Hasta La Gadget!

I’m extremely tempted to pre-order this USB-powered chainsaw, just to see what my $60 will buy me. The i-Saw product page is a master-class in deadpan, explaining in straight-faced detail everything from the USB 2.0 compatibility to the precision engineered chain itself, with a lot of guff in between:

Current materials used on bodies of chainsaws are too heavy for office use. Lighter materials, however, could cause the vertical axis of the guide bar to shift when pressure is applied onto the saw chain. Research and development introduced several innovations to offer an optimal blend of tough plastic and lightweight alloy.

Everything explained, that is, except the power chain. Other than the fact that the saw has “patent-pending technology” which “allows for an unparalleled distribution of power,” we have no idea how a five-volt trickle is turned into the Ikea-chair shredding torrent of destruction shown in the video. We have the feeling that the “i-Saw” may just be a real chainsaw with a USB cable glued to the side, although we hope, desperately, that we are wrong. Shipping September.

Product page [USB Chainsaw. Thanks, Shawn!]

If you need a flash drive or USB hub there are many useful and, more to the point, tasteful options out there. But if you want to saddle a hapless co-worker or relative with a silly, embarrassing, or just plain crapulant gag gift suitable for the current technological moment? Look no further than the following assortment of crapgadgets. Your illustrious Engadget eds have hand-picked a wonderful assortment of devices tailor-made to evoke awkward responses at office birthday parties and the like. So, without further ado…

Read – No Green Thumb Required: USB Fever 4-Port Flower Pot Hub
Read – USB Airplane Hub with built-in fan
Read – Robot USB Drives would make a cute gift
Read – USB Artillery Hub
Read – USB Octopus Hub

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Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Crapgadget: ‘Gee… thanks?’ edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Energizer’s Energi To Go catalog just keeps getting sweeter. After introducing a new range of XPAL battery chargers last month, the company is evidently gearing up to reveal what’s likely to be its most convenient and altogether useful product yet. The USB clip you see above is designed to make contact with DSLR and camcorder batteries and provide juice via USB; in other words, it’s like a portable, highly mobile DSLR battery charger. OhGizmo points out that you may need one of Energizer’s USB-equipped battery packs to charge up the 7.4V cells, but at least we’re still talking about a non-proprietary charging connector. Per usual, there’s no mention of dollars and cents, but hopefully it’ll be rolled out for less than a song here soon.

[Via OhGizmo]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals

Energizer USB clip to charge camcorder / DSLR batteries via USB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We have no idea why Seagate buried this in a warmed-over press release touting rehashed FreeAgent for Mac drives, but there’s a new $40 FreeAgent Go Dock+ that doubles as a powered three-port USB hub. Pretty convenient if you’re into the whole FreeAgent Go lifestyle, we’d say, but we’re sticking with our versatile bareback SATA docks.

Filed under: Storage

Seagate introduces FreeAgent Go Dock+ with powered USB hub originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The smallest USB 3G modems look like grossly over-sized thumb drives, while the biggest ones sport hinges or fold-out antennas that serve as tripwires for absent-minded businessmen with venti frappuccinos walking by your tiny little coffee shop table. Huawei’s E583X detaches all that bother, acquiring a 3G wireless signal and then beaming it out again as WiFi, meaning you can leave it in your pocket and get a double-dose of microwaves. It sports a 1,500mAh battery, giving it five hours of independent living, and in emergencies it can act as a tethered modem as well. Sadly this first version will only accept a single WiFi connection, but future ones will allow four others to mooch your data plan. That it also blinks randomly like a prop out of Star Trek’s utopian future is just an added bonus. It’s set to light up Europe next month — likely with some hideous contracts attached.

Filed under: Wireless

Huawei’s E583X wireless modem turns 3G to WiFi, beautiful lights originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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