Hasta La Gadget!

I can remember years ago standing in the game store in the mall playing the demo NeoGeo machine and wanting one so bad I could hardly stand it. I remember that original NeoGeo arcade system console being insanely expensive for the time. If you always wanted your own NeoGeo, you’ll be able to get one in early December for a much more reasonable price than the original’s $650 price.

The Neogeo X Gold will launch worldwide on December 6 of this year at an MSRP of $199.99(USD). The X Gold bundle will include the Neogeo X Station, the X Joystick and the NeoGeo X Handheld. The portable device has a 4.3-inch LCD display, expandable game card slot, internal stereo speakers, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The portable device also has 20 preloaded classic Neogeo video games.

The X Handheld is a portable gaming system that you can carry with you wherever you want to go for mobile gaming. When docked with the X Console, you can play video games on your big-screen TV via HDMI or AV outputs, while charging the handheld. The X Joystick let you play those classic games with the big and beefy classic arcade stick. If you’d like more details on the NeoGeo X Gold system, you can register your interest now over on their website.

Nikon has announced a new interchangeable lens digital mirrorless camera as a follow-up to last year’s popular, but less-than-perfect J1. The new Nikon 1 J2 camera is available in six colors and uses an all-metal body along with several updated features.

The camera is capable of recording full HD video and has an image resolution of 8.3 megapixels – which is actually lower than the 10.1MP J1, so it’s not clear if the J2 is a replacement for the J1 or if it’s an additional model in the line. The camera has an ISO range of 100-3200 and can shoot with fixed focus at 60 FPS. The shutter promises to be very fast thanks to what Nikon claims to be the one of the fastest autofocus systems around. The camera has a three-inch rear LCD with a resolution of 921,000 dots.

The camera is fitted with the Nikon EXPEED 3 image processor and has a number of automatic and artistic modes. The camera can also shoot still photos while recording full HD video. Pricing and availability on the camera are unknown at this time.

If you watch The Wire or Breaking Bad, you’ve probably seen the characters use pre-paid cellphones to make their conversations, more, like, secretive. Yo. Anyway these phones are also called burners, hence the name of this new app.

Burner lets iPhone users create temporary phone numbers that can be used to send and receive SMS or calls, just like “real” phone numbers. Users can create as many numbers as they want provided they have enough credits, which are bought in-app. Users can set expiry dates for the numbers or “burn” them whenever they want. It’s not as badass as cracking a phone in half and throwing it in the trash while sporting a mean and/or contemplative look though.

Burner is available on the iTunes App Store for $1.99 (USD). Yo. Kafkaesque. Bitch.

[via The High Definite]

I’ll admit that this thing doesn’t cost twice what my iPad cost, because I have the 64GB 4G version, but it’s still very expensive. The question is, is it worth it? This system is from a company that specialized in luxurious automotive accessories, but decided to create something for the mobile computing sector as well.

The STRUT LaunchPort is basically a fancy docking stand for your iPad. There’s a matching case that will allow you to charge your iPad inductively, which means that there are no wires involved. It’s handcrafted from stainless steel, and triple-coated in chrome. The case comes in walnut burl, carbon fiber, leopard print or sparkle pink. While it does look pretty good, I’m not sure it’s worth the $1,250 (USD) sticker price. Does it make you feel any better to know the dock is $1,000 and the case is $250? Didn’t think so.

Nevertheless, it will go on sale later this month. I guess it’s something to consider if you’ve got money to burn. From the photos, the accompanying case looks quite heavy, especially if it’s made out of walnut. I wonder how heavy it will make your iPad.

[via Ubergizmo]

There’s an app for that. I’ve actually said that today, while I was teaching a class, and yep, there actually was an app for that. Las Vegas startup Romotive takes this to another level with their Romo robot, a robot designed to use your smartphone as its brain.

Romo uses all available hardware of your smartphone to help it accomplish multiple tasks, like wander around, dance to music, and stream video to a controller. Users can direct the little treaded robot across a Wi-Fi network. The gadget is being constantly improved by participants, and new behaviors can be downloaded through a custom app store.

The company supports developers through their Romotive SDK, allowing anyone to build and distribute new apps for Romo. Romo costs $149(USD) and comes with free software. It works with Android and iOS.

[via designboom]