Archive for April, 2010

Art Lebedev’s laser beam Reflectius clock

Posted in Clocks by Conner Flynn on April 11th, 2010

Is this thing a clock for a stealth fighter. Nope. Just the latest concept from the folks over at Art Lebedev. The design is awesome as usual. It’s a laser beam clock called Reflectius.

In all, sixty rotating mirrors redirect a beam of light just to tell you what time it is. We hope that this one gets produced for real, because frankly it’s the coolest clock we’ve seen in some time. Even if it would likely cost a lot of dough.

Sony NAS-V5 and NAS-V7M Walkman speaker docks

Posted in Sony by Conner Flynn on April 10th, 2010

Sony has unveiled the NAS-V5 and NAS-V7M Walkman speaker docks with glorious WiFi, so you can enjoy Internet radio with 32-bit DSPs. There’s also standard AM/FM radio features, an AUX jack and a powered USB port.

Of course there is also a Walkman dock. The $535 NAS-V7M has 16GB of internal memory, while the $428 NAS-V5 does not. Hopefully they will show up outside of Japan soon.

Zune HD 64 now available

Posted in Zune HD by Conner Flynn on April 10th, 2010

We recently had news that the Zune HD 64 would be arriving on April 12th, but the news just got better. The Zune HD 64 is available today, retailing for $349.99 and will come in a range of colors. If you like, you can also get it etched with the Zune Originals artwork or your choice of text message.

So who’s getting a Zune HD 64? Or are you happy with your Apple product? Let us know in the comments.

Logitech Squeezebox Touch has shipped

Posted in Logitech by Conner Flynn on April 9th, 2010

Some good news for all of you who have been waiting. The long awaited Logitech Squeezebox Touch has finally shipped. You’ll be able to pick one up today at Logitech’s online store for $299.99.

You might remember, the network music player packs a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, an SD card slot (up to 32GB), a USB port, WiFi, an Ethernet port and supports a wide range of music formats including MP3, FLAC, WMA, WMA Lossless, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV and AIFF.

PS3 owners may get cash back after OtherOS uninstall

Posted in PS3 by Conner Flynn on April 9th, 2010

Even if you don’t run an alternative operating system on your PS3 you could potentially be getting some money under consumer protection laws. Apparently, Iapetus at the NeoGAF forums took the issue up with Amazon (who sold him the PS3), quoting a European consumer protection law that states all products bought must be “fit for the purpose which the consumer requires them and which was made known to the seller at the time of purchase,” netting him £84 ($130) in the process.

He didn’t have to return his PS3, nor be within warranty. Might be worth talking about with your retailer, if you still have the receipt. This particular law will only apply to you if you live in Europe. We aren’t sure if there are any similar laws in the US.

The iPad LapDock

Posted in iPad accessories by Conner Flynn on April 9th, 2010

Every tablet needs the perfect keyboard accessory that can also function as a hard case right? Well, some folks have built just that for the iPad. It’s called the LapDock, and it’s goal is to replace the laptop with the tablet. Yeah, let them dream.

The LapDock is basically just a carved wooden case for your iPad and Apple Bluetooth keyboard. If only there were more connectivity options, they just might be onto something here. Still, it is a cute case.

iPad gets the ColorWare treatment

Posted in iPad by Conner Flynn on April 9th, 2010

You spent $500 for your tablet already. You probably won’t mind another $410 to add some color to the exterior. That’s right, ColorWare is at it again, this time coloring your new iPad in whatever combination you can dream up.

You can make your own design, with separate colors for the back, logo, and home button, but no matter what you choose, there’s no getting around that hefty $400 service charge. It’s either that or you can pay $910 for a new, painted 16GB model. The 64GB model is $1110.

Ratrod gets steampunk treatment

Posted in Automotive by Shane McGlaun on April 9th, 2010

I took my kids down to a car show that they have at a local restaurant each moth last night. I had to explain the finer points of what a ratrod was to my kids. All they saw was a car with a flat paint job and visible damage.

A ratrod isn’t supposed to look perfect, the car is supposed to have character and look like it has been somewhere and used a lot. I ran across a sweet ratrod that has lots of steampunk elements and it is cool.

Crazy bendy mouse looks like a bracelet

Posted in Concepts by Shane McGlaun on April 9th, 2010

I really like the svelte profile of that Microsoft Arc mouse that turned up a while back. Thin peripherals are cool to look at and often more comfortable to use as well. A new mouse design concept over at Yanko Design makes that Arc mouse look fat.

The concept is called the Bendy M. It reminds me of one of those slap bracelets my daughter plays with. The flexible mouse is a long thin strip when not in use. When it comes time to work, you wrap it into a curved 3D shape you can mouse with.

Beer bottles blown into glasses are sweet

Posted in Home by Shane McGlaun on April 9th, 2010


The weekend is here, you might have one thing on your mind about now, kicking back, and grabbing yourself some Heine, you know Heineken beer. Make has posted up some cool glasses made out of old beer and soda bottles.

The glasses are made by glassblower Nick Paul in Chicago. I guess needing to make the glasses is a good reason for drinking lots of beer and soda. These glasses remind me a lot of drinking out of Mason jars for some reason.

MacBooks may finally be updated next week

Posted in Apple by Shane McGlaun on April 9th, 2010

Mac Fans have been crying for an update to the beloved lie of MacBook notebooks for a long time now. Some sources claim that Apple fans can blame Acer for at least some of the delay after the company snapped up most all of the new Intel Core 2010 processors.

That processor backorder is over now and new rumors coming from Australia are surfacing pointing to next Tuesday for the long waited update. At the same time, the 15-inch MacBook Pro models have been pulled from Best Buy websites here in the US.

Sanyo announces 14MO full HD Xacti camcorders

Posted in Camcorders by Conner Flynn on April 8th, 2010

Sanyo has announced two camcorders in their Xacti range, the DMX-CG100 and the DMX-GH1. Both are capable of full HD video recording (1920 x 1080) but come in two different form factors. The DMX-CG100 is available in white lead-red (that’s really the name) and blue with the vertical form.

The DMX-GH1 is a more conventional form and is available in silver, pink and blue. They’re equipped with 1,440 ten thousand pixels CMOS sensors and will accept SD multimedia cards up to 64GB. Built in memory is just 50MB.

Kindle rumored to hit Target shelves on April 25th

Posted in kindle by Conner Flynn on April 8th, 2010

I don’t know about you, but when I’m shopping for ebook readers, Target isn’t the first place on my list to look for them. But hey why not? Barnes & Noble offer the Nook eBook reader at Best Buy stores. And rumor is that the Kindle eBook reader might be getting ready to sit on Target shelves. The rumored date is April 25th.

It will be interesting to see what happens with sales between the Kindle, Nook and iPad. Maybe the Kindle will show up at Walmart too before too long.

Creative introduces ZEN X-Fi Style Media Players

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on April 8th, 2010

If you’re looking for a media player that is an Apple alternative, why not check out the Creative ZEN X-Fi Style and Creative ZEN Style series. But don’t expect new specs, these are identical to existing models, they just have a new look.

The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style is available right now for pre-order and will be available on April 14th with prices from $79.99 to $169.99. The Creative ZEN Style series will cost you $49.99 to $79.99, depending on storage capacity.

SnapStream DVR records 50 channels at once

Posted in DVR by Conner Flynn on April 8th, 2010

SnapStream has a new DVR that can record up to 50 channels simultaneously onto 100TB worth of storage capacity. SnapStream is also writing the software that controls it. Think about that. This is equal to 326 Tivo Premier boxes all in a closet-sized box.

There’s just a single coax cable as the input in back. SnapStream has tools to search the content. Their system is already used by TV production teams that need to find recent footage quickly. Pretty amazing and not for the likes of you and I.