created a 1 metre version for display purposes as well as 70cm and 40cm versions of the design for Onitsuka Tiger stores around the world. If you haven’t noticed yet, the designed was inspired by what a typical city in Japan might look like at night.

Impressive details, right? And this is how it looks like when not lit:

The Electric Light Shoe plays the key role in Onitsuka Tiger’s worldwide promotional strategy, “Made of Japan” (sic).

via

Posted Feb 13th 2008 2:04AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Displays, HDTV
If you thought a 4K x 2K resolution was a bit much for an 82-inch display, imagine what 3,840 x 2,160 pixels looks like on a 56-incher. Astro Systems is apparently gearing up to launch the DM-3400 to appease the “needs” (read: extravagant desires) of its digital cinema and broadcast studio clients, and by the looks of it, we doubt it’ll have any issues accomplishing that. This bad boy also supports four channels of DVI and HD-SDI for some of that quad-view action, and there’s even contrast, gamma and brightness adjustments for each RGB channel. Unfortunately, we’ve no idea how much coinage this beast will demand, but there’s little no doubt that this is one of those “if you have to ask…” type scenarios.

[Via StudioDaily]

Posted Feb 12th 2008 9:29PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Wireless
We’ve seen a lot of research and even some products that promise seamless WiFi / cell roaming, but Intel and Nokia are cooking up tech that might one day bring us true uninterrupted broadband connectivity, based on automatic undetectable switchovers from WiFi to WiMAX. Intel’s posted up a brief video demoing the tech auto-switching without interrupting a video conferencing session on a laptop, but it’s easy to imagine the potential application on a mobile phone or UMPC — dare to dream after the break.

[Via DailyWireless]

Posted Feb 12th 2008 7:36PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Storage
Simmer down — it’s not like you haven’t seen advancements in blue laser technology before, and even though the current format war may still be raging when either’s successor rolls into town, Kaai and Soraa are already looking to the future. Reportedly, Khosla Ventures has invested in both of the aforementioned firms, and while company representatives aren’t disclosing much at the moment, we do know that the duo is exploring ways to “exploit gallium nitride, which is also the basis for existing blue LEDs and blue lasers.” Apparently, they’d like to concoct suitable replacements for conventional LEDs in the lighting market and make a showing in the optical data storage arena, too. But seriously, with 200GB Blu-ray discs, who needs to worry about the next best thing?

[Image courtesy of DigitalHomeMag]

Yes, we’re ramping up to Valentine’s Day. Yes, I’m sure you’re sick of me talking about all the great gifts you can buy for Valentine’s Day. Well, too bad - there are too many Valentine’s Day themed gadgets and gadget accessories to not write about them! You’ll have to suffer through a few more days.

I saw this adorable laptop bag over at Techie Diva today: the Mobile Edge CuteBug Hipster vertical messenger bag. This pink and burgundy bag comes with the following features:

* Fits 14.1″ laptops
* Superior padding for computer protection
* Removable matching neoprene laptop sleeve
* Interior zippered pockets
* Exterior rear zippered pocket
* Removable soft padding for shoulder strap
* Interior ID pocket
* Accessorized with “Lucky Seven” dice

Also on the Mobile Edge website, it shows two other color options (green and black) that will be available soon. I like the fact that you can take the laptop sleve out so you can use it as a functional messenger bag for those times when you do not want to take your laptop with you. And the “Lucky Seven” dice accessory adds a nice, whimsical touch to the vintage advertisement-adorned bag. Now to the technical bits: the laptop compartment measures 14.5″ x 10″ x 1.8″ and the exterior dimensions are 14.5 x 10.5 x 2.8. Pick one up today for $69.99.

[Mobile Edge via Techie Diva]

Yes, we all know laptop bags can be boring. On the flip side of that coin, it’s nearly impossible to find something that isn’t black, made of heavy duty nylon mesh or both. Nearly all of the bags on the market are boring, and for most people, that’s OK. I am one of those people who needs to have something different, something fun!

The people over at Plastic People Design in partnership with SupremeLoveStory have created some unique laptop bags made with some fun colors and featuring heart appliques and accessories. This is the most recent design from the group, which changes periodically. The philosophy of Plastic People Design is:

PLASTIC PEOPLE is about positivity. It is about creating a product that makes people smile. PLASTIC PEOPLE is image… a happy exterior, always smiling, even if the inside (of the bag) is a complete mess!

Though we realize products cannot bring true happiness, at least a bit of outer fun and a happy accessory can make a person smile. Will seeing the symbol of a heart remind a person to be kind? If so, by carrying this you are contributing to goodness in the world. Carrying a PLASTIC PEOPLE bag is like speading the love to everyone you pass… like eminating ‘love bubbles’…

Each bag comes with a matching clutch/make-up bag and heart mirror; removable laptop sleeve attaches with velcro; 4 metal bottom feet protect bottom; are made of animal-friendly imitation leather; outer pocket w/ invisible magnetic snap; exterior side pocket for cell phone and; 2 interior zippered pockets.

Pick up a “Standard Sally” (fits up to a 15″ laptop, $165) or a “Large Lucy” (for 17″ laptops, $175) in four color combinations: pink/white/white, tan/white/pink, brown/tan/pink, and black/tan/red. A bit expensive, but for something this unique, it is worth it.

[Plastic People Design via Geek Sugar]

Posted Feb 12th 2008 5:10PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: cellphones, WirelessYesterday’s surprising-but-not-shocking announcement that Starbucks would be switching to AT&T for WiFi services left a lot of T-Mobile customers in the lurch — although Starbucks said that T-Mo and AT&T had an “agreement” that would let HotSpot users stay connected, there weren’t a ton of details given. Well, it looks like you’ve got a few more years of caffeinated surfing ahead of you, guys — T-Mobile issued a press release today saying it was committed to ensuring “minimum customer impact” during the transition, and that it’s signed a five year “roaming agreement” with AT&T that will kick in when the Starbucks WiFi transition begins later this year. Of course, the ideal roaming agreement would let you use either company’s networks wherever you are, not just AT&T bandwidth in Starbucks — we’ll totally spring for the coffee if these two companies want to meet and sort something like that out.