Tech news

Cup Communicator

When I was a kid you communicated with two tin cans connected with a string, and that was the early 80’s for God’s sake. If you want to relive your childhood with a modern twist (some of us supres our childhood memories of have a Sega system while everyone else had moved on to the NES) then check out these walkie talkies that are designed to look like paper cups connected by string.

The design of the Cup Communicator is focused on the gesture of use and the relationship between the users and object. I aim to explore the potential of the product as a medium for interaction and reassess the way we use technology.

The form and function of the Cup Communicator refer to the ‘two-cans and string’ children’s toy and the physical factors involved with that device. This typology and its associations remind us of the magic and playfulness of our first communication devices.

Not exactly the form you’d want for this type of function, but it will definitely turn heads.

[Link to Cup Communicator]

Cup Communicator originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

Tweet From Your Joystick

Twitter Xbox

Xbox 360 fans rejoice, you will soon be able to tweet from your Xbox 360, another great reason to not use the console for what it’s made for, playing games. You’ll also get a few other tweaks to the update that will be pushed down on the 17th like on-demand 1080p HD video from the Zune Video outlet. Check out the video of Twitter on the 360 after the break.

[Via Engadget]

Tweet From Your Joystick originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

iSteady Shot: Camera Stabilizer For Your iPhone

iSteady Shot

If using your iPhone 3G S to shoot a movie is in your plans you will quickly learn that such a small and light weight device won’t be the easiest thing to keep stable. Gladly someone has got your problems covered.

The iSteady Shot is a camera stabilization unit for your iPhone 3G S. Although this won’t improve the video quality of the video that the iPhone produces, it will defiantly make it a lot smoother (check the video out after the break). It can be adjusted if your iPhone has a case and comes with a two-axis gimbal for real smooth 360 degree movement.

The unit will run you $149.99 and can be pre-ordered right now from their site.

iSteady Shot: Camera Stabilizer For Your iPhone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/13.

iControlPad: Gamepad For Your iPhone

Since the release of the iTunes app store the iPhone and iPod touch have really been pushed as the next great portable gaming platform. Game developers have really started to push the limits of the device but the one major stumbling block has only been the “touch only” interface.

The iControlPad looks to change all of that. It’s a case for your iPhone that offers dual analog nubs, a gamepad controller and of course a few buttons. There is also an internal battery that charges your iPhone while you play.

Bad news is that you will need to jailbreak your iPhone to use this since it’s not an official Apple licensed product, but the iControlPad is supported by some of the biggest devs like the boys that make all the cool emulators. If you’re interested in the device, you can can place a pre-order by signing up at their site.

Drive A Car With Your iPhone, Again

iPhone Car Control

A few weeks ago we showed you how some smart peeps got together to write some custom software and hardware to control a minivan via an iPhone. They did all of that for the Darpa Urban Challenge and all of it will probably never see the light of day. Now the guys over at Waterloo Labs have decided to jump into the whole “control a car with your iphone” thing with both feet and actually show us how they got their iPhone to control the steering, brakes and acceleration on a full size car.

I don’t suggest you actually go out and do this, especially not the surfing on the top of the car while controlling it with your iPhone. That could end up really bad for you. Check the video out of all the crazy action after the break.

Drive A Car With Your iPhone, Again originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/13.

DIY: Pirate TV Station

Free TV

Miss the good old Analog TV days? If so, you can build you very own low-power analog television transmitter and join the underground. I’m not too sure on the legality of it, but now that all the networks (at least in the US) have vacated the analog spectrum you might not be harassed.

Tired of the blocky, JPEG-like resolution of digital television? Do you long for the days of RF modulation and regulated-yet-unregulated content? Do you simply have the desire to toss your converter box out the window and make use of those rabbit ear antennae that are just lying around? If so, then you might be interested in becoming a savior of analog television! This Instructable will show you how to create your own fully-fledged low-power analog television channel, with any video source(including your computer) as a source of content.

We created one that went live the minute analog tv went dead. We’re still the only analog station in NYC, but please join us in making more!!

[Link to Instructables via Make]

DIY: Pirate TV Station originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

Hackintosh Atom Fix In The Works

Hackintosh

Fear not hackintosh faithful; according to Gizmodo, the hacker who is the driving force behind netbook hackintosh builds says that the kernel will be fixed for the Atom processors. “It’ll just take a few weeks.”

If you might have slipped with your netbook and upgraded to 10.6.2, you can still downgrade your kernel to get you back up and running again.

[Via Gizmodo]

Hackintosh Atom Fix In The Works originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

NCube: Portable Gamecube Goodness

NCube

I’ve seen my fair share of portable Gamecube systems, but this has got to be one of the slickest I have ever see.

Designed and hacked together by a Ben Heck apprentice, the NCube is a beautiful creation. The case is a seriously modded Datamax Kid’s Delight and the screen is an unmodded Zenith PSone display. The unit also has a 2-way switch so you can choose to run off batteries or AC, a memory card slot and a rear-mounted disc drive.

You can read up on the 90 hour journey to create this or just skip right down to the end of this article to see it in action.

[Link to NCube Design]

NCube: Portable Gamecube Goodness originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

mPower Illuminator: A $250 Flashlight

mPower Illuminator

You might be wondering why you would spend $250 on a flashlight, especially since you can pick up a cheap one at a dollar store for, well, a dollar. There are two reasons you would do so. One would be because you are filthy rich and really don’t care how much you spend and Two, hmmmm, well you decide for yourself.

The mPower Emergency Illuminator was designed by the Porsche Design Studio (so far not worth the $250).
It comes with what the company calls “groundbreaking battery technology”. The unit has dual battery barrel’s. One barrel holds you run-of-the-mill batteries and the other holds the “mPower Reserve Battery” that has a minimum shelf life of 20 years from activation. The user chooses when and where to active it. (still can’t see why I would pay $250)
A built in USB port for charging other gadgets (Maybe. Actually, nope. Still not worth it)

So as you can see, you’ll have to be filthy rich to justify this purchase, or just an idiot.

[Via DVICE]

mPower Illuminator: A $250 Flashlight originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

In Case You Missed It: Week 44 Round Up

Week 44 Round Up

Another week another bunch of stuff that we posted. In case you missed any of it we have everything from Videogame Alarm Clocks to Secret Knock Door Openers. Enjoy.

Gadgets

A Cell Phone For Grama
USB Boobie Warmers
Fuel Cell Charger
Batteries For The Web 2.0 Generation

Gaming

Videogame Alarm Clocks

Hacking and Security

DIY: Star Trek Bluetooth Communicator
Turn A Dead 360 Into A PC
DIY: Auto Tracking Sentry Gun
DIY: Arduino AppleTV Remote
Secret Knock Door Lock
DIY: Digital Mixtape
Build A Real Working Tricorder, Sort Of
Build An Annoying Beeping Thing

Mac

MacHeist Nano Bundle: $154 In Apps 4 Free
Hacker Hacks Jailbroken iPhone
10.6.2 Kills Off Atom CPU Support
iPhone Safari Bug Could Cost You Cash

Google Voice Invites
Woops: 10.6.2 Doesn’t Kill Atom Support

In Case You Missed It: Week 44 Round Up originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/09.

Snegenes-P

snegenes_portable_video_game

What the hell is the Snegenes-P you ask? Snes + Genesis + NES – Portable. If you’re the hardcore 8 or 16 bit gamer and refuse to use one of those fancy handheld emulators like the Gemei X760+, then why not build yourself one of these?

Modder Trstn18 smashed together components from all his favorite consoles into this custom see-through case so that you can see all of the messy goodness. Coming in at 8.6-inches wide, 5.4-inches tall and 1-inch thick, it’s not really portable in my opinion. Powered by 6 2600mAh batteries, this beast should get you somewhere between 5 to 7 hours of game play on a single charge. It also has composite video and stereo outputs so you can enjoy all of your 8-bit goodness on your TV.

As you can clearly see, the back of the unit is a bit of a mess. I’m not too sure how comfortable this thing will be when you hold it with a massive cartridge sticking out the back.

[Via Ben Heck Forums]

Snegenes-P originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/10.

Enterprise Chandelier, For The Geeky

I know my wife would love to have me hang up this Enterprise chandelier in our dining room. She would love it so much that it would easily be grounds for her to divorce me. On the other hand, if your already single and your a hardcore trekie then this $189 USS Enterprise chandelier might just be perfect for your residence.

[Link to Enterprise Chandelier]

Enterprise Chandelier, For The Geeky originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

App Store Overwhelming? Try Chorus

With the iTunes app store pushing over 100,000 choices it’s easy to see how someone can easily be overwhelmed. If you’re like me you need some clarity amongst the sea of choices. Thankfully there is an app to help you out.

Thanks to the wisdom of crowds, Chorus gives you recommendations from people you know who have already tried the app. Since it’s a crowd sourcing based solution, something like this needs to catch on with millions of users in order to be bullet proof.

The concept and idea is great and I really hope it catches on since something needs to be done to help with the sea of choices that we now have.

[Link to Chorus]

App Store Overwhelming? Try Chorus originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12.

MacHeist Nano Bundle: $154 In Apps 4 Free

MacHeist Nano

The guys behind MacHeist are at it again. This time they are offering $154 in apps for free. Yes I said for free as in speech and beer.

I’m not sure how the developers or the guys at MacHeist are making any money from this since it’s all free, maybe they are building up their mailing list or creating some hype for the next bundle they release. Who knows, but what we do you is you get the following 6 apps for free:

ShoveBox
WriteRoom
Twitterrific
TinyGrab
Hordes of Orcs
Mariner Write (only unlock after 500,000 people)

All you have to do is head on over to MacHeist.com, login or signup, and you’ll get your six free apps. The offer is only valid for the next 6 days, so hurry your ass over.

[Link to MacHeist nanoBundle]

MacHeist Nano Bundle: $154 In Apps 4 Free originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/06.

A Cell Phone For Grama

With the massive amount of multi-function “smart” phones out there people tend to loose the focus of what cell phones actually are; phones.

My mother couldn’t care less if her phone plays mp3’s or if it’s got a twitter client. All she wants is a phone and a super easy one to boot. As she starts to approach her twilight years (still love you mom), this generic brand mobile phone with oversize butons with a screen that can be read from across the room might just be perfect for her.

The oginal idea was to design a phone for seniors who aren’t very tech savvy, but you can also use it if all you want is a really simple cell phone.

SOS

The 6380 Senior Mobile Phone does actually carry a few handy features, including a flashlight, a massive “SOS” button on the back the can auto dial a pre-set number and emit a loud warning tone (if you think pocket dialing people is bad, just imagine this in your pocket), a phone book, SMS messaging, a calendar, alarm clock and an FM radio. The display is kept to a bare minimum with a massive font and, ready for this, a whopping 128×60 screen resolution.

The 6380 only works in the 900/1800 GSM bands, so it will work everywhere except for North America (sorry mom). If it’ll work on your home network, expect to pay $74.99 for one.

[Link to 6380 Seniors Mobile]

A Cell Phone For Grama originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/06.