Easy Energy Unveils YouGen Handheld Charger

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Las Vegas based Easy Energy has announced a new handheld charger set to debut on November 15th. The device is called the YoGen and can recharge any small to mid size personal electronic device without batteries or having to plug the charger in.

The charger is powered by pulls on a ripcord that works sort of like a Yo-Yo. The internal alternator promises to generate enough power to recharge things like cell phones, iPod, PDAs, MP3 player, and portable game consoles. Read more

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

The Shadowbox Live: Track Your Rides

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Are you a skateboarder, skiier, snowboarder, or professional bobsled racer? If you're one of the first three, you might be interested in the Shadowbox Live. If you're the fourth, please send me an email. I've always wanted to have a friend with his own bobsled.

Anyway, back to the gadget. The Shadowbox Live is a personal measurement device designed for 'extreme' sports like snowboarding. The Shadowbox clips right onto your board and measures your runs in exacting detail. Afterwards, it can create detailed 3D maps of your runs and show you detailed information about any tricks or stunts you pull.

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Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:17:54 CDT | by Robert Evans

E-Readers: The Future Of Libraries?

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Where would our national libraries be without stack after massive, mouldering stack of books? Based on what we're seeing in the UK, they could be doing pretty well. Certain libraries there have started giving out e-book downloads in lieu of real book rentals. The temporary e-books are deleted after 14 days and, due to their digital nature, are never out of stock or on a waiting list.

For the first time in years, many of these UK libraries are seeing increases in subscriptions again. People are actually getting excited about going to the library again, and it isn't hard to see why. Fourteen days is long enough for most people to read a book, and e-books remove all of the negative limitations normal library rentals have. You'll never find an e-book with a weird stain or have to wait six months to check out a popular title because there's a waiting list.

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Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:49:39 CDT | by Robert Evans

ReNu Solar iPod Charger: Being Green Can Be Hot

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Solar technology is awesome. It's easy to use and provides an unlimited source of free electricity wherever you go. Unfortunately, most commercial solar panels looks like, well...solar panels. Thankfully, the ReNu solar iPod dock (via Gizmodo) is just sexy enough to grab the attention of hipsters the world over. It's got a slick, ultramodern design and a hefty price tag: $200.

The dock consists of a set of speakers and a square solar panel/battery combo that sits comfortably in between them. With a full charge, the battery can power music for 7-8 hours. When it goes dry, you just need to pull out the solar panel and expose it to the sun. With direct line, it can charge the battery to full in 9 hours (that's almost an even rate of replacement). In poor light, however, charging can take as long as 20 hours.

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Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:29:33 CDT | by Robert Evans

BlackBerry Smartwatch Available For Pre-Order

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Well that was fast. After just a week of speculation time, the BlackBerry smartwatch is confirmed and available for pre-order. Normally a gadget like this is preceded by months of speculation over leaked renders and blurry cameraphone images. Apparently inPulse, the company RIM contracted to make the watch, doesn't like to play those games. The final price of the Smartwatch is $149, and it is expected to ship in February.

In terms of specs, we can confirm that the Smartwatch packs a 1.3" OLED display. It has a glass lens, a metal body, a microUSB port, and a battery that can handle roughly 4 days of use on a charge. It also has a vibrating motor, so you'll always know when someone's trying to send you a message. Unfortunately, you won't be able to respond with your watch alone.

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Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:17:52 CDT | by Robert Evans

Kohjinsha PA: Half Tablet, Half Netbook, All Awesome

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Tablets are all well and good, but sometimes you want a real keyboard and the increased utility of a netbook. And netbooks are fantastic, but sometimes you'd like to be able to just navigate on the fly with a touch of your fingers. If only there were some sort of portable gadget that could bridge the gap between netbook and tablet PC. Oh wait, what's this? According to Pocketables, there is!

Japanese manufacturer Kohjinsha has just announced the release of their PA series of netbook/tablets. These nifty little gadgets feature a 4.8" WSVGA touchscreen, 1.33 GHz Atom CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and a 32 GB SSD. The battery life for this sweet tabletbook is listed at an impressive 7.5 hours, and it features an SD slot and 1.3 MP webcam. Altogether, the Kohjinsha PA looks like one of the more impressive gadgets we've seen.

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Posted on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:24:23 CDT | by Robert Evans

Uniden Debuts New Wireless Video Surveillance Gear

Topic: Hot Gadgets

The big problem with many security systems is that you have to hire someone to run wires around your home or business to install the system and that can get very expensive. Not all security systems have wires though like the new setup Uniden is offering .

The company has a new wireless video surveillance system that uses 2.4GHz wireless technology for interference free connectivity, the line includes a 3.5-inch portable wireless video monitor, a 7-inch wireless video monitor, indoor/outdoor wireless cameras, and a compact wireless camera. The system can support one monitor and up to four cameras. Read more

Posted on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Kindle Versus Nook: Who Will Win?

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Amazon's Kindle was the first successful E-Reader, and it remains the reader with the largest worldwide adoption. This is partially due to being one of the earliest products of its type, and partially due to the great selection in Amazon's E-book store. (The Kindle going international didn't hurt either.) Any company hoping to compete with Amazon's reader is in for an uphill battle. At least, that's what I thought until I saw Barnes & Noble's nook.

It's rare to see one product whup the everliving hell out of its competition so thoroughly, but B&N have done just that with the nook. Both the Kindle and the nook cost exactly the same amount; $259. Both the Kindle and the nook have 3G, but the nook also has WiFi on top of that. Both machines have a 6" screen, but the nook also has a 3.5" color LCD touch screen that runs Android.

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Posted on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:05 CDT | by Robert Evans

Dell Android MID 'The Streak' Seen Vietnam

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Apparently Dell is as much of an Android fanatic as those of us who dropped $200 on the G1 last year. Confirmation that the 3i Android smartphone would be heading to the U.S. was exciting enough on its own. Now we're hearing news that Dell also has an Android MID (via SlashGear) headed for the U.S. I've never had any reason to be excited about a Dell product before, but this news has me quivering with glee.

Screenshots of the MID, codenamed the Streak, came initially from Vietnamese-based Tinhte.com. They state that the MID features a 5" WVGA touchscreen, packs Android 2.0, is WiFi capable and 3G enabled, and has a 5 MP camera with a dual LED flash. It's also got a microSD card and a 1300 mAH battery. The model variant is listed as "US", which is proof that this sexy little piece of Android-goodness is bound for the States. The most exciting thing about this MID has to be the front-facing camera stuck on the left side of the display. That means this device will be perfect for video conferencing.

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Posted on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:59:22 CDT | by Robert Evans

enTourage eDGe: The First Dual-Screen E-Reader

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Well gang, Microsoft's Courier has been beaten to the punch by enTourage. They've just released the enTourage eDGe (via Gizmodo), a dual-screen E-Reader/Android tablet. Sure, it doesn't have the style, the incredible UI design, or the outstanding potential for organizational tasks that Microsoft's Courier does. But right now, it has one massive advantage over Redmond's slumbering giant; it exists.

The eDGe is not the sexiest gadget ever built. On the outside, it looks pretty much exactly like a netbook. Unfolding it reveals two screens. One, a 9.7" E-Ink screen that can read ePub and PDF files. The other, a 10.1" color LCD touchscreen that houses an Android tablet. The eDGe has WiFi, optional 3G, Bluetooth, and the ability to record video and audio.

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Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:23:10 CDT | by Robert Evans

The Sensecam: Record Your Entire Life

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Do you live an interesting life? Probably not. Even if you travel to a new country every week and make love to supermodels on a daily basis, the vast majority of your life is probably spent doing pretty boring tasks. But that doesn't mean the people of the future won't find every aspect of your existence fascinating, which is why you need to pick up a Sensecam. (Gizmodo)

The Sensecam was developed by Microsoft. It takes snapshots of your life every 30 seconds. A manufacturer called Vicon has actually built the product, and they've added in an accelerometer and light/heat sensors in order to improve image tracking. The Vicon Sensecam will cost around $820, and it holds only 1 GB of memory, which is about 10 days of photos.

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Posted on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:03:53 CDT | by Robert Evans