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You know we’re getting close to MacWorld when the Apple noise shifts from steady hum to full-frenzied thrashing. Spooks report spotting an anorexic “dark grey” or “gun metal” 13-inch aluminum notebook prancing around campus, which could be a new MacBook model Apple’s supposedly buying LED backlights for, a destined-to-die prototype or pure bunk. Personally, I…
Next time you open up that “past due” notice you can still feel like a bad ass with this Zeus lightning bolt letter opener. All junk mail and coupon flyers will tremble before you and your awesome power —not to mention mailmen, neighbors, kids, and small dogs (if things get out of hand). Available in…
Click to viewFour engineering students from Georgia Tech have built an Autonomous Foosball Table, quite possibly the key to my never-ending quest to replace the humans in my life with robots. The funny thing is, this thing isn’t just a gimmick; it may soon become a decent foosball opponent. The table system cost about $500…
This handmade, sterling silver ring from Analogue Aesthetics features a built-in microphone and a standard 3.5mm plug. Surely you can imagine the sort of fun that can be had with a device like this—plus, if a verbal jousting match with a heckler turned ugly, you have the satisfaction of knowing that a punch to the…
How do you manage to run up an $85,000 mobile phone bill you ask? Apparently, 22-year-old Calgary native Piotr Staniaszek was under the impression that his $10 “unlimited browser plan” on Bell Mobility gave him carte blanche to use his cellphone as a PC modem. Unfortunately, when a $60,000 bill arrived in his mailbox for…
We love watching DivX, but what if you want to create DivX? You’d normally have to pony up for the DivX Pro pack to let you encode your favorite movies into our favorite format, but for a limited time you can download DivX Pro for free. Think of it as an early Xmas present to…
The Amazon deal for the Halo Legendary Edition may have expired, but Wal-Mart also has a copy of the Helmet-tastic version up for $60. No rebates or coupon codes required. [Wal-Mart] https://gizmodo.com/halo-3-legendary-edition-60-shipped-at-amazon-326849
Using a Phidget RFID Kit, a Kwikset Powerbolt 1000, relays, a PC board, wire, and some basic software, a couple of guys managed to piece together a unique new wireless door locking system. RFID locks are nothing new, but this lock can be controlled via an RFID key fob, laptop or even a cellphone. As…
Another entry in the swelling mound of reports that the XO Laptop isn’t so noob-friendly after all—people needing help getting ’em going doesn’t spell “sweet” on the ease-of-use front. This guy saw them on 60 Minutes, thought it’d be cool for his wife and kids, but he can’t get the internets working on it and…
I like me some tesla coils, so it’s no wonder that I’m a fan of a power drill modded into a tesla coil. Sure, it’s not playing the Mario Bros theme or playing out a scene from Red Alert, but it’s still cool in my book. Who cares that a perfectly good drill was made…
The parking spaces at my apartment are so narrow that I have to suck in my gut and shimmy like a burglar on a ledge whenever I get out of my car. If I had this disappearing car door, however, that would be totally unnecessary. We don’t want to spoil the video by describing it…
Popular Mechanics knows how to get people pissed off. They just released their “Worst of the Year” list, and while much of it is the type of crap that I’ve never heard of that I’m sure is lousy. it has some stuff on it that quite a few people might actually, you know, like. Such…
We’ve more or less spared you guys from cliched “top 10” gift guide hell—Bestmodo tag and our separate Giftmodo site aside—but some people like that kind of thing. Scouring through actual, dead-tree magazines, over at Slate, our own do-it-all Brendan Koerner lifts and separates the fruitcakes from the peppermint schnapps to see which gift guides…
Click to viewWe met with DivX earlier today to discuss their upcoming plans, and one of the topics that came up was support for the PS3 console. According to the company, they expect the previously announced firmware update to hit the PS3 soon, which will enable full DivX support for the console. Though no specific…
This Sony Twirl N’ Take camera seems like an interesting concept, even if its execution is somewhat strange. The camera is shaped like a pizza cutter that you roll back and forth to get enough energy to take a picture with. Roll it for 15 seconds and you’ll be able to take a shot. Unfortunately,…
Showing both that they’ve learned their lesson and just how lousy GameCube sales were, the Wii has passed the latter’s lifetime sales in just about a year’s time. In the time period between November 27, 2006 and now, the Wii has sold about 4 million units while the GameCube has sold only about 3.9. And…
The Zune Social, Zune’s social networking site, just got a slight upgrade yesterday. Besides general stability and performance enhancements, there’s navigation improvements that let you remove friends and view song and album information in send dialogues. The coolest thing is the Zune Gadgets page, which lets you embed a profile card (much like the Xbox…
This DaVinci inspired gadget won’t help you find a secret religious conspiracy and seduce a French lady, but it will help you get up and down mountains slightly easier. It’s called “The Ride,” and it’s a bike that has a “NuVinci” transmission with ball bearings and metal disc systems to allow you to set the…
Apple’s plied Cinema Displays off of the online store’s front page and stuffed them under a couple menus so it takes some hunting and a couple of clicks to get to ’em. That snubby little spark, mixed with the fuel they’re old as balls at this point (over three years) has rumors of new Cinema…
Tiger Direct has the Logitech Harmony 550 universal remote control for a cheap $69.99. We’ve got one of these ourselves, so we can safely say that it’s the most cost- and time-effective way to control your entertainment system if you’ve got a bunch of devices. The best part is probably “activities,” which turns on and…
