Category Archives: GADGETS

Gadgets cover wide and varied areas including accessories, imaging, audio and visual and the likes.

HELLO-Q lets you extend your love for LEGO to your PC

UPDATED February 28, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

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(image credit: Coobeeo) Coobeeo HELLO-Q PC Case | US$tbc | www.coobeeo.com.tw

if you are still contemplating on building a LEGO PC case, here’s one case that might saves you the adventure. just announced by Coobeeo Technology Co., Ltd, a Taiwan-based PC case manufacturer, is a LEGO-inspired PC case dubbed the HELLO-Q. measuring 450 x 200 x 410 mm, this novel PC case has a studded faceplate that allows user have LEGO-like fun on it, such as forming up of words or even creating a holder for your stationery. i don’t think you be using this in the office, but if you do, you can put words like ‘i hate you, boss’ or sort. aside the studded face, the faceplate includes a pair of USB port and the standard audio jacks. the case is design to fit ATX or micro ATX mainboard and will comes in four flavor of colors, namely, black, pink, baby blue and white.

no words on its pricing and availability but it sure helps if you have contacts over in Taiwan who can help to snoop this baby out. looks cool but we prefer to have studs all round the case, not just the faceplate.

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(image credit: Coobeeo) quick customization such as stationery holder or form words on the PC faceplate

Coobeeo via Akihabara News

AUDIO/VISUAL

iBox combines the beauty of natural wood and amplified sound

UPDATED February 25, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

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(image credit: Thodio) Thodio iBox Sound Dock | from €359.00 | www.thodio.nl

sound docks for iPhone/iPod are a dime of dozen and it comes to point that most sound dock just look bland but not in the case of this handcrafted Thodio iBox which is destined to stand out among its competition with its beautiful natural wood enclosure. the combination of chrome handles for portability and the built-in rechargeable battery means you are all set to blast out the tunes from your iPhone/iPod anytime, anywhere. its 15-hours battery life makes sure your iPhone runs out of juice before it does.

iBox isn’t your run-of-mill sound dock. in fact, you have a wide range of material choice for its enclosure: MDF, oak, teak, mahogany, zebrawood or purpleheart. or you can put in your request to Thodio and they can create a custom set for you. want one handle instead of two? no problem. whatever materials you chose, they will be a good 15 mm thick and all wooden material comes treated with linseed oil which you can opt out.

if outdoor use favors you, Thodio has option for additional coating of seven layers of clear UV and scratch-proof yacht coating to protect your price possession from the harsh element of the sun. however, that’s only applicable to natural wood. for MDF, there’s an option of five layers of high gloss pain in any color of your choice.

standard output is 2 x 24 watts rms in stereo but there’s an option to upgrade the sound department to a 2 x 60 watts rms or 2 x 70 watts rms system. connectivity are one 3.5 mm audio in and one aux-in/out. the sound dock comes packaged with one battery charger, one 3.5 mm jack plug auxiliary cable and one year warranty. prices of the Thodio iBox starts from €359 (about US$496).

ACCESSORIES

Etch-A-Sketch protective cases for iPad, iPhone and iPod

UPDATED February 15, 2014 Mike chua Leave a comment

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Etch-A-Sketch protective case | from US$24.99 | getaheadcase.com

remember Etch-A-Sketch? the magical doodle board that you used to entertain yourself at the backseat of the car as a child when your dad drove you to your grandparents’? i guess we all have some nostalgic feel towards our childhood toy and thanks to HeadCase, we can now have a piece of yesteryear toy without actually carrying a real one around, looking silly. new from HeadCase and officially licensed by Ohio Art, makers of the original Etch-A-Sketch, are the Etch-A-Sketch cases for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. ah.. now we can carry our fond memories around without looking like an overgrown kid. isn’t that sweet?

HeadCase Etch-A-Sketch protective cases are available for iPad, iPhone 3/3GS/4 as well as iPod Touch and price starts from $24.99 for iPhone/iPod cases, while iPad version cost $39. Etch-A-Sketch cases are available via HeadCase web store.

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ACCESSORIES

Joystickers Classic: physical buttons for your iOS devices

UPDATED February 25, 2011 Mike chua 1 Comment

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(image credit: Joystickers) Joystickers Classic | US$30.00 | www.joystickers.com

remember the JOYSTICK-IT and Fling Tactile Game Controller? now there’s a new kid on the block seeking funding for yet another joystick made for capacitive touchscreen but this time round, it is in the form of a button. the tiny buttons, dubbed the Joystickers Classic, resembles a small electronic button switch with suction cup at the bottom. the Classic promised to bring back tactile button feel to your gaming experience. it will work with games that has ‘action buttons’ and any devices that has capacitive touchscreen, such as the iPad, iPhone and Android handsets.

as oppose to the JOYSTICK-IT and Fling Tactile Game Controller, Classic is a button-only contraption hence it does not have directional control. the plus side is, for games that has more than one action button close to one another, the Classic’s small foot print enables you to put two of them side-by-side. having a small footprint also means it won’t hinder your game play experience and it will also work well with smartphone. something which the previous two joysticks can’t because of their size.

Joystickers are currently asking for support to make the Classic a reality and if you are keen on this product, head on to their Kickstarter page and make your pledge. a minimum pledge of $30 will get you a pair of the Classic, a microfiber cleaning cloth and a carrying pouch. Joystickers has two other products in the pipeline, both which are styluses. the first is the Scribe, a pen-like stylus that comes complete with a pen cap and the second is the Flow, which imitates closely to a real paintbrush. catch their intro for these three products video after the break.

ACCESSORIES

now you can paint on your iPad the Nomad Paintbrush way

UPDATED February 24, 2011 Mike chua 2 Comments

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(image credit: Nomad Brush) Nomad Paintbrush Stylus | US$24.00 | www.nomadbrush.com

who would have dream that one day we would stop using our fingers to paint on our iPad? well, the dream is no more with Nomad Paintbrush which sport a mix of both conductive and natural fibers at the end of its walnut and carbon shaft. it can be used with apps like Artrage, Brushes, Auryn Ink and Zen Brush but i guess no harm giving the brush a go with other apps. as with all things that resemble the real-world or traditional counterpart – don’t get it mixed up with the real paint-dipping brushes or you will just ruin a perfectly good iPad brush.

the Nomad Paintbrush Stylus retails for $24 and its available on Nomad Brush web store.

via Gizmodo

ACCESSORIES

GameCube gets gutted out and lives on as a desktop organizer

UPDATED February 22, 2011 Mike chua 2 Comments

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(image credit: GreenCub) GameCube Desktop Organizer | from U$39.00 | www.etsy.com

every now and then, you have creative folks coming out and giving old equipment a new lease of life, well, the functionality may have changed a little along the way – like this former game console, GameCube which has its innards gutted out and transformed into a much useful desktop organizers.

it has a magnet behind the vent that helps it to hold on some paper clips, pen/pencil holder is at where the power button used to be, and where the CD used to be, it is now a tray for pretty much any small stationery. where the controllers used to plugged in, is now a useful pullout tray. behind the GameCube is a handle-like contraption which was also transformed into a small gadget holder. pretty neat huh?

despite its failure in the console market back in 2001, but thanks to the good folks over at GreenCub, the Nintendo GameCube can now soldier on and continue to serve us in another department like keeping our desktop neat and tidy while we are vigorously gaming with our PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

the GameCube Desktop Organizer is available via GreenCub’s store on Etsy and prices start from $39 for the purple version, and $49 for the black or the platinum version. of course, you can save yourself some money by taking the DIY route, but we suggest leaving this task to the professionals.

via Oh Gizmo!

GAMING

racing simulator kit that eerily resembles a, ermm, coffin?

UPDATED December 19, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

(image credit: Prosumer Racing Simulator) VRS-P1 Prosumer Racing Simulator | U$4,400.00

i’m still waiting to buy a set of the gaming racing wheel for my GT5 and like most racing simulator fans, i would love to have a home racing simulator but this is definitely not going to be one of the candidate that i have in mind. the VRS-P1 Prosumer Racing Simulator is constructed out of wooden (read: it’s a wooden box) which lets you experience the claustrophobic environment within a real racing car. within its confine, the VRS-P1 features a custom built adjustable fiberglass racing seat, adjustable mounting plate for pedals and custom mounting plates for Logitech G27 racing wheel. Continue reading racing simulator kit that eerily resembles a, ermm, coffin? →

AUDIO/VISUAL

new Monster Turbine high performance in-ear earphones

UPDATED January 17, 2012 Mike chua Leave a comment

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(image credit: Monster Cable) Monster Turbine Pearl In-Ear Speakers | U$229.95 | www.monstercable.com

in recent years, headphones have transformed from being a simple personal music gear into a fashion statement. case in point: the new Monster Turbine Pearl In-Ear Speakers with Control Talk. styled in the familiar Monster Turbine design with a pearl-color paint job accented with chrome details, this new Monster Turbine buds features the Monster SuperTips in a series of shapes and sizes to give an ideal fit for your ears. it is not just another silicone bud that goes into your ear, the SuperTips is touted to create a superb acoustic chamber in your ears “that seals your music in and noise out.” Continue reading new Monster Turbine high performance in-ear earphones →

IMAGING

this micro camera takes real images and records videos

UPDATED February 19, 2011 Mike chua 2 Comments

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(image credit: Thanko) Thanko MAME-CAM | ¥7,980.00 | www.thanko.jp

this is probably the smallest real-working camera we have ever seen. measuring just 30 x 27 x 27 mm and weighing only 11 grams, the micro-size camera is capable of capturing images of 1,600 x 1,200 resolution with its 2.0 megapixels sensor, and record video in 640 x 480 resolution @ 30 fps (AVI). audio is in mono, though.

storage is via microSD card (not included, supports up to 32 GB). the camera has a battery life of 36 minutes (continuous video recording) and charges via USB (USB 1.1/2.0 compatible), which takes about an hour. in case your ran out juice outdoor, it does come with a handy battery-operated external battery charger for charging on the go.

the camera comes package with lens cap, USB cable, key chain and strap for your hang around your neck. you can trust the Japanese to come with wacky ideas and still pay the closet attention to details. the MAME-CAM retails for ¥7,980 on Thanko web store.

Thanko via CrunchGear

ACCESSORIES

make Apple BT keyboard and Magic Trackpad into one

UPDATED July 21, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

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(image credit: Twelve South) Twelve South MagicWand | US$29.99 | www.twelvesouth.com

another product to join the ranks of ‘why i didn’t think of it!’ is the new MagicWand from Twelve South which lets you ‘magically’ combines your Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and Magic Trackpad into one. granted, this MagicWand won’t let you cast a spell but it certainly can solve your runaway Magic Trackpad problem. just snaps both your Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and the Magic Trackpad into the MagicWand and you have a one single piece of hardware instead of two. even though it sounds ridiculously simple, i was completely wowed by it. seriously. check out the product video after break. Continue reading make Apple BT keyboard and Magic Trackpad into one →

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