Oh! Gizmo

By Luke Anderson

I’m not the kind of guy that goes out of his way to keep up with the latest fashion trends. I tend to just wear whatever is comfortable, and doesn’t look half bad. What I will go out of my way for is a piece of clothing that has awesome geek appeal. I don’t really get into the big belt buckles (even if they’re not just for cowboys anymore) but these retro belt buckles are definitely worth a look.

Ms. Pac-Man, Super Mario, Donkey Kong and Asteroids all make an appearance on this special line of buckles. These are all hand-crafted and made from solid brass toned metal. Since they are made by hand, quantities are limited, and at $18 each, they won’t last.

[ Etsy ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Luke Anderson

Are you a hardcore geek that wants to let everyone know of your love for gadgetry even before they set foot in your house? Sure, you could put down a doormat with the word “welcome” written in binary, but some people might miss it. What you could do is change out your doorbell with one made to look like the enter key from a keyboard.

This is one of those designs that just makes you chuckle when you see it. It seems like a perfect match, the word “enter” on a doorbell; it just doesn’t get much better than that. This is only a concept idea, but I’m sure if you had an old keyboard, a Dremel and some glue you could make a pretty decent one for yourself.

[ LabExp ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Luke Anderson

Man, if you’re a big fan of Back to the Future, then you were probably pretty excited by the recent auction which featured a prototype Nike shoe.  Another piece of movie history has popped up on the auction block, which happens to also be from the same awesome movie. This time we have the opportunity to snag one of the hoverboards that was used during filming.

No, this doesn’t work, and hoverboards still aren’t real. However, this is likely one of the most realistic-looking prop that you’re going to find, as it is one of the few remaining wooden/metal props still in existence. You’re going to need some really deep pockets for this one. While the shoe fetched a handsome $5,300, bidding starts at $30,000 for the hoverboard. Bidding doesn’t start until August 1st, so there’s plenty of time to take out that third mortgage.

[ eBay ] VIA [ UberReview ]

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever wanted to get your hands on the real shoes from Back to the Future II? No, I’m not talking about the Hyperdunks that Nike recently announced, but rather something a little more authentic. Up for auction on eBay is the prototype of the shoes used in the movie.

There is only one shoe up for sale, namely because there was only every one prototype made. It has cool features like electro-luminescent panels on the Nike logo and six randomly flashing LEDs on the sides. The back of the shoe has the words “Nike Mag” molded into it, as that was to be the name of the shoe.

Unfortunately the prototype doesn’t self-lace, then again neither did the ones actually used in the movie. If you’re wanting this awesome piece of movie history, you’re going to need some deep pockets. It’s already fetching over $2,500, and there’s still almost 3 days left on the auction.

[ eBay ] VIA [ Wired ]

By Luke Anderson

I rarely find myself wearing a watch these days. This is mostly because I have at least two other devices on my person that can tell me the time. I’ve considered buying a new watch, but I haven’t found one that I really feel like wearing. However, this Icon Watch may be exactly what I’ve been looking for.

Granted, this watch doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary, it just simply tells you the hour and minute. It does have that retro 8-bit look to it, which I’m totally digging. It actually reminds me a lot of the little watch from MacOS. $75 will get you one geeky watch that I can bet your friends will envy.

[ MoMA ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Luke Anderson

How many of you can type without looking at the keyboard? I’d guess that many of you rarely need to stare at your fingers while typing, however, I’d be willing to bet that most of you do still glance at the keys from time to time. Heck, I type for a living and I still glance down every now and then. This is why most people wouldn’t be interested in the Das keyboard.

The Das keyboard came out back in 2005, and was designed with the 1337 in mind. It featured an all-black design, with no key markings whatsoever. It also featured M-style mechanical key switches, which had a more “clacky” feel than most modern keyboards. Well, Das has updated their keyboard with Pro and Ultimate versions.

They’ve updated the look and feel (which is good, as the original already looked dated when it was introduced), while still keeping the same key switches, and N-key roll-over functions (allows you to press up to 12 keys simultaneously). The difference is that the Pro will feature key markings, while the Ultimate holds true to its roots. Both will go on sale for $129 sometime in the future.

[ Das ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Luke Anderson

When you go to box up something, you probably don’t put much thought into the tape you’re going to use. Usually you just slap on some boxing tape and you’re done with it. Of course there are those times where you can’t find any, and are forced to use something else like duct tape. That always looks great. Well if you’ve ever wanted to make your box stand out, I recommend the Digital Message Tape.

This tape allows you to create a message in true geek form. Just slap it on your box and use the special marker to create your message and you’re good to go. You can pick up a roll of 2-inch wide tape for $8.99 per roll, or a .7-inch roll for $4.99.

[ ThinkGeek ] VIA [ Coolest-Gadgets ]

By Luke Anderson

When I was a kid I loved Batman, heck he’s still pretty cool in my book. I tried a few times to make my own Bat Signal by taping some paper to a flashlight, but it just never really worked out too well. Thankfully someone has finally put together a working Bat Signal that you can buy.

Granted, this device isn’t going to light up the night sky, but it’ll at least make a good signal from across the room (around 16 feet).  You’ll need to have some Bruce Wayne-like funds though, as this light will set you back $309.

[ Bigbadtoystore ] VIA [ SlipperyBrick ]