While not as robust a multitasker as even a basic Swiss Army Knife, this folding credit card blade from Iain Sinclair looks far more compact and smuggle-friendly as you can keep it stashed away in your wallet. It weighs just 13 grams, is only 2mm thick and features a stainless steel blade with a healthy 65mm cutting edge and a short serrated edge on the opposite side. When folded away a built-in sheath prevents you from accidentally touching the sharp blade, and since I’m sure you’re having as hard a time as I did envisioning how it does fold/unfold, here’s a video showing it in action:
When officially shipping in January the CardSharp will sell for ~$23(£15) but you can pre-order one now with a deposit of ~$11.60 (£7.50).
The popularity of digital photo frames as a no-thought-involved gift has tapered off over the past couple of years, but I would have loved to gift this Frankenstein of low-techery to someone who would appreciate its absurdity. From a company called TAO this $150 lamp features a tiny 3.5-inch LCD display on the base, forcing anyone who actually cares about the photos being displayed to crowd in as close as possible. And I’m assuming that LCD isn’t of the highest quality, so actually turning on the lamp probably washes out the image.
It’s got 128MB of memory which is enough to store around 1,500 photos if you shrink them down to the display’s 720×486 resolution ahead of time, and the LCD features touch screen capabilities ensuring it will be covered in smudgy fingerprints in no time.
Forgetting about all that commercial crap we’ve gotten used to putting up with, the holidays are mostly about giving. And nothing symbolizes that more than the Salvation Army’s red kettles that dot malls and street corners across the country this time of year. But this year many of those kettles received a high-tech upgrade that seems to have had a positive effect on people’s giving.
Initially trialed in Dallas, LA and Colorado Springs last year, the new kettles, which now feature a wireless debit/credit card terminal, have been setup in 300 locations in 120 different cities. And since being introduced the Salvation Army has found that the average giving when it comes to pocket change like coins and bills is about $2 or $3, but when using a debit or credit card the average is about $15. The wireless terminals are also completely safe to use since no personal information like credit card numbers is ever stored on the machines, and donors can even get a printed receipt for tax deduction purposes.
Magnetic poetry? Screw that! Here’s a cooler way to decorate your fridge/filing cabinet/anything a neodymium magnet will stick to. From Etsy seller Aristomatic comes these sets of laser-etched bamboo magnets that are designed to look like sprites from the original NES version of Super Mario Brothers. Everything from boring old ground blocks to pipes and piranha plants are included, letting you recreate a favorite level, or just go all Shigeru Miyamoto-style and design your own! The large set pictured above will set you back $150, but Aristomatic also has a couple of smaller sets available for about $45-$50 if Christmas shopping has left your credit card maxed out.
It’s the Holidays so of course here at OhGizmo! this means giving back to you, our readers, at least a tiny sliver of the joy you give us with your patronage. We try to do this in the form of giveaways, and we’ve sure had a few so far: the EOS Mixtape Watch (now closed), the Windows Phone 7 (now closed) and the TiVo Premiere (still open, so go comment!). We’re adding one more to that list with the Kisai Sensai Pure watch from Tokyoflash, in black on black.
As any self-respecting geek should, we have a serious love affair with these watches and believe that a line from Wired UK magazine captures their essence quite eloquently: “Tokyoflash has made being obtuse into an art form.” Indeed. So read the rules (they’re always changing a little) and enter for your chance to win!
Rules:1) Open worldwide!! 2) Leave a comment on this post, but please make it longer than 25 characters (it’ll make your editor happy…). 3) Comments will be closed on December 25 at 11:59pm EST.
It’s not the first keyboard & mouse adapter for the Xbox 360, not even from this company. But XIM Technologies’ new XIM3 adapter looks like the penultimate solution for those who prefer a PC-like FPS experience on their consoles. The most obvious wow factor is a built-in LCD display which lets you customize settings, and select a specific setup for a given title.
Since different games on the 360 each have their own unique feel and control mechanics when it comes to playing, accurately translating the movements from a keyboard and mouse have to be adapted on a game-by-game basis. So the XIM3 uses ‘Smart Translators’ to ensure there’s always 1-to-1 movement between the mouse and your target reticule on-screen, as long as you specify what game you’re playing. The list of supported titles is continually expanding, but it’s safe to assume that more popular titles like Halo and Call of Duty will work perfectly with the XIM3 when it’s finally available for purchase.
After you drop a few hundred dollars on an iPad, one of the most important things you’ll need to take care of it, is a protective case. You can have that special slot in your bag that keeps it stationary, but with everything exposed there’s still a chance of the face cracking or getting scratched from hitting something else that’s tumbling about in your bag.
The lovely people at Booq sent us a Taipan Spacesuit XS case, which can calm your nerves when tossing your iPad into the madness of this and that, that is your backpack, satchel, etc. Though this isn’t any heavy-duty protection, it will take case of screen scratches, and lessen the impact of your precious technology hitting something.
Not only does this wall wart include 4 USB ports for charging multiple devices at the same time, but it also features a built-in timer allowing you to specify a 2, 4, 6 or 8 hour charging window. Once the timer runs out the charger draws no electricity at all, meaning it won’t passively run up your electric bill. It’s also got a set of folding prongs making it easier to travel with, and while it can juice up to 4 different devices at one time, if you plan to add an iPad into the mix you’ll need to use an included Y-adapter so it can draw power from 2 of the USB ports at once. While it doesn’t appear to be available for sale just yet, hopefully we’ll have a chance to check it out in person at CES 2011 next month and nail down a price point.
For years advertisers have been trying to find ways to enhance TV broadcasts. Commercials are one thing, but being able to sell you the exact suit a stylish character is wearing, or finance a vehicle you see in an exciting car chase has been a dream for them. Microsoft’s old WebTV had features like that, though it wasn’t exactly a runaway success. But this morning Yamaha successfully tested a new concept for passing along extra info to consumers that has a lot of promise. Mostly because it’s completely unobtrusive.
Their new ‘Infosaundo’ or ‘INFOSOUND’ technology broadcasts an inaudible (to humans at least) 18kHz or higher signal that’s picked up by a smartphone’s mic and converted into data, or a URL, or some kind of enhanced data via a special app. The system, which has a range of ~33 feet, isn’t exactly high-bandwidth. It’s limited to a mere 80 bits per second, but that’s more than enough to pass along a web address which can then lead to more downloadable content.
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By Andrew Liszewski
