Hasta La Gadget!

True road warriors know that your hands are always needed. You figure the phone is in one hand, maybe a bag over the other shoulder with that hand also pulling your rollerboard. So where is the coffee supposed to go? And forget about grabbing a newspaper. Quite inconvenient. Needless to say, an extra hand would be convenient while going through airports.

Some creative designers in Spain have invented a solution that could potentially solve this traveler’s dilemma. “hop! the following suitcase” as it is known, uses technology to ease the hassles of travel by leaving you hands free. Wha? Yes, you heard me. hop! is a small suitcase. Contained in it are 3 sensors which sync to your smartphone via Bluetooth. They triangulate the signal from the phone to determine your location. Then the microprocessor takes over and directs the case – on caterpillar tracks – to follow behind your phone. See the video below for hop! in action.

Sure, hop! is a small suitcase. Maybe not enough for a road warrior. But hop! is also a concept. However it is in the final 50 for the prestigious James Dyson award – an international student design award. Plenty of attention may come their way if rewarded. And soon we may all have a little buddy following us through the airport.

Activity bracelets and other fitness gadgets are a great way to get motivated to get into shape. Instead of relying on paltry humans, your love for gadgets will keep you running when the lactic acid starts to settle into your legs! Well, that might still be a pipe dream, but check out Lark’s latest release. It’s kind of like a minimal version of the Nike+ FuelBand.

The LarkLife will track your activity, from sleep patterns to food intake using a bracelet and a mobile app. For now, this will work only with iOS devices. It’s not waterproof, but splash-resistant, and has a pedometer inside to count your steps. It will be able to measure how long you sleep and how long it takes you to go to sleep. There’s a vibrating alarm built-into this band as well.

Just like other bracelets, you have to manually enter your food intake, which is a bit of a downer in my book, but the band uses Bluetooth Smart to automatically sync with your iPhone. It can also tell whether you’re running or walking, meaning that the app will log workouts even if you forget to enter them. The device will dish out advice during the day and reward “good behavior” with badges. It’s available for pre-order from Lark for $150(USD) and will be available before the holidays.

Do you think that it is truly possible to live out a wireless and paperless lifestyle? I think that a paperless environment is not really that possible, as there is always a paper trail that is far better to keep records, but for wireless connectivity? It really does make sense though. After all, I am quite sure that a whole lot of us have already encountered tangled cables and wires with the myriad of our devices and gadgets, that the wireless charging feature found in the new Nokia Lumia 920 is definitely a plus point. Not only that, no longer do you need to run LAN cables throughout your home just to take advantage of the Internet connection from your router, right? Well, I guess the same can also be said of wireless speakers, and Zooka has just announced their wireless speaker’s availability over at Target Stores around the US.

Carbon Audio is the company behind the Zooka wireless speaker, where their fashion forward Bluetooth audio accessory will be able to hook up to your favorite tablet, notebook, ultrabook or smartphone – as long as those devices themselves come with integrated Bluetooth connectivity, of course. After all, since Christmas is creeping up on us slowly but surely, it makes perfect sense to have a wireless speaker like the Zooka make your list.

Carbon Audio mentioned, “That’s one reason we are so excited for the Zooka to be available in Target stores. Target’s unique ability to introduce high design to mass markets is perfectly aligned with our design principles and philosophies.”

The brilliantly designed Zooka is no shy piece of device, even though it might look like it. Packing quite a powerful, high quality audio experience, it has been specially integrated into form factor that is sleek and sexy. Connecting to other Bluetooth-enabled devices are a snap, and it will definitely be able to turn and transform your Apple or Android devices into a big sound audio system, letting you enjoy games, listen to music, and watch movies up to five times louder. All you need to do is slide the Zooka onto the edge of your device, or you can just pair it in order to enjoy big audio, full, rich sound which is touted to light up a room from as far as 30 feet away.

Apart from that, $99 Zooka also comes with a built in microphone, allowing you to pair it with your phone for hands-free conversations.

Press Release
[ Zooka wireless speaker arrives at Target Stores copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

With the arrival of the iPhone 5 and its legacy-wrecking Lightning port, this holiday season is likely to be the last that heavily features the now-obsolete dock connector. Two products caught in the wrong turn of history are Edifier’s new pair of iOS device docks for home and on the go. If you need a “big” sound in a modest package, then the Esiena Bluetooth offers 3-inch full-range drivers and a class D digital amplifier — and it’s also packing Auxiliary, USB, SD card inputs and a digital FM radio. If you’re more the adventuring type, then the portable Bric Bluetooth offers 2.75-inch full range drivers and the same class D amplifier in addition to a traveling pouch to keep the hardware safe on your travels. The Esiena will set you back $300 and the Bric a slender $100, with both arriving in the US and Canada from today.

Continue reading Edifier releases the Esiena and Bric Bluetooth speakers for iOS devices

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Edifier releases the Esiena and Bric Bluetooth speakers for iOS devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Vers 2Q is a powerful stereo Bluetooth sound system that is compatible with nearly all smartphones, laptops and tablet devices. The speaker features a hand-crafted cabinet that produces warm, surprisingly natural sound, two 6.5W full range speakers, a 10 meters wireless range and a rechargeable battery that provides around 2 hours of operating time. Measuring 76mm x 76mm x 152mm and weighing 339 grams, the Vers 2Q will be released in mic-October 2012 for $199.99. [Vers]