This has to be the world’s greatest gadget combination. I know, in a cruel world like this one, it just seems too wonderful to be true, but it’s not, it’s actually real. You can really play your beloved arcade games and have your beer right there with you. Which makes this the ultimate frat house/bachelor pad gadget to have around. No hang out will ever be complete without an arcade machine with a built-in keg.
The arcade cabinet comes with a total of 69 different games. Those games include Mortal Kombat 1-3, Street Fighter, Asteroids, Battlezone, Major Havoc, Marble Madness, Defender and Centipede. If that’s not good enough for you it’ll also play computer games and flash games on the internet. As far as the actual electronics of the game go it has a 24-inch screen, a 2.1 sound system, two joysticks and a trackball. To fill up a mug full of beer, you’ll just need to reach around to the side of the console to reach the chrome beverage faucet. You can purchase the Arkeg for $3999.
I’m sure that some of you are like me, and have hundreds of VHS tapes on the shelves that are hardly watched, simply because the formatting is so poor. And these are probably the ones that you don’t have on DVD!
Yes, this digital age has seen the end of video tape, but video tape can be brought into digital format with iConvert. This device needs no computer, but connects to the VCR, camcorder, DVD player, or whatever you want put on a standard SD or SDHC card.
All you need to do is just press play, and iConvert records your favorite movies in their grainy format. From there, you can take out the card and transfer digital videos to your computer or other digital device.
Of course, you are probably going to have to spend a lot of time putting in old movies, then taking them out to put on your computer. However, this might be a great way to sift out the ones that you really want. I mean, do you really want Ghostbusters on VHS when you can just buy it on DVD in a much clearer format for less than eight dollars. Better yet, watch it for free on crackle.com?
If this is up your alley, then I highly suggest heading over to the Brookstone website and lay down $99.95 for it.
Have you ever noticed that airports always have the coolest systems of mass-transit? I suppose when your baggage claim, as well as departure and arrival gates are miles away, you probably have to. Practically every airport I have been to involved a ride on its own personalized subway train.
Heathrow airport of London has recently added its own mass-transit system, but this is more of an exhibit or ride for the Science Museum of London, rather than a way of helping passengers. However, it could easily be a model of the future of mass-transit, which would hopefully be an age full of driverless vehicles.
These Personal Rapid Transport (PRT) vehicles have their own special track that is narrower than a normal road. They are good for four passengers, and controlled by a touchscreen that allows them to set their destination. From there, they sit back while the automated vehicle cruises at an average speed of 25 mph, without any fear of accidents.
Sounds pretty futuristic, doesn’t it? Oh, it is. It requires ahead-of-their-time thinkers to come up with these PRTs. Fortunately, the design team had a little help from Mark Lowson, who is one of the original designers of the Saturn rocket for the Apollo missions.
For those who have longed for a Microsoft Surface in your own home should forget it, and embrace a CRISTAL era of remote control.
CRISTAL, or Control of Remotely Interfaced Systems using Touch-based Actions in Living spaces, is a concept device that allows the user to control all the devices in their living room from one place. As you can see in the picture, the CRISTAL can connect with an overhead camera, giving you a bird’s eye view of your living room.
From there, the user just touches the image of the device to take control of it. For example, lights can be dimmed or brightened with a sliding gesture. Roomba vacuum cleaners can be controlled by simply drawing a path on the floor. See more of what it can do with this video after the jump.
What really makes it cool is that it gives the opportunity for a user to pick a movie from a digital storage space, and then drag it to the TV to watch. This also works with photos, and they can be dragged and dropped to digital picture frames.
The CRISTAL is intended to replace TV remote controls, but the designers say it will probably take five to ten years before this technology will be in the home of the typical consumer. And when I say typical, I mean rich, as it would probably cost ten to fifteen thousand dollars.
I can’t decide if this horse powered car is moving forward with the times or taking them back to a time before cars. Yes, you’re in a car and it has wheels, but it’s powered by a literal horse.  Which is not much better than planting yourself in a horsedrawn carriage. Admittedly this is actually faster than a buggy would be though. A buggy goes about 5-10 mph, whereas this car concept can go up to 28 mph. Either way, you’re not exactly going to be flying down the highway.
The biggest down side of this eco-friendly car is that there isn’t a divider between the horse and you. Which means you get to live with the smell of a horse the entire time you’re driving. To power the car there is a treadmill where the horse jogs. The creator Hadi Mirhejazi has taken into consideration the horse’s comfort and done his best to use technology to the horse’s benefit. The designer is hoping to take a trip around the world to show off the vehicle. He is also willing to give away the prototype, the patent and $100,000 to anyone who can explain to him why he invented the vehicle.
You four-legged friend might be one fearless pooch most of the time, but when it comes to firecrackers, he/she could end up cowering under a chair, too afraid to move. This is where the K-9 Calming Vest comes in handy, where it supposedly naturally calms your pet’s noise anxiety. All you need to do is let Lassie wear this rather tight-fitting vest to give it a feeling of safety. In addition, the physical sensation of wearing it acts as some sort of psychological hug, since it helps distract your dog from focusing on its fears. The K-9 Calming Vest is also said to be useful for dogs who suffer from thunderstorm anxiety. Do you think this $36 vest is worth the money?
Logitech’s back with their latest gaming peripheral - the Logitech G27 Racing Wheel which aims to deliver the “definitive sim racing experience” for both the PC and Sony PS3 platforms. The G27 Racing Wheel will come with a powerful, dual-motor force feedback mechanism which is able to smoothly and accurately deliver high-fidelity force effects to the hand-stitched leather wheel, letting you experience real-world feelings that drivers have to go through including traction loss, weight shift and more interestingly, the road’s surface. Helical gears ensure that you enjoy exceptionally quiet steering action as most noise and unwanted vibration has been removed by then. As for the six-speed gated shifter, it enables you to select the right gear for the turn in a jiffy, while new RPM/shift indicator LEDs provides a visual cue as to when you’re supposed to up- or down-shift. Fans of heel-and-toe downshifting will be pleased to know that the clutch pedal has been designed to accommodate such actions to ensure high RPMs throughout the track alongside quick gear changes. Expect to see the Logitech G27 Racing Wheel hit the US and Europe later this September for $299.99.
NVIDIA has made it known that the upcoming Zune HD portable media player will be powered by the NVIDIA Tegra processor, offering it exceptional multimedia capabilities that ought to make Apple executives sit up and take notice, even if for a moment. The Zune HD player has already been regarded as the first portable media player to bring together HD-compatible video, a HD Radio receiver, a full-screen Internet browsing experience, an organic light emitting diode touchscreen display and Wi-Fi connectivity, all rolled into a single device. These features ensure that the owner will never run short of entertainment options whenever he/she is on-the-go, with the only thing stopping them would be a lack of juice in the device.
There are eight independent processors within the Tegra that makes it such a powerhouse, offering rich multimedia experiences. Each of these processors were specially designed for a specific class of tasks, where some of the consist of an HD video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processor, and a couple of ARM cores. Depending on the situation, these processors are able to function together or independently in order to maximize battery life while minimizing power consumption.
According to Michael Rayfield, general manager of NVIDIA’s mobile business, “Tegra provides the multimedia muscle in Zune HD. Users will love the device’s new design, amazing multimedia features and HD video out capability. Zune HD is a must-have for anyone looking for the best portable digital media player on the market.”
The Tegra processor is the result of five years of engineering, and finally all that hard work seems to have paid off. We’re pretty sure that the Zune HD will definitely not be the last device to sport the Tegra processor, considering its high performance and low power capabilities that will offer a slew of next generation mobile computing devices unprecedented performance capabilities. Currently, there are around 50 active Tegra processor-based design projects in the works.
Verbatim has long been a trusted name when it comes to portable storage - remember how their line of floppies were superior over all the others simply because of the Teflon coating that they offered? I certainly bought that hook, line and sinker, and it is nice to see the company moving on with the times by offering a new InSight portable USB hard drive. Coming in a sleek, durable enclosure that has been enhanced with a premium piano black finish, Verbatim ensures you will tote your data in style while offering choices of 320GB and 500GB worth of portable storage space. TO make matters even more interesting, Verbatim has also included an Always On display that will display the drive name and available free space in real time, even when the drive has been disconnected from the computer which it has been plugged in.
Each purchase of the 320GB and 500GB capacity hard drives will be accompanied by Nero BackItUp Essentials, covering a whole lot of ground when it comes to having a complete data protection solution. With Nero BackItUp Essentials, you will be able to benefit from a full, automatic system backup alongside restore functions. It is a snap to use, where the software will help guide the user to set up scheduled backups by date and/or time, where even newbies are able to do so without calling for help. Other security features include data encryption with password control options for added peace of mind.
Tipping the scales at less than 6 ounces, the Verbatim InSight portable hard drive measures 6″ x 3.4″ x 0.63″, holding a 2.5″ hard drive inside that spins at 5400rpm while featuring 8MB of cache memory to optimize performance. It will be completely bus-powered, hence doing away with the need for another power supply. Compatible with Windows Vista, XP or 2000 and Mac OS 9.x or higher systems, you can pick up the 320GB and 500GB models for $119.99 and $149.99, respectively.
This isn’t what one would normally envision when they think of an Alien Lamp, but that’s exactly what this lamp is called. I am not sure if the designer just thought that this is what alien lighting might look like or what, but they named it that either way. There is no doubt in my mind that it’ll turn heads anytime someone enters your home, aliens just might not be the first thing that pops into the viewer’s head.
As they put it on the product site, it’s supposed to look like an otherworldy creature sliding down a rope. Which after you see that description, you can kind of see how they would say that. It still doesn’t look quite like an alien though. The light can be purchased with either a red or a silver cable. It measures 9.5†x 11†x 25.75â€H. They don’t say what kind of bulb this is going to use, but if you’re going to spend the money to buy this, it’s probably not going to matter much. After all, when you pay $529 for a lamp, you’re pretty much willing to spend any amount on a fancy light bulb.
If you like to let your pet wander instead of keeping them tied down to a small area, you might still want to be able to keep track of them. Otherwise they could wander too far and you’d never know if they’re somewhere hurt and unable to get back. With this RoamEO Pup you’ll always know where your dog is at and won’t have to worry quite so much. If you have two different dogs, you’ll still only need one receiver, which could save you money.
It will locate your pet for you up to 1 to 3 miles away. It’s also weather resistant and has an LCD display. It uses rechargeable batteries and when charged they’ll run anywhere from 18 on up to 30 hours. You can also use the receiver indoors to keep track of your dog inside the house. To purchase the receiver, one dog collar, as well as the batteries and the charger it will cost you $279.95. Then if you do have a second dog you can purchase a spare collar for $159.95.
I enjoy using video-shooting cameras like the Kodak Zi6 and its later models, and they have become quite the trend lately with portable video. However, many of these style of cameras have very poor audio quality.
This is because most portable video cameras are focusing on clear HD video, and forget the importance of audio. In the case of the Zoom Q3, size does matter when it comes to the microphone. That big honking mic on the front of the camera is good for “X/Y confirguration for true ’stereo imaging’”.
Videos can then be saved to a 2GB SD card for one hour’s worth of recording time. The user can also upload your videos to YouTube, Facebook, and Myspace, with its “cleverly designed USB cable”. I don’t think this guy comes with a flip-out USB like the Flip UltraHD, but it sounds like the user takes the USB cable with him or her. Maybe it stashes somewhere within the camera itself.
The video is in MPEG-4 SP format for 30 frames a second, with 640 x 480 resolution. The LCD is 2.4 inches with resolution of 320 x 420, which allows you to view anywhere. The user can adjust the audio levels on the screen as an added bonus.
The Samson Zoom Q3 is available for approximately $250, and it comes with a windscreen, carrying pouch, 2GB SD Card, AV cable, and 2 AA batteries.
There are a lot of cars that come with built-in heaters in the seats and even if your car doesn’t have that, you can always put something in your car to solve that problem. One thing you don’t see a whole lot is something on the seat to keep you a little more cool. Which during a long road trip or when you’re stuck in a traffic jam would be really nice. There are times when the air conditioning just doesn’t cut it. For those times, there is this seat cooler.
This would be especially nice for those of you that have leather seats. Yes, the leather looks great, but when it’s hot and sticky out, a leather seat does not help matters any. This stays powered by either using the power from your car battery or can be plugged into your average wall socket. This will provide instant relief while you’re waiting on your air conditioning to cool the rest of the car. Plus you’ll no longer have to worry about your back being sweaty from not getting any air circulation thanks to the cooling fan. You can purchase one of these 12V Cooling Car Summer Seats for $59.99.
For years, scientists have been looking for ways to achieve human-powered flight. This human-powered hovercraft could be a small step forward in that quest.
The Steam Boat Willy is a project that has been under development for years by the London flight club (not to be confused with the organization started by Tyler Duerden). As you can see by the video after the jump, the vehicle is powered by pedaling like a bicycle. Not only does this inflate its raft-like frame, but it can spin the propeller for some forward momentum.
Granted, you could just do that on a paddleboat, but how many paddleboats do you know that can go on land? Of course, if you feel like resting on a paddleboat, you can do that. I would imagine that resting on open waters on Steam Boat Willy might cause you sink. Unless the frame has some buoyant devices built in, or something.
It doesn’t look like the Steam Boat Willy can turn on a dime, either. However, I think it should be mass produced, because who doesn’t want a human-powered hovercraft? It reminds me of those “Air-Car” ads that used to be on comic book novelty ads that promised easy-to-build hovering technology. I think I saw a Mythbusters episode where Adam and Jamie called these ads’ bluff, and found that most hovertech didn’t work as good as advertised.
When I took driver’s education in high school, the teacher showed this one film called Signal 30. This film was a no-holds barred look at car accidents, with all the blood-and-guts details. I’ve never been the type who slows down when passing a car accident, because I don’t want to see real-life gore.
Of course, we didn’t have texting and driving when I was in high school, which is the cause of many auto accidents. If we did, then I’m sure my driver’s education teacher would have insisted on showing the PSA video that you can view after the jump.
The video itself is about the first four minutes of what will be a 30-minute video, and it is quite graphic. It begins with a teenager texting while driving, and you can probably figure out what happens next. There is a lot of blood, and even though it could be gorier, there are some scenes that are just downright sad.
For example, the video doesn’t hesitate to show a baby who is not blinking, or a little girl who wonders why her mummy and daddy can’t wake up. This is probably something they couldn’t show on television in America unless it was TV MA, but I believe the rules are different in the UK.
The video was made by the Gwent Police Department, and none of the footage that you see is real. I’m not certain what the full 30-minute video of this will be called, but if this doesn’t stop teens from texting while driving, then I’m not certain what will.
Are you a big fan of convergence devices? Well if that’s the case, then check out this USB Aroma Diffuser that not only comes equipped with its very own 4-port USB hub, it also doubles up as a mood light as well. Since it is powered by USB to dissipate the aromatherapy oil around you, there is no need to worry about batteries or using up yet another power slot around your cubicle. Guess anyone working in a high pressure environment would find this to be soothing, and its ability to cycle through different light colors offer you an even more relaxed environment, never mind the deadline that’s alreay piled up. Heck, you might ’sacrifice’ a single USB port on your machine, but you get four more in return! The USB Aroma Diffuser + 4-Port Hub With Moody Light will retail for $17.90 apiece.
I don’t know about you, but personally I feel that most video game accessories are really not that essential, and with the Nintendo Wii getting a whole ton of shovelware for this generation while featuring games with simple waggle controls and very little substance, it also makes perfect sense for such a console to get a bunch of accessories that aren’t really worth what you pay for. Surely you don’t need a tennis extension to get a little bit more kick from Wii Sports, do you? After all, playing in a cramped room is bad enough as it is. The Wii Steering Wheel II will up the ante over the previous generation model by offering full compatibility with the Wiimote + Motion Plus. According to the product description, the Wii Steering Wheel II is “simulation controlling, let you feel real and exciting. Enhance the joy of playing games.” I’m not too sure about forking out $10 for a nasty bit of plastic - what about you?
With everything going digital these days, it comes across as no surprise to see Casio release yet another digital grand piano onto the market half a dozen years after they made the initial foray with the Privia line, offering a lightweight portable instrument with the sound and feel of a grand piano minus the grand price tag. The latest in the digital revolution effort is spearheaded by the Privia PX-330, where it will bring together unprecedented audio quality and performance while looking sleek. Musicians will find that the new grand piano sound offered in the PX-330 is made up of a quartet of dynamic layers of stereo piano samples. More realistic sound with seamless transitions and a superior dynamic range is on the tables when integrated with Casio’s Linear Morphing System .In addition, a new Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard is capable of offering users the weight, feel and resistance of a grand piano without having to turn it into something bulky that only the Incredible Hulk could lug around.
Unless you’re some weird and crazy musical genius, the Casio PX-330 is equipped with 128-note polyphony that ought to be able to cater to even the most demanding musical passages without missing a beat, and you can go on layering sounds while using the damper pedal without worrying about dropping notes. The inclusion of an acoustic Resonance Effect will further simulate the sound of the dampers released off the strings by the sustain pedal, bringing realism to an entirely new level.
The Casio PX-330 will also come with 250 instrument sounds and a 16-track recorder, allowing budding and seasoned musicians alike the ability to churn out recordings of up to 16 separate instruments. There is a graphic LCD display available that provides vital information to users at a glance, where one can check out the names of all sounds, songs, rhythms in a jiffy while helping assist in editing and recording functions. Instead of the old floppy disk of yore, the Casio PX-330 relies on the SD memory card format to load and store your compositions while transferring them over to another computer. Connectivity options include a built-in USB MIDI interface, ¼†outputs for connectivity to mixers and PA systems and a built-in registration memory. Expect to pick up the Casio PX-330 for $799.99 this September.
With more and more folks jet setting around the world and the proliferation of fast mobile connectivity thanks to 3G technology, it makes perfect sense for notebooks to be similarly equipped in order to tackle the well seasoned traveler who absolutely cannot live without an Internet connection for more than a day. Instead of searching for the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot at your destination to get your daily Facebook fix, why not settle for something that is more reliable (and on-demand to boot) in developed areas, which comes in the form of a Mobile Broadband USB modem? Verizon Wireless and ZTE USA have teamed up to bring their latest Mobile Broadband USB modem, the AD3700 to the masses that boasts global connectivity, offering customers access to high-speed networks in over 175 destinations which covers Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)/Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) wireless platforms.
Among the key features found on the AD3700 include :-
Runs on Verizon Wireless’ high-speed network, which uses EV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) technology Includes VZAccess Manager software for easy connection management and automatic installation Swivel hinge USB Windows Vista/XP/2000 Operating System compatibility USB 2.0 high-speed interface Weight of 1.6 ounces 3.1″ x 1.7″ x 0.5″ Lifestyle features:
The AD3700 can be said to be perfect for individuals and organizations that want to make sure there is a way to remain connected while on-the-go, where all you need to do is activate the global feature on your Verizon Wireless account and you’re good to go. Upon doing so, the AD3700 will detect the local network and connect to the fastest Internet speed available automatically, regardless of where you are in the world - of course, it does help if you tend to spend most of your time in fairly developed areas so that you won’t have to “suffer” on painstakingly slow GPRS speeds. The AD3700 USB modem will retail for $79.99 after a $50.00 mail-in rebate alongside a new two-year customer agreement on a Mobile Broadband plan.
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I’m sure that some of you are like me, and have hundreds of VHS tapes on the shelves that are hardly watched, simply because the formatting is so poor. And these are probably the ones that you don’t have on DVD! 
Have you ever noticed that airports always have the coolest systems of mass-transit? I suppose when your baggage claim, as well as departure and arrival gates are miles away, you probably have to. Practically every airport I have been to involved a ride on its own personalized subway train. 
For those who have longed for a Microsoft Surface in your own home should forget it, and embrace a CRISTAL era of remote control. 
You four-legged friend might be one fearless pooch most of the time, but when it comes to firecrackers, he/she could end up cowering under a chair, too afraid to move. This is where the K-9 Calming Vest comes in handy, where it supposedly naturally calms your pet’s noise anxiety. All you need to do is let Lassie wear this rather tight-fitting vest to give it a feeling of safety. In addition, the physical sensation of wearing it acts as some sort of psychological hug, since it helps distract your dog from focusing on its fears. The K-9 Calming Vest is also said to be useful for dogs who suffer from thunderstorm anxiety. Do you think this $36 vest is worth the money?
NVIDIA has made it known that the upcoming Zune HD portable media player will be powered by the NVIDIA Tegra processor, offering it exceptional multimedia capabilities that ought to make Apple executives sit up and take notice, even if for a moment. The Zune HD player has already been regarded as the first portable media player to bring together HD-compatible video, a HD Radio receiver, a full-screen Internet browsing experience, an organic light emitting diode touchscreen display and Wi-Fi connectivity, all rolled into a single device. These features ensure that the owner will never run short of entertainment options whenever he/she is on-the-go, with the only thing stopping them would be a lack of juice in the device. 
I enjoy using video-shooting cameras like the Kodak Zi6 and its later models, and they have become quite the trend lately with portable video. However, many of these style of cameras have very poor audio quality. 
For years, scientists have been looking for ways to achieve human-powered flight. This human-powered hovercraft could be a small step forward in that quest. 
When I took driver’s education in high school, the teacher showed this one film called Signal 30. This film was a no-holds barred look at car accidents, with all the blood-and-guts details. I’ve never been the type who slows down when passing a car accident, because I don’t want to see real-life gore. 
