Gadgets Blog

If you celebrate Easter by coloring eggs, you’ve probably tossed a decent amount of egg cartons.  Which means it’s a perfect time to try out creating this light.  Although, those that don’t use this specific type of carton won’t be able to pull off the same effect.  The egg cartons are also great for musicians trying to keep their practice sessions quiet, but for those that aren’t so musically inclined this works too.

It was originally created by Federico Otero.  They don’t exactly give a tutorial on how to do it yourself, it’s probably fairly basic though.  Even if you didn’t dye eggs for Easter, it wouldn’t take long to acquire enough cartons to create the light diffuser.  The only down side to these type things is that it makes you wonder how it would look within your own home.  With the proper lighting and camera, you can make any DIY project appear chic.  In this case though, the simple coloring and interesting texture would make it unique.

Source: Inhabitat

If you need some shiny new portable speakers to go with your iPod or MP3 player, iLuv has these brightly colored ones.  Just in time for spring you can find these speakers in an assortment of colors to suit anyone.  They offer from the overly feminine to the neutral colors for those that don’t really want any of that color nonsense mucking up their speakers.  The only thing they’re missing are the bright but not girly colors, like red or blue.

The iSP100 speakers are portable enough to take with you anywhere you like.  Be it while you’re out and about or just while you’re going from room to room cleaning house.  The speakers include 720-degree surround sound 4W speakers and of course the necessary 3.5mm jack.  That jack makes it so that you can use it with any music player.  They run on three AAA batteries and it comes with a carrying case to protect from scuffs.  You can pick one up for $34.99 in purple, pink, black or gray.

Source: Gearlog

When you go to buy a Nano, one of the most important parts is picking the color.  Well, if you did pick a bright color, you might not want to cover it up and hide it away from sight with a protective case.  That’s why all of the iClear cases are so nice.  They are clear, but with a bit of a design over top of the color.  Well now the cases are even better since they’ve picked up a design that all classic game lovers can enjoy.

This Space Invaders version of the case is a great way to show the world your love of retro gaming or just love of all things retro in general.  The Griffin clear case will protect your iPod Nano from scratches or any bumps and bruises.  Which is always especially nice for the extra clumsy.  After all, replacing a case is always far cheaper than having to replace your Nano.  You can pick up the polycarbonate case for $24.99 through Griffin’s website.

Source:  CraziestGadgets

Netbooks seem to be all the rage these days, and just when we think that netbooks are the lowest common denominator when it comes to a decent computing device for use on-the-go, along comes 3K Computer and their new Windows CE-powered netbook which will definitely attract plenty of attention with a price point of a mere $150. Dubbed the RazorBook 400 CE, you will get a bare bones configuration which makes this much less underpowered compared to even the original Eee PC 701 which was released quite a while back, but still able to keep you connected online for extremely casual web browsing, email checking and making the odd VoIP call from time to time.

What’s the whole point of a Windows CE-based netbook anyways? Well, this isn’t exactly an new idea but is a resurrection of an old one. Apparently, it was nearly a decade ago (nine years to be exact) when IBM rolled out its Workpad z50 which was powered by Windows CE 3.0, featuring a styling cue from their Thinkpad line of business notebooks alongside a 131MHz MIPS 4100 processor, solid state storage and a phenomenal battery life of up to eight hours. Fast forward nine years and we have 3K’s RazorBook 400 CE that is an upgrade over the RazorBook which debuted last June, featuring a familiar Windows user interface as found in Windows CE 5.0 while boasting Microsoft Internet Explorer, RDP (remote desktop protocol) client, Skype, and Windows Media Player alongside Adobe Flash support.

It will be powered by the Ingenic 400MHz 32-bit single-core mobile processor, come with 128MB RAM and 4GB flash memory, a 7″ WVGA TFT LCD display, Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, an SD memory card reader and a measly 2-cell 2100mAh battery. No idea on how long this can run with all the options turned on before it requires a trip to the nearest power outlet though.

Source: Windows for Devices

LG’s Arena cell phone has been out for quite some time already, but this time round T-Mobile will be rolling it out in a new Titan Black edition which will be available as an exclusive and only on T-Mobile tariffs. Also known by its model number the LG KM900, this handset will feature the exact specifications as found on the original silver edition, as the only change would be the exterior case, although calling it Titan Black might not do the color justice as the exterior case leans more towards a gun metal finish. The black color will also do its part in setting the handset apart from many other silver cell phones that have proliferated the market, giving business-minded folks yet another option to consider when it comes to upgrading their cell phone.

Just to recap in case you have forgotten what the LG Arena has on offer, this T-Mobile exclusive will boast the latest 3D S Class user interface that places it closer to iPhone territory instead of the traditional directional button method. When booted up, you will be able to access just about all of its menu via a rotating 3D cube which displays multiple sides and various options to choose from. These menus are specially positioned in the form of a film reel, offering a proper understanding and selection of icons. All you need are your fingertips to scroll and drag selected items on the screen, where the 3″ touchscreen display excels (although it still won’t be able to beat an iPhone judging by the numerous reviews online).

The Titan Black LG Arena is already available from a variety of bundles to choose from, and depending on the type of contract you sign up with, the cell phone itself could cost anywhere from free to £244.67.

Press Release

The winner of last week’s coolest gadget competition is the Pop-up Garage Stows Your Car Safely Underground.

The Cardok garage is an interesting parking solution that is starting to be seen around more affluent London locales. The owner’s car is raised and lowered by means of a hydraulic lift. At present there are eight in action around London, four under construction and another ten that have been ordered

Congrats again to We Interrupt.

In second place we have the Remote Security Sentry.

When you’re away, fire-up this remote security robot to ‘roam’ the house beaming back a live image of your home to an Internet enabled device. The bot automatically finds its charging base for a power up, so you can leave this running longer - such as when away on holiday.

Finally in third place comes the Optoma Pico Transforms iPhone Into Projector.

The Optoma Pico can turn your iPod or iPhone into a projector. The 4.1″ PK-101 can work as close as 8″ or up to 8′ away and still display sharp images. Shine it on a wall, a piece of furniture, a car seat or your cat (if he/she is dozing) and the image will still be true. The Pico only weighs 4 oz. and has a rechargeable battery life of 1.5 hours. Included in the $399.00 price are two batteries. Time liked it so well they made it one of their top ten gadgets of 2008.

Thank you to everybody who voted, submitted, commented or told a friend. The randomly drawn winner of the $50 Amazon vouchers is:

Feint (steamis1337@…), congratulations.

Thanks again everybody and good luck with the next CGOTW contest on Friday.

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