Wired Gadgets: 2012

Mini Portable Travel Mobile Speaker

This plug-and-play portable mini speakers design for your iPhone iPod PC Mp3 MP4 smartphones and portable CD players with 3.5mm audio jack. With a very small footprint, very ideal for travel and mobility. Give it a twist and the top portion expands, giving you extra air space which brings out the bass. You'd have to hear it to believe it. For speakers this size, it sure packs a punch. With built in lithium batteries, you can have hours and hours of listening. And with the built-in retractable audio and charge cables, there are no extra cables to bring around and no cable mess. When you need to charge your tweakers, just pull the charge cable out, and connect it to a mini USB, or use the included USB charge adapter to connect to a USB port. The speakers come in dual speaker configuration with stereo sound. With Grandmax Tweakers - Tiny Pocket Size with Room Filling Sound!

Multi-functional Computer Just for Kids

The Roundbox is an all-in-one entertainment and learning machine; it combines the functions of a TV, DVD player, video game console, digital camera, and laptop and tablet computer. It’s all wrapped up in a kid-friendly design that’s both easy to carry and simple to use. Unlike those clunky stand-alone portable DVD players or single-function gaming systems that clutter up the car on long trips, this one machine does pretty much everything a kid in the 5-14 age range would want it to do. They can play movies, take pictures, play games, draw, and do all of the normal computer stuff. But a couple of the design features are very cool, especially for a kids’ product: first, the screen can rotate and then close, creating a tablet computer that can be held on the lap. Also, the touch pad can be left in place on the computer’s body and used like a regular touch pad – or it can be removed and used as a mouse.

Holga Samsung Galaxy S II lens filter kit

Holga Samsung Galaxy S II lens filter kit could delight users of the Android handset as it serves both as a photographic peripheral as well as a sheath. Users have to simply wrap the case on the smartphone and experience the range of special effects and filters. As mobile phone owners slip on the cover, a set of 9 distinct special effects are touted to become accessible. This function can be accessed without any sort of installed app or software since it’s pure hardware involved in the process. To grasp the attention of potential buyers, the team has designed the lens very similar to a rotary dial on a telephone. We can assume it to follow a ‘call to get an effect’ agenda. With 5 color choices of red, blue, white, black and silver, the filters seek to make photography fascinating to all. The Holga Samsung Galaxy S II lens filter kit price is tagged at $27.99.

Curved Tablet shaped Flexible Smartphone

The flexible LED screen technology oversized smartphone or smaller tablet is that it can also be used as a lampshade when it doesn’t serve as a communication device. The handset becomes not only a lampshade through its placement in a special cradle, but it also charges up through the same mechanism. Flexible LED phones are mere prototypes and concepts now, but the likes of Sony and Samsung are working hard to make them real. It will be cool to have a phone or tablet with a solid base area and a flexible display that you can expand to either handset size or slate size. Samsung Waview is a pretty nice start for a future prototype, but its glass looks a bit too thick to be viable. A quick idea for specs: dual core 2GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 720p resolution, 8MP camera and maybe some 3D graphics thrown in just for fun.

Energy In-Wall Speaker Pair

The EAS-6W in-wall speaker was designed to work in any listening environment. With the 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter and 6.5-inch composite aluminum driver, the EAS-6W delivers powerful deep bass, a sultry smooth midrange and crisp clean highs. The tweeter is even adjustable, so you can point the sound towards or away from your listening location! It’s sonically matched to the whole EAS Series, making it an excellent foundation for a home theater system. The EAS-6W also features a detachable bezel, designed to facilitate installation and painting. Flat On-Axis Frequency Response with Wide Bandwidth: Speakers should reproduce the entire audio range in a uniform manner. By ensuring that no one frequency dominates any other, With Veritas, every note is delivered accurately—and the sound is as natural as possible.

HTC Cemile is the largest Android smartphone

HTC Cemile uses a full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel display with a 4.8 inch diagonal, thus becoming the largest Android smartphone out there, unless you count the Galaxy Note as a handset. This concept HTC also comes with a 16 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, a front 2 megapixel camera, NFC support, Bluetooth 4.0 and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense UI 4.0. The phone relies on a 2500mAh Li-Akku battery for juicing up the machine and the specs list also includes HSPA+ connectivity, LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and 60GHz support (a new wireless technology). HTC Cemile adopts a metallic case as chassis and it provides 32GB of flash memory for storage purposes. It also has changeable virtual buttons, that are easy to tweak, courtesy of a special feature from HTC.

HiFiMan HE-400 headphones have been disclosed

The HiFiMan HE-400 headphones have been disclosed. This aural gear claims to deliver clear sound along with deep bass and rich quality. The integrated planar magnetic drivers are touted as the main contributors to an impressive sound experience. The utilization of these drivers is something we frequently bump into in an audio peripheral industry which mostly uses such components of the dynamic type that are more cost efficient and easier to manufacture. A planar driver comprises a very slim and light diaphragm, surrounded by powerful magnets. As opposed to dynamic drivers, headphones with planar ones employ additional force and surface area to deliver sound. Thus the device becomes more responsive and accurate. Or that’s what users should hope to expect from the HiFiMan headset, at least. The HiFiMan HE-400 headphones may now be pre-ordered online through head-direct.com for a price of $349.

Retrode 2 equipped with ports for Sega and SNES controllers

The Retrode 2 is also equipped with ports for Sega and SNES controllers to be connected and the Retrode 2 connects to your PC via a USB 2.0 connection. You will need to install an emulator on to your PC to be able to play the games, watch the video after the jump to see the Retrode 2 in action. The Retrode is the world’s most versatile (and fun!) USB adapter for vintage video games. Revive the good old 16-bit times on your computer/smartphone/tablet, using your original cartridges and controllers. Gamers who are looking to play a few retro games on their PC systems. Might be interested in a new adapter unveiled by Retrode, that will allow you to use cartridges from your old, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Nintendo SNES/SFC, together with Access ROM and SRAM. The Retrode 2 is now available to pre-order and will start shipping in February 2012, for $85.

HP Photosmart eStation Printer

The detachable, 7-inch, full-color touchscreen doubles as a wireless digital companion and control panel for remote printing. Tap into your online world—browse the Web, access news and weather updates, e-mail and more. Download and print from the Web—documents, photos and more—using a handy, wireless touchscreen. Browse the latest e-book bestsellers or old favorites, using the wireless touchscreen. Use apps to print from the Web without using a PC. Use customized apps to quickly get the prints you want from the Web. Access and print, using apps for Yahoo!®, Facebook, and Snapfish. Get fun and useful templates for calendars, games and more, using HP Quick Forms.

Flexible LEDs Might Give Us Roll-Up Computer Screens

Flexible LEDs that will make it possible to use them in never-before-seen types of displays and configurations. In general, organic LEDs (used for applications like cell phone screens) are smaller, cheaper and easier to produce, but inorganic LEDs (like you might see on an outdoor electronic billboard) are brighter and more durable. This new technology combines the best attributes of both types of LEDs and makes it possible to use them in thin, flexible arrays that were impossible with inorganic LEDs until now. The new LEDs are manufactured by depositing light-emitting material onto a wafer layer, with a “sacrificial layer” between them. The sacrificial layer is dissolved away (leaving the wafer free to be used again, unlike traditional LED manufacturing methods) and the LEDs can then be mounted to just about any substrate.

MobileX will deliver full-screen app goodness

MobileX will be able to deliver full-screen app goodness, letting you enjoy Facebook as well as YouTube right on your Apple TV. With Apple’s AirPlay technology, you will be able to turn on wireless streaming of video, photos, and music from your iOS device directly to the Apple TV, and with the MobileX hack, you can also access the entire App Store over Apple TV. Steve Troughton-Smith and Nick are the brains behind the MobileX hack, where it will use the latest version of Seas0nPass, which is actually an earlier Apple TV hack that was rolled out by fireCore in 2011. Troughton-Smith mentions, “MobileX is a window manager for iOS that replaces Springboard for the added bonus of letting iPhone and iPad apps run on Apple TV.

Nokia Xbox Tablet is a Gaming Device

The Nokia Xbox tablet is supposed to provide the Xbox gaming experience on the go and the designer warns us that this device can become expensive. You can download real Xbox games on it and convert/render the graphics so it doesn’t use up too much battery and memory. The Nokia Tablet is supposed to be called Nokia X Slate and it will pack 2 GB of RAM, the Nvidia Tegra 4 Wayne processor (1.5GHz) and a big 9500 mAh battery. This device can dual boot Windows 8 or the dashboard and Nokia X Slate has 2 USB ports, a mini HDMI, a 2 megapixel front camera, WiFi support, 4G/3G connectivity and more. The form factor is a bit sloped, so it’s thinner at the top and bulkier at the bottom.

The Drinkman hip flask

The Drinkman is hip flask is designed to look like a Sony Walkman from the 1980′s, and it comes with a range of fake buttons and a cassette spindle graphic which makes it look like a real Walkman. The Colonel has always liked music. Indeed, he was delighted when the MP3 was invented and he no longer had to employ a military band to follow him on quiet country walks. That only left one problem – the issue of on-the-road refreshment. This inspired the Colonel to invent Swing Your Hips, looking for all the world like an old-style personal music player. It doesn’t hold songs, just your favourite tipple.

Enso Pearl clock

Enso, meaning ‘circle’ in Japanese, is so slim and is a beauty to look at, and it counts down slowly by forming a complete circle around the LCD face. Perfect for those moments when your mind does not want to look at numbers as those could very well be too distracting, including moments when you are meditating, holding a yoga pose, or making sure you are burning those calories with a few spinning exercises on an exercise bike. The Enso Pearl delivers a precise and clear idea of how much time has passed, including the remaining time without having to work those brains of yours. You can set up to 50 sequential times, and if you opt to exercise with your eyes closed, fret not – the Enso will deliver audio cues to help you out, relying on the gentle chimes of Tibetan or Japanese singing bowls.

MAME Arcade Emulator now on Google Chrome

The MAME Arcade Emulator app that was released on the Apple App Store. Well you can now enjoy it again, albeit without the convenience of being able to play it on your smartphone/tablet. A developer has successfully ported the MAME Arcade Emulator app over to Google Chrome, making it available as a free app on the Chrome Web Store. As usual, the emulator only lets you play games but getting the game ROMs themselves is an obstacle you’ll have to handle on your own – seeing how it isn’t exactly legal. But hey – if you were interested in playing games in MAME, you would already know by now. You do get to play one copyright-free game for free though: Robby Roto.

Turning a Laptop Into a Whiteboard

The DrawTop is a nifty idea that mashes up high-tech and low-tech to come up with a product that is really unique and wonderfully creative. Dreamed up by Ryan Mitchell as a project for a product development class, the DrawTop took on a life of its own. After Mitchell graduated and was no longer producing DrawTop, the orders kept pouring in – so she decided to turn it into a business. The DrawTop comes with a set of markers, an eraser cloth, and a set of Velcro dots for sticking your markers to things – all for $12. According to the company, the vinyl adhesive doesn’t leave a residue and, if you should decide you can live with a plain old laptop again one day, the DrawTop should peel right off with no damage.

Android portable game console with Android on board

The Android portable game console with Android on board comes with a HDMI port, a touchscreen display that’s probably above 4 inches in diagonal and also some gaming controls of the physical kind. As far as we can see, the gaming controls from the sides can be flipped to the back of the touchscreen, turning it back into a handset. There’s a special area at the back, under the screen/battery zone where the controllers are integrated for a smoother waistline of the device. Thus, we don’t get a bulky phone and we get top notch gaming. I can see some shoulder buttons here, the famous D Pad, some action buttons and of course touch controls.

Alarm Clock Grades Your Sleep Quality

The Zeo alarm clock aims to keep people healthy by giving a daily report on how well the user sleeps. The main premise of the clock is that it tracks how much time is spent in each stage of sleep. The user wears a thin headband all night which conveys information about their sleep cycles to the clock. In the morning, the data is displayed on the clock unit, including a unique “sleep score.” The clock even has an option that will analyze the user’s optimum waking point, waking them up just when they will be the least groggy. What’s even cooler about the Zeo is that you can upload the data from the clock unit to the company’s “sleep coaching” website. If you pay for personal sleep coaching, you’ll receive personalized information on how your activities, diet and sleep environment are affecting your nightly Zs. While it won’t help you fall asleep or stay asleep, using the Zeo may just help you identify your particular sleep problems.

Garmin Forerunner 305 Portable Navigator

Garmin's next-generation, sleek and stylish line of personal trainers--the Forerunner 305 Portable Navigator. This taskmaster will continually push you to do your personal best. The Forerunner 305 Portable Navigator combines all of the popular features with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, new courses feature, and robust ANT wireless heart rate monitor for optimal performance. It continuously monitors your heart rate, speed, distance, pace and calories burned so you can train smarter, more effectively. It tracks your every move with a super-sensitive GPS that even works on tree-covered trails and near tall buildings. Receive a detailed post-workout analysis on the PC with included Garmin Training Center software.

Sirius XM Radio announced the Lynx Portable Radio

Sirius XM Radio has announced the Lynx Portable Radio, touting this to be the first SiriusXM 2.0 radio which delivers spanking new features and receives an expanded channel lineup over satellite and Internet connections. Lynx is said to be the most advanced radio to date from SiriusXM, where it is full well capable of receiving the new expanded SiriusXM 2.0 channel range of commercial-free music, sports, and comedy, where among them include SiriusXM Latino – a totally new suite of Spanish-language programming. Lynx was constructed with a flexible architecture that will pave the way for new features and capabilities that can be added via the path of software updates. SiriusXM 2.0 is said to be a major upgrade and evolution of SiriusXM’s satellite and Internet delivered service, and the ultimate goal would be to see this particular service span across hardware, software, audio, and data services.

Garmin’s Nuvi 1300 LM includes nuMaps Lifetime Updates

Garmin’s Nuvi 1300 LM includes nuMaps Lifetime Updates for City Navigator NT for 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The ultra thin Nuvi 1300 LM has a widescreen display, yet it’s slim and light enough to take along on all your travels. This affordable GPS announces streets by name and calculates a more fuel-efficient route with ecoRoute. With nüvi 1300 LM's widescreen display, you'll always get the big picture. View map detail, driving directions, photos and more in bright, brilliant color. Its sunlight-readable, 4.3-inch display is easy to read — from any direction. Nüvi 1300 LM's intuitive interface greets you with two simple questions: "Where To?" and "View Map." Touch the color screen to easily look up addresses and services and get voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names to your destination. It comes preloaded with City Navigator NT street maps for the continental U.S., Hawaii and Puerto Rico, millions of points of interest (POIs), and 2-D or 3-D maps.

New Generation iPhone features Quad Core CPU

The iPhone concept phone comes with an incredible new Retina Display, with a 4 inch diagonal and a 1400 x 960 pixel resolution with an incredible resulting 424 ppi. We’ll get futuristic iPhone with 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of storage, 1GB of RAM and iOS 6.0. There’s also a 13 megapixel camera on board with dual LED Flash and support for 1080p video, but on an improved level when compared to the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 design also includes a 2 megapixel camera with HD 720p capture, as well as an impressive quad core Apple A6 chipset made by Intel and clocked at 1.66GHz. As far as design goes, this iPhone 5 concept is so rounded and curved that it reminds me of the Galaxy Nexus a bit.

The Waterrower Rowing Machine

The Waterrower Rowing Machine could is one of the most effective workouts around. You need not have to go to court in a lawsuit against the founder of Facebook to get cracking on some rowing – right in the comfort of your own home to boot! The Waterrower Rowing Machine will retail anywhere from $900 to $2,500, where the machine’s main secret would be the WaterFlywheel that was specially designed to emulate the exact dynamics of a boat that moves through water. Not only will you experience the sense of peacefulness associated with moving water, you will also be able to get a better workout thanks to a proper rhythm of motion, and such smooth motion is normally not found in typical resistance rowing machines. Expect a fitter and leaner you in 2012.

ZVOX enhances Z-Base sound bar range

ZVOX introducing high performance surround sound systems with their latest Z-Base sound bar family which are comfortably placed under the TV set without the need for external speakers or a subwoofer. ZVOX has taken a look at their Z-Base sound bar range, and decided that the time is ripe to expand this particular family. After all, sound matters if you were to marry it with explosive action on the big screen, giving you a glimpse of what you can experience at the cinema. I am not saying that it is uncool to watch movies at home – I’m all for it, since you need not deal with any incoming phone calls without silent mode being turned on, and you can always make your way to the loo by pausing the movie so that you do not miss a single bit.

Energy TakeSat Satellite Speakers

Like all of the Take series speakers, the SAT is versatile—you can hang them horizontally or vertically to fit your room and the screen. No matter how you use them, you’ll be impressed. A 1-inch dome tweeter and 3.5-inch woofer provides powerful movie sound. And, magnetic shielding ensures that you can place it as close to a standard CRT monitor as you like, without interference. Flat On-Axis Frequency Response with Wide Bandwidth: Speakers should reproduce the entire audio range in a uniform manner. By ensuring that no one frequency dominates any other, Energy ensures that every note is the way it was intended to be—and the sound as natural as possible. Low Distortion and Resonance: No speaker system is distortion- or resonance-free, but Energy has achieved a significantly lower distortion level, a clearly audible improvement. Featuring the same components as the rest of the Take Series, the Take SAT is voice matched to blend perfectly with any of its counterparts, making it excellent for use as the left, right or center channels of a home theater system or as part of a stereo system.

Jabra PRO 930 is designed for telephony services

Jabra creates a lot of Bluetooth headsets and occasional speakers, but the PRO 930 is designed for telephony services like Skype. The PRO 930 comes with a stand that can be plugged into a computer for charging and syncing. Not only is it good to use with an adjustable headband for a good fit, but the PRO 930 also has an earpiece that can snap on so it looks like a usual Bluetooth headset. Other features of this device include a dedicated button to answer calls, as well as volume controls. It also has a convenient noise canceling microphone that eliminates ambient background noise, like in a busy office environment. You should be able to get the Jabra PRO 930 for a price of $199. The similar PRO 920, designed for desk phones, is available for the same price.

Suitcase functions on the concept of kinetic energy to generate power

This unique suitcase functions on the concept of kinetic energy to generate power which is supplied to the mobile phone. Sketched out in vivid orange and black or red and black, it employs the power created by the moving wheels of the trolley. The energy generated is stored in the charging battery embedded on the upper part of the device. For users to power their handsets attaching the charger with the plug embedded on the case is required and the stored juice brings alive the mobile gadget hooked up to it. The portable product sports an LED indicator near the handle which shows users the amount of power that the battery has stored and how much of it is remaining or required to charge the handset. Since this suitcase trolley seems to still be in the concept stage, no details regarding its release date or price should be expected.

Casio G-SHOCK GB-6900 coming in March 2012

The G-SHOCK GB-6900 series that will be released Q1 next year will feature Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) connectivity that will make it compatible with the upcoming NEC Medias LTE N-04D and NEC Medias PP N-01D Android phones. In addition to telling the time, Bluetooth connectivity will allow the watches to synchronize the time with the phones, show incoming calls, emails or text messages on the watch’s display. Think of it as the Sony Ericsson LiveView but with more limited capabilities, but in a more stylish package. Users can also switch their phones to vibration mode or set alarms through their wristwatches. While Bluetooth-linked watches aren’t new (and these watches have been mentioned before in the past) – these G-SHOCK watches are the first ones to feature Bluetooth LE which means that you won’t have to recharge your watch every other day. In fact, a standard CR2032 button battery is said to make the watch last for about 2 years. The G-SHOCK GB-6900 watches will go on sale in Japan for about $231 on March 16th 2012.

LG 3D Ultra Definition TV

LG Electronics steps up to the plate, full of confidence, that their 3D Ultra Definition (UD) TV is the largest in the world. Of course, you can tell by the name alone that Ultra Definition is far better than High Definition, so I cannot wait to see just what kind of images my eyes will be greeted with at CES 2012 that is happening in less than a fortnight’s time in Las Vegas. Basically, this unique display will debut at CES 2012 next year, where it will sport 84″ of viewing goodness, while ensuring it breaks new ground where immersive 3D home entertainment is concerned. To put it in the words of Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company, “LG is pushing the limits of home entertainment innovation with this 3D UD TV. We are bringing together all our Smart TV and 3D knowledge in the 3D UD TV in order to demonstrate to the CES audience that LG is committed to being the world’s leading brand for immersive home entertainment in 2012 and beyond.”

TRENDnet Powerline AV Adapter

The 200Mbps Powerline AV Adapter uses any electrical outlet to create a secure high speed building-wide network. Connect one adapter to your network and plug another adapter in to any outlet on your electrical system for instant high speed network access. Connect adapters quickly using the convenient one-touch connect button. Use up to 8 adapters to network devices in different rooms without running new cabling. Power Save mode reduces power consumption by up to 70%. LED displays convey device status for easy power management and troubleshooting. Quality of Service technology prioritizes video, audio, and online gaming. Advanced AES encryption secures your network. This adapter is ideal for use in buildings that interfere with wireless networking signals.

Transparent lithium-ion battery

A team of researchers at Stanford University has developed a transparent lithium-ion battery that could lead to truly transparent working gadgets in the very near future. The battery isn’t actually invisible; rather, it is made up of an incredibly fine mesh of electrodes a mere 35 microns wide. That’s thin enough to appear invisible to the human eye. Currently the transparent battery doesn’t have a huge capacity; it can only hold about half as much power as a traditional lithium-ion battery. The capacity should increase as the research continues, but the battery already has the advantages of being flexible and inexpensive.

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