About consumer electronics

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Gadget Master in the consumer electronics category. They are listed from oldest to newest.

Computers is the previous category.

Controls is the next category.

Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

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consumer electronics Archives

April 17, 2009

Gadget of the Week: The SpacePilot Pro 3D mouse

3dconnexions-spacepilot-pro-3d-mouse.jpg
It's that time of week again - time for this week's Friday-afternoon-gadget-of-the-week (and its not a would-be "iPod Nano phone").

Skipping past the Ultmost Technology's 42-inch oval LCD, the eon icube immersive 3D virtual reality simulation system, and the 3G Sidekick LX (available for pre-order in the States)...

I'll also skirt past the HiPhone Nano flip phone, or even the Novac MV-CM001U cassette-to-MP3 player...

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: The SpacePilot Pro 3D mouse" »

April 29, 2009

Lounge around on recycled keyboards

keyboard-chair1.jpgFollowing the Bytelight memory lamp, made of old SIMMs, here is the lounge chair made of recycled keyboards...

At this rate we will be able to kit out a house on old computer parts. Now there's a challenge...

Continue reading "Lounge around on recycled keyboards" »

May 6, 2009

Steampunk powered iPod charger



We're fans of self-built technology with a retro-Victorian twist. See, for example, the Steampunk keyboard we highlighted a few months ago.

But this "Steam-powered" iPod charger takes the Garabaldi biscuit. At the heart of the system is a Lego Technic motor, apparently driven in turn by a system based on the Jensen #75 steam engine.

Continue reading "Steampunk powered iPod charger" »

May 12, 2009

Gadget of the Week - Harmon Kardon BDP 10 Blu-ray player

hk bp10.jpgTime for another Gadget of the Week, a quick roundup of new releases of consumer electronic devices.

Skirting past a Dexim MHub, which mixes up an iPod dock with a USB hub, and some puppy-shaped USB-powered speakers, the massive Shinoda 145-inch plasma display hoives into view, but we will move on...

There's also the Kindle DX, Amazon's update of its e-book system that includes automatic rotation of the orientation of the screen - a la the iPhone - when it is placed in landscape mode. Other features include a new 9.7in electronic ink screen and adjustable page margins. It can, claims Amazon, display two and a half times more content than the 6-inch screen of the Kindle 2.

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week - Harmon Kardon BDP 10 Blu-ray player" »

May 21, 2009

Nintendo Game & Watch turns to TV

game n watch casemode.jpg
We've written before about the clever things people can do with old gaming consoles - see Modding the Nintendo GAMECUBE into a PC, Nintendo DS to DSLR controller and Modding the Xbox 360 into a laptop - and here is another reinvention.

It involves the Nintendo Game & Watch, an early handheld gaming device (a kind of precursor of the Nintendo DS, featuring a single game that could be played on the LCD screen, along with a clock and an alarm).

Continue reading "Nintendo Game & Watch turns to TV" »

May 25, 2009

Gadget of the week: Sony a380 digital SLR

sony a380 good.jpgTime for another Gadget-of-the-Week roundup. And, as always, there's plenty to catch the eye in the world of consumer electronics.

I'm not necessarily referring to Q-SOUND's solar-powered Bluetooth headphones, or the BenQ GP1 LED pocket projector, or a Chinese hard drive enclosure that doubles as media player.

But there is the first netbook with NVIDIA's Ion chipset, Lenovo's $449 IdeaPad S12. And the "dark lamp" certainly made me smile.

Continue reading "Gadget of the week: Sony a380 digital SLR" »

June 4, 2009

LED Bulbdial Clock shadows the time

bulbdial clock built.jpg
Wow! What a strange but clever idea: a "Bulbdial clock" - applying the principles of a sundial to (adjustable) electric light.

Back in March 2008, David Friedman published the idea on his blog Ironic Sans*.

He writes:


The Bulbdial Clock [pictured, below] has no hands - just one pole in the center of the clock, and three light sources of varying heights which revolve around the pole casting shadows. In the model illustrated above, the light sources are each attached to a ring which rotates around the pole. The innermost ring rotates once per minute, casting a "second hand" shadow. The middle ring rotates once per hour, and casts the "minute hand" shadow. And the outer ring rotates once every 12 hours, casting the "little hand" shadow.
Well, the excellent evilmadscientist.com website picked up this bulb and ran with it, as it were, constructing a working, LED-based bulbdial clock that builds on the original concept.

Continue reading "LED Bulbdial Clock shadows the time" »

June 10, 2009

Stefan races the ErockIT motor push bike



Continuing the biking theme, check out the ErockIT, the invention of Stefan Gulas. Half push bike, half motorbike, all electric. It can go at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80km/h).

He describes it as "a new kind of highly emotional electric motorcycle".

Continue reading "Stefan races the ErockIT motor push bike" »

June 20, 2009

Gadget of the Week: Nokia N97 smartphone

Nokia n97_new_main.jpgWhat's this week's Gadget of the Week?

Well, let's move quickly past the spacecraft-shaped, 60 watt Scandyna Ball subwoofer. And we'll also ignore the frivolous football-shaped 4-port USB hub, and the navigation system featuring my favourite Simpsons character. Not so much Tom Tom, as Homer Homer...

Huawei's E583X wireless modem, however, did catch our eye, turning 3G signals to WiFi. It exchanges the more familiar fat-dongle shaped mobile Internet form factor for a place in your pocket or bag, by receiving the 3G mobile data and communicating it to your laptop as WiFi. The blinking lights are a featureless extra...

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: Nokia N97 smartphone" »

June 21, 2009

Computer hollow

tree case 11.jpg
This modder went back to nature for inspiration. To pebbles and a hollowed out log, to be precise, with sawn slots for the non-wooden peripherals.

Thanks to techeblog for this one, which has a range of pictures in gallery format. It writes:
Most custom computers these days need a fancy case to stand out, whether it be a retro-styled radio or Apple G5, but this modder decided that a log was the most economical solution available. So, he hollowed out the log, created custom slots for all the PC components, and the finished product is the computer you see above.

Continue reading "Computer hollow" »

June 23, 2009

Megaphone hack for budding spies



Thanks to the great Instructables website for this one - how to turn a megaphone into a "bionic hearing spy device".

All you need to do is follow the six steps they outline. Step 1?
"After opening up the battery compartment you will see 1 screw. Remove it and the battery compartment and circuit board assembly will come out as one piece."

Continue reading "Megaphone hack for budding spies" »

July 7, 2009

Gadget of the Week: Elonex eBook reader

elonex e-book reader.jpg
It's time again for a Gadget-of-the-Week roundup.

Stepping straight past the Octopus USB hub (each tentacle is a USB connector, geddit?), I'll also ignore the indoor fireworks video system. More interesting is the Kerchoonz K-box that turns a hard surface into a sound system, removing the need for speakers. Writes Slashgear.com:
So, you just plug your iPod into the K-box using the 3.5mm audio jack and set it on a solid surface. As soon as you press play, the surface will resonate with sound and you'll get to hear the music just like that.

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: Elonex eBook reader" »

July 21, 2009

Gadget of the Week: Bang & Olufsen BeoTime flute alarm clock

bang olufsen beotime.jpgTime for our semi-regular review of product releases, announcements and sheer rumours from the world of consumer electronics. What's happening out there?

Well, for those interested in e-books, rumours of the appearance of Amazon's Kindle in the UK this December will catch the eye. It's being tipped to gain 3G and Wi-Fi support, with likely candidates for the carrier apparently being T-Mobile and O2.

Starting at the "toy" end of the gadget spectrum, note the USB Star Trek Communicator, and the "London Calling" mobile phone shaped like the traditional red phone boxes... Then there is also talk, according to SlashGear, of Sony revealing "plans to add facial recognition capabilities to their PlayStation Eye webcam, potentially stealing part of Microsoft's Project Natal thunder".

Getting a bit more serious, there is what claims to be the "worlds smallest memory card reader", the device being almost no bigger than a Micro SD card itself (it actually supports Micro SD, T-Flash, and Micro SDHC formats).

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: Bang & Olufsen BeoTime flute alarm clock" »

July 24, 2009

HDR imaging from homebrewed camera mod

HDR homebrewed.jpgIn any project there's a cost to benefit ratio that needs working out. Of course, in the 'benefit' column goes the joy and satisfaction of building the functional device whatever its final merits...

All of which is a long-winded way of introducing Steve of Panocamera's camera hack. We at Gadget Master salute his ingenuity and resourcefulness, as you would expect, even if the end-result could be easily replaceable...

Here's his homebrewed mod for achieving HDR output on a cheap camera. Steve got to work on a point and shoot Polaroid X530, to avoid carrying around a heavy piece of kit, aiming to rewire the camera functions to be under Viliv control.

Continue reading "HDR imaging from homebrewed camera mod" »

August 4, 2009

While my Wacom guitar gently weeps...

crayon guitar.jpg
After the Laser Harp, here comes the tablet guitar... more musical instruments melded with technology.

I wonder what Slash would make of this - a specially modded guitar that uses a tablet to help create electronic sounds. You draw the chords, as it were.

Credited to one Sébastien Coulombe, it is dubbed "la Guitare à crayon" - the Crayon Guitar, in English pounds, I guess. It takes the body of an accoustic guitar and inserts a tablet over the sound board, enabling freeform sketches of the hand to trigger sounds of a particular character.

Continue reading "While my Wacom guitar gently weeps..." »

August 17, 2009

Stormbringer coming - Defend against the static!

cc lightning strike.jpg
Thanks to Steve Bush, our Technology Editor, for flagging this one - a self-built passive infra-red detector, to help protect electronic equipment from the effects of static in violent storms of thunder and lightning.

The inventor, Jeff, lived in Majorca and felt the vulnerability of devices that had to be attached to mains electricity supply or the telephone lines.

The problems of static-intensive storms were compounded, he writes, by overhead electricity and telephone networks coursing with the very high voltages. He looked to build his own solution - a P.I.R. (passive infra-red) Detector....

Continue reading "Stormbringer coming - Defend against the static!" »

August 18, 2009

Gadget of the Week - Sony Blu-ray Mega Disc Changer

Sony Blu-ray Mega Disc Changer.jpgAt this time of year Gadget-pickings get slimmer. The harvesting of new releases resembles a stumbling trip through a hot dry desert-like landscape. But even in the barren heat of mid-August there are oases of notable consumer electronics...

How about a set of the world's most expensive speakers, an LG watch phone, an electric chopper motorbike or a very mini boom box?

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week - Sony Blu-ray Mega Disc Changer" »

September 1, 2009

Steampunk Xbox 360 trundles into view

Steam punk xbox 1.jpgWe like our Steampunk mods on Gadget Master - check out the Victorian-style iPod charger, or the alternatively historical keyboard.

Well, how about this home-brewed Steampunk Xbox case? Thanks to Technabob for this one, and credit for the fine handicraft goes to one Dopelgunder.

Continue reading "Steampunk Xbox 360 trundles into view" »

September 15, 2009

Gadget of the Week: 5th-Gen video iPod nano

Jobs and new nano.jpgIt's amazing what a trade show and an Apple event can generate. On a Gadget front, we are moving from the famine of summer to the feast of autumn.

In our Gadget-of-the-Week roundup, there is no need to linger too long over Logitech's Wireless Guitar Controller or an interesting Net-enabled door lock (the Kwikset SmartCode with Home Connect deadbolt, right), which lets you remotely grant access.

And projectors never hold my attention to long, notwithstanding Samsung's A600 home system, or JVC's D-ILA HD projectors, featuring a "wire-grid optical engine". Though, Nikon's VP650 pico projector camera - speculatively tipped for a September release by Slashgear - did catch my eye.

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: 5th-Gen video iPod nano" »

September 28, 2009

The Nixie Concrete Clock

nixie concrete clock.jpg
We like Nixie clocks here on Gadget Master - check the splendid piece of work Hans wrote up for us, Hans' Nixie clock takes a step back in time

Well, take a look at this stunning little timepiece, the Nixie Concrete Clock, featuring six Nixie tubes in a reinforced rough concrete body.

Continue reading "The Nixie Concrete Clock" »

October 8, 2009

Intel launches desktop modding challenge

intel icore 7.jpg
One for the modding enthusiasts among you. Intel has launched the Core i7 Custom Challenge, with $10,000 in prizes up for grabs.
"This challenge rewards innovation and imagination," declares Intel. "We're challenging enthusiasts like you to create an incredible desktop that will envision the possibilities of tomorrow's technology - from awesome gaming PCs to outstanding platforms for home automation."
"This multi-country design challenge is open to anyone1 who wants to build a desktop that demonstrates a bold vision of a creative future. You can choose to either showcase your Mod Creativity, or you can show us how you can improve everyday life with a Lifestyle Innovation, or both."

Continue reading "Intel launches desktop modding challenge" »

October 9, 2009

Video: Tom builds his own Electric Sportbike

ion electric bike.jpgHats off to Tom Miceli, a 22-year-old student who built his own cool electric motorcycle during his final year at Appalachian State University.

Wired has the full story of how he stripped a '96 Kawasaki ZX6 Ninja to the frame and applied some DIY to build an electric motorcycle capable of reaching 70 mph and travelling over a range of 60 miles.

Video after the break.

Continue reading "Video: Tom builds his own Electric Sportbike" »

November 9, 2009

Robot plays Rock Band on an iPhone



Here's one to brighten up a Monday morning - it is described as an Arduino-based robot that plays Rock Band on an iPhone, its little arms hitting the drums on the display in time to the music (Blondie's Hanging On Telephone, in this case).

I think 'robot' may be stretching it, but the machine is quite neat, involving synthetic fingers (to work with the iPhone's capacitive touch screen, which is apparently expecting "a finger sized touch, from living flesh"), ambient light sensors and a Pelican case...

Continue reading "Robot plays Rock Band on an iPhone" »

November 20, 2009

Hacking your own Motorola DROID dock

droid dock.jpg
It's amazing what you can do with magnets and cardboard - how about hacking your own DROID dock.

This is what Engadget's Paul Miller has done, after learning that Motorola was using magnets in its DROID car and "multimedia station" docks (or DEXT for those of us in Europe).

Continue reading "Hacking your own Motorola DROID dock" »

February 22, 2010

Portatouch multitouch performance

Thanks to Electronics Weekly's Technology Editor, Steve Bush, for flagging this one - the portable, self-built "porta~touch" multitouch display system.



As you can see from the intro screen, elements of the system include:

Continue reading "Portatouch multitouch performance" »

February 23, 2010

Gadget of the Week: USB 3.0 SATA Dual HDD Dock

sharkoon hdd dock.jpgTime once again for a choice pick of gadgets from the latest CE crop...

We'll drive past a Smart Drive kit for the iPhone - featuring big buttons and big letters and points-of-interest sourced from Bing - which will only be of interest if you drive a Daimler, and momentarily pause by new touchscreen cameras and camcorders from HP...

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: USB 3.0 SATA Dual HDD Dock" »

March 5, 2010

From Dawn to Dusk Sensor to Timer Charger

timer charger 1.jpgThanks to reader Tim Asquith for sharing this project to enable correct charging of batteries: he has modified a Timeguard TG85 Dawn to Dusk Sensor to a 1 to 24 hour NiCad battery charger timer adaptor.
"I have grown up using NiCad batteries and with proper use they least a long time," writes Tim. "Fully charge to total discharge, no over charge, no half charging. Most household handheld equipment, like small vacuum clearers, have NiCad's but have no real control over charging times."

Continue reading "From Dawn to Dusk Sensor to Timer Charger" »

April 9, 2010

Steampunk desktops befitting the Days of Empire

Apple iMac desktop - Victorian Antique Look - Old World Charm version 300.jpgHere's another splendid Steampunk example - an Apple iMac gets the retro-futuristic treatment. It is the "Victorian Antique Look" version.

The Gadget Master in question, one woodguy32, does make custom units for sale but 'describes it as just a hobby and something I enjoy and put my heart into'. More pictures of crafting the frames can be seen on his website.

Continue reading "Steampunk desktops befitting the Days of Empire" »

April 20, 2010

iPod, iPhone, iWish

iPhone yoyo charger 1.jpgFor someone who neither owns an iPhone or an iPod, but who also wishes for an iPad, I do blog a lot about the highly-desirable pieces of kit from the Cupertino company.

Ahead of the imminent April / May compo, here is a roundup of posts on the theme of iApple...

They range from yo-yo chargers and Steampunk iPods to robot bands and Nintendo emulators:

Continue reading "iPod, iPhone, iWish" »

June 24, 2010

Build your own Diddley Bow electric slide guitar

diddley bow slide guitar.jpgFancy building your own Diddley Bow electric slide guitar (or "monochord zither" as my ethnomusicologist father would call it)?

Instructables has a cool project for building one of the Southern States guitars. You'll soon be beating out a rhythm on the single string, changing the pitch with a bottle slide...

Wikipedia describes them:

Continue reading "Build your own Diddley Bow electric slide guitar" »

June 28, 2010

Gadget of the Week: TI Blaze Tablet

Blaze-Tablet ti.jpgIn our Gadget of the Week roundup we'll waste no time to skip past the camera straps with solar panels, ignore the World Cup Trophy USB dongle, pass by the 18-button "war" mouse, and cross the road to avoid the Hoody with headphones built into the strings.

The real meat of this week's gadget sandwich is a mixture of:

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: TI Blaze Tablet" »

August 2, 2010

Gadget of the Week: Panasonic HDC-SDX1 3D camcorder

Panasonic HDC-SDT750.jpg
Time I think for another, rather random, Gadget Of The Week - plucking the Most-Likely new gadgets from this week's Techoverse (a.k.a. the large and ever-growing collection of gadget blogs).

As we usually do, let's just fleetingly acknowledge a few rank outsiders. Take, for example, Pal Robotics' sinister REEM-H1 prototype servant robot, three new Slate devices from Enso, a Space Invaders couch, some conceptual "Snowflake" speakers, an excellent Steam Punk USB drive (pictured below), or even a "German segway".

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: Panasonic HDC-SDX1 3D camcorder" »

September 10, 2010

USB keyboard goes retro



It's almost like a Steampunk Netbook. Very neat.

Thanks to the ever-reliable Instructables for highlighting this special USB keyboard, aka the USB Typewriter, which consists of three main components: a Sensor Board, a USB Interface Board, and Reed Switches.

Continue reading "USB keyboard goes retro" »

September 20, 2010

Modding a mind-controlled music machine

Hats off to musician Robert Schneider, of The Apples in Stereo, for this mind-controlled music machine... Basically he controls the pitch of a synthesiser with his thoughts.

With exemplary Gadget Master know-how, he has modded a Mattel Mindflex toy (that uses EEG sensors) to be a controller interface for a Moog analogue synthesizer. Check out the video of the "Teletron" in action.


Continue reading "Modding a mind-controlled music machine" »

October 22, 2010

Gadget of the Week: MacBook Air

PS controller iphone dock.jpgTime for another Gadget Of The Week! What are the Most-Likely new gadgets being highlighted in the Techoverse (a.k.a. the large and ever-growing collection of gadget blogs)?

First, let's just fleetingly acknowledge a few rank outsiders. Take, for example:

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week: MacBook Air" »

November 4, 2010

Kindle 3G competition

Amazon Kindle JPG.jpg
Time for the last competition of 2010, and the prize is a good one!

The team in the office have been drooling over this one - its light weight, the e-ink display, the user interface.... It's an Amazon Kindle that's up for grabs, for one lucky reader who wants to get to grips with e-books. Or an Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device with Free 3G + Wi-Fi, as Amazon describes it.

Here's the November/December compo!

The prize question

Continue reading "Kindle 3G competition" »

December 2, 2010

Gadget of the Week - Asus Eee Reader DR900

fruit earphones.jpg
Time for another rather random Gadget of the Week, fishing some likely contenders from the swelling ocean of gadget and technology blogs. Not a great haul this time, to be honest, but you would be glad to find them snuggled in your Christmas pillowcase...

As always, let's get a few eye-catching-but-rather-frivolous non-contenders out of the way...

For example, how about some fruit-styled earphones? Do you want to suggest a small banana is sticking out of your ear? (pictured, above right) Or how about a bolt?

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week - Asus Eee Reader DR900" »

December 16, 2010

MacBook Air teardown

MacBook air teardown.jpgWe like teardowns on Gadget Master, getting to the hardware heart of the matter, as it were. See for example teardowns of a Sony VAIO Z Series laptop or a NiMH battery charger...

Well, check out this teardown, on iFixIt.com, of the ultra-slim Apple MacBook Air laptop. It's the Model A1370, 11.6" version, to be precise.

Continue reading "MacBook Air teardown" »

December 20, 2010

Poll: Gadget of the Year

GOTY.jpgI think a poll is required, when it comes to asking 'What was Gadget of the Year?' What would get your vote for 2011? As always, there are a lot of contenders.

Our semi-regular series Gadget of the Week caught a few contenders, but it hasn't covered all the most significant releases of 2011, so - when looking back over the year - let's turn to PollDaddy instead, and throw the question open...

Continue reading "Poll: Gadget of the Year" »

January 12, 2011

Photos: Eagerly awaited gadgets of 2011

Nintendo-3DS.jpgAfter CES in Vegas, we take a look at some of the most anticipated gadgets of 2011.

Check out this photo gallery of some of the hottest tech on the near horizon. Think Nintendo 3DS, Google TV, Chrome Netbooks, Palm Pre 2...

Continue reading "Photos: Eagerly awaited gadgets of 2011" »

January 25, 2011

Arduino add-on removes camera blur

siggraph2010.jpgOne for photography enthusiasts. How about some DIY image processing for your high-end DSLR camera?

Call it image stabilisation, or de-blurring, or just image processing, but the Arduino-based add-on hardware helps get rid of any blur when taking a picture. It cleverly measures the movement of the camera and then sets to work adjusting the image. Very clever.

This work is actually coming out of Microsoft Research, with Neel Joshi, Sing Bing Kang, C. Lawrence Zitnick and Richard Szeliski creating the SIGGRAPH 2010.

The kit attached to the camera includes MEMS gyroscopes, the Arduino controller itself and a Bluetooth modem.

Continue reading "Arduino add-on removes camera blur" »

March 8, 2011

Gadget of the Week - Apple iPad 2

Ninja USB.jpgTime for another rather random Gadget of the Week, fishing some likely contenders from the swelling ocean of gadget and technology blogs.

As always, let's get a few eye-catching-but-rather-frivolous non-contenders out of the way...

For example, how about a Ninja USB Flash Drive (pictured right) or a Japanese phone shaped like a human?   

Samsung Bluettoth headset.jpgFor the Web 2.0-minded among you, there is always a Social Networking-compatible keyboard - the SNAK Facebook keyboard "features custom hotkeys for all your trolling, poking, and cyber-stalking needs," says Engadget.

Moving up a step or two, Samsung Mobile is also introducing new Bluetooth Headsets for 2011 (pictured above), reports Slashgear:

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week - Apple iPad 2" »

April 7, 2011

Gadget of the Week - Acer Aspire Z5761 touchscreen PC

kee desk phone desk.jpgTime, I think, for another Gadget of the Week! Fishing some likely contenders from the swelling ocean of gadget and technology blogs...

As always, let's get a few eye-catching-but-rather-frivolous non-contenders out of the way...

For example, how about a Kee Desk Phone Dock for iPhone (pictured right) to grace your executive desk? The dock even has a handset attached and also takes care of charging, says Technabob. Or maybe a Circuit Tie is more to Sir's taste? But this innovative Booktree also caught my eye.

Moving closer to the Gadget of the Week award, but still rounding up the outsiders, what about a Motorola XBMC remote control. One for those who have a Smart TV or another connected device that requires onscreen entering of data, reports SlashGear. 

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week - Acer Aspire Z5761 touchscreen PC" »

May 18, 2011

Atari-style Xbox 360 portable

Have you come across the Ben Heck Video Shows, for electronics enthusiasts? Check out this video as an example, where Ben is challenged to bring some 70s, Atari-styling to the Xbox 360 to mark the release of some retro games...



"Ben builds a retro 1970's styled Xbox 360 portable to promote some upcoming Atari games. Break out the bell bottoms, cue the 8-track and tag along!"

Continue reading "Atari-style Xbox 360 portable" »

June 2, 2011

Tearing down the Motorola Xoom

We like teardowns on Gadget Master - see the MacBook Air, Sony VAIO Z Series laptop or a NiMH battery charger - and here is one for Motorola's latest, Android 3.0-based tablet, courtesy of iFixIt.

Motorola Xoom teardown.jpg

As a reminder, the website summarises the technical features of Motorola's answer to the iPad:

Continue reading "Tearing down the Motorola Xoom" »

June 3, 2011

Channel 4 wants to showcase your gadget

future family.jpgHere's a strange one, that may tickle your interest.

Channel 4 are organising a new series called Future Family. All well and good, but what is of interest to Gadget Masters?

Well, it turns out that the show is about the gadgets and technology that a family may be using in the future, and the producers are apparently eager to hear from inventors and device creators about possible domestic gadgets of the future, that "could change the lives of ordinary families"...

Continue reading "Channel 4 wants to showcase your gadget" »

June 22, 2011

Steam-powered punk

Twenty Thousand Leagues detail.jpgAhead of the imminent July / August Gadget Master competition, let's have another themed roundup of posts, on the subject of... Steam Punk*.

Now I know this divides people, not everyone is an admirer of these alternative-past-futures, but I like them! Bring on the Victorian, tin-based, Nautil-esque gadgets...

Continue reading "Steam-powered punk" »

July 14, 2011

Gadget of the Week - Sony ultraportable VAIO Z Series

iPhone Brick.jpgTime again for a Gadget of the Week, and some aspirational browsing of cutting edge consumer electronics.

As always, let's get a few eye-catching-but-rather-frivolous non-contenders out of the way...

Want to make your cool, latest iPhone look like a mobile brick from the Eighties? Check out the iPhone Brick Case (right).Yours for $26.

Continue reading "Gadget of the Week - Sony ultraportable VAIO Z Series" »

July 26, 2011

Android phones hack their way with IOIO breakout board

ioio android 3.jpgWow! This is really neat.

The "IOIO" board, from SparkFun, is an easy way to get to get I/O from an Android device's USB connection (OS versions 1.5 and greater).

The board apparently uses a Java API to hook into your phone's app, and this means you can extend the functionality of the phone out to external sensors and controls!

See the video below, for example, of an app that hooks out to intelligently control an alarm clock...


Continue reading "Android phones hack their way with IOIO breakout board" »

July 28, 2011

Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab teardown

As I always say, we like teardowns on Gadget Master, oh yes we do - and here's the Samsung Galaxy Tab getting the dissection treatment.

Check out this video by jkkmobile - of jkkmobile.com - and, as always, the message is Don't Try This At Home. Unless you are very rich. JKK particularly warns about the difficulty of removing the plastic surrounds...



Continue reading "Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab teardown" »

August 3, 2011

Microsoft Gadgeteer takes on Beagle Board and Arduino

FEZ Spider Starter Kit.jpgHere's a piece of news that may be of interest - Microsoft has announced the official launch of Gadgeteer, a set of electronic parts designed to be plugged together to build prototypes or working electronic devices. Remote controlled cars and cameras are given as possible examples.

It is aimed squarely at Gadget Masters - "hobbyists, electronic enthusiasts and educators" - and Microsoft says it does not require any specialist electronics knowledge or soldering. The idea is to make it simple for anyone to quickly design and build their own devices.

The platform is built on the .NET Micro Framework and the small devices can be programmed in the C# language.

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September 19, 2011

Apple Mac Mini - Teardown

Mac Mini Mid 2011 small.jpgTime for another teardown! It's been a while since we highlighted an expensive bit of high-tech electronics kit being taken apart...

The ultra-slim MacBook Air has previoulsy been taken apart, but this time it is the turn of cousin Mini... The Mac Mini Mid 2011, to be precise.

Our thanks go to iFixIt, via Engadget, for this one. The former writes:
We find ourselves in possession of a brand new Mac Mini with promise of "2x faster everything" and the new Thunderbolt I/O. Naturally, we had to take a look inside, just like we did with the new MacBook Air earlier today.

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October 5, 2011

Tearing down the Nokia N9

nokia n9 fcc teardown.jpgThere's always time for another tear Down, and this time it is the Nokia N9 facing the treatment.

The pictures actually come from the phone's official submission to the regulatory FCC body, reported SlashGear. Check out the pictures of the phone that was realeased in August.

The hardware packed in includes a 1GHz TI OMAP3630 processor, 8-megapixel camera and - a bonus! - a 113 page user manual, if you want to get your teeth into MeeGo...

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October 12, 2011

A Steampunk fax machine?

fax machine.jpgThink this is a Steampunk fax machine? Well, it is actually the early incarnation of a real fax machine - it just looks like a Steampunk retro invention... Back to the future and back to the past...

It can be found on an interesting site, related to the Science Museum - Making the Modern World - from a section called Icons of Invention.

The intro states:

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October 24, 2011

Gadget of the Week - Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone

Samsung Galaxy Nexus.jpgWe are more than overdue, I feel, for some aspirational browsing of cutting edge consumer electronics. Time, I think, for another Gadget of the Week!

As always, let's get a few eye-catching-but-rather-frivolous non-contenders out of the way... How about, for example, Angry Birds Speakers and Helmet Pig iPod Dock, or a Star Trek Enterprise Light-Up Baby Feeding System...

power watch.jpgRather more seriously, but still very gadgety, how about a digital watch that packs a micro-generator for power? The Sparc MGS watch (left) apparently stays powered for 45 days, says Slashgear, and features an LED backlight, but it also features a price of $5,250...

Or how about a couple of gadgets addressing the need to keep cables untangled. First up is the Budwrap, flags CraziestGadgets:

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November 22, 2011

Make your own way with Android

Android app
Just a quick post to flag a new series of posts on a sister blog, Eyes on Android - it's going to trace my own humble progress in learning to develop Android Apps from scratch!

In a - fatally flawed? - can-do spirit, I am going to step up to the mark and see how far I can get in building these key components of a smartphone. The series is called Build Your Own Android Apps, and hopefully it will both help me learn about Android and provide a source of advice or encouragement for readers to follow along.

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January 11, 2012

Android advances to centre stage

Eyes on Android newsletter x80.jpgAhead of the imminent Jan/Feb 2012 compo, let's have another themed roundup of posts... on Google's Android platform.

People who follow my other blog, Eyes on Android, will know I maintain a certain interest in all things 'Droid, and Gadget Master certainly crosses into this territory from time to time.

Here are some posts that touch on - however tangentially - the open source, non-Apple and non-Microsoft platform.

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January 16, 2012

The IOIO Android breakout board competition

ioio android 3.jpgTime for another competition! The theme we are taking for this one is Google's Android platform. So, taking a cue from a previous Gadget Master post - Android phones hack their way with IOIO breakout  - let's have an Android related prize!

The IOIO board (pronounced "YoYo"), from SparkFun, is an easy way to get I/O from an Android smartphone's USB connection (OS versions 1.5 and greater). The board uses a Java API to hook into your phone's app, and this means you can extend the functionality of the phone out to external sensors and controls!

Here's the January/February compo!

The prize question:

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January 24, 2012

Tearing down the (3rd Gen) Kindle

"It's been a while since I destroyed something beautiful" says Will Smith from the excellent ested.com, with a Kindle in his hands.

Check out this video of his teardown of Amazon's e-book reader. Okay, it is not the very most recent release (the 4th Gen was announced in September last year), but it's still of interest. See how gets on with this "impenetrable" device and see the e-ink screen in full colour...


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February 14, 2012

Scan negatives with a DSLR and toilet-rolls...

dslr and toilet roll scaner.jpgJust like the LockCracking robot, this one is a project featured in Wired.com's dependable GadgetLab. The headline brings back fond memories of Blue Peter and its toilet rolls and sticky-back plaster - Scan Old Negatives with a DSLR and Toilet-Paper Tubes

Photographer, and Gadget Master, Claus Thiim has described a neat way to scan hundreds of nostalgic negatives and slides.

Charlie Sorrel writes:
Thiim's method eschews slow, bulky scanners and doesn't even think about mail-in scanning services. He uses the fastest scanner he has: his DSLR. Onto the front are mounted an old manual focus (90mm) lens, an extension tube (which moves the lens forward and allows closer macro focusing). Then things get creative, with a couple of toilet-paper tubes taped to an old filter with the glass removed, along with a plastic 35mm slide-mount on the end. The mount is opened at the sides to let the film slide through.

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February 17, 2012

Self-balancing unicycle - the one true way!



This gadget may not yet be weatherproof enough for your daily commute in the UK, but for a pop to the shops for icecream on a sunny afternoon the Focus Designs self balancing unicycle, SBU V2.0 is a real treat.

The company reports that it's increasing production "to meet a quickly growing demand", with a lead time of 8-12 weeks.

The cycle is gyro stabilised, battery-powered and driven by an accelerometer, and the manufacturers claim green credentials for it too.

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February 29, 2012

Most read Gadget Master posts in February

ioio-android-3.jpgSo, February has come and (all-but) gone, but before we leap into March, let's look back and see what has been most interesting to Gadget Masters this month.

Everybody loves a good tear-down, so it's good to see the third-generation Kindle getting the treatment; and the IOIO Android breakout board competition's popularity proves there's interest among Android enthusiasts ... 

1 Tearing down the (3rd Gen) Kindle

2 The IOIO Android breakout board competition

3 Build your own LED cube


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March 19, 2012

DIY Geiger counter smartphone app helps measure radiation

geiger counter app 1.jpgOut of awful events sometimes the better side of human nature emerges... We previously highlighted - see How to build your own Geiger Counter - the work of some engineers at Libelium, a wireless sensor network company, to help the people of Japan, around Fukushima, determine levels of radiation for themselves.

Well, our sister site New Scientist's One Per Cent blog has recently reported on a Smartphone-based initiative to help people track the critically important levels of radiation around them.

Kat Austen, CultureLab editor, writes:
In the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster, amidst a climate of  general mistrust of government radiation data, a number of crowdsourced initiatives for mapping radiation levels sprang up, such as Japan Geigermap, in which radiation readings from citizens are aggregated and displayed online using a web service called pachube.

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March 22, 2012

Commodore Amiga lives again, in Mini PC form

commodore amiga mini.jpgOne to provoke nostalgia, maybe, among Gadget Masters of a certain age... Commodore USA has breathed life into another old brand with the release of the Commodore Amiga Mini PC.

Taking a leaf of out Apple's Mac Mini book, it's a small form factor device with a bring-your own monitor and keyboard approach...

According to the company:
The new Commodore AMIGA mini case is ultra small and is made of 100% all aluminium housing, finished by sandblasting and anodic oxidation. It also includes a slot load Blu-Ray drive and internal space for two 2.5" hard drives. It measures 7.5 inches square, with a height of only 3 inches. There is no end to its placement possibilities.

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April 11, 2012

Stanford students && (Android + NFC + TV) == Fun

Stanford MobiSocial.jpgStanford students are demonstrating the potential of NFC-based hackery with a number of projects "showing how NFC-equipped phones and televisions can work together". Very impressive it is, too.

The five applications - running between their NFC-linked Android phones and a TV - include:
* displaying photos in a slide show
* rigging up a collaborative whiteboard
* sharing a slide show presention
* playing a game of online poker and
* streaming Netlix videos...

Apparently, the TV components are done in Javascript and HTML, and the Android apps were written in Java, as is standard for Google's mobile platform.

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April 30, 2012

Cardboard camera

16may12gadgetIkeaCamera.jpgIkea has been working on a digital camera largely made from cardboard.

Called KNÄPPA, the folk over at PetaPixel have a witty video about it, and details.

The whole thing is neat - even the USB connector.

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May 3, 2012

14 year-old New Yorker designs and builds Lego printer

lego-printer-WEB.jpg

World of Mindstorms is one of the blogs of Leon Overweel, a fourteen-year-old New Yorker who includes robotics in his extensive list of interests. A recent post particularly caught my eye: PriNXT - Mindstorms NXT Printer ...

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May 7, 2012

MIT student builds mobile phone from parts

diy-cellphone-18WEB.jpgDavid Mellis, a PhD student at MIT has published the circuit and case designs and the source code for a working mobile phone that he built using parts worth
$1 50 (£93). The body is laser-cut from veneered plywood, and it has a 160x128pixel TFT screen

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