Over the last few decades, baby strollers have developed hipper designs and incorporated more rugged frames and lighter weight materials. But baby stroller technology (such as it is) has remained essentially the same as it was at the turn of the century — the 19th century.

Happily, the humble stroller now is starting to become a little less humble. (And just in time for Spot Cool Stuff’s first baby, too!) A handful of new stroller start-ups are recognizing that today’s mobile and tech-savvy parents want those qualities reflected in their strollers.

We’ll be publishing a post later on new stroller concept designs, some of which might make it into development and some not. For the moment, though, we are focusing on high-tech strollers currently on the market. Spot Cool Stuff’s top choice among those: the 4moms Origami.

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The cup holder might be the greatest innovation in automobile design since the steering wheel. Not only can the cup holder power you through a late night caffeinated drive, it can also power a smartphone, a laptop and a coffee maker — all at the same time! At least it can when your cup holder is holding a PowerLine PowerCup Inverter.

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When the iPad first launched, then Apple CEO Steve Jobs remarked in an interview that the company would never built a 7-inch version of its tablet. Customers, he said, wouldn’t want them.

Since then two things have happen. First, sadly, Steve Jobs has passed away. And, second, a slew of 7-inch tablets have rocketed in popularity, cutting significantly into Apple’s market share. Three tablets in particular saw their sales climb: the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD.

The combination of both of those events lead Apple to launch their own 7-inch tablet: The Apple iPad mini. So how does it compare to those competitors mention above? Our review:

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That didn’t take long. No sooner did Google announce the Nexus 7, a sub-$200 tablet aimed at directly competing with the Kindle Fire, that Amazon made an announcement of its own. In a move that one-ups Google — and perhaps Apple, Sony & Samsung too — Amazon is launching the next generation of Kindle Fire eBook reader-tablet, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

The Kindle Fire HD will be available in three models. Collectively, they go a long way towards addressing the complaints that several reviewers (including Spot Cool Stuff) have made about what is now the “old” Kindle Fire.

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Heretofore, Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite camping stove was the Jetboil. The gas-burning stove is compact, light weight and seems to have an accessory for every type of cooking. But, recently, the Jetboil was eclipsed as our choice for The World’s Coolest Camping Stove by a new offering: the BioLite CampStove.

The BioLite can do two things that no other easily portable camping stove in the world can do (or, at least do well):

• The BioLite runs on twigs. No charcoal, fuel canisters or logs required.

• The BioLite can charge a smartphone or MP3 player or most any small electronic device that can be charged via a USB outlet.

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Harry Potter is finally bringing his magic to the world of eBook readers.

The publishing empire that is JK Rowling has reached a distribution deal that will allow you to carry all 4,176 pages of the Harry Potter series around in your coat pocket—provided that your coat pocket is holding an Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook or one of the handful of other compatible device like the Sony Reader.

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For skiers and snowboarders looking to take first person videos of their runs on the slopes, there are several excellent hands free action cams you can attach onto a helmet.

And there are a few ski goggles with a built-in video camera made a consumer electronics company, Liquid Image.

But never before has a specialist eyewear manufacturer incorporated high-end video capture into a high-end pair of goggles. At least not until Zeal Optics did it with their iON.

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A handful of companies have been working on bags with built-in batteries capable of charging gadgets on-the-go. Most of those efforts have relied on slow and fussy solar panels to charge the bag. A few others are either very expensive or don’t work well. One very promising battery bag from Quirky, a cool online store of crowdsourced products, spent a year available for pre-order but never went into production.

So Spot Cool Stuff is thrilled that there’s one company getting it right: Powerbag.

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