GadgetReview

You may remember reading here, back in March, about the D3O protective plasticine goo being used in soldiers’ helmets, but now it’s got a more mundane use–as a gadget protector.

Parent company Tech21 recently launched a wide array of smartphone and laptop cases that offer between, get this, “140 and 221 percent more protection for a mobile device or laptop than existing cases can”.

See, D3O is a strange sort of chemically engineered, enhanced Silly Putty of sorts that, when you pull it apart slowly, stretches much like Silly Putty would.  But if you jolt it abruptly, it hardens and becomes rigid, offering a shock absorption capability for relatively low space.

D3O cases are now available, and cost between twenty eight and fifty bucks depending on where you shop and what sizes you get.

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Huh.  Powered by USB or two AA batteries, this folding speaker’s design “creates a large resonance chamber and makes the sound richer than most other small speakers.”

For $18 it could be worth a try though at this point you probably already have a set of speakers for your MP3 scenarios. …Continue reading: Accordian Style Folding Speaker

Balloons have really gotten a bad rap lately.  To usher in a new era of balloon appreciation comes the Balloon-Copter.  Its design and premise is simple in that it is a propeller that is powered by the CO2 in the balloon. …Continue reading: Balloon-Copter Is Not A Hoax

If you happen to own one of five kinds of Nokia phone–an E72, E71x, 5800, N97, and N97 mini phones–and you’re fond of Netflix, then I’ve got some great news for you.

Netflix, just two days ago, launched a new kind of app exclusively for those five phones, that will allow you to remotely modify your queue, browse their library for possible additions to that queue, and even watch previews of upcoming releases.

It’s available on the Ovi Store, under entertainment.

About the only people saddened by this news is everybody at Blockbuster Online, who doesn’t have anything even remotely like this and is still jumping for joy over their new “download movies to SD card” system.  This would admittedly be awesome except the downloaded movies will only play on a television, but that’s beside the point.

If you’ve got Netflix and Nokia, folks, you might as well get the app.

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Have you ever left the house or the apartment, and been struck by the sudden horror that you didn’t turn off your stove or your toaster or your television or whatever?  Yeah, I’ve been there too once or twice.  And I know some people who’ve made an entire psychological disorder out of something like that.

Well, there’s a new gadget, currently in the prototype stage, called the PowerZoa.  The PowerZoa can be used to remotely cut power to any gadget plugged into an outlet.  Everything from your stove to your toaster can be suddenly, remotely, disabled.  The PowerZoa transmits details on power use to a secure website, which you can log into to remotely disable your gadgets.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that such a gadget could be used against you, but even so, what happens?  You unplug the PowerZoa and replug your appliance back into the wall.  For people who worry about leaving things on, this is a great device.

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Having yet to blame a sickness on a dirty toothbrush, I’m sure there’s plenty of you hypo-germaphobes out there that would love to have a gadget like this.  All that is needed is a fresh USB port and you are ready to get your sanitize on.

Looks like a great gift idea for anybody you know that loves brushing their teeth on the go.  If eliminating bacteria is on your to do list, you can pick up this UV USB Toothbrush Sanitizer fresh from Japan for $40.  Thank you Thanko.

[via UberGizmo]

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For those of us who spend countless hours staring at a screen it’s often easy for our necks to get thrown out of whack.  With adjustable levels of vibration to improve circulation, this USB massage scarf could be a great tension reliever in a multitude of scenarios.

From long rides on an airplane to just relaxing couch side, this gadget is easily worth the $12 asking price.  Throw in multiple massage settings and you’ve got yourself a great bargain and go to gift idea.  Available now while supplies last.

[via thanks Frank]

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Qualcomm just yesterday introduced a whole new brand of Lenovo gadget that’ll blow your mind open.  Check this out.

It’s called the smartbook, and it combines all the best features of a smart phone and a netbook.  Slimmer than most smart phones and able to fit in the palm of a hand, it offers not only a QWERTY keyboard but also a “full-size screen”.  It’s powered by a Qualcomm chipset platform that has, for some reason, been dubbed Snapdragon and will run a series of different applications including Flash, Adobe and AT&T’s mobile broadband.

It’s interesting to note, however, that this may not be the end of the smartbook line but only the beginning.  Word is that everybody from Asus to Toshiba is planning to launch their own smartbook.  But do people, especially in a bad economy like this, really want or even need another portable computer when they already have laptops, netbooks and smartphones to choose from?  Is there anyone who’s saying “I love my netbook but I wish it were smaller!” or “I love my smartphone but I wish it had more features!” who isn’t just buying the next step in either direction?

Name and price are still being kept quiet on this new model as the product will officially launch this January at the Consumer Electronics Show.

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What’s portable, cute and loves to listen to your every command?  If you said Moshi’s Voice Control Travel Alarm Clock, then you’re spot on.

I have yet to try out any of Moshi’s voice activated alarm clocks, but according to their press release with the push of button you can activate up to 9 settings simply by speaking a command(no programming required), which includes setting the time, alarm, snooze, and asking for the temperature.

The palm sized Moshi Travel Alarm Clock is available in pink, blue, white, and black at their website and will be available at select Bed Bath & Beyond stores come mid to late November. Price: $25.

Video demo after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Moshi Issues Travel Sized Voice Activated Alarm Clock, Just Speak To Set It (video)

In what we’ve likely never seen before, this little pocket radar will help you do a lot of things.  I just don’t know what.  From gauging the speed of snowballs and such, I’m sure there’s some Mythbusters style mischief you could get into with this thing.

Perhaps police on horses and bike could put this little gadget to work?  The Pocket Radar uses Doppler Radar Signal Detection System coupled with re-engineered microwave and antenna components.  Boasting an error margin of +/- 1 MPH, the Pocket Radar is capable of judging 10,000 measurements on one set of AAA batteries.  We will see this at CES 2010 and it will be available this spring.

…Continue reading: Pocket Radar Accurately Gauges How Fast Women Walk Away From You