Technabob » outdoor

Tree Bench: Strap on and Sit down

Hazel Chua — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:13 +0000

Buildings used to take months, even years, to construct. But in this day and age where time is of the essence, did you know that these structures can be built in less than six days? Well, that’s what China did anyway with a 15-story building recently. The secret to this was because they more or less made use of pre-engineered parts already.

In a similar (or not so?) similar fashion, you could have your very own park bench – in as little as ten minutes, in fact, if you’re super strong and have a couple of people helping you out while you set it up.

These Tree Benches are a part of Utrecht-based spatial designer Rogier Martens‘ ”Aandeboom” series, which translates to something like “attached to trees.” Martens came up with these benches after the Dutch city of Amersfoort invited him to design a temporary bench for a local park.

All you need to set up the benches is a strong and sturdy tree trunk. The suspension system makes it quick and easy to “fasten” the bench onto the tree, so to speak.

These Tree Benches would be great to add additional seating to parks and other public areas during huge events or concerts. You should contact Rogier if you want to inquire about the pricing on his benches, in case you want one for yourself.

[via Pop Up City]

R2-D2 Folding Chair: Perfect for Lounging on the Sands of Tatooine

Technabob — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:53:34 +0000

Remember that time that Slave Leia was lounging out in the desert waiting for her next scene on the Sand Barge with Jabba the Hutt? While she looked pretty chill, I’m pretty sure she would have much rather had this R2-D2 chair to relax in.

While it’s not exactly beach weather around here in Chicago, I could see hanging out in one of these for a tailgating party – as long as you don’t mind being ridiculed by your football buddies.

The R2-D2 folding armchair is available now over at ThinkGeek for $39.99 (USD).

Russound AirGo Outdoor Speaker Extends Your Wi-Fi Network to Your Backyard

Range — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:00:28 +0000

The Russound AirGo is a weatherproof and AirPlay compatible outdoor speaker. This 40-watt speaker isn’t just a nice way of pumping out your tunes from your music player, it can also extend your Wi-Fi network wherever you place it.

It’s got a 6.5-inch midrange woofer and two 3.25-inch tweeters. In addition, you can slot your own Apple AirPort Express into its built-in dock, and it will extend your home Wi-Fi network an extra 150 feet, which is great to blanket your backyard while you listen to your tunes. It basically acts as a wireless repeater station. Unfortunately, the AirGo runs on AC only, so you won’t be going very far outside your house without a long extension cord.

The Russound’s AGO1 AirGo Powered Outdoor Speaker sells for $400 (USD), which on top of the $100 needed for the AirPort Express is quite a bit of coin.

[via DVICE]

Portaledge Hanging Tents Seem Handy, A Bit Scary, And Not Very Comfy

Hazel Chua — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:30:59 +0000

I remember going on camping trips with my dad during the weekends when school let out. Not only was it a good way to bond with my dad and my sisters (we’re all girls, so we didn’t really do any extremely rough activities while we were out there.) But anyway, the point was, it was fun. However, I don’t think my eldest sister enjoyed it much because she’s the girly-girl type and absolutely hated it when insects would sometimes come crawling about into our tent.

I’m not a very huge fan of insects either, so I thought the portaledge was a pretty cool and neat idea when I first saw it. A portaledge is described as “a deployable hanging tent system” that’s generally recommended for use by “rock climbers who spend multiple days and nights on a big wall climb.” In other words, they’re hanging tents.

The images you see above are actually from people in portaledges at High Ropes Forest in Germany. They look extremely cool and sort of romantic, if you think about it. They just add a certain little something that might make the camping or climbing trip a bit more special. However, if you’ve got a fear of heights, then portaledges probably aren’t for you.

[via Dvice via LikeCool]

Cookup Solar Barbecue: Like Cooking With Your Satellite Dish

Lambert Varias — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:00:37 +0000

Have plenty of sunlight and money to spare? Check out the Cookup, a neat-looking solar grill from French company ID Cook. As you may have guessed, instead of using traditional fuel like coal or gas, the Cookup concentrates the power of the sun to heat food up to 200°C. The Cookup can be assembled without the need for any tool, and can be adjusted so it can catch the optimum amount of sunlight.

Unfortunately I don’t know exactly how fast it cooks food. In fact, I don’t know how fast food is cooked in general. I just wait until my sister says it’s time to eat. Anyway, ID Cook does say this on its product page: “Cooking time: 60 minutes Chicken.” So yeah. No idea.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I wonder how one goes about retrieving food off of a 200°C surface. I’m sure it’s in the manual, because the Cookup is undoubtedly a long-term investment. You’ll get savings from not having to buy fuel for it, but you’ll have to burn a lot of money upfront – the stainless steel and plastic Cookup INOX sells for about $429 (USD), while the wood and aluminum Cookup200 sells for about $715. You can order both from ID Cook’s website.

[via Notcot]

Camping in a Van Has Never Been This Comfy

Hazel Chua — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:17:58 +0000

I recently went on a long drive to visit my friend who lived several hundred miles away from me. It was a surprise visit, but when I got there, I was the one who was surprised: she was out of town.

I didn’t make any reservations beforehand and I wasn’t familiar with the area, so I was forced to spend the night in my car, since it was already way too late to drive back to the city.

Lesson learned, of course. But my night in the car was far from comfortable and I woke up the next morning with a sore body. However, with the VW Camper Van Tents, sleeping it out in a “vehicle,” so to speak, will give you a way more comfortable experience that I had in my car. For obvious reasons.

The interior of the VW Camper Van Tent is as roomy as the car that it’s a replica of. It sports a vintage look on the outside while it’s as spacious as it can get in a tent on the inside.

The only downside? These tents are a bit on the pricey side though, as they go for £299.99 (~$485 USD) each on Firebox.

Skizee Lets You Ski Without a Mountain

Chris B. — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:14:24 +0000

Ever tried skiing in the Midwest? Having lived nearly my entire life in Indiana, I’ve not found any places nearby fit for skiing. Sure, there are some decent hills here and there, but certainly nowhere worthy of finding a ski lift. With an abundance of open plains, you’d think that there’s no point in even owning a pair of skis around these parts. You would, of course, be wrong.

If you happen to own a Skizee (Really? That’s the best name they could come up with?) then you’d be excited to see an open field with a nice layer of snow on it. You see, this device uses a 10.5hp 4-stroke engine to propel you along a snow-covered surface.

It might not provide the same dangerous thrill as you’ll get on the slopes, but it could be a good bit of fun. Now is it worth the $2,500 asking price? Doubtful.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Dvice]

Snowdozer Cuts Ice Scraping Time in Half

Chris B. — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:37:22 +0000

Has anyone else had enough of the snow? Possibly one of the most annoying things winter has to offer us is the several layers of snow and ice that accumulates on our cars overnight. An ice scraper has FINALLY been created that will combat this nasty part of winter, and give you a lot less cold work to deal with. The Snowdozer is a mega-ice scraper that has two blades to take off ice in two directions, a brush, and a grip. The most interesting thing about this is the grip, and the fact that it extends. So much pressure is taken off of your back and two blades means you’re cutting the time out in the cold in half.

This awesome snow removal device had a 25” length that can go out to 36”, an aluminum handle, plastic head, and nylon bristles. The materials may not be better than any other ice scraper you’ve seen, but it’s design makes sure that none of that matters.

If you’ve ever thought you might have frostbite just from cleaning off your car in the winter, this is definitely something you need to have. And at only $17, you can’t say that it’s not a good investment.

[via 7Gadgets]

Porsche Bobsleigh Bring German Engineering to a Snowy Hill Near You

Chris B. — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:17:59 +0000

How would you like to buy yourself a Porsche for Christmas? No, I’m not talking about the racing wheel that we showed you yesterday. I’m talking about one that you can actually use to move you from point A to point B. Of course these have to be the top and bottom of a snow-covered hill to really work. That’s right, the engineering team at Porsche took some time off from designing cars to make this Porsche Bobsleigh.

This plastic craft might look simplistic, but it’s said to have “directional stability, a low centre of gravity, ease of steering and good braking.” I’m not really sure about those last two, as I can’t imagine doing a lot of steering other than tilting yourself side-to-side. Braking also seems to be a manual thing, with the easiest method likely being the dismount.

Want one? You’re looking at around $225 (USD) to be the coolest kid on the hill.

[via The Awesomer]

Auto Finder Helps Track Down Your Parked Car

Chris B. — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:14:26 +0000

Do you, or someone you know have a bad habit of losing their car? If you’ve always lived in a small town, you probably haven’t run into the problem of losing your car in a parking space very often. Granted, those Walmart parking lots can get a bit crowded during the holidays, but that’s nothing compared to what one can encounter in a large city. Sometimes you can’t even remember how many blocks away you parked the darn thing. If this is frequently the case for you, a special gadget might be required.

Sure, there are apps for your smartphone that can track down your car, but you generally have to remember to set the location before you leave the car. Unfortunately, that can be a pain. This $59 Auto Finder just needs to be installed in your car, and a special keychain added to your car keys. Hold down one button, and it will let you know if you’re pointing in the right direction of your vehicle. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You know, after seeing that thing in action, I can only think of one thing. I want to get one, and hack it into A Ghostbusters P.K.E. meter. I would seriously walk around with one of those, waiting for the little arms on the side to go up all of the way, so I know where the “ghost” is. Who’s with me?

[via CoolestGadgets]

Year-Round Sled is Perfect for Warm Weather

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:42:44 +0000

I live in Texas where it’s not just hot in the summer, its hawt. The upside is that in the winter if we get below freezing more than a few weeks it’s a bad winter. That said, we rarely get snow so we don’t get to make snowmen or throw snowballs each year and sledding is unheard of around here. If you live in a warm area or just want to sled year round, we have your sled.

The thing is from Hammacher Schlemmer and is called the Year Round Sled. It has trays that you use to make sheets of ice. After the ice is done, you connect the sheets to the bottom of the sled and off you go, no matter the weather.

If you happen to get a snowstorm in the winter, you can take off the ice forms and sled for real. The thing measures in at 38″ L x 20.5″ W x 6″ H and weighs 10.5 pounds. It will hold riders up to 200 pounds and sells for $89.95 (USD).

Wavebox Portable Microwave: for Lazy Campers

Lambert Varias — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:35:52 +0000

I’m not much of an outdoors guy, but I’m pretty sure that a lot of campers think that preparing and cooking food is part of the experience. If you’re not in that camp though, you might want to take a look at the WaveBox, a portable microwave oven.

The WaveBox weighs 14lbs, and its cooking cavity measures 10″ (w) x 7″ (d) x 6″ (h), so it should handle most pre-packaged meals without a problem. It has a luggage handle, ABS casing, and rubberized legs. But its most important feature is that the WaveBox can be powered in three ways.

The WaveBox has a detachable AC cord, so you can use it at home just like any other microwave. If you’re outdoors, you have two options – it comes with a 9ft. DC cable that you can clamp directly on to a 12v car or boat battery, and it also has a DC 12v cigarette lighter adapter. The third option though seems to have caused trouble for other users. The WaveBox needs a power outlet with a current of at least 20amps for it to work, and even then it’ll only be good for heating food, and not for cooking. Several people have complained that the outlets in most vehicles only have 15amps. You still have the option of plugging it directly into a 12v battery, but if you’re planning on using your vehicle’s lighter outlet, you should check if its outlet/s are rated at least 20amps.

If you just live without TV dinner and microwave pizza, then get a WaveBox. You can get one at Amazon for $203 (USD). Check out its official website for more info.

[via InventorSpot]

Millennium Falcon Backyard Fort: Why Didn’T I have One When I was a Kid?

Range — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:08:54 +0000

I don’t know why I didn’t have one when I was growing up, but the kid who’s going to get this is pretty lucky. Then again, do 9 year-olds know what the Millennium Falcon is?

This bigger-than-a-car Millennium Falcon kids’ fort even includes solar-powered LED lights positioned inside and outside the “ship”. Brandon from Little Mountain Productions helped build this amazing backyard play fort for 9-year old Christian. It was part of a Make-A-Wish Foundation wish granting. It’s going to be delivered to Christian so that he can live out his Star Wars fantasies in his own backyard.

All in all, I have to say that it looks amazing. I hope that Christian plays his heart out on this Millennium Falcon and beats Han’s Kessel Run record.

[via Geekologie]

Bloom Battery Cordless Lamp Lets You Take Your Lighting With You

Technabob — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:38:00 +0000

At first glance, this might look like any other minimal modern table lamp, but on closer examination, this unique lighting fixture cuts the cord and can go anywhere you go.

Designed by Rob Slewe of BLOOM, the Battery portable lamp has a built in battery pack that provides enough juice to power a high efficiency 11-watt fluorescent bulb.

Plus, it just looks cool when you’re hanging out in the great outdoors with one of these by your side.

The Battery lamp is available in 8 different colors, and in both 40cm (appx. 16″) and 56cm (appx. 22″) tall versions over at BLOOM’s online shop, where they sell for €239 to €259 (appx. $331 to $359 USD).

Verbatim Tuff Clip USB Flash Drive: You’ll have a Hard Time Losing This One

Lambert Varias — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:13:06 +0000

Hey there my dear dear readers. Today I’m going to tell you about the TUFF CLIP USB drives from Verbatim. Unfortunately there’s not a lot to say about them. They seem to have a rugged casing, and they have built-in clips, so you can clip it to your belt loop, attach it to your keychain, hell you can even use it as an earring if you want. Oh and you can also protect its contents with a password. So. Yeah. That’s about it. Hmmm. Maybe I should’ve picked a weirder gadget. This is awkward. Should we kiss now? Oh pics. Right! Of course.

The 4GB TUFF CLIP is the blue one, and its currently being sold for a mere $17 (USD) at Amazon. The black drive is the 8GB model, and it sells for $25, also at Amazon.

[via GetUSB]

Freeloader Pro Solar Recharger Juices Up Your Gadgets

Technabob — Sat, 30 May 2009 11:40:31 +0000

Ever find yourself out in the middle of nowhere with not a single drop of power left in your digital gadgets? Then you might just have to grab the new Freeloader Pro, a compact device designed to charge up your portable electronics with the power of the sun.

The pocket-sized solar charger has a built in 1600mAh battery pack that can juice up to full capacity in about 8 hours of full sun, or about 3 hours when connected to your computer’s USB port. A color-coded ring lights up in red to indicate that your Xbox 360 has died the battery drinking in solar energy, and glows blue as it drains.

Just plug your cell phone, game console, media player or digital camera into either the Freeloader’s USB port or connect one of the ten included adapters and you can operate your gadgets directly off the Freeloader Pro’s battery or use it to charge up your gadget’s internal power source. The kit also includes the CamCaddy, which lets you easily charge up digital camera and camcorder battery packs in a jiffy.

The Freeloader Pro solar charger ships in June and is available for pre-order over at UK gadget shop I Want One of Those for £69.99 (appx. $97 USD).

Pantel Outdoor Weatherproof HDTV: So Expensive, You Might Not Want to Leave It Outside

Lambert Varias — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:22:15 +0000

Pimp your ride, your pool, your house, and even your dog’s house with Pantel’s outdoor weatherproof HDTVs. They’re rust-resistant, can withstand temperatures from -40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and are equipped with anti-reflective glass screens, features that allow you to be a couch potato even when you’re out of the house.

Bald dudes, I don’t think you should tailgate if you’re going to be driving with an HDTV on your car’s rear. I don’t think you should install an HDTV on your car’s rear either, but hey, it’s your car and it’s your money. Pantel’s outdoor HDTVs also come with wireless receivers and transmitters, eliminating cable clutter. Customers can also choose from a variety of accessories to suit their needs, such as dust covers, floor/wall/ceiling mounts and signal repeaters.

Pantel’s outdoor HDTVs are currently available in 5 sizes: 20″ which sells for $3,000 USD, 32″ which sells for $3,950 USD, 42″ which sells for $5,000 USD, 52″ which sells for $10,000 USD, and 65″ which sells for a whopping $26,000 USD. Pimp prices indeed. The 20″ and 32″ HDTVs support up to 1080i; the 42″, 52″ and 65″ models support up to 1080p.

You can contact Pantel to find out where you can purchase their products. The company urges potential buyers to transact only with websites that have the Pantel authorized online dealer sticker, because you don’t want to give away your 26 grand. What you want is to put a TV worth 26 grand at the rear of your car. You can find detailed specs for the outdoor HDTVs here, and a promo video by Pantel here.

[via home toys]

Vholdr Contourhd: the Helmet Cam Goes High-Def

Technabob — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:37:38 +0000

If you spend an inordinate amount of time off-road biking, downhill skiing, skydiving or something equally adventurous, here’s a great way to capture those thrilling moments of your life.

The new VholdR ContourHD is a wearable HD camcorder that can shoot full 16:9 widescreen video to capture your daredevil moments in glorious high definition. The camera shoots at 1280×720 (720p) resolution at 30 frames per second, or can also shoot SD video at up to 60 FPS if you don’t mind sacrificing resolution for greater framerate. Video can be captured on MicroSD cards, each of which can hold as much as 16GB – about 8 hours of HD video. Not too shabby.

Just strap the weather- and shock-resistant ContourHD to your helmet, and flip the record switch to get started. Not only does it capture video from your point-of-view, but the ContourHD grabs decent audio thanks to a special built-in microphone designed to minimize wind noise as you careen down that hill or out of that airplane. The camera features a special 135-degree wide-angle lens to capture all the action, and even has built in laser guides to ensure you capture a straight shot. And if you’re really defying death and don’t wear a helmet at all, VholdR offers a variety of mounting accessories for your bike, car, ski goggles or other locations.

While the videos below give you a pretty good idea of the type of action you can capture with the ContourHD, you’ll really want to head over the the VholdR site to see some clips in their full HD glory.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can find the VholdR ContourHD camera over at Amazon for $299.99 (USD).

[via Helmet Camera Central via EngadgetHD]

Jetlev Water Powered Jet Pack Laughs in the Face of Jet Skis

Technabob — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:33:24 +0000

With up to 215 horsepower, the JetLev jetpack flings you up to 28 feet in the air at up to 40MPH by pumping water through its jets.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I think I’m gonna stick to my innertube for now.

Focal Aquatune Lets Your iPod Go for a Swim

Technabob — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:40:01 +0000

How many times have you said to yourself – Self… Why is it that I can’t take my iPod in the swimming pool with me? Well this new waterproof sound system from Japan’s Focal is the answer to your inner prayers.

The new AquaTune Nano 4G provides a durable waterproof case for your Nano 4G, while pumping sound out of a pair of high-output 1W speakers which can also handle the wet stuff. The polycarbonate shell is sealed with a watertight O-ring to keeps the H2O out, and your delicate electronics nice and dry.

Don’t have a Nano? Then the AquaTune v2 is right for you. While not as svelte as the Nano 4G, the V2 works with almost every non-touchscreen iPod model under the sun (and in the water), and ups the audio ante with a pair of 3W drivers.

They’re perfect for the beach, swimming, a rainy day, floating in the tub or to accompany your off-key singing in the shower.

No word on when the AquaTune will turn up stateside, but they’re available in Japan with the Nano 4G model selling for ¥10,800 (appx. $118 USD) and a rather pricey for ¥15,800 (appx. $173 USD) the V2.