Archive for September, 2008

Formula one race car usb flash drive

Posted in USB Flash Drives by Conner Flynn on September 21st, 2008

Formula one race car usb flash driveHere’s a flash drive for those with a love of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. But don’t zoom this one all over your desk or make it jump ramps, because your precious data is inside. This 2GB USB memory stick from Green House is molded to resemble a Formula One race car. A very shiny and tiny race car. The USB connector is in the rear. Like all good things we seem to want, this one is currently only available in Japan at the end of the month, where they love shiny little cars and pink kittys.

Packard Bell iPower GX

Posted in Notebooks by Conner Flynn on September 21st, 2008

Packard Bell iPower GXPackard Bell is trying to up it’s “street art” cred with the announcement of their latest power-packed gaming notebook called the iPower GX. It’s powered by a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9100 processor and has an nVidia 9800M GTS 1GB video card, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution display, Draft-N Wi-Fi connectivity, an optional Blu-ray drive and an interesting urban street art design. The Packard Bell iPower GX will be available this October for approximately 1499 Euros.

Guitar Hero pedal controller

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on September 20th, 2008

Guitar Hero pedal controllerHere’s a useful mod for any rock god who needs to give his hands a bit of a rest after playing Cult Of Personality for the millionth time. Built by Ben Heck, it basically “replaces the strum and whammy bar from a standard guitar, allowing you to use a single hand for the chords.” Check out a boring video below of a song being played while using them. I really like the look of these. They look like half that thing you use in a shoe store to measure your feet and half rock boot.

Magic Message Mirror home security system

Posted in Security by Conner Flynn on September 20th, 2008

Magic Message Mirror home security systemThe Magic Message Mirror is for those who want to combine their love of Disney with home security. Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the safest one of all? You will be, of course. The portrait in the photo above is actually a home security device.

Just wire it into your existing home security system and it will appear to be an ordinary mirror until it’s triggered by someone walking in front of the beam. That’s when the scary apparition appear just like in the Snow White movie, yelling prerecorded phrases you’ve recorded. The mirror is actually a 30 inch LCD display with a CGI character known as “Basil of the Mirror”. I’m not sure it would scare a thief enough to leave and give up his life of crime. It would probably scare him for a few seconds until he realized what’s going on. Then they would likely steal the mirror, because it’s cool.

New Plantronics Bluetooth headset sports dual mics

Posted in Headsets by Nino Marchetti on September 19th, 2008

Plantronics Voyager 835

Plantronics unveiled this week a new Bluetooth headset which is dual-mic developed for isolating voice signals. It is called the Voyager 835 and it will set you back around $120.

The Voyager 835 offers up something called Dual-Mic AudioIQ, “a combination of its proprietary DSP algorithm which intelligently optimizes audio levels and fidelity on both sides of a conversation, with precisely configured dual microphones to significantly reduce background noise.” The dual microphones reportedly work with one capturing voice while the other filters out background noise.

Microsoft shows off new Show Webcam

Posted in Webcams by Nino Marchetti on September 19th, 2008

Microsoft LifeCam Show

Two new Webcams were recently conceived over at little old Microsoft in Redmond, WA. The more standout of these is the slim LifeCam Show, priced around $100.

The Microsoft LifeCam Show comes with what Microsoft says is a “complete attachment kit” to anchor it to many surfaces. These kit parts include a magnetic laptop clip, magnetic desktop stand and two attachment discs which have adhesive backings.

New Griffin iPhone accessories surface

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Nino Marchetti on September 19th, 2008

Griffin AirCurve

Griffin Technology earlier this week unveiled two new accessories for iPhone owners. These are known as the AirCurve and Clarifi and they price around $20 and $35, respectively.

The AirCruve, which works with both the iPhone and iPhone 3G, takes the sound from the phone’s built-in speaker and amplifies it without the need for a power supply., Griffin says a coiled waveguide within the AirCruve helps to deliver “amazing amplification that sounds like desktop speakers.” It includes a a pass-through slot allowing you to charge and sync your iPhone when using a cable.

Skybar Wine Cabinet beats drinking from the bottle

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on September 19th, 2008

Skybar Wine Cabinet beats drinking from the bottleWine connoisseurs will tell you that you have to store wine at the correct temperature. You can’t just throw it in your fridge. Plus you probably shouldn’t drink it straight from the bottle or serve it in a cup that has a cartoon character. You should store it and serve it in style. That’s where Skybar comes in.

It’s a “Wine Preservation and Optimization System”, that houses three chilled chambers to serve three seperate wines. A small LCD displays the temperature and you can even choose from nine preset chilling options. The device also features vacuum technology that helps to preserve wine for 10 days without any change in taste. It will even pour it for you. It will cost you $1,000, so I imagine some of you will stop reading now and go drink from the bottle.

Zune limited edition artist series

Posted in Zune by Conner Flynn on September 19th, 2008

Zune limited edition artist seriesWe love our devices, but at the same time, they all look the same. That’s why Zune Originals has announced a new series of artist editions for the MP3 player. Put a tattoo on your Zune. Some of the new artists include Aya Kato and Matt W. Moore. They join longstanding Zune affiliates Sam Flores and Kenzo Minami in providing “tattoos” for your Zune. Just pick out a new Zune from the online store and then choose your favorite design for engraving.

Thanko earrings/headphones

Posted in Headphones by Conner Flynn on September 19th, 2008

Thanko earrings/headphonesWith everyone wearing headphones these days it was only a matter of time before they also became earrings as well. Thanko is rolling out their new Sounds Live Magnetic headphones. They look like earrings, and can be clipped onto the earlobe whenever you want to listen to your favorite tunes.

Would that be comfortable? Each pair has a frequency response of 20Hz-25,000Hz, an impedance of 32Ω, and a sensitivity of 100dB/mW. Each pair will retail for about $19 in Japan.I think they are going to want to up the style on these next time around though, and make them look a bit more like jewelry. Not every one can rock a Panda and a soccer ball ya know.

The Magnetic Lamp brings the cartoon magnet to life

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on September 19th, 2008

The Magnetic Lamp brings the cartoon magnet to lifeThe bend in lamp will make you feel like a cartoon character using one of those old horseshoe magnets, though it’s not branded ACME or anything. It’s a lamp that will stick onto most metallic surfaces, and obviously inspired by the magnet. The whole thing is comprised of two sections, the rubber tips and the lamp.

The magnets are in the rubber end so that when you place the tips on a metal surface, the magnets grab on, which triggers the internal switch, turning on the lamp. To switch off the lamp, just pull it away from the surface. It’s an interesting concept, but I’m not sure it does anything that normal lamps and flashlights can’t do. Might be good for workers that need portable lighting on the go, assuming they have metal surfaces nearby.

The Brick photo frame is like Lego for girls

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on September 19th, 2008

The Brick photo frame is like Lego for girlsThe ‘Brick does not endorse this girlly brick thing. It’s basically a Lego photo frame from Brando, for little girls or those with girlly cubicles. You don’t attach other bricks to it. Instead you attach little flowery accessories like a clock, hair brush, cell phone, and hair dryer for some reason. Looks like it comes in white and purple.

You’ll want to hide this in the same spot you hide your Hannah Montana stuff, so your co-workers don’t make fun and call you a sissy girlly man. But if you’re going to buy this for your little girl, it will cost you $16, even though the whole thing is pretty lame. I’m sure she has Legos already and can make this herself.

Thrustmaster cuts wire from Wiimote to Nunchuk

Posted in Controllers,Games by Shane McGlaun on September 19th, 2008

Thrustmaster T-Nchuk Wireless Adapter NWMost people would prefer wireless gear to similar wired gear. I can think of a few exceptions to that though, namely PC gaming gear like keyboards and mice. However, when it comes to console gaming wireless is where it’s at.

Take the Nintendo Wii, the Wiimote is wireless so what’s with the wire from the Nunchuk to the Wiimote? I’m not alone in wondering that and Thrustmaster has announced a solution to the problem called the T-Nchuk Wireless Adapter NW.

Lexar announces Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi SD card

Posted in Storage by Shane McGlaun on September 19th, 2008

Lexar Shoot-n-Sync SD CardOne of the things I dislike most about taking pictures is having to remove the memory card form my camera each time and load it into my card reader. I could directly connect the camera via USB, but I tend to forget to turn it off after I transfer pics so the battery is dead when I want to use the camera next time.

Lexar has a new SD memory card called the Shoot-n-Sync that will automatically upload images to my computer when in range of my wireless network. If the card sounds a lot like the Eye-Fi we have talked about before, it’s because it uses Eye-fi technology.

Flashing & spinning possessed Stormtrooper head alerts you to calls

Posted in Star Wars by Conner Flynn on September 18th, 2008

Flashing & spinning possessed Stormtrooper head alerts you to callsWe’ve all seen the movie The Exorcist. Remember when Linda Blair’s head spun around? This is a lot like that, but with Vader and a Stormtrooper. And minus the messy green vomit. At first I passed on showing you these, but then I thought about it and realized that decapitated spinning Star Wars heads have got to be awesome. My God how I would love to torment Jar-Jar’s head, but alas, that’s not an option.

They’ll come in very handy if you are in a noisy environment or if you’re phone is on silent. If you get a call, heads won’t roll, they’ll spin. $9 a head. Might be nice to have the head of George Lucas himself, considering all he has done to the franchise. Yeah, I’d like to watch that one spin for a while.