Hasta La Gadget!

An umbrella is supposed to keep you dry from those rainy days, and it too, would be able to ensure your skin does not get sun burnt at all when it is scorching hot out there during the summer. At this year’s Amsterdam-based Music Hack Day, a couple of intrepid hackers who hail from Berlin did figure out a way to create a musical umbrella which is capable of producing a random series of lo-fi 8-bit tones.

These tones are triggered the moment a raindrop strikes the outer surface of the umbrella’s canopy, and since the results are totally random and abstract, you will hear different tunes all the time, and chances are just like snowflakes, you will not find the same two tunes at any time. What your ears will hear would be something akin to what the first generation Nintendo Game Boy is capable of churning out. To know more about how this particular musical umbrella works, read on after the jump.

The gist of the umbrella works this way – whenever raindrops strike the outside surface of the umbrella canopy, they will be transformed to tones thanks to the presence of a dozen piezo pickup sensors which are taped to the underside of the umbrella. These piezo pickup sensors are fully capable of responding to vibration, where they are then sent over to an Arduino Uno, which is actually a cheap and open source micro-controller that is popular with hackers and hobbyists. Not only that, it will in turn be hooked to a couple of speakers.

The Music Hack Day event was originally held in the London offices of U.K. newspaper The Guardian three years ago, and the movement has since spread to Berlin, Amsterdam, Boston, Stockholm, San Francisco, Barcelona, New York and Montreal, where over two thousand participants and sponsorship from notable music-tech companies are the attendees.

There is still no indication that this musical umbrella will be sold to the masses, but the umbrella’s creators, Alice Zappe and Julia Lager, decided to come up with a new and improved version of their Music Hack Day prototype.

Source

[ Musical umbrella delivers 8-bit tones copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We all know that Apple churns out some really spiffy looking devices, and have done so for a fair number of years already, without any hint of them stopping anytime soon. Well, if you happen to own at least one of the following – the iPad, iPod touch, iPhone or MacBook, then you might want to check out the Carbon Audio Zooka slide-on speaker bar which was specially designed as an accessory for the mentioned devices.

Of course, for anything to work in tandem with Apple’s devices, they will certainly need to look their best – or at least, flow along with the general design principles over at Cupertino. Good to know that the Carbon Audio Zooka slide-on speaker bar conforms to such lofty standards, and we shall take a closer look at just what it is capable of delivering for your ears to enjoy right after the jump.

First and foremost, we are looking at what Carbon Audio claims as “extraordinary sound quality”, where the Zooka is tipped to deliver a concert hall experience which is capable of significantly enhance the kind of music you hear, movies you watch, and games you play – amongst others, of course. Not only that, you can live in complete wireless freedom with the Zooka thanks to the ability to “project” sound via wireless Bluetooth, leaving you with the choice of placing the speaker a good 30 feet away from the primary device.

There is also an integrated microphone thrown into the mix, allowing the Zooka to work in tandem with the iPad, transforming it into a high quality speakerphone that will make your Skype and Facetime experiences a whole lot more pleasant. Of course, having said that, it will also play nice with other communication software to boot. Sporting a unique patented design, the Zooka can slide onto the edge of an iPad or MacBook without getting into the way of the camera.

To make sure the Zooka lives up to its purpose, there is also a removable kickstand that lets your iPad stand up, making it ideal for watching videos on the go without leaving your hands tired. The Carbon Audio Zooka slide-on speaker bar can be yours for $99.95 each, where it will come in nine colors including black, blue, dark grey, green, orange, pink, purple, red and teal as it rolls out sometime this August.

Press Release

[ Carbon Audio Zooka slide-on speaker bar for your Apple devices copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I take movies and pictures of everything. I love the idea of preserving memories of our family vacations and events. I always enjoy watching them myself, but my hope is they will bring back wonderful memories for my daughter someday. I never thought to record the actual journey. I can think of a few that would have been really nice to have on tape.

Well, Flexcope has developed a camera mount that’s compatible with many recording devices like the Flip HD, Kodak Sport, Galaxy or Droid and even the iPhone that turns your device into a roadtrip video recorder, one that will stick to virtually any smooth, non porous surface and provide a unique hands free documentation of all your travels.

The Flexcope mount comes with a heavy duty suction cup and two flexible adjusting knobs, which will allow you to achieve almost any angle you might require for mounting your portable electronic device,  this multipurpose universal mount secures your portable electronic, while you are on-the-go, and while it was developed for windshields, it has also been used on motorcycles and other vehicles where you would like to document a special ride.

So eliminate the need to hold or adjust your video camera and get ready to capture every twist and turn on your favorite scenic route, and when you no longer need to record something, simply replace the camera with your GPS device or music player. At only 20 bucks this mount is a must-have for photography enthusiasts who are ready to take to the open road. Get yours at amazon.com Please check the website for device compatibility.

[ Flexcope Roadtrip Mount – Makes your iPhone a Roadtrip Camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]