Treasure Seeking Sandals Review

I am surely not the only person who used to dream of getting a metal detector for Christmas. Am I ? Hello…….

Design

As simple yet cunning as you could have hoped for when you read the name Treasure Seeking Sandals. Groovy black sandals which come in three sizes and have a metal detector invisibly built in (invisible that is apart from the black wire running down from the calf high unit to your foot).

What do they do?

They find valuable Roman treasures while you play beach volleyball. They uncover mountains of golden Egyptian things while you eat a packet of cheese and onion crisps. They detect metal up to 60 cm underground. They flash and vibrate or buzz when they find either a gold dobloon or a rusty battery.

Value

You know you want the Treasure Seeking Sandals but how much are you prepared to pay for such fun, style and adventure? 40 pounds? Sold to the lady with the pirate’s treasure map hanging out of her camouflage jumpsuit.

Summary

Good, clean family fun.

Buy from Gadgets.co.uk

Galileo Sol Dive Computer Review

The good people at Uwatec are serious about dive technology, that much is clear from the specification on this Galileo Sol Dive Computer which they have designed.

Design

The little machine is waterproof up to over 1000 feet and comes with an extra large display screen. The designers have also spent a good bit of time on making this dive computer compact and attractive as well as functional.

Functions

This isn’t for giving to the kids to play with while they splash about in Margate. The Galileo Sol Dive Computer comes with the kind of things which serious divers need in order to stay safe at the bottom of the sea, namely;

1)    POLAR Heart Rate Monitoring System.

2)    Oxygen update. The important point here is that the time which it tells you is left is based upon your current consumption rate rather than a standard figure.

3)    User replaceable battery.

4)    Full Tilt Compass with Bearing Memory.

Summary

For serious divers only, and even then the hefty price tag and amount of features probably makes its market even more limited.  

iPhone-controlled hover drone gets UK launch date

A remote controlled drone that can be manipulated using either an iPhone or iPod Touch is being launched by aerial gadget firm Parrot, complete with augmented reality features and a high desirability factor.

Parrot’s AR.Drone is going to hit the UK on the 18th of August this year, which is good news as it was only at the 2010 CES event a few months ago that Parrot showcased a prototype quadricopter that blew away many visitors to the conference.

The AR.Drone will be controllable from a distance of up to 50 metres and it takes full advantage of the iPhone’s integrated accelerometer to allow for natural controls which respond to tilting the smartphone.

The most exciting aspect of the AR.Drone’s functionality is its augmented reality software. Basically there are two cameras hidden in the ‘copter and live feeds of the video are fed back to the iPhone, complete with an overlaid assault course, thanks to some clever programming, turning it into the ultimate gaming experience.

The AR.Drone will communicate with the iPhone or iPod Touch using a Wi-Fi connection and the gadget will have transferrable shells which allow you to put on a bulkier, more protective layer whilst you get to grips with the controls and then give you the option to switch to a lighter, more aerodynamic option to speed things up when you are more of an expert.

Parrot says that it will sell the AR.Drone for around £300 when it launches in August and it is looking for developers to work on an Android version of the control app.

TV broadcasts planned by mobile network providers

The ability to watch live television via your mobile phone could soon be a universally available feature as various UK network providers announce that they are testing out new technology.

In the UK, the relationship between live TV and the mobile phone has been rocky, with previous attempts to capture the public’s attention failing to make an impact. This is in opposition to various other nations, including South Korea, where mobile TV is far more widespread.

Reports now suggest that O2, Vodafone and Orange are all going to trial mobile TV technology in the Autumn of 2010. Rather than integrating digital tuners into existing handsets, the firms are going to make use of previously untapped regions of the 3G network spectrum.

Although all smartphones use 3G for mobile internet access, the providers are hoping that by harnessing a new part of the spectrum, they will not be impacting upon the standard mobile use of the majority of users whilst being able to offer high quality TV streams to some.

None of the networks has actually explained how the mobile TV service will operate and whether it will be compatible with current smartphones via a software update. There is also no news as to whether subscribers will need to pick inclusive mobile TV time in addition to minutes and texts when they sign up for a new deal, or whether it will be simply integrated into existing data usage tariffs without the need for change.

Garmin launches pooch tracking dog collar

Satellite navigation firm Garmin has come up with a suitably high-tech dog collar that will allow owners to keep tabs on their hounds if they ever go astray.

Garmin’s Astro DC 40 is available in a garish orange, which is a fairly useful visual aid for dog seeking in itself and the black GPS receiver is attached in a durable manner to one side. Garmin assures potential purchasers that the collar is comfortable for the dog as well as being convenient for the owner.

The main application of the tracking collar is for keeping tabs on hunting dogs, according to Garmin. For this reason the compatible Astra 220 receiver module which you will need to find your animal is capable of maintaining contract with ten different collared dogs simultaneously.

You can set the GPS beacons on the collars to emit location information in incremental steps between five and 120 seconds, which might make the sport of hunting a little more interesting, with modern technology on hand to help out when required.

The Astro DC tracking dog collar is powered by a battery which you can recharge using an included adapter and it should last for several hours, depending on how frequently you choose to refresh the transmission of data.

Although the collars will obviously be useful for hunters, it is easy to imagine that owners of household pets who do not want to chase after a particularly adventurous dog will end up buying this gadget in order to avoid irritation or, at worst, heartbreak.

Summer Gadgets 2010

The summer is beginning to provide everyone with some much needed sunshine and the industrious gadget makers have once again come up with a range of products that blend practicality and fun. Here are just ten of the best summer gadgets that are available this year.

BBQ Speakers
Having some tunes on whilst you are cooking up a storm on the BBQ is something which is enjoyed by many people, but you may well be sick of putting up with the tinny sound quality of a battery powered radio. For excellent audio quality, wireless convenience and cool industrial design the BBQ Speakers are the best choice. They come with a small remote control too and they are also able to resist water, which means they will not be damaged in a little summer rain shower. More summer gadgets

Sony previews 3D digital cameras

A series of standalone digital cameras which can capture still images in 3D have been created by Sony, which is hoping to ride the wave of consumer interest surrounding upcoming 3D TV and gaming systems.

The Alpha range of cameras is not heading straight for the professional market, as serious SLR lovers will probably have a hard time accepting that 3D photography is the way forward. Instead Sony has made sure these devices are compact enough to appeal to a mainstream audience.

The Alpha cameras will have interchangeable lenses and on-board software that is capable of adding the 3D effect. This is because the stereoscopic technique used by filmmakers requires two cameras essentially melded together and such a technique is not really convenient for a pocket-sized digital camera.

The Sony Alpha range will work in tandem with the 3D Photo Viewer from Nvidia, allowing for the 3D effects to be added retrospectively to the images.

The majority of people will have been exposed to the incoming 3D technology relating to TV and filmmaking, but the Alpha range is Sony’s attempt to get people talking about 3D still photography. This announcement comes hot on the heels of its rival Sharp revealing that it had been working on a 3D camera that could be attached to mobile devices, such as smartphones.

Adding depth to still images could reinvigorate the stand-alone camera market and with Sony working on a range that appears to offer this functionality with a user friendly approach, many cameras could soon come with a 3D function as standard.

iPod Touch prototype snapped

A pre-release version of an iPod Touch has been showcased by a Vietnamese site, sporting the interesting addition of a two megapixel camera.

The images that were turned up by the Tinhte site clearly show that the iPod Touch in question is not a finalised version and given that it looks nothing like the iPhone 4G, but rather like the current generation iPod and iPhone, could indicate that Apple has some serious changes planned.

Keen observers have pointed out that the serial number displayed on the prototype marks it out as originating from the end of 2009. It is entirely possible that this is simply a design that was canned by Apple before it went into mass production.

Judging from the pictures, the two megapixel camera is accompanied by a small microphone, with the intention of allowing video capture. Inside is 64GB of storage space, which is not achieved using a single chip, but rather two Samsung 32GB chips.

The prototype iPod Touch has a slightly strange proprietary user interface, which lacks all of the traditional Apple polish, but apparently has apps, including the Nike+ exercise software.

All eyes will be on Apple when June 7th rolls around, as this is believed to be the date on which the new iPhone will be unveiled on the world. If it is planning to update the iPod Touch at the same time, then it would be sensible to assume that it will announce both at a single press event.

Sharp creates 3D camera for mobiles

The world’s first camera that records 3D footage in high definition whilst simultaneously being small enough to fit into a mobile device has appeared from Sharp.

The dinky, high-tech device can capture 3D video in 720p resolution and it is intended to be easily integrated into the smartphones and stand-alone digital cameras of the near future.

Sharp says that it will be putting the impressive gadget into mass-production before 2010 is out and this means we could be seeing the first devices to offer 3D video recording capabilities in 2011.

In order to capture 3D footage, two cameras are required and thus the gadget has one for the left eye and one for the right eye to produce the effect of 3D pictures from a two dimensional display.

Sharp says that its camera has all of the necessary image processing circuitry on-board, which means that image alignment, colour and light adjustment and other tweaks will be handled on the fly as you record, which should minimise the impact on the proprietary processors of the devices that will sport it.

Sharp is clearly in the relatively early stages of preparing the device for production, but it is clear that it has got all of the major functions working and appears confident that it will meet its objective to go mainstream with the first mobile 3D camera.

Sharp will presumably be hoping that 3D technology catches up with the launch of its new camera and with Samsung planning the launch of the world’s first 3D ready phone, it could have at least one industry partner.

Econogo electric scooter hits UK

An electric scooter which is the first of its kind to come with a removable battery pack has arrived in the UK.

Manufactured by Econogo, the scooter has a detachable battery which uses the lithium ion technology found in most modern portable devices.

Econogo is based in the UK and the YoGo scooter’s detachable battery represents a significant update from the previous generation of electric scooters. This is because rather than having to bring electricity to the scooter, you can now take its battery directly to the power source.

Finding the right socket to which you can connect a scooter with an integrated, non-removable battery pack can be a pain, but detaching the YoGo’s battery means that you can take it with you and plug it in anywhere to charge.

The batteries that power the YoGo will take just an hour to charge up, which is an incredibly short period when you consider the charging time of most battery-powered vehicles.

Econogo supplies two spare batteries with the retail version of the YoGo scooter and according to promotional material this will increase the range of the scooter by 44 miles.

With a top speed of 38 miles per hour achievable from the 1500 watt electric engine, the YoGo is no slouch when it comes to performance. It will also significantly reduce running costs in contrast with those you would see with an equivalent petrol-powered scooter.

The basic YoGo costs £2000 and its restricted 27mph top speed means that you do not need any form of official license to take it out for a spin.

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