(Credit:
Amazon)
If there's a gadget that symbolizes urban living, it might well be something like the "BodyGard Survivor."
As its name implies, this handheld item from Swiss Tech serves as a personal security device that will fire off a high-decibel sonic alarm and flash ultra-bright LEDs when activated by the panic button, according to Gadget Grid. The survivor half of the equation comes into play with its compass and hand-cranked generator, which can be used to power a cell phone or laptop that's gone dead.
Of course, depending on where you live, there are other alternatives that could be more appropriate (and effective)--such as the combination of an Avurt IM-5 and a whistle.
(Credit:
Crave UK)
Crave has often mused on the pathetic flimsiness of modern gadgetry. But in a world where waterproof means splashproof and ruggedized means you'd better not drop it, there's all the more reason to celebrate tech that just won't die.
Whatever the reason for its survival, the technology we've collected here deserves enormous credit. It's coped with years of abuse and thousands of meters of cumulative drops, but it continues to operate as well as it did on the day it emerged from the factory. Click here to view the collection.
(Source: Crave UK)
Corsair Flash Survivor
(Credit: Everything USB)
Flashlight
They've been run over, submerged in water, subjected to extreme temperatures and even built to withstand nuclear explosions. For some reason, people insist on treating USB flash drives like contestants on Fear Factor. And yet, more often than not, they seem to survive with flying colors.
The "Corsair Flash Survivor" is the latest to enter this Thunderdome culture, an aluminum encased device with a black O-ring to prevent water seepage that comes in 4GB and 8GB storage sizes, according to Everything USB. What we can't figure out, however, is why it looks like a flashlight.
It may look like an air hockey mallet, but don't laugh--it could be your survival guide if you get lost in Second Life.
The "SpaceNavigator," developed by Logitech subsidiary 3D Connexion, offers an alternative to the mouse movement and keystroke combinations now used to navigate 3D environments or move 3D objects.
Using six optical sensors, the navigator isn't a replacement for a mouse but is intended for use in the mouse-free hand. You can move through a 3D space by gripping the top of the SpaceNavigator and sliding it around, twisting it like a dial, tilting it, pressing down on the center of the mallet or slightly lifting it.
Just be careful not to get carried away with it, as some gamers have done with the Wii.
(Credit:
Aklihabara News)
Those of you who don't live in earthquake country may scoff at these, but Californians will understand their need all too well.
These devices, which Akihabara News says are common in Japan, are meant to secure your desk and computer equipment in the event of some major shaking. The pads and brackets supposedly work "without glue or nails," but we're not sure what kind of mechanism is used to keep them in place. (Velcro won't help much in a 7+ magnitude quake, as we saw in San Francisco.)
They might not be the most attractive workplace accoutrements, but you may not care when the Big One hits. Of course, if it really is the Big One, you probably won't care about your computer either.
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