Better Rest While Traveling

by Alison - on February 25th, 2013

Ahhhh the joys of travel. Vacation trips are certainly worth the hassle of getting there and back. Work trips â€" not so much. Any experienced traveler knows that keeping yourself comfortable and relaxed during the transit process is key. Comfortable clothes help. Maybe you enjoy having your tunes or movies pumping into your ears. If you intend to sleep, prevent the “35,000 foot head bob” as I like to call it, that boomerang type action that you subconsciously undertake when letting your head relax to one side or another. It is amazing more travelers don’t end up with whiplash when attempting to correct the head bob. Maybe you have a travel pillow â€" you know, those C shaped things â€" which helps, but the weight of your head still cranes your neck in directions that really can’t be good for us.

Some smart and apparently experienced travelers have a different approach to traveling sleep comfort. Meet The Travel Haloâ„¢. Rather than providing a soft place for your head, the focus is on providing head stability. This device contains a small pillow on each side towards the back. These cushions cradle your head, preventing the rolling from side to side. Continue to use the seat headrest for support â€" unlike with C pillows which push your head forward. The Travel Halo contains an eye mask too. Pull it down when you really want to block out the world or simply use the headband portion to stabilize your head. Easy to store and super compact, this 2.5 ounce gadget won’t weigh you down either â€" key for veteran travelers. If getting rest on a flight, train ride or car ride becomes critical to your daily duties then keep your head in the right position and invest $29 in The Travel Halo. Your head will thank you.

Thanks: Peter Greenberg

Sprint announces Kyocera Torque

by Edwin - on February 24th, 2013

The Kyocera Torque is definitely a smartphone that you might want to bring with you wherever you go, especially when you tend to go on a whole lot of outdoor trips. The reason we say this is, Sprint’s Kyocera Torque holds the honor of being the first ultra-rugged 4G LTE Android-powered smartphone that comes complete with Sprint Direct Connect and Smart Sonic Receiver Audio technology, allowing it to handle drops, dunks, and spills this coming March 8th, going for just $99.99.

In fact, Bear Grylls, the ultimate adventurer and fun-loving dude who loves to live it out in the wild, is the perfect example to parade the Kyocera Torque, as both of them are more than capable of surviving in the extremes, while working just fine in everyday life to boot.

The ultra-rugged, 4G LTE Android smartphone will run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, sport up to 18.9 hours of talk time, and of course, with Sprint’s Truly Unlimited 4G LTE data, text and calling to any mobile device, you are not limited to metering, throttling, and overages, now how about that?

The Kyocera Torque was specially built to Military Standard 810G, allowing it to withstand dust, shock, vibration, solar radiation, humidity, blowing rain, low pressure, salt fog and extreme temperatures, in addition to IP67 standards for dust, sprayed water and full immersion of up to one meter deep for up to half an hour. There is also the Sprint Direct Connect push-to-talk service, and is America’s first device to include Kyocera’s award-winning new Smart Sonic Receiver technology.

David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint, said, “The durability and sound quality of Torque are amazing for a 4G LTE smartphone. Whether you’re on a construction site, an outdoor adventurer or a mom that worries about their kids breaking their phone, Torque can hold up to those drops, spills or dunks. With Sprint’s 4G LTE network and truly unlimited 4G data, text and calling plans, it’s a tremendous offer for business customers, busy kids and adventurers alike.”

Press Release

Nikon Laser Rangefinder COOLSHOT AS announced

by Edwin - on February 24th, 2013

Are you an avid golfer who would love to have the chance to improve your golfing skills? If you have answered in the affirmative, and yet do not have the kind of monetary resources to hire the likes of a professional golfer to give you some tips, resigning you to depend on online pages as well as glossy golf magazines, perhaps having an electronic tool to help you out might work. I am referring to the Nikon Laser Rangefinder COOLSHOT AS that will continue to expand Nikon’s COOLSHOT Laser Rangefinder series.

This particular rangefinder is based on the COOLSHOT that was rolled out in March last year, and back then, that was considered to be the standard model for actual distance measuring, where it incorporates ID Technology so that its Golf Mode is made capable of displaying slope adjusted distance (horizontal distance ± height), enabling golfers who are on a sloping course to gauge more accurately than ever before the distance and how much power they should put into their next shot.

The Nikon Laser Rangefinder COOLSHOT AS comes across as a new, sporty and compact model that will make use of ID Technology, enabling the selection of four measurement display modes and shows off the height, horizontal distance and slope adjusted distance (horizontal distance ± height) in addition to actual distance.

Features of the COOLSHOT AS include a high-performance, multilayer-coated 6x viewfinder and a generous, easy-to-view eyepiece with long eye relief, which works great to allow the user to locate a small target easily in a bright and wide field of view.

It is a snap to switch between First Target Priority and Distant Target Priority modes, where the former will let you measure the distance to a flagstick in front of a bush, all without having to confuse yourself between the target and the background. Not only that, there is continuous measurement for up to approximately 8 seconds, while holding down the POWER ON/Measurement button.

Sure it is waterproof (up to 1m/3.3 ft. for 10 minutes), but that works great only when it rains, and not for you to bring on your scuba diving trip for some underwater golf â€" assuming such a thing is even possible in the future.

Press Release

Rawr…3D Cookies

by Alison - on February 19th, 2013

Baking cookies takes me back to childhood. I don’t think I know anyone who does not enjoy rolling out the dough, cutting out the shapes and decorating them. Sprinkles, silver balls, mini-chocolate chips, colored frosting all help top off the final product. Mmmmm. Or if you are like me you don’t wait for the final product and enjoy eating some of the raw dough along the way. One thing is for certain, we all become kids again when cookie making begins.

Whether you become a kid or have one, Firebox has a set of cookie cutters that no one should miss out on. The 3-D Dinosaur Cookie Cutters will make your old cutters extinct. Included with each dino are 3-4 individual cutters. Bake away, cutting a set of pieces per cookie. Then after they cool you assemble the 3-4 pieces together to make a delectable, prehistoric 3-D friend. Frost and decorate to your heart’s content before you assemble too. Just leave the ‘slots’ open. Buy one of four dinosaurs (Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus and T-Rex) for £7.99 each or get the whole set for £27.99. Whether a parent and child activity for a rainy day or an activity for a young one’s birthday celebration, bring dinosaurs back from the past right in your home with these cutters.

A New Approach to 2.1 Sound

by Alison - on February 22nd, 2013

I find it interesting to peruse Kickstarter and Indiegogo and see what gets funded â€" or does not get funded. It sort of gives insight as to what people are interested in. Especially in the world of technology. One Swedish company â€" People People â€" just completed their second successful Kickstarter campaign. Their Memoto, wearable mini camera, raised over $500k. And yes, their second product funded there was just as creative.

Welcome to Transparent Speaker. As you can see, errrr not see, the name perfectly explains the device. Their concept was a functional sound system that really played into a user’s environment. Rather than using particleboard or even wood, People People wants the speaker to fit your world rather than making your room revolve around the speaker. What makes the Transparent Speaker unique is the construction. Two versions are offered. The $800 Transparent Speaker comes fully assembled. If you choose to be more creative try the $450 Transparent Speaker DIY Kit. All the parts are included except the 6mm material for the walls. You pick and cut your own material more local to you. As you add years to the speaker and since construction is so easy the parts are easily replaceable. So a broken speaker does not mean trash heap. Distribute your music via powered USB port (for a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi dongle), two auxiliary outs or even an Airport Express docking space. Two 3 inch drivers and a 6.5 inch sub give highs, lows and everything in between. The amp contains DSP to ensure it measures up within the category. And a basic control panel keeps bass, treble and volume accessible. Combine all these assets and you have a stylish, unique and eco-friendly solution that also performs. Obviously, People People seems to be keen on figuring out what the world wants to see â€" or in the case of Transparent Speaker â€" not see in their technology.

A More Affordable (?) Vertu

by Alison - on February 21st, 2013

What springs to mind when I mention Vertu? I’m guessing either “luxury” or “who are they”. Vertu cell phones, made entirely in the UK, evolved as status symbols with high end materials and price tags. Yet under the hood this company â€" until late 2012 owned by Nokia â€" left something to be desired. The technology did not match up to the exterior.  Last week Vertu announced the launch of a new handset, the Ti, which proves to give an interior worthy of the casing provided.

First of all the Ti runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream) which is a huge leap beyond Symbian OS used in prior Vertu models. 8MP camera with 1080 HD video capability measures up to other makers. Apps on the unit will totally cater to the high-end user too. For You delivers customized articles and even privileges based on your likes. Stumped in Singapore while on a trip? City Brief gives you trusted recommendations based on your location. And if that does not give you what you need, live chat with the Concierge feature 24/7 to answer any questions.  There is built-in back up and security and many more features. On the outside Vertu lives up to their name with alligator skin, grade 5 titanium casing (try breaking that!) and a sapphire crystal screen covering a WVGA display .  Don’t forget the B&O speakers for unmatched audio. And here’s a first, you can get a Vertu for under 5 US figures. The base model starts at $9600 (£6700) with the top model going for $19,900. Well, at least those people that can afford a Vertu will now actually have respectable performance.

Thanks Telegraph

Ping Pong Balls Faster than Sound?

by Alison - on February 20th, 2013

You have got to love engineering students. They (and their professors) come up with some interesting ways to prove and disprove theories. Granted it is not all fun and games, but it looks fun when they get done. I don’t know about you, but when I was in college our projects were not nearly as fun as what some engineering students at Purdue’s College of Technology have been up to. Mark French, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology, and two of his PhD students are doing things with ping- pong balls that, frankly, I didn’t think were possible.

French’s ping-pong gun has been frequently used to teach younger kids about Physics. The gun consists of a ball in a PVC tube sealed on both ends, and a pump that removes air and creates a vacuum. After pumping they break the seal on one end of the tube to release the ball. Pretty simple. But that only got the ping-pong ball to 400 MPH. So to speed it up they added a nozzle normally used to accelerate airflow in wind tunnels. The result is a ping-pong ball that moves 900 MPH. Yes, 900 MPH. The real purpose of the experiment was to “demonstrate how a de Laval nozzle (also called a convergent-divergent nozzle) converts subsonic gas flow into supersonic flow” as they say on their blog. OK, sure. I just like the fact that in the video below a ping-pong ball gets shot through 5 cans. Watch the video and I think you’ll be impressed. If you want more of the who, what, how visit the MET section on Purdue’s website. There is also a video demonstration of a ball actually going through a ping-pong paddle. Hats off to Mark French and his students for showing us how velocity can change everything.

Thanks: Popular Mechanics

Add More Humidity

by Alison - on February 19th, 2013

If you work in a decent sized building odds are that your air is recycled like crazy. Every try jogging up the stairs of an office building or tall hotel? After about 10 floors you feel a burn in your lungs attributed to the lack of humidity in stairwells. Imagine what the nasty air does to your system! Not to mention static. Yuck. Solutions.com has a couple options that will help you try to make the air more natural and breathable â€" one for the techno type and one for the artistic type.

If you enjoy using your computer power try out the USB-powered Personal Humidifier for $24.98. A full, 4 ounce tank will get you 4 hours of humidity. So you won’t worry about saturating your laptop with mist. If you forget to unplug it or have a meeting run late don’t worry it will shut itself off after 2 hours or when the tank is empty. Traveler alert! It is small enough to stash in a suitcase or computer bag too. Finally! A cure for dry hotel rooms.

For those of you that prefer a more artistic approach to generating humidity try the Decora Room Humidifiers. The porous ball inside the reservoir bowl gently and naturally release humidity via evaporation. You simply get to look at an artistic addition to your room, office, cubicle or wherever. A set of two run $24.98. Whether you want the technical & portable route or the more natural process don’t let your humidity levels drop thanks to heating and poor air quality.

Snooze iPhone dock

by Edwin - on February 17th, 2013

Don’t you think that the world is now a better place with the introduction of crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter? Well, BiteMyApple.co is an online retailer whose speciality lies in exclusive Kickstarter products for Apple accessories, and they have now begun to ship the highly anticipated Snooze iPhone dock. The Snooze iPhone dock will play nice with the latest iPhone 5 as well as the older iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S models, sporting a giant, rubber snooze button which makes it easier to quiet the alarm or incoming calls whenever the latter happens. You will find the Snooze iPhone dock to be a decent looker in your bedroom, coming across in a sleek and unique form factor that will definitely help you kiss goodbye to the ‘morning fumbles’, which are best described as that initial wakeup moment where you desperately try to locate the tiny snooze button on your phone; but being groggy and all, end up knocking your phone or clock off the nightstand.

Chris Johnson, Founder of BiteMyApple.co., said, “I’m always on the lookout for Kickstarter products that offer a solution to an everyday problem. The Snooze does just that. You can rest easy knowing that the extra five minutes of sleep won’t cost you your expensive smartphone in the process.”

You will find quality oozing out from the Snooze, as it is crafted from solid, Maple or Oak in a range of finishes. As the user, all you need to do is simply slide the Apple smartphone horizontally into the cut out tracks for a secure, safe fit. There is a non-slip silicone bottom present that ensures a firm grip on the bedside tabletop, making sure that it will not shift or fall over whenever you hit the snooze button, while its smooth texture will not scratch or damage furniture in the vicinity. For that added touch of genius, a built-in cord catch will ensure that your cable will not fall behind the nightstand. You can pick up the Snooze iPhone dock for $39.99 a pop.

Press Release

Acase SuperLeggera Pro dual layer protective case

by Edwin - on February 17th, 2013

Purchasing a modern day smartphone these days will more often than not require another “compulsory” purchase, that is, a protective case of sorts to go along with your device. Having said that, this has proven to be a rather lucrative market for accessories manufacturers, but most of them tend to skew their products toward the more successful smartphone models like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S3. Well, if you so happen to have picked up a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or the LG Google Nexus 4 in recent times and have yet to find a suitable protective case, perhaps it is high time you checked out the Acase SuperLeggera Pro dual layer protective case.

It sounds more like a Lamborghini model than an actual protective case, but the Acase SuperLeggera Pro will target your precious new smartphone, being specially designed for maximum durability. Combining the toughness of a polycarbonate plastic exterior with a flexible interior silicone molding that enables it to provide superior shock absorption, you can carry your smartphone around without looking as though you are being too careful with it. In order to ensure optimal appeal and long-lasting looks, the exterior hard shell case was specially crafted using customized scratch-resistant Japanese paint, resulting in extremely vivid colors that are pleasing to the eyes.

The SuperLeggera Pro for Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and LG Google Nexus 4 were custom designed to tightly cradle the smartphone, all without having to add on additional bulk or weight, and boasts of cutouts which enables it to easily access all buttons and connections. Not only that, it has a special back coating all around the camera lens so that the “flashback” effect is no longer there when one snaps photos with it.

Tom Hsieh, sales and marketing manager of Acase, said, “The SuperLeggera Pro combines the innate protective qualities of two different materials into one stylish case capable of withstanding the perils of everyday use. Acase places special emphasis on details such as finish, fit and design; and believes that a superior product should also be affordable.”

Prices start from $19.95 onwards for the SuperLeggera Pro for Samsung Galaxy Note 2, where it will come in black, blue, white, red, purple and pink colors. LG Nexus 4 owners will have to settle for just black or white colors.

Press Release

Submarine Camcorder explores the depths on your behalf

by Edwin - on February 8th, 2013

So your neighbor thinks that he is the bomb with the latest waterproof camcorder from JVC? Well, you can invite him over to the riverside (make sure it is not one that is polluted to the extreme), and ask him to record whatever’s going on underwater. He will most probably look at you incredulously, wondering what kind of one upmanship game you’re playing with him, before you put him in his place with the $6,300 Submarine Camcorder.

Yes sir, the Submarine Camcorder certainly lives up to its name, being a remote operated submarine which is capable of sending live video to an iPad from 100′ underwater. It is perfect for those who want to view marine life or inspecting a boat below the waterline, without having to get wet themselves. The sub itself will be tethered to its receiver on deck with a 100′ video cable, and communications are done via the receiver over a Wi-Fi connection, and you will control it with an app that has been installed onto your iPad or notebook remotely. The virtual dashboard will comprise of a joystick, camera controls, and will show off current depth, heading, battery level, and temperature data, all garnered from the sub’s integrated sensors. It boasts of a marine-grade, hydrodynamic ABS housing that delivers a watertight seal in order to protect the included HD video camera that does 1280 x 720 resolution footage.

iTwin Connect now available

by Edwin - on February 10th, 2013

At long last, after waiting for quite some time, the iTwin Connect is now available, offering users protected as well as unrestricted access to the Internet, not to mention to home and corporate networks (virtual private network or VPN), too. Lux Anantharaman, CEO of iTwin, weighs in on the situation, saying, “With iTwin Connect users no longer have to worry about their online privacy when travelling, or worry about which online services are allowed in the places they travel to. Now frequent travelers, businesspeople and exchange students can browse privately and without restrictions from anywhere in the world.” Needless to say, what is the whole point of talking about the iTwin Connect when we do not espouse its strengths?

Some of the key benefits of the iTwin Connect will include the ‘Teleport Me’ function, allowing you to browse privately and securely from untrusted networks and access blocked or geo-restricted sites and services regardless of where you are in the world. All traffic will be directed via a private VPN tunnel to the home/office PC, where the public Internet may then be accessed via the home/office PC’s Internet connection. Not only that, ‘Teleport Me’ also delivers private access to the Internet courtesy of iTwin’s dedicated network servers in the United States, Europe or Asia/Pacific, should that be the case.

You will also be able to take advantage of personal, zero-configuration VPN for full bi-directional network access, while Military Grade Security lets you sleep in peace, thanks to hardware-grade security and two-factor authentication. Heck, why not check things out remotely with the ability for you to launch Windows Remote Desktop using a single click, gaining access to applications (and their data) on the home/office PC? Even better is, you will not be bogged down by those pesky monthly fees, as a one time cost will let you enjoy unlimited usage.

If you are interested, you can pick up the iTwin Connect now for $129 a pop.

Press Release

Disposable Electronic Cigarettes from ProSmoke

by Edwin - on February 10th, 2013

Have you tried your darndest best to kick the smoking habit all this while, but with very little chance of success? Well, perhaps you might have your skeptical view about electronic cigarettes, but assuming you do not want to leave any stone unturned in your quest, there is the Disposable Electronic Cigarettes from Prosmoke Electronic Cigarettes, where the latter prides itself in being the industry leading tobacco alternative. The new Disposable Electronic Cigarettes range has been thrown into the mix, hoping to help the company maintain their edge in this industry as the manufacturer of the best electronic cigarette products on the market.

Those who want more bang for their hard earned buck will find that fortune smiles on them with the ProSmoke Disposable Electronic Cigarettes since they last longer compared to the rest of the competition, but in the long run, they will most probably also cost less. Chances are smokers will find the Disposable Electronic Cigarettes to deliver a more realistic smoking experience, while tasting better compared to other e-cigarette brands that are available, letting customers choose from a couple of delicious flavors, or if you find that money is hard to come by these days, why not save up with bundled packs?

According to a ProSmoke representative, “If you are looking to try electronic cigarettes for the first time or you want an easy alternative to buying a pack of regular cigarettes, then the ProSmoke Disposable Electronic Cigarette is for you. If you are on the edge, trying to decide if electronic cigarettes would be a successful tobacco alternative for you, this is the perfect place to start. The ProSmoke Disposable e-cig makes your transition to e-cigarettes easy.”

It is said that the new ProSmoke Disposable Electronic Cigarette is roughly the equivalent of two packs of traditional cigarettes, and it comes with a real cigarette taste of tobacco and menthol flavors, ensuring you will be able to smoke the tobacco alternative every day. Just which is the most effective way, in your books, to quit smoking?

Press Release

Globee Night Lights

by Edwin - on February 8th, 2013

No, the £19.99 Globee Night Lights does not have any kind of typo in it, that is just the way it is called. Most of us might be satisfied with just a regular night light at the side of our beds so that we do not end up stubbing our toe against the side of the bed in the middle of the night as we make our way to the bathroom, paving the way for a litany of curses to spew from our mouths. Why not be different with the Globee Night Lights? It will be more than a decent night light, except that it espouses the wonders of a big city, and you can choose from various landmarks such as Edinburgh, London, New York, and Paris. I am quite sure that some folks would prefer to strike Edinburgh from the list and throw in Milan instead, but hey, it isn’t me who came up with the Globee Night Lights.

Boasting an illustrated map of your selected city, the Globee Night Lights will show off key landmarks in a cute and colorful ‘tour-guide’ manner. Under its silver plinth, you are then free to wander around town (mentally speaking, of course), thanks to the spinning function that needs to be powered by, yeah, your hands. It does not run on AC power, so you might want to get ready a bunch of rechargeable AAA batteries for this bad boy â€" it consumes a quartet of them at any one time.