Hasta La Gadget!

Stop. Before you read any further take a second to check out the names of wi-fi networks near you. You’ll always get a few with no special name. But it seems our neighbors are getting more and more creative with network names. “Police” and “Don’t Even Think About It” are a few of my personal favorites.

Addie Wagenknecht came up with a creative way to express ourselves through our network names. WiFi Tagger is essentially a hack for a TP-Link WR741ND router. Rather than broadcasting a single network name, the tagger enables up to 4 separate SSID/names  – each up to 32 characters.  If you have a compatible router visit here to load the app on your smartphone.  To change your networks name simply log onto your phone.

As Mark Wilson of FastCo Design says “Whereas spraypaint was the preferred tool in previous eras of snarky comments in public spaces, it’s apps like WifiTagger and tricks like Glitchr…that may well be the voice of young rebels raised online.” I agree and definitely think we are entering another generation of self-expression – WiFi Tagger being a perfect example. What do you suppose will be next?
[ 21st Century Graffiti? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The average office drone would hardly go through more than a couple of mice throughout his or her tenure in the same company, as these are generally hardy devices. I suppose the last leap in technology the average office made in the past decade was to move on from trackball to optical mice. Well, the $99.99 Scanner Mouse might just prove to be the impetus for yet another round of change in the office. Not only does this bad boy point, scroll and click, it is also able to scan certain segments of a particular document without having to install a full sized scanner at your desk.

Bear in mind the Scanner Mouse is unable to do whole sheets of A4 paper, but rather, you will need to manually glide it over documents. So if you are game for some light scanning without the need to do page after page of scans, then this is the ideal tool for you. OCR technology will also help convert scanned text for editing purposes. The Scanner Mouse is capable of scanning documents as large as 16.5″ x 11.7″ in high-resolution 320dpi.

[ Scanner Mouse does more than just point-and-click copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

When someone says that he or she is going to pick up an Apple Mac computer, you would most probably think that said person does have a pretty full bank account to begin with. After all, Mac computers do carry the reputation (which is not that true anymore these days) that they are more expensive than their PC counterparts. For folks who want the Apple experience without the need for so much firepower, here is news for you – there is a spanking new updated Mac mini that carries with it a third generation dual-core Intel Core i5 and quad-core Intel Core i7 processors, while carrying integrated graphics which are touted to be up to 65% faster than its predecessor. The updated Mac mini will feature 4GB RAM (maximum of 16GB), a quartet of USB 3.0 ports, Thunderbolt support, HDMI output, an SDXC memory card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, and FireWire 800 ports.

All of those will be crammed into the very same compact aluminum form factor, without causing it to overheat or consume more juice than it ought to. In fact, the Mac mini is capable of meeting stringent Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieve an EPEAT Gold rating. Sipping on just 11W of juice when idle, it has been claimed by Apple to be the “most energy efficient desktop computer in the world”. You can pick up the Mac Mini from $599 onward if you are interested, depending on the configuration.

Press Release
[ Apple updates their Mac mini, is cheapest Mac to date copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I am quite sure that you have heard of the term Chromebook before – it is one of those computing machines that Google has commissioned to make sure that affordable and yet effective computing is made available to the masses. The thing is, the Chromebook did not really take off in that big a way, as consumers do not mind forking out additional dough to make sure that they have access to superior computing power. Well, there is a new Chromebook in town today as announced by Google, and this incredible piece of computing device retails for a mere $249. Yes sir, tipping the scales at a mere 2.5 pounds while measuring just 0.8” thin, the new Chromebook is definitely one of the lightest laptops on the market today. Will it be able to work decently enough for the average user?

Well, for starters, you have over half a dozen hours of battery life which should be more than adequate for the standard user, not to mention being able to access up to 100GB of free storage space on Google Drive, allowing you to access your data anywhere, anytime, as long as there is a decent Internet connection in tow.

Most folks would most probably wonder just what kind of performance that the new Samsung Chromebook is able to pack, and rest assured, it will not be found wanting. For starters, it will boot up in under 10 seconds and can more or less resume from where you left off almost instantly. Viewing high-resolution videos (in 1080p) are a cinch, and when your fingers dance all over the touchpad, you will notice smooth scrolling courtesy of a hardware-accelerated user interface. It does not matter if you are of the baby boomer generation or are averse to technology, the Samsung Chromebook allows you to have separate accounts where all your private data will remain accessible only to you, and not the other users.

Last but not least, if you tend to revolve your working life around Google’s suite of products such as Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Play or Google+ Hangouts, you will find that the new Samsung Chromebook serves everything up in a seamless manner.

Press Release
[ Google launches new Samsung Chromebook at just $249 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

These days, carrying a gaming laptop around is not good enough, there is also the status that one wants to show off to the rest of the world. Even with copious amounts of money, you will be unable to pick up the Star Wars Razer Blade gaming laptop which is said to be worth more than a whopping $15,000, simply because this particular gaming laptop is literally one-of-a-kind, being made available to the winner in a sweepstakes that will see the lucky person walk away with this custom-designed Star Wars: The Old Republic Razer Blade gaming laptop. Of course, I suppose one of the more foolhardy millionaires who desperately wants one without leaving fate to chance might just attempt to pry the Star Wars Razer Blade gaming laptop from the sweepstakes winner by throwing a wad of cash in his or her direction, but that’s another story for a different day.

Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff, president of Razer USA, said, “Star Wars provides the benchmark by which all entertainment media is measured, and the Razer Blade is the standard for true portability, power and innovation in PC gaming. The opportunity to work with LucasArts and BioWare on this fun project is a testament to our common love of great entertainment and ensuring the best possible experience for fans.”

The Razer Blade maintains its insanely thin 0.88” profile despite carrying a 17.3” display that will certainly capture the attention of your eyes whenever you game with it. When merged with an ultra-slim power supply, the entire shebang tips the scales at just 6.46 pounds, now how about that? This is said to be less than 50% that of other gaming laptops in the market, automatically placing it on a pedestal as the lowest profile, lightest gaming laptop of its class. All that power without compromising on style and form factor? It certainly can be said to be a pint-sized killer, just like Master Yoda.

Sporting an SSD (solid-state drive) inside that delivers data up to three times faster than traditional hard drives, the Razer Blade will be powered by the latest Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA’s GeForce graphics processor for blistering performance even at high quality resolutions. Not only that, there will be the inclusion of Razer’s multi-award-winning Switchblade UI that integrates a LCD display/multi-touch panel and 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys, letting you have full control of commands and functions within your fingertips. Feeling lucky?

Press Release
[ Star Wars Razer Blade gaming laptop makes a splash, is truly unique copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]