Archive for the 'Gadgets' Category

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Bless you, Engadget!

Published on June 20, 2007 in Gadgets. 0 Comments

So we’ve been hearing a lot about Apple and one of their new products.  Some might even go so far as too say there’s a little “hype”, or, if you will, “excitement” in the Apple fanboy community about the upcoming iPhone, whatever the hell that is.

For some of us, one post with features, pricing, and a release  date would probably have been enough.  Maybe another post with some video.  Even the WWDC post from Steve “Mussolini” Jobs would have been fine.  For those like us, engadget has made special RSS feeds which exclude all iPhone news, and even one excluding all Apple news if you’re really pissed.  Since there’s not a filter option in Google Reader (yet), we owe our gratitude to these thoughtful folks for making our blog reading a little less apple scented (at least until the iPhone Rapture comes).

You All Need To Buy This. Now.

Published on June 19, 2007 in Gadgets and Geek Fun. 0 Comments

My Father’s Day gift was one of those little Air Hogs Havoc Heli RC helicopters.  I’ll cut to the chase: buy the darn thing.  Best $30 you can spend, and they’re available at your local Walmart or on thinkgeek.com.  My kids love it, my cats love it, and I love it.  It takes a little tweaking and practice to get any kind of control, and you’re not going to do any Coast Guard-style precision rescues with it  You’ll probably fly it into someone’s eye, but that’s half the fun.  So, details.  It’s tiny and very light.  It’s a little more sturdy than I expected; it’s not going to break from a fall, and it doesn’t move too fast.  The IR remote works quite well, and there’s even a trim control to keep you from going all dizzy.  So if you saw this thing at the store, and you thought there’s no way and RC helicopter that cheap could be any fun, you’re wrong.  By the stupid thing; you won’t regret it.

Yet Another Sweet Mechanical Clock

Published on June 19, 2007 in Gadgets and Geek Fun. 0 Comments

So I guess the question is “When do we actually get to buy these for our nerdy cubes?”

While I appreciate all the cool designs, people, let’s work on actually getting some stuff to production.  Where we won’t buy it, because we’re cheap and lazy.

Freakin Cool Gear Clock

Published on June 7, 2007 in Gadgets and Geek Fun. 0 Comments

While I’m on the topic of nifty designs (see last post), check out this sweet Gear Clock.

It’s not exactly the most precise clock, having only a single “time ring” which rotates around as the gears move. But it sure is nifty looking. And although you may not want to rely on it in order to schedule appointments down to the minute, it sure would make a unique addition to any true geeks lair. I think I’d even take one of these over a super nifty Pong clock.

iPod nano vs. Monster LG Washer

Published on March 26, 2007 in iPods Suck and mp3. 2 Comments

Neither my wife nor I have a good record of checking pockets prior to laundry time, and my nano is the latest victim.  What’s worse, we recently got a fancy new LG washing machine, which sounds like a 777 starting up.  It’s a beautiful machine, but it’s not good for electronics survivability.  The startling thing is the nano has some signs of life.  I wasn’t getting it to start up initially, so naturally, I took it apart.  I was able to sync it at that point, but it locked up on the screen you see here afterwards.  Since then I had to let the battery go dead since it wasn’t taking a reset.  After that, it synced again, and hasn’t locked up yet.  My only problem now is putting the stupid thing back together.  There’s a little ribbon cable connecting the click wheel and the headphone jack to the mainboard, and that’s giving me fits.  In the meantime, I’m looking pretty hard at the Creative Zen V Plus as an alternative for this slot (I use the nano mostly as a workout player and for my Audible account).  One can tell Apple really doesn’t want end users taking these things apart; there was some prying and peeling back glue, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to get the thing back together right.  If I were a smarter man, I might work on putting the guts into an Altoids tin or something.

So it comes to this – Guitar Hero Robot

Published on March 20, 2007 in Gadgets and Games. 4 Comments

As if I needed to be shown up in Guitar Hero any more than I already am daily on YouTube.  While there are humans with wonderful skills, now we get the chance to test ourselves, John Henry-style, against a machine.  Unfortunately, this fellow has no fact to melt, and so faces disqualification from most respected tournaments. 

Now all I need is a robot to feed my Nintendogs, and I’ll be able to let every muscle that doesn’t chew atrophy into squishy bliss.  Here’s the link to the story.

More Star Wars – Yoda’s Force FX Lightsaber

Published on March 15, 2007 in Gadgets and Random. 0 Comments

We’re big fans of Master Replicas here at ModStomp, and their green sabers really stand out with nice blades.  I felt the hilt for the RotJ Luke saber was a little lame, though, so this is a really nice turn for them to take. 

These are pricey collectables, but they’re also among the nicest toys a Star Wars nerd can have. 

Click on through to see the product page with more images and information, and may the Force be with you.

Garmin eTrex Venture Cx Review

Published on February 14, 2007 in Gadget Reviews, Gadgets and Reviews. 4 Comments

 Well, I didn’t see a ton of reviews out there for this gadget when I was shopping, so I thought I’d post my thoughts in case others were interested.  So far, I’ve had it for a day or so, and I’m pleased. 

The eTrex Venture Cx is the entry level mapping GPS from Garmin.  The C means it’s a color screen, and the x means expandable memory, in this case through microSD cards.  The next one up the totem pole is the Legend Cx, which includes a 32mb memory card.  First thing I planned on doing was adding a 1gb card anyway, so that wasn’t an appeal.  I lingered on the Vista Cx for a while, since it includes a barometric altimeter and an electronic compass.  Then I got my senses back and realized GPS altitude is perfectly fine for my uses, and I have a great compass anyway, and a decent sense of direction.  Besides, I can walk a few steps and the Venture will give me a heading.  No USB cable is included, but it uses a standard mini cable.  I’ve got about 15 of those around my desk, so no problem.  These can power the Venture Cx when it’s plugged into your computer, or in my case, plugged into the USB power adapter in my car.

Let’s talk features.  The Venture Cx lacks a SIRFstar III chip, but it does include WAAS.  I got a decent fix (up to six satellites) in my home, a one-story ranch in the suburbs.  Driving around the neighborhood seemed accurate enough, Continue reading ‘Garmin eTrex Venture Cx Review’

Ten Worst iPod Accessories

Published on February 13, 2007 in iPods Suck. 0 Comments

I’m an iPod owner.  I know.  It makes me a little sick inside too.  For the record, the iPod is currently my #3 mp3 player, behind a Toshiba GigaBeat S60 and a SanDisk Sansa e260.  Still, I own an iPod nano 2nd Gen, silver, the cheap one.  My reasons (short list) include the very simple podcasting, Audible support, and strong accessory support.  Example – it was easy to find a cable the provided a USB plug and a line out so I can charge and have line-level input to my car stereo.

Which brings us to the subject of today’s post.  I stumbled on a list of the ten worst iPod accessories.  I suppose one would have to try the iBuzz (link probably NSFW) to really decide if it belongs on this list or not.  Anyone out there own something on that list and feel like commenting on it?

PSP Faceplate Mod

Published on January 28, 2007 in Case Mods, Console Reviews, Consoles and Gadgets. 0 Comments

 I’ve never been one to live in fear of voiding my warranty, so when I heard about a way to potentially destroy my PSP, I was all ears.  The result is visible in the picture.  I got sick of wiping off fingerprints, so I picked up a flat black faceplate from DecalGirl.  To add a little spice, I got the yellow button kit as well.  Let me tell you – it took some fiddling.  I lost a couple of those tiny screws, but thanks to a wicked powerful magnet I found on eBay, I was able to suck them back out of my carpet.  After some manipulation, I got the buttons just about right once more, and it does look unique.  For most folks, I can’t really recommend this mod.  I probably wouldn’t do it again myself.  The flat black is excellent, however, and it’s worth a look to modders and nerds in general.