Man, where did summer go! We’re already in September, and Labor Day is this coming Monday, aka the official farewell to summer 2011. Wishing all readers a safe and fun holiday weekend with our weekly tech wrap up!

4. Bamboo Blackbox Cases

Made from Bamboo these eco-friendly, stylish and unique Apple laptop and iPad cases are just what you need to go back to school looking way too cool! Each case includes a leather strap engraved with the production number to make you feel even more special.

3. Necker Nymph Submarine Sea Plane

The three-person “aero submarine” is the perfect billionaire toy if you have the cash. It can dive up to 30 meters below the water’s surface and travels at the speed of up to 6 knots for about one to two hours at a time.

2. Razer’s Blade Gaming Laptop

Behold, the laptop for made especially for true gamers! The Razer’s Blade Gaming Laptop features a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 2640M Processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with NVIDIA Optimus technology with 2GB of dedicated RAM, 320GB HDD and a built-in 60Wh battery. It’s every gamer’s dream come true!

1. Mutewatch

Don’t let its simplicity food you! The Mutewatch may appear to be just a gray, rubber strap, but underneath is a touchscreen watch with a capacitive LED display.

4. Two Chatbots Conversing

A hilarious video of what happens when two chatbots go at it! Bet you actually have conversations like this!

3. Inkling Sketch Manager by Wacom

The Inkling by Wacom allows you to digitally transcribe your notes, illustrations or just doodles in real time to your computer, using ultrasonic and infared technologies. A very cool device for designers and artistic types.

2. Slingshot Cannon

The manmade 200-lb. slingshot can destroy a small car, making for a very cool toy! Check out the video to see what type of destruction it can cause.

1. Shot By An AK-47?

Seriously, the title says it all. A must-see video!

After what happened with the recent riots in London, it wouldn’t hurt to start planning for one closer to home. Like any other natural disaster, it doesn’t hurt to be a bit prepared, so that you’ll be able to withstand the heat, as well as fight back if need be.

7. STAY SAFE IN AN ARMORED CAR

If sh*t hits the fan, an armored vehicle will keep you safe, no matter where you’re at! The International Armored Group is a cool company that offers a wide variety of armored cars, so you can have anything from a BMW 7-Series to a Range Rover and your standard truck. You can even customize it to fit your individual needs.  And don’t forget about the Maruader armored car. Checkout Top Gear’s review.

6. KEEP AN EYE OUT

Be ready for any trouble with an outdoor home security camera. The Flood Light DVR security camera looks like a regular outdoor floodlight, but allows you to see if there are any trespassers on your property so that you’re ready for action if anything happens. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

5. A LITTLE WATER WON’T HURT

If you see a gang of people ready to get their loot on, the Jet Pulse Water Cannon System Kit will come in more than handy. Made from stainless steel, the kit has three water firing modes (short pulse, long pulse or continuous stream) so that you can do some damage with having to really harm anyone.

4. GET THE HELL OUT!

For when you accidently encounter a riot or a mob of anger people and you need to find another way, a GPS watch like Garmin’s Forerunner 610 watch  will help you find another way home. Although it’s made for running, it can still provide you with essential info you might need if you’re ever in the wrong place at the wrong time thanks to accurate GPS location, touchscreen interface and heart rate monitor so that you can tell your survival story of how fast your heart was beating when you almost got caught up on an angry mob!

3. TWO FOR ONE

When times get tough, gadgets that are multi-functional are always the best since you don’t have to go running around to get all your protective gear, making the Stun Baton Flashlight better than the baseball bat you keep by your bed. This heavy duty 16 1/2″ long strong beamed Stun Baton Flashlight is also a 130 db alarm and a 200,000 volt stun baton. It comes with an attachable red cone for signaling or danger warning.

2. GEAR UP

When all else fails, the best thing to do in case a riot occurs would be to gear up and put on some protection gear. Suiting up in some full body amour will get you pumped for action and safe from any violent blows.  We particulary like the Body Guard from David Brown.

1. INTENSIFY THE HEAT (video below)

When things get too hot and all else riot protection fails, play fire with fire and burn them. Yup, you heard right, BURN THEM! Currently in development is an Active Denial System, which is a new class of nonlethal weaponry that uses rays and energy to rapidly heat up someone’s skin, so essentially burning them. While stile not available, a nerdy geek friend can probably whip something up similar to it!

There is nothing worse than not knowing if you’ve been shot.  Chances are that won’t be the case if you’re hit with an actual bullet.  We’re actually referring to police training or just a friendly game of laser tag.  So what’s an aspiring gun shot wound victim, or inducer, to do?

Drop $2,500 and get the StressVest.  It delivers a real time shock, up to 4,500 volts, when your mark has been hit with a real gun retrofitted with one of their compatible, eye safe lasers.   For police force trainees this is essential since it induces stress and provides a more real world experience, demanding them to think under the pressure of not only gun fire, but the possibility of actually being wounded in the line of fire.  With each subsequent hit the voltage (i.e. stress) can automatically be increased. And unlike paintball, there is no mess to clean up and the chances of an unprotected individual being hit from a stray shot are zero to none.

In the event you’re looking for a more casual experience – you’ll need to have a federal ID to pick one of these up – the StressVest can be set to a vibration mode.  Additionally, shooting distances can mimic that of the would be actual ammunition, and the lasers work through windows or windshields.

Swiss Army knives are a must have for any self respecting boyscout.  Each knife, at the very least, includes a corkscrew, a nail file, a serrated blade, a straight blade, a pair of tweezers and a toothpick.  In terms of survival it was the ultimate tool and the more blades or gadgets your Swiss Army knife sported the cooler it was.  However, and looking back in retrospect, it was missing one major tool.  What’s that you ask?  A lighter.

Enter the Swiss Flame from Victorinox.  But before you get too gitty, you should know that these were discontinued in 2005, despite only receiving a 3 year manufacturing run.  Insult to injury, they were never made legal in the US since they were considered unsafe.  How these are any less safe then a regular butane lighter is unknown, but perhaps it had something to do with sharp blades and fire being contained in a pocket friendly package.  Also, let’s not over look 9-11, which must have played into the demise of these super handy tools.

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The Martin Jetpack team is at it again.  In April they succeeded with a 7 minutes flight high above the earth’s surface and now, just a few days ago, they’ve taken the hover device to new heights, literally.  They flew it to an altitude of 5000 feet and then brought it down to the ground using an off the shelf ballistic parachute.  Much like the previous test the team used a dummy, appropriately named Jetson, and controlled the aircraft from the ground using a radio controlled remote.  The jetpack ascended initially at 4m/s (800ft/min) and the climb took about 6 minutes.  The aircraft experienced some damage during landing, but the good news, and the point of the test, is that the pilot would have walked away from the crash.

Expect the Martin Jetpack to go on sale sometime in the next year or two for $100,000.

Kevin Costner starred in the movie “The BodyGuard”, and now the actor come entrepreneur is backing a product of the same name.

It’s effectively a armored glove that covers the hand and forearm, and is equipped with a high voltage stunner, video camera, laser pointer and flashlight.  Weighing less than 3lbs means it can be worn without incurring much fatigue, allowing law enforcement and military to move freely in the field without being over encumbered.  Because the stun gun is wrist mounted, and backed by a laser pointer, much like a fully featured handgun, criminals and assailants can hear and see the threat at hand before they present a challenge.

The glove’s designer is David Brown, a cameraman, editor and producer who has filmed musical acts such as Rage Against the Machine and Snoop Dogg.  The concept has been in development since 2004 and will soon make it’s official debut with the Los Angeles sheriff’s department later this year.

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The world of military weaponry is both scary and intriguing.  On one hand you’ve got a piece of kit that can do some serious damage and ultimately cause all sorts of hardship, not the least of them being casualties.  On the other hand it’s amazing what science has achieved over the years in terms of shear physics.

General Atomics has just moved one step closer to achieving a working and usable rail gun system.  Thanks to a Boeing, who designed and built the latest round, which looks like a mini rocket, GA was able to fire their super aerodynamic dart over 4 miles after penetrating a 1/8″ steel plate.  The below footage is pretty uncanny to say the least as they’re able to track the darts movement traveling at Mach 5.

Via: Dvice

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My special ops days are far behind me, but for those of you still running game as a contractor for Mi6 or the CIA, you might want to take a look at the Battelle Tactical Air Initiated Launch system.

It uses compressed air to fire objects at up to 100 feet in distance and 60 feet high.  A titanium grappling hook with a Kevlar line is just one of many objects that can be launched out of this apparatus; anything that can fit in its barrel is game, like t-shirts and other fun objects that are sure to assuage your enemies.

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This is a real world Coil Gun.  It uses electricity and I believe magnets to fire bullet like projectiles (made of magnetic material) at uncanny speeds.

Supposedly it can achieve a comparable velocity to that of a .45 handgun, but as Make points out this isn’t to be believed since this is probably the power emitted in the capacitor bank, but not at the actual muzzle.  Probably a good analogy is the maximum horsepower of a car and how much is lost when attempted to transfer from tire to ground.

Anyway, this is one solid build that took two years to produce.  Fortunately for us, they’ve produced a short film of the gun destroying some household goods. Enjoy.

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The DTV Shredder from BPG Werks is a 125lb all terrain surfboard.  Under the hood is a 200CC 4-stroke Honda engine that can propel the skateboard like device up to 30 mph.  In their promotional video they show it towing a full sized cab pickup and riding over a wide array of terrains.  It can even be controlled remotely removing the danger factor for humans, unless of course you run over a group of unsuspecting tourists.  They’re gearing it towards the military, but it looks any crazy nut case could jump on one of these and ride until they break their face.

The Shredder is modular and can be outfitted according to its use.  BPG envisions an offensive version complete with gun system designed to hold soldiers and all their equipment, but really anyone can buy one, at least we hope so.  Checkout the video after the ‘leap’

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This is a gun. Or rather, a 125-piece cube that transforms into a gun, the Intimidator. Here’s what it looks like disassembled:

And finally, in gun form:

It’s pretty remarkable. Now, not all the peices of the cube go into making the gun, but the others aren’t a waste — they’re the bullets, custom tools to assemble it, a standard sight, a laser sight, a canister containing black powder pellets, a storage area, a spent primer removal tool and a ramrod. So, are you intimidated yet?

Update: We’ve added the video thanks to commenter Wouyy20.

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The day has finally come — the laser wars have officially begun. Yup, in just a few years things are get totally Terminator around the world. See, the company Raytheon has officially unveiled their Laser Close-In Weapon System at an air show in England, which can take down unmanned aircraft easily with it’s 50 kilowatt beam. The U.S. Navy is now incorporating it into their anti-missile defense, which would situate it as a last defense on their massive battleships. It won’t be long now — which side will you be on in the laser wars?

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The RAPS (Remote Auxiliary Power System) can attach to any power line and provide juice to any attached gadgets or equipment. It was developed for combat soldiers in the field who don’t have access to a power outlet. Think of it as a grappling hook for electricity. The soldier would throw and hook the device to any power line. An internal razor blade pierces the lines protective layer allowing it to form a connection and draw power down to the converter box where safe, usable electricity can be used. Sounds safe, sort of. But how do you remove the hook once you’re juicing is complete?

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Inventor Matthew Hagerty has got a device that will give soldiers the ability to see around corners.  It’s called Smartsight, a small 1.5lb camera that attaches to the gun and transmits a real time signal to a head mountable display.  Effectively, solders can point their guns around the corner without exposing themselves to enemy fire and still take out their target.  The idea itself isn’t new as we’ve literally seen this type of weapon in video games such as Ghost Recon and probably countless others.  Nonetheless, Smartsight is on track for testing with Special Operations forces sometime next year.

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In the last 10 years the military has adopted video games not only as a means of attracting young new blood, but as a way of training their recruits.  Taking that process another step further, a big step further in fact, is the Nation Guard’s recent investment in Cubic Corporation’s COMBATREDI training system to the tune of $4.8 million.  The system uses a hi-def helmet mounted OLED screen that provides a 60×45 degree view of the virtual combat range and is complemented by a 3D stereo headset.  A system on the back tracks the trainees position, even going as far as to detect if they’re prone or if they need to replace the included gun’s magazine for a fresh set of virtual bullets.

Looks cool.  Can I get one for my Natal?

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I hate to make light of things that murder or maim, but the XM-25 is a bad ass weapon.  Instead of firing your standard 40mm grenade is uses a laser targeting system that measures the distance to the target and communicates that info to the round.  Because soldiers are often dealing with insurgent behind cover, they can increase or decrease the point of detonation, effectively allowing the grenade to enter a window and explode in the center of a room as opposed to the window or wall.

Each XM-25 costs $25,000.  The US Army as ordered 12,500 of the futuristic weapons, with production beginning in 2012.

[via Popsci]

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Generally speaking the term ‘shark repellent’ is synonymous with snake oil.  But that may soon change as the Australian Navy has officially adopted and approved a device called The Shark Shield.  Is weighs 13.5oz, fits in the palm of a hand and uses electronic impulses that are said to deter a sharks up to a range of 8 meters.  A 6 foot antenna is attached to the device – you better just hope it doesn’t get stuck on the side of a ship wreck. Still skeptical?  The Aussie Navy tested the device for 7 months and apparently it met all of their criteria.

The Shark Shield was developed by Paul de Gelde, an Australian Navy diver, who in 2009 lost his hand and leg from a shark attack.

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Here’s a cool (and kinda scary) government tech story: DARPA’s Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) is a super fast, super deadly weapon built by Lockheed Martin that is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 20. Its aim is to be able to attack anywhere on earth in under one hour, something the military calls “revolutionary.” Jeez, that’s impressive. Oh, and its weapons consist of non-nuclear missiles that remain undetected by nuclear defense systems.

On its test run, the HTV-2 did achieve speeds of Mach 20…then promptly disappeared. What happened next? Not for us regular citizens to know.  Guess it’s a good thing Americans built it, right?

[via Mobilemag]

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Condensing a couple key outdoor gadgets into one totally useful device, the Coleman Multi-Tool Lighter is a great gift for the Paul Bunyon in your woodland area.  Housing a wood saw, bottle opener, nail file and blade, the Multi-Tool also sports a wind resistant refillable lighter with hinged weather cover.

For $26, sounds like an ideal purchase to me.

Ideal for outdoors activities such as camping, boating, hiking, etc., this Coleman lighter comes in very handy. It features a torch wind-resistant flame with built-in gadgets such as a knife, filer, bottle opener, screw driver, saw. The rubberized accents on the side helps with better grip. This butane refillable lighter weighs 4 oz. The solid metal body with stainless steel tools make this lighter a perfect gift for outdoor enthusiasts.

[via RedFerret]

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Ooohhh Shiiiiiitt….Call of Duty mavens slobbering everywhere may be entertained by the stink nuggets of rumorism I bring.  Through some totally unsubstantiated source at Treyarch, the new Call of Duty title arriving this holiday will go by the name “Black Ops”.

Ah, those black ops, they’ll get yah.  Other turdbits of information include the chronological passage of time in the game, which takes you from WW2 to the Cold War and onto present day tensions.  Vietnam, Cuba, South America and London will be some of the locations of the new game and it will also have the returning Zombie mode from W@W.

Fun comments?

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