Oh! Gizmo

By Chris Scott Barr

Last year I reviewed Scosche’s passPORT iPhone adapter, which helped me to charge my iPhone when I was in my car. Well earlier this year they released their home version of the passPORT, which did the same thing, only for the iPhone docks that you have sitting around your house. I got my hands one of these, and put it through our grueling review process.

Much like it’s mobile cousin, there really isn’t much to this device. It fits any dock that uses the standard iPod dock, so as long as you’re not using the iBoo or iPanda (which have really funky docks) you should be good. Just remove the dock insert from your device, insert the passPORT Home Dock and put the dock insert into the passPORT. That’s really all there is to it.

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This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

One thing I hate about all of my game controllers is that I fell like I’m always swapping out rechargeable batteries. Many times I’m tempted to get some sort of charging station that I can just keep them on when I’m not using the controller. When it comes to the Wiimote, there’s that little silicon sleeve that can be a real nuisance, since you have to remove it to get to the batteries, so there is even more reason for a better charging solution. Enter the Energizer WiiMore charger.

This thing looks like it would be the perfect solution to my problem. It would hold both controllers I have, includes rechargeable battery packs, and uses induction charging so I can leave them in their sleeves. Unfortunately there’s a chance that this thing will be obsolete a month after it comes out. You see, it hits stores in June, while Nintendo is releasing their MotionPlus accessory in July.

The MotionPlus attachment will come with its own silicon sleeve, so you won’t be taking it out of there very often. Now depending on how specific the charging point is, this could be a serious problem with the WiiMore. If I have to take the Wiimote out of its sleeve every time I charge it, that would defeat the entire point of the stand. For $50 it would be a great addition to your gaming area, but I’d wait to see how it works with the new hardware.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Evan Ackerman

A combination USB card reader and flashlight might not seem like the most straightforward thing in the world to rationalize, but that’s just because you’re not trying hard enough. I mean, what happens when World War 3 comes and you take some incredible pictures of Belgians storming the White House that the press would pay a fortune for and could turn the tide of the war by stimulating international sympathy if you could only upload them to the internet but if you turn any lights on you’ll be arrested because there’s a curfew and the Belgian spies are everywhere so it would be perfect if you had a little flashlight with which to find your memory card that you accidentally dropped while hiding from your neighbor who you thought was a member of the Belgian secret police coming to arrest you although it seems he only wanted to borrow an oven mitt but it doesn’t really matter because even if you had a flashlight to find the memory card you don’t have a memory card reader just a USB port on your camera but all the USB cables were confiscated by the resistance to make garrote wires and makeshift crossbow strings which are proving to be horribly ineffective against the hordes of Belgian robots since they don’t even have necks?

What happens then, huh?

But since you don’t have a combination flashlight and memory card reader, you have to turn the lights on and look for a crossbow that you can take apart to get at the USB cable but before you can get it to work the Belgian secret police break down your door and charge you with anti-Belgian activities and put you on a ship and send you to a labor camp in Antarctica where you freeze to death as Belgium takes over the planet because the rest of the world has no idea what’s going on since nobody was able to publish any pictures of them attacking the White House.

See? If you don’t buy this, you run the risk of having the world overrun with Belgians.* Do you really want that on your conscience? Well? Do you? How’s THAT for rationalization?

The USB Rechargeable Flashlight with Card Reader has 3 LEDs, a 40 mAh integrated battery, recharges when plugged into a USB port, reads SDHC and MMC cards, and costs $12 from (surprise surprise) Brando.

[ Brando ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

*Just for the record, OhGizmo! likes Belgium. A lot. Really, we do. They make good chocolate and that’s where Tintin comes from. They just seem like the sort of chaps who might be able to take over the world if they put their minds to it, you know?

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Nothing beats being able to actually use a plastic gun to shoot virtual people and monsters.  That is, as opposed to using a regular controller, for me it’s far more therapeutic.  Which says all kinds of things about my personality.  The sad thing is that the Wii typically has such boring guns to go with the Wiimote.  Although the bright white is nice and keeps things simple, their guns could really use a little more creative flare.  This new Resident Evil Shot Blaster isn’t over the top, but it at least isn’t plain white or white with blue details.  Plus it’s another way to show your love of Resident Evil.  You can purchase the gun for $29.95 online from Capcom.

[ Capcom ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I’ve spent a good deal of  time drawing since I was about 10 years old. When I was 12 my dad bought our first computer, on which he promptly installed Photoshop. Needless to say, I was hooked on digital art from then on. I still do a good deal of my work with graphite and paper, but when I want to transform it on my computer, I’ve always turned to a Wacom tablet. Since the Intuos4 line was just recently launched, Wacom was kind enough to send over a review unit, which I was more than happy to take for a proverbial spin.

Wacom sent over the Intuos4 Medium, which is the equivalent of my now outdated Intuos3 6×8. The newer tablet has a slightly larger active area than its predecessor (5.5 x 8.8 inches, compared to 6×8) and the exact same resolution (5080 lpi). However, when it comes to pressure sensitivity, they’ve doubled it to 2048. I can’t stress enough how much of a difference this makes, but we’ll get to that later. Hit the jump for my full review.

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By Chris Scott Barr

If you’ve dropped a good bit of cash on one of the newer DSLRs that can actually shoot HD video, you’ve probably found it a bit awkward to actually shoot video. I mean, you don’t really want to hold that thing up like a regular camera for any real length of time, as it would just get old. Not to mention that’s not always the most comfortable way to walk around. Well the folks over at Redrock have seen this as a perfect opportunity to release some spiffy accessories that will help you out.

The DSLR 2.0 Hybrid Cinema Rigs are a collection of various camera holders that make it easier to shoot video (and stills) like the pros. These help with things like follow focus, attaching larger screens for viewing, and attaching mics. These accessories start at around $200 and turn your nice DSLR into a kick-ass video shooting machine.

[ Redrock ] VIA [ Dvice ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

For those that are attempting to get the perfect bod from the Wii Fit, here’s an attachment to raise the Wii Fit Balance Board.  It goes underneath your Balance Board for when you’re doing aerobic steps.  It raises up the Balance Board a whopping four inches to make it a bit more challenging.  They claim that particular height is the same size as the average height of a stepper you’d find at a real live gym.  I have a couple of issues with this item, first of all I’m skeptical as to how well this would actually support the Balance Board.  With that in mind, the price tag is far too high on this one.  It will cost you $39.99 for this flimsy attachment.

[ Zoozen ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Chris Scott Barr

A few days ago I gave you my full review of the iPanda, and hinted that I had another similar device to check out. The other iPod dock that I was referring to was the iBoo, which is also from Speakal. This time around they have slimmed down a few of the features into a less-expensive ghostly shape. The main question is whether or not the lower price means lower quality.

So what are the main differences between the iBoo and iPanda? Well if you’ll recall the iPanda had 5 individual speakers (1 bass, 2 mids and 2 tweeters). In order to trim down the price the iBoo has only three speakers. The mids have been removed, while the tweeters are now picking up the slack. Another change is that the sub only puts out 9W, bringing the grand total to only 15 Watts of output.

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By Chris Scott Barr

I can think of few devices that have spawned quite as many accessories as the iPod. Seriously, I could devote my entire life to talking about nothing more than iPod stuff, and I’d still only scratch the surface. Since I like a bit of variety in my life, I won’t be bringing you new iPod accessories every single day, but I do have a couple of docks that I recently got in for review. Today I’ll share my thoughts of the iPanda. Those with an eagle-eye and a keen memory might recall it’s big brother, the iPig, which Evan saw at CES earlier this year.

Cute isn’t a word that I generally use to describe my tech toys. Unfortunately after spending several hours consulting a thesaurus and an English professor, I was unable to find a better word to describe the iPanda. Yes my friends, it is cute. Okay, so it’s got enough appeal to grab you when you’re walking down the isle, but when you finally get it home and plug in your iPod, will your feelings change? Read on for my thoughts.

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