Great Gadgets: iBottleopener

Published on Aug 30, 2010   //  Gadgets

Want to have a party in your pocket? It may not be the best of taglines, but that’s exactly what they’ve decided to use for the iBottleopener. We’ve all been in the situation where we can’t find a suitable bottle opener in a pinch, but we always have our smartphones close at hand.

With this in mind, the iBottleopener can really help you under such circumstances. It is a protective case that’ll fit the Apple iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, but it also comes with a built-in bottle opener. This certainly makes it one of the more unique products we’ve seen, as other iPhone cases may include additional battery life or some other “useful” function. Then again, bottle opening can be pretty useful.

The product is currently patent pending, but the developers are looking to get about $20 for each case, plus four dollars for shipping. The current version will only work with the iPhone 3G and 3GS models, but a iPhone 4 iBottleopener is also in the works.

If you were to develop a new case for the iPhone (or any other smartphone for that matter), what innovative feature would you choose to include to separate your product from the rest of the crowd? A corkscrew? A nail clipper? A screwdriver?

Great Gadgets: ReadySteady Stabilizer

Published on Aug 23, 2010   //  Gadgets

Having a pocket camcorder is great. This is true if you choose to go with a Flip UltraHD, a Sony Bloggie, or a Kodak Zi8. However, one obstacle that you may encounter in their use is that your hands are shaky. As a result, those high-definition videos leave your viewers with all kinds of motion sickness. Not good.

Helping you shoot better movies is the ReadySteady video stablizer. The super portable device connects to the tripod mount part of your pocket HD camcorder and helps to provide a counterweight for steadier video-shooting. The entire product is made from aluminum, not plastic, and can be easily rolled up for easy transport.

The ReadySteady won’t be good enough to replace a traditional tripod or monopod, but it is a lot more portable. The base can be placed on a flat surface for extra stability, but even in a handheld configuration, the extra weight at the bottom can make for much steadier videos. This is thanks to its “patented design and physics” to create balance between the device and your digital camcorder. Better still, it is made in the USA.

Find more information at ReadySteadyVideo.com. The ReadySteady stabilizer sells for $29.99, including free shipping. Choose from aluminum or black.

Great Gadgets: Nokia CS-18 Internet Stick

Published on Aug 16, 2010   //  Gadgets

To maintain the mobile lifestyle, you likely want to have a good Internet connection with you everywhere you go. Sure, you could constantly go hunting for the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot, but it can be a lot more convenient with something like the Nokia CS-18 Rocket Internet Stick.

It may look like little more than your standard issue USB flash drive, but this Internet Stick actually contains a SIM card. It connects to the cellular network and allows your notebook or netbook to surf the web at surprisingly fast speeds. According to Nokia, the stick is good for up to 21.1Mbps download speed with up to 5.76Mbps for uploads.

There’s also a bonus microSD card slot built into the Nokia CS-18, which can come in handy for reading the small memory cards or simply using the Internet Stick like a USB thumb drive. The software for connecting to the Internet is also included and it can track the amount of bandwidth being used.

The Nokia CS-18 Internet Stick has been available through Rogers Wireless in Canada for a couple of months and it just recently launched with sister company Fido. If you sign a qualifying contract for your mobile data plan, you can have the Nokia stick for free.

Great Gadgets: Green Pen Style Laser Pointer

Published on Aug 9, 2010   //  Gadgets

Looking to make a real impact at your next sales presentation? Maybe you just want a little something to stick out from the crowd or maybe you need to point to something under some slightly different conditions. Whatever the case, you should check out this green laser pointer by tMate Accessories.

The green 50mW pen style laser pointer comes bundled with five interchangeable caps and heads. These allow for different laser patterns on the fly, in addition to the usual solid beam. The caps screw on and off, so they won’t fall off or get lost while you are using the laser pointer. Also included in the package are the required AAA batteries and the free carrying case.

But why would you want a green laser pointer over a more conventional red laser pointer? This true green wavelength (532nm) laser is much brighter and more effective than the regular red beam. The laser pointer has been hand calibrated to ensure a pure green light, offering a range of up to 72,000 feet.

This pen style green laser pointer is currently on sale for $24.99 from TechMart Electronics via Amazon Canada. That is $30 off from the regular price.

Great Gadgets: Samsung Galaxy S

Published on Aug 2, 2010   //  Gadgets

The Google Android platform is increasing in popularity with devices like the the Motorola Droid X and the HTC EVO 4G. While these smartphones are typically only available through one of the major carriers in the United States, the Galaxy S from Samsung is available through all four major US carriers.

It’s one of those situations where a rose by any other name smells just as sweet. Depending on your carrier of choice, the slight variant on the Samsung Galaxy S platform can be found as the Samsung Vibrant, Captivate, Epic 4G, or Fascinate. They all feature large touchscreen displays and the Google Android operating system. The AMOLED screen is positively brilliant.

The Samsung Epic 4G from Sprint, however, may be slightly more attractive than some of its stablemates. For starters, it has a full QWERTY keyboard for ease of text entry, as well as a front-facing camera and access to Sprint’s high-speed 4G network. This will presumably offer faster data speeds, but possibility at the price of reduced battery life.

Depending on the carrier subsidy, the variant on the Samsung Galaxy S can be had for about $200 with a qualifying contract.

Great Gadgets: India’s $35 Tablet Computer

Published on Jul 26, 2010   //  Gadgets

Have you been eyeing one of those hot new Apple iPads but you’re having a hard time justifying the asking price? Perhaps you see the incredible potential for such a device in the classroom, but it just doesn’t seem cost-effective? Leave it up to some engineering marvels in India to “solve” this problem with an upcoming touchscreen tablet computer.

The kicker is that this portable device is set to cost just $35. The prototype is shown here and the aim is to use the tablet computer with students, going into full production some time next year. As you can imagine, the specs aren’t quite up to snuff with the Apple version. There is a touchscreen, to be sure, but there is no hard drive or other internal storage; everything is done through the memory card reader.

Using Linux as its operating system, the cheap tablet from India will be able to handle basic tasks like word processing, web browsing, and even video conferencing. There’s even consideration of a version with solar panels, allowing the device to be used in rural areas where access to electricity is more challenging.

Learn a little more about this remarkably affordable tablet computer via the AP article on Yahoo News. There’s word that the government of India may even subsidize the product to bring the effective retail price down to just twenty bucks!

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