3Doodler
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Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide 2013: For the Geek who has everything
Welcome to Engadget's holiday gift guide! Head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides. We all know at least one of them: that borderline-annoying person who always seems to have the latest gadgets the moment they're announced. The Nexus 5 isn't going to cut it for such people; you'll need to think outside the box if you want to really impress them. Consider the ideas below -- from 3D-printing pens to a stunning e-motorcycle, these (probably) haven't found a place in your friends' lives just yet.
3Doodler review: a $99 3D-printing pen
I've spent a fair bit of time trying to explain the WobbleWorks 3Doodler to people over the past year or so. My descriptions generally alternate between the company's slightly misleading "3D-printing pen" to "sort of like a hot glue gun that melts plastic, so you can write in the air." Makes sense, right? The company didn't have much trouble getting the message across, though: it raised an astounding $2.3 million on Kickstarter after initially aiming for just $30,000. And really, it may be precisely the product's strangeness that made it a runaway hit with the crowdfunding community in the first place. In a world of lookalike smartphones, tablets and even 3D printers, the 3Doodler offers something unique, letting users create strange new works of art -- and it does so with a seemingly reasonable price of $99. The pen looks like it may have the "tech gift for the early adopter who has everything" title pretty well wrapped up (though only backers will get it in time for the holidays -- the rest of us will have to wait for a belated early 2014 arrival) But crowdfunding videos aside, how well does it actually work? Is it really a smart way to spend a Benjamin? More importantly, is it actually any fun?
3Doodler 3D printing pen starts shipping to Kickstarter backers, retail models arriving in early 2014
It's not news every time a Kickstarter product starts shipping to backers, but in the case of 3Doodler, it's worth a mention. At last count, the startup had raised $2.3 million to fund its 3D printing pen, and with a cost of $99 per device, well, you do the math: that's a lot of people waiting for their new toy to arrive. And we mean it when we say "toy" -- while you won't be creating anything useful like a gun or a Van Gogh knockoff, there's really nothing more addictive than "drawing" in the air with melted plastic, and watching it solidify. For those of you who ordered early, you already know what you're in for. As for the rest of you, your next chance to get one will be in early 2014, though you can place a pre-order today if you like. Really, though, we suggest you revisit our hands-on video, embedded below; we're descriptive writers, but nothing we say can do justice to a pen with molten plastic flowing out of it.
3Doodler pen gets safety feature, attaches to CNC arms to fulfill its 3D printing potential
When we ran into the WobbleWorks team on our recent Berlin trip, they were kindly enough to show off the shipping version of their crowdoverfunded 3D Doodler handheld 3D Printer. Though, when cofounder Max Bogue hinted that the company still had some surprises up its sleeve, he wasn't kidding. Perhaps most interesting is the inclusion of a mounting dock on the pen, which allows you to attach it a CNC machine, fulfilling the pen's 3D printing ambitions. Once attached, you can utilize another port to control the speed buttons remotely, so you can manipulate extrusion without actually touching the device. Also of note is the addition of a silicone tip cover, which serves to protect fingers from the heated metal extruder.
3Doodler 3D printing pen's shipping model hits IFA, we go hands-on
Remember the 3Doodler? Odds are plenty of you do, seeing as how the company managed to nab a staggering $2.3 million for its $30,000 Kickstarter campaign. For the minority of you who didn't participate, here's a quick refresher: the device is a 3D printing pen. It's a bit like a hot glue gun for plastic -- simple and ingenuous, it melts a single strand of ABS or PLA, allowing you to draw objects in the air, solidifying as you draw up. The pen was still in early prototype phase when we first saw it, and now, here at IFA its co-creator Max Bogue is showing off the final shipping product (seeing as how Kickstarter funders will be getting theirs later this year). This 3Doodler actually looks pretty similar to that early unit. All the same elements are in place: a slot in the rear to feed in the plastic, the heated tip where it comes out in semi-liquid form, an exhaust fan (which is pretty loud, but should quiet down before people start to get theirs) and two buttons for fast and slow extrusion. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: P1 hybrid supercar, asteroid attack lasers and mosquito inoculators
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Coffee is what fuels us in the morning -- but it turns out that a cup of Joe can do much more than perk up sleepy office workers; this week a truck that runs entirely on coffee set a world record for the highest speed ever attained by a java-powered vehicle. That isn't the only green car news that broke this week -- with the Geneva Motor Show fast approaching, we've been keeping an ear to the ground for the latest from Switzerland. McLaren is set to officially unveil its 903-horsepower P1 hybrid supercar at the Geneva show, and Volkswagen will show off its new XL1 plug-in hybrid, which gets a whopping 261 miles to the gallon. Volvo, meanwhile, just launched the world's first car with external airbags to help protect pedestrians from serious injuries. But if you prefer bikes over cars, then you'll want to check out Bicycled Bikes, a unique set of bikes that are manufactured in Spain from upcycled car parts.
3Doodler is a $75 3D-printing pen eagerly awaiting your Kickstarter funding (hands-on)
In April of last year, former MakerBot COO Samuel Cervantes launched the Solidoodle, a $500 3D printer. We were a bit taken aback by the price point -- after all, his former company's product had seemingly set the standard for consumer-facing 3D-printer pricing at around $2,000. We're hoping you've got both hands firmly clutching your hat when we tell you that the 3Doodler, a 3D-printing pen from the crew over at Wobbleworks, is going to run a whopping $75 at launch -- and heck, if you get in early on the company's recently launched Kickstarter, you'll be able to snag one for $50. Before we go any further, however, let's get some things out of the way. For starters, it's best to take the 3D printer thing with a grain or two of salt. Calling the 3Doodler a 3D pen is a bit like calling a high-end ink pen a 2D printer. The device is actually quite simple, but pretty brilliant. It essentially takes the heated extrusion head off a 3D printer and incorporates it into a standalone device. A single piece of plastic (ABS or PLA, for the more environmentally minded out there) is threaded through the back, fed through the pen and comes out melted through the tip. Yes, like its 3D printer brethren, it works a bit like a hot glue gun.
