By Andrew Liszewski

For most casual riders, the arrival of Fall, and eventually Winter, means their bikes go into storage until the temperatures warm up again. But if you use your bike for commuting to work, or are used to dealing with the elements on a ride, freezing temps probably aren’t going to stop you. Particularly if you invest in a set of these heated grips from A’ME. They easily replace the standard handlebar grips on your bike (you just slide them on and tighten a screw) but are a vast improvement since they heat up to one of 6 different temperature settings.

Besides just comfort, the heated grips also improve bloodflow and dexterity in your hands when it’s freezing outside. So, you know, you can still operate your shifters and brakes. The various components to the system, including the grips, the battery pack and the charger are all sold separately. But you’re certainly better off just getting the whole setup as a kit for $199.

[ A’ME Heated Bike Grips ] VIA [ Urban Velo ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you like killing zombies (and who doesn’t?), then you’ve no doubt heard about Dead Island, which hits store shelves today. This game puts you on the tropical paradise of Banoi where you wake up to find zombies at every turn. Your primary goal? To simply stay alive.

With all of the other zombie-themed games on the market, you have to wonder if this one will be worth your hard-earned cash. If you’re still on the fence, you might head over to GamerFront to check out the full review on this beautiful, yet scary game. If you’re looking for the short answer though, the game is worth it. Just remember to pick up a night light when you’re out shopping for the game.

VIA [ GamerFront ]

This article is sponsored. -Ed.

By David Ponce

You guys are familiar with our Deal Of The Day column, where we present you items daily with varying levels of discounts. And while there often are bargains to be had through this column, it’s good to know that there are places where you can find low prices on a broader range of products on a more permanent basis. One such retailer is Misco Computer, a UK-based e-tailer that consistently has low prices on computer hardware for the home or business.

[ Misco Computer ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Before they’re old enough to tackle a 2-wheel bicycle, most young’ns start off on either a tricycle or a push bike. Neither of them require much in the way of balance skills, but the latter tends to be a bit more stylish. Usually looking like a wooden jigsaw puzzle pulled from the pages of an IKEA catalog. But Ryan Callahan, an industrial designer at Trek, took a far different approach. Inspired by the sequel to TRON, the learning bike he created for the TrekWorld 2012 show looks like a miniature version of the light cycles seen on screen. Albeit with a raised set of handlebars to make it easier for kids to ride.

At this point it’s very regrettably still just a concept, and with the marketing push for the TRON sequel being over a long time ago, I have my doubts this will ever become a reality. Though with rumors that a third TRON movie could be a possibility, I’ll keep a small flame of hope alive that one day my kids will be tooling around the backyard on one, making impossibly tight 90-degree right and left hand turns.

[ Bicycle Design - Learning bike concepts from TrekWorld 2012 ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t care if they pulled your entire family and all of your furniture out of a burning house and then went back in to put out the fire. No child on Earth deserves as elaborate and over-the-top a playhouse as Lilliput Play Homes sells. The ‘Grand Victorian’ model (pictured on the bottom) starts at $19,999 and includes such unnecessary amenities as “…a wraparound porch, elegant stained glass window, window boxes full of fresh blooms, a sunny skylight, and a working doorbell and brass door knocker. Inside, the decorative details continue with a bay window with a cozy window seat, sponge-painted walls, simulated hardwood floors, fireplace mantel and an upstairs loft accessed by a ladder.”

The ‘Cotton Candy Manor’ (pictured on top) starts at a cheaper, though equally ridiculous, $9,599. And both playhouses come with the option for miniature matching furniture like a playable grand piano, kitchen appliances and even spaces for TVs. Now sure, they do look a lot safer than being perched high up in a tree on a couple of pieces of 2 by 4. But I feel they’re robbing kids the use of their imaginations. Unless the parents who buy one of these uses them as a tool to teach valuable lessons about paying mortgages or the rise and fall of property taxes.

[ Lilliput Play Homes ] VIA [ I New Idea ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I understand why people living in crowded, urban city centers are often seen wearing face masks. But it doesn’t make it any less unnerving for me. I always think they’re fleeing some plague cloud I’m unaware of, and the fact that most of their face is obscured doesn’t help.

That’s probably why the Masclear caught my eye. It provides most of the same protection of a paper or cloth face mask. Namely stopping the wearer’s saliva and breath from spreading to others, and vice versa. But it’s made from a clear plastic shield so the wearer’s mouth is always visible, and it’s easy to clean and reuse again and again. They seem ideal for applications where someone wearing a mask has to deal with the public (and hence smile) and are available in small and large sizes that are further adjustable to fit every wearer.

[ Masclear Face Masks ] VIA [ Inventor Spot ]

By Chris Scott Barr

“Was it me? Did I win?” I know these are the questions on everyone’s mind. Or at least everyone that entered our contest to win an ARCHOS 70, that is. Well if you go by the alias “jazzman55”, then the answer to both questions is “yes.” Your cries to be picked were heard by the random number-generating gods of the internet, and your number was selected. Congratulations!

For everyone that didn’t win a brand new tablet, stay tuned, as we will undoubtedly have more contests on the way!

[ ARCHOS ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Where I live, the movie theaters provide subtitle services to hearing impaired guests via a small glass screen they place in front of where they’re sitting, which reflects the text from an animated pixel board located at the back of the venue. From what I’ve seen the system appears to work pretty well, as long as you sit in a fairly limited ‘sweet spot’ that lets you see both the text and the screen. Sony thinks they’ve come up with something better though. And while their subtitle glasses are still in the prototype phase, they seem like they have a lot of potential.

They look a bit like the shutter glasses you have to wear when watching a 3D film, but the hardware on either side of the lenses actually projects the subtitles onto the glass. So no matter where the viewer is looking, they’re still visible. And even though they sit right in front of the wearer’s eyes, the subtitles still feel like they’re part of the screen, which helps make the whole experience feel more natural. (Relatively speaking.) Of course the technology isn’t just limited to use in a movie theater though. The glasses could incorporate a small mic and voice recognition software, providing real time subtitles during a conversation in real life. And presumably if they ever do go into production, the electronics will be streamlined so that the specs don’t look so bulky.

[ BBC News - Cinema subtitle glasses give promise to deaf film fans ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

We first wrote about the Zip Zip building block USB flash drives way back in 2007, and surprisingly the company has yet to come under legal fire from LEGO since then. So, perhaps with a false sense of legal security, they’ve finally decided to expand their offerings with a new line of external hard drives that look like large LEGO blocks. Except they’re not. Got it?

Available in 500GB to 1TB capacities and sporting USB 3.0, the drives can be stacked together forming one uber-brick storage unit. Or adorned with your favorite, though in no way officially associated, LEGO building blocks. They’ll probably also serve as a handy home base for the Zip Zip USB flash drives. They haven’t popped up on Zip Zip’s website just yet, but it’s safe to assume they’ll be available sometime between now and the start of the Christmas shopping season.

[ Zip Zip ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]