Gadgets Base

Posted Mar 7th 2008 4:40AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Robots
We’ve seen paintball guns destined for robot mounting, but darkback2 reckoned it was entirely more wicked to actually construct his own paintballing overlord from scratch. Apparently, Gepetto wasn’t born to a be a killer (nor a lover, for that matter), but the idea of remotely controlling a security guard outside your domicile really gets our gears turning. Head on past the break to catch a couple of videos of this creature in action — oh, and Gepetto, we hear there’s a street down in Atlanta that could use someone like you.

[Via Technabob]

The Wave is Neutrogena’s newest foaming face product, intended to simulate a very affordable facial/dermabrasion-like experience. The starter kit includes a hand-held vibrating wand with two trial packs of pre-soaped pads, and an AA battery. Much like I do with my toilet wand, the Wave’s head is designed to “grab” the pads. If you spend your days out on the farm, playing the jungle, or mucking out the horse stalls at the tracks, this might be a cheap way to reveal those gorgeous freckles of your’s.

Or keep using your fingers, working them in small circles around your face, and washing with your favorite cleanser.

When it comes to your toilet bowl though – make waves, stick with the wand!

Price: $14.69 at Amazon.

Posted Mar 7th 2008 1:34AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
Announced in early February, both the Silver Satin PS3 and Xbox 360 Arcade are now on sale in Japan. The SS PS3 is a spec-for-spec equivalent of the existing black and white Japanese models. However, this is the first time the entry-level Xbox 360, already available outside of Nippon, makes an appearance on Japanese soil. Guess which one Japanese gamers are more likely to buy? Right, the Wii.

Read — PS3
Read — Xbox 360 Arcade

Posted Mar 6th 2008 6:29PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: cellphones
Apple unloaded a truckload or two of new reasons to call yourself an iPhone owner today, but we’re curious if those announcements were enough to make any fencesitters sashay on down to their local Apple / AT&T store and take the plunge. So, did the news flowing today from Apple’s SDK press conference push you over the edge? Toss your vote in below, and if you’re still holding off — well, tell us what’s keepin’ ya (yes, the continued lack of 3G is a legitimate gripe).

Are you buying an iphone after today’s announcements?

Yes! Steve now has my heart, at long last.Eh, maybe after June.Pssh — I already own one!Apple can keep its iPhone ’til I see 3G.No way! Meizu forever!No. Just no.Vote

Posted Mar 6th 2008 10:19PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals
We’ve all ideas the designers at Cupertino had good intentions when designing the MagSafe adapter, but just in case you can’t seem to find the value in said feature, the $11.99 MagStay Pro is out to remedy your curious quandary. As with the JerkStopper, this concoction actually plugs into your MBP’s nearby USB port in order to get a better grip on the machine. Apparently, this thing is designed to help you avoid any “unintentional disconnections” in power, but aside from totally blocking your USB port (no passthrough?), you’re also begging for some extraneous repair bills. To each his / her own, we guess.

[Via TUAW]

Posted Mar 6th 2008 4:40PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Misc. gadgets
Robotic lawn mowers have been keeping yards tidy for their masters for a good while now, but Husqvarna is looking to teach an old robot new tricks with its Automower. As expected, the grass muncher is ultra-quiet and outputs zero emissions, and you can even program it to take off and get to work whenever you please. Reportedly, a fully charged battery can get about 40 minutes of cutting done, and best of all, the unit will automatically return to its charging base to juice back up if the sun isn’t out. Still, with a price tag of around £2,000 ($3,971), you may just be better off paying that punk kid down the street to handle your mowing needs.

[Via Pocket-lint, video at Megawhat]

Are you paranoid about the fact that your girlfriend or boyfriend is cheating you? Do you want to know, what numbers she just dialed and what SMS had sent? You can hire a private detective for all this tasks, but his services may cost you more than expected. Listening devices are expensive to buy and need a special equipment to listen… There is a solution, which is not based on eavesdropping, and uses a very interesting method of spying: it scans the main chip of every GSM cell phone - SIM card!

This Cell Phone Spy Data Extracktor look just like an ordinary USB Flash drive. However, do not judge it by its size - it can be a powerful tool if used correctly. Just insert the SIM card in the device, plug it in the PC and you will be able to see all the numbers that was dialed through that SIM, even deleted ones! It can also restore deleted SMS messages and call logs, so nothing will be hidden from you. The manufacturer claims, this is the first SIM reader in the world that can actually see deleted messages. More than that, this gadget can be used in peaceful ways, to make backup copies of a phonebook or messages. Or you can make a full SIM card backup, buy a clean SIM card if needed and load your stored backup data on it.

Unfortunately, modern cell phones do not store messages on SIM anymore, and call logs are usually stored in phone’s main memory. However, for those with old mobiles, or for the extra paranoid ones, this gadget will be very useful. Its price is a bit high though, 150 dollars for a mere SIM reader is not an attractive price but who knows, when it might come in handy.

Posted Mar 6th 2008 3:25PM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video
var Another press event, another 3G iPhone no-show. Man, just think how nice it would be to have a brand spankin’ new HSDPA capable iphone for downloading all those fancy new apps. Sure would come in handy for syncing your massive corporate email accounts (with attachments), too. Otherwise, you iPhone users will be stuck with your paltry EDGE when WiFi isn’t available. Will that all change in June with the launch of the 2.0 firmware? That’s what the rumor mill says — and it makes sense to us. What say you?

Hint: Apple’s WWDC, while unannounced, is expected to begin on June 8th.

Posted Mar 6th 2008 3:55PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home EntertainmentAbout 48 milliseconds after the format war was officially over, rumors started running rampant (again) about Blu-ray making its way over to Microsoft’s latest console. Now, however, those rumors actually have some legs — well, at least a leg. According to Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics US president, “Sony is in talks with console rival Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360.” For whatever it’s worth, the exec also noted that it was having similar discussions with Apple, which has yet to even offer a Blu-ray option on any of its machines. Unfortunately, not a peep was uttered about potential launch dates and the like, but you can rest assured that we’ll be keeping an ear dangerously close to the ground.

[Thanks, Andy]

We are always seeing the “killer” device, in this case it is the next supposed Eee PC killer, but this ultra-portable may actually give the Eee a decent amount of competition.

Aside from a slightly poor name, the G10IL from ECS seems to be all business in the specs department. The G10IL features a built-in HSDPA 7.2 datacard, built-in webcam and has three USB ports, an Ethernet jack and strangely a built-in 56k modem.

Similar to other ultra-portables, the optical drive has been left out. The listed specs made no mention of Bluetooth, which would not be that much of a surprise if left out, however there was also not any mention of Wi-Fi, which considering it has built-in HSDPA would be very strange to leave out. Official confirmation with more “firm” details are still coming from ECS. The G10IL is currently still in production but is expected to retail for £250 or just under $500 US.

Via [Pocket-Lint]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →