Some of our readers might be avid cyclists, but live in the big city. If you live in a high rise, you might have a terrible problem when you have to bring the bike into the elevator. Then there is that awkward moment as the elevator car stops mid-way gets way too crowded. Bikes take up a lot of space in apartments as well as elevators, and it would be nice if bikes could somehow shrink when not needed.
The Backpack Bicycle solves this problem by folding up the bike into a compact transport for your back. The designer, Chang Ting Jen, also reduced the weight of the bike by using plastics instead of metal.
This easily transportable Backpack Bike weighs in at about 5.5 kg, and can also be switched around to become a hand-cart. I don’t know about you, but that reminds me of these Transformers toys called triple-changers: robots that could turn into not one, but two vehicles.
So far the design is a concept now. However, I believe the designer had the public transportation system in mind when he designed this vehicle. The Backpack Bike could easily be taken with you on a subway or bus, and would be worth mass-producing for.
It’s that time again to vote for your “Coolest Gadget of the week“, be sure to leave a comment with your reasoning for a chance to win a $50 Amazon voucher. Have fun and good luck, winners, as usual, will be announced Monday. Now onto the entries.
“>Solar Eco Charger Cellphone Strap
Do you know that we consume lots of electricity to charge up our cellphone? That’s why we really need the Compact size Solar Charger that can brought anywhere. This gadget can be brought anywhere and attached in your phone, because this is actually a phone strap. While walking under the sun, you can charge up the solar charger and when your phone running out of battery outside your house, you can just simply charge it up.
The full post can be found at “>Cutie Gadget.
A Chic Dwelling for the Birds
Birds deserve contemporary styling and stylish homes to. Enter the Eva Solo Bird Box, a functional yet nicely formed dwelling for our feathered friends. Constructed of white-glazed terracotta to reflect the heat and a black plastic roof, the Bird Box has adjustable openings that let you decide what type of species is lucky enough to call it home.
The full post can be found at Good Good Things.
Shouting Vase
Turn your loudest, most urgent frustrations into mere whispers with the Shouting Vase. The plastic jug is designed to fit over the contours of your mouth and absorb your screams and shouts, “storing” them in the vase and emitting a softer version of your angry cries through the tiny hole at the base.
The full post can be found at Random Good Stuff.
Truck Rear Sonar
Description: Truck Rear Sonar is a gadget you can attach to the back of your vehicle to avoid those dead vision angles. It’s a “must have” regarding safety of people, animals and many other objects.
The full post can be found at 4×4 Trucks and Trailers.
Minox Suntimer UV Radiation Monitoring Watch
The Minox Suntimer can help you from damaging your skin from overexposure. The watch measures UV radiation and calculates your maximum safe exposure time based on the current sunlight conditions and information you enter into your profile such as skin type and SPF level of the sunblock you are using. The watch sounds an alarm when it’s time for you to get out of the sun.
The full post can be found at Craziest gadgets.
PAL-V: The Super Cool Flying Car
If you add a car and plane together - cut, glue and mix vigorously, what do you get? The PAL-V, flying car. Alright, so it didn’t quite happen like that but you get my drift. This super cool gadget is a car and a plane rolled into one! On the road this is a delightful 3-wheeled car, taking you up to speeds of 125 mph but open it up to reveal a foldable rotor, propeller and tail section, letting you take to skies at speeds of up to 120 mph. This is an absolutely genius idea for people who can’t be bothered to wait in traffic jams.
The full post can be found at Gaj-It.
http://www.uberreview.com/2008/07/adidas-darth-vader-shoe.htm”>Adidas Darth Vader Shoes
The Adidas Superstar X Star Wars shoes come in black or white; but lets face it when it comes to the Force, you have to be on the dark side (they have all the coolest toys). The black shoes use patent leather to get the shine of Vader’s armor and have enough little pieces of flair to have you feel like the James Earl Jones version of the man.
The full post can be found at http://www.uberreview.com/2008/07/adidas-darth-vader-shoe.htm”>Uber Review.
Bendy tripods
This tripod can bend around things like trees, rocks and lamp posts so you can get angles that would never be possible with a traditional tripod.
The full post can be found at Decide What To Buy.
Thanks to all the sites for their submissions now over to you guys for voting (don’t forget to leave a comment with your reason for a chance to win $50):
What is this weeks coolest gadget?
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If you write for a gadget themed blog and wish to be included in next weeks contest check out the CGOTW instructions page.
What looks like an ipod that got into an accident is actually a flash drive (USB 2.0) that borrows heavily from its famous cousin. And in the process, retains all the cuteness as well. The face of the drive resembles the iPod and is made of flexible silicon – so that it bends to expose the USB connector when you stick it into your computer. The drive is available in capacities of 1GB ($40) and 2GB ($50).
News coverage on great iPhone apps is sure to ramp up in your readers from here on, and I’m particularly excited to learn more about some stunning apps and report back along the way. Before I dive into the new Apple App store, I’d like to encourage you to take a closer look at a newly released jail-broken app, Instinctiv Shuffle™.
I’m addicted to my music and music gadgetry, but the single feature that I’ve never been fond of and almost never use is the “random shuffle.” True to its name “random” there’s no rhyme or reason to how my ipod chooses the lineup, and mostly it leaves me flipping around or onto the next song, rendering the feature an epic fail. Instinctiv Shuffle is the first app that truly seems to understand how I listen.
The application smartly shuffles my music in a few seemingly simple steps (note there’s a bunch of crazy stuff behind the scenes bringing together the brilliant outcome):
Step 1. Instinctiv Shuffle gathers the names of your songs and their associated playback.
Step 2. Via a secure and anonymous connection, this data is uploaded to Instinctiv Shuffle servers.
Step 3. That data is analyzed and new information is returned to your iphone, enabling your formerly random shuffle feature to now determine the perfect songs and mix for you.
Don’t you just love solar power? It not only is free, it doesn’t affect our environment negatively as well. The Solar Fairy Lights helps decorate your home without compromising on the environment.
Thanks to ultra bright LEDs, any outdoor space will be transformed into an enchanting grotto of twinkliness. The effect is utterly captivating. Use them to decorate branches, doorways, trellises, shrubs, parasols, statues of Bill Oddie - whatever. Squint and you could be in Neverland (fictional dream world, not Jacko’s gaff). There are six different modes to choose from, including constant, fast flash, slow flash, fast flicker, chasing and combo. There’s even a built-in automatic dusk sensor plus various timer settings so you can program your lights to switch off once you’ve gone to beddy byes.
Being solar powered, you get up to eight hours of continuous power based on a five hour charge, which is more than adequate unless your party lasts from the night until breakfast tomorrow. You can pick up the Solar Fairy Lights for £24.95 a set.
While iPhone users might be a cut above the rest of the tech community due to their ability to fork out insane amounts of dough at the initial release (remember last June’s iPhone that went for $599?), they certainly are human as we are, requiring sustenance to keep on going. Being hungry is a universal feeling that everyone experiences at some point in time, but iPhone users have the advantage of sniffing down some of the best eats in town thanks to the TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor has recently announced a version of its Local Picks restaurant finder at Apple’s recently opened App Store, and it will be available for free. The Local Picks application will take advantage of the iPhone’s location-based capabilities so that folks can track down the best restaurants rated by locals, enabling one to throw a so-called (biased) “guidebook” out of the window.
At the tap of a screen, users will be able to see the restaurants closest to them listed according to TripAdvisor’s popularity index, a way of dynamically ranking establishments based on customer satisfaction. Each restaurant listing will include information about the establishment’s distance from the iphone user and its rating, based on TripAdvisor member feedback. Because epicurean adventurers may not just want to see the top rated local eateries, TripAdvisor is also incorporating filters into the application that will allow searches to be conducted by rating, radius and price. In order to learn more about a specific establishment, iPhone users can select a particular restaurant and a map will be provided that shows the location of the eatery. While viewing the map, users can not only see the restaurant’s cuisine type and address, but also tap on its phone number to be instantly connected to the establishment. People seeking even more insight can view TripAdvisor reviews of the restaurant to help them find their ideal dining experience.
Well, as long as you’re rocking on with an iPhone and ipod touch, Local Picks can be downloaded here.
While the idea of having a personal oxygen bar to de-stress sounds appealing, I must admit that being the hyperactive person that I am severely limits my chances of ever sitting down to enjoy one.
Nevertheless, the Tranquil Sounds Oxygen Bar caught my eye since it promises to entertain you as you settle down to catch up on your breathing. And that is accomplished by playing out “tranquil” songs from its in-built player while you relax. The flip side is that there are only 4 pre-loaded songs to choose from. Which means, you will have to take a chance and hope that your music sense is not completely incompatible. Among the other features, the device doesn’t need filter replacements and can also accommodate essential oil for aromatherapy.
The oxygen bar will set you back by around $300.
Via Chip Chick.
Related posts on oxygen: O2hi personal oxygen machine Would you care for a glass of oxygen?
Here we are at the launch and Apple’s glass box store in the big Apple says “there is a good number of folks still outside.” As many still wait outside for their chance to plunk down some cabbage for the latest iteration of the Jesus Phone, Apple is certain they have enough of the wonder gadget to satisfy demand.
Reports around the tubes say Apple was extremely careful not to repeat last years sell out this time around. With a lower price, a lot more not-early adapters ready to get in on the iphone fashion fun, that is a lot of phones on the block.
But just how long will you encounter delays in getting in and out? “I am not exactly sure,” says one Apple rep. Those wishing to get in and out on, say a lunch break might be out of luck. AT&T employees peg the registration process at about 25 minutes. Apple says they will be very patient in walking people through the process. Too bad the home activation was canned.
Will you wait? If you’ve braved the line, let us know how long you wait in the comments…
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Last night at a Belkin press event, I was shown a new side to Belkin. No long satiated in being a “me too” company, they are taking off in new directions and definately moving upscale and in many cases brilliant products.
One such product is the FlyWire. Removing the unsightly cords that must travel to your wall mounted flat screen is not an easy task. Enter the FlyWire. Able to handle even the most advanced 1080p/24, the demo I saw was flawless. The picture quality looked perfect, no latentcy, it was all elegant and the unit itself was a thing of beauty. It is clear that across all their products from this mighty FlyWire to the a lowly and clever bendable USB hub, Belkin is taking design cues from modern art. Very impressive stuff.
Coming this holiday season for $999. Pre-order is available now.
Product Page [Belkin]
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Don’t you just love solar power? It not only is free, it doesn’t affect our environment negatively as well. The Solar Fairy Lights helps decorate your home without compromising on the environment.
