Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
The folks over at Control Our Junk have created a working train set which can be controlled by anyone with an Internet connection. Using a Java console, visitors can control the speed of the train. The commands are routed to the server running a .NET application, which in turn sends the command to the train set. The train is always on, and can be viewed and/or controlled at any time.
Read More 
| Control Our Junk via Slashdot
The Drive+Play From Harmon/Kardon
Posted by Devin Categories: Accessories, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video,
The Drive+Play from Harman/Kardon is the most convienient iPod accesory I’ve seen in a while. Consisting of three parts, it makes listening to your favorite songs while driving a breeze. The first piece slightly resembles a joystick, but it actually has a clickwheel-like control on the top which allows you to control your iPod without ever having to touch it. Just place it anywhere in your car that’s easy for you to get to. The next piece of the Drive+Play is a small, 5 line LCD that you can place anywhere on your dash, which allows you to see what song is playing, or what menu screen you’re at. The last piece is what you might consider the “brains” of the whole operation. It has a connecting port for your iPod, and serves as an information processor. Inside, there’s a wireless FM modulator with five set frequencies and you even have the ability to add one in if you’d like. A 3.5mm output jack allows you to connect the Drive+Play to any vehicle with an auxiliary input, and there’s even and input jack if you ever have the need to connect any other audio signals into your car’s audio system. It even features automatic shut-off and will charge your iPod when docked. Harman/Kardon’s Drive+Play hits stores in September and is expeced to retail for around $200.
Read More | Oh Gizmo!
Advertisement
...Glenn Alvin Reed, 31 of Waco, Texas who apparently managed to piss off every juror while on trial for stealing a cell phone by making an obscene gesture to a Texas Ranger that testified against him and going off into profanity-laced tirades. Reed told they jury, “There’s things I choose to do, like, if I go in a store and choose to take a Snickers bar. If you catch me, you catch me. If not, I’m going to go home and eat it up and go on about my business, dog.” Trying hard to sound tough, he told the jury that he didn’t care if they gave him life in prison. I guess in this case, the defendants’ wish was the jurys’ command, as they gave him 99 years in prison. Have fun, Glenn!
Read More | Wired
Latest Gear Live Videos
Swag…and a Quick Update! Live from MacWorld Expo
Posted by Kristin Wenzel Categories: Accessories, Features, Misc. Tech,
Oh yes, there’s swag. I scored a bunch of pens (my favorite is my shiny brushed aluminum M Audio pen!) and saw a ton of awesome stuff. I might even check out of the convention early and go back to the hotel to do my writeup, after nabbing a bunch of business cards to remind me of what’s new and cool. But first, a quick list of what’s hot:
Mac-cessories for Girls
Ladies, ever get tired of having to ditch your girly handbag or swanky purse because there wasn’t somewhere for your iPod or laptop? Well, fear not. There’s a slew of products out that not only feature pod-storage, but pod windows! That’s right, you can show off your iPod, or just get quick access to it, without digging through your bag. And Toscano has a whole line of feminine laptop cases that won’t cramp your style or look like a backpack or briefcase, while still allowing you to tote around your PowerBook or iBook.
Funny Shirts
Best shirt design of the day goes to the “Mac to the Future!” shirt - yes, it looks like the “Back to the Future” logo. Hilarious. I think I’m going to get one for my boyfriend, the biggest Mac geek on the planet.
Custom iPod, PowerBook, and Macintosh decor
Need your iPod engraved? How about a custom etching on the case of your PowerBook? I found a place that will do it for you, and does a damn good job of it too. These designs are totally sweet and they do custom work. More when I get back to the hotel and do my big writeup, but if you want a custom look for your Mac, Etch a Mac does great work.
iPod Everything
So. Many. iPod Accessories.
Whoa.
Over and out!
The U.S. military needed a performance nutrition bar for the toughest customer in the world - the American soldier. Since they surmised that Power Bars were for sissies, they created the HOOAH! bar. The HOOAH! bar’s mission: to “improve the physical and mental performance of soldiers during sustained operations and under all climatic conditions.” I know a few people in the Army, and they actually do say that these things work. Who am I to argue with military personnel? The bars have already hit 7-11 and Amazon
Read More | HOOAH! Bar Product Page
Car Stereo With USB, SD Card Interface Cuts Out Need For Adapters
Posted by Devin Categories: Misc. Tech, Music,
We’ve reported on many gadgets that allow you to play your MP3’s through your car stereo, but now there’s a car stereo that allows you to plug in either a USB memory stick or SD card directly into the stereo itself, cutting out the need for any adapters. The stereo will also play CD’s and CD-R’s, meaning pretty much all your musical media will be accommodated. It’s only available in the U.K. right now, retailing for about £150 (approx. $260 USD), but I’d expect to see other companies follow in these steps sometime soon.
Read More | Dr. Gadget
Crazy J - The Guitar Playing Machine
Posted by Oscar M. Cantu Categories: Misc. Tech, Mods / Hacks, Music,
This is a pretty awesome project involving some electronics and a musical instrument. The guitar player is composed of two mechanical systems that interact to play a range of 29 musical notes. A plucking mechanism with six independently controlled picks is mounted over the body of the guitar and a fingering mechanism with an array of 23 fingertips is mounted over the first four frets of the fingerboard.
Read More | Crazy J Guitar Playing Machine
My NewEgg Nightmare: An Editorial
Posted by Edwin Soto Categories: Features, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop,
If you have ever been on our forums you know who NewEgg.com is. If however you are a Newegg newbie, the company provides computer parts and accessories at fantastic prices. I know there have been many positive experiences with Newegg so I give you some insight into what happens when the egg isn’t all its cracked up to be - a Newegg nightmare if you will. Check out my impressions after the jump.
Click to continue reading My NewEgg Nightmare: An Editorial
All of you guys have surely been in a situation where a tiny, insignificant part was missing from a gadget right? Frustratingly, it’s those tiny pieces that, when lost, cause total failure. This news clipping is an example of just that. A missing 1-inch cotter pin (a clip used to keep a bolt on) was missing on a Vancouver ferry resulted in a chain reaction where the ferry sped out of control into 24 boats docked at the Seweell Marina. A private contractor is to blame for the missing cotter pin.
Read More | CTV.ca
Being that we are interested in all facets of technology, and know that you are as well, we figured it essential to share this slideshow which details the history of the vibrator. Take this bad boy, pictured above, as an example.
By 1917, there were more vibrators than toasters in American homes. Dozens of patents were issued for new designs between 1900 and 1940. Manufactured long before the era of engineered obsolescence, these machines were built to last. Many vibrators of this vintage still survive; at least a dozen are usually for sale on eBay at any given moment.
Good times.
Read More | History of Vibrator
