Gear Lover - by Craig Hill

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The Polaroid Pogo Portable Printer

July 4th 2008 00:48

The Pogo Arrives

The Palm size Printer

Polaroid, the company responsible for mass producing instamatic cameras back in the day is hoping to launch a new tech revolution with its latest consumer item. Released today (July 4th) the Pogo hand held portable printer is looking to replicate the instant gratification that Polaroids original all in one photo development system had.

USB and Bluetooth compatible the Pogo, prints borderless 2 inch by 3 inch images straight from your digital camera, mobile phone or any other new age photographic devices. Compact and portable, the unit is around the size of a deck of playing cards.

The Pogo at work

Using ZINK technology (zero ink printing) the crystalized paper inside colourises when exposed to heat. From the official Polaroid Pogo site:
“The patented ZINK Paper is an advanced composite material with embedded yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals, activated with 200 million heat pulses, in 30 seconds, in a single pass. With 100 billion crystals in a 2x3" print, the paper is 100% inkless. A ZINK-enabled printer uses heat to activate and colorize these crystals. Because there is no ink, every ZINK-enabled device has the unique benefits of being small, simple, elegant, and eco-friendly.”

Stephen Smith, the company's UK managing director, said: "There's nothing on the market quite like it. The technology is brand new. Everywhere I go people go "wow" when they see it…We reckon it'll be just as successful as any of our previous launches."

A closer look

If like me the majority of images you capture on digital devices end up on your PC but seldom in hard copy, this invention aims to change all that. Costing around $150 US the paper for the machine is $10US for 30 sheets.

Here are the specs from the official Polaroid Pogo Site:
2” x 3” borderless, sticky-back prints
Bluetooth, PictBridge compatible
Smudge-proof, water-resistant, tear-proof photos
Fade-resistant, long-lasting images
No waste – no ink cartridges
Prints in about 60 seconds
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

How it Works - The Polaroid Pogo

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Posted By: Dexter - Category: Cameras, Gadgets, Home, Video

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Never Mow Your Own Lawn Again!

February 27th 2008 00:05

The Lawnbott 3500

The Rolls Royce of Mowers

Mowing down the competition, (Just had to get that out my system) this is an invention that in my mind will make manual lawn mowers an inanimate antique.

Personally I’m allergic to grass, on a bad day it can give me a rash and hay fever simultaneously. Add to that the harsh Aussie sun in the middle of summer and you will have the reason why I HATE mowing the lawn.

The Evolution of Grass Cutting

For some one like me the news a few years ago that the Lawnbott 2000 was released was met with an initial wave of pleasure. Soon it subsided though because this earlier Robot gardener was restrictive rather than freeing. It’s impractical design meant larger back yards required multiple charges due to inadequate battery life and it failed to tackle some basic physical obstacles like hills.

LawnBott 3500

Now the Brand new LawnBott 3500 from KA Home Robotics promises more range, longer life and increased abilities. Coming armed with Blue tooth compatible and the capability to work up gradients of 30 degrees this top of the range model boast the drive to cut back 1.5 acres of the ever growing green stuff.

Directly from lawnbott.com:
“The homeowner can program which days of the week and what hours of the day the LawnBott needs to come out of its charging base and cut the grass. At the end of its work cycle, the LawnBott will go back to its charging station and take a nap while it recharges, ready to come out again for the next cycle.

Safety and Security are further enhanced with the LB3500 through a higher sensitivity, free-floating, 360° bumper shell, blade stop proximity sensor, and an on-board alarm system should an unauthorized user pick up the Lawnbott.

Utilizing two (2) lithium-ion batteries to propel more powerful motors, the LB3500 can handle slopes up to 30°. It can also maintain a larger yard area, up to 38,000 sq. ft. That’s well over a 1 ½ acre home’s typical yard size.”

I don’t know about you but once these become more common place and drop in price I will be amongst the first to grab one.

To find out the price of owning your own LawnBott and for further technical information visit lawnbott.com

Here is a video of the Lawnbott 3200 Evolution

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Posted By: Dexter - Category: Gadgets, Home, Video

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Introducing the Gravity Light

February 20th 2008 00:05

Greener Gadgets Conference

The Bamboo Kinetic Phone - Crazy but interesting

Over on greenergadgets.com they have just had there annual one day conference that includes a design competition. Directly from the sites press page, the winner was:

The EnerJar DIY Energy Meter Kit
Designed by Matt Meshulam and Zach Dwiel

MacGyver enters the energy race

This little downloadable DIY kit uses household materials to monitor and measure the energy output of a variety of everyday devices, allowing the user to take personal responsibility over energy use.

Not bad, I can see the practical uses but the astounding accomplishment that inspired this post is what came in second prize:

The Gravity Based Kinetic Energy Lamp - Gravia
Designed by Clay Moulton

What goes up must come down

Reminiscent of a grandfather clock, this gorgeous floor lamp uses the weight of a hefty component to kinetically power itself.

A light that works on Newton’s primary principle, is there any fuel supply more readily available? So how does it work you may ask, well an interview with the Gravity lights creator Clay Moulton on newswise.com has a few answers.

“The light output will be 600-800 lumens – roughly equal to a 40 watt incandescent bulb over a period of four hours.
To "turn on" the lamp, the user moves weights from the bottom to the top of the lamp. An hour-glass like mechanism is turned over and the weights are placed in the mass sled near the top of the lamp. The sled begins its gently glide back down and, within a few seconds, the LEDs come on and light the lamp, Moulton said. “It’s more complicated than flipping a switch but can be an acceptable, even enjoyable routine, like winding a beautiful clock or making good coffee,” he said.
Moulton estimates that Gravia’s mechanisms will last more than 200 years, if used eight hours a day, 365 days a year. “The LEDs, which are generally considered long-life devices, become short-life components in comparison to the drive mechanisms,” he said.”

Green Cell Battery Cellphone - Not available in Bamboo

The marvel of nature’s invention, leaving these tools for us to play with. Now with the initiative of that whole climate disaster end of the world scenario looming the human race is again striving forward to develop and discover new energy sources that lie above and below this blue planet.

The cynic in me acknowledges the potential to make big bucks out of the added media hype and corporate greed is an epidemic. Still the ends may justify the means. No matter what your stance on climate change less draining of our natural resources guarantees the future stock for many generations.

To strive for alternate fuel and power is an obvious ambition for the human race. Variety and variation inevitably lead to optimising technology. As a gadget lover the idea of my various components and portable devices being able to run on something as simple and cheap as sunlight or in this case, Kinetic energy or gravity, that's invention.

Please visit greenergadgets.com and newswise.com for more information about Clay Moulton and other revolutionary technology.

Here is some footage of the Green Gadgets Awards Ceremony with some stunning innovations.

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