Archives for November 2007

Worlds First MP3 Player

November 24, 2007 by Leave a Comment

first MP3 Player
MPMan was the worlds first MP3 player which launched in the spring of 1998. Many believe it was the Diamond Multimedia Rio PMP300. The MPMan was made by Saehan and showed up a couple of months before the Diamond. When first launched the MPMan had 32 Meg of memory built in. If you sent it back to the manufacturer along with a cheque for $76.95 they would upgrade that to a 64 Meg player. That doesn’t seem like a lot of memory these days, but at the time it was good to store a couple of albums on. The MPMan measured 91mm x 70mm x 16.5mm which isn’t too bad of a size for the time. It weighed just over 2Oz.

Via: CNET

Filed Under: MP3 Players

Life Clock has LCD People

November 24, 2007 by Leave a Comment

life_clock
The Life Clock is a unique idea which has little LCD people living inside it. It works as an alarm clock and from what the translation says, the people living inside turn out how you are. If you are sloppy and get up late then they will turn that way. If you get right out of bed then they will become more affluent. It costs just $31 from Amazon in Japan.

Via: Newlaunches

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Monster Cycle stands 15 Feet Tall

November 23, 2007 by 1 Comment

monstercycle
This huge monster cycle stands at 15 feet tall (maybe 2 and a bit times the height of the average person). What makes it cooler is that it’s fully ride-able (drivable?) as the rider sits in a cage behind the handlebars. It weighs 6500 pounds and took 3 years to make with a price tag of about $300k in spare parts. To see it in motion check out the video below. It’s now time for drivers to fear the riders.

Via: TechEBlog

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Magnetix I-Coaster

November 23, 2007 by Leave a Comment

magnetix_icoaster
The I-Coaster is a cool toy which allows you to build up the iCoaster and watch the magnetic power throw the ball around loops, corkscrews and levitations. Sound effects can be used also which make it play noises when passing certain points.

In the box you get…

17 Magnetix iCoaster tracks, 2 light-up sensors, 6 stunt pieces, 10 adjustable towers, 10 15-millimeter magnetic metallic rider balls, magnetic elevator, and Sound FX Music Studio.

Not bad at all for a bit of fun although it does cost $154 currently at Amazon.

Via: UberReview

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

RC K9 from Dr Who

November 23, 2007 by Leave a Comment

dr_who_k9
For those who love Dr. Who and cannot get enough then you may want to buy one of these RC K9’s. K9 is a robot dog which debut was in 1977. It looks old and retro but saves the Dr a number of times.

The RC version has 5 buttons in the controller which allow him to speak 7 different phrases as well as extending his nose blaster. The other controls allow K9 to move back, forwards, left and right.

K9 is powered by 4 AA batteries in the unit and a 9V batter in the controller. It costs $59.99 and is available from ThinkGeek.

Via: Coolest-Gadgets and SlipperyBrick

Filed Under: Gadget Toys

Bluetooth Sports Helmet

November 23, 2007 by Leave a Comment

bluetoothhelmet
A helmet may not be everyone’s favourite thing to wear when doing sports, but they can save your life. This new helmet has Bluetooth built in which allows you to connect your iPod up to it to listen to music wirelessly. It has 2 built-in speakers which fit over your ears. On the iPod (or other music source) side you attach a Bluetooth transmitter to the headphone socket and hit play. Once all connected up you are good to go.

The helmet costs $300 and is available from Hammacher.

Via: OhGizmo

Filed Under: MP3 Players

iPod Touch Armband

November 23, 2007 by Leave a Comment

iPod Touch Armband
This sport armband has a space so you can squeeze in your iPod touch while you are out for a run. The protective case keeps it firmly in place to prevent it falling. The F8Z223-MBL armband is made by Belkin and weighs just .2 lbs and costs $19.99.

Via: 7Gadgets

Filed Under: MP3 Players

Underwater Lap and Calorie Counter

November 23, 2007 by Leave a Comment

under water laptimer
This underwater clock is perfect for the avid swimmer who wants to keep track of their swimming activities. The device sticks to the wall of the pool under the water and displays how many laps you swim and how long it took along with the total swimming time and a calorie counter added for fun. When you swim the length of the pool and back you hit the timer and the time is displayed for 5 seconds allowing you to capture how good you are.

The Finis Lap Track costs £39 from here

under water calorie counter

Via: GeekAlerts

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

USB Cable Holder

November 23, 2007 by Leave a Comment

usbholder
You may get bugged each time a cable drops down the back of your desk. The USB Cable holder tackles the problem by keeping the cable in grasping distance by catching hold of the connector on the end of the wire. Most cables will be caught and it will eliminate trips crawling around the floor under your desk.

Two versions are available with the first catering for a desk up to 2.5 cm thick and the next for tables 4.5cm thick. The cable holder costs $11 from here.

Via: GadgetSpy

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets

Electronic Disc Jockey Service

November 22, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Electronic Disc Jockey Service
Could this be the face of Disc Jockeys across the world next year? According to this patent it could be. The DJ service is effectively transformed in to an internet based service with the electronic disc jockey. The service aims to bring a DJ in to any location where the internet is accessible and provide a “virtual party”. It will also allow several parties to be linked together over the net. Various content such as music, video and games can be provided.

Electronic Disc Jockey Service Diagram

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets, Concept Gadgets

Hulger P*Phone with USB Base

November 22, 2007 by Leave a Comment

P-Phone
The P*Phone from Hulger is a retro looking phone which connects to your PC via USB cable. It works with all VoIP providers such as Skype, Google Talk, iChat, Yahoo and others. Installation is easy as the P*Phone is plug-n-play. What makes this phone extra cool is the ability to plug in to a regular mobile phone which makes it usable on the headset profile. Imagine walking around London and whipping this out when your next call comes through.

The only downside is that it has no spinning dial to dial out like a retro phone. That would be cool to interface that feature in.

The P*Phone costs ‚¬105 in Europe and is available Here.

Via: GearCrave

Filed Under: Cell Phones

Electrobike Pi – 25 Miles without Pedaling

November 22, 2007 by 9 Comments

Electrobike Pi
This new bike is a hybrid which uses pedal power and/or electric power. By mixing the two together you get a very environmental friendly bike which makes it easier on the rider to get where they want to go quicker. The bike is limited to 20mph so it does not require a bike license. The bike’s frame is made from 60% post industrial recycled aluminium and houses the NiMH batteries that keep this thing running. The motor which powers the bike is 36V/500W and if used alone can get you to travel 25 miles even if you do not pedal. With the thumb control you can switch the function of the motor which can be either pushing the bike, or be used to generate power if you are downhill or pedaling.

The regular battery can take you about 30 miles with pedaling and an extra battery doubles that. Of course with more downhill’s and pedaling you can increase that range even further.

For comfort the bike includes a gel seat and can be moved around up or down, forwards or back to get the best seating position. Suspension is also included in the forks allowing for more smoothness.

The gear system is also very fancy and is built by NuVinci. It allows a variable transmission which makes the gear changes smoothly increase or decrease.

This is a lot of cool stuff packed in a bike. Would the 25 – 60 mile range be enough to get you to switch to one? I’d still be afraid of being knocked off by a car so probably wouldn’t switch.

Via: GadgetsBlog and Gizmag

Filed Under: Tech News