Hasta La Gadget!

Going hands-free right now means one of three things – turn your handset’s speakerphone function on while letting everyone and their dog around you listen in on your conversation, use a wired hands-free kit that will definitely end up in a tangled mess when you stash the wired hands-free kit away, being extremely frustrating to untangle when the situation calls for it, and last but not least, scare people into thinking that you are talking to yourself or an imaginary friend while you gesticulate your arms all over the place in an animated conversation over a Bluetooth headset. NTT DoCoMo might have something right up your alley with a new futuristic looking glasses-type Head Mounted Device, calling it the Hands-Free Videophone. How blase, but I guess there is plenty of time to think up of a cool name later on.

NTT DoCoMo came up with this particular future glasses-type device because they feel that there definitely is a market for such a device. How does the Hands-Free Videophone work exactly? For starters, it will be able to capture the user’s face using all three cameras which are located at the left and right sides of the frames. Video will be sent to the other person simply by combining the pictures together using a pre-rendered 3D model of the user’s face.

NTT DoCoMo described, “Each camera has 720p resolution, and a fish-eye lens, with a 180-degree field of view. This is the High Definition picture currently being captured in real time. If you look at the face, you can see it’s really distorted, because the fish-eye lens is so close. The distortion is compensated, and the picture is combined with a 3D model of the person in the computer. Currently, priority is given to the part around the eyes. As you can see when the man closes his eyes, the eyelids and the corners of the eyes appear quite realistic. Such a level of realism is hard to achieve with models like CG-based avatars, where parts are overlaid on the face.”

That sounds like some serious bandwidth is required, although as at press time, the resolution is not quite high enough to be able to handle the mouth and upper body parts of the image, so what we see are are based on computer graphics. The face’s orientation is based on six-axis sensor data, and the motion of the mouth is based on audio data from the microphone. The ultimate aim for such a project? To recreate the whole face, without the help of any computer rendering. That ought to be still some time down the road, we think. How about you?

Source
[ NTT DoCoMo comes up with hands-free videophone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

When it comes to audio devices, surely many of us have heard of Behringer (pardon the pun) before, and this time around they have introduced a spiritual successor to the world’s largest and loudest dock to date, the 10,000-Watt iNuke Boom – in the form of the iNuke Boom Junior . The thing that we just had to ask is this, how “Junior” is it compared to its predecessor? Well, the iNuke Boom Junior is actually a 1:23 scale model of its powerful “senior”, but Behringer has not compromised on its hardware specifications either, where it will come packed with professional grade components in a special 3-way active speaker design. I guess with the right amount of money in your wallet, just about anyone is able to sit back or rock out while enjoying concert quality sound in the comfort of their own home, listening to thumping lows, sizzling highs and crystal-clear sound regardless of the level.

Costa Lakoumentas, Behringer Senior Vice President of Marketing, said, “We wanted to shake up the whole i-device docking world with a product that brings home some of the magic of the original 10,000-Watt iNuke BOOM. If you make a little room for the iNuke BOOM Junior in your home it will pay you back with stunning sound clarity and enough bass to throw a party; or get thrown out of your apartment.”

Right now, you need not have a single penny and you can still own the iNuke Boom Junior, simply through selecting “Like” Behringer on Facebook and you are in the running to be one of the randomly chosen winners. There will be an iNuke Boom Junior giveaway for each weekday in October, so why not give it a go? Alternatively, folks who prefer to have their very own destiny in their hands can always pick up the iNuke Boom Junior for $179.99 a pop.

Press Release
[ Behringer introduces iNuke Boom Junior dock copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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 ]

For those of us who live in countries where Google’s Street View is supported in the area or state where you live, you might have stumbled upon one of those Google Street View cars which have a somewhat bulbous camera located right at the top to capture a panoramic view of its surroundings. For those who want panoramic shots without requiring your phone’s camera to have its very own software do so, then there is the £69.99 Bubblescope to get the job done.

The BubbleScope is actually a 360º lens attachment for your iPhone, where it can shoot not only stills but videos as well, which is what the manufacturer calls ‘bubbles’. All you need to do is attach the included case, pop-up the lens from its protective cap and launch the free BubblePix App, and you can start ‘bubbling’ away in a jiffy. Touted to be the “only true 360º panoramic attachment” that delivers not only still images and video on your iPhone, it is time to have a whole new perspective on your surroundings.
[ Bubblescope for your iPhone 4/4S is like a portable Google Street View car copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Vizio has just announced their latest Smart TV, which is a 60” Razor LED display that will definitely be priced to please – after all, we are looking at a $999.99 price tag. Of course, there are other sizes in the collection as well, which will be priced differently, and we will also look at those, but for now, the 60” model will be the one that is under the proverbial spotlight. In fact, the newly designed E-Series 60” Razor LED Smart TV will deliver an ultra-thin, slim-frame design, touting a brilliant 1080p Full HD LED quality as well as the inclusion of Vizio Internet Apps. All of that under a sub-$1,000 price point? It sure as heck sounds like Christmas has come early for those who are shopping around for a new TV!

The 60” Razor LED Smart TV will be available via online sources as well as select shelves at Costco Wholesale, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Amazon.com, Target, BJ’s Wholesale, ebay.com, VIZIO.com and other retailers if you are interested in introducing a new member to your living room.

Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer, Vizio, said, “The new E-Series units, which are the first of many large-size VIZIO models, give consumers access to great technology on an even bigger scale. The larger units provide more screen space with a narrower border around the picture, allowing consumers to get the most out of the crystal-clear Razor LED picture for a more immersive, Wi-Fi enabled experience.”

What are some of the technologies found underneath the hood? We are looking at the latest technologies including Vizio Internet Apps with WIFI, so that one can access the likes of Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, Facebook and Twitter, a 120Hz refresh rate, auto-adjusting brightness, and SRS StudioSound HD for clear audio.

You will be able to pick up the 55” Class Razor LED Smart TV, 60”Class Razor LED Smart TV, 65” Class Razor LED Smart TV, 65” Class Razor LED Smart TV with Theater 3D, and 70” Class Razor LED Smart TV for $949.99, $999.99, $1,499.99, $1,699.99 and $1,999.99, respectively.

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[ Vizio 60” Razor LED Smart TV copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]