This is really cool – it’s a box that plugs into your TV and allows you to easily watch the “Watch Instantly” streaming movies available with your Netflix subscription. It’s got RCA jacks, HDMI, S-video, component video and optical audio. It’s just about perfect for me, a non-intel mac user; and though the $100 price tag stings a bit for something windows users get for free, the convenience of a standalone box just might make up for it.
Get more details about the Netflix Player Here.
I’m a sucker for 24, to the point that I value the gear choices made by the (fictional!) Jack Bauer enough to guide my purchasing decisions. Well, this was the first time, and I’d say it worked out pretty well – the Brunton Scope Jack favors turns out to be quite impressive for the price.
Continue reading TV Made Me Do It: The Brunton Echo 7×18 Pocket Scope
While its profile reminds me of something I might see in a hair salon back in the 70s, this zeppelin shaped desk ornament is actually a speaker designed specifically for iPod use. I know football shapes are cool and all, but I’m not sure I’m onboard with this shape and it’s popularity with iPod speakers (B&W Zeppelin). It’s hard to tell from the pictures if this new unit has a nice classy glossy feel, or a cheap plasticy glossy feel. At $349.99, one would hope that it’s the former. One would also hope that this speaker can give out some decent sound. With two 44mm drivers and 5W per channel, I bet this baby can get pretty loud. However, the speaker shape and orientation is something I’ve never encountered before. I’m assuming from the price (dangerous–I know not the most reliable source), that it is capable of at least tolerable sound reproduction, but I’d really love to hear one for myself to confirm this.
If you’ve got the cash, and want something that most guests will likely confuse for a desk lamp, you can swing by Audio Cubes to pick up the Maxell MXSP-4000.TD Time Domain Speaker for $349.99.
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DIY: cinder block speaker stands May 21, 2008 |
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Okay, I know what you’re saying. Cinder blocks as furniture are for starving students and heavy beer-drinking guys that never grew up. Well, I’m not going to argue with that. But with a little extra preparation, I think that you can make some pretty nifty, and very functional items for home: Let me present my cinder block speaker stands.
Continue reading DIY: cinder block speaker stands
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AT&T Unlocks Blackjacks for Free! May 18, 2008 |
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They get a lot of shit, but AT&T isn’t so bad in my book! For one thing, I’m happy they agreed to Steve’s terms and let him have control over the iPhone – something Verizon wouldn’t do (Steve went to them first!). For another, they’re now unlocking phones for free, all you need to do is ask. I have a Samsung Blackjack that my iPhone replaced; I just unlocked it with a bit of help from AT&T and it was super-easy.
Continue reading AT&T Unlocks Blackjacks for Free!
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Forget Ironman… go and get an IRONKEY May 15, 2008 |
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dotCURE has announced it will release a USB flash drive that features data encryption and a SELF-DESTRUCT feature!!! That’s right, self-destruct. Not sure why you need that on a flash drive… I mean, can’t you just put a flash drive under your foot and smash it? Anyhow, it looks damn cool. Unfortunately, I have no other details about the encryption or self-destruct features as the company site is in Korean, but the drive sure looks cool.
[source aving]
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Blackberry Bold; say that three times fast May 14, 2008 |
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So I saw Iron Man last weekend and it’s awesome, but that is not the focus of this text. The segway, however, will be elegant and subtle, like Samuel L. Jackson. There’s a commercial out there for Verizon where clips from Iron Man are mixed in with some terrible acting and the end result is Iron Man dropping his cell phone after getting hit by a missile at 30,000 feet with two teens picking it up on the ground below. “It” being an LG Voyager. My problems with this are twofold. First, my experience with Verizon tells me none of their phones are that durable nor is their customer service equipped to handle such a claim. Second, if I were a billionaire-industrialist-turned-superhero. Sorry, scratch that. When I am a billionaire-industrialist-turned-superhero, I will sure as hell not get caught with a LG Voyager. No, no, no. This is the phone a billionaire industrialist talks on. The Blackberry Bold. Now, I’ve never liked cellphones with names; model numbers do just fine for me (I will be correctly referring to this phone as the 9000 henceforth). But something about this one sticks with me. Maybe it’s that the name is a good match for the phone’s design. Maybe the marketing student in me appreciates that most mere mortals can’t remember model numbers. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s that this phone has every piece of kit in it you could imagine, expect or want from RIM. There’s no price or release date yet, but with 3G HSDPA, GPS, WiFi, 1GB internal flash and microSD all in a svelte 0.55 inch package, the wise have already begun cracking other peoples piggy banks and raiding neighbors’ couch cushions.
Oh and best of all, it’s on AT&T, so that’s one fewer ETF I have to pay.
Source & Image Engadget
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Wrapables Adhesive Numbers Metal Wall Clock May 14, 2008 |
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I’m looking for a new wall clock for my living room, and I came across this kick ass clock from Wrapables. You get the center piece (with the arms) and then some numbers and index blocks. All of these parts have adhesive backing, and you get to stick them on the wall however you want. I think I’ll stick to a traditional circle, but I just might try a triangle. I think this product is a great idea, and from the picture the build quality looks decent.
I’m ordering one this weekend, so I’ll post up the results once the clock arrives. In the mean time, if you want to pick one up yourself, one of these clocks will set you back $39.95 from amazon.com
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Leatherman Gets Cool: The Skeletool May 9, 2008 |
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It was a long time before I bought myself a leatherman-style tool. I always thought that too many compromises were made in the attempt to include as many tools as possible, ensuring that none of them was actually any good. Then, the Gerber Suspension caught my eye, and I ended up using it constantly – comfortable spring-loaded pliers, two knife blades, scissors, a saw, and more in a compact package. But there was a problem – I never actually carried it. It lived on my desk, in my backpack, but never in a pocket – it was too big for that. And it was cowering deep inside my bag, racked with fear, when the TSA ripped it from its home and threw it away before allowing me to board my flight to New York. As you may surmise, this was a tragic moment for me, despite it being entirely my fault.
The silver lining turned out to be dark grey: the Tungsten DLC coating on the Leatherman Skeletool CX.
Continue reading Leatherman Gets Cool: The Skeletool
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The Sexiest Ratchet Ever Made May 9, 2008 |
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May I present to you the Craftsman 80th Anniversary 3/8 in. Full Polish Next Generation Ratchet. This limited edition ratchet features Craftsman’s Midnight Black titanium finish and the 80th Anniversary logo. It includes an engraved cherry display case.
As far as I can tell, there are only two products in Craftsman’s lineup that feature this drop dead gorgeous finish. The other one is the NASCAR Collectible 3/8″ ratchet, which looks pretty much the same except that it features a NASCAR logo rather than the 80th Anniversary logo.
This baby is available online only for $79.99 at sears.com (the nascar one is $89.99). I want one sooooo bad, although I think would be afraid to actually use it for fear of messing it up.
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