Monday, July 28, 2008
Gadgets
LED Fashion: Perfect for Joggers, DJs, Gizmodo Enthusiasts
11:40PM Mark Wilson | EroGear is an LED clothing startup that embeds bright, eye-burning lights in otherwise drab cotton. And while their current LED jackets look perfect for late night runners and bicyclists, EroGear is actually courting a different group given the high price tag–the DJ who’s looking to distinguish himself in a dark nightclub. The only downside is that since EroGear’s fashion is still “in the design phase,” custom LED jackets as seen in this clip cost about US$1,500 a pop. And for that much, we’d need nothing less than a full-out TRON 2 bodysuit. [EroGear] More »
Games
Wii Pack Generator Builds Custom Wii Homebrew Installers Via Web
11:20PM John Mahoney | Acting as a one-stop repository for all things Wii homebrew, the Wii Pack Generator brought to you by the WiiBrew folks is a handy aggregator for all of the various homebrew apps scattered around the Web. Just click the checkboxes next to the software you want (including getting things started with the Homebrew Channel via the Twilight Princess hack) and download it to an EXE or ZIP file that’s set to load on an SD card. It definitely beats trolling dank homebrew forums for the latest updates. [Wii Pack Generator, Thanks tipsters] More »
Peripherals
Brando’s iPhone Kit Lets You Replace Busted Screens Yourself
11:00PM Kit Eaton | Bless Brando for coming up with something that sounds amazingly useful at last: a “replacement LCD Display for your iPhone 3G.” That’s all the info there is, strangely, but assuming it’s a good quality LCD with touchscreen, it’ll no doubt be massively handy if your new toy has had an unfortunate screen-snapping incident. There’s also the “iPhone Opening Tools Kit” with screwdrivers and prising gizmos which will certainly help you out. The screen costs a cheap-sounding US$85, while the toolset will set you back and extra US$11. [Brando via Reg Hardware] More »
Games
Coloured Wiis, Redesigned DS: Coming Never
10:42PM Mark Wilson | OK, it’s a bit dramatic for us to say “coming never,” but we shouldn’t expect Wiis in multiple snazzy colours (you know, the ones promised by Nintendo when the Wii was announced) or a redesigned DS (it could be RAZR-thin!) anytime soon. Instead, it sounds like Nintendo is more focused on getting each device “into the hands of more people.” In layman’s terms, that means “making more money selling the crap that you already won’t stop buying anyway.” [IGN via Maxconsole] More »
Music
Is Microsoft Abandoning the Zune? Zune Guy Smells So
10:30PM Matt Buchanan | In his apparently final transmission, the Zune Guy reveals that it wasn’t just the lack of a Zune announcement at E3 that choked the last pepperoni-scented fanboy breath out of his furry, tattooed frame. No, he “can kinda smell” that Microsoft is “slowly pulling out of a product,” and “backing away from what they created.” It has been pretty dry in Zuneland. Do you think it’s just a temporary drought, or might he be right? Will his profanity-laden, emotion-packed video missive spur the Zune gods to quench the thirst of fanbase clearly crying out for more? Tune in, uh, next week! I guess? [Thanks Johnny!] More »
Computers
John Mayer Does Apple Tech Support for His Dad, Fails Miserably
10:00PM Jesus Diaz | In a twist of destiny, John Mayer–the guy who writes to Apple Support saying “Hey guys, John Mayer here” and actually gets replies back–had to turn into tech support guy after his dad called saying “Hey, John Mayer’s dad here.” The musician tried to guide his father through Mac OS X in order to find his Entourage icon with no success, getting more and more frustrated with every turn of the conversation. We were able to grab the hilarious 100% unedited clip from TMZ before it disappeared. More »
Design
FuChat Concept Phone Detects Then Displays your Emotional State
9:41PM Kit Eaton | The FuChat concept phone is pretty, and kind of half-phone, half-Chumby as its surface is a concealed display used to show widgets: from weather displays, to showing a “keep out” sign on your door. But the emotional-sensing aspect got me intrigued. FuChat would be able to analyse your voice and body temp and guess at your emotional status… then display it back to you, supposedly enhancing the emotional aspects of communication. That sounds appealing, until you wonder what it’d be like to have a damn phone telling you you’re bloody angry in the middle of an empassioned rant to the ex. As well as being designed to hang on door handles or stand on desks, this thing would have to be “smashed onto the floor-proof” too. Just a concept. [Tuvie] More »
Hardware
SimpleTech [re]drive is a 500GB Green Machine
9:00PM Adrian Covert | SimpleTech’s [re]drive is the self-proclaimed “World’s Most Eco Friendly External Drive,” calling attention to its bamboo and aluminium casing, low power hard drive, energy star power adapter and lack of fan (the aluminium acts as a heat sink). Whether or not it actually is the world’s greenest seems somewhat subjective, but with 500GB of space and Turbo USB 2.0 connection, it should get the job done either way. Fabrik’s Ultimate Backup is also thrown in, with 2GB of online storage for free, or unlimited storage/transfer for US$5 a month. The [re]drive is available starting today for US$160. [Fabrik] More »
Gadgets
Simple Hack Turns USB Charger Units into iPhone Chargers
8:37PM Kit Eaton | Apparently many USB charger units—you’ve probably got at least one that came free with a gizmo: I’ve got three—won’t work to charge the iPhone. That’s ’cause Apple’s lovely design engineers made the phone’s electronics look for the standard USB D+ and D- lines, which lots of USB chargers omit. Thanks to a simple hack, however, you can add these lines in by spoofing reference voltages instead. All it takes is a few resistors, some wire cutting and soldering, and the ability to have no fear that you’re precious iPhone is going to go up in an expensive puff of smoke. The magic resistor formula is revealed below. More »
Gadgets
