Hasta La Gadget!

I always find a bit of a disconnect when I send gifts directly to a recipient from a website. The same kind of feeling I get when I choose to give a gift card, for whatever reason, either act seems to impart a feeling of uncaring, like I didn’t take the time to think of the person, and just haphazardly took the quick and easy way out. (even if I didn’t) It would be nice if you could send a gift with a more personal touch, you know, to let those you care about really know how much they mean to you, but somehow a generic brown box doesn’t quite cut it.

There’s now a service called MessagesWithGifts, a San Francisco based new business start-up, that is offering retailers’ the ability to give their gift-buyers the option of  recording a voice or video message with each and every purchase. Directions on how to access the message, including a personalized pin number, go with each gift to the intended recipient. So when the gift and the message arrive together, its almost as good as you being there to say I’m thinking about you.

So forget the little business card sized note that says I love you with your flowers, and gone are the days your mom gets that neat electronic device that she has no idea what it does, simply let MessagesWithGifts say it for you. The company makes it easy for consumers to record the messages, and just as simple for the recipient to retrieve them and what an easy way to propose marriage, from far away, with no fear of face to face rejection!

The service brings an added emotional element to both buying and receiving items from almost any vendor that subscribes to the service, and stores can charge a premium for it  – so I would expect to see this service, or something very similar, at retailers soon. For more information for your shop or business, please visit MessegesWithGifts.com.

[ MessagesWithGifts – Almost as Good as BeingThere copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Edifier has announced a spanking new flagship speaker system, calling it the Spinnaker. One look at it, and I more or less have the theme song of Jaws running through my mind. How can you not experience that with the huge, fin-like resemblance? It is nice to see a company like Edifier slowly but surely building up their portfolio to what they are today, and with the latest addition to their wares, the Edifier Spinnaker will definitely evoke a sensory experience unlike any other – at least visually on the most basic of levels.

The Spinnaker is actually a CES Innovations Award winner, standing proud at 16.5” in height, sporting a very special shape that was specially designed to project the sound towards the listener, thanks to its front facing tweeters and mid-range drivers. These will be reinforced with a downward firing bass driver that is located in each speaker. The Spinnaker from Edifier will come with a Bluetooth connection built-in, ensuring that you will be able to live out a wireless lifestyle. Of course, going wireless is also a great idea in this day and age, as that would mean one less cable to worry about gathering dust, not to mention being a tripping hazard.

The Edifier Spinnaker will also be accompanied by a USB rechargeable wireless remote that is capable of controlling the volume, track navigation and play/pause preferences without a hitch as long as you remain within a 10-meter radius (that measures to 30 feet).

I would call the Spinnaker shape that of a shark’s fin, but I guess Edifier preferred the more diplomatic route by calling it a ‘sail inspired design’, and it is not there just for looks alone. In fact, the sail inspired design is said to be able to enhance the sound in a variety of ways. Thanks to a tapered cylindrical shape, the internal standing waves and resonances cannot collect to a measurable degree in any area within the enclosure, and will cancel themselves out at various frequencies.

Not only that, the aluminum frame is also paired with internal damping materials which will reduce unwanted enclosure vibration, giving the listener(s) a more lifelike and accurate sound presentation.

It might look expensive, but the Edifier Spinnaker is surprisingly affordable, coming in black and burgundy for $349.99 a pop.

[ Edifier Spinnaker speaker system is their new flagship copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The world of smartphone accessories is an interesting one, where many manufacturers zoom in on a particular make and model and start churning them out by the hundreds of thousands, be it cases or screen protectors as well as speaker add-ons. Of course, some third party manufacturers are even more daring, deciding to come up with a case for a yet unreleased device – as this had already happened with the iPhone 5 (or next generation iPhone, depending on how you want to call it). Seidio is much more conservative with their latest device release, announcing the Seidio Desktop Charging Cradle that caters for a range of HTC devices such as the HTC EVO 4G LTE, HTC One X, and HTC One S.

This would mean only the fairly recent and more powerful handsets from HTC are the ones being catered to here – if you are using a mid-range or entry level HTC device, then you can forget about it. Seidio hopes that the design philosophy of timeless and elegant products will be captured by the Desktop Charging Cradle, touting it to be an ideal accessory for the desk of the business professional. Is it really? Only those who have bought and used it are able to tell.

Sporting a unique design which enables one to synchronize and juice up your HTC smartphone simultaneously, it ensures your HTC device will always remain powered up at all times.

David Chang, CEO of Seidio, said, “This charging cradle is the final accessory to round out the full-line of products we [Seidio] offer for the HTC devices. Our goal is to provide our consumers with a complete system solution for their mobile device. The Desktop Charging Cradle works seamlessly with Seidio’s HTC cases and, of course, the smartphone itself.”

What makes the David Chang, CEO of Seidio so different from the other somewhat similar products on the market? For starters, it functions with or without a Seidio ACTIVE or SURFACE case, so you need not worry about removing a protective case while you dock the device, all thanks to a tiny albeit sturdy connector piece. The dock will also be able to hold your smartphone in a horizontal position to deliver a perfect viewing angle whenever you want to enjoy movies, pictures and other multimedia formats.

It comes in an all-black cradle with a smooth, matte finish, in addition to Seidio’s signature soft-touch coating. The external layer will ensure the cradle remains clean, resisting fingerprints, dirt and grime, while a discreet power LED light will be located on the back of the unit. You can pick up the Seidio Desktop Charging Cradle for $29.95 a pop.

Press Release

[ Seidio announces Desktop Charging Cradle for HTC devices copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

One must agree that the iPhone has one of the better built-in cameras among smartphones out there, although fans of the Samsung Galaxy S3 might beg to differ, not to mention the HTC One X which is said to offer the ability to shoot a still shot while you are recording video simultaneously. Still, if you are not going to change your iPhone to a different handset anytime soon and yet want to pursue shooting a better quality video under more trying circumstances, you can always give the Optrix XD Sport a go.

The name Optrix might sound familiar to many, as they are the designer of action sports video cases, and to see them make the foray into the world of smartphones is definitely something. The Optrix XD Sport can be touted to be the first rugged, waterproof iPhone case which was specially designed to change your iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPod touch into a wide-angle action video camera. Let us learn more about the Optrix XD Sport in the extended post, shall we not?

For starters, the XD Sport is said to be able to merge the proprietary Optrix design with a 175° wide angle aluminum and glass lens, offering sports enthusiasts the ability to shoot, edit and share Full HD resolution videos. It is said to be perfect for extreme sports including mountain biking, skateboarding, skiing or motocross, where the Optrix XD Sport can be lumped under the military grade category and it will conform to military spec MIL-STD-810F.

John Willenborg, founder of Optrix, said, “The XD Sport takes capturing adventures to another level, giving extreme sports enthusiasts an affordable option to other equipment on the market. More pictures and videos are captured using cell phones than any other devices and Optrix enhances it by making their devices splash, spill, bump and drop proof.”

You can expect the Optrix XD Sport to arrive with a range of accessories, ranging from a curved and flat mount to being able to securely adhere to just about any surface. There is also a quick release latch that makes adjusting angles a snap, thanks to to a rubberized sled which will offer protection for your handset while doubling up as a case.

Press Release

[ Optrix XD Sport offers you a rugged and waterproof iPhone case copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Urbanears claim that their most ambitious headphone to date would be the Zinken pair of headphones – which is said to be a brand new approach to the concept of a headphone that sees it function as a musical instrument. It was specially developed with the professional DJ in mind, although there is a caveat to this – it will pay adequate respect to the wallet of the amateur. Basically, I am saying that that you will get the best bang for your buck with the purchase of a Zinken, where we will explore its fair share of features such as the TurnCable and the ZoundPlug in the extended post.

Let us take a look at the TurnCable first. Originally constructed with a rugged Kevlar within, the TurnCable boasts of a 6.3mm plug that can be used with a mixer, in addition to a 3.5mm for mobile devices that range from phones to MP3 players, although I do wonder who uses the latter any more these days. The TurnCable also boasts of a coiled section that gives you the freedom to move without requiring to disrupt the sound that comes from your headphones.

As for the ZoundPlug, this was originally featured on the Urbanears Plattan headphone, where the ZoundPlug might point towards a plug, but rather, it is an audio output socket which enables another person to share exactly what you are listening to at that point in time through plugging in to the ZoundPlug.

To sum it up, the Zinken headphones was specially designed to be ultra wearable kind of headphone which can basically be worn for hours on end at a time without you ending up with a case of extremely hot ears. Not only that, it will come with a padded headband as well as comfortable ear cushions to deliver a longer period of wearability. In addition, the increased foam density of the ear cushions will enable you to achieve far superior noise isolation, with the swivel ear cups enabling you to adjust your playing style.

Urbanears is also mindful enough to work with materials which do not absorb odors and sweat, definitely a good idea for those moments when you are enjoying marathon listening sessions. The asking price for the Zinken as it arrives in the full-range of Urbanears colors would stand at $140 a pop.

Press Release

[ Zinken headphones from Urbanears copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]