Are you a klutz when it comes to reversing? Do you hate parallel parking as you can’t quite seem to get the angle correct, much less getting out of a tight spot that more often than not lands you in hot soup as you gently kiss either bumper on the front and back? Perhaps it is high time you install a reverse parking sensor in your jalopy lest you keep on leaving scrapes and nicks on other people’s vehicles. The AutoAlert is one such device that will greatly boost your confidence when it comes to parallel parking, and you don’t have to ask your partner to alight and manually show you via hand signals how close you are to the pillar.

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Japanese love their karaoke, and the new Kyoku NAVI is guaranteed to elevate the social art of karaoke to the next level. This portable karaoke device is the result of a collaboration between IBM and Xing, and comes with a touch screen interface that enables users to browse through the list of songs in a simplified manner without shifting through page after page in traditional plastic files. The NAVI device also comes with wireless connectivity which enables one to update the latest playlist as well as stream videos for your viewing pleasure in order to shift your attention to the latest dance moves by Beyonce instead of fully placing your concentration on the caterwauling of your mate who can’t sing to save his life.

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The Locate 1 GPS tracker enabled you to track anything that moved, but it required a monthly fee and a pricey unit. If you want to make yourself even sneakier, while still being your cheap old self, check out the CarChip.

CarChip uses the OBDII protocol, which started coming with cars in the US starting in 1996. That protocol allows the CarChip to track all sorts of things about you cars actions, be it the speed, mileage, or even how hard you brake.
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This is probably the best iPod gadget for your car, the 4-in-1 iPod car kit.

The iPod Car Kit includes a cradle to hold the ipod, a charger that’s powered off you cars cigarette lighter, an FM Transmitter so that you can listen to your iPod over the car stereo and a remote control so even rear seat passengers can skip tunes (though if you have kids that class the Crazy Frog as music you may not want to tell them about the remote :))

You can get the 4-in-1 iPod Car kit for $28 from Brando, which is a bit of a bargain IMO.

Brando of Hong Kong is noted for pulling out weird and wacky stuff from their magical Top Hat, and this latest offering is no different. You can now annoy friends and relatives anytime, anywhere with your best Stevie Wonder impersonation that will set cats scurrying away from the premises in a hurry with the USB Roll-Up Piano. This nifty USB gadget is just the thing to purchase for those who want to practice their scales as well as exam pieces on-the-go - all they need to do is to plug it into any available USB port and they’re good to go. There is no need to purchase additional batteries that ultimately results in a heavier weight, although it might be pretty hard to use this for busking purposes unless you’ve got a solar powered laptop to plug in to.

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Mad cow and all sorts of food-related diseases have been in the news lately, and it’s okay to be cautious, but some people can be a bit paranoid.

The SensorfreshQ capitalizes on those people who feel like they’re, without a doubt, going to be the next ones who are infected. Anybody else will simply find this gadget amusing.
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You know how everyone at Coolest Gadgets love to have a tipple or two judging by the amount of alcoholic posts that we have made. The new Draughtmaster from Carlsberg will definitely be on top of most mens’ shopping lists this holiday season as you now no longer need to trudge down a cold, long road to the local tavern in order to knock back a few pints with your mates. Instead, you can pull points of lager in the comfort of your own home, although the missus will strongly disapprove of having your friends over as ruining the recently purchased Persian carpet with puke will most definitely be grounds for a divorce.

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18 months ago, Symantec, makers of the popular program suite Norton Utilities, had a scary prediction for Mac users. Symantec claimed that the Mac OS was “increasingly becoming a target for the malicious activity that is more commonly associated with Microsoft.” That’s quite an ominous prediction from a company that claims to be the “global leader in information security” on their website.

A lot of people look to companies like Symantec for information and guidance and I’m sure many Mac users purchased Symantec anti spyware and virus protection software based on this prediction.

So during the last 18 months how much “malicious activity” was targeted towards the Mac OS? Ummm…… basically none. This week Symantec admitted that their prediction last year about increasing Mac-targeted spyware was just plain wrong. Oops.

In addition to admitting their mistake about the Mac OS this week, Symantec also published a new Internet Threat Report. So what does Symantec have to say about the Mac OS this time? Nothing… The Mac OS isn’t even mentioned in this years report. Why has Symantec gone silent when it comes to Apple? Munir Kotadia, a reporter for ZDNet Australia was wondering the same thing so he asked Symantec about the omission. It seems that Symantec hasn’t seen any new Mac-related threats this year and doesn’t want to cry wolf again. Good idea.

But just because there haven’t been any Mac-related threats in years doesn’t mean the Mac is totally safe from spyware and viruses. If you pay attention to the OS X Software Updates, you’ll notice that Apple releases new security updates every few months. So there are holes in the system but according to Kotadia, the Mac OS was “designed with security in mind, so vulnerabilities are very difficult to exploit and most require socially engineered user interaction.”

Besides a couple Trojan Horses, I can’t remember the last time I saw a Mac virus. When was the last Mac OS virus anyway? 1987?

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