Hasta La Gadget!

I know that we live in an age where medical advances abound, but we are still not quite on the same level as that of Star Wars or Star Trek yet, where neural implants and cybernetics have advanced to such a point, where even a severely weakened Darth Vader could still end up being an imposing Sith Lord with the help of Emperor Palpatine and his reconstructive medical center. Having said that, here is a new age device that has debuted at HIMSS13, where it is known as the Griffin MouthStick Stylus and was specially designed after receiving the necessary input from medical professionals.

The Griffin MouthStick Stylus intends to expand the world of tablets, where it will bring touchscreen and button interaction to those who are living with manual disabilities. Yes sir, have you ever wondered how a disabled person, especially one who has lost their limbs or use of them, be able to make use of all current generation touchscreen handsets? The Griffin MouthStick Stylus will fit the bill nicely, where it was specially designed to provide comfort, stability and control while being held in the mouth.

According to Melissa Lapsley, B2B Education & Assistive Technology Product Specialist at Griffin Technology, “Everyone wants access to tablet technology. With our MouthStick Stylus, we’re providing a customized tool that allows people with motor disabilities the ability to have complete control and access to modern-day technology.”

The Griffin MouthStick Stylus will play nice with touchscreen interfaces, laptop keyboards, and Apple’s Magic Trackpad, where those who lack fine motor skills are still able to easily access and control touch-technology. Thanks to a well-balanced design, the stick can be held comfortably in the mouth without causing any form of strain or discomfort. The Griffin MouthStick Stylus will comprise of four parts, including a food-grade stainless steel mouthpiece, BPA- and latex-free silicone rubber mouthpiece sleeves, a conductive silicone rubber tip, and an adjustable aluminum gooseneck shaft.

Expect the Griffin Mouthstick Stylus to be available to the masses this coming Q2 for $29.99 a pop.

Product Page
[ Griffin MouthStick Stylus copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Everyone wants to go green these days, it is the “in thing”, and you will definitely score brownie points with just about everyone, especially among those Greenpeace activists. Well, here we are with Griffin Technology and one of their latest coups, which would be snagging the exclusive distribution rights of Papernomad products across North America. Based in Austria, Papernomad is a company that develops organic, customizable, tear- and water-resistant sleeves for a range of popular devices such as the iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, MacBook and Samsung Galaxy S3. As they are made of a specially-engineered paper material, they deliver the perfect canvas for personal expression and creativity.

Keavy Murphree, Product Line Manager at Griffin Technology, said, “We are thrilled to bring Papernomad to North America; their products leave a lasting impression on people’s minds but not on the environment. With Papernomad, we offer users a sustainable way to guard their technology, as well as a canvas that allows individuals to express their imagination.”

Each sleeve from Papernomad is made in Europe, where it will use an advanced patent-pending composite of paper, viscose fiber and biopolymer. The paper that is used is made from sustainably forested trees and FSC Forest Stewardship Council certified. As for the other materials in action, those are compostable and organic, including the cotton stitching, hemp pull strap, and signature wool lining that are provided by happy sheep from New Zealand.

What makes the Papernomad product different from the rest? It offers an outlet for creative expression, as the sleeve itself can be marked with pencils, pens, and crayons, something which your kids would definitely fall in love with.

The Papernomad sleeves will be made available for the iPad, iPad mini, iPhone 4 & 5, MacBook Air (11″ & 13″), MacBook Pro (13″ and 15″) and Samsung Galaxy S3 soon, and of course, depending on the size of your choice, it will retail anywhere from $39.99 and goes all the way to $69.99.

Press Release
[ Griffin Technology goes green with Papernomad copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

One of the most irritating things about the new iPhone 5 and iPad mini is that Apple ditched the 30-pin connector and went to the new Lightning Connector. That change was annoying because it meant that all of the accessories you had for all those years for your Apple gadgets would no longer work natively with your shiny new toys. If you’re a musician, Griffin has announced a new accessory that it claims to be the industry’s first music creation accessory with a Lightning Connector.

The StudioConnect was previously only available for 30-pin Apple gadgets, but the new version supports the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini. The system is designed to provide connectivity for guitars, stereo audio, and other input sources and offers a Lightning charging dock in one device. The device also has line-level RCA stereo output and a stereo headphone output with a separate volume control.

The device is designed to work with GarageBand and allow musicians to create their own music on the go. The device offers audio inputs and outputs as well as MIDI input and output, so you can connect external instruments, sequencers, and other electronic gear. The new StudioConnect will sell for $149.99(USD) and the updated version will be available this spring.

We’re seeing a lot of retailers and restaurants using technology-based point of sale systems these days, and Griffin wants to be the one that they turn to before anyone else. This week at CES 2013, the company has announced two new point of sale solutions for restaurants and retailers alike. Griffin has decided that iOS is where its at when it comes to POS systems, with both of these new offerings using the iPad in some way, shape or form.

First on the list is the company’s new Kiosk Retail, which features the iPad 2 or the iPad third-gen at the heart of everything. With Kiosk Retail, the built-in card reader has been outfitted with TDES encryption and DUKPT key management to keep things safe. While those are meant to keep data and sensitive financial information safe, the “impact-resistant” housing will keep the iPad itself safe from damage.

Anyone can stick a card reader onto an iPad and call it a point of sale solution though, so Griffin has taken it one step further and partnered with ShopKeep POS and POSiOS, two apps that have hit it big in the mobile POS space. Both apps will have support for Kiosk Retail’s hardware implemented starting February, and Griffin says that the system will be available for $299.

Griffin also announced AirStrap Retail today, which is a new version of the company’s original AirStrap. This time around, there is built-in structural support for the iDynamo credit card reader, which means users will no longer have to worry about damaging the iPad or its connector. The Airstrap Retail system also benefits from grips that make it easier to hold the iPad with one hand while keeping all of the ports free and open, and it will be available sometime this month with a price tag of $49.99

Griffin launches two iOS-based POS platforms is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Griffin is announcing that it’s pairing up with Aha by Harman to add the latter’s ABBA-named audio service to the features offered on its iTrip Auto car transmitter. Download Aha Radio from the App store and connect your smartphone to the device, and the iTrip will automatically find a free FM band and pump over 30,000 different audio stations over your whip’s speakers. The iTrip can be picked up for $60 and the software can be snagged down at the source link.

Continue reading Griffin adds Aha by Harman to its iTrip Auto in-car FM transmitter

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Transportation, Software

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Source: Aha by Harman (iTunes)