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and subscribe to our free daily digest Thanks to the WikiReader, I am the smartest person in the room.
I got a chance to try out the Wikireader that we reported on earlier, and I will have to say that I am now the know-it-all. I’ve become like Cliff Claven from Cheers, who seems to know all the useless facts in the universe, and comes off as amazingly annoying.
The Wikireader by Openmoko is a device with a tiny black-and-white screen that uses 2 AAA batteries that are included. It requires no internet connection as all the 3 million entries are inside.
There are no illustrations, and the touchscreen allows for scrolling. Scrolling up and down creates a blurry effect that makes it easy to lose your place. Find out after the jump how Cyber Monday got its name.
Continue reading » Thanks to the WikiReader, I am the smartest person in the room.
Textminator an arcade game for today’s youth
I realize that stand-up video games are practically a thing of the past, and there has not been a decent one since Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). Since home versions of the game along with Guitar Hero/Rock Band has pretty much eclipsed stand-up video game glory, its nice to see someone trying to renew it with Textminator.
As you can see, someone has even used the safety bars on the DDR game, but made the subject matter of the competition not dancing, but texting, something that the teens these days are really, really good at.
So why not make an arcade game where players must “face-off” with each other on stainless steel phone-like keypads? It sort of reminds me of MasterType, a very old-school computer program that helped me learn to type. In that game, the player had to save a spaceship by typing in the correct sequence of letters to shoot the guns to destroy the aliens. I am assuming the player does a similar sort of game in Textminator.
Continue reading » Textminator an arcade game for today’s youth
Qualcomm to make an energy-efficient color e-reader with optional game controller?
Yes, there are a lot of readers out there, and unless one is truly unique, it is not worth talking about. However, this one reader under development from Qualcomm is really worth talking about.
First of all, it has a color screen, something that the Nook can only halfway claim. Qualcomm is playing with mirasol technology for a 5.7 inch display that doesn’t need e-ink, but membranes to create the needed colors.
The mirasol technology uses a lot less power than other readers like the Kindle. In fact, Qualcomm has said that the power that would last a Kindle a day would last the mirasol about a week. Yes, that is quite a claim.
Not only that, Qualcomm is considering putting gaming controls on the thing. This accessory would snap on to the bottom of it, but very little is known about what type of games could be played on this.
Continue reading » Qualcomm to make an energy-efficient color e-reader with optional game controller?
Gauntlet Watchphone makes watch phones cool again
Yeah, this isn’t the first time that Coolest Gadgets has reported on watch phones such as the LG G910 and the Kempler and Strauss WPhonewatch.
I suppose that this would be the time to talk about how most watch phones don’t take into account that Dick Tracy isn’t cool anymore and the idea of having a phone on our wrist just doesn’t appeal to us like it did back then. I mean, most people have cell phones! Hello?
Still, you have got to give the Gauntlet Watchphone credit for trying to make the watch phone relevant in today’s mobile society. You will notice that the watch has a lot of icons on its touchscreen face, just like everyone’s favorite smartphone from Apple!
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Meloncard: A way to exchange business cards in the future
A designer named Alan Sien Wei Hshieh has developed a new way of exchanging business cards that does not involve any paper. His MelonCard, which is just a concept at this point, is an idea ahead of its time whose time has come.
After all, don’t you think it’s odd in this digital age that we still exchange these little paper rectangles every time we want to do business with someone?
In the age of the MelonCard, everyone would have one of these devices that you see here. This card-size piece of scratch resistant glass would be attached to a thin plastic strip that would have its own flash memory, Bluetooth, and power supply.
If two businesspeople want to exchange information, then they would simply slap two Meloncards together like a high-five. Apparently, two accelerometers onboard automatically exchange digital info, so you can contact your contact later.
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Hands on Review of the Powermat. Verdict: Hands off my Powermat!
We covered that Powermat at CES last January, and I finally got a chance to try it out. It is a neat product, but there is a few things you should know about it.
I’m sure this is obvious, but the user has to buy Powermat adapters for whatever device that you have. That’s for the true wireless charging for your iPhone or BlackBerry or whatnot.
The Powermat comes with Powermat Powercube that has seven adapters including 2 DS Lites, one micro USB, one Sony, one Samsung, one LG, and one Apple for iPods. It also has a place for tip storage, a box that is about the same size of the Powercube. In all honesty, I wish they would have included another Powercube, as there already is a holder for the tips that is made of stiff paper.
Continue reading » Hands on Review of the Powermat. Verdict: Hands off my Powermat!
GE’s handheld ultrasound scanner
I’m sure you have figured this out by now, but that device to the left is not a phone, but an ultrasound. Considering the last time I saw an ultrasound, it had a whole room devoted to it, but this one is the size of a Blackberry.
GE is the pioneer of this new mobile device called the Vscan. It is designed for doctors who are making house calls. Instead of bringing the patient to the hospital or doctor’s office, the device can come to the mother. I’ll bet that they have to use that really cold creamy stuff that is the bane of pregnant mothers everywhere.
GE has just unveiled this device at the Web 2.0 summit, and they estimate that its cost will be about $250,000. That is not enough for every expectant father to own one of these, but at least low enough so a hospital could have at least one handy.
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The Sharper Image Charging Valet
I’m sure most of the readers of this blog probably have way too many gadgets, and these gadgets have an annoying habit of always needing to be charged. Why not have one place where you charge them all simultaneously?
Well, at least you can have one place to do three at a time, which is what the Portable Charging Valet from Sharper Image is designed to do. Yes, because it is made by Sharper Image, it is a Charging Valet, not a charging mat. All the user has to do is unfold the Valet, plug it in, and there are three cords ready to charge his or her favorite mobiles. There is a video of it in action after the jump if you want to see more.
Continue reading » The Sharper Image Charging Valet
