By David Ponce

This here is a large piece of bamboo that’s been cut up and turned into a passive sound amplifier for the iPhone. The bottom was machined flat so that it may stand upright and an opening for the iPhone 4/4S dug at the top. It’s then painted, put in a canvas bag and shipped to you for all of $31 ($25 plus $6 for shipping). The “natural properties of bamboo” amplify the sound though to be honest, I don’t think bamboo has anything to do with it. Any material shaped this way would produce similar amplification.

It does look distinct, screams of your love for all things green and won’t break the bank so you can keep buying your tofurkey and other eco-conscious paraphernalia.

Hit the jump for another picture and links.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By David Ponce

I finally got to see the GoPano iPhone case that was announced last April. Back then it was a Kickstarter project, well on its way to getting funded. Well, fast forward 9 months and here it is at CES. It’s a clip on case very similar to the Kogeto Dot which I wrote about back in October. The case features a detacheable 360-degree mirror that lets you take photos and videos in 360 degrees, natch. Like the Dot, these videos are fully interactive so you can pan around as you watch. The difference, and this is a big one, is that you don’t have to hold your phone like a waiter with a tiny plate of appetizers in your hand. The orientation of the mirror extension is vertical so you get to hold your iPhone 4 or 4S the same way you’ve become used to. It’s a well made product and feels comfortable to use.

It’s a fun product and for $79, won’t put a giant hole in your wallet.

[ Product Page ]

By David Ponce

If you don’t mind adding a little bulk to your iPhone, the Cord-On-Board case from CaseInity could make it much easier to get through the day without running out of juice. It simply features a specially modified charging cord that snaps right into the case. It’s all out of sight until you need it. Of course, you’re going to need an actual USB port as there’s no room to carry the little square transformer but there are computers everywhere these days, so you’ll be fine. Just ask yourself: when was the last time you carried your charging cable everywhere with you? (Ok, mister backpack, we don’t mean you…) At $25 on pre-order on Kickstarter, the Cord-On-Board case looks simple and useful. But it’ll only be made if CaseInity reaches their $20,000 funding goal. And it’s for iPhone 4 and 4S only.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

This is a sturdy canvas bag with an inner zipper pocket for your stuff. It’s large at 17 x 4 x 20″.

You can fill it with booze. You’ll need it when you see the look of disappointment on that cute guy. You know, once he realizes it’s just an illusion…

$45.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

Remember those mood rings when you were a kid? They would change color depending on the temperature of your skin. Yeah, well now you can buy an adhesive to protect the back of your iPhone that is covered in a similar material. Granted, this one appears to change colors much more quickly than the rings I had as a kid. Either that or I was one nervous, constantly anxious little boy whose hands were always cold…

It’s apparently sensitive enough that it will display an outline of the phone’s internal components whenever it gets hot enough, like while surfing or playing back videos. It’s $12 and can be had with an an Apple logo cutout.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ TrendHunter ]

By David Ponce

While this is an accident waiting to happen, Chinavision’s “Complete Car Bluetooth Rearview Mirror” certainly has managed to cram everything and the kitchen sink in there. Their replacement mirror features the following: GPS, wireless rear-view parking camera (camera kit included), Bluetooth calling, DVR and yes even a media player. The idea is that in DVR mode it will record what happens inside or out (presumably more than the rearview parking camera can be hooked up to it) while in other modes it can either give you GPS guidance or even play back videos for you. We’re guessing you have to be stopped with parking brake engaged for this particular feature to work, though we’re sure enterprising folk will quickly find a way around that. Everything is displayed on a 4.3 inch, 480 by 272 resolution screen and the internals are powered by a Centrality Atlas 4 Dual-Core 500 MHz processor and 64MB of RAM. Yeah, HD files might be out of the question.

Storage is handled via SD or Micro SD cards, of which two are included (4GB each). It’s $205 for one and prices go down with larger order numbers as this appears to be a wholesaler.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ NewLaunches ]

By David Ponce

You’re the outdoorsy type and tend to get your electronic gear in places it shouldn’t go: you could just toss it in a Ziplock bag. Or you could get a fancier type of plastic bag to put it in. The BubbleShield is just that, a double-zipper bag with a hook. The hook is there for easy transport, while the pattern at the back is interrupted in the general vicinity of the iPhone’s camera, allowing you to still take shots with it. And while it’s clearly aimed at iPhone owners, this would work with any phone, really. It’s rated at a IPX5 waterproofing specification, which means:

Protected against water jets – Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle at a flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.

So no submersion but decent protection.

However given that it’s $20 for a pack of 5… maybe double that Ziplock bag and call it a day?

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Coolest-Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

The SNAP! case comes from company Bitplay, which we talked about a few days ago in the context of a wacky shootout lamp. This particular product doesn’t do much more than make your iPhone look a lot like an actual camera, but in our eyes does it really well. There’s a dedicated shutter button and of course you can keep your device’s full functionality. It should work with the iPhone 4 and 4S though pricing or availability information have not been released yet.

You should be able to see a prototype at Tokyo Designer’s Week event if you happen to be in Japan this week.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By David Ponce

Much as it’s quickly becoming a great platform for gaming, your iPhone (or any touchscreen-only smartphone) still lacks fundamental controllers that anyone who grew up gaming has become accustomed to. There’s just something intrinsically annoying about having to touch a screen instead of joysticks; gaming isn’t the same without the feedback you get from feeling that button under your thumb. To address this issue, the iControlpad connects via Bluetooth to your iPhone (or any of a long list of devices) and gives you traditional, physical buttons. There’s six face buttons, a D-pad, two analog nubs and two rear buttons. Finally, there’s an accessory that allows you to attach your device to the iControlpad so that you have a single gaming unit.

Of course for this to work, your chose game has to allow control via the iControlpad. Fortunately there are tons of these and to find out if your favorite one is supported, just check out the links at the bottom. It’s $75 and is currently in stock.

[ Product Page ] AND [ Compatibility List ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By David Ponce

As we increasingly untether our computing tasks from the desktop we start to rely more and more on battery power, and that in turn means chargers and cable spaghetti hell. Any solution that helps tidy things up even a bit is always welcome. The PlugBug elegantly attaches to your MacBook charger and introduces an additional USB outlet; you can then charge both the MacBook and any iDevice simultaneously. It’s rated at 10W which means your iPhone or iPad will charge much faster than if it’s charging from the MacBook USB port. Plus, at $35, it sure beats using a $2,400 laptop to juice back up.

[ PlugBug Product Page ] VIA [ CoolHunting ]