At the front and center of Hyundai’s portable boombox is an oversized 12.1-inch LCD monitor. The spec sheet says the screen is 1280 x 800, but from the pictures I’ve seen, I’m not sure that’s really the case. It’s not like you’re going to be watching Hi-Def video on this thing anyhow. Unlike the classic ghetto blaster, these new compact stereos are all about the image, and not the sound. As a matter of fact, the speakers on this boombox have taken a serious backseat to the screen.

The Hyundai HY-1210 is all about watching movies and TV – not listening to your jamz. The portable has a built-in DVD player, and can play content in VCD, DVD, CD, CD-R, JPEG, MP3, MPEG-4, AVI formats. There’s even a Karaoke feature built-in so you can sing along. And if you don’t have any DVDs lying around, there are USB and SD/MMC/MS slots for watching media stored on digital memory devices. And there’s a VGA connector on the back for some reason too. I can officially say this is the first boombox EVER with a VGA port.

Unfortunately, the TV tuner is analog, so you won’t be able to tune in stations in many parts of the world. At least you can listen to the FM radio when you’re not watching those Harajuku girls on screen. And with a 10-watt per channel stereo amp under the hood, audio actually isn’t that bad. One other technological advancement – this boombox only needs 8 “C”-Cell batteries – so we have made progress in the last 25 years or so. Maybe by 2035, we’ll have OLED boomboxes that run on 8 “AAA” batteries.

The Hyundai HY-1210 boombox can be yours over at ChinaGrabber for $219.99 (USD).

Fans of the classic Sega console will appreciate the clean and compact styling of this portable remake what is arguably one of the best consoles of all time. While I can’t find out much about this casemod other than the fact that it features a nice 7-inch widescreen display, a built-in controller, stereo speakers and that it was “make by china SEGA fans.”

Check it out in action here…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I want my portable Shenmue now!

[via TechEBlog]

Measuring 5″ x 5″ x 2.5″, the Instax is a chubby white thing, like a marshmallow or a cloud. It looks friendlier and more playful than most other cameras. The cute camera prints cute pictures too – wallet-sized pics that have the classic thick border popularized by Polaroid. Note that it can only print pictures of that size, so if you want bigger pics then you’re better off with a conventional cameras. Here’s a sample of pics taken and printed on the Instax:

What’s funny is that the Polaroid PoGo actually prints borderless pics, which makes the Instax more of a spiritual successor to the old Polaroid cameras than the PoGo.

The Instax has a wide-angle lens, a built-in flash, and four exposure settings. Basic features, but then again Fuji isn’t marketing this to serious photographers, and a simple feature set helps keep the price down. The large bay at the back of the Instax houses the film cartridge.

Note that I have not used the Instax (or the PoGo), and I don’t know how much it costs to print digital pics where you live, but for me the short & long term costs of the Instax are just way too high. Photojojo is selling the Fuji Instax instant camera for $90 (USD), but if you’re going to get one you might as well go for the camera + film bundle which costs $105, and save yourself $5. As I said earlier, the film costs $20 for a pack of 20 exposures, which I’m sure most people will use up in no time at all.  Three packs of 20 exposures are also available for $55.

[via bltd]

While it is sort of a cool analog hack, I can’t imagine you’d get much brightness from your mobile phone’s screen. That said, the makers of the HypnosEye claim you can project an image from 17″ to 45″ diagonal from a projection distance of 0.5 to 2 meters away. And of course, you’ll want to turn the lights down – way down – to see your images.

You can check out the HypnosEye in action in the video clips below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The HypnosEye kit comes with both the projection lens unit and a portable 17″ diagonal projection surface that’s optimized for projection. If you’d like to try one, they’re available over at the Japan Trend Shop for $80 (USD).

While I’d much prefer an actual pocket projector, I suppose you might want to look at this wacky device if you’re a real cheapskate.

The images section will surely be a hit, because it’s basically a treasure trove of cool and free wallpapers for you iPhone. There are two galleries available – the NASA image of the day and the Astronomy picture of the day. Is there any difference between the image of the day and the picture of the day?

The videos and updates sections offer more content, with YouTube clips in the former and twitter feeds in the latter.

Check out the app’s official page for more info. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can download it here (iTunes link). Do you think the other government agencies should come up with their own apps? I wonder what the IRS app would offer.

[via MethodShop]

If you need to use the reader half of it, just unscrew the pen to reveal the USB connector. I don’t know if you can use the pen half on its own though.

Maybe in the future we’ll have pens that can recognize our handwriting and store it as a text file, ready for us to plug in to computers  - or our heads! – for reviewing.

You can get the Four SD Slot Pen at GeekStuff4U for appx. $22 (USD); at that price you’d better not be the type who easily loses pens. The pen comes with two ink refills and a USB cable.

The Aphone A6 phone does its best to look like an iPhone, featuring a 3.5-inch capacitive multi-touch display, and a “dual-core” CPU of some sort. The phone has a 2.0-megapixel camera, GSM EDGE (not 3G), Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity too. It’s pre-loaded with 20 games, Opera Mini, Skype, and Email apps too. Of course, the strangest thing is looking at the screen filled with iPhone-esque icons, then booting into Android 1.5. Weird-o-rama.

If you have the patience to wait for a video clip from China to load into your browser (let it buffer a bit and it’s not so painful), watch the video below to see the Aphone in action. Otherwise, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

No word on where and when you’ll be able to pick up the Aphone A6, but I imagine these will start to turn up in various schlock shops around the globe soon.

[via k3bbs via Shanzai with a nod to Gizmodo]

Now why you’d want a cell phone that looks like a pack of cigarettes is anyone’s guess. All I can assume is that if there’s a strange gadget that’s yet be made in China, they’ll make it. These particular phones are dead ringers packs of Marlboros, complete with flip-top box and storage for actual cigarettes. The Marlboro 508 phone is pretty standard low-end cell phone fare, featuring a dual-band GSM phone (works everywhere but the U.S.), a 1.6-inch screen, and MP3/MP4 player, bluetooth and an FM radio. One interesting feature is a 1.3-megapixel camera that’s hidden in the side of the cigarette pack for your spy shots.

If you’re a smoker, or just want to look like one for some reason, you can grab a Marlboro phone over at ChinaGrabber for $144.99 (USD) a pack. Isn’t that about what a carton of cigarettes sells for these days anyhow?

Stash a Zoombak in you kids’ backpacks and you can tell exactly where they are at all times. Or stick on in your glovebox and find out where that valet is really going with your car. Just load up the iPhone app, choose your tracked item, human or pet, then click “Find Now”. You can even enable a continuous tracking mode, which will watch the movements of your Zoombaks at five-minute intervals.

While Zoombak modules retail for $99 to $149 (USD) each, but I managed to find many modules for as little as $38 over at Amazon, which is a steal. You can grab the iPhone app here.

(Note: If you already have a Zoombak, you will need to update your devices to the latest software to use this app. Be sure to read the notes up on the iTunes store.)

The basic concept of Touch Pets Dogs is simple. Pick out your favorite breed of dog, raise it from a puppy, teach it tricks, choose a doggie career, and dress it in silly costumes. You can share your dog’s progress through feeds to Facebook, and even take care of your friends’ virtual pups when they’re away. There’s also a mode where you can view everyone’s dogs across a global dog sharing network.

The game comes with seven breeds including Jack Russell Terrier, Dachshund, Westie, Portuguese Water Dog, Labrador, German Shepherd, and the elusive Robot Dog. I’m personally offended that there is no Bernese Mountain Dog or Greater Swiss Mountain Dog in the mix. I guess they’re just too big to fit into that iPhone. Knowing ngmoco:) they might offer more breeds as downloadable content in future.

Here’s a little footage of Touch Pets Dogs in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Touch Pets Dogs is available now over at the iTunes App Store for the low, low price of… free. But there’s a catch – you’ll need to buy bowls of virtual dog food for anywhere from 99 cents for 10 bowls of digi-kibble, all the way up to $29.99 for 400 bowls of food. So just like real life, you’ll need to pay up or your canine pal will starve. On the free version you earn a very small amount of food the longer you play, but it’s definitely not enough to really keep Fido fat and happy.

At least your iPhone won’t poop on the carpet.

The system uses a custom wireless computer that receives digital information via a Wi-Fi connection and translates your maneuvers into servo control signals for R/C cars. There’s also a USB jack for a compact webcam. Joker Racer lets you use a web browser to drive cars on a closed course, and watch POV video from tiny cameras on-board each car.

There’s even an iPhone app coming in 2010 that lets you control cars using the iPhone’s motion sensors. In addition to being able to drive their remote-hosted cars, in future you’ll be able to buy your own Joker Racer R/C Server hardware for your own racecars.

Here’s a couple of videos showing off Joker Racer in action…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Joker Racer’s website recently wrapped up its initial beta and is moving on to a full release in early November. For now, you’ll just have to sit back and enjoy some of the site’s pre-recorded clips and maybe remotely control the course webcam.

[via TechCrunch]

Modder Trstn18 created his SNEGENES P handheld with the parts from an authentic “mini” SNES, and a Gen-X clone machine. The whole thing is set into a custom see-through case so you can see all the electronic goodness inside. While I wouldn’t necessarily call a system that’s 8.6-inches wide, 5.4-inches tall and 1-inch thick “handheld”, it’s still a pretty great mod job.

The SNEGENES P is powered by six 2600mAh batteries, which let it play for somewhere around 5 to 7 hours on a single charge. There’s also composite video and stereo audio outputs, which let Trstn play his favorite games on a TV. And yes, Virginia, it can play actual cartridges from these retro systems – unfortunately, the rear of the SNEGENES is a bit of a hot mess:

Here’s a brief video clip showing off the SNEGENES P in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now why the video clip is backwards, I have no idea. Maybe it’s because “snegenes” sounds like a backwards chant you’d hear in a subliminal message on a Beatles record. Just hold your computer up to a mirror and you can watch it properly.

[via Ben Heck Forums]

Tell me that isn’t the face of evil–mischievous, adorable evil. Coolbeans717 has a massive Etsy shopfront just packed with all sorts of geek-inspired felted gadget cases. If you prefer, say, The Legend of Zelda, or maybe Spam (in a can, not in your e-mail), you can veer away from the path of Pac-Man, though it is inadvisable. There’s not much that compares to the ghost cases.

The pouches aren’t exactly cheap, as these things go–most of ‘em are priced at $20–but they look great, and it’s always wonderful to buy handmade.

Okay actually the 2009 Baltic Robot Sumo Cup wasn’t illegal; in fact it was sponsored by major robotics companies like iRobot and ABB. 60 robots participated in 3 categories – Mini Sumo, 3 kg Sumo, and of course Roomba Sumo. But it was really held in Lithuania. And Roombas really do sneak off at night. They meet with other miniscule warriors and oshitaoshi the circuits out of each other. True story.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Of course the only move that these robots have is “push”, but I’m sure ten to fifteen years from now, when Roomba v. 10.10 or something will be out, and it’ll look like a human, only with 4 arms and missiles for fingers, we’ll all look back to these pioneers, and curse iRobot for coming up with the darned things, because obviously we’ll be the ones who are cleaning the Roomba’s homes at that point. So enjoy their limited functionality and their silent yet comedic fights, because it won’t last long folks. It won’t! What was I talking about? Oh right, android tennis! Awesome stuff.

[via BotJunkie]

This generic-brand mobile phone offers oversize numeric buttons (1-cm wide) that you can read from several feet away – making phone calls nearly fool-proof. The phone was mainly designed for seniors with limited tech savvy, but it’s fine if you’re just looking for a really simple cell phone too. Let me go on the record now by saying If I lose my ability to use the latest high-tech gadgets when I’m an old man, please just put me out of my misery.

The 6380 Senior Mobile Phone ($75 USD) does actually have a few handy features, including a built in flashlight, and a giant “SOS” button on the back that can automatically dial a pre-set emergency number, and emit a loud warning alarm. It’s also got a minimal display with large on-screen fonts, and a whopping 128×60 screen resolution. Sign me up now!

Actually, the 6380 does hide a couple of modern features under the hood, including a digital phone book, SMS messaging, a calendar, alarm clock, games (I can only imagine how much fun those are on that screen), and an FM radio. FM? I wanted an AM crystal radio set and a Victrola built-in.

Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing. The 6380 phone only works on GSM 900/1800 bands, so it works everywhere in the world except the U.S. and Canada. Oh well, I didn’t want one anyway.

The Mac version has a metal case and a 2-liner LCD screen like its software counterpart, while the Windows calculator sports the classic XP color scheme, and even has menu headers. I know that these are just concepts, but what would the window buttons (maximize, minimize, close) be for in a real calculator? It would be awesome if you could actually maximize a real calculator though.

The designer is aware of the fact that it would be unlikely for either Apple or Microsoft to let any third party get away with making these calculators, so is leaving it up to the two computer makers to make real-life versions of their OS calculators, if only to give away as gifts or for marketing gimmicks. And if they decide to go ahead with it, maybe they should contact Mintpass.

That said, the TwitterPeek does have a lot going for it: it has a scroll wheel and a back button, a large, colored screen, a raised and illuminated QWERTY keypad, a battery that lasts 4-5 days and can be charged in 2 hours, plus nationwide coverage (US only) that doesn’t depend on WiFi. But no browser. Those of you who are familiar with the Peek Pronto know that although it doesn’t have a browser either, it reads PDF, docs and pictures.

So Twitter addicts, is the TwitterPeek just the thing that you’ve been waiting for? Or will you stick to your Twitter apps on your phones and computers? If you said yes to the first question, head on to Amazon and get the TwitterPeek for either $100 (USD), which comes with 6 months of free service (you’ll pay $8/month after 6 months), or $200, which comes with lifetime wireless service. It comes in two colors, grey and aqua (or Twitter blue).

Update: PC Mag has reviewed the TwitterPeek and gave it 1.5 stars for its poor controls and very limited functionality. Apparently it makes even the simple act of reading tweets a chore. Wow. (via Gizmodo)

[via Engadget]

Designed by Minneapolis textile artist Angie Davis of Byrd & Belle, these unique iPhone cases protect your precious digital cargo inside a thick and cushy blanket of Merino wool felt and a soft Egyptian cotton interior lining. The grey and orange fabric is set off nicely by a simple leather strap, which not only serves to secure your iPhone, but also provides a convenient cord wrap for your headphones. No more wire tangles – hoorah!

Best of all, the Byrd & Belle iPhone case is reasonably priced. Each handmade case sells for just $19 (USD) and can be found over at their Etsy shop. Be sure to check out their nifty felt and leather laptop sleeves while you’re over there.

Aside from the display, the microphone used to pick up speech is also mounted on the eyepiece. The mic sends data to the small computer, which is meant to be worn on a user’s waist. The computer then sends the data to the remote server, which takes care of the heavy stuff, converting speech to text and finally translating. Then the translated text is sent back to the computer, and finally displayed in the eyepiece. The text is displayed on the user’s peripheral vision, so you won’t go wall-eyed trying to read the translation.

…or so goes NEC’s big plan. Currently the system’s translating capability is not be good enough for real world application, so for now the device is being promoted as a convenient means of looking at user manuals or guides for engineers or technicians to use while their working on something. And since it can receive data from a remote server, the Tele Scouter can also be used to send instructions to several personnel all at once, in real time.

NEC will begin selling Tele Scouter systems next year. I don’t know if it will be fully functional by then, but even if it did it’s not like we’ll be able to afford it: a set-up good enough for 30 users will cost ¥750 million (approx. $8.3 million USD).

[via gizmag]

A watch battery powers the light, which provides a more or less even brightness. The lamp itself tucks inside its wallet-sized card frame. I can probably fit a couple in my wallet.

There are lots of situations when a flashlight would come in handy, but the big ones are bulky; small flashlights on the other hand usually emit weak ass light. Something like the Pocket Light would be a much better – and sexier -  portable light source.

Check out Harc’s website and have a look at his other projects. My favorite is the XY Bag, a luggage that transforms into a cart so you can put more bags on top of it.

[via likecool]