The Gadget Geek

Speech bubble-shaped Speak-er on sale this year

Pardon us while we gush profusely, but this is easily one of the most amazing audio products we’ve ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. The Speak-er, which honestly looks like something straight from the labs of Art Lebedev Studios, is quite simply a speech bubble-shaped speaker. It measures in at 4- x 6- x 2-inches and is constructed from polished white ABS with a matte black steel grille. We don’t even know what kind of driver resides within, but we don’t care. All we know is that this amazing piece of art will be on sale later this year for $120 per pair, and we can’t wait to hear the words “now shipping.”

[Via Pocket-lint]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Speech bubble-shaped Speak-er on sale this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo Webcam and Headphones
Lenovo Webcam and Headphones
Vintage Radio Case Mod Painstakingly Assembled by Hand
Jeffrey Stephenson, the sole proprietor of Slippery Skip, showed us his Ingraham Nano Case Mod — a replica of the 1946 Stromberg Carlson radio, but with a few minor modifications to the front panel including the gas cap from a…

Hitachi H001 with 3D display leads up KDDI au’s Spring 2009 lineup

So KDDI’s latest lineup of new phones features the usual array of 8.1 megapixel cameras, wide VGA displays, one-seg TV tuners, and teleporters, but one particular handset stood out: Hitachi’s Wooo H001. The dual-hinge flip’s claim to fame — well, besides the bizarre color scheme — has to be the stereoscopic IPS display that presumably uses the same parallax barrier method shown off by the carrier late last year. The phone will happily serve up 3D-ified versions of various UI elements and mobile TV content, and when you start to get woozy (or Wooozy, as it were), just flip a switch and you’re back to the reassuring flatness you’re used to. It’ll launch in three colors in April, and naturally, you’ll have to be in Japan to get it.

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Video

Hitachi H001 with 3D display leads up KDDI au’s Spring 2009 lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Entertainment Desktop 8000
Microsoft Entertainment Desktop 8000
Vintage Radio Case Mod Painstakingly Assembled by Hand
Jeffrey Stephenson, the sole proprietor of Slippery Skip, showed us his Ingraham Nano Case Mod — a replica of the 1946 Stromberg Carlson radio, but with a few minor modifications to the front panel including the gas cap from a…



It is a Football Stadium Inside a Volcano
Yeah. That’s what’s up. It’s built on top of the mountain. Or at least it’s made to seem as though it must be. Plush-ed out and ready to house the sacred game for whatever team doth so deserve such a heavenly house. Guadalajara – 2009. To be build in Guadalajara – …

Portable Wii mod renders this Wii portable, modded

Better keep an eye out, Mr. Heckendorn — we know that the modding community is pretty cut throat — just like the Ice Pirates in that movie, uh, Ice Pirates — and now it looks like there’s another young hotshot on the scene. Fifteen year old modista Xteaphn (that’s pronounced Steven, folks) has a little sideline going on custom-made portable hardware, with several mods to his name — including this pint-sized, battery-powered Wii. The thing is tiny — it’s dwarfed by a 13-inch notebook — and a full charge will give it about an hour of play. Stunning video after the break.

Continue reading Portable Wii mod renders this Wii portable, modded

Filed under: Gaming

Portable Wii mod renders this Wii portable, modded originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A closer look at NASA’s electric lunar rover

We were all decently hyped to see NASA’s lunar rover rolling down the street in the Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. the other day (remember that?), but now, thanks to a really awesome new NASA buddy of ours, we’ve gotten a much closer look at it. Hit the gallery after the break for a bunch of views, and — if you were wondering — the rover’s running Windows XP.

Gallery: A closer look at NASA’s electric lunar rover

[Thanks, Cade]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

A closer look at NASA’s electric lunar rover originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer PDP-5070HD Plasma TV
Pioneer PDP-5070HD Plasma TV
New WebOS Is Palm’s Secret Sauce
LAS VEGAS — With its new Palm Pre phone announced earlier today, troubled phone maker Palm has clearly put itself back into the game. The spotlight is clearly on the slick hardware but Palm is betting its secret sauce, its…

Prototype Apple Interactive Television Box up for auction: there goes your savings

From what we can gather, even Apple purist Jeremy Mehrle doesn’t own one of these ultra-rare set-top-boxes, and if you think you’re the only Apple fanboy out there eying this one seriously, we fear you’ll be sorely mistaken. This prototype Interactive Television Box was crafted in or around 1994 and was designed to deliver content to one’s TV by connecting to a central server and downloading content. Thus, the unit itself doesn’t boot into anything nor does it feature an internal hard drive. Still, DIYers and collectors alike will have a hard time passing up the opportunity of snagging this piece and turning it into a makeshift iTunes server, but given the remarkably low $249.99 buy-it-now price, we’d say that window of opportunity may not be open for long. Oh, and Apple TV — you ain’t got nothin’ on this in terms of desirability. Sorry, bub.

[Thanks, Marc]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Prototype Apple Interactive Television Box up for auction: there goes your savings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Creative GigaWorks T40 Speakers
Creative GigaWorks T40 Speakers

Apple patents adaptive volume controls based on environment, not quality of your music

Ever walk through a crowd with your headphones on, only to find your music drowned out by the uproar? A recent Apple patent proposes dynamic volume adjustment based on your local surroundings. According to the filing, a sound sensor would be used to detect ambient noise and adapt accordingly. It says user volume controls are accounted for, so passing by a construction site likely won’t cause your jams to be pumped up to an ear-shattering 11. Although it sounds more likely than some of the company’s other patents, don’t get your hopes up for seeing this any time soon. Hit up the read link for more details.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple patents adaptive volume controls based on environment, not quality of your music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Laptop Bags for your Lifestyle
Laptop Bags for your Lifestyle

HyperSpace instant-on OS on ASUS lappies: it’ll cost ya
When Phoenix Technologies relaunched its HyperSpace instant-on OS, we didn’t balk too much at the pricing plans for users looking to add it onto their existing laptop. On the same token, we fully expected it to be included gratis (or close to it) when it arrived pre-installed on Acer and ASUS machines. According to Phoenix Technologies’ PR firm, the system will ship on a variety of ASUS machines, with the Hybrid edition being loaded on higher performance devices and the Dual product finding its way onto netbooks and the like. Sadly, ASUS won’t be subsidizing the cost of the subscription-based system in part nor in full, meaning that users will be forced to pay the full $39.95 (Hybrid) / $59.95 (Dual) annually if they want to take advantage. Something tells us someone didn’t think this plan through.

Filed under: Laptops

HyperSpace instant-on OS on ASUS lappies: it’ll cost ya originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunny Solar Charger
Sunny Solar Charger
Motorola Recycles Plastic Bottles For New Phone
Green is the new black and Motorola is ready to ride that fashion trend. The company’s new candy bar shaped W233 Renew handset is pretty basic but has solid green credentials. The casing on the phone is made of plastic…



Now More iPhone Friendly, ZAGG Z.Buds Review
Back in October 2008, ZAGG sent us a prototype of their iPhone Z.Buds earbuds promising the best buds for your money. A lot of companies make the same promise but this is one product I think is worth a look if you’re willing to buy outside Apple’s utopian product design …

Video: Sexy Eee PC Touch UI demonstrated

Having trouble figuring out how a touchscreen Eee PC could fit into your life? No worries, ASUS just did all the heavy synaptic lifting for you with the release of a near 6-minute video showing its new Eee PC Touch UI. A UI teased at CES and built specifically for ASUS’ new touchcreen Eees. All in all it makes a pretty case for why you should pick up a new Eee PC T91 or T101H convertible tablet later this year. Let’s just hope the processor can cope.

Continue reading Video: Sexy Eee PC Touch UI demonstrated

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Video: Sexy Eee PC Touch UI demonstrated originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘Clicking’ cursor oven mitts let you mouseover baked ziti

It’s pretty simple, really: these “clicking cursor” oven mitts (which aren’t clicking, but whatever) would make a completely, mind-numbingly awesome addition to any gadget-lover’s kitchen. We want them now. Too bad they’re not available… yet.

[Via OhGizmo!]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

‘Clicking’ cursor oven mitts let you mouseover baked ziti originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plantronics .Audio 480 Headset
Plantronics .Audio 480 Headset
Pogoplug Brings External Hard Drives Online
LAS VEGAS — USB hard drives are getting fatter with Toshiba announcing at CES 2009 its 500GB external drive. And that kind of storage means consumers will want to access from anywhere the music, photos and other data from those…

Circuit City fails to be wanted, will now be liquidated

Even Circuit City’s CEO admitted that liquidation was a very real possibility if a sale of the company didn’t occur by January 16th, and needless to say, time’s up. According to a breaking report from the AP, the once colossal electronics retailer will indeed be forced to liquidate, which should bring happy times for bargain hunters and sad times for employees. Now that details are starting to flow in, we’re told that it will liquidate 567 of its US stores after failing to secure a buyer or refinancing deal. For those who care, Great American Group LLC, Hudson Capital Partners LLC, SB Capital Group LLC and Tiger Capital Group LLC have been chosen as liquidators.

[Thanks, Doug]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Circuit City fails to be wanted, will now be liquidated originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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