Hasta La Gadget!

Sometimes I run across tech products that cross two different geek genres. That is certainly the case with this cool flash drive that merges car guy geekery with tech geek appeal. This official BMW flash drive has 8 GB of flash storage inside and looks like the actual M series carbon fiber key fob you get with factory hopped up BMW sports cars.

The flash drive has buttons that look like the ones for unlocking the door and the trunk, and has the official BMW logo and the M logo as well. The USB connector can be extended or retracted by pressing the trunk release button. The other buttons on the flash drive key fob surface do nothing but sit there looking authentic.

If you absolutely have to have one of these for yourself, you can order one direct from BMW for only $38. However, if you go full poser, attach it to your keychain, and pretend you actually own a BMW M vehicle, car guys will mock you.

[via EverythingUSB]

If you are a board game fan, you will recognize what this is immediately, an amazing LEGO version of Settlers of Catan. If you don’t know what that is, you have been missing out on a fun board game.

This Settlers of Catan board made entirely out of LEGO parts and that makes it pretty awesome. It is completely functional and was being shown off by creator Ryan H. at this year’s Brickworld convention. It features interlocking tiles and the tiles actually look like the different resources that they are supposed to represent. You can still put the roads and settlements on the board too.

It might be hard to transport, but if you show up with this at your local game night, people are going to freak out. This must have taken him a lot of time to finish. Awesome work!

[via Brothers Brick via Geekosystem]

I don’t know about you, but ever since I saw the 1984 movie called Tank with James Garner, I’ve had a desire to drive a tank for myself. I think it would be awesome to drive the tank and if they let me shoot its gigantic gun, I might have a nerdgasm. Well, as it turns out, there’s a park in southern Minnesota that can fulfill your tank-driving dreams.

The business is called, aptly enough, Drive-a-Tank and offers any driver the chance to get behind the controls of surplus military tanks and other armored vehicles. The park allows you to drive them around an old limestone quarry and you can even smash junk cars.

The tanks used at the park are Cold War era surplus items and there are now 11 different vehicles available on the 20-acre site. The site is 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis if you’re thinking about going. A basic package that lets you drive the tank and shoot a machine gun is $399. You can also go for more expensive packages that let you drive several vehicles and shoot other weapons including assault rifles. If you want to smash your own junker car with the tank, you need to cough up $549. If you want even more, for $3500 you can drive the tank through a trailer house.

[via Washington Post]

Google unveiled its slick 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet this week at its Google I/O conference. This little tablet will sell for $199 when it launches in the middle of July and will be running the Android Jelly Bean 4.1 OS. If you have your heart set on one of the little tablets and you’re like me with a drawer full of old gadgets you don’t use, you might want to swing by GameStop.

GameStop is offering a special deal to people who bring in old gadgets to trade on a pre-order of the Nexus 7 tablet. The retailer will give you 30% more for any item you trade in towards the pre-order of the little Google tablet. That 30% extra trade is good on video game hardware, software, accessories, and other smartphones and tablets.

Trade values for old Android tablets can go up to $250 depending on the condition and the tablet, so you might even be able to trade in an older tablet and walk out with a shiny new one. If you have a bunch of stuff you don’t use anymore, this may be the perfect way to get yourself a new tablet.

There comes a time when gamers get sick of playing games and need to take a break, right? For some of you, taking a break means getting up to go pee, while for others, a break means watching some videos online. If you own a PS Vita, a new app is available for the portable game console that will allow you to watch YouTube videos on the go.

The official YouTube app for PS Vita is now available, and it takes advantage of both the Vita’s high-definition capability and the 3G connectivity some the consoles offer. If you have the 3G version of the Vita, you can watch videos at home or on the go using the mobile connectivity. The app supports recommended videos, search, storage or viewing history, and allows you to add favorites.

The videos will be offered in two viewing modes including full screen and small screen. In full-screen mode a control panel will be displayed on the screen to allow you to expand or minimize videos. Video resolution of up to 720p is supported and the videos can be viewed in HD or SD mode.