Hasta La Gadget!

Remember Bug Labs, the guys building open-source hardware modules that make it easy (and relatively inexpensive) to prototype new gadgets of your own creation? The last time we visited with these guys at the spring CTIA show last year, the company’s upgraded BUGbase 2.0 was still in mockup form — and carrier deals were little more than a gleam in CEO Peter Semmelhack’s eye. Nearly a year has passed since then, and Bug’s ecosystem has grown considerably to encompass a bunch of third-party modules, prototyped products, and carrier-specific packs for Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon that let your meticulously hacked-together hardware communicate over the network of your choice.

Of course, this all necessitated a follow-up meeting, which we were delighted to have at CES a couple days ago. Read on!

Continue reading Bug Labs’ BUGswarm and Verizon BUGbundle hands-on

Bug Labs’ BUGswarm and Verizon BUGbundle hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The technology behind the Hydra Sixense motion controller has been in development for a while now, but Razer was actually showing it off at CES this year. Unfortunately, it was strictly a hands-off situation at the booth — we could only look on with jealousy as the Razer rep played through some gorgeous Portal 2 level. What we could see is that the magnetics-based controllers are very responsive, spatial, and multi-dimensional; these aren’t your parent’s simplistic Wii-style flick controls. There’s still no word on price or a release date, but we’re hearing “under $100” and “early” this year. It’s hard to get totally excited about a PC hardware peripheral, given the smaller quantity of games (particularly hardware-specific titles) over in desktop land, but with Valve support and what appears to be the perfect control scheme (dual analog sticks, dual fully 3D-sensing motion controllers), we’d say the Hydra has a better shot at winning us over than anything else of its ilk. Check out a video after the break for a bit of Hydra action.

Continue reading Razer Hydra Sixense motion controller eyes-on

Razer Hydra Sixense motion controller eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Louis Vuitton cellphone belt buckle comes to us by way of China and brings together two things that should never be combined: fake designer belts and wireless communication. First off, we’ve all heard the warnings about a cellphone’s proximity to our baby-makers; second, we’re pretty sure that taking your belt off every time you get a call will not only lead to frustration, but some pretty weird looks on the subway; and finally, it’s a fake. Look, it’s not like we’re anti-excess here, but it seems to us like a solid gold cellphone is a far more practical investment. This rather ridiculous contraption apparently comes complete with Bluetooth earpiece and built-in camera, and supports dual card standby and TF card expansion. You know how we feel about it, but if you must, there’s a video after the jump.

Continue reading Louis Vuitton cellphone belt buckle is fake, potentially harmful to your manhood

Louis Vuitton cellphone belt buckle is fake, potentially harmful to your manhood originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How much did it cost for Facebook to acquire the pithy fb.com URL? A cool $8.5 million. But don’t worry, that money went to a good cause–the American Farm Bureau. With a few extra million in its budget, the Farm Bureau moved over to fb.org–all said, probably a more appropriate for a nonprofit aimed at protecting the interests of American farmers.

We could probably think up a few more inappropriate organizations that might want use of those five letters…

Zuckerberg announced the purchase back in November, but didn’t release any financial information. It was the Farm Bureau that let slip the price tag during an annual meeting. The company is “barred from identifying the buyer,” but well, TechCrunch put two and two together.

The site also picked out this choice quote, “At their annual meeting in Atlanta, Farm Bureau officials on Tuesday said the organization earned $8.5 million by selling a couple of domain names but is barred from identifying the buyer.”

No longer just for iPad users, the PBS app brings free full-length episodes of shows like “Nova” and “Nature” to iPhones and iPods. But it needs a little fine-tuning.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas