gadget

The gadget freak's vest

How many gadgets can you lug around while exercising? On one extreme, there are lightweight straps like the skull music headband, but we know you need more than that--the true gadget freak needs something like the "Soundwalk MP3 Player Audio Vest."

The vest claims to go a step beyond other products that simply provide secure pockets, featuring "hands-free functionality" for such controls as toggling from cell phone to media player. (The product literature doesn't explain exactly sure how this works, however.)

GeekSugar isn't thrilled about its value as a fashion accessory , but we still … Read more

New Google Talk module better than desktop app

Google has released a new module to use on its personalized homepage that retains the look and feel of its Windows-only installable chat application, Google Talk. What's interesting is that the Web-based version ends up having a few extra features you don't get with the desktop client. For instance, starting a conversation with a contact creates a new tab on the top of the interface. You can jump through these like tabs on a Web browser. It's far better system than the Google Talk application, which uses expandable horizontal bars like Microsoft Outlook.

There's also a … Read more

Widgipedia: Wikipedia for widgets?

There are a lot of widgets out there. So many, in fact, that sorting through them can be absolutely daunting. Joining the fray of sites that attempt to solve this problem is Widgipedia, a site that catalogs and hosts widgets, both Web-based and downloads. We've covered competitor Widgetbox several times, and the two sites are quite similar. Where Widgipedia differs is in mixing up widgets that run on different platforms: those that run right in your browser and ones you download for various engines such as Mac OS X's Dashboard and Yahoo Widgets. The result is a diverse … Read more

Unsure about that rash? Don't worry, I have my cell phone.

Is that cough a symptom of some larger medical problem? Wouldn't it be great if you had the Mayo Clinic's knowledge at your fingertips?

On the go hypochondriacs and Internet diagnosis-seekers can rejoice as the Mayo Clinic and Digital Cyclone are beaming health information to your cell phone. The application, dubbed Mayo Clinic InTouch, has a symptom checker, first aid tips and can give you the location of the nearest emergency room via GPS.

To be clear, this service isn't meant as some sort of DIY replacement for 911. But at $2.99 a month, it could … Read more

Roundup: single page aggregators

Single page aggregators, also known as personalized home pages, can be a helpful way to keep tabs on your favorite Web content without having to visit each site. With nearly all of them able to display content from popular Web sites, choosing one comes down personal taste. We've run down some of the most popular aggregators, citing what works and what doesn't.

My.Netscape relaunched today, providing users with an Ajax-driven drag-and-drop interface to add and customize newsfeeds. There are about a hundred premade feeds to choose from. If you want to add a site that's not … Read more

Take online widgets offline with Amnesty Generator [Video]

This post has been updated from the original. Added: Hands-on video with Amnesty Generator.

For those early adopters out there with Windows Vista, you might be struggling to get some widgets from the Web onto your flashy, new sidebar. To help you out is Amnesty Generator, a small and free app that converts nearly every type of online widget into the 'gadget format' that's compatible with Vista's new desktop toolbar. Using the program requires no coding experience; it's as simple as pasting in the embedding code, and the program does the rest.

Amnesty generator works with Google homepage widgets, … Read more

Seeing pink?

If giving your girlfriend roses, teddy bears or chocolate isn't your thing, may we suggest these cool gadgets in pink? Choose from a list of cool pink MP3 players, adorable pink cell phones, pretty pink digital cameras to capture the moment or challenge her to a few games of Super Mario on the pink DS Lite. Whatever you choose, I don't think you can go wrong with pink on Valentine's day.

Another candle alternative

Coolest Gadgets has posted another gadget for making things easier when the lights go out.

The Blackout Buddy for $30 from Ambient Weather is an AM/FM radio and LED light with clock that comes on when everything else goes out.

Like the lava lamp night-light, you keep it plugged into an electrical socket to stay charged. It then automatically comes on when the electricity turns off.

The Blackout Buddy can also be used as an alarm clock, and even has a headphone jack.

Personally, I like getting stuck using candles for an evening. But if you prefer flashlights over … Read more

NY state senator pitches gadget ban for pedestrians

Barely a day goes by in the Big Apple when we don't see someone get almost hit by a car while mindlessly chatting on a cell phone or listening to an iPod. State Sen. Carl Kruger of Brooklyn thinks this is a big enough problem to propose new legislation aimed at protecting distracted pedestrians.

Kruger's bill, which has not yet been formally introduced, would ban the use of electronic gadgets--including MP3 players and cell phones--by pedestrians using a crosswalk in New York state. Violators would be subject to a $100 fine under the plan.

Kruger told WCBS, "… Read more

A toilet for Inspector Gadget

Did you know the average person spends 11,862 hours out of his or her lifetime in the bathroom? That's equal to 1 year, 4 months and 5 days in what's usually a boring room, absent comforts like TiVo, video games and a stocked fridge.

Roto-Rooter is coming to the rescue! (Thanks to BoingBoing for pointing it out.) North America's largest provider of plumbing and drain-cleaning services is offering an online sweepstakes for its "Pimped Out John," a bathroom throne for the gadget junkie.

The fully loaded Kohler commode comes with a Philips 20-inch LCD … Read more