Sniff the dog hunts down gadgets using RFID

Posted in rfid by Conner Flynn on September 28th, 2009

Sniff the dog hunts down gadgets using RFIDImagine having a dog that can sniff out your gadgets and also be able to identify and react to anything that’s appropriately labeled with an RFID tag. It does this because each tag triggers a specific response. Sniff vibrates and make noises to respond to various objects.

Sniff was created by Sara Johansson, Timo Arnall and Einar Sneve Martinussen; students at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. They wanted a concept for a stuffed animal that would be perfect for kids with impaired vision. This one certainly fits the bill and has a lot of promise.

Messless Charger will charge multiple devices at once

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on July 12th, 2009

Messless Charger will charge multiple devices at onceIf you have an iPhone, an iPod Touch, a Sony Walkman, and a Nokia smartphone, then the Messless Charger will charge them all at once. It was designed by Italdesign Giugiaro and the charger lets you charge up to four devices at once, which means no wires for each gadget.

Pretty handy charger to have. It comes with a variety of adapters including iPod/iPhone, Nokia handset ports, Sony Ericsson and mini USB. The Messless Charger is available in the UK for about $113.

The Power Shelf holds your gadgets while they charge

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on June 30th, 2009

The Power Shelf holds your gadgets while they chargeI can’t decide if this is pointless or actually useful, but if you are looking for a way to organize your gadgets while they charge, you may want to check out the Power Shelf. It plugs directly into your power outlet, you can then plug your gadget into the power outlet and store it on the shelf.

The Power Shelf comes in several sizes so you can store and charge a wide variety of gadgets from your iPhone to your digital camera to your laptop. I guess it’s a great idea for those with limited space. The Power Shelf will cost you $14.99 to $49.99 from Think Geek.

Cardboard gadgets make everything disposable

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on June 8th, 2009

Cardboard gadgets make everything disposableWhen you really start to think about the sheer number of gadgets in the world, it’s amazing they aren’t littering the streets and roadways like cold tech corpses. After all, we keep buying them and them throwing them out to buy another.

But we aren’t here to preach. We’re just impressed by this beautiful reminder of our consumerism in the form of sculpted cardboard gadgets. These are works of art really. They are from British designer Kyle Bean and they are really nicely detailed.

HP announces eSkins

Posted in HP by Conner Flynn on June 1st, 2009

HP announces eSkinsHP just announced its new range of Electronic Skins, aka eSkins. eSkins will function as a new display technology to personalize consumer electronics. It’s a flexible and reflective color film that can be used on a wide range of devices. Anything from cellphones to digital cameras, MP3 players, netbooks, notebooks, you name it.

eSkins is capable of reflectively displaying icons and alpha-numeric characters to personalize nearly any device. It’s compatible with roll-to-roll plastic circuits, allowing it to merge with proprietary, electrically controllable “inks” to achieve print-like color performance and transparency. Visibility is said to be excellent, even under direct sunlight, and it can also turn transparent, to reveal the surface below.

SGP metal skins for gadgets

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Conner Flynn on May 13th, 2009

SGP metal skins for gadgetsSGP makes metal skins for iPhones, iPods, cell phones, MP3 players, laptops and cameras. The skins are made of 24K gold plating or thin nickel and comes with a precision cut face plate. A word of warning, you better have a steady hand. The company warns, “Handle with Care. Thin and Sharp edge of this product may cause hurt.” You don’t want to experience the dreaded hurt, so be careful.

Each kit comes with skin and accessory stickers at prices between $14.99 and $24.99. They also carbon fiber, wood and leather covers. Maybe it’s just me, but do you really want to cover your beloved gadget in this crap? I mean, if you love your device, you probably love or at least admire it’s looks.

USB hub shaped like grapes is perfect for…ummm

Posted in Accessories by Shane McGlaun on May 8th, 2009

grapeusbLet me just get this confession out of the way. When I shop for stuff that goes with my PC, I prefer it to look like the high tech gear that it is. What I don’t want is tech gear for my PC that looks like say a cookie or another food item.

As you can imagine this three port USB hub shaped like grapes isn’t something you are likely to find on my desk. I guess if you really like fruit or wine or just like weird stuff, the grape USB hub may be perfect for you.

Kensington’s power adapter for Netbooks will also charge your USB Gadgets

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on April 7th, 2009

Kensington’s power adapter for Netbooks Kensington has a new Power Adapter designed specially for Netbooks. The adapter is compatible with brands like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, LG, Lenovo, MSI and Samsung netbooks, so all of the big names are covered.

But the most interesting thing about it is that it also features a USB port for powering up your cell phone or MP3 player. Don’t worry, the adapter features over-current protection, short-circuit protection, and over-temperature protection. Pretty nifty gadget to have with you while traveling.

Piezoelectric Nanowires could power your future iPod with blood

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on March 29th, 2009

Piezoelectric NanowiresA world where gadgets are powered by blood? It could happen sooner then you think. It won’t be long until our gadgets are full fledged living entities soon after that. Maybe. In a not too distant future Piezoelectric nanowires may reside in our blood vessels. They would use the energy created by blood flow to power gadgets. Stuff like pacemakers, iPods, anything designers can dream up really.

It sounds pretty amazing, but the reality is that it may cause some sort of new diseases in our bodies or make us more susceptible to them. These things never work out the way you think. If it happens at all, it won’t be for a long long time hopefully.

Hershey & Jazwares developing line of gadget treats

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on February 24th, 2009

Hershey & Jazwares developing line of gadget treatsChalk this one up as yet another thing that will be lying around your home, waiting for infants and those with Homer Simpson IQs to put in their mouths. Hershey’s is teaming up with Jazwares to develop a line of consumer electronics that will have you craving sugar and running out to get some chocolate.

Look for 1 to 4GB USB drives shaped like your favorite treats. It’s not just USB drives though. Expect some digital cameras, earphones and speakers too, whether they take the form of Hershey’s Kisses or Mr. Goodbar. Prices should be in the $15 to $30 range. No release date yet. Expect them to end up in Halloween bags in affluent neighborhoods…Or regular neighborhoods by mistake.

IDAPT Charging Station is heavy on pink

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on January 19th, 2009

IDAPT Charging Station is heavy on pinkChances are you have many chargers on or around your desk, which wouldn’t be a problem if they weren’t all attached to wires. They have a tendency to get all tangled up. The IDAPT Charging Station aims to make your life just a bit neater, while powering up your gadgets.

It’s like a pink gadget orgy charging bed as it can handle three devices simultaneously, and the range of tips available should cover all the popular devices like BlackBerry, Nokia, iPod, PSP etc. You can purchase the tips online if you need one for a gadget. The IDAPT Charging Station will retail for £34.95.

SUPERBattery charges your gadgets with crank-power

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on January 18th, 2009

SUPERBattery charges your gadgets with crank-powerJust in case of an emergency, it’s good to have a way to charge up your gadgets. Sometimes there’s just no available power source available though. With this SUPERBattery device from Datexx you won’t have to worry. It has you covered.

All you have to do is plug your gadget into the handy hand crank charger and start cranking. 2 minutes of frantic crank churning should give you about 6 minutes of talk time. The kit includes a hand-cranked 600mA rechargeable battery pack, built-in flashlight and an AC adapter which supports over 1,200 different mobile devices. It’s a pretty handy device. Who knows, it might even save your life.

Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom for Valentine’s Day

Posted in Motorola by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom for Valentine’s DayIt really has to suck for you gals who are into technology. You deserve more than just pink gadgets. Because you are smarter then they give you credit for. You deserve high end specs and “pretty” that comes in a variety of colors with an elegant design. Sadly, this new Motorola basic phone fits the usual stereotype: pink with regular specs.

The design however is a little nicer then the usual offerings. It’s subtle and elegant. It still has pink, but it’s discreet with 3.5G. The Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom will be available in Korea from SK telecom. No word on price yet. We know that it features a touch sensitive external panel, a 2 MP camera, a 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth and HSDPA.

Brando’s 7-in-1 USB charging cable handles everything

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on January 4th, 2009

Brando’s 7-in-1 USB charging cable handles everythingBrando’s ingenious 7-in-1 USB Charging Cable is like a gadget charging orgy. It provides power for your PSP, DS, DS Lite, DSi and Game Boy Advance handhelds, and all it costs is a USB port and $7. Sure, this cable is a Brando product, and could possibly fry all of your well loved game handhelds, due to it’s questionable craftsmanship, but what is life without some risk.

At $7, what the hell. If it explodes, you’ll have some new parts for a future DIY project. I’ll put it to you, valued readers of the ‘Brick, would you trust Brando’s latest charging gadget with your handhelds?

Energizer Solar Recharger charges batteries, USB gadgets

Posted in Chargers by Conner Flynn on December 23rd, 2008

Energizer Solar Recharger charges batteries, USB gadgetsEnergizer’s Solar Recharger looks like an odd device. It looks like it could be an iPod battery extender, a AA charger or even a Solar adapter. And it actually is all of the above. Mainly, it’s a battery charger for standard rechargeable AA and AAA batteries and is primarily powered by an AC jack that’s assisted by a flip-out solar panel. The USB port can power your connected gadget and the Solar Charger will act as an extended battery for almost any USB-powered device, like your iPod for instance.

The beauty of this device is that through the use of cheap rechargeable batteries, Energizer sell it for just $50, with 2 AAs included. Some other features include weatherproofing and a rotating solar panel.





Other blogs from the Topic Soup Network that you might like:

PopTherapy.com - A therapeutic guide to popular culture

WeathyReader.com - Where reading pays off.

HealthyReader.com web site

Botropolis.com web site