The Grippy Pad uses no velcro, no magnets, just the principles of science! It turns out science can be cool without being explosive! “I think… what we’re seeing here… is going to be dubbed an anomaly in the annals of scientific research.” Yes, it is strange how I’m getting that same feeling that I got when we blew up those pumpkins in the name of science. Write that down.

The Grippy Pad is available in gray, black, white, and red, so you can get one that fits your style. Or if your parents bought you a car from the sixties that has a maroon dashboard, you can add a bit of “the present era” to your vehicle.

This geeky product is also perfect for putting GPS devices on your dash – yes, it’s that strong. Unless you’re going 90 in the dunes of Egypt, nothing is going to fall off of your Grippy Pad.

You can pick one of these up from Firebox for just $11 (USD), or you can stay here with me and have another cup of tea. While you sip on that tea, check out some other cool stuff for your mobile gadgets, like the iLoop Phone Stand and the Siri 3D Printed iPhone Case.

Jack Kieffer owns Cool Gizmo Toys, a site that loves all things geeky.

Mitsubishi’s goal for the EMIRAI was to offer an intuitive dashboard and user interface, which they hope to introduce in their vehicles within the next ten years. That’s a bold statement, but it does seem possible. Some newer cars have already started to introduce funky new high-tech dashboards.

Instead of having a flat LCD panel, Mitsubishi’s design uses a curved rear-projected display, with capacitive touch sensors. The steering wheel/joystick has got 18 buttons on two keypads, and a unique shape-shifting capability which can retract buttons which are not contextually relevant. It’s also packed with sensors, including personal health monitoring, and probably will be able to update your Facebook and Twitter timeline while you drive.

If that’s not enough, the passengers in the rear seat of the car get to watch glasses-free 3D high-def video while they go for a ride.

[via DigInfo.TV via designboom]

Good news for those of you who use your Xbox to watch Netflix. The latest version of Netflix is tucked away in the latest Xbox 360 dashboard update and it has some cool new features.


You’ll find a new user interface that allows for a more streamlined browsing experience and there are up to 3 times as many titles available on screen at once. Users also have access to audio and subtitle settings, ratings, episode selection, and related title suggestions.

There’s also support for voice and gesture control when using Xbox Kinect for browsing and playing, 720p HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The Netflix app will be automatically installed when you do the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Netflix on Xbox 360 is now available in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. Of course, you need both an Xbox Live Gold and Netflix streaming account to take advantage of the updated app.

[via Netflix]

One of the updates is just for the Xbox 360 owners that have a Kinect motion controller. With the Kinect installed and the new dashboard, the user can use their voice and gestures to navigate the console’s main menus. The update also brings with it voice search on Bing. There are also new social networking features as well. Facebook sharing is part of the update along with beacons. I have no idea what the beacons are though.

The Xbox will also gain access to Cloud Storage for game saves and your Live profile. That should mean no losing your saved games in the event your HDD takes a dump or you have to buy a new console. After the update, we should also expect a variety new apps for television, video, music, and more.

[via Major Nelson]

The Navisurfer II occupies a single DIN slot in your car’s dashboard, and manages to cram in an entire PC with a flip-out touchscreen 7-inch color display. The LCD monitor has a nice 800 x 480 resolution, and can be adjusted on both horizontal and vertical axes. Since it fits neatly into a standard radio slot, all you need to do is connect the computer just like you would with a car stereo, and you’re all set.

The system can run Windows XP or Linux (no OS is pre-installed, though) and can serve as a media player, GPS navigator, rear view camera, gaming console, or used to display vehicle diagnostic information, among other things. To enable these features, you’ll need to purchase additional USB or Bluetooth devices such as a GPS receiver or a video camera (only supported on the 120GB model).

It’s all packaged in a shock-resistant enclosure, and is designed to hold up to the voltage irregularities of cranking your car’s battery. The Navisurfer II is available in configurations ranging from 40GB to 120GB of hard-disk based storage, and from 256MB to 512MB RAM. Prices range from $578 to $656 USD.

The latest Xbox 360 System Update appears to be causing major problems for gamers today. Speaking from personal experience, the update appears to be completely breaking Xbox Live for some users.

The symptom is that your console will say that Xbox Live requires an update, then you’ll try to run the update and after several minutes, the update fails. It then provides advice that you need to test your connection, which eventually tells you that you need an Xbox Live update to complete the tests. I even went as far as reformatting the hard drive on my 360 to make sure there wasn’t some corrupted data on there.

A number of users over on Major Nelson’s site are also reporting similar problems this morning. Microsoft hasn’t provided any information yet on when a fix might be available. I even sat on the 1-800-4MY-XBOX line for about 90 minutes earlier this morning to see if they could provide any insight, but eventually got disconnected and gave up.

…and I thought I’d be checking out that new Stranglehold demo tonight. Oh well, hopefully someone in Redmond is listening.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Among the improvements, the new version will add Friends List and text chat integration with Windows Live Messenger. In addition, the Xbox Live Marketplace will get broken out into its own blade for easier access, and will feature a changeable look based on seasonality and special events. The dashboard update will also improve the way that achievements are displayed and categorized, making it much simpler to quickly see what you’ve accomplished in your games.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll be able to set your 360 into a special low power consumption mode so you can continue to download files even when you’re not using the console. You’ll also be able to set your console to automatically shut down after all downloads have completed.

[via Joystiq]

The update also adds the ability to automatically queue Xbox Live Arcade demos for download and support for Zune media streaming and a forthcoming wireless headset and racing wheel. A number of improvements have been added to the video player, including improved performance on HD content, better video quality and skip controls. Numerous other bug fixes are also in this release. The full list of improvements can be found here.

[via AV Watch via Engadget]

Of note are a new, cleaner look for the Xbox Live Arcade, a better organized Live Marketplace and most importantly, a link to the “Launchpad,” where you’ll be able to play demos and XNA homebrew games if you’re signed up for the XNA Game Studio program.