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Iomega's 500GB 'Skin' external HDDs boast designs your mom wouldn't approve of
For better or worse, these ain't your grandmother's hard drives. Iomega has teamed up with Skin Industries in order to debut some of the wildest, zaniest looking 2.5-inch portable HDDs this planet has ever seen, with a trio of designs shipping today. When speaking with the company, we were told that these three were sort of a trial run to see if consumers were actually into such exotic pieces, but we got the impression that we may end up seeing more if this does indeed spark a new craze. The Iomega Skin drives -- outside of the exterior -- aren't that radical within; you'll find USB 2.0 connectivity and a single 500GB option to choose from. For now, $119.99 gets you a Knock Out, Red Hot or Radical (shown above and throughout) skinned hard drive, and while we didn't exactly expect these to be crafted with precision, we were thrilled to find that our own unit had the logos baked into the plastic -- no stickers or decals here. If you're into the graphics, the drive itself looks pretty sharp, but we can't help but wish there was an option to slap our own Photoshop creations onto this thing. In related news, SIIG managed to push out the world's first 4- and 7-port USB 3.0 hubs, which handled a multi-drive transfer with poise and precision during our brief testing; of course, we couldn't push the new Iomega drive to SuperSpeed or anything, but if you're in need of a product to help you simultaneously connect all seven of the USB 3.0 devices in existence today, they're available in the US for $59.99 a pop.%Gallery-96060% %Gallery-96061%
Kin skin for Windows Mobile 6.5 leads to more questions than answers
How would we like to replace the UI on our Windows Mobile 6.5 phone with the Kin UI? Well, we never really thought about it, we suppose... and frankly, we're not sure why anyone else did, either. Alas, KinLauncher is here, delivering a pretty authentic Kin-esque home screen but not much else -- as soon as you touch anything, you'll be dumped back into the cold comfort of WinMo (or Sense, as the case may be). It's available for download, if you're really into that sort of thing -- but if you'd rather enjoy the carnage from a safe distance, there's a video 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.
KARVT wooden MacBook skins -- because sometimes aluminum just isn't enough
Is the Apple logo on your MacBook not brash enough for everyone in the coffee shop to see? Is that streamlined aluminum appearance too Pro for you? Time to enter the newly opened KARVT online store, where unabashed Apple fans can finally add the sophistication of "100% real authentic wood" to their beloved machines. Most popular tastes can be accommodated, with different shades of cherry, bamboo, pine, and walnut on offer, and there's even an artists' section where some design flair is added to your timberrific purchase. The skins will fit on any recent Apple laptops, and prices are $35 for the wood grain or $50 for the artsy ones, with deliveries starting on May 1. Bargain or what? %Gallery-89975%
Sony VAIO E series keyboard skins spotted in the wild
Sony's new VAIO E series laptops are already pretty colorful to begin with, but it looks like those still not satisfied with their options can also do a bit of accessorizing courtesy of Sony itself, which is offering a series of keyboard skins for the laptop. Similar to protective skins from the likes of zCover and others, these skins run $20 apiece, and are available in your choice of green, blue, purple, black or pink. What's more, according to the folks at Sony Insider, they supposedly improve the feel of the keyboard, and don't seem like they're prone to falling off after a bit of use. Hit up the link below for a taste of some of the other color combinations available.
Windows Phone 7 Series will have themes... sort of
It's no TouchFLO or SPB Mobile Shell, but it turns out you will be able theme Windows Phone 7 Series... a little. Although we've only ever seen the classy "dark" theme with the black background, Microsoft just demoed a "light" theme with dark text on a white background. Earth-shattering, we know. Both themes also have selectable accent colors, but don't expect to go crazy here: your choices are red, orange, green and blue. We're hoping all of these options will be expanded over time, but for now it's not looking like a customizer's dream come true. %Gallery-88403%
Jaxbot's Windows Phone 7 Series Theme now available in beta (video)
Even if your handset of choice won't be eligible for upgrade to Windows Phone 7, there's no reason you can't enjoy the look and feel of Microsoft's latest and greatest with a well-executed skin, right? Looks like Jaxbot's Windows Phone 7 Series Theme is available in passable beta form -- great news for any and all of you jealous WinMo 6.5 users who might be reading this -- and it can be had right now (as in now!) at the XDA Developers forum. Want to see it do its thing? Peep the video after the break.
Skinput: because touchscreens never felt right anyway (video)
Microsoft looks to be on a bit of a hot streak with innovations lately, and though this here project hasn't received much hype (yet), we'd say it's one of the most ingenious user interface concepts we've come across. Skinput is based on an armband straddling the wearer's biceps and detecting the small vibrations generated when the user taps the skin of his arm. Due to different bone densities, tissue mass and muscle size, unique acoustic signatures can be identified for particular parts of the arm or hand (including fingers), allowing people to literally control their gear by touching themselves. The added pico projector is there just for convenience, and we can totally see ourselves using this by simply memorizing the five input points (current maximum, 95.5 percent accuracy), particularly since the band works even if you're running. Make your way past the break to see Tetris played in a whole new way.
Windows Phone 7 Series themes for WinMo abound in dev forums
We know that it ain't always practical or desirable to put money down on a phone every time a new OS or interface comes out -- so what is a gadget hound to do when they realize their hardware won't be supported by Windows Phone 7 Series? Well, if you're anything like these enterprising individuals you roll your own. Both Jaxbot and LeSScro, members of the XDA Developers forum, have skins in the works that mimic the new OS on WinMo devices with varying degrees of success. The work of the former is still pretty slow and buggy but it does offer some functionality -- including info on live tiles and the ability to see upcoming appointments on your lock screen. The latter theme, on the other hand, sports time, date, and notifications on the lock screen, profile settings, transitional animations, a handful of hubs (including games, media, and Office), and an apps launcher. Check out the source links for more info -- but not before checking out the demo videos after the break. [Thanks, Geever]
iPhone accessories from Toy Fair 2010
Woot.com is one of my favorite sites on the entire Internet -- not only do they offer some great deals, and not only are they witty folks, but they're from my original hometown of St. Louis, MO. They recently went to the Toy Fair 2010, and in their roundup of the best stuff they saw are a few fun iPhone-related toys and goodies. First up is this monster-style iPhone skin that you can see above -- obviously, it's not the most practical way to protect your iPhone, but it does look cool. Apparently it's not in production yet, and there's no word on price, but we'll keep an eye out. And then there's the My Ami Entertainment Holder, which is a bear with a place to put your iPhone so your kids can watch movies on it. Um, yeah. Not quite as cool as the robot iPhone skin, but a little more functional. Still, if your kids can't be troubled to hold their own iPhone, maybe they shouldn't be watching movies anyway. And geez, if we're going to have a place to set the iPhone in a teddy bear's lap, can we at least get a dock to plug it in to?
HTC enhances Sense with Leap and Friend Stream (updated with video)
Our recent chance encounter with a multitouch-friendly iteration of HTC's Sense UI turns out to have been a preview of the company's latest version of the software. Announcing that it has "enhanced" the already quite delectable skin, HTC has noted it'll be available preloaded on the brand new Desire and Legend handsets, and as a free download for the venerable Hero. So what's new? The press event this morning told us about Leap, the new pinching function that allows you to view all your home screens at once (see above), and Friend Stream, which aims to be your social media aggregator du jour with its one stream combining Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates. There's also a new newsreader application and widget, along with additional improvements to the browser and web client. You'll find the full PR after the break and early impressions of the new interface in our hands-on with the new phones. Update: See a full walkthrough of the new UI in a video after the break.
TAT Home: the gesture-powered 3D home screen your Android device has longed for
It's hard to believe this homegrown home screen actually runs as quickly as the video demo (posted up after the break) shows, but even if it's just 89.877 percent as fast, we have a good idea we'd be interested. TAT Home is a gesture-powered 3D home screen for Android, and it relies heavily on cascading windows and finger flicks in order to improve your navigational efficiency. Clueless as to what we're referring to? Jump past the break and mash play, and then surf on over to the source link to sign up for the preview program. [Thanks, Jesper]
Ageye Infinity skin yet another way to make WinMo 6.5 suck less
If you don't have the good fortune of owning a Windows Mobile 5 or 6.x device that came preinstalled with a replacement UI (like TouchFLO, for instance) and you haven't ponied up for something like SPB Mobile Shell, there's a new kid on the block that might be worth your attention. Ageye's Infinity skin totally revamps WinMo's look and feel, taking it right down the middle of the iPhone-Android divide with features like a slider lock screen, home screen widgets, and a revamped status bar that doesn't look the same as it did in 2003. Ageye's got a long way to go to make this thing usable -- it's being considered an alpha release for the moment -- but it's a project that's probably worth keeping your eye on if you're in the market for some flashy new visuals. Hit the break for Pocketnow.com's video demo.
Philips develops color e-paper, wants to skin your gadgets with it
Our first reaction to this was to think just how wildly unnecessary "e-skins" are, but then we saw that slide up there and started to see the (electronic) light. Philips appears to have struck upon its own version of Kent Displays' electronic skins, which requires no backlighting, operating by reflecting ambient light instead. Based on similar tech to e-books, this invention is initially targeted at generating colorful covers for things like mobile phones and mp3 players, but it's said to be "highly scalable" and e-wallpapers and light-dimming windows could be on the cards if things continue developing. And of course, no "water cooker" would be left behind. %Gallery-79970%
Phat Loot Phriday: Mystifying Charm
Here's a spooky looking offhand for current endgame casters. If you have an item you'd like to see here next week, shout it out in the comments below, please. Name: Mystifying Charm (Wowhead, Thottbot, Armory) Type: Epic Offhand Damage/Speed: N/A Attributes: +65 Stamina, +65 Intellect, +57 Spirit Improves crit strike rating by 57 and spell power by 100. %Gallery-33600%
Bandai unleashes beauty tool to detect the condition, mood of your skin
This is the kind of gadget we'd assume was a joke -- if we didn't know that it wasn't. Bandai -- makers of such useful time wasters as the Tamagotchi and the little doohickey that helps women "understand" men -- has just unveiled a new device which should make you feel even less comfortable inside your own skin. Partnering up with Japanese cosmetics company FANCL, Bandai's Skin Expert is a tiny device which you apparently hold up to your face to receive detailed information on its 'quality' and health. Now, all of the information we can find about this little guy is in Japanese, so excuse us for our mystification on how the doodad works, but we'll tell you this: we're definitely buying it if it shows up on Sephora. The Bandai Skin Expert will be unleashed in Japan on November 30th for ¥3,750 (about $40). There's one more super informative shot after the break. [Via Hobby Blog]
Gelaskin review: Dark Horse style!
It's likely you've heard of GelaSkins before. They make stickers to cover a variety of gear. They are of a nice thickness with a slight texture, and removal won't hurt either your equipment or the GelaSkin itself (if you're careful). Here's the latest project from the GelaSkin folks: They have partnered with Dark Horse Comics to release skins featuring art from Dark Horse titles. You may remember the announcement earlier this year at San Diego Comic-Con that these were coming; and now they are available for pre-order (the first wave is available next Friday). They're starting off properly, too: Buffy, Hellboy, Mr Toast, and Umbrella Academy to name a few. (NOTE: While GelaSkin makes skins for a variety of devices, the Dark Horse line is limited to 13"/15" laptops and iPhones.) One of the things I have always loved about GelaSkins is the quality of the printing on them, and these skins are no different. I have laid my eyes and hands upon the iPhone varieties of the Buffy Season 8 #1 skin and the Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite skin, and they are beautiful in person. Add to that the coordinating wallpaper created to go with each skin, and now you have covered the front AND the back of your iPhone with something pretty cool.
Custom Arkham Asylum skins unmask Batman's identity issues
One of the incentives to play Batman: Arkham Asylum on PC (outside of a lower price and PhysX graffix) is the ability to create custom skins. The community has quickly gotten to work and flooded the official forums with screen grabs of the various outfits modders have designed. Aside from the obvious The Dark Knight and classic Bats skins, there's a neat Green Lantern variation and, pictured above, a recession-conscious Batman opting for Old Navy–esque cargos instead of the usual rubbery expensive stuff. Hey, they breathe better, right?Hit up the thread to check 'em all out.
Infectious 'Cut to the Core' design challenge winners
We reported the Infectious "Cut to the Core" design contest a while back, but the winners have just been announced and their designs are truly gorgeous. I rarely sticker my computers, but the Infectious skins are vinyl and won't leave a mess behind when you remove them. These designs are created to work around the glowing Apple logo on the top half of your notebook computers, and the winners really hit the mark. Congratulations to Jun Nuñez who takes home first prize of $1000 for his vision of the Apple logo as the pulsing heart of a robot with ReCharged. Kudos as well to Aren Vandenburgh and his design "Creative Workflow, Dimo Trifonov and his old-school rainbow striped Back to Basics and to Jamal Issawi and his arcade game-inspired Mac Man. You can buy the winners' designs directly from Infectious for your 13", 15" and 17" Mac laptops. Skins cost $29.99 each. Check out the winners in the gallery, below. %Gallery-72458%
Motorola introduces the MOTOBLUR Android skin
As expected, Motorola just introduced its Android strategy at the Mobilize conference, and it's based around a skin called Blur -- or MOTOBLUR if you're feeling cute. It's built around social networking, and it features live widgets that integrate Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, MySpace, Yahoo, Last.fm and more. Like Palm's Synergy, Blur aggregates all your contacts into a single address book, but it shows you recent status updates along with photos when contacts call you -- very slick. There's also remote wipe and GPS tracking like MobileMe.%Gallery-72455%
