With the 4th of July approaching, our minds turn to gadgets with lots of pyrotechnics. We recently saw a news story on MSNBC about the Frankenhorn Flamethrower Trombone. The horn has been modified with a torch and compressed air mechanism so that it now generates a 21-foot fiery blast of sound with a concussion wave of 150 feet. The trombone can still be played, but it has a mean recoil.

See the Frankenhorn in action in this YouTube video.

For golfer’s who love gadgets, golf club manufacturer PING has a new golf app that helps you improve your game with better putter strokes.

This free app works in conjunction with the PING cradle, which allows you to attach your iPhone or iPod Touch to your putter. The iPING app will then record stroke consistency, tempo and impact angle.

Find out more about the iPING Putter App and view an informational video on the PING website.

With Father’s Day just around the corner, we’ve got the perfect gift for dads who are concerned about the environment. This battery-powered lawn mower from Neuton features a Duracell rechargeable battery that lasts for up to an hour.

According to Neuton, this mower has the power to cut even wet grass. It comes with a bagger and mulch plug. Because there is no gas or oil, the Neuton mower can be folded up and stored vertically. With an estimated cost per charge of 12 cents, this mower will also save dad some money.

Find out more about this battery-powered mower on the Neuton website.

We are currently living through a gadget revolution, with increasingly powerful mobile devices and touch screens providing new forms of human-computer interaction. Although it may seem like today’s tablets, smartphones and e-book readers are entirely new inventions, the fact is they evolved from earlier technology that was often ahead of its time.

A Microsoft research scientist named Bill Buxton has amassed a collection of vintage gadgets that serves as a fascinating reminder of where many of our newest gadgets originated.  Pictured here on the left is a transistor radio designed by Dieter Rahms in 1958. It’s sleek, functional design and innovate scroll wheel was the inspiration for several generations of the iPod (seen on the right).

Read more about Bill Buxton’s old gadget collection on the Atlantic Monthly website.

The Droid Charge smartphone from Samsung has been eagerly awaited by many power users.  It’s the second smartphone that supports Verizons 4G LTE network.  The faster network capability and Android 2.2 give Web browsing a performance boost and help the performance of popular apps like Facebook and Google Maps.  The Droid Charge can serve as a mobile WiFi hotspot for other devices.  It supports Microsoft Exchange for e-mail and also includes a GMail app.   

The 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus touch screen display provides enhanced graphics and the battery life is longer than the battery of the competing HTC ThunderBold and other HTC smartphones.

See a video review of the Droid Charge in this YouTube video and read a review on CNET.

Keeping your gadgets organized when traveling is a high priority.  Storing them all in one place when not in use is a great way to simplify your travel life.  The Cocoon GRID-IT organizer allows you to secure each gadget and see with one glance where everything is.  Perfect for iPod, iPhone, Blackberry and other digital gadgets, there’s also room for other essential items like pens, mints and ear buds. 

You can get this GRID-IT travel gadget organizer on the Cocoon website for $19.99.

Fanny Wang headphones come with an extra jack and removable cable, which is why they’re billed as the first social headphones.  Despite their crazy name, these headphones deliver serious sound quality.  These On Ear headphones deliver a thumping bass without sacrificing clarity and balance.  The Fanny Wang On Ear design is sleek, modern and completely portable (just fold them up and go).  

The On Ear headphones come in white, red, pink and black. 

Read a full review of Fanny Wang headphones on Mashable.  You can buy them on the Fanny Wang website, where you can also check out more photos of the famous Fanny Wang Girlz.

We always like to let people know when we’ve spotted a winning gadget.  Two years ago we wrote about Chumby, the “computer in a beanbag” which provided a 3.5″ screen and a custom Internet feed.  It was a quick way to check websites like Facebook without turning on a computer.  The latest version of this little gadget is Chumby8, which is actually the third version to be released.   The beanbag is gone and this new Chumby comes with and 8″ touch screen display and more than 1500 familiar apps including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Pandora.   Probably it’s most useful app is an alarm clock that can wake you up music or any other scheduled app.  You can also insert a flash drive or SD card and play music or view photos from the device. 

The Chumby8 is no replacement for a tablet or smartphone, but it you’re looking for a digital photo frame or alarm clock with all the bells and whistles, check out Chumby8.  The price is about $200, which is the same as the original Chumby.

Read a complete Chumby8 review on CNET and visit the Chumby website for more information.

With the iPad still in its infancy, it’s not easy separating the best from the so-so when it comes to games. CNET recently came out with a list of their 30 Best iPad Games.  At the top of the list is what seems to be everyone’s favorite – Angry Birds. The latest version is Angry Birds Rio HD. It features backgrounds with more details, a larger cast of characters and 60 levels.

The original version of Angry Birds has been downloaded more than 75 million times. For just $2.99 in the app store, you can’t go wrong. See the rest of the Top 30 iPad Games on CNET.

For travelers who can’t unplug, even at 35,000 feet, there will soon be a mobile voice service for in-flight cell phone calls. Aircell announced its in-flight mobile service and compatible smartphone as part of its Gogo Biz service. The Aircell Smartphone is an Android-based device designed for in-flight use on private aircraft (commercial airlines currently don’t allow cell phone use). It will begin shipping later this year.

Aircell is one of the leading providers of in-flight internet services in the U.S. For more details about the new Gogo Biz Smartphone, visit the Aircell website.