Hasta La Gadget!

Tablet cases are everywher these days.  Then again tablets have become a mainstay. They are so common they become an extension of ourselves. So the quest becomes how do you make your device match your personality. Unique design and features are key. And a US based company seems to have found a perfect solution to making a statement with your tablet case.

Treegloo, a design group making cases for nexus 7, iPad Mini and iPad (gen 2-4), caters to the desire for individuals and corporations to let their tablet case reflect them with sort of a troika of uniqueness. First of all they take their inspiration from architecture – sleek and and artistic yet functional to protect your pad. Sure they have the standard built-in stand and access to buttons/connections but with a much more stylish look. A second unique feature is that Treegloo only produces their cases with FSC Certified and eco-friendly materials.  Yep, everything from the adhesives to shipping materials. The third factor making Treegloo product stand out is the fact that cases can be customized. Finishes, cover colors and latches can all be made to suit you because they are all hand made.  Choose from 8 wooden frame finishes, 10 cover colors, 4 latch types, 2 liner types and over 20 liner colors or prints.  Two styles are available too – the classic design or the slimmer Streamliner. You can design your own case at Treegloo.com  for as little as $29.95 for nexus 7 and $34.95 for iPad mini. Note that their production queue for iPad is already full for the holiday season – but you can still build one for later delivery. In a world where we all strive to be unique – let your tablet friend help express your personality in an eco-friendly and stylish case!

Thanks: PC Mag
[ Customizable, Sustainable and Stylish 7” Cases copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Our love for gadgets means one thing in life: gadget waste will continue to grow. As new generations of laptops, tablets, phones, PCs and the like appear on the scene one has to wonder where the old ones go. Sure, some can be recycled, but there is certainly cost involved. Realistically much of what goes into a circuit board cannot be reused unless completely taken apart – which is challenging. If it can’t be recycled it gets thrown into the general trash, only to go into and pollute the earth. I would imagine that growth of industries finding enviro-conscious solutions to dispose of e-waste will start to keep pace with the electronics industry itself.

Researchers at UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL), in conjunction with research partners, have come up with a solution that may help with this waste issue down the road. The research was conducted as part of the ReUSE (Reuseable, Unzippable, Sustainable Electronics) project, a UK government backed initiative to increase the recyclability of electronic assemblies. Currently in the UK only about 2% of assemblies can be reused. The group designed and tested a number of different layers of polymers which were able to be separated into their individual parts at end of life when submerged in hot water. Result? The components on the circuit boards were easily removable after the hot water soak and 90% of them were reusable. Check the video above to see how simple NPL made it look. And who knows, maybe someday we will be able to turn old electronics in with confidence, knowing the insides can be used again – thanks to NPL and hot water.

Thanks: Liliputing
[ Hot Water: Key to Recycling Electronic Components? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We might take clean drinking water for granted in the country that we live in, but to put things into perspective the next time you complain that there’s nothing to eat in your fridge, and the only drink you have is water, bear in mind that over 1 billion folks lack regular access to safe drinking water, and this figure is not shrinking. On the contrary, it is growing all the more. Apart from that, around 6,000 children die each day no thanks to disease associated with lack of access to safe drinking water. The news does not get any rosier though, as it is estimated that by the time 2025 rolls around, over 5 billion people will not have access to regular and sufficient supplies of safe drinking water. There is a bright ray of hope, however, as we take a closer look at the Pure ROK.

The Pure ROK will incorporate state-of-the-art design alongside low-cost manufacturing techniques, where the Pure ROK units do not carry any moving parts at all, and not only that, there are no pumps nor filters as well. It does not need any lithium ion battery source, but rather, it relies on the sun itself in order to convert fouled water. Even better news is this – seawater too, is not exempt from the Pure ROK’s transforming capability, turning it into clean, pure drinking water via an innovative and highly effective evaporation, condensation and collection process.

A snap to operate and not only that, the Pure ROK is easy to maintain, individual Pure ROK units are capable of churning out an average of between 6 to 10 gallons of pure water per 24 hour period under normal to high sunlight conditions. Of course, when winter comes, the amount of sunlight available in a day drops, so you can expect less amount of water than that. 6 to 10 gallons should be more than enough to equip a family of 8 with adequate amounts of safe and pure drinking water.

Product Page
[ Pure ROK might help address global drinking water crisis copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Concept alert, concept alert. But oh boy, does this make sense. Stoves, radiators, portable heaters – the list of heat generating devices in our lives goes on and on. And our lives have gone portable with phones, tablets, laptops and the like. Devices have existed to charge electronics via heat sources, but never with the portability aspect.

YankoDesign features some of the latest industrial designs. Highlighted in their Technology section is the EcoCharge, a portable and green option for charging electronics. How so? EcoCharge draws heat from any heating device. Then thermoelectric generator modules convert heat to electricity. Power is delivered out of the unit via USB connection. Then just take your pick of what device to plug in. The concept had previously existed, but not in a portable unit – critical for our charging needs. Designer Ardavan Mirhosseini took it a step further by adding magnets to the side of the EcoCharge. Stick it to any metal surface while you draw out heat and charge. The unit also monitors and displays the conduction process so you could know how efficiently you charge. Imagine attaching EcoCharge to your hot pot of chili? Or how about affixing to the heating unit? It certainly makes sense and perhaps, someday, will become a reality.
[ Find Heat and Charge copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Bicycle hubs have long provided power for bike headlights via small, built-in generators (dynamo hub), a great, green power source. But there are a few drawbacks. The power generated varies with your pedaling. Slow pedaling delivers a decent charge, but speed on the bike creates spikes and surges in the power – not healthy for devices. Another drawback is lack of storage for the power you generate. Seems like there are other uses for the pedal generated power like charging your electronic devices! BioLogic, bike accessory maker, offers a line of products that enables you to channel that bicycling energy with their ReeCharge™ Dynamo Kit and ReeCharge™ Power Pack.

The ReeCharge products work with any standard bicycle dynamo hub. ReeCharge Dynamo Kit, $30 at thinkbiologic.com, is easily attached to the fork and, when attached to the hub, conditions the power you generate to protect any devices you charge. So if you have your phone actively charging while riding, rest assured you will get clean, steady power. But once you stop pedaling you lose that power. So BioLogic also came up with a way to save that hard work, in the form of the ReeCharge Power Pack, $100 on their site. It contains a 1600 mAh Lithium polymer battery which is charged as you ride (also chargeable via computer or outlet). Attach a USB cable to the unit, initiate the charging process and you can deliver power to a phone, GPS or any device. Have a long day on the trails? No problem, take your hard work with you. Throw the Power Pack in your bag and charge devices as you need. And 1600 mAh will get you through a full charge cycle on a smartphone or multiple boosts to multiple devices.  Voila, no wasted pedal power! And of course ReeCharge™ Dynamo Kit and ReeCharge™ Power Pack come in durable cases so bring on the elements. Note: the iPhone 3GS does have some compatibility issues due to iOS 4.3.x. So check BioLogic’s website for details.

So don’t let your bicycling be for naught. Capture that energy you create and power your world.

Thanks: Bikebiz

[ Pedal Power Your Devices copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]