By Andrew Liszewski

If you’ve bought in to all the motion gaming hoopla from each of the three console camps, the odds are your entertainment center is cluttered with precariously balanced cameras and sensors around your TV. Which actually makes the TriMount organizer seem not so crazy and superfluous. It’s designed to sit atop your flat panel TV and safely hold your Wii Sensor Bar, PlayStation Eye camera and Xbox 360 Kinect sensor, all in perfect unison.

It can be adjusted to safely stay mounted atop your set, or an optional wall mount (not sure if it’s included in the kit) will help your home theater look a bit less overburdened in gaming gear. It will be available sometime around mid-August of this year for just $29.99, with pre-orders already being taken.

[ TriMount ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

By itself, the West|280 bottle opening iPhone case, cleverly called the iOpener, is just another novelty accessory that most people will probably roll their eyes at. But there’s more than meets the eye. As cases go it’s made from a plastic polycarbonate/ABS alloy which keeps it lightweight but also strong enough to endure the rigors of removing a bottle cap. And the bottle opener, which retracts into the case when not needed, is made from 14 gauge, 304 food grade stainless steel, polished with a special process so it shines without added materials like chrome that can flake off over time. The inventors, Clay Baker and Tom Ramies, clearly didn’t skimp when it came to choosing high-quality materials. But they also realized that the case could be more than just a novelty.

So the iOpener incorporates an accelerometer that knows when the encased iPhone has been inverted and moved with enough force to open a bottle cap, which then triggers an accompanying free app called BevConX. (This ensures the odds of it being triggered accidentally are pretty slim.) Once loaded the app automatically asks the user to specify what beverage they just opened, from a list of 1,200+ options. The time and location are recorded, and you can then of course share your choice on various social networks. You can even set the app to play your favorite song every time it launches, if a bottle opening iPhone case isn’t novel enough for you.

At the moment the iOpener appears to only be available in a black or white version for the iPhone 3G/3GS for $29.95, presumably because it took Clay and Tom so long to develop the original version. So hopefully if it becomes a success an iPhone 4 version will soon be on its way.

[ iOpener Bottle Opener iPhone Case ] VIA [ The Dallas Morning News ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I get that the name is based on the word trampoline, and they certainly look like fun, but I just can’t help but feel that these TRAMP-It shoes could use another pass through the ‘what do you we call them?’ machine. Maybe even take a page from Nike’s naming conventions, although I’m sure they’ve never even come close to producing a pair of shoes with as much lift as these provide. A less than subtle flexible strip that juts out under the shoes from the heel is the secret to their jumping prowess. And it’s fully adjustable depending on whether you’re just walking around in them, or running and leaping through town.

And while they might seem like something designed exclusively for kids, the TRAMP-Its can apparently support someone up to 100kg in weight, which is around 220 pounds. So as long as you can find a pair in your size (it seems they go up to a size US 9) they’re totally adult friendly. As to whether an enhanced jumping ability is worth $164 (for the smallest size, the largest run $197) is up to you and your budding superhero career.

[ TRAMP-It Trampoline Shoes ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

The Dell Inspiron brand is quite probably the workhorse of the house that Michael built. They’re not known for their supermodel aesthetics nor their staggering performance; rather they are known for their value and dependability. When the Inspiron 14r featured here first hit the market, a reasonably spec’d version would ding your bank account to the tune of $800. For that price you’d get a Core i3-380M processor, a Blu-Ray player, 500GB HDD and 4GB of RAM on a 14-inch laptop. Not too bad, but seeing as time does wonders to technology prices, the same laptop can now be had for $599 after LogicBuy’s $200 off coupon. A lower spec version without the Bluray and without as much RAM and HDD can actually be had for as little as $399. Considering the 14r sports a dedicated graphics card from ATI (the Radeon 5670 if you must know), your gaming/video playbak performance will be decent. For $400, it’s a bargain.

[ Dell Inspiron 14r Starting At $399 ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

So far E3 hasn’t brought much in terms of major news or announcements. But this morning Nintendo provided a bit of a sneak peek at the upcoming successor to the Wii, which unfortunately isn’t going to be available until 2012. The WiiU is its official moniker, and while Nintendo revealed virtually nothing about the console itself in terms of tech specs or even how it will look, they did show a few samples of its graphic capabilities, which at this point are considerably more advanced than the Wii. But it’s not a hard act to follow in that regard.

They did however spill the beans on the WiiU’s new controller, which confirms rumors over the past month that it will include a touchscreen display. It does indeed, a 6.2-inch one to be exact, that can mirror gameplay seen on a TV screen, or show independent gaming elements like items screens, maps, scopes and I’m sure a million other ideas no one’s thought of yet. As a controller it’s got a couple of analog control sticks, a 4-way directional pad mirrored with individual A, B, X & Y buttons on the other side, as well as shoulder buttons and z-trigger buttons on the back. It also sports a front facing camera, and other modern gaming features like rumble and gyroscope-based motion controls.

When the TV is being used the WiiU controller will still let you play your games, serving as a handheld alternate display as images from the new console are wirelessly streamed to it. (Presumably without a hint of lag.) While it’s not designed to be a portable gaming system like the 3DS, it apparently can still be used like one when in proximity of the console. And even though the official reveal of everything the WiiU has to offer is still a while away, Nintendo will have a series of technology demos at their E3 booth showing unique ways the new controller can be used.

Update: It looks like Nintendo has provided a few images of what the WiiU console actually looks like. As well as a few tech spec snippets including the fact it will use a custom 45nm IBM processor, has full 1080P support, can access and store content on external storage devices like a hard drive connected to one of four USB ports and will still use optical discs as a game medium. And of course it’s fully backwards compatible with the original Wii, including use of the motion controllers.

[ Nintendo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re in the market for a lightweight monopod the magical substance known as carbon fiber will definitely save your back. The only problem? It’s very expensive. And if you’re only out snapping with a P&S most of the time, spending $300+ on a collapsible stick is a bit overkill. So that’s why we like the Twig Pod available from the Photojojo Store. It’s essentially a 25-inch long pointed metal stick that weighs less than half a pound. It collapses down into an easy to transport 8-inch package, and the sections are held together with a bungee cord running down the middle, not unlike a tent pole.

A pointed foot allows it to be jammed into the ground or other soft materials for taking stable self-shots, and a ball joint head makes it easy to reposition the camera once the Twig Pod is stable. It also allows you to use it as a long arm for taking shots over crowds, or wide angle photos of yourself. Best of all it’s just $28 and comes complete with a stylish linen carrying pouch.

[ Twig Pod ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Revealed back in January with the codename ‘NGP’ or ‘next generation portable’, Sony’s lastest iteration of their handheld gaming system is now officially known as the PlayStation or PS Vita. With Vita being Latin for ‘life’, something the PSP has had a rough time at. As far as hardware specs go it doesn’t appear as if much has changed since January, which isn’t that surprising. It’s still got that drool-worthy 5-inch 960×544 pixel resolution OLED touchscreen display, dual analog sticks that have been improved over the PSP’s, a six-axis motion sensor, front and rear facing cameras and of course that touchpad on the back.

But what’s new at E3 is the official pricing announcement which sees the PS Vita available later this year for $249 if you’re happy with wi-fi only connectivity. Or $299 if you’d prefer to have 3G connectivity as well. AT&T was also announced as the exclusive carrier providing 3G connectivity, though the all important question of data plans and pricing won’t be revealed until later in the year. As for games? Your standard PlayStation fair like UNCHARTED, LittleBigPlanet, Hot Shots Golf, ModNation Racers and Wipeout are all on the way, plus a variety of 3rd party franchises that will probably be further revealed later in the week. It could end up being a strong competitor to the 3DS, but the delayed release does give Nintendo plenty of time to implement a price drop on their own hardware. And a lot of people suspect it’s that $250 price tag that has hindered the 3DS’ sales so far.

[ PR - E3 2011: Introducing PlayStation Vita, Starting at $249 ] VIA [ Kotaku ]

By Andrew Liszewski

With Apple’s WWDC keynote already a distant memory, we can get back to focusing on the other important monsoon of tech news this week: E3. Starting with Microsoft’s new Wireless Speed Wheel revealed yesterday for the Xbox 360. It looks like a more hardcore version of Nintendo’s Wiimote plastic wheel housing, complete with a steeper $59.99 price tag when it goes on sale later this year. (Presumably timed to coincide with the release of the next Forza game.)

The snippets of the official press release posted on Major Nelson’s blog point out some of the wheel’s features including a standard 360 controller button layout with trigger buttons for the gas and brake, haptic feedback and rumble and green bands of lights along each handle providing additional visual feedback. As Kotaku points out, there’s no mention of it being a motion-controlled wheel in the press release, but none of the product shots show a base or a stand, or indicate that it’s supposed to be used in any other manner than just holding it in your hands like a regular wireless controller. Hopefully it will be demo’d on the show floor later this week to answer that question.

[ Major Nelson - PR - Announcing the Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel ] VIA [ Kotaku ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Got someone in your life who’s crazy about fonts and keen on sitting? TABISSO is a French design company who focuses on contemporary lounge furniture, including a unique line of chairs representing every single letter of the alphabet, as well as the numbers 0 to 9. The chairs are all made to order, since clients will no doubt be asking for custom words every time. And because everything from the upholstery material and color, to the frame and base, can be specified to match any decor. There’s also a series of 20 different punctuation mark lamps if you want your furniture to be grammatically correct. (And who doesn’t?) As for pricing? Since the chairs are all custom made I think it’s safe to assume they’re also going to be very, very…

[ TABISSO Typographic Furniture ] VIA [ Design Blog ]