Time Magazine has just released its list of the Top 10 Gadgets of 2010. For those who follow tech news, it should come as no surprise that Apple dominated the list. A total of 4 Apple products made it to the list, including the iPad (number 1 on the list), the MacBook Air (number 3), the iPhone 4 (number 6) and the second-generation Apple TV (number 7).
The iPad was the big story in tech news in 2010. It sold 3 million units in its first month on sale and is one of the most-wanted gifts for the 2010 holiday season. Read how the iPad impacted 2010 on CNN Tech.
Locks with keys may soon be a thing of the past. The SmartScan Keyless Lock from Brick House Security is a next-generation lock that provides access to your home with a single scan of your fingerprint. The SmartScan lock uses a dermal scanner to determine who will be admitted. Smart technology allows you to set different levels of access – continuous or temporary. Continuous access allwow 24/7 entry. Temporary access is allowed for a limited period that you specify. Use it for guests, house cleaners and contractors. With SmartScan’s flexible security system, you’ll never need to worry about who has a key to your house.
Find out more about the SmartScan Keyless Lock on the Brick House Security Website: brickhousesecurity.com/sequiam-fingerprintlock-biolock.html
A couple of years ago, the Flip Slide seemed to have cornered the market for small, inexpensive video cameras. Now Sony has jumped in with its Bloggie Touch HD camera. The Bloggie is loaded with features – image stabilization, auto focus, face detection, low-light shooting and 4x digital zoom. You can take either HD video or 12.8-megapixel photos.
Like the Flip, the Bloggie has a slim design and a pop-out USB arm for video transfer and power charging. Sony also provides Bloggie software to help upload and manage videos. The software makes it easy to post videos on YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and Picassa.
The Bloggie retails for about $200 for the 8GB model. Find out more about Bloggie Touch HD on the Sony website. You can see it in action in this YouTube video:
The holidays will be here before you know it, so it’s time to start thinking about holiday gifts. If you’ve got an engineer or architect on your shopping list, Lego has a new line of Architecture model sets that are sure to be a winner. Some of the landmark buildings available include the Empire State Building, the John Hancock Tower, the Seattle Space Needle and the White House. The latest additions are models of distinctive Frank Lloyd Wright designs, including Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.
This is the perfect gift for the young and the young at heart who have an interest in building design and construction. Find out more on the Lego Architecture website.
Cars that use technology to drive themselves have been talked about for several decades, but until now have only seemed to be a far-off dream. Now Google has revealed that they have cars with automated driving capabilities in development. Google has combined a camera, numerous sensors with a preprogrammed GPS system on Toyota Prius vehicles and already is performing testing. The cars have obeyed the speed limit and follow the programmed route without a hitch. Thousands of miles have been logged by the self-driving cars in real traffic. Although human drivers are behind the wheel, ready to take over in case of emergency, so far they haven’t had to intervene.
Ceatec, Japan’s largest annual electronics show, has just wrapped up for another year. One of the most popular exhibitors at Ceatec in recent years is Murata, a sensor company that creates small robots to showcase its latest ultrasonic sensor technology. This year they brought Murata Girl, a unicycling robot that maneuvers the curves of an s-shaped course, and Murata Boy, who rides a bicycle up an inclined track.
See Murata’s robots in action in this YouTube video:
The Rock-It is a portable speaker system that uses vibration to turn any object into a speaker. Simply stick the Rock-It pod to any object and the Rock-It transmitter will take sound input from an MP3 player, iPod, cell phone or other gadget and create vibrations that are broadcast from the pod. The Rock-It is powered by 2 AAA batteries or a USB connection and workd with any device that has a headphone jack.
Rock-It is produced by OrigAudio, an innovative company that also sells the Fold n’ Play Recycled Speakers, which were voted on of the 50 Best Inventions of 2009 by Time Magazine.
See inventor Jason Lucash demonstrate the Rock-It Speaker System in this YouTube video:
Sony has just released the PlayStation Move, a motion-sensing game controller that’s positioned to compete with the popular Nintendo Wii. The Move is a hand-held wand with an LED sphere that interacts with the PlayStation Eye camera to track position, while inertial sensors in the wand track 3D movement. Advance reviews say the Move has an edge over the Wii, combining precise controls with the PlayStation 3’s current-generation graphics.
See Sony’s presentation on the Move in this YouTube video:
Hybrids are becoming a popular form of transportation, and now Derringer Cycles is offering hybrid bikes. These hybrids have handcrafted frames and are styled to resemble racing bikes from the 1920s. How does a hybrid bike work? You can pedal it manually like you normally would, or you can kick-start the Honda-built engine for effortless riding. When motoring, the bike goes 300 miles on a 1.8 gallon tank.
Derringer bikes are the creation of famed industrial designer Adrian Van Anz, who at age 28 has already established a reputation for bringing extraordinary design to ordinary objects.
Solor-powered bags are the perfect home for your gadgets when you’re on the go. This handsome photovoltaic travel bag from Sakku is one of the best of the new solar-powered satchels. The sakku.traveller bag is constructed from recycled Swiss sailcloth and features a powerful 5W solar panel. Each bag is 100% Swiss made and labeled with its origin lake – a collector’s piece in the making.
The bag comes in 2 versions – 100% solar-powered or with battery. The solar-powered version will charge your gadget on sunny days only. The battery version stores solar power and can charge even on a rainy day.
Visit the Sakku website to learn more about the sakku.traveler.
