Inflatable water slide

C’mon! Your kids will adore you forever if you buy them one of these!

It’s an inflatable water slide, ideal for those summer afternoons when the children get bored too easily. And of course their friends are always welcome too.

The slide comes with an electric air blower and it apparently only takes a few minutes to set it up in the back garden and inflate it. The overpressure from the blower is claimed to be enough to maintain rigidity, even if it gets damaged by small pinholes.

Water’s fed to the top via a garden hose. You can almost hear the screams of delight as the children wait impatiently in the back garden for the thing to inflate.

When the summer’s over, the thing can roll up and squeeze somewhere in the garage or loft.

It’s priced at $350, we think including the air pump; but you can’t put any price on the fun this’ll be for your kids.

This water slide is currently discontinued but there is a whole range of inflatable water slides available from Amazon starting at $24.95.

Really Cool Portable GPS Tracker

This must be one of (if not the) coolest spy gadgets I’ve ever reported on. It’s sort of a cross between a USB memory stick and a GPS receiver and what it does is store where ever you take it on the flash memory.

The Portable GPS Tracker is pretty small so you could either always carry it on you or use it in 007 spy mode by planting it on a person or vehicle you want to monitor. You may be wondering how you retrieve the stored info and secret routes, well that’s where it gets really cool.


Once the tracker has done it’s travels and it’s back in your possession you simply connect it to you PC and download the data. This data can then be plotted on Google Earth, Mapquest, maps.google.com and Virtual Earth to show exactly where it’s been, how long it took and how it got there.

I just think this is so cool (may of said cool a record number of times in this post) it obviously has the spy functionality of tracking somebody else but to me it is even more useful for tracking your own holidays and backpacking adventures. So not only can you bore visitors with your holiday snaps you can also show them exactly where you went.

Full feature list:

* Records time, date, location, speed, direction and altitude
* Works with Google Earth, Mapquest, maps.google.com, Virtual Earth
* Location points are downloaded into its software and then mapped
* Battery duration is 5 to 7 days of typical operation with 4,000 records
* Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included)
* Dimensions: 4″ x 1 1/4″ x 3/4″
* Comes with TrackStick, lanyard, software CD

You can used to be able to buy this nifty GPS tracker from Think Geek for $249.99, a good alternative now is Amazon.

The Ultimate Gaming Chair

Here I thought that the Pyramat Sound Chair was the ultimate gaming chair, but I was wrong. Very wrong.

That title definitely goes to the Ultimate Game Chair. The name really gets the point across, eh?

This chair is packed with features. To start off, there are 12 vibration motors throughout the chair that are synchronized with the games action. Nerdy and cool.

As far as sound goes, you can use your stock headphones from a MP3 player etc, or plug the chair into your home stereo system to get full surround sound. There are adjustable 3D stereo speakers built into the chair as well.

Any type of gaming accessory will probably work with the chair, including steering wheels and custom controllers.

Comfort was definitely not overlooked when this chair was designed. It’s all leather material, has an adjustable headrest, leg rest, and even a beverage and remote controller holder. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this chair will give you a nice massage, too. Seriously.

Quite a few game consoles are compatible with the Ultimate Gaming Chair, including the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, Mac, PS1, and Xbox Live. For audio only, you can use all those and your iPod, DS, PSP, or generic MP3 player.

Just to recap, you get a massage chair, beverage holder, stereo sound, vibrators synced to the game, and a remote holder. If you’re a serious gamer, price means nothing, but if you’re not, the $400 price tag might give you some second thoughts.

Dreamate Sleep Inducer

f you’re one of those people that suffers from unusual sleep patterns and you want to get your body back in to check you might be able to do it with this acupuncture sleeping gadget, the Dreamate Sleep Inducer.

Dreamate uses accupressure techniques to gently massage the “sleeping golden triangle” on your left wrist. Used 30 minutes before bedtime, you can retune and reset your biological clock and train your body to relax and sleep. See results in as little as a week’s worth of use, with best results after eight weeks. These precise pressure points, when gently massaged, calm the body, lower stress levels, and induce sleep. Unlike addictive sleeping pills that knock you senseless, but offer little improvement in your sleep quality.

I’ve no idea how effective this is but it sounds kind of cool. The Dreamate is available from TG for $79.99.

i.VoicePRO 901 Bluetooth Headset

I’m not one of those bluetools that has a Bluetooth headset in my ear 24/7, but I have used a Bluetooth headsets every once in a while. I had a chance to try out the iTech i.VoicePRO 901, and I can see myself keeping it in my ear from morning to night.

Fortunately, it has 100 hours of standby time for that purpose, and I’m pretty certain that I won’t be on the phone for more than 4.5 hours a day, which happens to be the limit of its talk-time.

Have you ever had a mobile device that took six to eight hours to charge for the first time? Well, the i.VoicePro took only two to three hours the first time, which is the amount of time it takes every time.

What makes the i.VoicePro different from other headsets is that it has dual microphone performance. It also has voice separation technology, so you can use this headset in a crowded room.

It also has Secure Simple Pairing technology (Bluetooth v2.1 and EDR) as well as multipoint connectivity that allows more than one cellular phone to be attached to the same i.VoicePRO 901.

If you like it, then you should be able to purchase it as a price of about $79.99 on sites like Amazon.com.

Aliph unveils Jawbone ICON

When it comes to Bluetooth headsets, you will find that there is a gulf in class between all the players, and Aliph is one of them right at the very top. After all, who are we to argue with the folks behind the Jawbone Bluetooth headset as well as being the brains of NoiseAssassin, the world’s first and only military-grade noise-eliminating technology? Fast forward to today and Aliph is well and alive, unveiling their latest and most sophisticated device to date known as the Jawbone ICON. The Jawbone ICON supposedly offers unprecedented ease of use and audio quality with a balance of an industry-first software platform known as MyTALK, where it enables users to personalize and update their Jawbones through the Internet. Now that’s definitely something new, as previous Bluetooth headsets from everyone else was basically a device that could not be upgraded software-wise.

Steering Wheel Remote Control with Bluetooth

If you drive a nice enough car, most of them come with a way to control your radio without ever having to remove your hands from the steering wheel. Although a built-in method is definitely ideal, this one would be a great way to give yourself a happy medium without spending a fortune just buying a new car. It attaches to your car’s steering wheel and allows for you to adjust the volume and change the songs.

Wacom updates Intuos4, updated the Bamboo line

Okay, I have to admit that I am only slightly behind reporting this news, but needless to say, Wacom has recently updated two of their products, and I was surprised that we didn’t cover one of their updates already.

The most recent update is the Intuos4, which we have covered previously. It has recently received an update: wireless capability. It uses Bluetooth to do this, and the lithium ion battery can be charged via USB.

We’ve also covered the Wacom Bamboo Tablet, and these have received an update for multi-touch capacity a few months ago. So not only can you draw on this trackpad, but your finger can do some multi-touch interfacing on it as well.

In fact, using the Wacom Pen and Touch, which I had the chance to try out, was a lot like using an iPhone’s touchscreen. Now I know what it is like to use an iPad with a blank screen.

Gear Shift FM Radio

If you know someone who has a thing for cars, now you can get them a novelty radio to go with their tastes. The gear shift lets them maneuver their way to their favorite channel. If they feel the need, they can even make the necessary car noises to make things a little more authentic. Don’t worry, you don’t need to know how to drive a stick in order to work the radio.

Scandyna Megapod Speaker

Most speakers are made to be tucked into corners and barely ever get noticed. This Scandyna Megapod Speaker flat refuses to do exactly that. The shape alone draws your attention, then with the bright red it becomes impossible to ignore. Of course if red won’t really go with the colors within your home, there are many other color choices that aren’t quite so bold.

USB Dollar Sign Flash Drive

If you’d like to be seeing dollar signs, now you can. Plus, you can store files about all sorts of things right behind the dollar sign. You don’t even have to be rich to own the little coin. Just pay a small amount and you’ll have this to wear right around your neck. It’s yet another way to wear your USB drive right around your neck without looking like the local computer repairman.

Xbox 360 made even more expensive

I was just looking at my Xbox 360 thinking that it didn’t look nearly shiny enough. Compared to a disco ball, it just doesn’t have enough pizazz. Thankfully the very wise CrystalRoc have quickly changed that. They set aside a bit of time to make sure that their Xbox 360 was well covered with Swarovski crystals.

Multi-touch floor

At first, I thought this multitouch floor was just another version of the Toe Mouse that we reported on the other day, but this multitouch floor could change the way we interact with computers.

This multitouch floor was designed by researchers at Postdam, at the Hasso Plattner Institut. It is designed to respond to a person’s individual’s shoe pattern, and will identify them by footprint alone.

Messenger Dogs get a technical upgrade

I am not old enough to remember a time when a rescue dog consisted of a Saint Bernard with a small barrel of brandy around its neck.

Fortunately, we are doing things differently now. Here’s another development in rescue dogs with this project from the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.

Student Laura Boffi came up with a high-tech dog collar that has the ability to search for survivors, tag the geolocation where the survivors are found, and then take a message back to the person’s loved ones while they wait for rescue.

Light up hoodie

Paula Kassenaar has come up with a hoodie that boasts a light strip in the front edge. Basically, the front segment of the hoodie is a knitted variable resistor, where the resistance varies whenever you fiddle with it. Makes us wonder whether one needs to be so emotional when wearing one of these puppies, looking all moody with a brooding face. Ah well, we suppose the Jedi and Sith back in the days of the Old Republic wouldn’t mind having one of these to further enhance their looks since they aren’t too hot when it comes to being fashion-conscious in the first place.

Click n Cook

Click n Cook is a community-developed modular spatula system which basically ensures all your essential cooking utensils can be found in one easy place. The entire set comprises of a stainless steel storage block, a sturdy ergonomic handle, and five detachable spatula heads. Among these include a classic flat spatula, a long flexible slotted spatula (for cooking fish), an extra-wide slotted spatula (for flipping burgers), a flexible mixer (for mixing batter) and a slotted spoon (for stirring pasta). All you need to do is click the desired attachment into the handle and start to whip up the delicious dish that your family loves! When done, just press a button and you can release the attachment. All Click n Cook spatulas are made of food-safe plastic and can be washed in your dishwasher.

Magnetic Accelerator Cannon

ThinkGeek is back with their Magnetic Accelerator Cannon which will play on the laws of Newtonian science, where it will definitely be something kids won’t mind checking out if they have a budding scientist’s mind. After all, it really isn’t that hard to put together, and does a pretty great job at illustrating what a magnetic accelerator would look like. It can be ready and armed within minutes without the need for any glue, and would make for a decent candidate at science fairs or in the comfort of your own home. Each $29.99 purchase comes with 10 metal balls, a loading tool, necessary instructions and half a dozen barrels for you to shoot.

Slingme frees up your hands when shopping

A full day’s worth of shopping can take its toll on you, no matter how seasoned you are. Slingme aims to come in and help, as it will make walking back from the shops a painless affair while freeing up both hands to help you perform other more important functions such as holding onto your child, talking on a cellphone (there’s a Bluetooth headset for that), hold an umbrella when the weather runs foul, walk the dog on a leash, or even keep all your shopping bags in one place! The Slingme comes with a comfortable pad that is easy on the shoulder, and will instantly make you feel as though a large weight has been taken off your hands.

Sony goes waterproof with NWZ-W250 Walkman MP3 player

Love listening to your music that you can’t bear to part with it wherever you go? Well, Sony has just the thing for you then with their spanking new waterproof NWZ-W250 Walkman MP3 player that allows you to listen to your favorite tunes wherever you are, even when it is raining when you exercise. Of course, chances are most folks dressed in suits would eschew this for something more formal simply because of their lifestyle, but the more active ones among you who absolutely need your music whenever you sweat it out outdoors might want to give this a shot, especially when it is water resistant and can be used even in the shower. To top it all off, the NWZ-W250 Walkman MP3 player is wearable for easier portability, making it the perfect fit for sport and active lifestyles.

Microsoft announces KIN

Microsoft has just announced its brand new Windows-powered smartphone known as KIN, where it was specially designed for folks who are actively navigating their social lives wherever they are. This is made possible thanks to their partnership with Verizon Wireless, Vodafone and Sharp Corporation, where KIN is meant to be the ultimate social experience which will blend the phone, online services and the PC together to deliver breakthrough new experiences known as the Loop, Spot and Studio. You can’t just pick up the KIN from anywhere as it will be exclusively available from Verizon Wireless for folks living in the US from May onwards, while Vodafone is offering it in Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom later this autumn.

Apple iPad to hit the US this April 3

It seems that in recent years, anything that Apple comes up with seems to generate a whole lot of publicity. We can’t really blame them for making good on their range of devices though, delivering quality as well as the most important of them all – a fantastic user experience which appeals to the broadest user base. Well, the iPad which was unveiled a couple of months ago certainly raised quite a furore amongst the general population, but there are also the fair share of detractors. Well, fans of the iPad will be pleased to know that the magical and revolutionary device is tipped to hit the US market on April 3rd, although this is limited to just its Wi-Fi models while others who want the high end Wi-Fi + 3G models will have to wait until the end of April. As for people living in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, they will be able to get their hands on the iPad in late April as well.

Apple moves over 300,000 iPads in the US

We knew that the Apple iPad was going to be a hit, and the final sales figures proved it – Apple announced that the fruity company moved over 300,000 iPads in the US alone as of midnight last Saturday. Among these include deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, deliveries to channel partners and sales at Apple Retail Stores. Apart from that, Apple also announced that over one million apps were downloaded by iPad users from Apple’s App Store, and there were plenty of voracious readers among them as well – we’re talking about over 250,000 ebooks being purchased from its iBookstore during the first day. Were you one of the lucky ones to pick up an iPad during launch day, or do you think this is just a bunch of hyperbole?

ZAGG offers invisibleSHIELD for iPad

So you are pretty happy with your slightly more than a week old iPad, caressing it lovingly at every turn and opportunity? Why not give it the protection it deserves in the form of the invisibleSHIELD from ZAGG – after all, this company is famous for its range of protective cases and skins for a variety of devices, and their invisibleSHIELD line is nothing short of impressive. Being extremely popular, it has now arrived for the Apple iPad to make sure that nasty fingerprints as well as pesky scratches that result from careless transportation of your iPad would never happen once the invisiblesHIELD is in place good and proper.

Security Case for iPad

While we have looked at other solutions that make sure your iPad remains in pristine condition when traveling and carrying it around, how about a case for the iPad that makes sure no one is able to access its contents? Enter the Security Case for iPad, where this form fitting case will literally lock your iPad to prevent access by anyone else. Coming in a sleek and stylish black leather case, it features a three digit combination lock to make sure you (or anyone else who knows the combination) will be the only one able to use the device. At least all the relevant ports are still available when locked, so you can juice it up in that way when required. The Security Case for iPad is going for $44.95 each.