By Shane McGlaun

A few years ago most computer users had probably never heard of MSI. After the netbook revolution began the MSI Wind surfaced as one of the better netbooks on the market and brought the brand to the masses.

MSI has unveiled a new and very slick looking new notebook computer with a 15.6-inch screen. If Darth Vader had a laptop the GX633 would be it with its brushed black aluminum and red trim. Also featured on the notebook are MSI’s turbo mode and ECO Engine.

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By Andrew Liszewski

Try as they might, I’m just not convinced that my iPhone is ever going to replace my DS as my portable gaming device of choice. But given a good chunk of those billion apps sold through the App Store were games, I have to assume that there are plenty of people using the iPhone or iPod Touch for that purpose. And it’s those people that the Jam Jacket Game will appeal to.

It’s basically another case designed to make gaming with the iPod Touch a bit easier, but unlike the ridiculous GameGrip from last week, the Jam Jacket Game features a set of considerably more subtle ‘handles’ on the back providing a better grip on your device. At $19 it’s a cheap way to protect your Touch (it’s actually not iPhone-friendly) and it even comes bundled with a clear adhesive screen protector.

[ DLO Jam Jacket Game ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A week or so ago Evan brought news of the EagleTec USB flash drive which managed to cram as much as 8GBs into a drive that was barely larger than a USB connector. Well it seems that EagleTec has used their magic shrink ray to come up with a microSD card reader that’s just as minute. It’s pretty much as small as the company’s USB flash drive, but it allows you to read and write to microSD or microSDHC flash cards up to 32GB in size. It supports Windows XP, 2K and Vista (you guys better start listing Windows 7 soon) and OSX 10.2 or higher. And at just $13 from Brando, it’s a no-brainer if you’ve got a small collection of microSD cards.

[ EagleTec USB NanoSac Micro SD Card Reader ] VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]

As we’ve mentioned to you before, the Eye-Fi card is really a pretty brilliant idea. Digital cameras are neat little gadgets, but getting all your awesome pics from your camera to the computer and to the internet is still a stone age process that involves plugging cables into things and taking cards out of things and running software and pushing buttons and waiting around. It’s utterly ridiculous. Eye-Fi has the solution to this, with an SD card that includes a WiFi antenna that automatically sends pictures and video that you take directly to the internet and your computer, no cables necessary.

We’ve got a full review of the Eye-Fi Explore Video for you, right after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chris Scott Barr

One of the things I love the most about my iPhone is the access to all of the great (and not-so-great) programs in the App Store. Unfortunately there happen to be a lot of good apps that don’t either don’t get approved, or at least get the runaround from Apple before being allowed into their store. Well here is one case that shows just how bizarre the approval process really is.

I’m going to guess that at least part of you have heard of the band Nine Inch Nails. I’m a pretty big fan of their music, which isn’t always suitable for radio play if you catch my drift. Well the band recently submitted an app for approval, only to get faced with rejection. Frontman Trent Reznor explained the situation best I think. Hit the jump for his quotes.

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By Chris Scott Barr

There are definitely times when one really doesn’t feel safe. Like when you’re walking down a dark street on the wrong side of town, or when you find that you’re sitting in the home team section with a visitor’s jersey on. Sure, you could get a license and carry a gun, but not everyone wants that level of protection. One simple solution is a piece of clothing that can be used as a weapon for self defense. Sound crazy? Well check out this Sap Cap that promises to be exactly what you need.

This rather ordinary-looking hat actually contains a “unique impact material that is 110% the density of lead and will not rust.” Just grab the bill of the hat and swing it down on your foe. They’ll never know what hit them. Hopefully a good conk on the head is enough to make your escape, because they’ll soon wise up to the old weight in the hat trick. Something tells me this wouldn’t be the most comfortable hat to wear, but I guess that’s the price of self defense. Actually $30 is the price of self defense.

[ BudK ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Evan Ackerman

We saw a preview of the first 45 minutes of Pixar’s newest animated feature, Up, back in March at WonderCon. Boy, were we ever impressed. One of the most enjoyable characters in the film is Dug, a dog who can talk. Now, I know what you’re thinking: talking dogs, big deal, it’s been beaten to death starting with Homeward Bound and most recently with Underdog. The difference with Dug is that Dug actually is a talking dog, not a dog talking like a human:

Up comes out in theaters (in 2D and 3D) on May 29th, but we’ll be at a screening on May 11th and give you the lowdown a couple weeks early.

[ Up ] VIA [ UGO ]

By Andrew Liszewski

For just $50 you can get this clever ‘slide to unlock’ iPhone homage doormat from Meninos, even though I don’t think I’ve ever come across a door that can be unlocked with a sliding motion.

The 27×13 inch mat’s made of rubber and is washable should you muck it up, and as an added bonus, if the neighbors hadn’t already figured out you were a geek, this bad boy sitting outside your front door would remove any doubt from their minds.

Meninos also sells a Mac command key doormat for the hardcore Apple fans, though it’s a bit less inspired.

[ Unlock Doormat ] VIA [ Digital Drops ]

By Shane McGlaun

Back in 1997 before the netbook revolution really began and ultimately turned into the hottest segment of the computer market, Palm announced a small netbook-like device called the Foleo. The company spent big bucks developing and even talked the product up a lot. Shortly after the hyped product was announced, Palm evidentially realized that the entire Foleo idea was flawed and never actually built it.

Some analysts are now saying that Palm is expected to revive the Foleo and bring it to market as a netbook running webOS. I’d just like to go on record pointing out to Palm that sales of alternate OS netbooks are not good. I’m just saying, you can’t act surprised if the product doesn’t work out again Palm.

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