Technabob » customization

WASD Custom Keyboards Put ColorWare to Shame

Lambert Varias — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:10 +0000

Computer mice come in many shapes, sizes and colors, not to mention variety in the number of buttons. But there’s less variety to be found in keyboards, or so I thought until I saw the V1 Custom Mechanical Keyboard by WASD Keyboards. The company lets users make the typing device of their wildest dreams – or nightmares.

WASD Keyboards uses Cherry MX mechanical switches, so after creating your design you’ll choose the color and type of switch you want. You can also order a dampener if you don’t want the trademark clicking sound that mechanical keyboards make. You can also choose the font of the text on each key and whether the text will be engraved or lasered in. If you really want to get creative you can upload your own design or even send custom art for each of the keys.

Above is my design for a Technabob-themed keyboard; you can see more at WASD Keyboard’s website or have a look at the gallery below for more user-created designs.

Head to WASD Keyboards to design and order your own V1 Custom Mechanical Keyboard. Prices start at $140 (USD). The company also sells a Semi-Custom version of the keyboard, which is still brimming with tweakable specs.

[via Gamerfront via The Red Ferret Journal]

Encline Designs Custom Figures: Transformers Transformed

Lambert Varias — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:22:14 +0000

I know how complicated LEGO creations can be, but I’m equally impressed with people who customize action figures. I could be wrong, but isn’t it harder to find or sculpt parts compared to looking for LEGO bricks? That’s just half of it; the painting and finishing touches can make or break a custom figure. David Morgan (aka Encline Designs) is one of the action figure builders who is great at such things.

David didn’t actually modify much in this particular action figure, which I have dubbed Optimus Train. Believe it or not, this is actually based on a knockoff toy that already transforms into a train. David told me that he added a ball joint neck, steam hoses and four LEDs to Optimus Train. Now look at the stock figure and at David’s work and you’ll see that the painting and details have made the toy a hundred times better.

But David doesn’t just paint existing toys, he also makes custom action figures. Perhaps his best work so far is the Rolling Thunder Optimus Prime, a 27-inch behemoth based on a Rolling Thunder G.I. Joe toy.

You can check out Seibertron for more on the Rolling Thunder Optimus Prime. Head to David’s website for more action figures, Transformers and otherwise.

[via OhGizmo!]

Surprise! Colorware Now Customizing iPhone 4

Lambert Varias — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:19:54 +0000

Now you can have a white iPhone 4, or even a red or a black or a technabob-themed one, because ColorWare is now offering to customize your iPhone 4. Who would’ve thought? Yeah, we all did.

If you think that this is a good way of getting an unlocked iPhone 4, think again – ColorWare is only offering this service as a “send-in” option.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Even if you do have an iPhone 4, ColorWare’s Apple-ish prices will make you think twice about customizing your new gadget. The customization in the picture above for instance costs $260 (USD). Still interested? Go to ColorWare’s website and start coloring.

[via ubergizmo]

Colorware Can Give You a Yellow iPad if You’D Like One

Lambert Varias — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:04:27 +0000

Or maybe even a Bondi Blue iPad. The de Blob of the gadget world, Colorware is pleased to announced that they’re now selling custom colored iPads. Colorware offers a wide range of colors for the iPad’s body, Apple logo and home button. Here’s an LA Laker-ish color scheme that I cooked up.

It’s not purple enough, I know. It’s not even purple. You can create your own color scheme at Colorware’s website. If you don’t have an iPad yet, you can buy a custom colored one straight from Colorware; the gadget plus the custom colors costs at least $900 (USD). But if you already have an iPad, you can send it to them to be colored, in which case it will “only” cost at least $400. The final price will vary depending on the colors chosen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Would you rather buy two vanilla iPads or get one customized iPad? No word yet if Colorware will customize the JooJoo. They probably won’t.

[via Chip Chick]

Street Headphones: Loud in More Ways Than One

Lambert Varias — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:05:47 +0000

A byproduct of Brian Garret Schuur’s graduate thesis (pdf), the Street Headphones has a laser sintered (i.e. melted) polyamide outer shell. Made using rapid manufacturing, customers can personalize the shell by having something custom etched into it, like the names of your favorite musicians, as shown below.

Just don’t be a poser and have things on there that you don’t really know about. If I were to buy a pair I think I’d use song lyrics…

…but I can’t afford it: A pair of Street Headphones sells for a wallet-thumpin’ €833 (approx. $1, 140 USD) at Freedom of Creation.

[via MoCo Loco]

My Little Colossus is Too Cute to be Slain

Lambert Varias — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:26:04 +0000

Until recently, I wasn’t aware that there’s a diabolically awesome trend that involves customizing My Little Pony figures, like this horrifying L4D Hunter Pony. Shame on me. Time to catch up! deviantART member Blondeyetti took a pony, applied some “Sculpey, stone effect spray paint, acrylics and “burnt grass” flocking” to come up with a seventeeth being for Wander to defeat.

And just like the other colossi, this equine monster has a body part that Wander can exploit – the grass or moss on its rear legs will provide the Shadow of the Colossus hero with a means of clambering up its body so that he can repeatedly stab its weak point. Or, you know, he can just crush this tiny threat under his feet. This thing is what, 5 inches tall?

[via hawtymcbloggy]

Colorware Brings the Black Macbook Back, but It’S Gonna Cost You

Lambert Varias — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:43:37 +0000

When it comes to their laptops, Apple has a bit of a sadistic side, adding neat features only to take them away soon after. For example, the Firewire port was a staple of the polycarbonate Macbooks, and then it was removed from the first Unibody 13.3″ Macbooks, only to be returned in the new 13.3″ Macbook (semi)Pros. The black Macbooks are another of Apple’s hit ideas that they seem to have forgotten, despite appeals from numerous fans for an updated version. Colorware knows that there are at least 10 die-hard “Blackbook” fans out there willing to give away their firstborn child just to own a laptop in black casing. The good news? You don’t have to lose any of your children. $6,000 (USD_ will do.

That must be the color of a Sith Lord’s soul. Mmmmm want. Then again, it’s $6,000. So what else will you get for that kind of cash? Colorware’s so-called “Stealth” is a 15″ Macbook Pro with a matte widescreen display (yet another feature that wasn’t broke), 3.06 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, and a 256 GB SSD.

Now I know what you’re thinking, ’cause I’m psychic like that, and the answer is: $4,249. That’s how much it would cost if you bought an equally pimped-out 15″ MBP at an Apple Store. You could even spend a lot less than that if you buy the additional 4 GB RAM and the SSD from a third-party vendor.

Then again, this laptop is BLACK, and as I said, there are only 10 of these available. Nah, who am I kidding. IT AIN’T WORTH THE EXTRA $1,750 PEOPLE!

But if you have the money to burn, I think you should go buy it at Colorware ASAP. I’m sure there are more than 10 idiots people out there willing to pony up the money for this gimmick.

[via Engadget]

New Soda Bottle Tech Lets You Mix Your Own Flavors

Technabob — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 03:14:10 +0000

In the future, you’ll be able to customize more and more products to your own liking, and why should beverages be any different?

This new technology from Ipifini, called “Choice-Enabled Packaging,” provides bottles of soda with multiple flavor “buttons,” which can be pressed to create your own customized soft drink flavors.

A programmable bottle with four flavors and a caffeine button can produce up to 32 unique concoctions. A six-button prototype has been produced which can create 64 combinations. Bring on those cherry lime vanilla sodas!

[via Technovelgy via CNET]