Latest Posts on Coolest Gadgets

Uppleva – Not your Grandpa’s Console TV
HP Pavilion dm1 by Alexandre Herchcovitch
LG Optimus Elite takes the green route with Sprint
Maximizer 60 Spitball Blaster
The Only Voice Authenticating USB Drive

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 07:51 AM PDT

How I remember the good old days. I hate to admit it but I am in fact, old enough to remember when television sets were furniture. When the set was actually built into a beautiful cabinet and sat in the living room as part of the landscape, unlike now, where our TV’s are becoming smaller and flatter and blacker, of course what has become of the tangled mess of wires and cables and set top boxes and gaming consoles and disc players? Are they stacked up beside your innocuous flat panel? You’re not alone.

Please welcome Ikea’s foray into the smart television game. A brand new entertainment option that remembers the good old days with a twist, the Uppleva (pronounced oop-lee-ev-ahh) and say it like you’re Swedish, not because you have to, but because its fun. The Uppleva is a television cabinet hybrid with a built in blue ray player, wireless subwoofer, wire hiding access panels and, special hardware-hiding doors that your included remote control will penetrate without having to leave the doors open.

The base unit will be available with an LED TV, Blu-ray, CD and a DVD player, a virtual surround sound system that includes a wireless speaker that you can put anywhere in the room you like. Staying true to Ikea’s modular style that allows you to customize just about everything, you will be able to customize your entertainment center by changing your TV’s size, frame color and add or delete certain cabinetry items.

No word yet on when the Uppleva entertainment system might enter the US market, but I’m thinking sometime next year, but they should hit select stores in Stockholm, Milan, Paris, and Berlin early this summer, and be in stores in Sweden, Italy, France, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Norway, and Portugal this fall.

With a starting price of under 1000 bucks for the basic Uppleva system, this could be big! Check out youtube.com to watch the Uppleva video, or visit ikea.com for more information.

source

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Uppleva – Not your Grandpa’s Console TV copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

HP Pavilion dm1 by Alexandre Herchcovitch

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 06:30 AM PDT

I don’t know about you, but sometimes, fashion just does not sound all that worth it when it comes to notebooks. After all, it is not as though the innards of a notebook will appreciate in value with the tide of time, instead, it will depreciate – just like most cars, unless you are talking about super exotics that are released in extremely limited quantities. Still, this has not stopped folks like Alexandre Herchcovitch to dabble around with an artistic rendition of technology, case in point, the HP Pavilion dm1.

The HP Pavilion dm1 by Alexandre Herchcovitch is a special edition notebook that was specially conjured in partnership with the esteemed Brazilian designer. Alexandre was picked thanks to his global reputation and innovative position in the fashion world, delivering more than 15 years of experience to the , while continuing from where Chinese fashion designer Vivienne Tam and Dutch designer Tord Boontje left off.

Taking inspirational cues from his autumn/winter 2012 collection, the HP Pavilion dm1 by Alexandre Herchcovitch will come in an intricate black lace pattern against an iridescent olive pearl color that will cover the entire chassis, keyboard deck and keycaps, delivering an increased visual "glow" effect as well as stunning design that would definitely be worthy of any catwalk.

The HP Pavilion dm1 tips the scales at 3.5 pounds and boasts up to 9.5 hours of battery life, and will be equipped with an 11.6" LED display, an AMD processor, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, USP, HDMI, RJ4 and VGA ports with Windows 7 Home Premium as the operating system of choice. To make sure you remain entertained with the best quality hardware for its price point, the HP Pavilion dm1 will feature Beats Audio coupled with HP TrueVision HD Webcam for quality images.

The Pavilion dm1 by Alexandre Herchcovitch notebook will hit the US exclusively at QVC, starting from $629.95 upwards. Other countries that are set to receive this special edition include Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. No idea on whether those of us living elsewhere will be able to get our hands on such a beauty though.

Product Page

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[ HP Pavilion dm1 by Alexandre Herchcovitch copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

LG Optimus Elite takes the green route with Sprint

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT

Do you have a heart for the environment? After all, we do not pass down the earth to our children, but rather, we inherit it from them – so the onus is on us to make sure that whatever legacy we leave behind, it will be a good and lasting one. Sprint has worked to bring the LG Optimus Elite to the masses, where it offers an affordable and environmentally responsible addition that has eco-friendly attributes. It will continue from where the LG Optimus S left off, as the LG Optimus Elite will fit comfortably into just about any pocket without making a dent in your bank account as well.

Not only that, the LG Optimus Elite is also future forward thanks to integrated NFC (Near Field Communications) technology as well as support for Google Wallet, allowing you to use the LG Optimus Elite as an electronic wallet of sorts, letting you perform safe and secure purchases at hundreds of participating retailers. I am rather disappointed to see it come with just Android 2.3 Gingerbread though, as I would (and I presume many others of the Android camp) would have preferred to see Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich running right out of the box instead.

Other hardware specifications include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, mobile hotspot capability that supports up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices, coming in Titan Silver and White shades. Not only that, the LG Optimus Elite will also be ULE Platinum Certified, which incidentally is the highest level of environmental performance that is recognized by sustainable requirements established by UL Environment and Sprint. There is no use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), brominated flame retardants (BFR), halogen, beryllium, phthalates, and nickel in the production of the LG Optimus Elite, and it is also CarbonFree certified.

A 5-megapixel camera is there to record your favorite moments on the go, and you will also be able to benefit from 50GB of free cloud storage and sharing from Box. 512MB RAM and 4GB ROM rounds off the list of specifications. Best of all? It retails for just $29.99 on a new two-year agreement.

Press Release

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[ LG Optimus Elite takes the green route with Sprint copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Maximizer 60 Spitball Blaster

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 05:30 AM PDT

Back at school, you most probably spent your fair share of time firing spitballs at one another, using the straw as your launch weapon of choice. Not only was it fun, it was also messy and disgusting at the same time, leading you to ask the “Oh God, why?” question now that you are all grown up. Unfortunately, the straw is a poor weapon of choice since it is slow to reload and does not have that much range to begin with. Good thing ThinkGeek has “graduated” you from your juvenile choice of weapon with the Maximizer 60 Spitball Blaster, relying on special spitballs as the ammunition of choice known as Soft Splat ammo.

You can load 8 of them into the magazine, soak them in water for around 10 seconds, and you are good to go. Alternatively, there is the option to soak the entire ammo container in water, reload it wet and start firing away. In order to fire, just take your time to aim, pull back the handle and release. The Maximizer 60 Spitball Blaster has a working range of up to 60 feet, and there is no need to worry about Mother Nature since the spitballs are fully biodegradable.

Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Maximizer 60 Spitball Blaster copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The Only Voice Authenticating USB Drive

Posted: 18 Apr 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Most of us do not even set a password to sensitive folders on a USB flash drive, and while some of us take the extra step of purchasing an encrypted USB flash drive that has password protection, how about adding another layer of security that might just throw potential data thieves off guard? I am talking about the $49.95 The Only Voice Authenticating USB Drive, where it lives up to its name by being the only USB flash drive around in the market that will ensure the contents within remain safe and sound, thanks to a password that can only be unlocked when spoken by its owner.

Too bad there is just 8GB of storage space inside, but it ought to be more than enough to stash away sensitive files such as contacts, financial data, or password lists. Sporting a sophisticated voice recognition software which is capable of detecting the specific frequencies and nuances of your voice, you need not bog down your regular machine with additional software installations, as it follows the easy plug-and-play method, where speaking your password in the right tone will authenticate it.

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[ The Only Voice Authenticating USB Drive copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]