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Caveat emptor: Custom Android handsets all the rage in Germany?
This isn't the first customizable phone we've laid our eyes on, and we've always been a fan of the concept -- even if the execution sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. Apparently there's a small startup residing in Germany called Synapse that will sell you a custom Android 2.2 handset, complete with 4-inch multitouch touchscreen, with prices starting around €434 ($600). We say apparently because, try as we might, we only got the Drupal-powered website to appear once this morning. Indeed, the tipster couldn't even get it to appear more than once himself, which is why he sent us a screen shot. Thanks! What we were able to see, however briefly, was a whole menu of customizable options, including radio (3G and 4G, including LTE and WiMAX), Bluetooth, WiFi, up to a 12 MP camera (with a flash or not), mini-HDMI out, various memory and storage options, and more. Not bad, eh? We don't think we'll be taking a chance on this vaporous website, but if you do, make sure you let us know how it works out. Update: Not that we've been able to access the site again, looks like the thing could be had for a baseline price of €299 (or roughly $410). Thanks to Thomas and everyone else who pointed this out! [Thanks, Christian]
No Comment: A diamond-encrusted iPhone 4
So, Apple's free bumper case wasn't enough for you? Do you want to encase your iPhone in something a little more ... erm, maybe "classy" isn't necessarily the word for this one. At any rate, as you can see above, customizer Stuart Hughes has enwrapped this iPhone 4 in over 500 diamonds (totaling over 100 karats), which are placed around the outside (that antenna gap has never looked so sparkly), on the Apple logo, and on the Home button. The back of the phone is plated in gold, and the unit comes in its own custom-made granite box. Total price: US$8 million. Apparently, two were made, and both were for an Australian businessman who wanted a little more bling on his iOS device. Was it worth it? No comment. [via Engadget]
These custom Street Fighter Akuma shoes have a demon's sole
Sure, your kicks are probably all right -- they might have those spring things on them, and maybe the velcro is really solid. But do they have freakin' Akuma painted on the side? Didn't think so. That's what makes these customized sneakers from Diversitile so awesome -- they feature a continuous art design with everyone's favorite Street Fighter character (suck it, Blanka) wrapped around a pair of Nike Dunks, and even the laces are styled after Akuma's beaded belt. The shoes were created for the Clash of the Customizers design battle and auction going on right now, so odds are that you probably can't afford them anyway. Guess you'll have to make do with the skates you got, dawg -- better get a little duct tape on that hole in the heel.
Colorware freshens up BlackBerry Pearl 3G and Flip UltraHD with bodacious new paintjobs
Say, are you finding your 3G-equipped BlackBerry isn't looking quite so Pearlescent now that the Curve has also gone 3G and BlackBerry 6 seems to have moved things along (a bit)? Maybe it's time you gave that zany bunch at Colorware a call, as they've just started taking orders for repainting Pearl 3G (aka 9100) handsets into whatever shade of awesome you desire. Prices are still ludicrous, starting out at $165 for a respray or $640 for a brand new phone, though if you want some more affordable customization, you can opt to send in your Flip UltraHD for a $50 change of hue (or grab a new one for $260). Sure, none of it makes much fiscal sense, but then blinging out your gear was never about rationality anyway.
Mac Mini suffers chromatic maltreatment at hands of Colorware
You didn't seriously think the Mac Mini would be spared, did you? The maniacal customizers over at Colorware have added Apple's latest bit of desktop furniture to their stable of "have it your way" electronics, with a $250 price tag for the paintjob by itself and a $1,000 levy if you want them to procure the hardware as well. Hey, we know that's expensive, but somebody's got to be buying all these crazy-hued gadgets for the company to keep going, right? Anyone willing to own up to it?
Segway i2 suffers ultimate indignity at the hands of Colorware (video)
How does a niche repainting outfit like Colorware grow? By literally growing the size of things it deals with, apparently. As of today, Colorware will adjust the hues of your Segway i2 any which way you like for an entirely unaffordable $1,500. If you didn't have the foresight to buy one of these personal transporters before, you can have a brand new one, replete with your personalized paintjob, for $7,500. And good news for non-Americans: the latter option is available internationally too! See this beautiful freak moving and grooving in scarlet red just after the break.
Twilight-customized LG GD510 set to Eclipse all other phones in France
Think Apple and Android fans are hardcore? Those guys are mere lightweights compared to Twilight fanatics, who'll soon have a phone to call their own too. Coming with eight tie-in wallpapers and that embellished back cover, this version of the GD510 -- a thoroughly unexciting featurephone with ambitions above its 3-inch, resistive touchscreen station -- has just become available over in France, for free on contracts with Orange or in exchange for €199 ($238). As a bonus temptation, LG is also throwing in a free copy of Twilight: New Moon, though we doubt anyone buying this phone will have seen that movie less than a dozen times.
Graduation cap modded with LED array, steals show (video)
Yomo Gaocho, an enterprising young man about to graduate from Northwestern University, has put together pretty much the coolest grad cap mod we've seen. Not that we're experts on the subject or anything, but the array of 256 LED lights adorning his cap surely makes for one of the geekiest ways to bid adieu to one's undergraduate studies. He's taking it one step further too, by programming animation patterns into the white LED arrangement and offering advertising space -- we're not kidding -- for any unorthodox companies that may wish to have him as a walking billboard. See Yomo's creation on video after the break, or hit the source for a guide on how to make your own light-fantastic grad cap.
Sony Walkman W252 gets a Limited Edition MGS makeover
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is coming out for the PSP soon, and in classic Sony style, we're being treated to a custom-painted W252 Walkman to celebrate the event. This wearable MP3 player can fit 2GB of your favorite stealth action theme music, and gets the party started with six preloaded tunes from the Peace Walker soundtrack. Beyond that, you're getting that gorgeous camo outfit and the same water-resistant durability as the less Limited W250 models. Full PR and one more pic after the break.
Dell Aero is 'the lightest' Android phone yet, poses for pictures
AT&T's teaser site for the Dell Aero has gone live and we can now fill in a few more gaps in our knowledge about this forthcoming handset. It's looking every bit the renamed Mini 3 we thought it was, so click here and here to get a closer look at the body of the device. The official web mouthpiece confirms a 3.5-inch screen with nHD resolution -- which may or may not signify the same 640 x 360 as on the Brazilian and Chinese versions -- and one definite point of departure, a 5 (rather than 3) megapixel camera on the back. Claimed to be the lightest Android smartphone yet, the Aero will also come with WiFi and GPS built in, though its biggest attraction will undoubtedly be the thoroughly tricked out Android UI, which promises Picasa, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitpic integration right out of the box. Check out the gallery below for some hints of what that will look like. [Thanks, Chilko]
Jill Stuart's Sweet Limited Package PSP makes its own innuendos, coming in March
¥21,000 ($232), Japan, March 4. All of the foregoing should be irrelevant information because we're absolutely, positively, definitely sure you're not going to actually buy one. Right? Look, even if you genuinely don't object to Blossom Pink as your color scheme, and if you quite rightly find yourself attracted by the handy soft pouch for ensconcing your new PSP-3000 in, don't you care about what other people might think? And that's entirely aside from the generic and lazy expectation that women will buy anything so long as it bears a hue from the pink portion of the spectrum. Either way, this bundle of corporate greed and malevolence is coming in about a month's time, if you're weird enough to care. %Gallery-84471%
Pentax rolls its own colorware for the Pentax K-x DSLR
Not content with the already generous black, white, red, or navy blue options Pentax is offering on its new K-x DSLR? Then it looks like your persistence has finally paid off for once, as Pentax has now rolled out its own Colorware-type service for the camera -- in Japan, that is. That'll let you choose from twenty different colors for the body of the camera and five for the grip (lens colors are apparently "coming soon") and, of course, any combination of the two (like the eye-catching number we whipped up above). Best of all, it seems that the customization options are available at no extra cost, other than the hours you'll spend agonizing over your choice of colors.[Thanks, Rye]
Etymotic hf2 Custom Fit buds bundle ACS' customized ear-mould service
Eytmotic's $180 hf2 earbuds with in-line controller for iPods and iPhones have been around for awhile. In that time, they've racked up plenty of gold statues and plaques to backup their claim of delivering "the most accurate, unaltered sound of any earphone or headset today." Now Etymotic has teamed up with ACS (Advanced Communication Solutions) to deliver silicon sleeves custom-moulded for your inner-ear to ensure a perfect, comfy fit while further isolating you from the ambient noise around you; a trick that allows you to pickup audio detail at lower volumes and thus spare your hearing. Of course, ACS' 15 minute customization service is available for other buds as well, but offering it within the hf2 Custom Fit bundle as a £90 (about $130) voucher redeemable at any of 300 approved ear impression outlets in the UK is a pretty shrewd move.[Via Tech Digest] Read [Warning: PDF]
Gear Wishlist tells you where to go next
I've been looking around for something exactly like this -- while Kaliban's Class Loot is a great resource for figuring out what kind of loot to dress in right before the endgame, and our gearing for Karazhan guides are a great resource for good drops and pieces around that level (including the rep sets you can get for each class and spec), the next biggest question to answer is "what comes after that?" And Gear Wishlist, a site made and sent to us by Darrell Anderson, tries to answer exactly that question.After putting in your character and realm, you get a list of all the gear you've got equipped, matched up against a list of all the gear available at the item level you're looking at (you can customize exactly where the item levels come from, if there's a site whose estimations of the gear you value more), with yours highlighted. So basically, you get an up and down list of where to go from the gear you've got, and you can easily see where it all comes from and what kinds of stats it gives.Of course, this is still more of a guideline -- just because gear appears above yours on this list doesn't mean that it's better than yours for your class and spec. And attainability is a big factor as well -- if you're not in a raiding guild, your time might be better spent grinding rep rather than trying to suffer through with PuGs. But as an overview of the gear available to you, Gear Wishlist works great. Hopefully the site will stay up under our linkage, and if it doesn't, check back in a few days to see if it's slowed down.
Win a hand-painted PC from City of Heroes and the Daily Mirror
In line with many amazing competitions from NCsoft Europe and their Draw the World Together children's charity, the most recent contest involves the UK's Daily Mirror. To celebrate the latest expansion to City of Heroes: Issue 12: Midnight Hour, NCsoft is offering one lucky Mirror reader a chance to win their very own Intel Core 2 Duo PC complete with 20" monitor encased in a uniquely-crafted case hand-painted by Andrew Wildman, one of the Draw the World Together artists.Wildman is best known for his amazing work on the ThunderCats and The Real Ghostbusters comics during the 80's. One of his crowning achievements during this era was his work on the final issues of the Transformers comics for Marvel. To own a PC case hand-painted by him would be an honor for any comic book or gaming fan. Entering the contest is easy, and even if you don't win the grand prize, four runners-up will each receive a copy of the game.
eeeXubuntu: Ubuntu distilled for your Eee
For all you Eee users out there who've been trying to squeeze Ubuntu into the little white box, some help is on the way. A kind and enterprising Linux enthusiast has used their precious time and energy to put together an Eee-customized build of the much-loved OS, which includes fully-integrated hardware support, native wireless drivers, functioning Ethernet support, tweaks for low-resolution desktop environments, and a bunch of other little enhancements that will make using Canonical's powerhouse a lot more pleasant on your tiny laptop. Word on the street is that development and refinement continues on the build, so expect improvements as time wears on. Now, if only someone could perfect that Amiga OS build for the Eee...[Via Digg]
Customized Yoshi Wii console finds new home
For those that recall the oh-so-green Wii developer unit from last year, this here console may look a tad familiar. The difference, however, is that this Wii is a bonafide retail unit customized by its (now prior) owner to express his fascination with all things Yoshi. The console itself touts a spray of Yoshi on one side, while the white base was tattooed with eggs. Of course, you can certainly find a few flaws here and there if you look hard enough, but those imperfections are easy to forgive if you're an unashamed Yoshi fanboy. Sadly, this here unit has apparently found a new owner, but the creator did mention that he may "do this again" if the demand is there. Check out the rest of the photos after the jump.[Thanks, Brian]
Marubeni Infotec knocks on wooden input peripherals
While we doubt a vast majority of you have gone and purchased a wooden PC just yet, a natural tower isn't necessary to enjoy the stained goods that Marubeni Infotec was showing off at Computex. While details concerning pricing, availability, and construction were all but nil, AVing's crew did manage to get its camera up close and personal with some of the wares. On display was a USB keyboard (complete with Scrabble-influenced keys), a number of colorful USB 2.0 flash drives, a multicard reader, and a four-port (we agree, the fourth port is hiding) USB hub. Click on through for shots so close, you can smell the sap.
The Xbox 360 PC ditches gaming for Windows and OS X
Sure, we've seen the PlayStation 3 morph into somewhat of a desktop machine, but electric0ant decided that simply installing new software was just too easy. No fully functioning Xbox 360s were harmed in the making of the Xbox 360 PC, as the crafty modder snagged a cheap console that had been stricken by the Red Ring of Death, pawned off the DVD drive, and got to work. The build actually stuff an full-fledged PC within the confines of the Xbox 360's case, and aside from having to swap out a standard optical drive for a laptop rendition and refashioning a spare heatsink, there didn't seem to be many troubles. Of course, a side-mounted fan was necessary to avoid a thermal meltdown after extended use, and he didn't quite get around to rigging up the external graphics card that he had in mind, but the final creation does manage to run both Windows XP and OS X. As these things always go, the pictures tell the story, so click on through for a few more select snaps, and then hit the read link for the full skinny.[Thanks, Paul]
Julius the Pirate Monkey DS Lite
It's been too long since we last took a sip from China's rum bottle of personalized DS Lites; it's time to get back on that wagon with a buccaneer-themed skin.YYJoy forumer Pikapika shivered our timbers, decorating his handheld with a crossed-cutlasses pattern and Julius the Monkey decked out in full corsair regalia. Now that's piracy we can get behind! Walk the post break plank for more photos of the shipshape DS Lite.
