I have never been so unfortunate as to have my cellphone drop into the toilet but, have heard countless tales of people who have lost it all in, what must be, the most demoralizing way possible. With their new WaterBlock technology, and your brave hand, HzO will make sure you never have to feel that pain again.

HzO’s WaterBlock technology protects all kinds of valuable electronics from humidity, rain, and even total water submersion. Unlike bulky waterproof cases, this invisible coating protects delicate circuitry at a molecular level, from the inside out – no need to worry about plugging up charging ports or headphone jacks.

The waterproof coating is created by placing any device or material into a vacuum chamber and replacing the typical atmospheric gases with an organic gas that builds up a solid thin film through a secret magical proprietary process.

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Xbox Kinect isn’t just for controlling digital gaming characters anymore.

The self described geniuses at Chaotic Moon have taken a motorized longboard and put it on geek steroids with a Xbox Kinect, Samsung Windows 8 tablet, phidget interface module, and all terrain tires – because they can.

The aptly named “Board of Awesomeness” utilizes video and speech recognition along with location and accelerometer data to allow riders complete control of the board without the aid of any other controllers (and while only looking mildly crazy).

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Zapata Racing’s FlyBoard has made the dramatic Sean Connery-based James Bond spy getaway a reality!

Warning: this looks extraordinarily dangerous and possibly deadly.

Now if that label does not get consumers to flock to the newest invention from Zapata Racing, nothing will. For 4900 Euros, or $6500 US dollars, a FlyBoard can be attained and, with it, a water-based jetpack flying experience.

The sport of wakeboarding has often dazzled spectators with displays of human beings soaring in Superman-like poses above the water for mere seconds before gravity takes them down

The FlyBoard extends the flying ability a bit longer by harnessing the power of a hundred plus horsepower jet ski (or PWC) motor. The human is strapped onto the board and a suit that links them to the FlyBoard system. The unit taps into the water that flows fiercely through the PWC and diverts it into tubes that are attached to the wakeboard-like device on the rider’s feet. Video after the jump…

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The problem with green personal transportation, as far as I am concerned, is that there is nothing sexy about any of today’s options. What good are those hundreds of miles to the gallon if no one wants to drive it? Today at the Tokyo Motor Show Yamaha looked to change all of that with it’s new Y125 MOEGI concept.

This retro beach cruiser style bike sports a super efficient polished 125cc four-stroke motor capable of of taking riders a cool 150 miles, in style, with one tank of gas. This 176lb work of art also features fuel injection, a four speed transmission, belt drive, and LED lights.

Although beautiful, the general simplicity of the design and four-stroke engine means the Y125 will be cheap to both run and maintain. That practicality accompanied by the undeniable style makes it easy to see a future where mass adoption of this green two wheeler could be a real possibility.

Unfortunately, this is all still a conceptual dream but, I can’t imagine anything but positive feedback driving something Y125-like into a not too distant Christmasey future.

[via motorcycle.com]

For someone like me, being able to envision an idea is one thing, but having the know how and ability to act upon that idea is a whole different kettle of fish. Early last year I got into Arduino’s (an open source electronics prototyping platform) and developing little ‘things’ with them. If you are someone with a creative mind you could surely waste many hours – even days – playing and programming Arduino’s. At first it was little things, but as I dug deeper into the possibilities of the Arduino, more ideas would flood in. I then began looking at other platforms such as the .NET Gadgeteer and the PicoCricket and they are both great. Now I have discovered a new want. A whole new platform to learn and something that looks like it would be great for rapid prototyping. The Teagueduino.

The Teaguedino is a development board loaded with the Teensy++ USB Development board plugged right into their custom breadboard which supplies you with 5 inputs and 5 outputs. They also supply you with an array of knobs, buttons, servos, speakers and lights that will literally just snap onto the board. Along with this, The Teaguedino team give you a copy of their open source software which makes the whole learning part easier. It offers up what looks to be a nice GUI with fairly simple to use Drag and Drop features. The idea is to get as many people as possible, spanning all ages, into development for embedded electronics and as all the components just snap into place (No soldering required) this can guarantee adoption.

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I have been hearing lots of chatter in the tech world regarding the rise of NFC (near field communication) technology in the mobile market, and I have concluded one thing: this is the future of quick merchant transactions. For many people, the wallet will soon be obsolete.

The basis of this conclusion is not from first hand experience. I have not even seen Google Wallet in action yet. What I do know is that the ubiquity of smart phones, and how they have become a central hub for content in our daily lives has created a perfect recipe to combine the two things many people have on them at all times.

A little over a year ago, I started seeing this new iPhone case which contained a slot in the back to store your credit cards. Many of my friends eliminated the need for their wallet because they simply slid their credit cards into the little slot, thus consolidating down to just one item. NFC essentially takes that concept even further, and turns  everything digital into just one device.

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The geniuses over at ThermaCELL have come up with an amazing device that lights the way (pun intended here, people) toward a fun outdoor experience:  the Mosquito Repelling Outdoor Lantern scares away the bugs!

This incredibly small and light lantern’s base fits in the palm of the hand, yet provides enormously bright LED-powered light while it deters insects for a 15 x 15 foot radius.

Does it work?  Well, yes it does!

This lantern is small, gives off a good amount of light on my deck but is not overbearing and is the best thing that I have ever witnessed for getting rid of the vampire-sickly mosquitoes and their friends.

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Leave it to the British to come up with a sticky product capable of suspending any phone without the use of hands.  They must have taken their iPhones and stuck them to the office walls during teatime before deciding on the gadget’s name as “nohands.”

Is the skinny 2×3 inch polymer “nohands” handy?  Well, in a manner of speaking, yes, yes it is.

The rubbery feel to “nohands” reminds one of silly putty, except that this little rectangle can bond to any smooth surface or electronic device with just a twist, and it leaves behind no residue or marks of any kind.

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As a guitar player, I’ve never been fond of instruments on the tech market. Pressing the little colorful plastic tabs (not unlike a children’s toy) on video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band never did it for me. There was nothing out there for the modern shredder looking to venture into the electronic world of music, that is, until the Misa Kitara.

A new instrument, the Kitara is a digital stringless guitar, which includes a touch screen and an interface that allows the player more control over sound. That’s right, no more plucking or calluses. Instead, the sleek 24-fret neck contains buttons for each note one would normally find on an electric guitar. When playing, press the button for the desired note with your left hand and use your right on the touch screen to manage the sound and digital effects like distortion, modulation, and delay.

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It’s not even Thanksgiving yet so, you know what that means? Time to start thinking about Christmas. What better way could you possibly celebrate holidays than by knowing you aggravated the hell out of your closest friends and family!

The world famous Annoy-a-tron got a festive makeover just in time for the Holiday season, so now you can give that special unsuspecting someone a gift that will keep on giving. The TannenBomb looks like an innocent thoughtful Christmas tree ornament but, when your loved one hangs it on the tree, a switch is triggered that causes it to come alive with the sounds of beeps, mosquitoes, crickets, and elf giggles at totally random intervals.

With it’s festive stealth box this Trojan Horse is sure to find it’s way right to the Christmas tree and with it’s pressure sensor switch, it will be sure to have plenty of juice left for many years to come. Grab a TannenBomb prank Christmas tree ornament and drive anyone on your list crazy for under $12.