Hasta La Gadget!

Do not shun boomboxes, o ye youth of the current generation! You do not know of the influencing power of such a device, back in the days when your parents were wee lads and discovering their identity in the world. Having said that, is there a place for the classic boombox in the 21st century? The correct answer would be “No”, but this does not mean that the idea on a boombox cannot be resurrected to take on the more modern devices out there. The $149.99 Floating Boombox is one such updated retro gig, where it will definitely add some volume in your next trip to a body of water, regardless of whether it is a natural lake, by the beach, or at the pool.

The Floating Boombox would play nice with devices such as the iPhone, iPod, Android gadgets or other compatible ones, even in the water. The Floating Boombox will be fully waterproof and submersible, and thanks to a waterproof compartment that houses your device, you need not feel as though you are drowning while on land, with the air choked out of you as you realize your newest purchase has been dunked underwater. No sir, no worries of that at all – unless the waterproof compartment has somehow been compromised by an unseen needle or your cat’s claws, of course. It is said that the Floating Boombox would be able to pump out tunes for up to 25 hours using battery power alone, or you can plug it directly into an AC outlet – not a good idea if you’re going to dunk it in the pool when doing so, of course.
[ Floating Boombox copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

He says “So what are we going to do tonight?” “I dunno, let’s go eat.” she says. “Where should we go?” he asks. To which the reply is quite often “I cant think of anywhere, you decide.” Does that sound familiar? It seems like every weekend we end up in the same old place and to be honest, if I do stray from our old haunts its usually a disappointing experience. There have actually been times we didn’t go anywhere simply because we couldn’t come up with anything that sounded fun.

Well, I haven’t really tried it yet, but I’d like to introduce you to Ness, made exclusively for your iPhone or iPod touch, Ness will anticipate what your dining needs may be, and present you with elegant, swipeable recommendation cards that will summarize the information you need to quickly find a restaurant you will love.  Much better than a husband… it learns what you like, then picks a restaurant and tells you why you’ll like it!

The developers tell us, Ness adapts to your tastes to provide instant recommendations for you, not the crowd. So here’s an app that looks out for what you like, and even exactly when you might like it.  It can actually tell you a great place for brunch, or a great late night snack. So with a couple of swipes you can see a pic of the place, know about how much and how far and be on your way… or save the recommendation for later.

So, in the interest of marital bliss, I’m trying Ness out this weekend, and I may just find a couple of new places to relax with a good meal. I’ll let you know how it goes. Checkout Ness for yourself, its free and available at the app store.
[ Ness – Tells You Where You Want to Eat, and Why copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I’m not one to enjoy talking about potty habits. Personally, I don’t actually go to the bathroom (although I challenge anyone to prove otherwise) My husband and daughter on the other hand, are true professionals. They have preferred toilet paper, favorite air fresheners and each one has a stack of magazines a mile high. Each of them can tie up a bathroom for 20-30 minutes easily.

Well this next gadget isn’t going to help matters any. Check out the iCarta2 Bluetooth Stereo Toilet Paper Holder, this nifty little gadget allows you to listen to your favorite tunes while taking a sh… um, shower! Thats it! while taking a shower, or any other restroom activities that a little musical entertainment might add some enjoyment to. The iCarta will wirelessly stream your music from up to 10 feet away (leaving your device far from the steaming sh… oh yeah, we’re going with shower) Play music and podcasts from your iPhone, iPod or even your Android Smartphone.

Also a formidable toilet tissue holder, the iCarta is easily installed and goes with almost any bathroom decor. The unit has two 4 watt speakers, powered by four AA batteries and works with mobile devices that run Bluetooth 2.0 or higher, including iPod and  iPhone (3.0 and higher), or iPad and Android Devices.

The iCarta also has an LED indicator for both power and pairing status as well as volume controls. So if you find yourself a little light on entertainment options for your bathroom, the iCarta2 will provide you with about 20 hours of playtime with fresh batteries. That should be plenty of time, don’t you think? Get one at amazon.com for under 60 bucks.

[ iCarta 2-Bluetooth Toilet Paper Holder copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I am quite sure that many of us out there already know about V-MODA, the designer of award-winning audio accessories for the masses, and this time around, their creative juices have resulted in the Vamp Verza as well as Metallo case. The former is what we will be concentrating on today actually, where the Vamp Verza has been specially developed to turn your smartphone into something that it was originally not meant to be – a mobile Hi-Fi system. You know that the Vamp Verza oozes with quality, where it is designed in Italy and made in Japan, and will continue from where the original Vamp for iPhone 4/4S left off, considering how it features an integrated 150mW x 2 headphone amplifier, a pair of DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converters) and a 2200mAh battery pack. Not only that, Vamp Verza also boasts of the patent-pending Verzadock which is seamlessly integrated with popular smartphone and tablets.

You will be able to use the Vamp Verza as a standalone Hi-Fi USB Audio amplifier, or assuming you fall under the mobile audiophiles category, you can opt to dock it with the machined Metallo case that was specially built for the Samsung Galaxy S3. Make no mistake about it, there will be cases developed in the future for the Samsung Galaxy S4, Note 2 and iPhone 5, and these are set to roll out in the coming months. The Metallo case will slide and lock onto Verza’s high-performance audio engine thanks to the Verzadock rail mechanism which was designed for optimal precision and tactility. Of course, there is also the flexibility of using the case independently thanks to the included back cover, as this comes in handy whenever portability trumps function at a particular moment.

The Vamp Verza’s dedicated DACs are capable of extracting pure digital output from your computer, Android, or iOS device thanks to the USB/micro-USB, converting it into analog form for the purest mobile audio listening experience. In addition, the 2200 mAh lithium-ion battery also doubles up as a backup power source for just about any USB powered device, and it should be enough to nearly double the majority of smartphone batteries out there. Needless to say, this means the Vamp Verza is not going to come cheap at $598 a pop, where it will be globally available in Matte Black, Shadow (Red and Brushed Black Metal) and White with Orange accents.

Press Release
[ V-MODA announces Vamp Verza copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Ever run into a product and just say “I wish I was smart enough to think of that”? Yep, found one. Aside from lacking any knowledge about the topics, experience with NASA and a doctorate in who knows what, perhaps you or I could have come up with this innovation. But George Yu and Variable Technologies beat us to it. As our smartphones continue to control and guide more parts of our lives it makes sense to incorporate necessary job functions and even life-saving functions into the phone’s capability.

Meet NODE, a device that enables its attached, state-of-the-art sensors to communicate with your phone. Via conditional Bluetooth or Bluetooth 4.0 Low-Energy, information from the variety of sensors available is sent to a NODE app or – down the road perhaps other likeminded apps – on your device. Six different options exist for what you can measure with NODE and its modules:

• Kore ($149): required for any module, it serves as the heart of NODE. KORE contains a accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope to measure motion and space.
• Chroma ($75): color matching and sample collecting module.
• Therma ($75): measure temperatures at a distance or where you are via IR.
• Clima ($50): Senses barometric pressure, ambient light, temperature, and humidity.
• Luma ($25): Use up to 8 LEDs provide a flashlight or even a camera flash.
• Oxa ($149): Provides an industrial grade Carbon Monoxide gas sensor. Other gases can be requested.

The professional and personal uses of NODE and the modules are really endless. Quality control on a production line can be aided by confirming the proper paint color of your product. Maybe you conduct house inspections. You could easily measure temperatures and humidity to detect faults. If you are a hiker or biker stop to read the climate and understand if adverse conditions are coming. Check CO2 levels even in your own home – while switching modules to make your picture hanging a level process. There are plenty of professions that require a variety of these measurements too. With NODE plus the applicable modules you save yourself multiple devices. I think you get where I’m going with NODE.  Presently, NODE is compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 5th Gen, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Mini, Macbooks and Android devices. Yu made it a point to leave the possibilities out there with open firmware & open API. And they will provide Arduino source code as well as iOS & Android source code so programmers can then create the applicable app for the measurements of their users. NODE is rechargeable via micro USB and is FCC and CE certified. Sure, it may be more expensive if you only have a need for one particular sensor. But I think most of us could easily find uses for NODE in a variety of places in our lives.
[ A Smartphone’s Sensing Companion copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]