Hasta La Gadget!

This is the Cybertech T-RON custom electric guitar. Hutchinson Guitar Concepts probably named it so to avoid any trademark issues, but we all know it’s referring to the hit 1982 sci-fi flick Tyrannosaurus Ron, a movie about the last dinosaur who knew how to play guitar. I hear it’s getting a remake.

Either that, or it’s inspired by TRON: Legacy. Probably TRON: Legacy. The design borrows from the sequel’s aesthetics, specifically the inlaid tubes of blue light. The guitar is actually a sequel of sorts as well. It’s a spin off of an earlier custom guitar, from which it also gets the Cybertech name.

Like its predecessor, the Cybertech T-RON has an XY MIDIpad MIDI controller, but this time Hutchinson also installed a Ghost pick-up system alongside the Gibson humbuckers. The two devices should make it easy to add effects or change the tune of the guitar’s sound. The guitar also has locking tuners and a custom made through-body string retainer.

Sadly you’d have to be a rock star or an ENCOM exec to be able to afford the guitar. Hutchinson Guitar Concepts is selling the Cybertech T-RON for £4,000 (~$6,250 USD).

[via Obvious Winner]

Pwnie Express first made waves in the hacking and cybersecurity community when they released the Pwn Plug, a device that looks like an electric air freshener but is actually a computer used for penetration testing, i.e. assessing a computer network’s security by attacking it. Their latest product is much bigger, but still covert.

The Power Pwn is a fully functioning power strip, with eight 120/240V AC outlets. But it’s also a “fully-integrated, enterprise-class penetration testing platform.” It runs Debian 6 and is loaded with tunneling and snooping software. It has internal Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, as well as a 3G external antenna for long distance pwning.

If you understood the previous paragraph – I certainly didn’t – you might want to head to Pwnie Express for more information or to pre-order the Power Pwn. It costs $1,295 (USD) and should be available by September 30. Meanwhile I’m going to check my power strips for Ethernet ports.

[Thanks, Sir Mason!]

I guess it was only a matter of time before 3D printers were able to replicate or start making some more, shall we say “handy” tools. Check out what amateur gunsmith HaveBlue was able to do with his own 3D printer! Yep, that’s an AR-15!

HaveBlue 3D-printed out the lower receiver portion of an rifle after assembling it onto a .223 upper portion. Apart from a few little problems, HaveBlue states that the rifle functions like a real one, and has actually fired over 200 rounds with it.

While the metal firing components and barrel of the gun weren’t 3D printed, it’s still impressive that a good chunk of this weapon was fabricated using 3D printing.

[via TNW via Ubergizmo]

Using cassettes to create mixtapes was a fun time to spend an afternoon when you were a kid. There’s something oddly pleasing about this analog media format. Thankfully, if you’ve got a MakerBot in your shed, you can make a modern version of the mixtape, by 3D printing an MP3 player in the shape of a cassette.

The MakerBot Mixtape looks like a cassette tape, but it’s actually a 3D-printed MP3 player with 2 GB of storage. It has buttons for play, pause, forward and backward. The charge lasts four hours and a USB cable is used to charge it up. Keep in mind that its the case that’s 3D printed, and the electronic circuitry inside is most definitely  not.

If you’ve got a MakerBot, you can print it in a number of different colors and designs. You can get a kit for $25 (USD). If you haven’t got a 3D printer, then you can buy one already made up for $39.

[via DVice]

As you know, we love LEGO bricks around here. There’s something just so amazing about the billions of different creative things you can do with these little modular components. Now, you can combine your LEGO enthusiasm with your iPod Touch with a single gadget – the TinkerBrick case.

The TinkerBrick is a special LEGO-compatible iPod Touch case, which allows you to integrate your iOS device into your LEGO creations. This isn’t like some of the other LEGO cases I’ve seen which just let you snap a couple of bricks on your phone. This case is specifically made so you can use your iOS gadget as a component of your LEGO builds. For instance, let’s say you want to make a strummable LEGO guitar, where the iPod Touch acts as the frets. Perfect. Simply build your LEGO guitar, snap your iPod Touch into the TinkerBrick, and then attach it to the fretboard. Voila!

The sky is really the limit. With the TinkerBrick case, you can use your iPod Touch as a screen and input device within LEGO builds, so you can create interactive creatures and gadgets with LEGO accessories.

The TinkerBrick case is available in red, black, white and yellow versions, but at this point, the TinkerBrick case is available only for the iPod Touch (4th Gen.) I’m hopeful that they’ll release the case for other devices like the iPhone and iPad, as I could see plenty of possibilities for integrating those devices into LEGO builds as well. You can get your hands on a TinkerBrick case over on Amazon now for $32.95(USD).