Gadgets & Gizmos

Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser 6000 Reviewed (Verdict: Good, Bad, Ugly)

2006-11-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

Once in a full moon a very recognized peripheral company tries to revolutionize the world by releasing a different style of mice. The Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser 6000 fits that bill. Opening the box I was shocked by the odd shape. It is small, tall, bulky and heavy. But apparently there is a purpose for the mouse's shape. After a week of use, I was less than impressed. Our peripheral-loving blogbuddies over at EverythingUSB seem to think otherwise.

After the jump, find out why they love the mouse, and why I despise it.

Before we get to the good and bad, check out the way you are supposed to grip this thing. It's hard to explain, and even harder to pull off.

The Good
After getting used to the grip, the guys at EverythingUSB enjoyed the mouse.

The comfort provided is extraordinary so long as posture is maintained, and the Instant Viewer and Magnifier provided within IntelliPoint help improve productivity. The laser engine and smooth (but close-range) wireless performance make for a smooth mousing experience. Your wrists will love you for it. But be warned, slouchers and gamers will feel the pain from using this mouse, both ergonomically and through the non-ratcheting scroll wheel.

The Bad
Even after trying to get adapted to the "proper grip" on this odd potato-shaped mouse, it is still sucks and here is why. You have to maintain proper posture at all times while using this mouse correctly or it gets uncomfortable, fast. I even had to raise the height on my chair so my arm could be straight and not bracing on the table. How many of you out there actually sit properly 100 percent of the time while at a computer? That's what I thought. And when you slouch, lean back or anything, the mouse gets really awkward, really fast.

Secondly, the mouse wheel doesn't click, at all. Any of the gamers out there share my pain. If anything, give us one of those semi-clicks that is mostly fluid but still has clicks. And don't even get me started on trying to snipe without my hand bracing the desk.

Thirdly, it is old-school battery powered. If the 6000 is supposed to tout itself as a high end laser mouse, what's the deal with no rechargeable battery pack. I supposed you could put in generic rechargeable AAs, but it's not the same as having a nice little dock.

Conclusion
Give it a test-run. Go to Staples, Best Buy or many of the other computer peripheral stores to get your hands on this mouse before purchasing. It could be your worst nightmare (like mine) or it could become your new best friend (like EverythingUSB). This mouse will be available later this month and is expected to cost well over $50. – Travis Hudson

Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 [Everything USB]

Xbox 360 HD DVD Player Commercial.

2006-10-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

Hand Truck Chair For Carting Away Bloggers Killed in Line of Duty

2006-09-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

Here at the Gizmodo sweatshop, bloggers occassionally drop dead, after working for weeks without much more than catnaps and gruel. Lazy dead bastard, dying without finishing your post. That's why we just put in an order for half a dozen of these hand truck chairs. Just strap up the dead guy, cart them into the dumpster, and load up yet another innocent and aspiring writer full of hope and guilibility. There's really no better way to do it, without spraining your back. Next!–Brian Lam

Hand Truck Cart [via mocoloco]

Giant Anglepoise Lamp, For Big Desks or Scaring Old People

2006-09-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

The Anglepoise lamp is one of the coolest and most innovative lamps ever, and to celebrate its 70th birthday the company has designed a Giant Anglepoise Lamp that is three times the traditional size. Look at it, it just freaking awesome. Imagine having one in your living room, oh the ladies would swoon. Unfortunately this lamp starts at £1,234 ($2,300) for the white and cream version, and the black version runs £1,660 ($3,100). What's the deal with companies making the black models more expensive? I really want a black MacBook but I'll be damned if I have to pay a couple hundred dollars more for it. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via OhGizmo!]

RIM's Working On An Anti-Theft Device For BlackBerries

2006-09-20T23:47:00.001-07:00

RIM's working on a wireless anti-theft device designed to keep track of your BlackBerry when you forget to. This device constantly monitors whether your BlackBerry is in range, and when you get pick-pocketed, the device tells your BlackBerry to switch to theft mode. If a certain key isn't entered in a certain amount of time, the BlackBerry becomes non-functional.

This is also useful for forgetful drunks who leave their BlackBerry devices at the bar after stumbling outside to puke and/or urinate. RIM officials couldn't comment on when this product was due for release. – Jason Chen

RIM device would thwart thieves
[Toronto Star via uber review]

Mini Cotton Candy Machine

2006-09-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

Yah, we like cavities. Best way to make em is to eat clouds and clouds of cotton candy, made in the comfort of your home. This device heats up regular sugar and food coloring, liquifying it and pushing it into the bowl where you can scoop it up into a deliciously corrosive treat. Whee!–Brian Lam

Cotton Candy Machine [firebox]

Stealthy Camera Lighter: Take a Shot, Light a Fatty

2006-09-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

While you're on your way to getting rid of that filthy habit, might as well have a versatile Zippo-esque lighter in your pocket, and this one has a 640x480 camera on board that can hold 30 pictures in its 64MB memory.

Might offer some good stealth in a pinch, or when you're on that next spy mission. Not exactly high-tech, it hooks up to USB 1.1 to send your pictures back to the mothership. And oh yeah, it can light those stogies, too. It's the same size as a regular Zippo, and that crappy camera on board doesn't raise the price too much—it's $30.

Product page [HotGadget, via CrunchGear]

Normal Person's Lighter, Pyro's Fire Extinguisher

2006-09-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

If only this were full-sized, it would make for the best pranks.
"John, toss me the extinguisher!"
"Don't be a hero."
"I wasn't put on this earth to sit in a cubicle all day...tell my kids I love them."
"Don't!"
"I need to - get the hell out of here while you still can."
"Ok, here's the extinguisher...good luck in there."
(beat)
"Ahhh! WTF! This thing is shooting out fire!! FIRE!!! HELP!!!!"
"They say you fight fire with fire!"
"I just burned a puppy alive you maniac!" – Mark Wilson

[Aving]

Reelight: The Motion-Powered Bike Light

2006-09-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

Giving bikers even more protection against being hit by cars, the Electrodynamic Bike Light attaches to both wheels and shines forward and backwards to improve visibility at night. Instead of being powered by batteries or friction, like rim mounted dynamos, these use electromagnetic induction. For those who skipped physics class, that means two magnets, in this case neodynium magnets, pass by each other as the wheels spin, which generates current, which then powers the lights.

The only downside is that there's no light when you're not moving, so be careful at those traffic lights. Available now for €18 ($22) for one or €34 ($43) for a pair. Ships out of Copenhagen. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Reelight via Treehugger]

Authentic Star Wars StormTrooper Outfit: Fun All By Your Lonesome

2006-09-13T01:56:00.000-07:00

Listen up, Star Wars nerds. A company is offering a "totally authentic" Imperial Stormtrooper outfit just in time for Halloween (or the latest larping festival). Each part of the outfit is hand-crafted from the very molds used in the original film to ensure only the highest of quality in StormTrooper evening wear.

I've never seen the original Star Wars films (sue me), but each TK421, which is the suit's official name, apparently has the same belt that saved Luke and Leia's lives. You also forfeit your right to ever talk to a girl again for a period of at least one year when you buy the suit.

The painfully authentic StormTrooper suit can be found online for around $2,400. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Firebox.com via Coolest Gadgets]

LED Scrolling Pen Makes Your Point, Up In Lights

2006-09-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

Send messages across the room with this LED pen, which gives you 118 characters to make your point. Its brightness is controllable, and you can speed up its scrolling or slow it down for those slow readers.

There's something about scrolling LED text that attracts an unbelievable amount of attention. Some of us wore LED scrolling buttons as promotional devices at a trade show last year, and people were constantly asking us about them. Sure beats smoke signals. It's $29.95. – Charlie White

Product Page [GadgetUniverse, via Oh Gizmo]

Mathmos Air Switch Motion-Sensing Lamp

2006-09-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

Mathmos, the company that created the Lava Lamp, searches for its next huge hit, and it might be onto something with the Air Switch, a line of lamps that are controlled as if by magic. Just a wave of the hand above it turns it on and off. They're $95 apiece. – Charlie White

Product Page [Mathmos, via Lighting, Life and Links]

Hello Kitty Exhaust Pipe? Good-Bye Kitty

2006-09-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who's completely fed up with this whole Hello Kitty thing? Apparently the Japanese have gone so wild for this that they are now even fabricating car exhaust pipes in the image of their unforgettable feline fetish.

But really, is Hello Kitty an acquired taste, or do you have to be from a certain era or part of the world to get this? What am I missing? It's just tacky. To hell with Hello Kitty. I say, Good-bye Kitty. – Charlie White

Hello Kitty Exhaust Pipe [Boing Boing]

$100,000 Bulletproof Toilet

2006-09-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Terrorism has scared the shit out of people...literally. While that actually makes no sense, it sort of explains the $100,000 toilet. Evidently a necessary invention in a world filled with terror, the structure is not only bulletproof, but can withstand a 15 ton blast as well. While we don't know of any units in America (yet), Beijing has 8 floating around in their Zhongguancun Plaza. Just wait until the sirens go off and we are all forced to hide in porta-potties. Crap. – Mark Wilson

Translated Page [via bornrich]

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/desktop_digiframe_clock.php

2006-09-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

Pioneer is working with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Circuit City to help fight the breast cancer baddies. This limited edition pink Pioneer Inno will be sold for $350 at the XM website and at Circuit city. For every unit sold $30 will be donated. Good stuff, and it will match all of that other pink stuff that you own. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via CrunchGear]

Multifunction Desktop Digital Frame

2006-09-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is one of the few digital frames out there that I would consider thinking about possibly buying, if I had the extra money, of course. I'm not a big fan of this whole digital frame movement, but this one is a bit different because it is more useful. The Digiframe can store 22 pictures that run as a slide slow. It can also display the time, calendar and temperature, in addition to having an alarm clock. It would be fun to slip a goatse picture into the slideshow and see how long it takes for your co-workers to notice. $70. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Newlaunches]

Logitech Harmony 785 Universal Remote Controls 150,000 Devices!

2006-09-06T00:51:00.000-07:00

Doesn't it always turn out that after buying a universal remote, it controls four devices of your home theatre just fine, but that fifth just refuses to cooperate? That should be unlikely with the Logitech Harmony 785, which works with 150,000 devices from 4,000 manufacturers. So even if you've got a no-name LaserDisc player you bought in the back streets of Guatemala, the Harmony will still figure out how to turn it on.

Additionally, it's got a color LCD screen that gives you news, sports and weather, plus an easy setup-wizard using your PC and the internet so you can download the codes to your remote. Then there's the backlit keypad so you can see what key you're pressing, making sure you don't unmute the skinemax accidentally while your wife's sleeping. – Jason Chen

Remote control that works with 150,000 devices [AVING via Mobile Mag]

CRT Killer: Stanley FUBAR Demolition Tool

2006-09-06T00:47:00.000-07:00

I have a friend...no, a friend of a friend, who hates CRT monitors, TVs, you name it. If it has a cathode ray tube inside, this "friend" goes rabid and reaches for the nearest power tool to give it a proper decontruction and retirement. The FUBAR by Stanley, is the perfect tool for such a job. It's formed around a single piece of high carbon steel, with appendages for pulling nails, drywall, carrying 2x4s, acting as a sledgehammer, wood splitter, or CRT killer. They say FUBAR stands for Functional Utility BAR. We know better. Only $40.–Brian Lam

Stanley FUBAR [Stanley]

HydraCoach: Nags You Til You Drink

2006-09-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

HydraCoach isn't the Drill Sargeant of some evil military organization. It's not the beast master of a mythical multi-headed serpent. No, its a polycarbonate nalgene-type bottle that calculates how much water you should be drinking, reminding you to sip throughout the day until you've met your quota. Shows your daily intake in terms of percent. No idea whether this has a cola function to pace my USRDA of Pepsi.–Brian Lam

HydraCoach [Red Ferret]