The flexibly magnetic legs allow the Gorillatorch to grip on any surface.
(Credit: Joby)I tried out the HUGlightrecently and thought it was really cool and practical. Now, I've run across something that brings both coolness and practicality to a new high: the Gorillatorch flashlight.
Introduced by Joby on Tuesday, the Gorillatorch appears to be the first flashlight that comes with a set of flexible tripods. The three legs, made of medical‐grade ABS plastic and German TPE rubber, are flexible enough to be easily bended into any shape. This flexibility, plus the fact that they have strong magnets, means Gorillatorch can grip to virtually anything, leaving your hands free for other tasks.
The Gorillatorch's lamp is powered by three AA batteries (included), and its brightness can be adjusted to three levels. At the highest level, the Gorillatorch shines at 65 lumens (15 lumens brighter than the HUGLight) of white LED light. This is about as bright as most handheld LED flashlights.
According to Jody, at the brightest level the Gorillatorch can shine nonstop for about 20 hours before running out of power. When the brightness is turned down, it can last up to 80 hours.
Now, if only it were waterproof, which it is not, that would make it a perfect companion for outdoor activities or rough working environments.
The Gorillatorch weighs less than 9 ounces, is 8 inches tall, and has a suggested price of between $29.95 and $34.95. It will be available next month and comes with a one-year warranty.
(Credit:
Wicked Lasers)
The Taser may soon have some competition as the personal safety device of choice, from an unlikely source: the flashlight.
We've already seen models capable of blinding an assailant, shooting 800,000 volts, and even resembling a Gatling machine gun. Now Wicked Lasers--the outfit that brought Blu-ray to the laser pointer--has outdone itself with the "Torch."
Though not the first to make fire-starter claims, this one is billed as "the world's brightest and most powerful flashlight," with the ability to "burn plastic, light paper, or even fry an egg or toast a marshmallow," Gadgetell says. The $300 Torch's 4,100-lumen beam is twice as powerful as a competitor dubbed "The Beast" that goes for $7,000.
And even if you decide later that maybe you didn't really need a personal flamethrower after all, you can still use it to make breakfast.
Go long, Herschel.
Former pro football player Herschel Walker and five yet-to-be-selected "Mobile Phone Samaritans" will serve as Olympic Torch Relay bearers, when the symbolic flame passes through its only North American stop in San Francisco in April.
Samsung Electronics, a partner in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, is holding a "Mobile Phone Samaritan" contest to select the five participants who will carry the torch in San Francisco with the Heisman Trophy winner.
Interested parties can either nominate themselves or someone they know who used a mobile phone in an emergency to help another person. Entries need to be 100 words or less and submitted by September 12.
A panel of judges will chose five torch bearers who demonstrated speed and kindness when using their cell phone in an emergency situation.
The torch will be lit in Greece on March 25, then make its way over to Beijing six days later. From there, it will travel to 22 cities across the globe before returning to Beijing.
Let the games begin.
(Credit:
Tracing Gadget)
Considering how quickly Lenovo's Olympics laptop came out--it was shown just one day after its first public mention--the company has taken a fairly long time to release any details.
But Electronista says the "Xiang" notebook, which bears the distinctive "Cloud of Promise" design created specifically for the 2008 Beijing Games, has made an appearance at a Southeast Asian trade show and sported a 12-inch widescreen, a 1.66 GHz Core Duo processor, a multi-card reader and three USB ports, among other features.
Unfortunately, the most important specs--where and when we can get one, and for how much--remain unknown. We certainly hope we won't end up looking for one on eBay, blended or otherwise.
(Credit:
Tracing Gadget)
That didn't take long. Just yesterday, Lenovo hinted at a press conference that the "Cloud of Promise" design on its Olympic torch might be used on future computers. Now, only a day later, the first of them has appeared in the form of a laptop.
The "Xiang" notebook is reportedly the product of a partnership with gold medalist Liu Xiang, though not much else is known about it, including any specs. Coolest-Gadgets says it's just one of a line of products designed to promote Lenovo's partnership with the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where various officials will use "more than 300 servers, 800 desktops and 70 notebooks" manufactured by the company. (Only 70 notebooks?)
There's no word about availability to the public, but if Lenovo issues any commemorative computers they'll undoubtedly become hot souvenirs, as Olympics memorabilia always are. But given that they'll be made in China, the provenance of any such collectors' items might warrant special scrutiny.
(Credit:
Yanko Design)
Another European design to swoon over. We like the look of this Portuguese-made music system so much that we'd be tempted to get it for the design alone. The "Audio Torch" (great name) is a wireless system with a built-in CD player and speakers that's designed to fit snugly in any corner, which makes great for space-challenged dwellings. Even more interesting, it projects a menu on the wall in colors that can be changed with its remote--which, in its silver disc form, is something of an objet d'art in and of itself. And the torch shape? The perfect accent for your neighborhood toga parties.
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