Deals: 7200RPM External, Gadget Chargers, Vacuum Wine Saver, Fire Safepow

The HGST Touro is one of the only 7200 RPM external hard drives out there, and the 1TB model is only $60 today, which is as cheap as we've ever seen it.

If you own an Xbox One, this drive can seriously cut your games' load times vs. the internal hard drive, but any computer user who wants a little extra speed will appreciate it. [ HGST Touro S 1TB Hard Drive, $60 with code EMCPCGP23]

Want to trade a little speed for more capacity and mobile device access? The Wirecutter-approved Seagate Backup Plus 2TB is still on sale. [ Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB, $100]

It's no secret that Anker makes some of the best external chargers around, and two of their larger capacity models are marked down to great prices today.

Anker Astro E4 13000mAh Dual USB Portable Charger ($30) | Amazon

Anker 2nd Gen Astro E3 10000mAh Dual-Port Ultra Compact External Battery ($26) | Amazon

Alternatively, you could trade a little bit of capacity for an LCD display and Wirecutter stamp of approval with the Intocircuit Power Castle. [ Intocircuit Power Castle 11200mAh Charger, $30 with code YBURK9FK]

If you don't own a fireproof safe, this one has 4.5 stars, and is only $17 right now. That's a small price to pay to protect your important documents in the event of an emergency. [ SentrySafe 1200BLK Fire Chest, $17]

Ryobi makes some of the best battery-operated lawn care tools on the market, and Home Depot is taking up to 31% off some of the most popular models, today only. [ Ryobi Lawn Care Tool Sale]

The Vacu Vin Wine Saver extracts air from your open wine bottles and re-seals them, keeping them fresh for up to 10 days after opening. With 4.7 star reviews and a a price tag under $7.50, even occasional wine drinker should give it a look. [ Vacu Vin Wine Saver, $7]

Even more discounts for you today on both the Playstation 4 and Xbox One:

Microsoft Xbox One Console plus $50 Xbox Live Card ($400) | Best Buy

Sony PlayStation 4 ($360) | eBay | No tax

Cast iron offers the best quality/price ratio in the cookware business, but it can be finicky to clean. Today though, Lodge's own scrub brush is down to $11, an all-time low. [ Lodge Cast Iron Scrub Brush, $11]

Need a cast iron pan? The $24 Lodge 12' pan with silicone handle is probably the best deal in the kitchen world.

12 drawers for under $100. If your tool collection is a mess, you don't want to miss this. [ Craftsman 12 Drawer, 12' Top Chest, $90]

We still have a few solid months of summer still to come, and Amazon is taking 50% off men's shorts and swim trunks from Quiksilver, today only. [ 50% off Quiksilver Shorts and Swim Trunks]

These handheld baton-style lamps charge over USB, and are great for camping, fishing, or just finding your way around your basement. Today, you can get two for the price of one. [ BOGO OxyLED Handheld Lamps, $20 with promo code 6SIT9TXT]

The Ultimate Ears MINI BOOM offers shockingly robust sound in a tiny, tastefully-designed package. This model took home the Wirecutter's pick for best portable speaker, and Amazon is currently selling it for the lowest price they've ever offered. [ Ultimate Ears Mini Boom, $79]

The Pacific Rim Collector's Edition is down to just $29 today, and includes the 3D Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray, and DVD. [ Pacific Rim CE, $29]

Such Predator. Wow. $20. [ Predator 5-Film Collection]

The Olympus PEN E-PL3 is a little long in the tooth, but it's a fantastic deal at $249 for anyone looking for their first Micro 4/3 body and kit lens.

Want all of your deals earlier, and all in one place? Be sure to follow Kinja Deals.

Follow us for the best deals on the Internet, and check out http://t.co/w8ke7mw7nT

- Kinja Deals (@KinjaDeals) June 9, 2014

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Get all the best deals, all the time on Kinja Deals, or check out one of our curated segments on Kotaku, Gizmodo, Lifehacker, io9, Deadspin, and Jalopnik.

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This post is brought to you by the Commerce Team. We operate independently of Editorial, and if you take advantage of a deal we recommend, we may get a small share of the sale. We read the comments, and we want your feedback.

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- Shep McAllister (@shepmcallister) December 10, 2013

Our game release calendar is our attempt to make sure you never miss the latest releases, their limited collector's editions, or pre-orders... Read more

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Gadget Watch: PadFone novel as phone

- Companies often blend old products to give you something new.

This summer, AsusTek Computer Inc. claims you don't need both a phone and a tablet - as long as you get its new PadFone X. The PadFone works like any other phone and has a screen that measures 5 inches diagonally. When you want a tablet experience, you simply slip the phone into a slot on the back of the tablet display, which is included. All the apps on the phone now work on the 9-inch tablet. The phone is what runs the tablet. Asus is bringing this concept to the U.S. for the first time.

In some cases, apps switch to the tablet screen automatically, so you don't have to restart the video or reopen the mail app. In other cases, you'll have to close the app and reopen it after attaching the phone to the tablet screen.

For apps that have been optimized for tablets, the layout on the PadFone rearranges automatically to use the extra space. Yet it's fundamentally a phone. You can make calls in tablet mode, using earphones or the device's speakerphones.

- NICE PRICE: It's like buying a phone and getting a tablet for free. Available only through AT&T, the PadFone costs $550 without a contract, or about $100 cheaper than Apple's iPhone 5s and Samsung's Galaxy S5. With a two-year service contract, it's the usual $200 that most carriers charge for a high-end phone.

- ADVANTAGES: Because the two parts count as one device, you don't need a second data plan, which typically runs $10 a month for a tablet under AT&T's sharing plans. This setup also ensures that the tablet has cellular connectivity. Many other tablets work only with Wi-Fi.

In addition, you don't need to install apps twice. Whatever you get on your phone automatically appears on the tablet. You just pick up where you left off whenever you switch, with no need to sync data or settings.

- COMPROMISES: The phone on the back adds bulk to the tablet. It's about three-quarters of an inch at the center, where the phone slot is located. It's also heavy. The combination weighs nearly 1.5 pounds, compared with a pound for the iPad Air.

- DO YOU NEED IT? I'm typically a fan of having multiple devices for different circumstances. Here, you're getting extra thickness and weight in fusing the two gadgets.

There's a case for the PadFone, though, if you're someone who uses a tablet only at home. You can carry the phone with you during the day and attach it to the tablet screen when you get home. You don't have to worry about what apps and data are on which device.

Asus could have gone further, though, making a range of tablet screens available. You might want a 7-inch screen for reading, but a 12-inch screen for video. Why not offer choices to mix and match?

A Short History of Gadget Hate

(Rob Pegoraro)

If smartwatches become an object of public scorn, there will be plenty of precedent. Wearable technology has been upsetting people for years. Let's start in the 19th century...

The watch itself. Glancing at even a 'dumb' analog watch in mid-conversation can annoy others. As Cecil B. Hartley counseled in his 1875 tome The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness: 'It is ill-bred to put on an air of weariness during a long speech from another person and quite as rude to look at a watch.'

(Such conduct can also be career-limiting if done on television; think of President George H.W. Bush checking his watch during a 1992 town-hall debate.)

The Walkman. The makers of Sony's portable music device were sufficiently worried about it being seen as antisocial that they shipped the debut model with two headphone jacks. And then people got angry about the music being played on these things, as seen in philosophy professor Allan Bloom's tirade against the Walkman in his 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind:

'Picture a thirteen-year-old boy sitting in the living room of his family home doing his math assignment while wearing his Walkman headphones or watching MTV [...] A pubescent child whose body throbs with orgasmic rhythms; whose feelings are made articulate in hymns to the joys of onanism or the killing of parents.'

(That 13-year-old boy would now be a 40-year-old man, so if he's ever going to wreck the American republic as Bloom predicted, he'd best get on with it.)

The cellphone. Hearing other people's phone conversations can be annoying, so much that Amtrak tried designating one car on some trains as a no-phone-calls 'Quiet Car' in 2000 and now offers Quiet Cars on six lines.

In 2003, New York City enacted a ban on phone use in theaters over Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's veto. Nineteen months later, Councilman Philip Reed, the sponsor of that bill, told The New York Times that it was unenforceable in practice but still worked to 'embolden the community.'

Individual theaters anywhere don't need a law to kick out offending phone users - as one art-house cinema did when it publicly banned Madonna from the premises after she kept on texting during a screening of 12 Years a Slave.

I agree that too-loud phone conversations are annoying. In 2003 the design firm IDEO came up with a novel solution: a 'social mobile' prototype that, as described by The Economist, 'gives its user a mild electric shock, depending on how loudly the person at the other end is speaking. This encourages both parties to speak more quietly, otherwise the mild tingling becomes an unpleasant jolt.'

If a phone manufacturer can figure out a way to amplify this electroshock therapy when people insist on using phones in public restrooms, I'm all for it.

The iPod. If being able to listen to a 50-minute tape on a Walkman could make you antisocial, how about having a thousand songs in your pocket? Apple's music player and its iconic white headphones put a generation of people in their own musical worlds, and not everyone has been happy about that. For example, the organizers of many running races banned headphones, even if those rules have often been ignored in practice.

But sometimes an MP3 player can help you shut out external noise. As etiquette expert Liz Wyse told the BBC in 2011: 'An iPod is a brilliant thing on trains. Otherwise you're forced to listen to people's loud conversations on their mobile phones.'

Google Glass. This Saturday Night Live sketch says so much about Google's experiment in voice-driven, face-mounted computing, doesn't it?

Finally, smartwatches. We are only now learning if smartwatches will eventually become as acceptable as standard wristwatches, or as intrusive and smart glasses.

Read More: Smartwatch Etiquette: We're Making it Up as We Go.

Razor Crazy Cart hands

Gone are the days when kids would be content rolling a tyre down a street with a stick. Now they demand iPads, apps and motion controllers to keep boredom at bay.

Sitting at the absolute pinnacle of the spoiled child tree has to be Razor's Crazy Cart. At nearly £400, it's the sort of thing that would require multiple birthday and Christmas combos for all but the most lucky of children.

But those who do get their hands on one will not be disappointed. The Crazy Cart is without doubt one of the greatest toys we have ever played with - and sits right at the top of our must-have gadgets list.

Imagine, if you will, that you are 10 years old. Someone gives you a small electric go-kart that you can drift around in any direction - even backwards - and lets you run wild with it. This is what the Crazy Cart is all about - the only difference being that we are adults, and squeezing ourselves into its relatively small plastic seat isn't easy.

It takes about 8 hours to charge and gives around 40 minutes of constant use, which could do with being a bit longer. The real issue though is that it's hugely heavy, so you are going to want a garage and a park nearby if you want to avoid lugging the cart about. It's far too heavy for young ones to carry.

As for the cart itself, it's a very simple thing. A pair of trolley wheels which can be raised and lowered at the back of the cart via a lever are what allows you to drift about and spin in any direction.

The whole thing is driven by an electric motor that is attached to a central wheel, sat directly below the cart's steering wheel. Pushing the throttle will get the cart to build speed. You can then turn the wheel, lift the trolley casters at the back and then slide about.

It takes some practice but once you get it, is hugely fun. The cart can also build up quite a lot of speed when fully charged. We definitely advise sticking a helmet on if you are handing the keys over to young kids, as it's quite easy to crash the cart.

Other than that, the Crazy Cart is all about fun. The way it moves about is difficult to explain, so it's probably worth watching a video of us looking fairly stupid driving in it about the streets of Soho.

As for grown-up use, for those that are tempted, anyone below 5'10' will fit into the driver's seat comfortably. Anyone taller is going to feel very uncomfortable.

The cart is bright red and covered in stickers though, so expect most people to look at you like you're a bit of an idiot. Not that it matters - we did our daily commute in the Crazy Cart one day and had more fun on the way to work than ever before.

Expect the Crazy Cart to be a big deal this Christmas. It's already seen huge success in the United States, and we imagine it will do the same over here.

Make sure you keep an eye out for them in parks in future, particularly at a shin-based level as these things really hurt if they crash into you. Not that we crashed much during our testing... of course.

Razor Crazy Cart hands

Gone are the days when kids would be content rolling a tyre down a street with a stick. Now they demand iPads, apps and motion controllers to keep boredom at bay.

Sitting at the absolute pinnacle of the spoiled child tree has to be Razor's Crazy Cart. At nearly £400, it's the sort of thing that would require multiple birthday and Christmas combos for all but the most lucky of children.

But those who do get their hands on one will not be disappointed. The Crazy Cart is without doubt one of the greatest toys we have ever played with - and sits right at the top of our must-have gadgets list.

Imagine, if you will, that you are 10 years old. Someone gives you a small electric go-kart that you can drift around in any direction - even backwards - and lets you run wild with it. This is what the Crazy Cart is all about - the only difference being that we are adults, and squeezing ourselves into its relatively small plastic seat isn't easy.

It takes about 8 hours to charge and gives around 40 minutes of constant use, which could do with being a bit longer. The real issue though is that it's hugely heavy, so you are going to want a garage and a park nearby if you want to avoid lugging the cart about. It's far too heavy for young ones to carry.

As for the cart itself, it's a very simple thing. A pair of trolley wheels which can be raised and lowered at the back of the cart via a lever are what allows you to drift about and spin in any direction.

The whole thing is driven by an electric motor that is attached to a central wheel, sat directly below the cart's steering wheel. Pushing the throttle will get the cart to build speed. You can then turn the wheel, lift the trolley casters at the back and then slide about.

It takes some practice but once you get it, is hugely fun. The cart can also build up quite a lot of speed when fully charged. We definitely advise sticking a helmet on if you are handing the keys over to young kids, as it's quite easy to crash the cart.

Other than that, the Crazy Cart is all about fun. The way it moves about is difficult to explain, so it's probably worth watching a video of us looking fairly stupid driving in it about the streets of Soho.

As for grown-up use, for those that are tempted, anyone below 5'10' will fit into the driver's seat comfortably. Anyone taller is going to feel very uncomfortable.

The cart is bright red and covered in stickers though, so expect most people to look at you like you're a bit of an idiot. Not that it matters - we did our daily commute in the Crazy Cart one day and had more fun on the way to work than ever before.

Expect the Crazy Cart to be a big deal this Christmas. It's already seen huge success in the United States, and we imagine it will do the same over here.

Make sure you keep an eye out for them in parks in future, particularly at a shin-based level as these things really hurt if they crash into you. Not that we crashed much during our testing... of course.

Gadget Freak Review: The Coolest Cooler; Rotating Wireless Charger

This Gadget Freak review looks at a cooler that is essentially a party on wheels. The Coolest Cooler has built-in blender, Bluetooth speaker, and USB charger. We also look at a sustainable, rotating wireless smartphone charger that can rotate 180 degrees and that you can use while it charges.

The vintage Gadget Freak is a DIY Flexible Display that shows a seven-digit display.

The Coolest Cooler

The 60-quart Coolest Cooler is packed with everything you need to have a good time outdoors, including a built-in ice-crushing blender; a waterproof, removable Bluetooth speaker; and waterproof USB charger. Other highlights include an LED lid light so you can check out what is in your cooler at night, and a bottle opener.

The cooler opens like a picnic basket so you will be able to travel with your essentials, and the split lid opens to a removable divider. On the top of the lids you have storage for the four plates/cutting board and the ceramic knife that comes with the cooler. Traveling with the cooler is a breeze -- the wide wheels allow it to easily roll over sand and the bungee gear tie down allows you to secure items to the top.

The Coolest Cooler still has a month to go on Kickstarter and has raised almost seven million dollars of its $50,000 goal. With a pledge of $185, you can be the proud owner of the Coolest Cooler. It is expected to ship February 2015.

Sustainable, Rotating Wireless Smartphone Charger

Switch, a smartphone wireless charger, is made from sustainable materials and is designed to adapt to screen rotation needs. Many flat charging pads, stands, or holders do not allow you to use your device, but the Switch was designed to charge and offer a 'viewer friendly angle' so you can use the screen and buttons while it is charging. The phone can be rotated 180 degrees so you can use your phone horizontally or vertically.

Switch was designed to be as natural as possible so it is made of fine ceramics and American walnut. A micro suction surface is used to keep the phone in place on the charger.

There is still time to pledge money to this Kickstarter project. Shipping is expected to begin in November.

Gadget Freak Rewind: DIY Flexible Display

Flexible displays are a hot topic, and Marin Davide's goal was to find a cheap and easy way to build one at home. Normally, flexible displays refer to Oled or E Ink, but Davide created a working prototype of a flexible display that can be built at home without special equipment.

The prototype shows a seven-digit display, but this guide can be easily modified to make a small dot-matrix display. The working prototype uses a sheet material printed with thermochromic liquid crystal ink. It changes color (bright blue) when heated above 27C. Nickel-chrome wire is used to heat the segments, and everything is controlled by an Arduino Mega board.

Do you have a Gadget Freak project you would like the world to see? Send a brief description of your gadget and a photo to Assistant Managing Editor Lauren Muskett.

Check out the Best of Gadget Freak -- Volume 2 Technology Roundup here to see some of the best gadgets that your peers have created.

When you are finished, be sure to check out the Best of Gadget Freak: Vol. 1.

Related posts:

Gadget Rewind 2005: BenQ Z2

BenQ may not be a familiar name to some -- at least not in the US -- but its roots in the electronics industry date back to the '80s. The company, formerly a division of Acer, was spun off in 2001 in an attempt to build a brand name for itself. With a background in manufacturing, BenQ began building devices for companies like Nokia and Motorola; devices that were mostly for sale in Asian markets. Soon, it started its own line of mobile handsets and in 2005, BenQ announced a cube-like multimedia device called the Z2. It was poised to compete with the other camera-toting and music-playing cellphones at the time, while also targeting the youth market with its unique form factor and colorful exteriors. Curious to know more? Check out our gallery below.

Gadget Rewind 2005: BenQ Z2 See all photos

9 Photos

Gadget Generation: UK Parents Spoil Their Children With Tech Devices

NBCNews.comGadget Generation: UK Parents Spoil Their Children With Tech DevicesNBCNews.comSure, it seems like almost every child in the U.S. has a cellphone or laptop these days, but they're not alone. Parents in the U.K. spend lavishly on tech gadgets for their kids as well, according to new research by U.K. energy company E.ON., which ...

Gadget Freak Review: The Coolest Cooler; Rotating Wireless Charger

This Gadget Freak review looks at a cooler that is essentially a party on wheels. The Coolest Cooler has built-in blender, Bluetooth speaker, and USB charger. We also look at a sustainable, rotating wireless smartphone charger that can rotate 180 degrees and that you can use while it charges.

The vintage Gadget Freak is a DIY Flexible Display that shows a seven-digit display.

The Coolest Cooler

The 60-quart Coolest Cooler is packed with everything you need to have a good time outdoors, including a built-in ice-crushing blender; a waterproof, removable Bluetooth speaker; and waterproof USB charger. Other highlights include an LED lid light so you can check out what is in your cooler at night, and a bottle opener.

The cooler opens like a picnic basket so you will be able to travel with your essentials, and the split lid opens to a removable divider. On the top of the lids you have storage for the four plates/cutting board and the ceramic knife that comes with the cooler. Traveling with the cooler is a breeze -- the wide wheels allow it to easily roll over sand and the bungee gear tie down allows you to secure items to the top.

The Coolest Cooler still has a month to go on Kickstarter and has raised almost seven million dollars of its $50,000 goal. With a pledge of $185, you can be the proud owner of the Coolest Cooler. It is expected to ship February 2015.

Sustainable, Rotating Wireless Smartphone Charger

Switch, a smartphone wireless charger, is made from sustainable materials and is designed to adapt to screen rotation needs. Many flat charging pads, stands, or holders do not allow you to use your device, but the Switch was designed to charge and offer a 'viewer friendly angle' so you can use the screen and buttons while it is charging. The phone can be rotated 180 degrees so you can use your phone horizontally or vertically.

Switch was designed to be as natural as possible so it is made of fine ceramics and American walnut. A micro suction surface is used to keep the phone in place on the charger.

There is still time to pledge money to this Kickstarter project. Shipping is expected to begin in November.

Gadget Freak Rewind: DIY Flexible Display

Flexible displays are a hot topic, and Marin Davide's goal was to find a cheap and easy way to build one at home. Normally, flexible displays refer to Oled or E Ink, but Davide created a working prototype of a flexible display that can be built at home without special equipment.

The prototype shows a seven-digit display, but this guide can be easily modified to make a small dot-matrix display. The working prototype uses a sheet material printed with thermochromic liquid crystal ink. It changes color (bright blue) when heated above 27C. Nickel-chrome wire is used to heat the segments, and everything is controlled by an Arduino Mega board.

Do you have a Gadget Freak project you would like the world to see? Send a brief description of your gadget and a photo to Assistant Managing Editor Lauren Muskett.

Check out the Best of Gadget Freak -- Volume 2 Technology Roundup here to see some of the best gadgets that your peers have created.

When you are finished, be sure to check out the Best of Gadget Freak: Vol. 1.

Related posts:

New Sleep Gadget Tracks Pretty Much Everything In Your Bedroom

Posted:

Print Article

There are already a lot of ways to track sleep, from fitness trackers to sensors to phone apps. But if you want to get really serious about this stuff, you have to start tracking your bedroom, too.

That's the idea behind a new product called Sense, which tracks your sleep and your sleeping environment. The Sense system takes sleep analytics to a new level, combining information on your sleep patterns with what's going on around you. It can even wake you up at the perfect moment.

Though you can't buy it yet, a Kickstarter for the high-tech sleep system has already raised more than $396,000, with almost a month left to go. The project has already more than tripled its initial goal of $100,000.

According to a video on the Sense Kickstarter page, the sleep tracker has three parts. There's a smartphone app, a device that sits on your nightstand (the 'Sense') and a cute little clip that goes on your pillow (the 'Sleep Pill'). This thing is serious.

The Sense tracks light, temperature, humidity and air particles like dust and pollen, and the Sleep Pill tracks how you move through the night with an accelerometer and gyroscope. Both devices send the data to your smartphone, showing you key info like when your deepest sleep occurred and what interrupted your sleep during the night.

If you find out that the garbage truck interrupted your sleep at 6 a.m., but you didn't even notice, maybe you'll invest in earplugs. If it was the sun, get an eye mask. Learning what's hurting your slumber is key to deeper and better sleep.

Finally, the system wakes you up at the best time for your body. 'If you want to be up by 9:30 but you're already half-awake at 9:15, then your alarm should know to go off then, not wait for you to fall deeper into sleep,' James Proud, the CEO and founder of Hello Inc., the company producing Sense, says in the video on Kickstarter.

When you wake up, you are presented with a sleep score of 0 to 100. Noises, light and other disturbances make your score go down. You're shooting for a perfect 100.

It might not be the best idea to start grading your sleep, since sleeping should be stress-free, not competitive. Still, it would be nice to have a handle on what exactly is going on when you're not awake. Maybe just don't get too obsessed.

Sense's founder, Proud, is one of the inaugural Thiel Fellows, a group of 20 teens each given $100,000 by the billionaire entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel to drop out of college and work on their own project. He's already sold one company, an online platform for concerts.

Americans are notoriously bad about not prioritizing sleep, a simple act that's incredibly important to health and happiness. There's more riding on sleep than you may know. Sleep loss has been linked with weight gain, arguments in relationships, and anxiety. And if you're not ready to spend for a fancy sleep gadget, just making sure you're carving out time for rest is a good first step.

Gadget Freak Review: The Coolest Cooler; Rotating Wireless Charger

This Gadget Freak review looks at a cooler that is essentially a party on wheels. The Coolest Cooler has built-in blender, Bluetooth speaker, and USB charger. We also look at a sustainable, rotating wireless smartphone charger that can rotate 180 degrees and that you can use while it charges.

The vintage Gadget Freak is a DIY Flexible Display that shows a seven-digit display.

The Coolest Cooler

The 60-quart Coolest Cooler is packed with everything you need to have a good time outdoors, including a built-in ice-crushing blender; a waterproof, removable Bluetooth speaker; and waterproof USB charger. Other highlights include an LED lid light so you can check out what is in your cooler at night, and a bottle opener.

The cooler opens like a picnic basket so you will be able to travel with your essentials, and the split lid opens to a removable divider. On the top of the lids you have storage for the four plates/cutting board and the ceramic knife that comes with the cooler. Traveling with the cooler is a breeze -- the wide wheels allow it to easily roll over sand and the bungee gear tie down allows you to secure items to the top.

The Coolest Cooler still has a month to go on Kickstarter and has raised almost seven million dollars of its $50,000 goal. With a pledge of $185, you can be the proud owner of the Coolest Cooler. It is expected to ship February 2015.

Sustainable, Rotating Wireless Smartphone Charger

Switch, a smartphone wireless charger, is made from sustainable materials and is designed to adapt to screen rotation needs. Many flat charging pads, stands, or holders do not allow you to use your device, but the Switch was designed to charge and offer a 'viewer friendly angle' so you can use the screen and buttons while it is charging. The phone can be rotated 180 degrees so you can use your phone horizontally or vertically.

Switch was designed to be as natural as possible so it is made of fine ceramics and American walnut. A micro suction surface is used to keep the phone in place on the charger.

There is still time to pledge money to this Kickstarter project. Shipping is expected to begin in November.

Gadget Freak Rewind: DIY Flexible Display

Flexible displays are a hot topic, and Marin Davide's goal was to find a cheap and easy way to build one at home. Normally, flexible displays refer to Oled or E Ink, but Davide created a working prototype of a flexible display that can be built at home without special equipment.

The prototype shows a seven-digit display, but this guide can be easily modified to make a small dot-matrix display. The working prototype uses a sheet material printed with thermochromic liquid crystal ink. It changes color (bright blue) when heated above 27C. Nickel-chrome wire is used to heat the segments, and everything is controlled by an Arduino Mega board.

Do you have a Gadget Freak project you would like the world to see? Send a brief description of your gadget and a photo to Assistant Managing Editor Lauren Muskett.

Check out the Best of Gadget Freak -- Volume 2 Technology Roundup here to see some of the best gadgets that your peers have created.

When you are finished, be sure to check out the Best of Gadget Freak: Vol. 1.

Related posts:

Gadget Freak Review: The Coolest Cooler; Rotating Wireless Charger

This Gadget Freak review looks at a cooler that is essentially a party on wheels. The Coolest Cooler has built-in blender, Bluetooth speaker, and USB charger. We also look at a sustainable, rotating wireless smartphone charger that can rotate 180 degrees and that you can use while it charges.

The vintage Gadget Freak is a DIY Flexible Display that shows a seven-digit display.

The Coolest Cooler

The 60-quart Coolest Cooler is packed with everything you need to have a good time outdoors, including a built-in ice-crushing blender; a waterproof, removable Bluetooth speaker; and waterproof USB charger. Other highlights include an LED lid light so you can check out what is in your cooler at night, and a bottle opener.

The cooler opens like a picnic basket so you will be able to travel with your essentials, and the split lid opens to a removable divider. On the top of the lids you have storage for the four plates/cutting board and the ceramic knife that comes with the cooler. Traveling with the cooler is a breeze -- the wide wheels allow it to easily roll over sand and the bungee gear tie down allows you to secure items to the top.

The Coolest Cooler still has a month to go on Kickstarter and has raised almost seven million dollars of its $50,000 goal. With a pledge of $185, you can be the proud owner of the Coolest Cooler. It is expected to ship February 2015.

Sustainable, Rotating Wireless Smartphone Charger

Switch, a smartphone wireless charger, is made from sustainable materials and is designed to adapt to screen rotation needs. Many flat charging pads, stands, or holders do not allow you to use your device, but the Switch was designed to charge and offer a 'viewer friendly angle' so you can use the screen and buttons while it is charging. The phone can be rotated 180 degrees so you can use your phone horizontally or vertically.

Switch was designed to be as natural as possible so it is made of fine ceramics and American walnut. A micro suction surface is used to keep the phone in place on the charger.

There is still time to pledge money to this Kickstarter project. Shipping is expected to begin in November.

Gadget Freak Rewind: DIY Flexible Display

Flexible displays are a hot topic, and Marin Davide's goal was to find a cheap and easy way to build one at home. Normally, flexible displays refer to Oled or E Ink, but Davide created a working prototype of a flexible display that can be built at home without special equipment.

The prototype shows a seven-digit display, but this guide can be easily modified to make a small dot-matrix display. The working prototype uses a sheet material printed with thermochromic liquid crystal ink. It changes color (bright blue) when heated above 27C. Nickel-chrome wire is used to heat the segments, and everything is controlled by an Arduino Mega board.

Do you have a Gadget Freak project you would like the world to see? Send a brief description of your gadget and a photo to Assistant Managing Editor Lauren Muskett.

Check out the Best of Gadget Freak -- Volume 2 Technology Roundup here to see some of the best gadgets that your peers have created.

When you are finished, be sure to check out the Best of Gadget Freak: Vol. 1.

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Sense is a bedside gadget for monitoring and improving your sleep

James Proud, a graduate of the first class of the Thiel Fellowship, has launched his new startup, Hello, on Kickstarter with Sense, a gadget that sits on your nightstand and monitors your sleeping environment.

The device includes motion, light, temperature, humidity, noise and air quality sensors in order to understand your environment. Its design reminds me of a miniature version of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, affectionately called the Bird's Nest. Sense also combines with a 'sleep pill' that clips to your pillowcase to provide more specific data about your sleep cycle.

Sleep trackers are nothing new, with multiple startups devising wearable and in-bed solutions. However, Sense takes a more holistic approach by trying to provide data on environmental conditions that might be affecting how you sleep. As the mobile app collects data, it can offer recommendations on things you can fix to ensure a good night's rest.

Theoretically, Sense should get a...well, sense for what temperature you sleep best at. It can also tell you whether you or your partner snore or sleeptalk.

On Kickstarter, you can get the device for backing the project at $99 and above. It will sell for $129 when it hits retail. Hello expects to start shipping at the end of this year.

Proud started work on Sense after realizing that sleep tracking was the main use case that many people want out of their wearables. His research showed that some users only wear fitness bands at night.

'It seems like an oxymoron to put on a piece of electronics when you're taking everything else off,' Proud said. 'I was looking at this more and realized everyone's neglecting to look at the most important room of our lives: the bedroom. We spend literally a third of our lives there.'

With Sense, Hello wants you to look beyond how you're sleeping to why you're sleeping. This is a crucial next step for the quantified self movement - taking the data we're collecting and putting it to use to improve the quality of our lives.

'People are beginning to realize how important sleep is to us,' Proud said. 'The foundation of every single day is built upon how you slept at night.'

When you walk by Sense during the day, it will briefly glow to provide feedback on how conducive your bedroom is for sleep. You can also swipe your hand over it to activate the feature. The goal is to have the gadget glow green every night before you go to bed. If it's yellow or orange, you can check the app for advice on what to change.

Proud previously founded concert discovery service Giglocator, which he sold not long after joining the Thiel Fellows program, which funds young entrepreneurs to skip school and work on startups instead. Proud also worked with Max Levchin at his data-focused HVF project.

Sense is a bedside gadget for monitoring and improving your sleep

James Proud, a graduate of the first class of the Thiel Fellowship, has launched his new startup, Hello, on Kickstarter with Sense, a gadget that sits on your nightstand and monitors your sleeping environment.

The device includes motion, light, temperature, humidity, noise and air quality sensors in order to understand your environment. Its design reminds me of a miniature version of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, affectionately called the Bird's Nest. Sense also combines with a 'sleep pill' that clips to your pillowcase to provide more specific data about your sleep cycle.

Sleep trackers are nothing new, with multiple startups devising wearable and in-bed solutions. However, Sense takes a more holistic approach by trying to provide data on environmental conditions that might be affecting how you sleep. As the mobile app collects data, it can offer recommendations on things you can fix to ensure a good night's rest.

Theoretically, Sense should get a...well, sense for what temperature you sleep best at. It can also tell you whether you or your partner snore or sleeptalk.

On Kickstarter, you can get the device for backing the project at $99 and above. It will sell for $129 when it hits retail. Hello expects to start shipping at the end of this year.

Proud started work on Sense after realizing that sleep tracking was the main use case that many people want out of their wearables. His research showed that some users only wear fitness bands at night.

'It seems like an oxymoron to put on a piece of electronics when you're taking everything else off,' Proud said. 'I was looking at this more and realized everyone's neglecting to look at the most important room of our lives: the bedroom. We spend literally a third of our lives there.'

With Sense, Hello wants you to look beyond how you're sleeping to why you're sleeping. This is a crucial next step for the quantified self movement - taking the data we're collecting and putting it to use to improve the quality of our lives.

'People are beginning to realize how important sleep is to us,' Proud said. 'The foundation of every single day is built upon how you slept at night.'

When you walk by Sense during the day, it will briefly glow to provide feedback on how conducive your bedroom is for sleep. You can also swipe your hand over it to activate the feature. The goal is to have the gadget glow green every night before you go to bed. If it's yellow or orange, you can check the app for advice on what to change.

Proud previously founded concert discovery service Giglocator, which he sold not long after joining the Thiel Fellows program, which funds young entrepreneurs to skip school and work on startups instead. Proud also worked with Max Levchin at his data-focused HVF project.