A Cool Gadget

Who needs one of those new-fangled e-lec-tronic GPS navigation contraptions, when you can accomplish the same degree of directional guidance with a little old-fashioned paper and ink?

Whether you’re ready to head out on a cross-country road trip, or just around the corner to the grocery, all you need to do is surf over to to Google Maps, print out the directions, transcribe them onto this GPS-enabled pad, then hit the road.

The Paper GPS notepad lets you write up to ten turn-by-turn directions per page, including little arrows you can circle for turns, and boxes for how many miles you need to travel. When you’re all done, you can check off whether you made it to your destination, or got hopelessly lost. Given the fact that my Magellan GPS told me it was 370 miles from Milwaukee to Chicago, maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all.

The Paper GPS is available from Perpetual Kid for just $6.50 per pad.

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Looking for an easy way to give your Playstation 3 a cool new look? This add-on face plate lets you put a shiny new face on your gloss black PS3.

XCM’s Smart Face Plate snaps onto the top of your PS3, giving it a new facade without major surgery. Just remove a couple of screws from the top of your PS3, slide off the old cover, and slide on the new one. In less than a minute, your console will have a whole new look.

While I prefer the mirrored chrome look shown in the photo, the plate also comes in white, yellow, green and (for some odd reason) black finishes. You can find the Smart Face Plate over at Extreme-Mods for just under $20.

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This wouldn’t be the first time I saw an alarm clock that could play MP3 tracks, but it is the first one I’ve come across that can play movies after it wakes you up.

JWD’s pint-sized MP3 media player has a compact 2.0-inch full-color LCD screen which can play MP4 format video clips. The tiny screen offers a 220×176 resolution, and can play clips from its internal 1GB memory or from an SD/MMC memory card. Audio can be played through headphones, or via the players built-in stereo speakers. In addition to media playback, it can tune FM radio and even lets you read e-Books (if your eyes can handle the small print).

It’s available in either white or black cube designs, and is and available from gadget importer Shop Kami for $88 USD.

[via Chip Chick]

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Inspired by the mind-bending transportation technology in last year’s sleeper hit game Portal, this video clip uses digital augmented reality technology to produce a similar effect in the real world.

Created by EmmanuelMFr of France’s Total Immersion, the illusions in the video really are reminiscent of those in the game. Using his company’s D’FUSION software, he was able to swap the images on each virtual screen surface in real time, including full 3-dimensional transformations.

I had to watch the video several times before I really understood what was going on, but once you do, you’ll be scratching your head asking how the heck exactly they did that.

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Measuring just 0.7″ x 1.4″ x 0.6″, and weighing in at about 0.5 ounce, this miniature camera can fit just about any place you can imagine. Just charge it up, and it’ll capture full color images and transmit them to a wireless receiver.

RF System Lab’s RC-12 wireless mini cam can send video over distances as far as 30 meters away (about 98 feet). The tiny camera uses a 1/4-inch CMOS chip to capture full color images. The camera’s built-in rechargeable battery should give you about 45 minutes of video on a single charge. The minuscule camera can even capture images underwater when slipped into its included waterproof case. Video resolution is 0.27 megapixels (just about VGA).

While originally available only in Japan, you can now find the $269 RC-12 from the gadget importers over at CScout’s Japan Trend Shop.

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Look at these cool led lights, designed by Jörg Schieber for German company chameledeon. Minimal and elegant, they work with a remote switch and cycle through 16 different colors, so you can set the mood in your living room without having to get up from the couch.

Besides the colored series, a single color white version is available too. All the pieces are available in 71, 102 and 139.5cm heights (about 28″, 40″ and 55″). See more of the collection and find a dealer near you on chameledeon’s website.

[via puremodern]

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I’m not too sure what the trademark police will have to say about this one, but this UK plumbing firm shares more than just a profession with Nintendo’s popular mascot.

I’m not sure if SuperMario Plumbing & Heating thinks they can avoid the wrath of the Big “N” by removing the space from the name, or if the fact that Luigi doesn’t work there is is enough to differentiate them. (Although I do wonder if Princess Peach is their receptionist).

I don’t know about you guys, but if I lived in Edinburgh, I’d definitely want guys who have experience tossing Koopa shells, jumping over flaming barrels, and eating 1-up mushrooms fixing my toilet.

[via Flickr]

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While this wouldn’t be the first time that I came across a clock that tells time with text, it’s certainly the most wordy version that I’ve seen.

Singapore designer Hans Tan created the Idea of a Clock II using a green LED bulletin board to display the current time using a lengthy textual description. For instance, at 12:29, the clock reads “This is the idea of a clock that tells you the time using words at exactly twenty-nine minutes past twelve”.

Now that’s just a bit too wordy to offer at-a-glance time checking, isn’t it? By the time you’re done reading the entire message, the time probably will have changed.

Idea of a Clock II is a limited edition timepiece, with pricing available upon request of the artist.

[via Dustbowl]

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I’ve seen plenty of Nintendo NES clone systems in my travels, but this is the first time I’ve seen a mass-produced portable that can play the actual cartridges from the classic 8-bit gaming system.

The FC Mobile portable console plays original game carts from the NES wherever you go. The compact console lets you play on either the built-in 2.4-inch LCD screen, or on your television via an included AV cable. The system runs on three AA batteries, and can play audio through its internal stereo speakers, or via a headphone jack.

Despite the Famicom reference in its name (FC Mobile - get it?), from everything I can find out, the console plays North American NES games, not Japanese Famicom cartridges.

Ready to get your retro game on? Two versions of the system (one in black/silver and another in red/white) have recently started to pop up over on eBay for around $40 to $50 bucks (games sold separately).

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Whether you’re slicing, dicing, or making julienne fries, this Space Invaders themed cutting board will help you get your Mise en Place in order.

As you chop your way through celery and onion, imagine your knife as a laser cannon, blasting its way through all but the most stubborn of alien invaders.

This wooden cutting board was crafted by 1337motif (great name, btw) using individual “pixels” of walnut and hard maple, and glued with FDA approved waterproof glue. The whole thing is then sealed with mineral oil and beeswax to keep the pesky alien from escaping.

The handmade board measures appx. 17.5 X 12 X 1.25″ and is available from the artist’s Etsy shop for $125. (Be sure to check out his new Zelda Tri-Force cutting board while you’re at it).

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