Leatherman Acquires LED Flashlight Company

Leatherman Tool Group Inc. has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Zweibrüder Optoelectronics GmbH &Co. KB (say THAT five times fast!). They are best known for their range of LED Lenser lights, the most popular LED Light in Europe. 

The acquisition gives the largest multi-tool maker in the world another range of technology to incorporate into  their tools. With lumen outputs ranging from tiny to 1000 plus there are a host of applications for the LED Lenser products.

LED Lenser brings a range of unique approaches to lights, including combining lens and reflector based systems in a single flashlight. This overcomes the weakness of either approach and allows their lights to be equally effective in up-close and distance applications.

Their Rapid Focus method of adjustment is simple to accomplish with one hand and is incorporated into all their lights with Advanced Focus System functionality. Although only completed at the beginning of August it will be very interesting to see the applications that a company like Leatherman can find for these LED lights.

Further info on LED Lenser and Leatherman are available at their websites.

Griffin Brings Out The Micro Guns With Helo TC Touch Controlled Helicopter

Parrot's AR. Drone may in fact be the most sophisticated iOS controlled helicopter, but Griffin's latest micro helicopter is heck of a lot more affordable and does a lot of what its much more expensive rival can do without breaking the bank. The Helo TC is Griffin's tuch controlled, gyro stabilized, USB rechargeable mico helicopter that lets you fly it using your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch using the free Helo TC app. It works using infrared instead of a WiFi or Bluetooth connection using the included Flight Deck adapter that clips onto your iDevice of choice. The Helo TC app lets you record up to three flight plan patterns and even take control of the 5 LEDs on board.

At first glance, the Helo TC looks just like any other micro helicopter you would find at your local mall or even on eBay. But those don't have the mighty power of touch controlling Griffin has to offer. The Helo TC touch controlled helicopter is out now and available in a stealthy black finish for $49.99.

iAudio Speaker Should Be Made By Apple

Apple fanboys and fangirls all around the world can now drool over the latest iteration to come out of China, the iAudio speaker. It looks to be made by the same guys that brought you the non-Apple made iHub and iHDD Apple logo encrusted peripherals. The iAudio is a USB powered single speaker cube with a glowing Apple logo that can be connected to any device that has a 3.5mm audio port. Oh that's great, so now you can actually use that iHub of yours and have the perfect non-Apple cubical party. It's not clear where exactly the sound comes from on the iAudio speaker, but I guess that only makes even sleeker. My guess would be from the bottom. A built-in rechargeable battery should give you some extra portable power to listen to your favorite artists like Rebecca Black.

You can find the iAudio all over eBay right now along with its other cubical friends in both black and white for under $25.

Thanks for the tip, Hugo!

Packlight Packs A Bright, Flexible Punch

Who doesn't love LEDs? I sure do. That bright white illumination is so attractive I feel like a fly that's attracted to that electric blue light of death. Simply put, the Packlight is a flexible light strip that you can bend and shape to light up various objects and where you need a bright light most. The possibilities are pretty much endless with the Packlight, using it for photography and video purposes comes to mind. This isn't just another LED strip, the Packlight packs 45 bright LEDs in a waterproof, silicone constructed strip that can bend and hold its shape, and even magnetically attach to metal surfaces thanks to the built-in strong neodymium magnet ends.

Other features like multiple brightness modes, built-in USB rechargeable battery and hanging river holes makes this the perfect light source for anything that comes your way. The Packlight is one sweet gadget to have around, and it can be pre-ordered in black or red for $45 over at Kickstarter.

Firetext Smoke Alarm Notifies You When Your House Sets On Fire

I've always wondered what I would do if my house suddenly went up in flames while I was away. I would have never known that my beloved gadgets were being barbecued to a fine crisp until I got back home. This has been one of the biggest concerns I've had while I was away. Luckily, this gadget is here to save all its friends and of course, your lovely home too. The Firetext is just like any other battery powered smoke detector/alarm, but with one big difference. It will send you a text message to up to 4 numbers at a time once it detects smoke. You can even customize the text message to say something like - "Dude, your gadgets are about to get fried!".

The Firetext Smoke Alarm runs for £89.99, and you'll need an active serviced SIM card to get this to work though. Keeping your home safe while you're away might cost you a little more, it sure does beat potentially losing your collection of gadgets.

Look Good With Oakley's Limited Edition Transformers 3D Gascan

Oakley has released a limited edition Transformers Gascan 3D glasses with HDO-3D technology that eliminates any ghosting effects that most regular 3D glasses have, and truer on-screen colors. Oakley's 3D Gascans are the first to boast optically correct, scratch-resistant 3D lenses that don't distort your vision like other 3D glasses that magnify images. But forget about the specs, what you really want is to look cool wearing a pair of 3D glasses. These limited edition Oakley 3D Gascans are emblazed with Transformers inspired graphics and two different colored Oakley icons on each side. The bad? These are strictly for 3D movie watching so you can't use these as sunglasses. The good? You get a matching storage pouch. So pick your side and a pair of 3D Gascan glasses for $150.