Hasta La Gadget!

Oh, Brando — how you make our hearts flutter. One day, you’re pumping out new kit fit only for our Crapgadget roundup; the next, you’re delivering gems such as this. The 5-bay HDD Paper Storage Box with Cover covertly hides up to five of your precious 3.5-inch hard drives, and it likely provides more security for your personal information than a fireproof lock box. ‘Cause really, what data thief is going to shuffle through a cardboard container looking for valuable platters?

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Brando’s Paper Storage Box inconspicuously hides your HDDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

People are already using Canon’s groundbreaking 5D Mark II to shoot feature films, but we never thought we’d see the next Jaws captured with a DSLR. ‘Course, whether or not Mr. Spielberg will actually choose to use one remains to be seen, but at least the option’s there now. Famed underwater imaging company Sea&Sea has just outed its newest waterproof casing, promising to keep the 1080p-capable DSLR safe for up to 60 meters under the surface. The only issue? It’ll set you back almost as much as the camera body, or ¥283,500 ($2,998). Good thing you’ve got a Hollywood-sized budget, yeah?

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals

Waterproof 5D Mark II housing allows for 1080p under the sea originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 03:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

It would be nice if this clunky, 1980s-style cellphone holder acted as a real add-on keyboard and display for a modern mobile, allowing you to go in for some retro charm and then, when bored of carrying this brick-sized box, slide out your iPhone and carry on as if nothing untoward had happened.

Sadly, it lacks any useful circuitry, and certainly won’t act as a functional dock for your phone. In fact, all it does is bark out one of five different phrases every time you get a call and if for some reason (like, you know, good taste) you decide to switch off this barrage of crap, it will instead flash to alert you.

At just £10 ($15) it’s probably worth it for the packaging alone, which looks to have been vomited out after a meal of hair-gel and fluorescent paint.

Product page [Go Frostfire via Red Ferret]

There’s certainly a need for a little, sturdy stand to prop up the iPhone whilst watching video, but we doubt that the iClooly is it, mostly because it adds too much bulk to the phone.

In “stand” mode, the iClooly works both vertically and horizontally, and the big clip curves down like a curlew’s beak to provide a secure, shake free “standing experience” (a marketing term we just invented). But in “teenage jeans pocket mode” it offers little more than a signal to pickpockets. “Here’s my iPhone” it calls, in the voice of the aforementioned curlew (it’s a piercing cry), “Please, steal me,” it wheedles, in a melancholic tone.

A missed opportunity, to be sure, and the company has clearly passed up the chance to make a protective case with a simple foldaway kick-stand and instead embraced the bird-spotting crowd. We can’t help but think that this might be a mistake, even in today’s market of niche products and “long-tails” (something the curlew doesn’t have). €25 ($33).

Product page [MaxiMobile via Likecool]

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got one of the first mophie Juice Pack Air units on the market (they just went on sale today, ya know!), which promises to provide lots of extra iPhone 3G runtime while doubling as a case. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Major thanks to mophie for providing the gear!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone 3G case / battery extender in Black. Approximate retail value is $79.95.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, April 21th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Filed under: Announcements, Cellphones, Peripherals

Engadget’s recession antidote: win a mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 3G! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments