newest technology: Daily Digest Coolest Gadgets for 11/20/2012 ~ DailyTechBytes

Nov 20, 2012 10:30 am | Alison

Hot Water: Key to Recycling Electronic Components?

Our love for gadgets means one thing in life: gadget waste will continue to grow. As new generations of laptops, tablets, phones, PCs and the like appear on the scene one has to wonder where the old ones go. Sure, some can be recycled, but there is certainly cost involved. Realistically much of what goes into a circuit board cannot be reused unless completely taken apart ? which is challenging. If it can?t be recycled it gets thrown into the general trash, only to go into and pollute the earth. I would imagine that growth of industries finding enviro-conscious solutions to dispose of e-waste will start to keep pace with the electronics industry itself.

Researchers at UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL), in conjunction with research partners, have come up with a solution that may help with this waste issue down the road. The research was conducted as part of the ReUSE (Reuseable, Unzippable, Sustainable Electronics) project, a UK government backed initiative to increase the recyclability of electronic assemblies. Currently in the UK only about 2% of assemblies can be reused. The group designed and tested a number of different layers of polymers which were able to be separated into their individual parts at end of life when submerged in hot water. Result? The components on the circuit boards were easily removable after the hot water soak and 90% of them were reusable. Check the video above to see how simple NPL made it look. And who knows, maybe someday we will be able to turn old electronics in with confidence, knowing the insides can be used again ? thanks to NPL and hot water.

Thanks: Liliputing
[ Hot Water: Key to Recycling Electronic Components? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nov 20, 2012 09:30 am | Alison

Mobility + Office Convenience

Mobility rocks, usually. Sometimes our mobility clashes with the conveniences we have become used to in an office environment. Have you ever tried popping a cell phone on speaker and getting colleagues to crowd around? Far from professional eh? And the sound quality ? on both ends ? leaves something to be desired. More and more businesses and individuals rely on mobile technology to communicate. Yet be realistic, cell phones are not meant to be speaker phones or true video conferencing options.

invoxia ? makers of telecom products meant to simplify life ? want to bridge the gap between office convenience and mobility. The AudiOffice, $299 at invoxia.com, does just that, while offering comfort, high quality sound and practical functionality. This dock offers iOS compatible voice and video calling features. Connect your iOS device directly or via Bluetooth and receive or make calls with FaceTime, Skype, Viber or other mobile communication programs. Talk through the handset or the 4-speaker equipped speakerphone mode, where invoxia uses their In Vivo Acoustic technology and to effectively overcome the typical limitations directive speakers. You hear the call through the entire space. Likewise, 2 microphones enable those on the other end to accurately hear the conversation. And when the workday is done ? or the calls stop coming in ? connect your device and play your tunes through the same quality acoustics. AudiOffice is compatible with iPod Touch gen 4, iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S and now 5 plue new iPad and iPad 2. Touch gen 3 and iPad can be used for music. Shipping is available in US, Europe and the UK. So whether you are a small office that is totally mobile in communication, or you need a good office/home office solution for effectively making and taking mobile calls invoxia AudiOffice offers a stylish and functional solution.
[ Mobility + Office Convenience copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nov 20, 2012 07:00 am | Edwin

Radiation Detecting Watch

You might be living in a peaceful country, but bear in mind that there is always the threat of nuclear warfare breaking out at any time no thanks to some renegade failed states, insane regimes as well as established nuclear powers who are too jittery. For those who are paranoid androids, being totally afraid of a radiation fallout wherever you go, then the $1,500 Radiation Detecting Watch does sound like the perfect timekeeping device to own in these troubled times.

I suppose it would have sold particularly well for folks who wanted to visit Japan after the tsunami hit the Land of the Rising Sun in the first quarter of 2011, crippling a nuclear power plant in the process. Although the Japanese government did deem their country to be safe to visit, there were instances of sushi bars making available a geiger meter for customers to give them peace of mind, that they are not eating irradiated seafood. Well, 2011 might be a distant memory for you now, but at least you can use the Radiation Detecting Watch to pick up residues of unusually high radiation wherever you go ? and perhaps detect some mutants along the way. The watch itself boasts of a durable ultra-lightweight Titanium case, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and is water resistant to 330?.

[ Radiation Detecting Watch copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nov 20, 2012 06:30 am | Edwin

minibru Coffee Mug

You might think that a coffee mug is just that ? a coffee mug. However, what if we were to tell you that the $24.99 minibru Coffee Mug is no ordinary coffee mug? Sit down and hear us out for a while as to the uniqueness of this particular drinking contraption. Basically, it is capable of making a single cup of French press ? executing it to perfection, if you will, and yet remains dishwasher safe for easy cleaning up once you have kick started your day with the perfect cuppa.

The minibru Coffee Mug more or less eliminates two niggling issues for those who can be pretty particular in their lives ? it means you need not rely on a French press pot any more, and there is no worry to drink all of it before it gets cold, and neither do you need to look silly while drinking from one of those French press travel mugs. With the minibru Coffee Mug, you can have a single, perfectly brewed cup of French press coffee while oozing with class. All you need to do is fill your cup with coarsely ground coffee to the lower fill line, pour in some hot water to the upper fill line, and be patient for up to three minutes before you insert the filter cylinder and press it down slowly until the entire brew is completely filtered.

[ minibru Coffee Mug copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nov 20, 2012 06:00 am | Edwin

Most expensive Scrabble board yet

We all know how easy it is to come up with the title of "the most expensive (insert item name here)" by slapping on a few precious jewels, and you are good to go. After all, the Vertu range of mobile phones do a pretty good job at that ? even though the innards underneath the hood are far from satisfactory, of course. Well, what about board games? I am quite sure if you were to have a diamond studded board game, you would most probably display it behind a secure glass cabinet instead of having your kids throw it around in a temper tantrum whenever they are on the losing end of things. However, this Scrabble board is very different from the rest ? especially when Mind Sports International gave their take on a classic board game, updating it so that it remains technologically relevant in the 21st century.

For starters, this spanking new Scrabble board looks pretty ordinary from the outside at first glance, but it was specially constructed by using RFID chips within each tile, allowing it to detect just where each letter is placed, while transmitting the data to an online channel in a near instantaneous reaction. Not only does this allow folks to follow the game live in a different manner remotely, it also reduces the incidences of potential cheating. All the necessary electronics remain hidden from sight though, thanks to the raised platform.

The 100 letter tiles, as mentioned, will contain a unique RFID tag, while all nine circuit boards are connected to 225 RFID antennas ? meaning one for each square on the board, where these will help monitor just where each letter is placed. Your tile rack is not just wood, as it contains RFID sensors as well, helping scan the play area for each tile, takes approximately 974 milliseconds while they are at it.

Just how much would such a Scrabble board cost you? Mind Sports invested more than ?20,000 (around US$31,800) to construct each new board, not to mention taking months to test. You take a good guess at what the final sticker price will be like then.

Source
[ Most expensive Scrabble board yet copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nov 20, 2012 05:52 am | Edwin

CM4 Q Card Case for iPhone 5 starts to ship

At long last ? well, it is not that long actually, considering how the iPhone 5 has not exactly been out for that long on the markets, but at the very least, we do know that the CM4 Q Card Case has begun to ship. After all, don't you love your iPhone 5 to bits and pieces, and hope that this smartphone will be able to get through an entire year without any nicks or scratches? Well, the CM4 Q Card Case intends to fill this big pair of protective shoes for the iPhone 5, where it is touted to deliver device protection in a smart design, boasting a built-in wallet sleeve as well which is capable of holding up to three different cards as well as cash.

This particularly updated version of the Q Card Case is proud to be the thinnest of the lot to date, and yet it will still sport CM4's classic Black Onyx and Pacific Green, in addition to a couple of new colors ? and we are talking about Red Rouge and Mahogany Brown. The iPhone 5 version has also undergone a special session of craftsmanship, where this means it is now able to play nice with the spanking new Lightning dock adapter, enabling users to also continue using their 30 pin accessories. I guess you can more or less say that the Q Card Case is an ideal solution for folks who tend to travel a whole lot, in addition to others who prefer to travel light by wanting to look slim even with something in their pockets or purses.

It does not matter if you are attempting to navigate through airport security, meet up with new business prospects, or simply to go shopping with the rest of the family, the CM4's extremely convenient Q Card Case will definitely do its bit to reduce the insane amount of clutter that we have managed to accumulate in our pockets and purses over time. Made out of soft-touch rubber as well as a premium fabric wallet sleeve which fits an ID, credit or debit card, and some cash, you end up with a lightweight and yet secure fit around the iPhone 5. There is also a protective front bezel thrown into the mix with lay-flat Screen Guard design, delivering an added layer defense for the iPhone screen.

The Q Card Case will retail for $39.99 a pop with a one-year premium warranty.

Press Release
[ CM4 Q Card Case for iPhone 5 starts to ship copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]