By Chris Scott Barr

I have a DSLR, and let me tell you, carrying around something as bulky and expensive as that can be terrifying. Slung around one shoulder and hanging just above my hip, that thing is just one smacked wall away from destruction. Granted, I’ve had it for almost three years now, and it has only managed to take a couple of small scratches from my clumsiness. However, it would be nice if there were a better way to protect it, without keeping it stashed in a protective carrying case.

One company does offer a solution unlike any I’ve seen before. It’s a silicon body armor for your camera, along with a protective armor ring for your lens and cover for your LCD. Each piece of armor is specifically designed for a different camera model, making sure that it is a perfect fit. It might not help it survive in a particularly crushing impact, but everyday bumps and smacks might have a lessened effect on your camera if it has one of these. The best part is that the armor only costs $40. I’d say that’s well worth the money.

[ Camera Armor ] VIA [ PetaPixel ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Rock Band 3 really blurs the line between video game and musical training software. With this latest installment, you can play songs with very realistic instruments. Namely the guitar, drums and keyboard. So lets say you’re someone that already plays the keyboard or drums, or perhaps you’re just learning. Either way, imagine that you have your own instrument. Do you really want to go drop even more money for a cheaper version just to play with the game? Likely not. Well now you don’t have to.

The new Mad Catz Midi Pro Adapter allows you to plug in a MIDI keyboard or drum kit directly to your console (Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360) and have it recognized as a pro instrument for the game. Each adapter will feature the necessary buttons and d-pad that will allow you to navigate the game’s menus. The Wii and PS3 versions are now shipping with the Xbox 360 version following closely behind. Each will retail for $40.

[ MadCatz ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Today is just full of brilliant ideas for the iPhone. Though technically, this one works on many phones (they just chose the iPhone to demonstrate how even a good-looking phone can be made hideous), not just Apple’s powerhouse. This blight on your eyes is called the Earos, which apparently makes your phone more comfortable to hold against your ear.

I don’t know about you, but it takes an awful lot of talking on my phone to actually make my ear start to hurt. Which leads me to believe there is a cheaper alternative that will provide you with an even more comfortable experience. I like to call it “don’t talk on the phone so damn much.” Seriously, if you talk on the phone for so many hours each day that you’re thinking of adding a giant toilet seat-shaped accessory to your (now non-)mobile phone, I think you might want to re-think what you’re doing with your life. If you do actually want one of these things, you’ll have to wait until it gets out of the concept stage.

[ Yanko ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’ve got a pretty beefy gaming PC that’s packed with hardware, chances are that you need to keep an eye on your cooling. After all, you don’t want to damage anything by inadvertently letting it overheat. Of course at the same time, if you’ve chosen to go with a strictly air-cooled solution, that can get pretty loud. What you need is a good way to tweak your fans to maintain the proper temperature, without simply cranking them all on high and forgetting about it.

NZXT has released several cases and stand-alone products that keep this in mind, however, their latest offering may very well be their best. The new Sentry LXE is a touchscreen LCD  that shows information about your system’s temperature, and allows you to control your fans. While this isn’t something new exactly, this one sets itself apart by not being integrated into the computer case itself.

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By Chris Scott Barr

If you live in a dorm, or just happen to do all of your computing and gaming in the same room, you might not have room for your monitors and a TV. As long as you’ve got a monitor with an HDMI input, you don’t have to worry about the extra display. But what if you’ve got a nice new 27-inch iMac sitting on your desk? Wouldn’t it be great if you could use that to play your PS3 or 360 games on? So far your only option has been to try using a TV tuner card, which generally causes lag. Belkin, however, has a new solution.

The new AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter takes any HDMI signal, and converts it for use with at miniDisplayPort connector. This would then be inserted into your iMac (27-inch only) so that you can use it as a monitor. You will also need a free USB port on your iMac, as the device needs it for power.

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This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Earlier this week we received in the Dual SFX Frag Pro from Splitfish. This time instead of having two separate “chucks” (like the Evolution) we have a left hand “chuck” and a mouse. Honestly you cant get me to play a FPS game on the console or on the PC. I always got frustrated having to use the keyboard for moving around while enjoying the mouse for its precision and control, and the other way around for the console.

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By Chris Scott Barr

Having the ability to watch videos on your iPhone seems great, except for one small issue. The screen. I don’t care to watch anything of great length on mine, because staring at a tiny screen isn’t the way I like to enjoy a movie or TV show. However, if you can easily pipe the content to your larger TV, then it might make things worthwhile. This is exactly the idea behind the ReflexDock Pro from Konnet.

This simple-looking cradle is connected to your TV with an AV cable, which will allow it to display whatever video content is on your iPhone or iPod (you’ll need at least the 3G iPhone for it to work). It will also sync and charge your iPhone using the included USB cable, which means you aren’t going to drain your battery watching movies. I think the best use for this will be when the new Netflix app arrives later this year. Imagine streaming movies from your phone to your TV using a $50 cradle. I’m sold.

[ Konnet ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Back at CES we showed you an awesome little keychain that doubles as an iPod connector. We weren’t exactly sure on a street price or date, but now we are. The flipSYNC comes in two flavors, one that caters to the iPhone/iPod user, and the other features Mini and MicroUSB connectors.

Both of these models are now available for $20. They’re the same size as your average key fob for your car, so it’ll fit nicely on your keychain. If you’re someone that is always in need of a charging cable, then it’ll definitely be worth it.

[ Scosche ]

By Chris Scott Barr

LEGOs were a staple in almost every geek’s childhood. I still have mine, and continue to collect more over time. If you’re an exceptionally devoted LEGO fan, why not transform your laptop’s keyboard into a set of those wonderful little bricks?

An Etsy user named openandclose has offered up sets of stickers that look like LEGO bricks. Stick these on your keys and you’ll be overcome with nostalgia every time you pull out your laptop. A set will only run you $15, and the creator says that they’ll easily come off and not leave a mess, should you choose not to use them.

[ Etsy ] VIA [ Gearfuse ]