Gadget Access

Yahoo! Music Store taking DRM servers offline, freezing out customers

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:08:33 +0000

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 25th 2008 at 10:04AMIn a move which at best could be described as unsurprising, Yahoo! has announced that it’s taking its Music Store DRM license key servers offline come September 30th… and freezing customers from ever registering their music with another computer. Ever. Like a twin-sister rehash of Microsoft’s PlaysForSure / MSN Music DRM debacle, this moves ensures that the only way you can take your tracks with you will be the (suggested!) technique of burning the songs to CD then ripping them back to your PC — thus ensuring the absolute worst possible quality. Normally, we’d expect to see a massive backlash over a move like this, but given the near-insignificant nature of the Yahoo! (Read the full post about ‘Yahoo! Music Store taking DRM servers offline, freezing out customers’…)

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Brando’s USB M.A.D. Game Pad has removable steering wheel because it can, darnit

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:48:35 +0000

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 25th 2008 at 12:23PM Let’s face it: you don’t have nearly enough game controllers and accessories adding to the spaghetti that is your entertainment center. This USB M.A.D. Game Pad gives you the option to remove a little steering wheel for those moments when you’re not driving about. Compatible with Windows Vista, XP, and 2000, this Brando product is available for $20. So, why? Apparently this thing is meant for the gamer on the move — it’s small and light, measuring only 4 x 2.5-inches and weighing in at a dainty 3-ounces. As for the size of the steering wheel? It’s tiny. Really tiny. For tiny people with tiny fingers. Can you feel the love?Read PermalinkEma (Read the full post about ‘Brando’s USB M.A.D. Game Pad has removable steering wheel because it can, darnit’…)

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Pig speaker wants to be taken to your leader

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:45:57 +0000

Scary alien pig alert! Scary alien pig alert! I mean, seriously. How freaky looking are these pink and white pig loudspeakers? They’re already equipped with speakers beneath their volume-controlling ears, as well as where their bellies should be. Did the sadistic manufacturer really have to gouge out their eyes and stuff two more speakers into the sockets? There’s a possibility that I could be coaxed into appreciating the bass control located on the pig’s behind, but there’s no way I’ll ever think that nuclear glow coming from its mouth is okay. I can’t get on board with the whopping $105 asking price either. Via Geek Alerts. Tags: gadgetry, gear, hdtv, home cinema (Read the full post about ‘Pig speaker wants to be taken to your leader’…)

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Vote for your CGOTW (and hopefully win $50)

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:23:22 +0000

We’re into coolest gadget of the week #6, some cool (and (as usual) strange) entries this week , what’s coolest, you decide (one randomly drawn voter/commenter will win a $50 Amazon voucher). Over to the entries:

USB VHS Converter

A cool gadget to resurrect your old VHS tapes, especially those old family videos that will bring back so many memories. This not only enables you to transfer your tapes to DVDs, but also direct to portable video files to take with you on your iPods, PSPs etc. Not to mention it makes for a great business opportunity that will mean that this pays for itself in no time!

The full post can be found at Zath.co.uk.

Lav Nav

It’s the middle of the night and you need the loo. Do you turn on the light and wake yourself up even more and risk waking everyone else up at the same time? Or do you follow the lav nav?

The full post can be found at Decide What to Buy.

Halloween Howler Recorder

What can be funnier than seeing your friends panicked and on the verge of a heart attack? Nothing indeed… And technology makes it easier every day. The Halloween Howler Recorder is motion-activated, so you just need to place it out of sight, record your own sounds, and enjoy the show. (And there’s no one saying you should only use it for Halloween…)

The full post can be found at S2999.

Coffee is for Killers: the Kill Time Gun Mug

“Step away from the coffee machine, punk. Hands on your head, kneel down with your face to the wall. I need a cup of coffee, dammit.” The Kill Time coffee cup is sure to be the coolest, most intimidating coffee cup in your office. One thing is for sure, no one in their right mind will grab it out of the washing machine and take it without first asking themself, “do I feel lucky?”

The full post can be found at Gear Crave.

Radio Solar Crank

Using Gadgets mean we have to waste another electricity, right? Almost all gadgets like that. However, I found something interesting: A useful Gadgets that don’t take any electricity resource at all! It’s a Radio Solar Crank. This radio using 2 main source of energy, one in is the solar cell (if sun permit us) and using human power, we roll the crank so it will produce electricity enough to power up the Radio.

The full post can be found at Cutie Gadget.

Truck Antlers

Truck antlers turn your truck into a buck! Better than a bumper sticker in telling motorists “I’d rather be hunting.” Mount easily between window and window jam.

The full post can be found at Random Good Stuff.

Sea Scooter VS Supercharged

As the weather heats up so does the quality of Summer gadgets and this one is no exception. The Sea Scooter VS Supercharged will literally take the legwork out of swimming for you. This dive propulsion vehicle allows you to explore the enigmatic depths of the ocean to 100ft, and with less physical exertion, the oxygen in your tank will last longer meaning you have more underwater discovery time. Finding Nemo just got a lot more fun!

The full post can be found at Gaj-It.

Keruve GPS ‘Stalker’ Watch

The watch transmits a constant GPS position to the included handset, which pinpoints the user’s location for the searcher. The watch also allows users to set certain perimeters, which when passed, will send out a warning notification to show that the barrier has been breached.

The full post can be found on CG.

Thanks to all the sites for their submissions now over to you guys for voting (don’t forget to leave a comment with your reason for a chance to win $50):

What do you think is this weeks coolest gadget?

USB VHS Converter
Lav Nav
Halloween Howler Recorder
Kill Time Gun Mug
Radio Solar Crank
Truck Antlers
Sea Scooter
Keruve GPS ‘Stalker’ Watch

View Results

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If you write for a gadget themed blog and wish to be included in next weeks contest check out the CGOTW instructions page.

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ZeeVee’s localcasting ZvBox gets hands-on treatment

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:51:57 +0000

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 25th 2008 at 5:18PM Not that you haven’t seen ZeeVee’s ZvBox in the flesh before, but Dave Zatz got some hands-on time with the finalized unit. According to him, the box showed an impressive build quality though it ran “quite hot” — likely a result of foregoing a built-in fan for a giant heatsink. (Read the full post about ‘ZeeVee’s localcasting ZvBox gets hands-on treatment’…)

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Analyst says Android and Symbian to merge, Nokia and Google to get matching tattoos

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:15:13 +0000

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 25th 2008 at 11:00AM According to the oracle-like superbrains at J. Gold Associates, Google’s Android OS and Nokia’s Symbian will “combine to provide a single open source OS,” sometime in the very near future… say, three to six months. Sure, Android is just about to launch on devices in late 2008, and Nokia just announced in June that it will be moving Symbian towards open source — and of course the two companies have no formal relationship that would come close to permitting such a collaboration. Still, J. (Read the full post about ‘Analyst says Android and Symbian to merge, Nokia and Google to get matching tattoos’…)

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Microsoft seemingly ready to demonstrate Spherical Surface

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:47:17 +0000

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 25th 2008 at 5:28AM Who knew closely investigating expo floor layouts could be so fun and rewarding? (Read the full post about ‘Microsoft seemingly ready to demonstrate Spherical Surface’…)

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Strobing Beer Glass

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:52:56 +0000

Unless you’re an extremely weak drinker, it will take a few glasses or pints of lager before your tongue starts to loosen and you get all happy, forgetting about the day’s woes. Instead of drinking from an ordinary glass, why not settle for the Strobing Beer Glass? The lights on the base of this plastic pint shoot upwards lighting your favorite tipple in a technicolor swirl that could send your head reeling if you’ve had a couple. If the strobing is a bit too much the other 2 setting will be a welcome relief, one simply flashes and the other keeps the light on steadily, giving your pint an ethereal quality. (Read the full post about ‘Strobing Beer Glass’…)

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Belt out a tune with the Ocarina

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:18:59 +0000

Fans of Legend of Zelda will definitely be thrilled to know that ThinkGeek is now offering the Ocarina for you to make music with. This is a real-world, playable musical instrument made from glazed earthenware - which means you will break it into a million pieces in the event it is used as a projectile in a domestic disagreement. There are half a dozen holes in total, and it plays note from C4 to D5. Each purchase comes with a song book complete with instructions on belting out your favorite Zelda tunes. To top it all off, a Tri-Force logo is located on the stem for that added authentic look. (Read the full post about ‘Belt out a tune with the Ocarina’…)

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Appletell Review - Moonlight Mahjong Lite for iPhone

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:59:04 +0000

FROM APPLETELL - I thought this was going to be a top-down, 2D style Mahjong game, where it’s hard to tell what level the pieces are on. Not so. In fact, this game feels like a mature release from the App Store. MORE » Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → Tags: robots, gaming, gadgetry, hi fi (Read the full post about ‘Appletell Review - Moonlight Mahjong Lite for iPhone’…)

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