Engadget's got a new column called Crapgadget meant to take the piss out of goofy electronics, but I think the examples they've picked are gadget-weirdness at its finest and deserve some defense. There's something inherently entertaining about a USB Microphone disguised as a rose, a rechargeable speaker cube the size of a golf ball; they're original, test new boundaries in gadget usage, and they're the epitome of the softer side of usually sterile technology. Plus, like a building block, they take creativity to use. That Rose would be a great gag in a singing video podcast, and that speaker could end up dangling from an iPod Shuffle as a little boombox. Maybe I'm wrong, but you know, like double-oh-negative, I'm just Goony like that. [
Rose Mic USB Cube via
Engadget]
Gizmodo
Could the rumored upcoming "Lips" accessory + game to the Xbox 360 have the most advanced karaoke microphone for a game yet? Quite possibly. The game's made by iNiS, a team that's no stranger to music games, and features the accessory that pulses in time with your singing, plus detects how you swing it around when crooning in order to score extra points. It seems fantastic, but no amount of peripheral distractions will distract from how really awful your singing is. I mean seriously, vocal lessons aren't that expensive. [Gamekyo via Kotaku]
