By Evan Ackerman

In the market for a new HD camcorder? No? C’mon, why not? Everything’s getting smaller and cheaper, and HD camcorders are no exception. RCA sent us a sample of one of their smallest and cheapest, the EZ300HD, which can do just about everything you want and nothing you don’t care about. This is going to be fairly straightforward and simple review, because the essence of this camcorder is that it’s straightforward and simple. Oh, and cheap, of course… The EZ300HD costs just $130. Review, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not a coffee drinker, at all, but those who indulge in the brown sludge tell me that instant coffee is the worst way to enjoy a cup of brew. But Starbucks claims to have developed an instant coffee that doesn’t taste like instant coffee. Here’s a blurb of marketing-speak from their VIA Ready Brew website that sheds a bit of light on what exactly makes it different:

Starbucks has found a way to offer a truly great cup of coffee that you can prepare by just adding water. Other instant coffees taste flat and lifeless. Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is different – it’s full-bodied and flavorful, just like the Starbucks® coffee you know and love.

It’s made with the highest-quality, ethically sourced 100% arabica beans. The magic is in a proprietary, all-natural process that we spent years perfecting. We microgrind the coffee in a way that preserves all of their essential oils and flavor. No other coffee company takes this step, and it makes all the difference.

At launch the VIA Ready Brew coffees will come in a 3-pack for $2.95 or a 12-pack for $9.95 in your choice of Colombian Medium or Italian Roast Extra-bold flavors. So you’re looking at about a dollar a cup.

[ Starbucks VIA Ready Brew ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Those of you who still need a night light and a glass of water next to your bed will appreciate the Nite Coaster. With a simple wave of your hand the generously-sized coaster-like device will illuminate a glass or plastic bottle full of water creating “a beacon of light to safely maneuver in the dark.” At $43.99 from Amazon it’s definitely on the expensive side of the night light spectrum, and it’s also powered by 4 of those annoying AAA batteries.

[ Nite Coaster ] VIA [ Luxury Housing Trends ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I was so excited when the big ‘N’ extended their Club Nintendo to North America, it meant I could finally get my hands on the Wii Super Famicom controller. Then I signed up and discovered that the majority of my games were ineligible for points, and the dream was dead. Thankfully though, Play-Asia has come to the rescue, and are now selling the Club Nintendo Edition Super Famicom Controller to anyone willing to fork over $74.90.

[ Super Famicom Classic Controller (Club Nintendo Limited Edition) ] VIA [ Kotaku ]

By Evan Ackerman

He’s green, he’s bendy, and he’s got a noggin stuffed with two gigs of USB memory. It’s the Green Man USB Memory… Um… Man! You may think it’s silly to carry around an entire body when all you really need is the head, and the serial killer in me totally agrees with you. He’s $31.

[ Geek Stuff 4 U ]

By Evan Ackerman

At Mobile World Congress 2009 this week, LG was displaying a new cell phone with a solar panel battery back that won’t need to be plugged in until the sun goes dead in 6-odd billion years. Ten minutes of sun gets you three minutes of talk time, which is not half bad… The phone is due to be released in Europe by the end of this year, but hopefully LG will take the obvious step of just manufacturing battery backs with integrated solar panels, which would allow existing handsets to be quickly and easily converted to solar charging.

The other thing in that picture is a solar powered Bluetooth hands-free speakerphone, the LG HFB-500. LG was giving these out at their press conference at CES, and it was just too nifty to include in our CES swag giveaway (sorry). It comes with a suction mount to stick it in the windshield of your car, as well as a power adapter that you’ll ideally never use. It’s got an on/off button (it shuts off automatically), a big call answer button, and some volume buttons. That’s it. I’ve had it up on the windshield of my car since January, and I’ve never had to charge it, it’s just always there and ready to go. The LG HFB-500 costs $70 or $80 depending on where you look, which is maybe a little steep, but having gadgets that are ever present and functional without any plugs or maintenance whatsoever is worth a little extra money, I’d say.

[ LG Press Release ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

We first wrote about the GigaPan EPIC panoramic camera mount a few weeks ago when it was used to create a massive 1,474 megapixel panorama of the recent presidential inauguration. Fortunately for me, a good friend of mine, and the guy behind the fantastic ‘daily dose of imagery‘ photoblog ordered one right away, and this past Sunday we took it for a test drive.

So is it worth the $379 that GigaPan is asking for it? In a nutshell, yes. But only if you’re a serious photographer looking for a reliable way to shoot panoramas and gigapixel sized images, or a hobbyist with money to burn who’s looking for something cool to do with your P&S camera. While it’s easy to use, the GigaPan EPIC definitely has a few minor quirks, so if you’ve been thinking about ordering one you’ll want to hit the jump for more of my impressions, sample photos and even a video of it in action!

Read the rest of this entry »

By Luke Anderson

Ever since the original Kindle was released I’ve been thinking more and more about getting myself an e-reader. I actually do quite a bit of reading, but I hate lugging around big books everywhere. The simple solution seems to be in a handy electronic e-ink reader. Sure, the Kindle has some pretty cool features, but wouldn’t it be cooler to just make your own?

This cool e-Ink AM200 Electronic Book Reader Kit has everything you need to construct your own e-reader. The picture above is what you could construct with the kit, which is about 7mm thick and weighs just 150 grams. You can load content via the MMC card slot. The catch? Oh, there’s just that tiny little $3,000 price tag. I think I’ll pass.

[ eInk ] VIA [ Red Ferret ]

By Luke Anderson

Last October Nintendo announced the successor to their popular DS handheld. This smaller model features a pair of 3.25” screens, dual screens and an SD card slot. Unfortunately they decided to leave out the older GBA slot, though it was probably time to give that format a rest. Over in Japan the DSi has been available since November, but we’ve haven’t seen any love here in the US.

Starting April 5th you will be able to pick up the new DSi in either blue or black. The price tag isn’t much more than the DS, coming in at $169.99. I think that I’m going to wait until April to check out the new screens before I decide to replace my DS Lite. Sure, the new features are nice and all, but I’m just not sure if it’s worth the upgrade.

[ Nintendo ] VIA [ GearLog ]