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Fuzebox 8-bit DIY game console, strictly for those who'd rather DIY
What do you give the person who has everything this holiday season? How about a game system without any games? Fuzebox is a homebrew, open source 8-bit game console kit based on an ATmega644 8-bit processor, with a whopping 4K RAM and four-channel MIDI sound. The console plays games written in C, accepts two SNES controllers and should come together in an hour and a half or so, as long as you have some skill with a soldering iron. Seventy bucks will get you a bare bones rig, or for an extra thirty you can go all out -- components, enclosures, a controller, necessary cables and one power adapter. If you're one of those people who like to give your kids educational toys that they'll never use, you're welcome. Even if you're not, there is an action packed video (with obligatory breakbeat soundtrack) of the prototype after the break.[Via Make]
Open source "Game Boy" has five awesome parts, zero games
The Arduino-based, DIY GamePack is sort of like the Mignon Game Kit we saw in 2005, but it definitely looks much, much radder. For a mere $249.93, all the necessary parts -- CPU, "Inputshield" customizable, vibrating controller / button component (say, for right or left-handed configurations), "TouchShield Stealth" OLED display unit, and "MeCap" lithium battery pack -- can be yours. Once you've cobbled it together, of course, the real fun begins -- it's pretty much a blank slate with little more than code for a color-changing dot to start with, so if you want to play any "games" on that new "Game Boy" of yours, you're going to have to write them yourself. See a video of the device in action after the break.[Via technabob]
Stainless: Another attempt at Chrome for OS X
At this rate, Google won't even have to release Chrome for Mac OS X -- our devs will have done it all already themselves. We've already reported about CrossOver putting their own port of Google's web browser together just to show they could do it, and now word has come in about Stainless, another attempt to bring Google's Chromium kit over to our favorite operating system.Unfortunately, it's still just a tech demo and not really a full-fledged browser (and the guys behind it, Mesa Dynamics, say that they didn't even try doing the cool stuff that the real OS X Chromium team is working on). But they did create a multi-process browser (one per tab), and they used some of the tech from their other app, Hypercube (Edit: NOT HyperCard, sorry -- I would have been more excited about that, too) to do it. I haven't tried it (I haven't tried the real Chrome on Windows either, Firefox is good enough for me so far), but like the other OS X Chrome, this app really only exists just so it can.And it shows just how desperate OS X users are to get their hands on Google's browser. Just how much longer do we have to wait?
Bose goes wireless with Bluetooth kit for QuietComfort 3
Bose already has a wired attachment for its QuietComfort 3 noise canceling headphones, but unsightly wires aren't really befitting a mobile warrior in the 21st century, now are they? Thanks to the FCC's loose lips we know that Bose is patching up that little indiscretion with the QuietComfort 3 Bluetooth Communications Kit that simply replaces the last mile of the kit between the module and the phone with a Bluetooth connection. Of course, that still leaves a cable running from the module up to the cans, which sticks you with a grand total of two distinct wires coming off your head -- not to mention a healthy sized boom running down to your piehole. We'd have preferred they worked on making this end wireless instead, but hey, what can you do? No word on pricing or a release date yet, since the FCC really isn't into that level of detail.Update: Our bad, it turns out Bose routes the music audio through the same cable as the phone audio, so you end up just a little less silly looking than we'd originally thought. Thanks, Jason!
Nyko hides the DS in plain sight
Nyko knows that playing the DS these days is a matter of survival. If you're hanging out in the jungle, as happens on occasion, then this accessory kit may save your DS's life. Are you willing to take your chances?Furthermore, if you're charging your DS in the car, and there's a jungle inside your car, the included charger may be the difference between a stealthy escape and capture. By enemies, inside the jungle, inside your car.All joking (briefly) aside, the Ultimate Kit Lite somehow looks pretty stylish in camo, and it holds 8 games. It might be a good choice for people looking for a new case and a car charger!
OpenMoko Neo 1973 developer kits available July 9
End users still have a while to wait for a final, finished product -- October's the current estimate -- but developers looking to get cracking on OpenMoko's open-source handset need only wait a few more days. July 9 is the chosen date for pushing Neo 1973 dev kits out the door in two configurations: Neo Base for $300 and Neo Advanced for $450. Neo Base will include the first-gen handset plus garden variety accessories you'd expect to find in a retail package (headset, stylus, pouch, USB cable, and the like), while the Advanced package adds in some additional hardware for really ripping the phone to shreds and tricking it out. The goal is to make sure devs have a healthy catalog of apps ready by the time Joe Consumer gets his hands on one in a few months, at which point the hardware will be even better with the addition WiFi, 256MB of onboard Flash, two onboard accelerometers, and a faster core. We're countin' on ya, code heads![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Total Console pre-built Wii mod "I-case" is shiny, but so 1998
Hey, we've got nothing against LED abundance, or even a bit of translucency here or there to let the light shine through, but we're not sure we're quite ready to relive those heady "design revolution" years of '98-'00, where shiny, see through, iMac-inspired gadgets reigned supreme. At least this I-case Wii mod isn't bondi blue, or we just might have to quit the biz. The good news is Total Console is selling this mod as a kit for a mere $45, so you won't have any more blood on your hands than is already implied.[Via Digg]
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI Wii-ward
Must ... resist ... urge to use "Thwii" pun ...Now that we've sufficiently girded, here's the news: the PS2 Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI is getting an enhanced port on the Wii, to be released in Japan on March 21st with the enhanced title Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI with Power-Up Kit. Along with the obvious Wiimote functionality, the game will be getting some new gameplay modes and scenarios.After trying to figure out the first NES Romance, we swore the series off forever. Kudos to those of you who managed to play these things.[Via GAME Watch]
Keep It Together 1.3.1
Reinvented Software's Keep It Together hit version 1.3 (and then 1.3.1) last week, which got me to take another look at the organizer app. If you're familiar with Bare Bones' Yojimbo, then the interface for KIT will seem reasonably familiar, and the feature set is pretty close as well -- both can serve as a 'super scrapbook' with storage for text notes, URLs and PDFs (including a handy Print dialog "Save PDF to..." tool). The big differences with KIT: subtract Yojimbo's secure notes, password storage capabilities and Sync Services mojo; add arbitrary file handling (either direct import or aliases) and separate buckets for movies, images and sounds.KIT is available for 15-day evaluation and will cost you $24.95 after that; compare with Yojimbo's $39 tariff.
Spatula + e-recipes = coo.boo
We love a good concept design as much as the next gadget site -- even those designs a little far fetched. But despite our inability to nail down a decent e-book reader for den studying purposes, we're still happy to adopt the concept in another place we could a little help navigating: the kitchen. The hours we work writing about gadgets, we've long since abandoned our dream of making an appearance on Iron Chef, but we could definitely see ourselves spending a few more hours over a hot stove with the IF Design Award-winning coo.boo recipe-reading e-spatula handy. We've got no real idea how far away we are from an actual teflon coated heat-resistent display that would make something like the coo.boo possible, but given the chance we might just veer ever so slightly to jump on an embedded display cocktail shaker instead.[Via Shiny Shiny]
SK-Pang's Gogic Five hobby bot
As much fun as the KHR-1HVs of the world are, not everybody is quite ready for that kind of commitment -- or that many servo motors to plug together. Enter the Gogic Five from SK-Pang, which features a more digestible 5 servo motors, but can still walk around, punch and kick with the best of them. The bot features an SD card slot for loading programs, and Gogic can play back audio from its memory slot as well -- we're sure Nabaztag/tag and Gogic would get along swimmingly. You can program the robot via Windows XP or Mac OS X, or use a general-purpose TV remote to control the bot. Unfortunately, with all his simplicity, Gogic Five still isn't exactly a steal: the kit will cost you 28,000 yen (about $239) when it debuts in late January. Pre-orders start December 15th.[Via Impress]Read - Gogic FiveRead - Gogic Five's awesome music video
Kondo KHR-2HV robot kit headed for international waters
If you find you've "outgrown" your Lego Mindstorms kit (as if!), and are looking to get into the humanoid robot game without putting a second mortgage on your house or pursuing an advanced degree, Kondo just started shipping the KHR-2HV humanoid robot kit to us non-Japanese sods. Kondo's KHR-1 was all well and good, but the KHR-2HV includes more controls, gears and servos, along with improved software and looks. The 2HV can even manage back flips and cartwheels if you've got the technical chops to slap this thing together. Plus, at $1,199 (via Japanese importer AudioCubes) it's practically a steal, and we hear with these smaller models it's fairly unlikely they'll try to kidnap your spouse and children in an effort to grab power from municipal governments. Hopefully this means we have another MANOI on the way as well, since we can't say the 2HV looks quite as swell in the buff.[Via I4U]
Parrot's NOMAD handsfree kit promises killer sound quality
There's certainly no shortage of Bluetooth handsfree kits designed to keep your hands on the wheel (without necessarily making you safer), but they can be notoriously difficult to use in noisy environments -- like cars, for example. Parrot is showing off its new NOMAD kit, touting the three years of research it allegedly poured into signal processing algorithms to maximize sound quality. The device conveniently clips to a visor and seems portable enough to tote around as a personal speakerphone, offering 10 hours of talk time and over a week of standby. Pricing is unknown, but expect it drop this month.[Via BlueTomorrow]
StoryZOT
MacZOT is back with more ambiguity in the form of a special edition triple-Xtreme MysteryZOT they're calling StoryZOT. Three mustery developers talk about their pasts, how they came to write software, and their philosophies on various issues. One application out of each of the developer's software offerings will be included in the StoryZOT bundle, valued at around 70 bucks, but selling for only $6. Until now, no one, not even the over 1000 people who have already shelled out the cash for the package, knew what they were getting. I however, using my stealth, cunning, and l33t hax0r skillz, have been able to pry from an inside source the fact that one of the apps in the bundle will be KIT from Reinvented Software.
Marware announces universal Nike + iPod sensor pouch
Aside from all the pioneering DIYers out there, we've already found one retail accessory from Nike themselves that lets you use the Nike + iPod kit with any shoe, but now Marware has joined the race with their Sportsuit Sensor+ (looks like the '+' is becoming a hot new accessory to accessory names). This tiny pouch is form-fitted for the sensor and can attach to any shoe's laces via velcro. As icing on the cake, the pouch also has room to store the wireless receiver when not in use, and it protects the sensor "from all the elements that serious runners encounter." I guess they could've said 'it's weatherproof,' but that doesn't have the same flair.The Sportsuit Sensor+ is a mere $10 and is available for pre-order now.[via iLounge]
The Nike + iPod Sport Kit is now available
Lace up those running shoes kids, cuz Apple just released the Nike + iPod Sport Kit. You've been able to pre-order it almost since the original announcement, but I just received an announcement email from Apple and sure 'nuff: the store lists them as 'now shipping'.Unfortunately, I can't track down anything about the rumored kit that works with any shoes, not just the $85-100 shoes Nike is pimping as compatible with this kit. Most likely, if this kit exists, I would imagine it'll be some time before it's released so Nike can sell some of these fancy new shoes.
Koolance's pricey Xbox 360 cooling kit
We're not sure what type of person would spend as much on cooling their Xbox 360 as they spent on the console itself, but the folks at Koolance must think they're out there, buried under bags of Doritos and aging laptops in dank cellars; probably why they're releasing a heavy duty liquid cooling kit for the hefty sum of $394.99 US. The kit (available in silver or black) includes Koolance's Exos-LT cooling system, CPU and GPU liquid blocks, an AC power adapter, and mounting hardware for the Xbox. However, Koolance is quick to warn that performing the necessary modifications to your Xbox is "not for the faint of heart" and that it will certainly void your warranty, meaning that there's a good chance you'll inflict more harm on your console by messing with it than a little over-heating could ever do -- and you'll be stuck without a way to return it. Par for the course though, right?[Via Joystiq]
Get your run on - Apple taking preorders for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit
It looks as though Apple is officially taking pre-orders for the $30 Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a customized wireless transmitter and receiver set that helps you track your run by integrating with Apple's iPod nano. The tips started pouring in, and sure enough, it's up in the store in all its über-branding glory. Fortunately, more compatible shoes have also been added to the Nike Plus site, though I'm sure pioneering DIYers are scoffing at the thought of purchasing a pair, and are already hard at work at assembling specs and carving out their present running gear (I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to see a guide for this; send in those tips people!). On a related note, TUAW reader Aaron sent us a question that y'all might want to bat around: has anyone heard about the battery life of this kit? Aaron noticed that this kit's specs mention the battery in the shoe transmitter is not replaceable, so those who run 8 miles a day like Aaron (or who I'll refer to as: RoboRunner) might have to find out how much juice these things hold before they kick the bucket. On the other hand, I'm sure in a couple of months Apple will whip out a $40 charging dock for the $30 sensor kit and make all this worrying about battery life a moot point.
