Hasta La Gadget!

It’s no fun being deaf or hearing impaired. Especially if you are fond of the great outdoors and all the weather-related perils that come with it. Siemens knows this and developed the Aquaris hearing aid, the only one to receive an IP68 rating for continuous submersion under water (to three meters). It’s also dust- and shock-proof, if you’re further up the extreme activity lifestyle ladder. It’s not just about keeping the elements out, it’s also got Bluetooth meaning wearers can listen to music on smartphones and other devices while under water.

The device itself is what you might imagine a hearing aid to look like, if it was given the sports treatment, which makes it attractive to younger folk, and those of an active disposition. Most importantly, it works impressively well, which was amply shown by the demonstration we were given with the device permanently submerged in water at the booth, streaming its audio to another device. The waterproof functionality doesn’t come at the expense of the sound, either, with the Aquaris sporting High-definition sound with 48 channels with frequency resolution and a 12 kHz frequency range. Given the nature of the device, you’ll need to speak with your physician or ENT / otolaryngologist if this sounds like something for you. Available now.

Sean Cooper contributed to this report.

Filed under: Misc

Comments

I’ve always been somewhat perplexed by users having more than one tablet. Still, I have to say that a smaller tablet, perhaps an inch or two smaller than the iPad Mini, could be handy to tote around daily. The oddly-spelled Qooq tablet doesn’t fit that particular bill, instead being designed specifically for kitchen use.

Made in France, the Qooq tablet was designed for cooks, so it’s splash-proof, heat and humidity resistant, and has a retractable support that serves as a stand. If you use it with greasy hands, don’t worry, because the grease can be easily cleaned off with a damp cloth. It’s got a 10.1-inch screen, an ARM Cortex A9 processor, 8GB of memory, built-in Wi-Fi, and a customized interface that has a meal planner, browser, and built-in virtual cookbook. It can also be used for surfing the Internet, viewing videos or images and listening to music.

This all sounds pretty cool. However, I’m sure that anyone with an inexpensive tablet could duplicate these functions with a waterproof case and the right cooking apps, which will probably add up to less than the Qooq’s $399(USD) retail price. But if you’re looking for a stylish gadget, dedicated to kitchen use, you should definitely check out the Qooq.

[via Uncrate]

It’s always good to add some redundancy to your computer system. When a hard drive fails, it’s always problematic trying to restore lost data. It’s even worse when you are faced with a natural disaster, such as a fire, a flood – or the apocalypse. That’s why you need a hard drive that can outlive you. Well, probably not, but it’s good to have something virtually-indestructible, just in case.

The ioSafe Solo G3 Hard Drive is a rugged external USB 3.0 hard drive that’s both fireproof and waterproof. It can last at temperatures up to 1550˚F for 30 minutes and survive in water down to 10 feet for up to 72 hours. It’s compatible with Kensington locks and padlocks, and includes backup and encryption service. ioSafe’s Data Recovery Service is also included, and it provides one-time data and hardware recovery (valued at up to $2500) with no questions asked.

The ioSafe Solo G3 is available for $299.99(USD) for 1TB of storage, $349.99 for 2TB, and $449.99 for 3TB.

[via Uncrate]

I get paranoid sometimes when I am carrying around some of my fancier electronics. It’s not that I’m worried about getting mugged, it’s more a question of getting them wet, because we all know that water and gizmos don’t really gel.

Most of the waterproof backpacks I know are quite simple because any stitching will reduce the integrity of the waterproof material and has to be properly sealed. The Watershed Big Creek isn’t just a dry bag, it’s an amply-sized 24L backpack with comfortable, padded shoulder straps. The bag measures 24″ x 10″ x 6″ and is made out of nylon coated with polyurethane. In place of a traditional zipper, the bag has a ZipDry closure that works kind of like a Ziploc bag to keep all moisture out.

The styling might be an acquired taste, but it has a militaristic look that’s not unpleasing. The Big Creek sells for $106(USD) directly from Watershed in a number of different colors, as well as a camo design for about $32 extra.

[via HypeBeast]

Pioneer launched early August in Japan the XW-SMA3-K and XW-SMA1-K DLNA and Airplay Speakers and today, barely a few month later, the company announced yet another iteration of its Wireless speaker with the XW-SMA4-K.
Technically both the XW-SMA3-K and XW-SMA4-K offers the same functions with Wireless Audio, DLNA 1.5, Airplay… But Pioneer decided to rework the XW-SMA4-K output audio quality and announced, according to their press release, a hug improvement in Audio quality.
Anyway, it will be …