Earbuds Going Wireless

swim-422546_1280Ever wanted to go swimming, or workout and listen to music at the same time but kind of ended up in a tangled mess? Now, Bragi is offering Dash earbuds that achieve exactly that. In addition, it features In-ear biometric sensors, gesture controls and live activity feedback, for sports lovers who want details of how long they have been active for, their heart rate and the amount of steps taken. For swimmers these are perfect as they are waterproof up to a meter.

Stream audio through Bluetooth and enjoy the integrated 4GB* Dash music player. You can also silence any surrounding sounds but still hear the environment around you with the audio transparency feature. You know you’ve put them in correctly when it lightens up. Tap on the earbud to get it started. No on-off button and no wires!

These earbuds retail at $299.

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Last Minute Grandparent Gifts

grandparentsChristmas is round the corner, well, it’s here actually. And you’re taking the kids to mom and dad for dinner tonight. Problem is, apart from a lousy bunch of flowers for mom and a poor drawing etched by your 4 ½ year old, you’ve got absolutely nothing in the way of gifts.

So what is there that’ll make mom and dad smile? Is there anything in the way of gadgets for the older generation? Apparently there is. The gift may not be ready quite in time for the turkey dinner but when everyone sobers up by New Year’s, you should have it if you order fast.

Here are some top rated grandparent gizmos. A FitBit Charge is good to get mom and dad out of their couches and moving again. Yes they are designed to track movement, but think about it, they also – by default – track lack of movement. It’s a good way to encourage them to get a bit more active if the record from the FitBit indicates the need.

Next up is the TV Fire Stick. This is great for the older generation who “don’t want to bother” with all that smartTV stuff. A little stick converts their comfortable old TV to a smart one! In addition, you don’t have to call in Harry the Handyman as no installation is required. All you need to do is plug the stick (a bit like a USB stick) into the HDMI port of a standard TV and voila! Netflix, Amazon Video and more are easily accessible. It’s very user friendly too.

The Power Bank is a cool gift for anyone. What’s great about this is that you can re-charge your phone no matter where you are. You don’t need an outlet and it’s small enough to fit into mom’s purse.

So don’t worry if you’re not bringing anything but your gorgeous little offspring to mom and dad’s for Christmas….help is at hand and their cool new gadget will be in their hands if you place your order now.

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Gizmos for Kids

With Christmas just around the corner, here are some great ideas for educating kids through technology. At the same time, they will have a blast with some of these cool, new, gizmos. A win-win for everyone.

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Wireless Toothbrushing?

toothbrushOr something like that. For those who are addicted to their mobile devices and cannot possibly be disconnected for even the two minutes Colgate recommends adults brush their teeth for, help is at hand. Sunstar Inc. just created a device that can be attached to a standard toothbrush that will enable the brusher to continue listening to their favorite music or hearing the scores from the latest football game.

Aptly named G.U.M Play, this device is set to hit the stores in Spring of 2016. It will come with motion sensors and its goal is to make teeth brushing “more enjoyable.” It can be used as a joystick for playing games while brushing too. As well as making the experience fun, it can help in the enhancement of better teeth brushing since the sensors will be able to log brushing habits on smartphones. This will give the brusher tips on whether they are brushing too hard or too soft or are spending too long on one area and not enough on another.

G.U.M Play is to be used will Sunstar’s smartphone applications and connected to Bluetooth technology. Price and release date have yet to be announced.

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Visual Notification Car Charger

chargerThis small device provides a ton of USB power. At the same time, it delivers mobile device notifications at a glance. It features: a two inch screen (on the back), shoots 3 minute video clips (overwriting old clips as a 64GB card), emergency mode and more.

On the negative side, its battery life is minimal, it is only three megapixels and it has a non-touch sensitive screen. Still, it has been hailed as “revolutionizing the mobile charging category” and does have a colored glowing light alert using Bluetooth Low Energy.

Ultimately though, the PROMPT™ Auto Notification Car Charger makes for a great travel accessory, as it is small enough not to cause an interference and powerful enough to keep you charged.

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Keeping Cool with Summer Gadgets

beach4Now that the summer is in full swing and there doesn’t seem to be any indication of things cooling off, what gadgets are newly available that can possibly counter the sweltering heat?

Well we do want to try and enjoy the summer even if it’s hot. There are the beaches, the outdoors, the pools, etc. But there must be a way that gadgets can alleviate the heat, make the sunshine more bearable and overall the summer holidays a more pleasurable experience? Well, yes, there is. And in this article we look at just a few.

First, there is the SuperStar BackFloat. This waterproof floaty can be used at the beach, in the hot tub or even the bath when the colder nights descend. It has a speaker with shockproof casting that can cope with even the craziest of weathers and adventures, and its built-in Bluetooth speakerphone can be used for those who can’t bear to be disconnected for longer than 10 minutes.

Next up are the BackBeat Fit wireless headphones from Plastronics. These wrap around one’s neck and weigh hardly anything. They also stay in place no matter how crazy your activity is. Their battery life is very long – between 5 and 9 hours – and retail at around $150 from Apple.

Finally the Connected Bikini is pretty cool. Featuring a smartphone app and UV sensor no need to worry about forgetting to reapply sunscreen or seek out cooler climates. You’ll get that reminder from this gadget and it’s not even a one-size fits all get up as it is programmed to identify all types of skins. Manufactured by Spinali Designs and retailing at around $170.

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Fly with the Air Hook

model-aircraftLong gone are the days when you had to spend ages fumbling around, fingers and thumbs everywhere to try to get your airplane tray to cooperate while you hooked yourself up to your gadget of choice. Introducing the air hook which is a cup and electronic device holder all rolled into one. Funded by KickStarter and invented by Seattle-based Craig Robinson, it supports all tablets and phones up to 7.5 inches high.

For laptop users, it is also helpful. The air hook can hold the drink while the user plays Candy Crash on their laptop. Simply attach it to your tray table and seat back that are in front of you and you no longer have to touch any of the somewhat-less-than-clean airplane surfaces.

Then just adjust the screen angle with a knob on the side, so even when the person sitting in front of you lies back, you don’t have to stop mid-Candy Crush level!

Anticipated sales begin at the end of 2015 for an early bird price of $29.95.

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Gadgets: $5 or Less

monopodPeople love nothing more than a bargain, a good deal, a saving. And businesses with a lot of sense are honing in on this now, like coffee stores Coffix in New Zealand and Israel and Caffe Nero in London. People are very in tune with saving money. And while they still want great stuff (like coffee and gadgets) there is enough competition to make it worth their while to do a price comparison.

Three of these stores – named Five Below – are already open in the Tampa Bay area. They are attracting teens and pre-teens with less disposable income but who are still very much entranced by gadgets. And it’s great as they sell all gadgets for $5 or less.

Of course it’s not things like iPhones or other pricey gadgets but fun ones like selfie sticks and water guns. You can also get nice iPhone 6 cases, iPad tablet stand, a portable rechargeable battery, waveform headphones and more.

It’s ultimately a great way of having fun without spending too much money.

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The Technological Way to Diet

Make carb-free spaghetti! Yes it’s true. You did not read this wrong. But we’re not talking about real spaghetti as it were. We are talking here about the latest kitchen gadget – and dieter’s dream – to hit America: the spiralizer.

Rather than use pasta to make, well, pasta, today we can now use vegetables. Huh? Often known these days (in the UK where they call zucchini courgette) as the courgetti, one takes a zucchini and “spiralizes” it so that it takes on the look (and sort of the consistency too) of a traditional string of pasta. Throw some pesto sauce over that or finish off with your standard sloppy joe (spaghetti Bolognese in England) recipe and voila! Pasta, but without the carbs! What could be better.

Indeed, it is also a great way of adding color to your plates (according to dietitian, nutritionist, and certified specialist in sports dietetics, Rebecca Turner, one should always go for: red, orange, green and white on their plates for optimum health and antioxidant power) without even feeling it.

And it’s proving popular. In 2014 a spiralizer was branded by the Hemsley sisters, sold out at Selfridges in weeks – indeed 27 times more than they thought they would sell. So if it’s health, color, fun and ease you want to bring to your kitchen, table and your kids’ plates, check out the spiralizer; you’ll wonder why you ever used anything but cauliflower to make your pizza base again!

If you’re wondering how you transform your vegetables into spaghetti, reach for the latest must-have gadget, the spiraliser. If the verb “to spiralise” has not yet entered your lexicon, get a grip. Last year, the Hemsley sisters branded their own spiraliser, which was sold through Selfridges and sold out in weeks – as did Lakeland’s, which went on sale this year. “We knew it would be a hit, but not to this extent,” says Wendy Miranda, Lakeland’s customer ambassador. “By the end of March, we’d sold 27 times more spiralisers than we’d estimated for the entire spring and summer seasons. I can’t think of another gadget that’s flown out this fast.”

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Coffee Goes Hi-Tech!

coffeeEspresso machines are not new. But they are becoming increasingly hi-tech. The Linea Mini is a home model of La Marzocco’s line. La Marzocco has traditionally been known as an excellent commercial coffee maker but now the company is moving into the home kitchen.

It’s not so cheap however. One may not want to spend all that money on a personal kitchen appliance. But it could be a great compromise for the office. Retailing at $4,495, its features include: auto-volumetric, pre-infusions and pressure modeling, rendering possibly the perfect cup of coffee.

It seems though that this might be a little pricey and may beg the question, why does one need something so fancy when a standard milk steamer does pretty much the same thing? Unless of course, it’s just for the La Marzocco name.

 

 

 

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