Miscellaneous Gadgets
Gadgets which we don’t have a specific category for (yet)
Miscellaneous Gadgets
Nubrella: The umbrella of the future?
You know, umbrellas have probably been around for over one hundred years, and in all that time, they have not changed all that much.
As the Nubrella slogan says: “You’ve Waited Long Enough! Someone has finally changed the design”. Best of all, they added hands free. It isn’t hard to open and close the umbrella either, as you can see from the video after the jump.
Man, who hasn’t had their arm aching from a long walk home from carrying an umbrella. If you could have your hands free, then that means something, especially in the age where we are constantly talking on our mobile phones.
Audio/Video Gadgets, Electronic Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets
Japanese customers’ augmented reality mirror to see what makeup looks like without trying it on
And now for another interesting application of augmented reality, and it’s pretty practical, too.
Not only that, but it is already in use. At the Takashimaya department store, there is a Digital Cosmetic Mirror that allows customers to see what make-up will look like on their face, without putting it on.
I find it hard to believe that this would work very well. I saw a similar demonstration of augmented reality at CES 2009 that allowed me to have glasses and a mustache, but it looked pretty fake. I mean, it looked like the ’stache and shades were just super-imposed there.
Miscellaneous Gadgets, Remote Control
Interaxon allows visitors of the Vancouver Winter Games to control light displays with thoughts
We’ve discussed mind-controlled technology before, such as the Star Wars Force Trainer. A Toronto-based company named Interaxon has used mind control technology for how you really want to use it: to turn on the lights.
Interaxon (see video after the jump) is having a special display of this technology for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Their display allows visitors to control lights at Niagara Falls (seen above) as well as Ottawa’s Parliament building and the CN Tower.
Miscellaneous Gadgets
Valentine’s Red Cashmere Gloves For Touchscreen Addicts

These gloves may be shockingly red, but at least they’ll be warm and allow for you to continue the use of any touchscreen device. Actually it’ll make life in general a whole lot easier, since some things are just more difficult to do when you have on soft gloves. By having the ability to reveal the tip of your pointer finger and thumb you’ll have a whole lot more grip with various tasks.
Home Automation, Home Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets, PC Gadgets
DISPLAX: The touchscreen wallpaper of the future
I think that we all know that the future is full of Microsoft Surface technology, and I look forward to the day when every table or desk is a touchscreen.
DISPLAX, made by a Portuguese company, is prepared for an age where every tabletop, wall, or any large flat (or even curved) surface could be a touchscreen. DISPLAX is a thinner-than-paper polymer film that can be applied to glass, plastic, or wood and can detect up to 16 touches at once.
I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to think of some good uses already. In fact, my dream house will have DISPLAX as wall-paper in every room.
That way, any wall I want can be a television, and recipes can appear on the wall in my kitchen. I would imagine that I could check my email or social media sites from any room, including the bathroom.
Coolest Mobile News, Miscellaneous Gadgets, PC Gadgets, Wacky Gadgets
Imogen Heap’s Twitter dress at the Grammys
The Grammys were one gadget-filled event. When Stephen Colbert gave the award for Song of the Year, he read the nominees off of his iPad. As if we didn’t see enough of that Apple iPad last week.
What really made a techno-splash on the red carpet was UK singer Imogen Heap. Her gown was not designed by a huge and expensive fashion designer, but she claimed that this Twitter dress was her own creation.
Yes, this Twitter dress, or twitdress, is designed so she can keep up on her Twittering. You may think that her necklace looks more like a row of bullets strapped around her neck, but this keeps her updated on Twitter. Her purse is an iPhone or iPod Touch that allows her to see photos that people are sending her online.
Miscellaneous Gadgets, Wacky Gadgets
The Locked On Proximity Sensing Shirt

A while back ago there were the incredibly sappy shirts that featured your life dropping in the form of little hearts as your loved one was further and further away. Well now there’s a different version of the shirt that doesn’t feature bright red hearts but has the same idea. The closer you are to your other half the more the shirt lights up to show that they’re near. It’s a disgustingly loving way of keeping track of them at all times.
Miscellaneous Gadgets, Spy Stuff
Armatix pistol won’t fire without the watch nearby
I have never heard of the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show, but I think it is just hysterical that it abbreviates to SHOT. It sounds like a fictional group in some anti-gun propaganda film.
Anyway, during SHOT, a German company known as Armatix had a smartgun like I have never seen before. This pistol is programmed not to fire unless you get a wireless arming signal from a special wristwatch.
As you can see from the photo, there is a green light. It means you can fire the gun. A red light means you can’t fire it. I’m not certain if the red warning light should mean that the gun will fire, so don’t mix up the light colors. The lights on the gun remind me of the phasers in the last Star Trek film.