Cheap Electronics Secrets - Sales Circular

Sales Circular
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Hey, Gadget Guy, how do you know if that computer. mp3, camera, etc., is a good price? Well, besides checking Frrogle, I head on over to SalesCircular.com to see what some of the big brick and mortar stores are having on sale for the upcoming week.

It has listings for every state and a breakdown by electronics category. You never know what might be on sale -

Click on the headline for link.

Flash Player With Speaker

Aiwa AW690
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

The Aiwa AW60 flash player includes a micro-speaker among its features, but to save space it was incorporated into the cap that goes over the USB plug. Sure, it probably sounds like crap, but at least it's there if you need it. I'd guess it's more useful for playing voice recordings than Jay-Z. There's only one other player with something similiar, the M-Bird XT-21.

The 4-color OLED screen is nice addition but the controls look a little simplistic to be much good for navigation. Other features include FM radio, line-in recording, 128mb-1gb capacity. No pricing or release date. (Via dapreview)

April Fools' Gadgets To Annoy Your Friends

supriser
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

The Surpriser - light activated hysterical laughter that is timed to go off about 10 seconds after the light is turned on. Set it up in yout bathroom late at night - and wait for the fun (and the subsequent butt kicking).

About $10.00. Click on the headline for link.

But Does It Also Clean Your Balls?

Robo Caddy
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Some days, I think my favorite part of writing about gadgets is thinking about the headlines to go along with them. Anyway, I am absolutely convinced that golf has some of the coolest, innovative and expensive gadgetry as any sport. Take this little number:

"This remote control cart shoulders your golf bag for you, so you can put all your energy into your game. The lightest and most maneuverable powered caddy available, the cart can make 360° turns and can even go in reverse (unlike other models) at the touch of the remote control.

Its pocket-sized remote control gives you complete forward, left, right, and reverse command up to 100 yards away, and the caddy can travel up to 6 mph."

Only $1,500.00, available from Hammacher Schlemmer. Click on the headline for link.

Follow That Lamp

Solar Lamps
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Pretty cool looking collection of Solar Powered Motion Sculpture Lamps. From the website:

"This unique collection of solar powered decorative lamps provide soft, indirect lighting. The whimsical, animated wire sculptures are powered by directing a swiveling solar panel towards a sunny window or the lamp's bulb. A collection of original gifts!"

About $40.00. Click on the headline for link.

Roger That!

Walkie Talkie Watches
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Man oh man, if I were a kid, I would love to have these. Imagine how cool it would be to pretend that you are Starsky, no wait, maybe Hutch (boy am I dating myself). I wouldn't even care if the device kept accurate time as long as I could press a button on my watch and say something cool like "10-4" over and over again.

I don't have a whole lot of information about the range on these walkie talkies since you apparently have to be a dealer in order to get true specs.

What I do know is that these are supposed to retail for about $50.00 a watch. Whatever the cost, they sure look like fun.

Float Like A Butterfly, Fall Like A Rock

Hoverboard
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Who wouldn't want their own personal hovercraft? Admit it, ever since you watched the Jetson's as a kid you wanted either jet shoes, your own space craft or at the very least that gizmo that gets you showered and dressed automatically every morning.

Well, while we might be a few years away from a couple of these, you can build your own hoverboard to make do while we wait. "The hoverboard uses high performance hovercraft technology to lift a 200+lb rider 1 inch above the ground. A 6 horsepower 4-stroke gasoline engine spins a multi bladed propeller to force air under the craft."

You can buy the plans to build it yourself for $50.00; or buy it fully assembled for $9,000. Lots of videos on the website, click on the headline for link.

PowerSki JetBoard

PowerSki JetBoard
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

How often does this happen to you? You want to go water skiing, but there's no one around to drive the boat. That's not a problem anymore. From the website:

"One of the most radical water toys ever invented, the PowerSkiJetBoard is an engineering masterpiece - the inventors have taken the form factor of a surfboard and built in an ingenuously small and flat 45 horsepower motor capable of propelling it to 40 mph. With the rear thrust, rail and the three fins beneath, the JetBoard carves better than anything else on water, tarmac or snow, generating G-forces up to 6G and enabling the rider to get almost horizontal (check the pics inside). The JetBoard never cavitates or slides out, enabling a standing rider to perform continuous, stable, high speed turns with slight shifts in weight."

About $7,000, click on the headline for link. (Via gizmag)

Radio Pen

Radio Pen
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Other then the fact that this is so cheap, I'm not sure who the intended audience for this gadget is supposed to be. From the website:

"This clever ballpoint pen features a built-in FM digital scan tuner — great for private, discreet listening in libraries, offices...just about anywhere. Clip to your pocket for handsfree use with the included stereo earbuds. There's a handy volume control wheel on the cord that plugs into the top of the pen. Radio detaches from pen for independent use."

At least the price is right - about $10.00. Click on the headline for link.

What's Going On In Your Bedroom When You Are Not There (Wouldn't You Like To Know?)

Camcorder Spy Clock
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Here's something for all of you paranoid types. "This low profile, fully functional and discreet LCD clock has a digital video camera hidden inside. The motion-activated camcorder will turn on and record full-motion video whenever someone moves into its wide field-of-view, then shut off automatically when activity stops. When you return, simply play the AVI digital video files through your computer or laptop using the included USB cable.

Unlike elaborate, expensive security cameras that require a VCR or television for playback, this discreet device is a simple, self-contained system that is ready to go right out of the box."

How much for this peace of mind? Only $199.00 from Sharper Image. Click on the headline for link.

Funky Spelling Alert - Phlat ball

Phlat ball
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

From the website:

"Phlat Ball is half 6" ball and half 9" throwing disc and is taking Australia by storm.

You Phlatten the ball by squeezing the top and bottom together and it sticks in place, then throw it like a disc, and it pops out into a ball, which is really quite clever. The release from disc to ball is random, so you never quite know if you're going to be catching a ball or a disc. And of course if you happen to miss-throw it (heaven forbid) and it lands on an inconveniently placed roof, simply wait and when it pops into a ball shape it'll roll off - neat. Of course it's also great for travelling, as it packs flat, or rather 'phlat'."

Looks like fun, hopefully won't be too long before this hits the States. Click on the headline for link.

Desktop Cellular?

Desktop Cellular
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Are you letting your long distance minutes go to waste each month? Ever wonder why you pay for a landline phone when the truth is, you make most of your calls from your cell phone anyway. The Universal Desktop Station aims to change all that:

"Enjoy the comfort of holding a regular handset or even talk hands-free while using your cellular minutes with the Universal Desktop Station, a wireless phone base station that charges your cell phone battery as you talk. This base station supports all cellular networks.

Use the Universal Desktop Station to make longer phone calls with your mobile phone, without consuming your mobile phone battery and without the discomfort associated with mobile phones. Its built-in speakerphone makes it possible to talk hands-free, and even using the handset, you'll be avoiding the risk of cell phone radiation"

About $65.00, click on the headline for link.

Time Marches On

Robot Clock
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

This animated Robot Flip Clock literally moves. Held in place on your desk via the rubber feet, the Robot Flip Clock's legs swing when the numbers flip to create the image that the clock is moving towards you. Could be scary if you have deadline approaching.

This unique timepiece was created by designer Michael Daniel. It measures 8" x 3" x 8"H, comes with 2 C batteries and sells for around $80.00. Click on the headline for link.

Monday Morning Distractions - Paper Toss

In honor of the NCAA Tournament, here's a little flash game that mimicks something that we have all done from time to time - shoot hoops with crumpled up pieces of paper. Add an oscillating office fan to the mix and adjust your shots accordingly. This should be good for killing a bunch of time this week. As always, click on the headline for link.

Next Killer Cell Phone Application?

Motorola Screen3
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Motorola announced its new SCREEN3 service at CITA about two weeks ago. SCREEN3 is an always-on data service that pushes text and images to the idle screen of your handset. Kind of like the mid 90s screen-saver, Pointcast, SCREEN3 offers news, entertainment, weather and other configurable content that can be consumed passively by watching the idle screen; if you want more details, just click once to get the full story. This is undoubtedly the first appropriately designed experience of internet based content on a mobile phone.

The V551 will be the first handset with SCREEN3 , but be sure many will follow. (Via Josh Rubin:Cool Hunting)

Like A Car Wash For Your Mouth

Hydra Brush Ultra
Originally uploaded by thegadgetguy.

Have you been eating Cadbury Eggs since 7:00 a.m.? Maybe you've nibbled the ears off of a couple (or 6 or 7) chocolate bunnies or have had so many Peeps that your teeth feel like a road sander just spread sugar crystals all over them.

Well, here's your solution. From the website for the HydraBrush Ultra:

"Other power brushes boast their high speed spinning action (4,000 rpm and more), speeds that generate a feeling of discomfort. HydraBrush on the other hand relies on accurate bristle positioning to obtain effectiveness, and as a result, the brushes can reciprocate at a fraction of the speed of other products, resulting in user enjoyment of a comfortable massage with every use.

In addition to six brushes, HydraBrush has four (4) water jets that effectively oral irrigate during the brushing process. HydraBrush is much more effective than other oral irrigation devices because the water jets are preset to an angle that directs the pressurized fluid precisely into the gingival pockets and between teeth, again eliminating the element of human error.

HydraBrush, with its six brushes and four water jets all working simultaneously, generates an oral cleansing with effectiveness far beyond that of any other oral care product. The cleaning process is also very enjoyable. A common testimonial of first-time HydraBrush users is along the lines of 'its like putting your teeth through an automatic car wash' just enjoy the ride and come out squeaky clean. Another common comment for first-time users is 'it feels like I just got a cleaning from my dentist.'"

About $179.00, click on headline for link.