umbrella

Brolly umbrella leaves your thumbs free for texting

Perhaps someday we'll see a reboot of the 1952 Gene Kelly classic done as "Textin' in the Rain." To pull off the elaborately choreographed texting scenes, all the actors will need to be sporting Brolly umbrellas.

Let's consider how we handle umbrellas when we want to use our phones. We tuck them under armpits, fumble with them in our hands, and sometimes drop them in the process.

Brolly umbrellas are designed to keep your thumbs fancy free and at the ready for all your smartphone texting, Web searching, and e-mailing needs. Heck, you might even want them free for actually dialing and making voice calls.… Read more

Hacked 8-bit music umbrella rocks out as it rains

Pop quiz. You have 12 piezo sensors, Arduino Uno, two speakers, lots of wire, and plenty of duct tape. There is an umbrella nearby. What do you make? How about a musical umbrella that translates raindrops into song?

Two creative Germans, Alice Zappe and Julia Lager, built an umbrella that detects raindrops and interprets them as 8-bit music. This could turn a regular walk down the street into a personalized retro gaming adventure.… Read more

Vodafone Booster Brolly charges your phone, keeps hair dry

It's not just happy post-exam-crazed teenagers who use up all their energy on the first day of a music festival and spend the rest of the weekend a burnt-out husk.

Smartphones also run out of juice all too quickly, and when you're standing in a field at the Isle of Wight Festival watching singer Ed Sheeran, opportunities to recharge are few and far between -- and it's probably raining, to boot. Fortunately, the Vodafone Booster Brolly has all your problems covered.

Except for the bit about Ed Sheeran. No one can help you with that.

Designed in partnership with University College London, the Booster Brolly is a prototype parasol to keep your phone charged and your hair dry no matter what the British summertime can throw at at you.

Read more of "Vodafone Booster Brolly charges your phone, keeps hair dry" at Crave UK.… Read more

Can cell phones cause tinnitus?

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Panasonic announces new 3D plasma TVs with glasses that come in kid sizesRumor has it that two new Droid phones are on their way to Verizon within the next monthBorders launches Borders Textbook Marketplace to buy and sell used textbooks for all grades Playboy launches a site that actually is safe for workA new study shows a link between cell phone use and tinnitusThe Pileus umbrella lets you go surfing in the rain...surfing the Net that is

Crave 04: Laser drugs (podcast)

Jasmine's (mostly) back from vacation, and already hates the iPhone 4. To balance out her blind rage for the as-yet unreleased device, Eric and Donald tackle Crave stories ranging from monkey-controlled robots, laser drug injection, and a Lego printer that drives ladies wild (or not). Stick around for the end, and you may just see Darth Vader's cleavage.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video… Read more

Blade Runner umbrellas for the cyberpunk set

With only nine years to go before 2019, Japanese online retailer Sirobako is selling Blade Runner-style LED umbrellas to help you turn Los Angeles into the dystopian nightmare it aspires to be.

We've seen LED brollies before, but none as downright cyberpunk as the Rainbow Flash LED. It's enough to make you want to run out and retire a replicant.

As seen in the video below, the Rainbow Flash lights up in seven colors and can pulsate in various patterns and speeds. Of course, if you're walking down one of those crime-scene streets lined with neon and … Read more

EasyWalk Umbrella Torch for dark, rainy nights

Rejoice, it's time for another umbrella blog post. This time, it's the EasyWalk Umbrella Torch, a foldable brolly with an attached flashlight. A single LED at the base of the handle is there to illuminate the ground you step on. This will help prevent you from tripping over a step, or more importantly, warn you of puddles in case you ruin your Jimmy Choos.

This umbrella-flashlight combo is available from Australian online store Latest Buy for $37.95.

(Source: Crave Asia via The Red Ferret)

Air umbrella ditches the canopy

For some odd reason, this brolly calls up an image of Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, this weather protector has nothing to do with Star Wars, though the unconventional concept taps the Force. We're talking about a steady stream of air that's sucked in from the bottom of the shaft and then released out the top. The result is an invisible canopy of air that shields you from the downpour.

Korean designer Je Sung Park claims you can adjust the size of the air curtain depending on the number of people using the umbrella, as well as the length of the handle. But to be completely honest, we're still grappling with the feasibility of this particular concept.

More images after the jump. … Read more

Gadgettes 151: The gadgets for aliens episode

We all know that invading space aliens have one primary objective, and that is to impregnate human kind. That and possibly to collect today's assortment of handy gadgets for use on their own planet. Meanwhile, there we'll be, doing their alien chores and cooking their alien dinners for them with no ability to break from their alien spell. Aren't we just a sad bunch of humanoid life forms?

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 151

Cool Window Phone would simulate the weather

Gizmo gauges gals’ fertility–20,000 times a day

Japanese rescue robot consumes injured humans

The 10 most badass sci-fi battlesuits ever

STS-111 multisegment airship is not a flying sandworm but a flying spermatozoon… Read more

X-ray umbrella shows the world your inner self

I'm all for recycling, but this may be just a little too much: using X-rays as umbrella sheets.

X-ray film is not cheap to begin with, and you'll need 24 large ones to complete this do-it-yourself project. So you may end up with a brolly that's unique (after all, no one else can have the same fracture), but at a cost.

You will also need a pair of scissors to cut the fabric from a golf umbrella, a sewing machine, a grommet punch (a tool to make holes), and clear zip ties. Complete graphical instructions on how … Read more