Archive for March 2007

At this week’s Game Developer’s Conference (GDC), Sony confirmed plans for a new enhancement to the PS3’s online capabilities, simply called “Home.” The new feature will take a page out of other social networking services, enabling console users to share content and interact in new ways. Home will allow users to create their own 3D humanoid avatar and interact in an environment that is strikingly similar to Second Life (but with PS3 quality graphics.)

When I recently received a mini Google Fridge for my office at work (my company spends a lot of money on AdWords,) I thought for sure I had the coolest geek refrigeration device on the block.

I’m not sure what my fascination is with LED clocks these days, but there’s just something appealing about their minimalism and sheer ease of use. So that said, here’s another one to check out if you’re in the market for a cool looking clock. Rather than the typical red, 7-segment LEDs we’ve become accustomed to seeing, this LED alarm clock features a grid of large blue LED pixels to form the current time.

This USB robot web cam bears more than a passing resemblance to Honda’s famous little humanoid robot, Asimo. Unlike Asimo, however, the USB Robot Cam has white LED eyes and red LED ears that illuminate when the lights go down.

Japanese toy and electronics maker TakaraTomy is now offering this set of crazy USB gadgets that will make your desktop look like some sort of top secret military base. Start off with the Big Red Emergency Button (¥3990/$34 USD), which looks pretty ominous, but merely shuts down your Windows PC.

I’m having enough trouble just climbing skyscrapers on foot in the Xbox 360 action-shooter Crackdown. This amazing clip by gaming die hard 007craft shows off how you can actually climb an Agency Tower while driving in an SUV.

If those disco or chrome cases for your Apple iPod are a bit too garish for your taste, check out these wooden cases from Japan. The cases are made by wooden toymaker Asuka Koubou, out of three different shades of natural woods.

I came across this little animation over on bits bytes pixels & sprites, and it made me just laugh and laugh… If Tom Cruise only was driving in his Lexus 2054, maybe he’d catch up.

This wondrous little auto gadget uses GPS satellite tracking, radar and laser detection technologies to alert you to the presence of speed traps and traffic cameras. The PogoAlert features a compact 1.8-inch LCD screen that mounts on your car’s dashboard or windshield, and lets you know when you’re approaching a speed trap or traffic camera.

Looking like something out of a James Bond movie or an episode of 24, this portable computer from Estari features an innovative dual LCD interface that folds up into an aluminum briefcase. The core design element of Estari’s DC15 briefcase computer are two 15-inch (1025 x 768) touchscreen LCD monitors.

If you’ve ever tried to crack open your video game console for curiosity’s sake (or other, more devious purposes), you know how challenging it can be to find all of the right tools to get the job done without damaging your console.

If you’re looking for an easy way to stream music from your PC to any room in your house, and don’t want a lot of unsightly equipment laying around, check out this new digital music streamer coming from Sony. The VAIO WA Wireless Digital Music Streamer (VGF-WA1) is a complete bookshelf audio system, featuring built-in stereo amplification, speakers and streaming directly from your Wi-Fi connected PC.

Ever wanted to know what the guy who voices Nintendo’s Mario looked like? This short video features the man himself, Charles Martinet as he provides his unique vocal stylings for the little Italian plumber that built an empire.

Design firm ding3000 designed this slick, modern box which lets you turn that rats’ nest of cords and A/C adapters into a presentable piece of home decor. Designed for German housewares company Konstantin Slawinski, the Charge Box SL12 was designed to conceal the most unwieldy and unattractive part of today’s gadgets.

Way back in 1989, long before today’s Wii-mote and the SIXAXIS motion sensing controllers, Mattel launched their rather silly looking, but ahead-of-its-time Power Glove controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Now, Immersion Corporation is offering a modern update to the concept with their CyberGlove II Wireless Data Glove. Immersion’s new controller is capable of precisely sensing palm, wrist, arm and individual finger movements and sending that data to a computer (via a 3D tracking device) to either record movements or to control software applications.

If you’ve got a hankering for some retro gaming fun, and you need to satisfy that itch right this second, check out this web version of the classic Adventure for the Atari 2600. The game was built by programmer Scott Pehnke entirely in Flash, and features a full emulation of the game including all of the sights and sounds of the original.