Best Gadgets World

I found this product on another gadget blog the other day, and I found that the author was very critical of it.

Apparently, this author believed that the Coleman Ceiling Mounted-Fan was crossing a line when it comes to camping. The author went on to say that camping is about roughing it, and a ceiling mounted fan is too technological an accessory to be permitted on a “real” camping trip.

I have to agree that there probably is an envelope when it comes to things you should take on a camping trip, and the ceiling mounted fan probably pushes it. However, perhaps the question is not when “roughing it” begins, but when does it end?

After all, someone who takes an electric flashlight on a camping trip is taking a piece of technology with them to the campsite, and is no longer roughing it anymore. I suppose a gas-powered lantern would be a step up, but a gas-powered lamp is not exactly a product of nature. So who’s roughing it now?

So, if you’re willing to put a little something into your roughing it, then you can get the Colman Ceiling Mounted Fan for about $25. It operates on six D-size batteries and includes a light.

Source

Posted Mar 12th 2008 4:32PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Gaming, Portable AudioThere’s already been quite a few musicians (and would-be ones) brought into the Nintendo DS fold thanks to apps like Jam Sessions, but it looks like there could soon be another wave flocking to the popular handheld, with the official, Korg-approved DS-10 synthesizer from AQ Interactive now headed for the DS in Japan. As you can see for yourself in the video after the break, like Jam Sessions, the synthesizer is anything but a game, with it boasting two patchable virtual synths with two oscillators each, a drum machine, a sequencer, and a full range of effects, to name but a few features. You’ll also apparently be able to wirelessly link up several systems to play together or simply exchange sounds and songs, although you’ll apparently have to make do without MIDI support. Needless to say, we’ll keep you posted on any word of a release ’round these parts, but in the meantime, you can look forward to this one hitting Japan in July for ¥4,800, or just under $50.

[Via Create Digital Music, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Overview

Philips, the world’s leading company in home electrical appliances, has come up with its new 1200W HD2618/00 toaster. Eat delicious toasts using Philips 1200W toaster that comes in an elegant look with a LCD display. Give your kitchen a modern touch by placing this new toaster.

Features

• Sports a LCD display fitted with digital countdown timer.
• One-side toasting option available for bagels and baguettes.
• Features a non-stick coated crumb tray providing easy cleaning.
• Scratch proof, fingerprint resistant and corrosion resistant material.
• Works consuming 220-240V voltage and 1000-1200W power.
• Designed in aluminum housing, blue display and light rings.

Sporting a LCD display fitted with digital countdown timer, Philips 1200W HD2618/00 toaster works efficiently using 220-240V voltage and 1000-1200W power. This one is made up of a scratch proof, fingerprint resistant, corrosion resistant material. Its non-stick coated crumb tray provides easy cleaning to the user. Available in a design with aluminum housing, blue display and light rings, Philips 1200W toaster also lets you do one-side toasting.

Box content

The box comprises of Philips 1200W HD 2619/00 Toaster and a users manual.

Price

Philips 1200W HD 2619/00 Toaster is available at a price of 84.29 Euro.

Source: Philips

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Most of you will remember the classic A-Team that ran through the 80’s. Mr. T played a legend of a character named Bosco ‘BA’ (Bad Attitude) Baracas. He drove around in his cool black 1983 GMC van with the red stripe, red rims and spoiler on the back and got seriously mad at any scratch.

Now you can own your own Mr T Bobble Head Van for just $19.95. Currently WickedCoolStuff is taking pre-orders for expected delivery this month.

Via: NerdApproved

Many will recall Indie musician Jill Sobule from her track “I Kissed a Girl.” The song was a cross-over hit, and the video (the one co-starring Fabio) got a lot of MTV airplay in the 1990s. I saw her play a few years ago when she was touring with Lloyd Cole as a member of his band, the Negatives. Years later, Sobule is still touring and recording music. After going through a handful of music labels, both big and small, she is currently creating her own path.

Where Radiohead has now famously asked fans to pay what their latest CD is worth, Sobule has taken a slightly different route. In January, she asked fans on her website, Jill’s Next Record, to donate money before the she makes her next album. In telethon-like fashion, she asked fans to help her reach a goal of $75,000, which would cover studio time, producers, additional musicians and post-production. By March, she had reached her goal and raised over $80,000.

YouTube is doing some changing.  Not satisfied with being just a destination for user generated content, it announced it is updating its APIs to become a video server for your applications.  No longer will YouTube video be confined to the familiar chromed player skin, now developers can stick the videos into non traditional players.

YouTube’s latest API offerings allow anyone building a website or software application that is connected to the Internet to upload videos straight to YouTube; let users comment, rate and favorite the videos; and customize and control the Flash player in which the videos are played.

EA Games, U. Berkley, Tivo and Animoto are all said to be using the new APIs to build interesting advances.

The number of possible new applications is endless. Electronic Arts has enabled gamers to capture videos of fantastical user-generated creatures from their upcoming game, Spore, and publish these directly into YouTube. The University of California, Berkeley is bringing free educational content to the world, enhancing their open source lecture capture and delivery system to publish videos automatically into YouTube. Animoto enables its users to create personalized, professional-quality music videos from their own photos and upload them directly to YouTube. Tivo is providing its users a rich and highly participative YouTube viewing experience on the television.

If estimates are correct, this is a major turning point in YouTube’s history.  On the outside it seems like a smart move but I have to wonder will losing the YouTube branding, as the updated APIs will allow hurt it?  What do you think?

Read [C|Net]

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Posted Mar 12th 2008 4:37AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Digital CamerasOh great lorf of frames per second shooters. Casio’s Exilim Pro EX-F1 just snagged a ship date. It’ll cost you ¥130,000 (tax inclusive) when it hits on March 28th in Japan. Still, we expect many people will be swayed by this 6 megapixel novelty with the ability to burst at 60fps while shooting up to 1200fps video. Still no US or European release where it’s expected to pop for $999 (pre tax), but it can’t be long now.

[Via I4U]

Posted Mar 12th 2008 4:17AM by Thomas Ricker
It’s certainly not the first digital camera to sport MP3 playback. Still, the 7 megapixel Picto DigiArt i90 manages that trick with a certain style not to be overlooked. The 17.5-mm thick shell hosts a 3x optical zoom lens, 3.0-inch LCD, face recognition, unspecified anti-shake technology, voice recorder, 740 x 480 / 30fps MPEG-4 video recorder, and the ability to playback MP3s and video of unspecified formats. Available in Korea this month for ₩179,000 (about $185) with 1GB of SD storage included. Not bad for a take-anywhere, all-purpose shooter sure to best your cameraphone in quality and versatility.

[Via AVING]

Posted Mar 12th 2008 3:12AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Portable Audio
var Uh oh. Japan’s trade and economy ministry is now officially investigating the explosive nature of the iPod nano. The culprit is model MA099J/A — AKA, the old black and white plastic model already reported to spew “chest high flames,” cause bedroom fires, and explode across the floor. The Japan incident occurred in January when an ipod nano reportedly “shot out sparks while recharging.” At this point, all odds are with the nano’s lithium ion battery. Apple Japan has been ordered to investigate the issue and report back to the ministry with the cause. Kind of like asking the fox what it was doing in the hen house, eh?

Posted Mar 12th 2008 1:32AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. gadgets
Sure, we’ll admit to a certain unhealthy super-fun fascination with gadgetry, but a new study out this month by the Solutions Research Group says that overall, we’re borderline obsessed — and that 68 percent of Americans in general feel anxious when not connected in one way or another. The study used research collected on almost 5,000 people over two years, and found that feelings of “disconnect anxiety” affected people of all ages, triggering sentiments like “dazed,” “disoriented,” “tense,” “inadequate” and even “panic.” Interestingly, however, the reasons for disconnect anxiety changed as subjects got older — teens and young adults worried about social communications being cut off, while older adults mostly fretted over work and safety issues. The study is backed up by all kinds of humorously embarrassing data like the percentage of blackberry users who’ve sent a message in the bathroom (63%) and the average number of Facebook friends a 12-24 year old has (159) but what we found most surprising is that just 37% of laptop owners frequently use their machines in the bedroom. That seems awfully low to us — what if you miss something while you’re asleep?

[Warning: PDF link]