Gadgets news: Reversible USB, slumber mask and unpoppable bubble wrap


13 Jul 2015

REMzen's slumber mask

This week in gadget news, a digital slumber mask, the world’s first fully-reversible micro USB, and the manufacturers of bubble wrap are making the much-loved product unpoppable!

MicFlip , the world’s first fully-reversible micro USB

When you go to plug a USB cable into its port, nine times out of ten its the wrong way around — I don’t know why that is, it’s just Murphy’s Law. But that’s not a problem with the MicFlip, the world’s first-ever fully reversible USB cable and plug, which allows you to connect your device without the ignominy of jamming it in upside down.

It’s a simple concept, but one that reduces the risk of damaging vital components by accidently forcing standard Type-A USB and microUSB plugs in the wrong direction. The MicFlip is also bolstered by an ultra-strong braided nylon lead, aluminum shell and gold-plated plugs to help resist damage.

The product’s developer, WinnerGear, is currently seeking backing via Indiegogo.

REMzen slumber mask

Like all classic sleeping masks, REMzen blocks out light so you can get a better night’s sleep. But unlike other masks on the market, this device wakes wearers by illuminating their eyes with a simulated sunrise at just the right time to help regulate their sleep cycle and minimise grogginess.

In order to do so, REMzen measures REM sleep throughout the night, stirring you when you are in a shallow portion of your slumber. And because it records these cycles, the mask can provide you with data relating to the quality of your sleep too.

Remzen is currently seeking backing for the product via Crowd Supply.

Philock

Philock is a dual alarm and security cable system that can be fitted to any type of bike. Cast in a reinforced alloy fixation, the case is resistant to high temperatures and rain, as well as violent impacts, like hits from would-be thieves.

The device also comes with an accompanying mobile app that reminds users where they have left their bike, and if it does get stolen, informs them of its whereabouts in real time.

Philock’s French developers are preparing to launch a Kickstarter campaign for the product and you can keep up with developments via its website.

iBubble Wrap

Prepare to be given the gift of time. Sealed Air Corp, the original makers of bubble wrap, has launched its new product iBubble Wrap, an unpoppable version of the much-loved packing material.

As reported by Vanity Fair, iBubble Wrap – named with Apple in mind, presumably – is designed with ‘interconnected columns’ and must be inflated by a machine at the point of shipping. Shipping it un-inflated means more warehouse space, with “one truckload of iBubble Wrap has the same amount of packing material as 47 trucks filled with bubble wrap”.

Here’s the clutch though: sealed Air Corp is totally replacing original bubble wrap with this new product, so no more popping fun for any of us. The monsters.

bubble-wrap

NewerTech Kitchen Kit

Using an iPad in the kitchen can be somewhat tricky given the messy nature of cooking. The NewerTech Kitchen Kit, however, is an iPad stand that lets you use the device in the kitchen for viewing recipes, videos, web browsing, listening to music and more.

The product can rotate 360 degrees and pivot up and down for maximum efficiency, and features a soft touch, scratch-resistant rubberised black aluminum finish and an anti-skid rubber base with removable silicone blocks that keeps your iPad right where you want it at all times. And to keep messy hands from touching the screen, the Kitchen Kit includes a silver stylus.

The stand works with all full-sized iPads, original to 4th generation.

kitchen-kit

Bubble wrap image via Shutterstock