By David Ponce

So that tiny speck in the middle of that table is an iPhone. It’s being docked to the BEHRINGER iNuke Boom, as much an object of fascination as one of complete insanity. This is how insane: it measures 4ft by 8ft, it’s speakers output 10,000W, it weighs 700lbs (!) and costs $30,000. Why does this exist? Well… we’re not quite following Behringer’s logic on this one:

BEHRINGER, award-winning innovator of affordable professional audio and music equipment, is excited to announce the launch of the Eurosound consumer electronics brand — concert quality sound at an amazing value. To celebrate the launch, BEHRINGER will unveil the iNuke Boom, the loudest iPod® and iPhone® dock you’ve ever heard at CES 2012. (our emphasis)

So to celebrate the launch of a value brand, they’ve unveiling this behemoth? Right. Makes perfect sense.

[ Annoucement ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By David Ponce

Mark Zuckerberg’s progressive views on privacy have gotten Facebook in trouble with more than just its angry users: it recently had to agree to 20 years of privacy audits with the FTC. But in a fine example of karma, a recent bug with Facebook that made it possible to see other users’ private photos resulted in several pics of Mark being released into the wild. So here we present them to you, for a brief and somewhat harmless moment of zen.

VIA [ TechEBlog ]

By David Ponce

German designer Elena Belmann was looking at a good ole’ flat QR code and asked herself two questions: “What would this look like in 3D and could we still read it?” So she got to work making a stool/mood light with hundreds of little wooden blocks (which, let’s face it, she took from a Jenga set). This is what it looks like and apparently, yes, you can still read it. Although we’re not being told just what data it contains.

Yes, sadly this appears to be a one off creation, which means you can’t buy it.

[ Elena's Site ] VIA [ Geekosystem ]

By David Ponce

The ENVY laptop from HP is on the upper end of the scale and let’s face it, looks a lot like Apple’s MacBook Pro. That’s kind of intentional, but fortunately for HP, they’ve also crammed the machines with lots of go-fast internals. Today’s deal shaves $400 of the $1,499 price to give you a refreshed Core i7 ENVY 17 at $1,049.

Refreshed 1.28″ thin, 7.37 lbs HP ENVY 17 features 1080p screen in all models, EPEAT Gold registered, wireless audio, silver and black aluminum design, radiance backlit keyboard and more. Also sports Beats volume control, DisplayPort, HDMI, 2-in-1 card reader, USB 3.0 ports, Intel Wireless Display, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi, 2-year warranty and more.

[ $400 Off On HP ENVY 17 Laptop ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]

By David Ponce

Used to be that if you were serious about shooting, the .50 caliber BMG round was the way to go. That sucker could propel an 800 grain lead bullet (that means 52g) to 2,900 ft/s and put an eye out from over a mile away. But that’s not enough; some folks went and made their own rifle and their own ammo and created this monster that uses a 70 caliber bullet. Yes, that does mean that it’s 0.7 inches across.

The cartridge, named the .700 WTF (“What The F…”) and is made by fire forming a .50 BMG brass case, trimming it to 3″ in length and then sizing it. The round is loaded with a 1132 grain (that’s 73.58g) paper patched .700 lead cast bullet.

The rifle, with just a 16.25″ barrel, can push the 1132 grain of lead up to 2300 fps. Thats 13,000 ft/lbs of energy, right up there with the .50 BMG and far exceeding the .700 Nitro Express. The cast lead bullet has enough energy to pass clean through a 1/4″ steel plate.

Well, it has a little more energy than that. It goes through the plate and lodges itself a foot deep into a tree stump. The recoil on that thing makes it look like Chuck Norris kicked you in the chest.

Hit the jump for a couple more pictures and an excruciatingly bad video that’s good to watch only because you see this rifle in action.

Read the rest of this entry »

By David Ponce

If you want to get into shooting HD videos of your own sporting adventures, you now have a new option. While the preferred method thus far was to purchase a GoPro rugged camera, the Optrix HD Sport is selling a special case for the iPhone 4 and 4S that will let you turn your own smartphone into something very similar. It completely waterproofs your phone while still allowing you to control it through a 0.5mm thick touchscreen membrane. The kit comes with industrial strength 3M tape so you can stick the base (comes with a curved and a flat one) to whatever you want. This means that for $80 you can do more of than what you could do with a $239 GoPro HD.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By David Ponce

Few things compare to the joy of eating pancakes with flowing rivers of silky sweet syrup. Little did we realize the experience could actually be enhanced through the clever design of a plate made specially for the task.

After a lifelong love affair with breakfast, [product designer John Wye] pin-pointed the crux of satisfaction: syrup. Designed with a raised edge that gently slopes the plate toward the diner and an ingenious reservoir for pooling loose syrup, this plate was made for slicing, dipping and delighting in each bite of pancake goodness.

A set of two will unfortunately cost $45 (steep price for a dollarstore shopper…) but sadly they are backordered until January 27th.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By David Ponce

Sure to rejoice countless hipster households across New York City, only to be shunned by them a few weeks later for making this product too popular, the iPhone Cordless Handset does an excellent job of making your iDevice significantly less convenient. For the sake of reviving bygone memories and asserting your individuality, this gadget docks your iPhone and lets you talk on a cordless barbell of yore.

An iPhone rests on a telephone base reminiscent of models from the 1930s, synchronizing with the base via Bluetooth while the cordless handset communicates with the base via DECT 6.0 wireless technology from up to 160′ indoors. The handset places and receives calls, displaying each on its LCD while providing buttons for redial and speakerphone. It can recall up to 30 received calls and record up to 50 phone numbers. An iPhone charges from the base; the headset is powered by an included rechargeable battery. Compatible with all iPhone models

It’s $159 and available now.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By David Ponce

The XPS 8300 is a more performance oriented desktop computer from Dell. Most reviewers come away impressed with it, though your particular experience will depend on how much you load yours up with options. As it’s configured in today’s deal, you’d get a Core i5-2320 quad-core processor, 6GB RAM, BD-ROM DVD Burner combo drive, 500GB Hard Drive, 1GB Radeon HD 6450, Multimedia Keyboard & Laser Mouse. This should set you back $834, but after today’s rebate it’s $649, shipped.

[ $184 Off On Dell XPS 8300 ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]