Hasta La Gadget!

While the Wii and Wii U are all about funky modern controllers, sometimes you just can’t beat a good old school gamepad or joystick to get your Virtual Console on. This third-party controller for Nintendo’s current-gen consoles looks like it fills the bill perfectly.

The Pro Controller U works with the Nintendo Wii, Wii U, and even Android devices as a bonus. It offers a built-in classic gamepad, complete with a proper D-Pad, surrounded by a pair of analog sticks, shoulder buttons and triggers for games that require them.

In addition, the Pro Controller U works as a Wii motion controller, and has built in speakers and vibration feedback as well. The wireless controller offers a rechargeable battery pack as well.

You can grab this all-in-one controller for your Wii and Wii U over at ThinkGeek for $39.99(USD). While it does sound pretty awesome, you might want to check out the decidedly mixed reviews of what looks to be the same unit over at GameStop, before you plunk down your hard-earned cash.

[via GameFreaks]

If you’re an iPhone 5 user looking for a case to protect your device and in need of extra battery life, PowerSkin has announced a new product is now shipping. The product is called the PowerSkin for Apple iPhone 5 and is made from soft silicone.

The case leaves all of the phone’s controls open and available for use, and its maker promises that the iPhone 5 version is its thinnest design ever, adding only 0.3-inches of additional thickness to the iPhone 5. The case measures 2.5 x .65 x 5.1-inches and weighs only 0.18 pounds. That means that not only is the case incredibly thin, it’s also very light. Despite the fact that the case is very thin and light, it adds 1500 mAh of power to your smartphone. That means you can talk for an extra 6.5 hours, use Wi-Fi for an extra eight hours, and the phone will last on standby for an extra 182 hours.

The PowerSkin for iPhone 5 is available right now for $79.99(USD).

The Tesla Model S is an undeniably cool vehicle. The car looks great and has zero emissions while offering very impressive performance. The car has been dinged in recent reviews over its driving distance, but any purely electric vehicle will produce range anxiety. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently showed off a relatively unknown feature that the Model S offers.

It turns out that the high-tech car will play any song you ask for whenever you ask for it. You don’t have to have the music on a connected iPod or smartphone either. You simply press the steering wheel button, tell the car what song you want to hear, and Musk says the car will go on the Internet, find a stream of the song, and begin playing it immediately – presumably using the car’s built-in 3G data connection.

From the video demo, it appears that the whole process happens impressively fast. I’ve owned a car with the Ford Sync system in the past that would play songs from my iPhone using voice commands, and the delay for that system and a local device appears to be about as long as the Model S needs to grab a song from the Internet.

[via Businessweek]

For a lot of us, having to spend 24 hours away from our smartphones and computers seems like a horrific nightmare. I mean, what are we? Cavemen? But that 24 hours could be a very enlightening experience, and that’s exactly what the National Day of Unplugging wants to encourage. Obviously, if you’re reading this post, you’re not taking part in the National Day of Unplugging, but perhaps in the future you will.

The National Day of Unplugging took place on Friday. From sundown to sundown, from March 1st to March 2nd, people who have made the pledge to “unplug” will have to keep away from their smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers, TVs and more until sundown March 2nd. The movement was started by the Sabbath Manifesto, which encourages individuals to slow down their fast-paced lifestyle and just take a breather.

Thousands of people made a pledge to unplug for 24 hours. Many of them posted pictures on the NDU’s official website and stated that in their 24-hour tech-less break, they would do things that are meaningful and enlightening. Unsurprisingly, many pledges are going to spend their 24 hours bonding with their families. What is surprising is how technology has consumed so much of our lives that we need designated breaks, like NDU, to spend time with our families. Many other pledges have stated that they are going to rekindle strained relationships, reflect upon themselves, or just find peace.

The National Day of Unplugging makes us think about how much time we spend on technology (and how much of it is just wasted time spent on aimless browsing and online shopping), and how supposedly normal things, like spending time with loved ones, becomes collateral damage because of it. I’m not taking part of it this year, but it’s definitely something I’d consider doing next year. Along with NDU, the Sabbath Manifesto encourages connecting with loved ones, nurturing your health, getting outdoors more, avoiding commerce, lighting candles, drinking wine, eating bread, finding peace and silence, and giving back to others. Each of those principles are completely up to your interpretation, and all will improve your lifestyle.

[via NDU]

National Day of Unplugging encourages 24 hours of enlightenment is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
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