Hasta La Gadget!

So, you have a very soft spot for all of those retro video games that you grew up with, ranging from Centipede to Dig Dug, Asteroids, and of course, the wakka-wakka sound of Pac-Man. Here we are with a blast from the past, although this would mean you are on the bad guys’ side this time around with the £34.99 Pac-Man Ghost Lamp. There is nothing quite as classic as Pac-Man, where this is one of the four ghosts that go around haunting Pac-Man – at least until he gets to a nearby Power Pill and turns the tables on them ghosties.

The Pac-Man Ghost Lamp does what it does best – lighting up your room with a ghostly glow, and not only that, it can be remote controlled and is a 100% authentic lamp to light up your room (or wherever else you decide to place it). Unlike the ghosts in the original Pac-Man game, the Pac-Man Ghost Lamp is capable of delivering a spectrum of 16 different colors in a range of settings, among them Strobe, Flash, Dim and Smooth Fade. While this is not an actual ghost, you will need to ensure it remains plugged into the mains at all times to work.

[ Pac-Man Ghost Lamp copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Forget about Post It notes and fridge magnets that you leave at home, nobody in the family seem to be as interested in them as you are. Perhaps if you were to introduce to the tablet generation something that jives with them, they might actually take the trouble and time to see just what you have jotted down. Enter the £39.99 Boogie Board Jot Paperless LCD Tablet, where it will continue where its predecessors left off by looking far more sleek and professional. Of course, since this is a revised version of older technology, do expect your fair share of additions into the mix.

The stylus on the Boogie Board Jot Paperless LCD Tablet has been integrated for easier storage, and not only that, it doubles up as a stand. The magnetized back-plate allows it to hang happily on the fridge, making it the ideal tool to write down your shopping list or a love message to the missus so that she is greeted by some tender words when she arrives home. With 8.5” of writing real estate, this battery operated device is simple to “reset”, where pressing a button will ensure whatever was written will disappear as the screen starts from a clean slate all over again.

[ Boogie Board Jot Paperless LCD Tablet copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Bluetooth speakers are getting more and more commonplace these days, thanks to the proliferation of devices that already come with Bluetooth connectivity built in. The £199.99 Block Rocker Bluetooth Speaker might take some aback with its price point, but do not fret – you can be sure every single quid you drop for it will be well worth the investment. With the Block Rocker Bluetooth Speaker, you are able to pair it to just about any other Bluetooth audio device, ranging from smartphones to tablets and notebooks, letting you share your favorite tunes with the rest of the world – or perhaps making a statement in a public place, whether the rest of the folks share your musical tastes or not.

Definitely the ideal device to introduce a little bit of audio wallop to indoor and outdoor soirees. Apart from that, it can also function as a combined amp, PA system and karaoke kit – and just in case you have run out of MP3s to share with the rest of the world, there is always the back up plan of an integrated AM/FM radio. Your Bluetooth-enabled device can reside safely at the top of the Block Rocker for safekeeping, and with a battery life that is rated at 12 hours, you know that this is good enough to sit through the entire night’s partying.
[ Block Rocker Bluetooth Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Well, well, what do we have here? A relic from the 1980s? Not quite, although it might look like it at first glance. After all, boomboxes were all the rage back then when I was a kid, and you had to match those sleek beats with jaw dropping moves of your own. Fast forward to today, and the humble cassette tape is no more, and the same goes for the CD player. It is all about digital files now stored on these things that have MP3 playback capability, so why not match modern day Gangnam-style tunes with the right kind of hardware? Enter the £44.99 Boombero Near Field Audio Speaker that comes in either black or white colors.

Boasting an all-new NearFA technology, the Boombero will make full use of Near Field Audio in order to wirelessly transmit and broadcast your music right out of the speakers, hence doing away with pesky wires or connections that tend to get all messed up whenever you stash it away. All you need to do to get started is place your device on top or into the slot and you’re good to go. Heck, rest your handset in landscape to watch movies and enjoy big sound with it. The three AA batteries boast up to 20 hours of continuous playtime, or you can always power it using USB connectivity.

[ Boombero Near Field Audio Speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

There is just something about retro designs and in this case, video games that tug at one’s heart strings. Most of us would have been exposed to video games at an early age via classics such as Galaga, Dig Dug and Pac-Man. Who could forget the “wakka-wakka” sound generated by this pseudo pie chart, gobbling up pills in a maze while trying to avoid ghosts from hunting it down? Here is a modern take on the retro Pac-Man, coming in the form of the £34.99 Pac-Man Plug ‘n’ Play.

The Pac-Man Plug ‘n’ Play, in essence, is a console that has been shaped to look like Pac-Man’s head; boasting authentic arcade controls. All you need to get going is an actual display, so it should not be too hard to find one unused display in the vicinity in this day and age. Some of the classic games included in the Pac-Man Plug ‘n’ Play console would be Galaga, New Rally-X and Dig Dug among the dozen original 8-bit titles. Just make sure that you have 4 AA batteries to keep it going, and we would recommend using rechargeables if you think that you are going to spend a lot of time with this puppy.

[ Pac-Man Plug ‘n’ Play copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]