Hasta La Gadget!

We depend on our phones to keep us in the loop. Can’t find your ride at the airport, running late, need to send an email, or find directions? Our phones have become an all-knowing source of information as well as a way to stay connected. The only time it doesn’t do all of these amazing things, is when it dies. Of course, you can always get a backup battery, but there are thousands of options available, and you want to find one that fits your specific needs.

If you only want a little boost in power near the end of the day, and don’t want a backup battery to take up a lot of room in your bag, then the TravelCard would be perfect. This is about the size of a credit card, but it is several times thicker. It houses a 1300mAh battery, which can give your phone about a 40-55% charge, which equates to 5 hours of talk time, 96 of standby, or 4.5 of playing with apps.

This will only work with iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 5th gen iPod touch, and the 7th gen iPod nano. To charge the TravelCard, simply plug it in via USB, and LEDs will indicate how much juice it has. There is a connector built in to this device, so you don’t need to worry about having cables on hand anymore. This is a tad pricey at $45 seeing that you won’t even get a full charge out of it, but if it fits your situation perfectly, then go for it.

Available for purchase on Travelcardcharger
[ The TravelCard is a backup battery that can keep up with a busy lifestyle copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Yes, I let my 10 year old use my electronics, I’m not saying it’s done without fear. I try to instill upon her a healthy respect for my “stuff”. I like it to come back to me in relatively the same way she borrowed it, charged, scratch and dent free… so far we’re at about 98%, and to be fair, it might have actually been the gremlin that left my iPad on the picnic table in the rain…

You know what helps quell some of the fear? LifeProof fre cases, their high quality smartphone and tablet cases help you get the most out of your electronics, with a hefty dose of confidence, and the freedom to take your iPhones and  iPads anywhere you want to go. (or even *gasp* to let your kids use them) New to LifeProof’s line is the fre case for your iPad Air.  Imagine an iPad that’s waterproof, drop proof, dirt proof and snow proof!

The LifeProof fre will let you, and your iPad or iPhone, plunge underwater, walk in the rain, hit the slopes, or the beach without worrying. The LifeProof fre case won’t interfere with the device’s sound output or touch screen clarity and, the LifeProof fre actually protects your iDevice in water up to 6.6 ft. for up to an hour, and from drops more than 4 ft.

So if a case built to military standards for shock and impact protection in a sleek design is what you need to protect your iPads and iPhones from the world, and your kids, you should get one over at lifeproof.com and remember to check out the new fre case for your iPad Air. Prices starting at under 80 bucks.
[ The LifeProof fre – Military Grade Protection, Now for iPad Air 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 ]

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 ]

We use our phones for just about everything. They play the part of taking and receiving calls of course, but we also have texting, games, answering emails, surfing the web, and listening to music. It has our whole lives hiding inside, and helps us to be more productive (if we choose to be). The only problem that many of us face, is that our screens and some of the controls on our phone are too small. That’s why many people have moved to phablets.

If all you’re really concerned about is playing games and music, then having a little controller that won’t be too cumbersome to carry around might be nice. The iMpulse is supposedly the world’s smallest gaming and media controller, and will fit snugly on your keyring. It has a D-pad and 4 buttons on the front, and two buttons on the back.

This has a 100 foot range, making it perfect for turning up the volume from afar. There is an SDK available so you can turn this into your controller for whatever you’d like. It has rechargeable batteries, and can be juiced up via microUSB. The buttons feature white backlighting, and it can chirp if you’ve lost it, but are still within range. That would be quite exquisite for making sure you don’t lose your keys every morning. It uses Bluetooth version 2.1, and can be used on either your Android or iOS devices. This will cost you in the area of $40, but seems like it would be worth it in the long run.

Available for purchase on ThinkGeek
[ The iMpulse will make gaming and playing music on your phone much easier copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]