By Andrew Liszewski

I realize that broadcast caliber equipment usually affords a level of quality not found in consumer-level gear, which is often reflected in the price. But I’m having a hard time seeing how Technica Del Arte manages to justify charging almost $400 for their 1.8MB Luci Live recording app.

I mean having the ability to record to professional IP codecs (optimized for transmission over cellular data networks) and even broadcast remotely to a station at the same time are certainly important features for on-air reporters. But from what I can tell it’s not like Technica Del Arte has developed these codecs themselves, or has exclusive rights to them. And let’s not forget that price tag doesn’t even factor in the cost of a professional mic which is a necessity if you intend to use the iPhone for any kind of broadcast quality recording work. And while I hate to throw out the term ‘snake oil’ because I have no doubt the app delivers and performs as promised, I can’t help but feel they’re maybe preying on the broadcast industry who’s used to paying exorbitant prices for their gear.

[ iTunes App Store - Luci Live ] VIA [ The Fancy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s hard to fault any product that incorporates the Star Wars Universe’s most lovable astromech droid. But something tells me this R2-D2 themed planetarium from Sega Toys isn’t quite scientifically accurate. It still looks like a fun way to light up a kid’s room, just as long as you’re ok when they ask you why they can’t see the Death Star looming overheard when they stare up at the real night sky. Available in Japan sometime in September for under $87 (¥7,000).

[ Akihabara News - [International Toy Show] Sega Toy new R2D2 Planetarium comes with its own Death Star! ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re the clutzy type who’s always dropping their electronics – like off the side of a mountain – these Alpinist metal camera cases are pretty much the only chance your digital camera has of surviving. They look like a black box recovered from an alien spacecraft, but are actually made here on good ol’ Earth from machined aircraft grade 6061 T6 and 5052 aluminum alloys. As a result they weigh less than 165 grams but are impact resistant and water resistant when the lid is closed and sealed.

Inside the cases are lined with strategically positioned low density foam to absorb some of the impact should its durability be put to the test, and on the outside there’s loops and mounts for attaching carabineers or strapping it to your pack. The Alpinist cases are available in a wide variety of sizes designed to fit the smallest compact P&S cameras up to larger sub-DSLR models like the Leica D-Lux, and range in price from $58.95 up to $119.95.

[ Alpinist P&S Camera Cases ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By David Ponce

Lenovo’s T420 is the 14-inch successor to the T410, a 14.1-inch laptop that differs from the newer generation only in processor performance. The T420 comes in three Core i Sandy Bridge configurations with an optional NVIDIA NVS 4200M graphics card and Optimus technology. With a decently sized 500GB HDD and 4GB of DDR3 RAM, the T420 is a capable business machine that weighs only 4.84 lbs. Independent reviews have said “The T420 has basically been designed for business customers who are looking for a solid office laptop with a good application performance and nevertheless good mobile qualities. (source)

Well, for a limited time you can get 10% off on a set of already discounted prices. For example, the Core i5 model usually sells for $1305, but now has been slashed by $506 and an additional 10% for a final price of only $719.

Incidentally, you can also check out LogicBuy’s dedicated Lenovo Coupons page for all available deals on portables from your favorite Chinese brand.

[ 10% Off On Lenovo ThinkPad T420 ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When forced to travel for the sake of others (i.e. visiting family, weddings, international court appearances) you can’t seriously be expected to simply walk away from the various quests and missions you’ve undertaken on your gaming console. So instead of carefully wrapping your hardware in shirts and underwear, stashing them in your suitcase and hoping they survive the rigor of luggage handlers; you might want to splurge, and we mean really splurge, on this TSA-approved and carry-on friendly mobile gaming briefcase.

The G155 has a rugged hard plastic shell so it can survive being tossed around in a plane’s luggage hold. And the interior is sufficiently padded with foam to protect what’s inside. Various velcro straps also serve to keep your hardware secure, while a couple of matching bags provide a place to keep cables and controllers wrangled. You’ll still need to find a power source once you get to where you’re going, but otherwise a 15.5-inch LED hi-def display (with an HDMI input) built into the lid ensures the G155 also serves as an all-in-one portable gaming solution. The only catch is that it runs almost $500 (£299.99) which is more than any well-equipped console will cost you these days.

[ G155 Mobile Gaming Environment ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In the past we’ve tried to avoid posting concept products because quite frankly, they were a tease. They were a figment of some industrial designer’s imagination, and the chances of any of them ever coming to market were slim to none. But thanks to online fundraising sites like Kickstarter, many concept products now have a fighting chance of becoming a reality.

And the latest Kickstarter project to pique our curiosity is the Air Guitar Move. It’s a combination app + hardware, in this case a motion sensing guitar pick, that lets you strum away in the air producing actual sounds with your impressive air guitar routine. Its creators, Ronald Mannak and Colin Karpfinger, have already brought other best-selling music toys and iPhone accessories to the market, but for their latest venture they’re hoping to raise $25,000 in the next 25 days.

In addition to a free play mode which lets wannabe rockstars do their thing (even using their iPhone in their other hand as a fretboard) the accompanying app will also include a Guitar Hero-like rhythm game. In fact, the Air Guitar Move hardware is being built in the same factory where GH was built, supervised by the same engineering team. So it’s certainly one of the few Kickstarter projects that really seem to have their act together. And something tells me if they don’t raise sufficient funds this way, they won’t have much difficulty finding other backers.

[ Kickstarter - Air Guitar Move for iPhone ] VIA [ Mobile Magazine ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re one of the many who lament the iPhone’s lack of a memory card slot, thanks to PhotoFast you can lament no more. Their new, uninspiringly named, i-FlashDrive features a standard USB connector on one end, allowing it to function as a regular old flash drive, and an iOS-friendly dock connector on the other, allowing to connect to iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. When first connected you’ll be prompted to download an accompanying app, which lets you then copy files to and from your iOS device, and even do things like backup your contacts list.

It’s certainly an easy way to shuffle files around when you don’t have access to the PC you usually sync with. And it also allows you to easily transfer files directly between two iOS devices, leaving a PC out of the equation completely. The PhotoFast i-FlashDrive will be available in July in 8, 16 and 32GB capacities ranging in price from ~$99 up to ~$192.

[ PhotoFast i-FlashDrive ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

By David Ponce

The Dell Vostro 230, like its more portable companion the Vostro 3550 is a computer targeted to small businesses. That doesn’t mean much, other than the fact that you won’t get all that many bells and whistles. No LEDs, no overpowered graphics card or liquid cooled CPUs. What you will get however is good performance at a sensible price. All the more so today since you’re looking at a deal that will pair the Vostro 230 with a 24-inch monitor from Viewsonic. For $419! That’s a saving of $301.

At that price you get a 2.93GHz Dual-core Mini Tower with 3GB DDR RAM, “320GB Hard Drive, DVD+/RW Drive, 15-months of Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services, bundled Keyboard + Mouse, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit OS and more.” The offer is for a limited time and limited number of uses.

[ Dell Vostro 230 With 24-Inch Monitor Bundle ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Like a real life version of Harry Potter’s Mirror of Erised (Desire), Romy van den Broek’s Through The Looking Glass mirror does more than just show a person’s reflection. Admittedly it won’t reveal your heart’s desires, but it does let kids experience an interactive fairytale. For the prototype they went with the story of Hansel & Gretel, and through the use of a highly reflective LCD touchscreen display and motion capture software, young’ns are encouraged to participate as the story unfolds. For example, in this case they’re encouraged to gather stones for Hansel before the story continues. Two kids can even interact with it at the same time, although you’ll probably be spending twice as much time cleaning off pint-sized fingerprints.

[ Through The Looking Glass Mirror ] VIA [ MoCo Loco ]