Hasta La Gadget!

While the latest iPod Nano was only announced on Wednesday, we’re all agreed that it needs a kickstand. Now that it can shoot video, you need a way to watch comfortably, right?

Yesterday I blogged about Quirky’s Kickster, which was created in 24-hours by the Quirky community. Today I’ve got the Scosche kickBACK n5, which offers a kickstand case with a little more padding, as well as random capitalization.

The kickBACK combines clear polycarbonate screen protection with black rubber on the corners, the areas that take the most impact in a drop. The back includes a cutout for the new camera, as well as the kickstand. Grab it from scosche.com for $24.99.

If you’re the clumsy sort you have absolutely no shortage of protective cases and coatings to shroud your pricey gadget in, but most are ugly, bulky, and likely ineffective. The iBand from Tech21 isn’t particularly attractive nor svelte, but after watching the video below there’s little doubt about its effectiveness. It’s made of a substance called d3o, which is a fancy orange non-Newtonian substance, starting out stretchy and gushy but, when put under pressure, hardening and protecting its precious contents. We’ve seen this stuff applied to high-impact applications like motorcycle armor, but we’re glad to see gadgetry getting a little attention too. The video is a bit curious as it appears that the d3o is just applied around the edges of the case and yet the enclosed device survives a face-down landing, but it’s an impressive demonstration nevertheless. Right now the £15 ($25) iBand is only available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but future gadgets should receive the oobleck treatment soon.

Continue reading Video: Tech21’s iBand protective case and its mystical, magical, non-Newtonian goo

Filed under: Cellphones

Video: Tech21’s iBand protective case and its mystical, magical, non-Newtonian goo originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mother! Bring me my Dremel. Hurry woman, and put down that gin. I have to make me one of these wonderful iPod Nano cases, toot-sweet.

I, dear reader, am of course a Victorian master inventor. You, modern weakling that you are, might prefer to buy a retro case to cosset your fourth generation Nano device, for a mere $50 Canadian in today’s money. The tapes come from thrift stores and are “gutted, routered and rebuilt” in Vancouver until they are the perfect fit for the little Nano. They are named the 45 Nano (45 in this case is half the length of a D90 tape in minutes, not the speed of a vinyl “single” pressing).

What I love the most, from my expert, imperial engineering point-of-view is the stark contrast here. The shiny, bon-bon colored iPod against the old, rattly, dull plastic tapes. Wonderful. Now, mother, bring me that gin. And cover up the table legs: I’m feeling giddy.

Product page [Contexture via BBG]

Oh, Brando — how you make our hearts flutter. One day, you’re pumping out new kit fit only for our Crapgadget roundup; the next, you’re delivering gems such as this. The 5-bay HDD Paper Storage Box with Cover covertly hides up to five of your precious 3.5-inch hard drives, and it likely provides more security for your personal information than a fireproof lock box. ‘Cause really, what data thief is going to shuffle through a cardboard container looking for valuable platters?

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Brando’s Paper Storage Box inconspicuously hides your HDDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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People are already using Canon’s groundbreaking 5D Mark II to shoot feature films, but we never thought we’d see the next Jaws captured with a DSLR. ‘Course, whether or not Mr. Spielberg will actually choose to use one remains to be seen, but at least the option’s there now. Famed underwater imaging company Sea&Sea has just outed its newest waterproof casing, promising to keep the 1080p-capable DSLR safe for up to 60 meters under the surface. The only issue? It’ll set you back almost as much as the camera body, or ¥283,500 ($2,998). Good thing you’ve got a Hollywood-sized budget, yeah?

[Via Akihabara News]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals

Waterproof 5D Mark II housing allows for 1080p under the sea originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 03:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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