Hasta La Gadget!

Using a stylus for most of us is usually just a means to navigate our screen without our fingers getting in the way. However, many people use them as a creative medium. This can be used for designing outfits, building plans, or just jotting down some ideas in your own handwriting. It gives you the feel of using an old-fashioned writing implement (do pens and pencils count as archaic now?), and more.

This isn’t your average stylus, as it also has an eraser tip. It will only recognize the back end of the Pencil as an eraser, so you only need to flip it over to etch away your mistakes, like you would with a graphite pencil for paper. One of the big annoyances with working on a touchscreen surface is that your hand will tend to rest on the screen, making unwanted marks. When you’re using this stylus, it will recognize and reject your palm as a means of interaction with the screen.

If you’re working in colors or full drawings rather than sketching, you can use the aPencil for precise lines, and your finger for smudging. You will need to charge this Bluetooth device, and with ‘normal’ use (whatever that means), you shouldn’t need to charge it for a month. Thankfully, it only takes about 90 minutes to be juiced up again. It does need to be used on an iPad with a Retina Display or iPad Mini for full support of features, so apologies to the rest of the tablet world. This will cost you anywhere from $50-60 depending on whether you would like a wooden body or black aluminum.

Available for purchase on fiftythree, found via redferret
[ The Pencil Stylus will let you create and destroy copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We can listen to music in a variety of ways. It can be on our own device, where we cherry-pick what songs are on there with specific playlists, CDs or records which play only what’s on them, online music stations which are also determined by you, or the radio. The latter of these options has local and national news, commercials, special events, music picked by the host or callers, and the main use for most of us, is using this medium for information in times of emergency. Aside from having a radio in your car, most of us don’t really bother with getting something that specifically works as a radio.

There are apps you can download, but you will usually need some form of internet connection. This is where the Lightning FM Radio for iPhone and iPad might come in handy. It is an 8pin lightning compatible FM radio that plugs directly into your iDevice. It will draw power from your phone, and you can change the station by pressing a single button.

This is compatible with the iPhone 5, iPad Air, iPad 4, iPad mini, and the iPod Touch 5th Gen. It’s a neat idea for those who prefer to listen to the radio, though it is a bit costly at around $30. If this was going to be used in emergency situations, then it also doesn’t help that draws power from your phone, which could end up being a lifeline for you. It might be better to save up a bit more for a hand-crank or solar powered radio that is portable and has phone charging capabilities.

Available for purchase on allputer, found via redferret
[ Turn your iPhone 5 into an FM Radio copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The folks over at CruxCase has just announced the CruxENCORE for iPad Air, which happens to be an innovative keyboard case that can turn your ordinary iPad Air into a Macbook lookalike, and this bad boy has just debuted on Kickstarter. CruxCase is well known for rolling out cutting-edge designs in the form of innovative iPad cases, hopes that this is going to be one successful Kickstarter campaign. In fact, the CruxENCORE happens to be a versatile rotating protective keyboard case for the iPad Air, where it will be able to turn it into a compact and powerful notebook. I suppose I am taking the word “powerful” here in a relative term, since the iPad Air is unable to run cool desktop titles such as the Call of Duty franchise and the likes.

Still, the CruxENCORE for iPad Air tries, as it has been specially built to resemble that of a Macbook Pro, while sporting both the weight and feel of a Macbook Air. You will find the CruxENCORE pack Bluetooth connectivity in addition to a raised, full-sized QWERTY keyboard. Thanks to its exclusive hinge technology, the CruxENCORE would then enable the keyboard to rotate 360 degrees for various positions, including typing, movie watching and portability. Measuring just 2cm slim, it also happens to double up as one of the thinnest keyboards to have ever been developed for the iPad Air.

The CruxENCORE has been engineered with anodized aluminum, where the CruxENCORE would tip the scales at a travel friendly 1.45lbs. Apart from that, there will be a foam padding that enables the iPad Air to remain in place and prevent any of those nasty scratches from happening. The case itself would feature a built-in 360 mAH battery which will help power the integrated Bluetooth connectivity so that it does not sap any more additional juice from your iPad Air than required, and depending on your usage pattern, you might even need to charge it just once a month.

Kickstarter Page
[ CruxENCORE for iPad Air announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Felix is not the black cartoon cat character, but rather, a company that churns out accessories for mobile devices. This time around, Felix is the company behind an iPad case which is extremely versatile and adaptable to its surroundings, namely the FlipStand and FlipStand mini. This is an ergonomic case which would enable users to locate the perfect angle required so that they can maximize the enjoyment of their device to its maximum potential, be it reading an e-book, watching a movie, browsing the Web, attending to your emails, or even chatting on FaceTime. In fact, the FlipStand boasts of a repertoire of 22 unique positions, while the FlipStand mini will be able to deliver up to 16 various angles to suit any and every occasion.

The whole objective of the FlipStand nd FlipStand mini is to introduce simplicity whenever you are using your iPad. It is a snap to switch between portrait and landscape positions, depending on the kind of activity that you are involved in. All you need to do is slide the iPad out, flip it, and reposition it, and you’re good to go. Now, don’t think that it is rocket science to remember all 22 positions of the FlipStand, since it comes with 22 ridges that will lock the tablet into place securely. Once you’re done with whatever task at hand, just release the kickstand and fold it flat so that your precious iPad will be captured under the secure clip on the case, keeping it safe and sound from unwanted scratches, nicks and bumps.

Fashionistas, fret not that the FlipStand and FlipStand mini will cramp your style, since they will both arrive in a couple of svelte finishes, namely classic black-on-black or stylish tan-on-white. Regardless of which model you decide to pick, either one will cost you $49.99. Not too shabby a deal, really.

Press Release
[ Felix introduces FlipStand and FlipStand mini iPad cases copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

There comes a time where you pass the threshold of simply being a gamer to one of the gaming elite. It takes a lot of practice, but once you’re there, you can’t really go back. You’re not only aware of issues within each game to a more severe degree, but you also understand how important your tools are when facing a foe of equal level.

When it comes to mobile games, the competition is not nearly as stiff as PC, but there are those who want to have the right tools at hand. If you played more on console, but find yourself addicted to mobile games, then the Steelseries Stratus seems like it might be worth having in your gaming utility belt. This is very sensitive to pressure, has extended battery life, and uses LED notifications to let you know how you’re doing in-game.

Appearance-wise it looks like an Xbox and Playstation controller melted together. It’s said to work with iOS 7 or later, the iPhone 5, 5c, iPad Mini, iPad Air, as well as the 5th gen of the iPod Touch. It’s only available for preorder at the moment at around $100, but will be shipping out in the next month or so. Seeing that there aren’t as wide of a variety of games available on Mac as there are on PC, this doesn’t seem like a great idea unless you’re just really an Apple fan.

Available for preorder on Steelseries, found via Technabob
[ SteelSeries Stratus Wireless Gaming Controller is for the iOS gaming elite copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]