Hasta La Gadget!

There are plenty of R/C flying toys on the market these days, but I don’t know of many that can actually launch projectiles. The iStrike Shuttle is a flying drone which can not only buzz around, but can drop ping pong balls.

While I wish it could drop hundreds of balls, a la Mr. Moose, it can only drop one at a time. But that’s one more than my AR.Drone can do. Dream Cheeky’s iStrikeShuttle features a built-in gyroscopic technology to help it keep stable and balanced in flight, and can be controlled by your iOS device using Bluetooth connectivity.

The guys at Dream Cheeky are extremely close to having a production version ready, and just need to raise some funds to get the project over the finish line. If you’re one of the first 200 to head over to Kickstarter to support the iStrike Shuttle, you can grab one for $85(USD), a significant discount off the $129.99 retail price. Assuming they can hit their $30,000 fundraising goal by Thanksgiving, you should have one in hand in time for Christmas.

Way back in December 2010, we built an awesome Mini-ITX gaming PC dubbed the Wee Ass-Kicking Machine. It featured a Core i7-870 CPU, a GeForce GTX 460 GPU, 4GB of DDR3, a 1TB hard drive, and a 120GB SSD-all crammed into a Silverstone SG07 chassis not much larger than a shoebox. The total cost? Around $1,600 (at the time). More »

Apple only offers its iPhone 5 in sober black or white/gray, and while I respect their minimalist design sensibilities, some people might want more color options for their smartphone companion. Well, if you’re willing to pay more than double the asking price of the unlocked 16GB iPhone 5, you can get whatever color iPhone you want, along with the ability to mix and match for freakish, eye-burning results.

ColorWare is offering the iPhone 5 with customizable colors for the outer edge, rear panel, home button, SIM tray and top and bottom rear glass (faceplate unfortunately must remain the standard black or white). They provide an unlocked 64 GB GSM iPhone 5 as part of the deal, but that still means you’re paying $850 more than you would at the unlocked price for U.S. hardware.

And maybe I’m jaded, but to me all the splashes of color seem to really accomplish is to prove that Apple was right in sticking with basic black and white.

The average office drone would hardly go through more than a couple of mice throughout his or her tenure in the same company, as these are generally hardy devices. I suppose the last leap in technology the average office made in the past decade was to move on from trackball to optical mice. Well, the $99.99 Scanner Mouse might just prove to be the impetus for yet another round of change in the office. Not only does this bad boy point, scroll and click, it is also able to scan certain segments of a particular document without having to install a full sized scanner at your desk.

Bear in mind the Scanner Mouse is unable to do whole sheets of A4 paper, but rather, you will need to manually glide it over documents. So if you are game for some light scanning without the need to do page after page of scans, then this is the ideal tool for you. OCR technology will also help convert scanned text for editing purposes. The Scanner Mouse is capable of scanning documents as large as 16.5″ x 11.7″ in high-resolution 320dpi.

[ Scanner Mouse does more than just point-and-click copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Chevrolet is looking to shake up the compact car market with the announcement of the Sonic Dusk. It will officially be announced at next week’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, NV on October 30. There, the company will unveil a new, production-ready version of the Sonic sedan.

The Sonic Dusk appeared at last year’s SEMA show as a concept car, and now Chevrolet is looking to turn the vehicle from a concept into a reality. Chevrolet’s vice president of marketing, Chris Perry, said that “the reaction to the Sonic Dusk concept last year was overwhelmingly positive and proved customers are interested in a more-refined subcompact. We’re moving quickly to bring Sonic Dusk to Chevrolet showrooms.”

The production model of Sonic Dusk comes with some cosmetic changes compared to last year’s concept model. For example, there’s the ashen grey paint job, the rear spoiler, and 18-inch aluminum wheels finished in pearl nickel. There’s also bits of matte on the grilles, as well as on the door handle inserts and trim around the license plate frame.

On the inside, the Dusk features leather-trimmed seats with suede accents and mojave tan inserts. There’s also mojave accent stitching and tan-colored accents on the door panels and instrument panels, which enhance the interior’s ambience. It’s also equipped with Chevrolet’s MyLink “infotainment” system, which can integrate a smartphone with the stereo system either via Bluetooth, plug-in outlet or USB.

The Sonic Dusk has a Ecotec 1.4-liter turbocharged engine rated at 138 horsepower and 148 pound feet of torque. 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions will be available. Chevrolet is hoping for a late-2012 release of the car, and should have a performance-focused RS model out at the same time as well.

Chevrolet Sonic Dusk officially starting production is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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