By Shane McGlaun

I hate paying full price for stuff, but I am not a big fan of contracts either. When it comes to buying new phones we are all used to paying a subsidized price and being shackled to a 2-year contract or having to pay back some of the supposed cost of your phone.

Subsidized phones are common, but subsidized notebooks and netbooks are still not particularly common in the US. RadioShack was the first to offer a subsidized netbook in America that was dependent on signing a 2-year contract with AT&T for mobile broadband costing at least $60 per month.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I haven’t been following the DS homebrew scene for a while now, which is a shame, because there were some great applications that made the DS far more than just a handheld gaming device. For example, you can now download a copy of DSTwitter 1.5 from a website called Acdrtux that allows you to stay in touch with your followers in between sessions of Chinatown Wars and Rhythm Heaven. As usual you’ll need a DS homebrew flash cart in order to install and run DSTwitter, as well as an available wifi hotspot, but both of those are pretty easy to come by these days.

[ Acdrtux - DSTwitter 1.5 ] VIA [ MAXCONSOLE ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

When most people think about PC gaming, they envision a sweet desktop with the latest and greatest components. However, not everyone chooses to go the desktop route. Unfortunately for those that do go with a laptop, heat becomes a major issue. There’s nothing quite like having your game interrupted because your computer shut down to prevent overheating. There are quite a few different solutions on the market today, but I’m going to show you the Cryo LX Notebook Cooler from NZXT.

The last time we took a look at something from NZXT we were impressed, so I had high hopes when I dug into this Cryo LX cooler. If I were to judge this simply based on weight, it would definitely win an award. It’s made from solid aluminum, so the weight doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. You certainly don’t have to worry about it moving around on you while you’re gaming. Surprisingly it does fold up partially to make it easier for transporting.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I really like the multi-touch trackpad on my Macbook, in fact it’s almost enough to make me forget the horrendous glare I occasionally have to deal with on the display. And thanks to Filco, I can now add the same functionality to my desktop PC with their SmartTrack Neo trackpad. It allows you to perform those clever multi-touch tricks like pinch zooming and double-fingered scrolling, all for just $50.

[ Akihabara News - External Multi Gesture trackpad for your PC ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Stationary exercise bikes have definitely improved over the years, but a company called RealRyder is hoping to take things one step further with the ABF8. In addition to pedaling, which is where most exercise bikes draw the line, the ABF8 allows the rider to steer, lean and most importantly, balance, thanks to its unique articulating frame. So if you use a stationary bike for training purposes, not only will your legs, upper body and core muscle groups get a workout, but you’ll actually be improving your balance all from the comfort of your exercise room. The downside? The ABF8′s $1,995 price tag.

[ RealRyder ABF8 ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There’s no real reason anyone needs to wear a watch with a built-in calculator these days, unless you’re trying to look super-cool of course. In that case you’ll want to go with the Datamat from Vestal. With a classic segmented LCD display and 16 button keypad it’s as basic a calculator watch as you’re going to find, but the polyurethane band and neon green or yellow color palettes keep it straddling the fence between geeky and cool. Unless you go with the black model, then there’s no question you’re a nerd.

The Datamat is available on the Vestal website for $55.

[ Vestal Datamat ] VIA [ Acquire ]

By Andrew Liszewski

This folding charging dock from Scosche Industries is nowhere near as compact as the charging adapter currently shipping with the iPhone 3G, so why would you use this one instead? Well that’s simple. For some reason Apple never thought to include an LED night light on their charger, and I don’t know about you, but I sure can’t see in the dark. I guess the other advantage is that you don’t have to worry about losing your sync cable, but keep in mind this thing will only work as designed when plugged into a wall outlet, not a powerbar sitting on the floor.

It’s available on the Scosche Industries website for $39.99.

[ Scosche reviveLITE ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You can only improve your game so much by putting into a coffee cup or one of those fancy ball return machines in your office. So the RoboCup is designed to fit inside the hole on an actual putting green, allowing you to practice on the real thing all day long, without ever having to walk over and retrieve your balls. On a set of 4xAA batteries the RoboCup will return over 15,000 putts up to a distance of 14 feet, though that varies depending on the green speed, and there’s even a Caddy Cord accessory for directing missed putts into the hole.

RoboCup will be available (come late April) for $49.95 from the FineTuneGolf website, and the Caddy Cord accessory (aka a piece of heavy rope) is an extra $14.95.

[ RoboCup ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Evan Ackerman

Looks like we’re beginning to catch up to the futuristic technology of the long time ago and far far away Star Wars galaxy, now that ThinkGeek has started selling the Hydrokinetic Adjustable Wrench, aka hydrospanner. The key feature of the hydrospanner (besides that in Star Wars it’s actually a powered driver, but never mind that) is that it uses hydraulics to fit to all kinds of different nuts and bolts without changing any bits. Inside the wrench is a fluid, which you compress through a valve to tighten the wrench. Close the valve and the wrench is perfectly sized. Opening the valve releases the fluid pressure, and the wrench comes off.

The Hydrokinetic Adjustable Wrench fits 23 different nuts and bolts in both standard and metric, is 7.5″ long, and costs $25. BTW, Han, you’d better be careful. That toolbox looks pretty precarious, and if something were to hit the ship…

[ ThinkGeek ]