Hasta La Gadget!

When we were younger, going out to play was anything from playing make believe to riding your bike for hours with no particular destination. Now the main reasons we’ll trek outside is because we’re headed to work, or are doing some regimen of exercise. The least exciting of those is the former, as your destination is not particularly fun, and the trip there is not that exciting.

If you walk any portion of your travels to work and wish you didn’t have to overextend yourself, then something like the URB-E might help. This is an extremely compact e-vehicle that will allow you to scoot along at up to 15 miles per hour. If you need to get on the bus or take a cab for a portion of your commute, then this can fold up and fit between your legs. Its ability to decrease in size will also allow you to take it into work and store it discreetly.

This will be able to go about 20 miles on one charge, and even has a spot for your bag to be placed while in transit. If you forgot to plug in your smartphone or tablet the night before, this also has a dock so you can juice up on the go. There is a corresponding app for iOS and Android that will allow you to check on your battery usage, speed, range, and control your lighting or music. This will cost around $300 if you want to pre-order (pay more in the future, but lock in the Kickstarter pricing), or $800-1600 for the whole kit and caboodle.

Edit: I was wrong about the pricing, and it has been corrected!

Available for crowdfunding on Indiegogo
[ URB-E makes commuting seem like fun! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Much of our past is kept in our minds as memories through sensory experience. What we see, taste, smell, and touch stays with us for years to come. That’s why one small thing can smack you in the teeth with nostalgia. This can either bring tears to your eyes or a smile to your lips, but some things are always worth remembering.

If your sense of smell is what sticks with you the most, then the Scentee might just be a must-have phone accessory. This plugs into your audio jack on your smartphone, and whenever it goes off, you’ll get a puff of scented spray. This can be programmed to notify you that you have a text, act as an alarm clock, and more. Currently, there are Rose, Strawberry, Coffee, Lavender, and Rosemary smell cartridges available, but more will surface in the future.

This is a weird little gizmo, but it would certainly nab your attention pretty quickly if you trained yourself to acknowledge a smell with an alert going off. Of course, just as we experience ‘phantom buzzing’ when we think our phone has gone off when it actually hasn’t, we would likely also experience the same with smells. If you trained yourself to check your phone whenever you smell lavender, you can guess what might happen if you came upon incense, essential oils, or the actual plant. The setup will cost you about $35, and additional cartridges will cost an extra $5 a piece. If you want a scenario of when this could be used for heartwarming moments, go and watch the 10 minute video on the website that probably could’ve been a full-length feature film.

Available for purchase on Scentee, found via redferret
[ Scentee – one of the only times you’re encouraged to smell your phone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Now here is something interesting from the folks over at BRAVEN – they have unveiled the Vibe, which so happens to be the first portable distributed audio Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi audio system around the globe. The main objective of the BRAVEN Vibe would be to revolutionize multi-room audio through the empowering of users to share music across multiple devices virtually anywhere, from any wireless device, without missing a beat. Kiss goodbye to messy cables that seem to get all tangled up with one another as though they have a life of their own.

The BRAVEN Vibe System would be able to open the floodgates to single streaming and sharing solutions across iOS, Android, and Windows devices, where it is also capable of supporting multiple audio streams simultaneously. Apart from that, the BRAVEN Vibe System will create a wireless sound network, so that users will be able to establish speaker zones for customized audio streaming regardless of where they are in the immediate vicinity.

This is touted to be the first system in the world that makes use of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity via an app. This app enables users to establish speaker groups under the same network, resulting in a customized audio listening experience such as classical music in the bedroom and kitchen, while those in the living room can chill out to some rock, and the dining room folks will be able to eat in peace with jazz playing in the background.

As long as you have a compatible Bluetooth-enabled device, it will be able to play nice with the BRAVEN Vibe System, all without the need for a wireless network or streaming service. The Vibe System comprises of a Vibe Station, an all-in-one hub/speaker, Vibe Replay which are additional speakers that expands the Vibe system, while functioning as portable Bluetooth speakers, and Vibe Link that lets you integrate existing speakers while distributing audio to additional wireless speakers.

Press Release
[ BRAVEN Vibe unveiled as first portable distributed audio Bluetooth and Wi-Fi audio system in the world copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

While there are now many devices which we want to keep on our person at all times, making sure they are charged and at the ready can be tricky. Misplaced cables are often the culprit, but even if we do have them, they easily become tangled in a configuration of knots that we never even knew were possible. If you don’t need a long cable to charge up your phone or gizmo, then you might want to look at more portable options.

The Kero Nomad is made for people who are constantly on the move. On the outside, it looks like a very awkward keychain, but hiding beneath the cap is a USB to Micro USB or lightning connector which will give your gear the power it needs to keep going. It’s a simple design, and would be one of those items you forget about until you need it.

Of course, the lightning connector is priced higher at $20 rather than its $10 Micro USB counterpart. You’ll be able to choose between white and blue for the casing, but neither are likely going to look clean after being attached to your keys for a week. The cable is about three inches long, and is perfect in a pinch (assuming you have the power source to plug it in to). The only thing I would worry about is the cap losing its grip over time and dropping this cable without your knowledge.

Available for purchase on ThinkGeek
[ Kero Nomad makes sure your lifeline doesn’t lose power copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I’ve seen some pretty strange things looking for investment on Kickstarter, but this one looks to be the strangest so far. Tail Lights, a cascading LED light display that you attach to a horses tail.

Initially this seemed a bit gimmicky but on further inspection it does serve a really useful purpose, visibility. It’s kind of like a high visibility vest on steroids. The tail lights are fixed to the horses tail via a velcro strap, come in multiple colors (you can get different colored strands) and have a drip like illuminate effect.

Currently on Kickstarter, they need to reach $100,000 before they become a reality, with the safety implications they could have I really hope they reach it. Further info and ordering Tail Lights can be found over on Kickstarter.
[ Tail Lights – Illuminate your Ponies Tail copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]