We’re moving on up…to a deluxe HQ in the sky

Posted Mar. 14, ’07, 11:05 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Geekery

Now just put the reciprocator in the optical refractor and—oh, hey. Uh, just doing a little rewiring. Okay, fine, you caught me. I’ve grown tired of the subterranean prison that is the Gadgetbox HQ, so I smuggled a spork out of the cafeteria and have been quietly digging a hole to freedom for the last few months.

I’ve got a nice place picked out atop a remote, hopefully dormant volcano. Plenty of light, great views. Plus the geothermal energy provided by magma really lowers the heating costs. Such a location, however, demands a commensurate upgrade in my Interweb dwelling, so I’m packing up shop and moving over to Macworld.com proper.

Gadgetbox is now the latest blog at Macworld, joining such esteemed company as Mac Gems and Mac OS X Hints. You can expect a new column (like this one) every week, chock full o’ the same gadgety tastiness to which your discerning palates have no doubt become accustomed. So don’t fret…Gadgetbox is dead; long live Gadgetbox!

We’ve moved!

Posted Mar. 14, ’07, 11:00 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Toys

See us now at Macworld’s Gadgetbox Blog.

Our first entry is here.

Sony is ready to rumble

Posted Mar. 2, ’07, 3:10 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Games

While most of the PlayStation’s 3 technology surpasses its predecessor, there has been one area in which it has fallen behind: force feedback. Due to a lawsuit from a company called Immersion, Sony was unable to put rumble functionality in its PS3 controller, the SIXAXIS.

Immersion holds a patent on rumble technology; they first sued Sony for infringing that patent back in 2002. In 2004, Sony shelled out $82 million in damages to Immersion, while Microsoft took the high road and settled for a lower figure. Sony appealed, lost the appeal, and has now apparently decided to settle their differences the old fashioned way: by paying a bunch more money to Immersion.

During the ongoing litigation, Sony derided rumble functionality as old hat, touting its replacement motion sensing as the new hotness. Having now concluded the dispute, what does Sony have to say? “We look forward to exploring with Immersion exciting new ways to bring the largest and best range of gameplay experiences to our customers.”

Or, in other words, let’s get ready to rumblllllllle.

Weather.com’s Interactive Map does everything short of letting you control the weather

Posted Mar. 2, ’07, 3:00 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

I’ll admit it: I’m a bit of a weather nut. Besides Apple’s included Weather widget, I also run one that displays an animated version of the current radar image. But it’s not nearly as cool as the Weather Channel’s new Interactive Map, built on top of Microsoft’s Virtual Earth technology.

Like you might expect from Google Maps or MapQuest, the Interactive Map lets you drag, or zoom in and out to an impressive degree, all the while superimposing either cloud cover or radar maps. You can choose between road maps or satellite maps, and even adjust the level of transparency for the radars and clouds. Like the existing maps, it also has controls for the animation, letting you step back and forth to see how the weather’s moving.

So if you’re not satisfied by your current map technology because it doesn’t let you see what the weather’s doing, say, down the street, this could just the thing sooth that annoyance. The Interactive Map’s in beta right now, so if you see something that irks you, don’t hesitate to give the Weather.com folks a buzz. Tell ‘em Gadgetbox sent you.

AmbientClock warns you of impending events

Posted Mar. 2, ’07, 2:47 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

Where does our love of all things clock stem from? Perhaps it’s because, not unlike a casino or house of ill repute, Gadgetbox HQ is completely devoid of clocks. Right now, it could be four o’clock in the morning tomorrow, and I just wouldn’t know.

While we’ve covered any number of physical clock devices, the Ambient Clock is something a little different. At the moment, it’s merely a widget for your personalized Google Homepage that tells you what kind of events you have scheduled for the day. A series of dark bars indicates that you have an event scheduled during that period, while a series of dots tells you how much time you need to get to that event (via some clever use of Google Maps to calculate driving time). Likewise, the “backlight” of the clock tells you whether you have no events, imminent events, or are in the middle of an event right now.

It’s a nifty little widget, and if it garners enough popularity, Ambient is considering making a physical standalone clock that can download your schedule from the Net. Very slick.

[via Lifehacker]

Cut down on wasted water and electricity with the Eco Kettle

Posted Mar. 1, ’07, 3:23 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Home & Household

The Brits really love their electric kettles; I have fond memories of the kitchen in my dorm in Edinburgh, where the tea flowed freely. But all that water boiling can be wasteful, you know: not only do you end up boiling more water than you’ll probably use, but all that extra liquid means it takes more heat, and thus more electricity, to reach boiling.

The Eco Kettle helps by moderating the amount of water actually boiled. Fill the top chamber with plenty of water, then select how many cups you want, between 1 and 8, and the Eco Kettle will fill its lower chamber with only the amount of water you need. Fantastic!

As I usually boil way too much water for my morning cup of tea, perhaps I’m a prime candidate for this sucker. Then again, at a cost of almost $80, perhaps I’ll just put less water in the kettle tomorrow.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

GameCube: “I’m not dead yet!”

Posted Mar. 1, ’07, 3:12 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Games

Yeah, yeah: it’s Wii-this and Wii-that, but the GameCube’s been around the block, okay? It’s got over 500 games, and it doesn’t need any fancypants motion-sensing controller, you hear me? You want that new Zelda game? It’s got that. Plus, unlike the Wii, you can actually find one. And they’re only getting cheaper.

News on the GameCube’s demise had gone back and forth with no less than Perrin Kaplin, Nintendo of America VP of marketing, saying that production of the ‘Cube had ceased. But that statement has been overruled by an official statement from Nintedo: “We are continuing to manufacture and sell Nintendo GameCube, which is an ideal entry-level value system and has a strong library of games.”

So if you’re looking to pick yourself up a nice game system on the cheap, you could do worse than Nintendo’s “last-gen” console.

Catch some air…and time it

Posted Mar. 1, ’07, 2:47 PM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Toys

If you’re not a football fanatic, and thus have no interest in gauging how far you can throw, maybe you’ll be a little more intrigued by the HangTimer. For those who like to play a little basketball, or do some snowboarding or skiing, HangTimer will let you know down to the hundredth of a second just how much time you spent off the ground.

This model, which works via a tri-axis accelerometer, is shockproof and water resistant up to 3 meters (great for timing the amount of hang time you can get underwater), stores your top ten hangtimes, best average hangtime, and more. It’s attached to a carabiner, meaning you can clip it anyplace handy.

Oh yeah, it also shows you the time and date—vital information when you’re contemplating that next 1440 or jumpshot. The HangTimer goes for $99.99.

[via Gearlog]