Withings iPhone Baby Monitor

Image Source: ThinkGeek

Parents would usually want to keep their eyes on their baby at all times if possible. That would ensure them that their baby is always safe if they can always have a quick look now and then. But unfortunately, it might not always be possible especially if there are other things to do at home in other rooms. In such cases, baby gadgets like the new Withings iPhone Baby Monitor would usually be a wonderful device to have around.

The Withings iPhone Baby Monitor allows parents to become more productive at home by making them able to do important work while also trying to keep tabs of the baby’s condition at all times. The unit comes with a video camera that can provide 3MP high definition video. The camera can also be panned, tilted, zoomed and be used even in the dark with its night vision features.

A built-in mic and speaker allows parents to listen as well as speak to a baby who may want to hear a familiar and soothing voice. The unit can also determine motion, sound, temperature, and humidity changes and provide the necessary alerts when required to. What makes it even better is that all these are possible with parents monitoring via their iPhone or iPad through the Internet. It is wireless convenience at its best when it comes to monitoring the baby. The Withings iPhone Baby Monitor is available at ThinkGeek for US$300.

Kinect Joy Ride Sequel Ditches the Kinect

The Kinect-based video game Kinect Joy Ride will have a sequel, according to Microsoft. However, call this unusual: the first thing that is confirmed with this upcoming game is that it will no require the Kinect to play, just the Xbox 360 contollers. Hence, the title is edited to Joy Ride Turbo.

Looks like Microsoft has come to its senses. Playing a race game with no buttons to press or a controller to steer (just your whole body) is not only uninteresting, but also lacks precision.

The Kinect was introduced as a revolution in gaming, of what motion gaming is supposed to be played as players make use of their whole body and not a wand-like controller. But that lofty idea has gone to a completely different route, as hardware hackers begin to utilize the Kinect to more novel, non-gaming uses.

Joy Ride Turbo will be launched exclusively through Xbox Live Arcade, meaning it will not be sold at storefront game retailers.

Source: Gamasutra, via Slashgear

Griffin SmartTalk Solar Speakerphone

Image Source: Griffin Technology

Speakerphones make it easy for drivers to answer calls while traveling on the road. It helps them keep their eyes on the road instead of trying to work with their mobile phones when answering calls and be a danger risk on the road. Devices like the Griffin SmartTalk Solar Speakerphone can help prevent this and also may be considered as eco-friendly by being powered by solar energy.

The new Griffin SmartTalk Solar Handsfree Speakerphone has easy to use features that make it easy to use when inside the car. It can automatically pair up with paired smartphones via its motion sensing Auto Connect feature. It is also capable of being paired with two smartphones simultaneously. It also operates a one touch button when trying to answer and make calls.

The Griffin SmartTalk Solar also features support for voice commands for smartphones that have it. It also has its own solar panel built-in that charges the unit’s own rechargeable batteries to help power the speakerphone for extended use even while on the road. The device can also be window mounted on the car to be able to make optimum use of the sun’s rays to power its batteries. The new Griffin SmartTalk Solar Speakerphone is now available at Griffin Technology for US$70.

Etch Light Web Lamp

Image Source: Tom Dixon

Lamps basically provide light to make a room brighter. But they can also help transform the mood in the room with the use of light. One example is this Etch Light Web Lamp which plays with shadows to create an interesting web of shapes in any room.

The Etch Light Web lamp is a unique lamp designed by Tom Dixon and has recently been exhibited at the Milan Design Week. This lamp is quite large with a 65cm or 25 inches wide shade made from a geometrical copper anodized aluminum sphere using a process called digital photo-acid etching. In the middle of the sphere is a bright LED bulb that provides the light source. But it is not just the light that gets the attention for this lamp. It’s the geometrical shadows that are formed by the large sphere circling the light. It certainly creates a web of geometrical structures that forms around the whole room. The Etch Light Web Lamp has recently been introduced as part of the Luminosity exhibit for Milan Design Week at MOST Salone. No word yet has been provided how much it will cost.

USB Power Strip

Image Source: ThinkGeek

With USB portable devices getting more and more popular, it seems that getting them charged has become an increasing challenge. The number of USB ports available in laptops no longer is enough to charge all those USB devices, especially when on the road. What one would really need is a gadget like this USB Power Strip.

The USB Power Strip is a convenient power charger for those USB charged portable devices. It comes with 4 available USB slots where device owners can charge their portable devices when they need to. There’s no need to look for available USB slots on the handy notebook or laptop during trips or vacations to charge the other devices. The USB Power Strip will provide the ready slots for them. It is available at ThinkGeek for US$10.

Image Source: ThinkGeek

iHome iP4 iPhone FM Stereo Boombox

Image Source: iHome

The appeal of those boomboxes from the 80’s is still alive today. While most people have moved on to having pocket-sized portable media players and smartphones, there may still be others that want to bring back those boomboxes back, if only to reminisce of the times gone by. The new iHome iP4 iPhone FM Stereo Boombox may help bring back those times but upgraded to the technologies of today.

The new iHome iP4 iPhone FM Stereo Boombox is not an actual classic boombox for the purists out there. It is actually an iPhone or iPod speaker dock that can help produce big sounds similar to those boomboxes of old. It is designed to closely look like a classic boombox but with that upgrade twist.

This re-imagined boombox features a pair of 4″ carbon composite woofers along with 1″ ferro fluid cooled tweeters. This updated boombox also features SRS TruBass digital signal processing technology and a 5 band graphic equalizer with LCD display. It also comes with an FM radio along with an auxiliary line in jack for use with other more “classic” devices. The iHome iP4 iPhone Stereo Boombox is now available at iHome and costs around US$200.

Nemo Helio Pressure Shower

Image Source: Nemo Equipment

When enjoying the outdoors on a camping trip, it is understandable that people should be “roughing it” and makes do with only the most basic of necessities. But what would one would truly like to have along with the trip is getting that daily shower which for the most part is non-existent when going outdoors. But not anymore, especially if you have this Nemo Helio Pressure Shower along for the trip.

The Nemo Helio Pressure Shower can help provide campers with the means to take warm showers even when going outdoors. This portable shower kit comes with an 11-liter collapsible water tank connected to a foot pump that helps regulate water pressure. When filled up, the Helio Pressure Shower is able to provide from 5 to 7 minutes of water pressure, more than enough for a good shower provided for by a connected 7-foot hose with a spray nozzle at the end.

The Helio Pressure Shower’s water can be heated by virtue of heat from the sun. The Eco-PU Coated Polyester, TPU and neoprene tubing makes this portable shower kit durable as well as light enough to bring along on that next camping trip. It can also be used not only as a shower but also for washing dishes at the campsite or even by giving your pet a bath. The Helio Pressure Shower is expected to be available sometime in June of this year at Nemo Equipment. There’s no word yet on how much it will cost.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover For iPad

Image Source: Logitech

With the Apple iPad becoming a popular device that more and more people use for various reasons, they begin to garner a more valuable part of daily life. And by becoming even more valuable and necessary, iPads need to be well protected. The new Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover not only does that, but also provides a wireless keyboard with it.

The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for the Apple iPad is a super thin screen cover that doubles as a wireless keyboard for the Apple iPad. It is made out of ultrathin aluminum to provide added protection to your iPad’s display screen, especially when moving around. But this cover also comes with a Bluetooth wireless keyboard that can be used along with the tablet.

The protective cover attaches to the iPad with a secure magnetic clip. It also turns off the tablet automatically when closed and open it when opened. The design makes it an ideal addition for your iPad, for some added protection if not for the added wireless keyboard. The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is now available at Logitech for US$100.

Uguard.Me iPhone Protective Skin

Image Source: Uguard.Me

Most iPhone cases provide some level of protection to the device. But unfortunately, they also alter the way the iPhone looks, which some users don’t usually like as well. There are also other alternatives available like the Uguard.Me iPhone Protective Skin.

The Uguard.Me iPhone Protective Skin provides a full guard protection for the Apple iPhone 4. But it comes with a sticky protective material made out of a special resin material. It provides users with a better grip of their iPhones. It also has a level of adhesive property that allows users to stick it onto a flat surface like a glass window without falling off. The protective skin can also easily be peeled off the smartphone without leaving any sticky residue on the device. The Uguard.Me iPhone Protective Skin is available at the Uguard.Me site for around 15 Euros or US$20.

Studio Voigt Dietrich Book Table

Image Source: Studio Voigt Dietrich

For most people, having interesting furniture around the house is always a must. Furniture should be like art, a conversation piece that people should find appealing and worth checking out again and again. The Book Table by Studio Voigt Dietrich may be one such furniture.

The Studio Voigt Dietrich Book Table is a furniture concept that takes a different perspective of what a book table should be. It is designed to be diamond shaped when upright instead of the usual square shape that most tables should have been. But this design takes some added function that avid book readers would find useful.

The Book Table by Studio Voigt Dietrich contains hollow space within its diamond shaped top that serves as an ideal book shelve to store books in. The pointed top serves as a place to put an open book upside down, doubling as a fitting bookmark as well. One edge also is fitted with a level flat surface where users can place a drink or other items as well. The Studio Voigt Dietrich Book Table provides a different and unique take on what a book table should be. It is a design concept for now and not necessarily designed for commercial production.

Beoplay A3 iPad Speaker Dock

iPad Speakers and docks usually offer the same features one after the other. It seems that they all seem alike once you’ve seen a few of them in the market. But there are some unique ones out there like the Beoplay A3 iPad Speaker Dock by Bang and Olufsen is something that would fit into the needs of those who require better sound quality from their iPad tablet, no matter the cost. It features a unique dock for the iPad that has the tablet inserted into the speaker housing, making it look like a single device. What this speaker dock offers is a 2.1 speaker system with 3 half inch tweeters and a 2-inch subwoofer. It also has a Class D amplifier and a rechargeable battery that is good for up to 5 hours of playing time.

But what makes the Beoplay A3 also interesting is that it also has Adaptive Stereo Orientation features. The speakers automatically adapts to the orientation of how the iPad stands, ensuring that the users gets the best stereo sound experience, be it in landscape or portrait mode. The Beoplay A3 iPad Speaker Dock is now available but comes at a steep price of around US$730.

Image Source: Beoplay

Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio

It seems that the iPad tablet has become quite valuable that some level of protection may be needed for it. Logitech has come up with some iPad accessories such as the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover that not only protects the tablet’s touch screen display when not in use but also provides a wireless physical keyboard as well. This time, they added a solar panel to it to come up with the Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio.

The Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio is an iPad accessory that not only protects your tablet but also provides a wireless Bluetooth keyboard to it as well. The built-in keyboard is powered by on board solar panels that can charge in both outdoor and indoor light. The folio also acts as a stand for the iPad, placing it in upright position when typing as well as when watching videos on the tablet. The Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio is now available at Logitech in both the US and in Europe. It suggested price tag is said to be around US$130.

Image Source: Logitech

Epiphany Eyewear Can Record Your Life, Share Your Memories

While Google is said to be developing a pair of augmented reality eyeglasses, the dudes on Vergence Lab would rather keep it simpler. Its Buddy Holly-style spectacles, branded as Epiphany Eyewear, would enable the wearer to record videos in a first-person point-of-view and share the clips on a social network of choice. These geeky glasses also shifts into sunglasses in an instant, thanks to its “chromatic shifting conductive” lenses.

A creation of Jon Rodriguez and Erick Miller, the Epiphany Eyewear is being funded through Kickstarter, where the two first met. You will receive your very own pair for a pledge of at least $199 (as long as the $50,000 project gets fully funded), which is expected to be sold on retail for $299.

Get to know more about the technical details of Vergence Lab’s computing-enabled eyewear on Kickstarter.

Source: TechCrunch