Hasta La Gadget!

Raise your hand if you went from Blackberry to iPhone or Android devices. The only regret I found after the switch was the lack of tactile keys on the keyboard. You probably knew – or were – a finger keyboarder that could put full keyboarders to shame. Ever see someone type while looking up. Yep. RIM really taught us all the art of tactile mini-keyboard typing. By now typing on the screen we tend to lose that speed. I’m guessing that spell check is the smartphone manufacturer’s way to combat the lack of tactility.

What would it take to make our Galaxys, iPhones, Kindles and the like have this one missing feature? A smart company called Tactus Technology, that’s what. Tactus invented a technology that will take the place of a manufacturers top display layer, things we commonly call the lens/window/cover glass. When the device calls for a keyboard the Tactus Tactile Layer™ Technology injects a proprietary fluid into said top layer enabling raised surfaces to appear over the keys on the display. Using this technology will not interfere with other touch functions on the screen and uses minimal power. Buttons do have some resistance – just enough to prevent the accidental touch from typing a character. Tactus is creating the technology for a variety of screen sizes and types. So expect to see it in phones, tablets and phablets. At this time, OEM is their strategy, rather than producing consumer overlays. No plans have been announced on where you may see Tactus Tactile Layer Technology in a device. But it seems imminent.

 
[ Feel that Touch Screen Keyboard! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Anyone paying attention to advancements in the world of using your watch as a helpful, connected device certainly look forward to 2013. Rumors of an Apple watch keep circulating. The long awaited launch of the Pebble was announced at CES. Health and fitness watch features flourished. And something called the Cookoo watch made some headlines. Some of you may look forward to checking texts and emails on a watch. Some can’t go to the gym without a ‘smart watch’. But some of us don’t need THAT much on our wrist. Rather than serving as another device on which to read or interact, I would prefer something that is sort of an extension of my phone features.

Cookoo proves to be a reminder device rather than a total communication device. Cookoo syncs via low energy Bluetooth 4.0 with newer iOS devices: iPhone 4S or 5, iPad Mini, iPad g3 or g4 and iPod touch g5. After loading the Cookoo app onto your gadget your watch will receive notifications from the phone. Your watch will remind you of incoming or missed calls, messages, calendar reminders and clock alarms. If out of range from your device Cookoo will remind you. If you can’t find your phone let your watch do it. When you are away from your phone you miss a beat. You can also use Cookoo to check in on Facebook or read messages, or even to remote trigger your device’s camera. And Cookoo does all this for $129.99. Choose from one of five band colors. And unlike some of the more active smart watches – you will get about a year out of the Cookoo. And if the watch is not what you need, Cookoo offers a $40 keyfob to provide some of the same alerts. Visit their website to learn more or get your reminders on your wrist.

When it comes to docking stations for the iOS-powered range of devices, these are dime a dozen. In fact, dime a dozen does not really describe it best, it would be a gazillion iDocks hanging around on store shelves, looking pitifully at the masses who walk by each day, hoping that someone would rescue them from such a mediocre existence so that they can really show off to the listener just what kind of audio performance they are capable of. Well, the $25.99 Boom Dock iSpeaker does not need to rest on a store shelf, as you can always make an online purchase and have it delivered right to your doorstep. Apart from that, it also comes in a shape of a boom box, meaning you can relive those old school moments of your youth as you blast current tunes via a retro looking device.

As for old faithful, you might as well send it into retirement and perform an upgrade by picking up the (relatively lightweight) Boom Dock iSpeaker. It allows you to tote the boombox around without having to struggle much, and you also need not sacrifice your sense of musical style. Be mindful though, the Boom Dock iSpeaker will rely on power from your connected iDevice, meaning it has no batteries built in, but your iDevice will be sucked dry faster than normal. It will play nice with the iPod mini, classic and 3rd to 5th generations, iPod nano 1st to 5th generations, iPod touch, iPhone and iPad.

[ Boom Dock iSpeaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

So you own your fair share of iDevices from Apple, and sometimes, keeping track of all the different accessories for them can be quite a headache. Perhaps there is a way to consolidate some of those accessories that have a common denominator, and the charger is one possibility. It is along this train of thought that the iCharge All Portable Charger was birthed from, where you will no longer need to worry about ending up with a drained iPhone, as all you need to do is plug your iPhone into the iCharge All Portable Charger, and you can start chatting away again. Of course, there is the caveat that the iCharge All Portable Charger itself should be charged to the maximum before you begin on your travels, but that is a different can of worms that we shall not venture to.

The $39.99 iCharge All Portable Charger is capable of charging your iPhone more than once, and just in case you own an iPhone 5, there is always the Lighting to 30-pin adapter to help you out. The iCharge All Portable Charger will play nice with the iPhone 3G and above, and will also be compatible with a slew of iPods and iPads. No prizes for guessing just which iDevice would drain the iCharge All Portable Charger fastest. You can select between red or black colors for this 2.75” x 1.75” x 0.75” peripheral, where it will come with a USB cable, a handstrap and a built in lithium-ion battery which can be charged via USB to computer or a power adapter.

[ iCharge All Portable Charger copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Hey parents, what was it like the first night you had your child(ren) home and you turned on the baby monitor? Did you jump at the first sound? Let me guess – constantly peeking in to check on baby? I’m assuming it was nerve wracking. For current parents of young ones you could probably use any device that may help instill more confidence in what may be happening in baby’s room – whether 10 feet away or across the country.

BabyPing provides the perfect baby monitor solution to give you peace of mind thanks to technology. It consists of a square monitor, less than 3.5” x 3.5”. On the monitor are a video camera, microphone and infrared LEDs to light up the room. Don’t worry, LEDs won’t be too bright for baby to sleep and they adjust to exterior lighting. Mount the monitor where you get the best view of baby and where you can plug the monitor in. Included with the monitor are a mount and things to make setup easy. Once you have the monitor in place, connect it to your router via cable or wi-fi. Then download the BabyPing or BabyPing+ app to your Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (iOS 4 or greater). The app will find the BabyPing monitor on your network and connect you. Voila! Baby is on your i device. With BabyPing app you can watch from anywhere within the network. And you can even restrict access. For those that travel away from home definitely download BabyPing+ which enables remote viewing too. And yes, password protection and encryption are involved so not just anyone can see baby.

This seems like such a natural evolution of technology. Our busy lives mean home time is far from peaceful, work often takes us away from town and relatives may not live nearby. BabyPing provides a great solution to help with busyness. Rest assured while at home that baby is safe and sound – while not having to barge into the room every 5 minutes. If you are back to work after maternity leave or on business travel log in anytime to see the little bambino. Or if relatives live far away give them access to see the bundle of joy. And to top that off, BabyPing is offering a sale at the moment too! Shipping from UK, BabyPing is available for £132 (normally £165). And if shipping from the US, pick up the unit for $199 (normally $249). I find  very few reasons why parents – or those with parents on their shopping list – wouldn’t want to have or give this peace of mind.
[ See Baby From Anywhere copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]