GeekSugar

6 Geeky Umbrellas to Keep Your Head Dry

GeekSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:05:13 -0700

It was only a matter of time before the rain arrived, and boy is it here this week in SF! Keeping dry in the Winter can sometimes be an impossible task when there's a heavy windstorm accompanying the downpour, but at least you can attempt to keep the rain out of your hair with these totally geeky-but-cool umbrellas.

View Slideshow ›

Techie Umbrella: Internet, Photos And GPS

GeekSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 06:00:13 -0700

Picture this, you're suddenly caught in the rain and completely lost. What do you do? You open your Pileus Internet Umbrella and start singing a little Rihanna. That's what. The umbrella is connected to the Internet and has a large screen on the top surface, a built-in camera, a motion sensor, GPS, and a digital compass. It was started as academic research of Human-Computer Interaction Design at Keio University Okude Lab, but it has turned into a business and the students are working on making it ready for the commercial market. Right now the umbrella provides two main functions outside of the usual water protection: a social photo-sharing device that's pretty to look at and 3D map navigation, so you just have to do a little map search and you're back on track.

The umbrella's 3D map navigation is powered by Google Earth and can share a 3D bird view around the user. Users can walk-through a city comparing the 3D views and the real world around them, and the map is always updated by GPS and a digital compass.

To check out more photos of the umbrella and learn more about it, read more

View 5 Photos ›

The umbrella's photo function is connected to Flickr, so a user can take photos with a camera on the umbrella, and pictures are uploaded to Flickr in two minutes with context tags via a wireless Internet connection.

Stealth Umbrella Tested, Geeks Rejoice

GeekSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 03:08:57 -0800

There may never be a geekier sight to see than The Sun's Harry MacAdam testing a new Stealth Umbrella and a traditional umbrella in the Honda Wind tunnel at the Imperial College London. The Sun's tests revealed that the breaking point of the ultra-sleek umbrella is a gust of 34.7MPH. That's a whole lot sturdier than my pretty umbrella!
For a full gallery of pictures, read more

Here's more:

But the humble conventional umbrella - a 1,700-year-old design - crumples at 26.8mph, little more than a light breeze.
Our dramatic findings suggest the old-fashioned umbrella could be all washed up.

Sun man Harry said: “The new umbrella sliced through the breeze and its shape would have kept the rain off me if it had been pouring.”

View 5 Photos ›

Source

Light Saber Umbrella - Star Wars Fans Beware!

GeekSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:02:59 -0800

The Light Saber Umbrella offers Star Wars fans something they don't get everyday: the chance to carry a light saber around without feeling like the biggest geek on the street.

You all know how much I love umbrellas, particularly the concept umbrella that plays music while you walk, but I'm not sure there's room in my umbrella bucket for anything Star Wars related. To be honest, I'm pretty sure my boyfriend would steal it.

View 7 Photos ›

Obama Shows You What the Weather Is Doing in Your City

GeekSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:15:53 -0800

In San Francisco, the weather can be hmm . . . how do I say . . . so up and down that I really do depend on my daily cell phone weather forecast deliveries to know what the heck I should wear each day! I like Umbrella Today because it texts me whenever I need to take an umbrella to work with me, but I also like Sleeves, since it says if I need to wear a long-sleeved shirt, a t-shirt, or if I can go sleeveless!

Well I think I've found one that tops em' all. With Obama Weather, you just enter your zip, and there's our cute President Barack Obama showing you a full weather forecast, and the most appropriate attire to wear each day! I'm loving it!

James Cameron Gets Creative With Tech to Promote Avatar

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:05:30 -0800

Augmented reality seems to be the next big thing on the tech horizon - already new apps and even umbrellas are using the technology - and it doesn't seem to be in short supply either. Just after we learned that Esquire will be using augmented reality in their upcoming issue, I realized that James Cameron has also harnessed the feature to promote his next big blockbuster. Every time you buy an Avatar product - whether it be an action figure or a branded can of Coke - you can use your webcam to have some fun with 3D right in your home. Just hold the product up to your webcam, and you'll see a interactive 3D character on your screen. Sure, you can't do much with a 3D character, but it might make me pick up a can of soda next time I hit the convenience store!

In addition, the latest three minute Avatar trailer was released over the weekend to the "world's largest trailer-viewing audience", proving that Mr. Cameron is willing to use a pretty big bag of tech tricks to get our butts in the theater next month!

3 Ways to Get Your Weather Forecast Delivered Daily

GeekSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:15:45 -0700

Nothing ruins a good day like getting caught in the rain -or snow, or cold, or sweltering heat - when you least expect it, or when it conflicts with your morning run. Here are three ways to have the forecast delivered right to your phone or inbox, so you won't get caught unprepared again. Don't fret if the forecast calls for rain or snow! You can use one of these geeky umbrellas to stay dry.

View Slideshow ›

Umbrella That Plays Music Will Have You Singing

GeekSugar — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:46:46 -0800

When I was little I probably watched "Singing in the Rain," starring Gene Kelly about five times with my grandma. Something about Kelly's moves, the rain and the "glorious feelings" the characters exuded left a longstanding impression on me...so you can imagine my surprise when boy-focused tech blog Engadget found this concept umbrella that plays music, and seemed to not understand the joy that would be singing in the rain with a musical umbrella.

The music umbrella was created by Sdesignunit, after its designers pondered the special feeling that listening to music on a rainy day evokes in people. The dome structure of umbrellas allows sound to be more concentrated, and the handle of an umbrella could be a great part for controlling the music.

View 5 Photos ›

This Week On Geeksugar - Umbrella With Internet?

GeekSugar — Sat, 19 May 2007 12:00:28 -0700

Picture this, you're suddenly caught in the rain and completely lost. What do you do? You open your Pileus Internet Umbrella and start singing a little Rihanna. That's what. Techie Umbrella: Internet, Photos And GPS
If you've ever wondered how models and celebrities can appear so picture perfect in magazines you can stop wondering. How Photoshop Works Its Digital Lipo Magic
Like ultra expensive luxury cell phones, million dollar laptops and gold plated TVs, the market for the world's most expensive MP3 player is still a mystery to me. World's Most Expensive MP3 Player
Hollywood Halo fans like Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder, Geoffrey Rush, Aisha Tyler, Dane Cook and Brody Jenner showed up at red carpet sneak peek event for Halo 3 for Xbox 360 this week and got a chance to test out the much-anticipated game. Hollywood Gets A Sneak Peek Of Halo 3
Create your own Mii, submit it to geeksugar's Mii Creation Contest and tell me a bit about your Mii for your chance to win a beautiful 3 inch statuette of your Mii from Fabjectory! Contest ends Monday! Join Geeksugar's Mii Creation Contest!
I have to say, I'm kinda crushing on the geeky guy who asked his mom to cross-stitch the Princess from Super Marios Bros. onto a shirt for him. Princess Gets Stitched On Shirt, Courtesy Of Mom
Four year old Orangutan Bernas and his mom Madu from the Atlanta zoo have been trained to play this specially-designed computer game that is intended to boost their memory. Orangutans Play Video Games Too!
I love gmail as much as the next person, but I've always been a little perturbed that I didn't know how to compose an e-mail in a separate window. How To Compose Gmail Messages In A New Window

Get Daily Weather Forecasts Right on Your Cell Phone

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:15:15 -0700

I ran into a little problem the other day. To make a long story short, I overestimated how warm the weather was going to be and froze my butt off at work. I'm sure by taking one look at my Summer attire, FabSugar must have wondered if I had paid attention to the frigid forecast - which I didn't - but boy did I learn my lesson. I've become a bit reliant on Umbrella Today for notifications on my cell when it's going to rain, so after my error in weather judgment, I've decided to take action.

The Weather Channel has a weather alert service that can either (or both) text you or email you the weather forecast each day. Just enter your location, phone number, and what time you want your alert delivered, so you'll never get caught out in the cold again!