By Chris Scott Barr

Cassette tapes have little to no useful purpose in today’s world. Sure, in their prime you would record sappy love songs to give to your girl/boyfriend, or just listen to your favorite album. With CDs (and more importantly) digital media, these ugly plastic rectangles are little more than a memory of better days. Of course if you’re feeling nostalgic, you can always get one that’s been re-purposed into something a little more useful. We’ve seen MP3 players and USB hubs tucked away inside one, but what about a low-tech device?

The Cassette Tape Measure is another one of those ideas that makes you wonder why you didn’t think of it. Okay, maybe it’s not the most practical of applications, but it is pretty cool. I’ve no idea how long the tape is, as the only numeric value is 120 minutes. Not sure how that translates into inches. We do know that it will only take $8 to get this strangely appealing tape measure.

[ Gama Go ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I used to work in retail for several years selling computers and such. One of the things that always seemed to surprise customers was just how much Microsoft Office really cost. They would usually get frustrated with me, since I was in charge of Microsoft’s prices. Usually a lot of them qualified for a Student and Teacher edition, which saved them a good bit of cash. Of course once OpenOffice came out, I would generally recommend that they download it, and not pay a dime. About half of them would, and since I didn’t make commission, we would both be happy.

I’ve been using OpenOffice for a long while now, and have few complaints. There is really very little that makes me want to turn back to Microsoft’s offerings. I mean you can’t beat free, right? As it turns out, they’ve been thinking along the same lines and will be offering a free version of their suite dubbed ‘Office Starter 2010′.

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By Chris Scott Barr

First Buckyballs, then a Mophie Juice Pack Air, now another contest!? That’s right, we know exactly what you guys love. Yes, you love reading about all of the latest gadgets and gizmos, but we know you love winning free stuff. So what’s on the plate for this week? A pair of cases from NZXT.

We’ve got both the Beta EVO and M59 chassis up for grabs. All you need to do is leave a comment telling us why you need to upgrade your PC case. You might be wondering why we left out the awesome Lexa S from the contest. Our friends over at GamerFront are having their own giveaway, with that as the prize. By all means, head over to their contest page and get signed up!

As David mentioned before, we’re going to be changing up the way we give away some of our prizes here at OhGizmo. This contest won’t be following the new rules just yet, but in the future we’re going to try to reward people that are more active commenters in general.

[ NZXT ]

It’s Friday, and as promised I’m here to announce the winner of the Mophie Juice Pack Air. After sifting through all of the comments, I ended up settling on Tiro. I don’t know half of what you said man, but the punchline was worth it. I wish I had more to give out, as there were a lot of great comments.

Stay tuned for more contests. We’ve got quite a bit in store for you guys!

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

To round out our trio of NZXT cases, I present the Lexa S Mid Tower Chassis. This is the higher-end of NZXT’s case offerings. As such, it bears a premium price over the other two that we’ve reviewed in the last week. Do the extra features justify the extra cost? Read on to find out.

Features

You’re going to see most of the features that were on the Beta EVO and M59 cases here. Bottom-mounted PSU, pre-cut holes for cable management and holes for a liquid cooling system are all present. The SSD bracket and smoke colored window from the M59 are also found here. Not everything is the same, as you’ll find an extra pair of fans, as well as individual controls for the intake and exhaust fans. They also included rubber inserts for the cable management holes. These help keep the cables exactly where you want them, and are certainly appreciated.

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By Andrew Liszewski

When I was a kid I always needed a night light and a glass of water next to my bed before I would go to sleep, which unfortunately makes the LiteCup about 25 years too late for me. It’s a dishwasher safe cup that features a built-in nightlight that automatically turns on in low light, as well as a clever circular valve on top that can be easily opened with a “small suck” but prevents the liquids inside from spilling out when the cup is inevitably knocked to the ground in the middle of the night. ~$10 each from And Design.

[ LiteCup ] VIA [ Switched On Set ]

By Chris Scott Barr

There is a reason why so many movies and video games involve zombies these days. It’s because someone out there is trying to warn and prepare us for the inevitable. The zombie apocalypse. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. That’s why we have to be prepared, just like the person who created this awesome Emergency Zombie Defense Station.

The shotgun is definitely an essential weapon for close-range defense, though the knife is a bit shorter than I’d care to have. I’d rather see a katana or a machete at least. I like that they make use of the glass as something of a riot shield. The best part has to be the professional-looking warning sign. Classic. It seems that this DIY project has been around for a little while, but it’s definitely inspired me to make one.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I can understand that artificial lighting in a pumpkin is a lot safer than a burning candle, particularly if kids are involved, but the smell of scorched pumpkin lid is something that always kindles fond memories of my childhood. But if you prefer to play it safe, these remote control pumpkin lights from Williams Sonoma won’t torch your carved creations, and don’t even require you to go outside to turn them on.

Each light is powered by 3xAAA batteries which is good for about 100 hours of use, and the wireless remote allows you to turn them on and off, switch between steady and flickering light and adjust the brightness, all from a distance of about 20 feet away. A set of 2 with a remote will set you back $19.95, which isn’t too bad, even if they get destroyed when the neighborhood kids smash your pumpkin.

[ Pumpkin Lights with Remote Control ] VIA [ GadgetGrid ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I’ve never rode on a motorcycle, but I would imagine that using an iPhone on one wouldn’t be the easiest of tasks. In fact, I probably wouldn’t even bother trying. Of course those that are more skilled at riding might want to do so, and for those people there is the iBike Rider Case.

This waterproof wrist-mounted (or handlebar-mounted) case is just about the only way you could hope to use your favorite phone on a bike. You obviously aren’t going to be able to have your hands free enough to operate it, so the hard plastic case isn’t going to allow you to take advantage of the touchscreen. It does have an optional battery pack that will allow you to use functions like GPS without leaving your battery dead when you reach your destination. You can also purchase a separate headset that will allow you to talk on the phone through your helmet. The case itself is going to set you back about $57, or you can get a bundle with the headset and case for $85. If you want the battery back as well, all three items together will run $159.

[ SoEasyGPS ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]