Here in Britain, where Sanitarium Towers are based, wet weather is a fact of life; and during these more colder months as we approach the end of the year, not one day goes by each week where anyone going outside is liable to get soaked. However, if one goes out with an umbrella this time of the year as would be a sensible solution, one also often has to contend with heavy winds, which can blow an umbrella out of the holder’s hands; or turn cheaper umbrellas inside out, perhaps even breaking them.

An innovative new Kickstarter project is offering an interesting solution to these wet weather woes. Called the Air Umbrella, this unusual device aims to use air as a forcefield to push air away from the user, replacing the need for a canopy altogether. The device also portends to be safer than a traditional umbrella, due to not requiring any sort of metal spokes which always present a risk to the eyes of taller individuals.

Image courtesy Air Umbrella’s Kickstarter page

The Air Umbrella consists of a handle, at the top of which houses not a canopy, but a controller and motor to suck in air and blow it out again at high speed. When lifted above the user’s head – the device’s handle is extendable, so can be adjusted to a comfortable length – the blast of air creates an invisible dome that pushes the rain away. The effectiveness of this technology is yet to be seen as the device has not yet reached the hans of consumers or independent technology – but should it work effectively enough, it should hopefully counteract the silly feeling some people, particularly those obsessed with fashion, may feel holding an umbrella that’s just a handle. The device receives its power through a rechargeable lithium-ion battery held within the handle part of the device.

Sadly for those planning to stay outside for long periods, current specs list the Air Umbrella as lasting just 30 minutes on a single charge, which may well just be a dealbreaker. If you’ve already decided that this sounds like the device for you, however, you can still get your hands on one by pledging $118 (£74) plus $15 (£9) for international shipping. With an expected December shipping date, the Air Umbrella is also releasing just early enough to be an ideal Christmas gift as well – and hey, it’s only going to get colder and wetter by then, so there’s no reason for it not to be appreciated.

So, Patch 6.0.2 is here and Blizzard have posted an awesome survival guide video to help us get ready for the update!

Catch it below:

Blizzard published a press release today, detailing that WoW was at 7.4 million subscribers on September 30th.

This 600,000 sub gain is no doubt an indication of the excitement at the end of a content drought.

This is no doubt welcome news for Blizzard after the most recent investor call had the game at 6.8 million.

It looks like the villains of Gotham will terrorize Jim Gordon and the GCPD for a little while longer.

Fox just announced that it has ordered six more episodes of the freshman series, raising its first season order to a total of 22 episodes.

While the Batman prequel series slipped slightly in the ratings in its second week, the show also enjoyed one of the fall’s strongest premieres.

Coming up in October, Xbox Live Gold members can look forward to three new free games on Xbox One and Xbox 360. Chariot, the newest ID@Xbox game from Canadian developers Frima, will debut on Xbox One as a free download, replacing September Xbox One Games with Gold title Super Time Force (if you haven’t already downloaded it, now would be a good time).

On Xbox 360, starting Wednesday, October 1st, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (normally US $19.99) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through October 15th.

Then on October 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Darksiders II (normally US $49.99) for free through October 31st.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.