Hasta La Gadget!

Believe it or not, there’s a potentially cheaper (and more customizable) way to get NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 into your life than to spring for a Nexus 7. Kontron is readying a rare Mini-ITX motherboard, the KTT30, that combines the ARM-based chip with expandable RAM and a trio of mini PCI Express slots for expansion like a micro SATA drive or a 3G modem. The external ports are more the kind you’d find on a do-it-yourself x86 PC, too: full-size HDMI, USB and even Ethernet make a show at the back. The only hurdles are an unusually throttled back 900MHz processor speed and, quite simply, the lack of release details. Kontron hasn’t promised more than a release “coming soon” — with much more complete Tegra 3 devices now hitting the $199 mark, though, we can’t see the KTT30 putting much strain on any budding hobbyist’s wallet.

Filed under: Desktops

Kontron preps first Tegra 3-based Mini-ITX board, homebrew gets an ARMful originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 23:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Lion and the upcoming Mountain Lion operating systems, Apple is continuously integrating features from its mobile OS to the desktop experience. Does it mean that a touchscreen iMac is a good idea? I still don’t think so, but you can decide for yourself with the help of the Zorro Macsk attachment.

The Zorro Macsk is a frame that is placed over the iMac and plugs in via USB. It has no screen of its own, rather it uses infrared sensors to detect input. While it won’t turn your computer into an expert swordsman, it does support the same multitouch gestures that you can pull off on the Magic Trackpad, so it is a bit practical.

I think it’s nice to be able to use it to switch between Spaces, but other than that I don’t see any great benefit for a touchscreen iMac, unless you happen to like the look of greasy fingerprints on your screen. The Zorro Macsk is currently only available for the 21.5″ iMac., and you can order it on Amazon for $199 (USD).

I know a lot of PC gamers also splurge on high end speakers for their gaming rigs, while others prefer to use headphones or headsets. If you use both – or several of both – on your computer, I suggest you check out the Siphon. It’s a USB device that lets you switch between different audio jacks.

The Siphon has a dial that lets you switch to one of the three jacks. It has an adhesive back, so you don’t have to leave it dangling or hidden at the back of your PC. It can also serve as a rack for your headphones or headset.

Seems like a neat gadget, especially for people who don’t always need headphones (or speakers), or those who share their computer with others who might prefer a different audio setup at times. It would be better if it had a dedicated “default” setting though, so you can still output sound from the default speakers even if there’s something plugged in all three jacks. Help make the Siphon become a real product at Quirky.

This is an interesting little gadget called the blink USB. This is a little USB dongle has a RGB LED in the end that can glow different colors. The small light slips into a USB port and has lots of programmable functionality that can be used as a status light just about anything you can think of. The device will work with Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems allowing it to work with just about any computer you might have in the home or office.

The LED inside the little flash drive can be adjusted for brightness, pattern, and color. That means you can set one color or flashing pattern to warn you of Twitter posts with specific keywords and another pattern and color to warn you if there’s a problem with a server. This little thing sounds very flexible and interesting people who manage a lot of computers.

The downside is the network administrator at your office could plug one into your computer and make it easier to see if you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be doing in your cubicle. The device is on Kickstarter right now seeking funding with 32 days ago. So far, the product has racked up $20,779 out of goal of $29,000. You’ll need to pledge $30 or more to get a blink USB LED.

[via EverythingUSB]

Blink USB light can be programmed to alert you of just about anything is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I’ve seen a handful of third party iOS charge and sync cables, but they were all practical and designed to add functionality. On the other hand, this cable is just determined to stand out. Although it will at times stand out as rubbish or a piece of rope.

This isn’t some electrically conducting magical rope. If you look closely, you’ll see that the actual cord is entwined with the other fiber cords. If you look even more closely, you’ll notice the pixels on your monitor.

You can order the cable from Etsy seller cdadamo for $20 (USD).