For ages, PC gaming was an art form many thought was for Windows users only. Now, in 2010, almost 30 years since its inception, the big gamers will start to come to Mac.
All drama aside, Mac users who did not want to buy a copy of Windows and run it on boot camp can now scream with joy. Valve’s Steam gaming distribution service and it’s Source engine are being brought in, including the Half Life, Portal, Team Fortress, and Left 4 Dead games, along with a new “Steam Play” feature that will let you play a game on PC, save it, and continue on a mac, and vice versa. One question I have to ask is if this will carry from PC to PC or Mac to Mac?
The Left 4 Dead blog also revealed cross platform gaming between Mac and PC on Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, expanding the player base significanty! Will they do the same for Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2? Only time will tell, but no matter what team you’re on, everyone is winning here.
Admittedly, sometimes you’ve just gotta charge your MP3 player but just don’t have access to your computer. You could always go buy one of those car chargers for your player, but you’re not always in your car, are you? So why not be a bit more creative instead and go for the Mintyboost MP3 player charger kit!
This intuitive DIY kit allows you to turn just about any small mint or gum tin into an easy charge station for your MP3 player! This kit provides just about everything you need for the process, but you’ll have to provide the tin, 2 AA batteries (you can even use rechargables) and a soldering tool or two. If you wanna look like some sort of cool improv MacGyver-esque genius, go grab a kit at MakerShed for $19.99!
People have always been really fickle when it comes to the latest trends. What’s cool one day can go out of fashion the next week and nobody will touch it anymore. Then the week after that, everyone wants the product again because it’s just so “retro” and cool! This seems to be the history of vinyl records…they’re just so chic now!
If MP3 just isn’t your thing anymore, why not give the Gakken Premium Gramophone recorder a try? Not only does it support all sizes of old school records, but it also allows you to record your own music! Each kit comes with a high quality Premium Gramophone recorder/player, bamboo needle and cutter (also works with steel needles), recording sheet and screwdrivers. Go retro and pick one up for a pricey $143 at JapanTrendShop
The Chinese have given many inventions to the world; they were some of the first people to use gunpowder and those cool little Tin-Man gymnasts in Cirque de Soleil! This USB drive wasn’t exactly invented by the Chinese, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t damn cool, right!? The tip is detachable (as seen in that handy dandy picture) and lets you show all your friends that you have some sort of twisted love for Chinese history and culture (and dorky swords). There is a possibility you will be beat up and swirlied for having this USB drive, but for those with passion and drive, that shouldn’t matter! Brando.com carries them in 2GB, 4GB, an 8GB for $22, $25, and $36 variations, respectively.
Scent can be a wonderful thing, reminding you of memories past and wonderful experiences like Granny’s cookies in the morning, or when your big brother dared you a dollar to eat the “mud pies” from the pasture. Those things are addictive!
Gross poop jokes aside, smell is one of our greatest senses. This USB device utilizes smell to help clam you down at work and relax you (excellent for the easily stressed or those who already sleep at work!) using the scent of Lavender. Just pour the included oil onto the white X, attach it into a drive, and (insert French word here) you have a great smell going around the room! Just a warning though, putting the drive into a vertical slot (like a monitor) can lead to it dripping, but we’re sure you knew gravity affected even the best inventions! You can buy one from thinkgeek.com for only $6!
Sometimes when you’re just sitting there at your computer desk, checking out classy blogs like Wicked Cool Gadgets, you’ll slowly but surely realize that your fingers–particularly the fingers on your right hand–will start to become incredibly cold. No matter how much or how hard you rub your poor freezing phalanges together, however, you cannot be warmed up. There is something dastardly about the keyboard and the way your fingertips waggle over its multitude of buttons that will not permit you to keep yourself as comfortable as possible at your work station or home computer. There is just no winning in the matter.
Unless if there totally is.
Goodbye goodbye, cold fingers!
Those who are not too keen on frigid fingertips are in luck and looked after quite handsomely with the Heart Hand Warmer! Forget about wearing gloves; they’ll just make your computer time awkward and cause oodles and oodles of typos! Don’t bother wearing that bulky winter coat or turning up the heat in the room–the rest of your body is comfortable, remember? It’s just your fingers that are suffering.
The Heart Hand Warmer, however, is a sweet and thoughtful way to keeping your fingers as warm as possible. Simply click the metal disk on the back and feel–heck, watch–the warmth spread throughout the package! It’s that easy! It doesn’t even come with batteries, but can easily be reset! Three cheers for thermotechnology!
Whether Old Man Winter is just hellbent on making your experience hell or you just happen to be a frequent typist, the Heart Hand Warmer will only do you a warm world of wonder. Stop suffering and give it a sneak peak over here at ThinkGeek for a mere $5.99, to warm your heart, your fingers and your wallet all at the same time!
So you finally got yourself a fancy new phone huh? Since you’ve finally embraced the new decade with all this newfangled technology you may be surprised to notice that these “phones” aren’t really phones at all! In fact, I was upgrading just the other day and realized that they were referring to my potential new phones as “multimedia devices”. Whatever. It makes calls, I say it’s still a freaking phone!
Point is, to fully embrace your new “multimedia device” (*cough* phone*cough*) you might be needing a new wireless bluetooth device. Luckily for you, manufacturer Jabra has recently unveiled its Clipper model of bluetooth headsets! This device comes with its own set of noise cancelling earbuds, but features a 3.5mm jack so you can use your own brand of buds if the urge strikes you. The controls are chicly disguised on the little clip that attaches to your clothes, and Jabra promises up to 6 hours of talk time from their set. So far there isn’t any projected North American release date yet, but the UK is expected to see these fairly soon for around 60 American dollars or 39 Pounds. Via Engadget
Thomas Edison was well known for going to war with fellow electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla in an all out AC/DC war (yes, it is more than a band kids, look it up). So while the man was a genius, he did not play so nice with others. Oh woe would he be if he saw this AC wall outlet with its more advanced USB cousins!
No longer must you rely on AC Outlet charge appliances for your iPod or Zune, you can now charge any and all USB items in your wall! The outlet is not yet out, but can be pre-purchased for $19.95. Installation insturctions will also be available when the unit is released, so no need to worry about ripping your wall into a horrible mass of plaster and wires. Pre-order your very own here.
The mobile gaming market is something that hasn’t evolved as well as its console bretheren; whereas Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are dominators of the console market, the PSP and DS are rapidly losing appeal to those can game on their iTouch and iPhone, but some of us remember the good old days! When people didnt have to worry about “touch screens” or “high def graphics” or “quick time events”, it used to be all pixels and d-pads. This USB drive harkens back to those times and lets you carry your love of 16-bit portable games with you at all times, and it comes in a variety of carts. So far, the available games are Super Mario World, Metroid Fusion (my personal favorite), Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and Pokemon Sapphire, all at 4GB for $34.99. If you’re worried about the drive being cheap, it’s all made by Kingston, a very well known and respected brand. Get your very own from Etsy.com.
For those of you who have the Reznorian ambition to start your own one man programming musical phenominon, you may have noticed that synthesizers are freaking expensive! Well, how does spending $50 on a synthesizer sound to you? With the Bliptronic 500 LED Synthesizer, you can finally afford to indulge in dabbling with your penchant for electronic music!
Now, for fifty bucks, you won’t exactly be turning out the next “Pretty Hate Machine” or forming Parisian robotic DJ duos, but this 8 bit little synth is definitely a must have for a beginning musician. This handy little musical device features the ability to play single notes or chords in a 4 beat looping pattern. You can also choose from 8 different retro sounds and between 60-180 BPM. However, the real fun comes when your friends have Bliptronics! You can link an infinite number of synths together to create longer and more complex songs. If you’re in the mood for starting up a dance or industrial group, head on over to ThinkGeek and grab one now.
The Chinese have given many inventions to the world; they were some of the first people to use gunpowder and those cool little Tin-Man gymnasts in Cirque de Soleil! This USB drive wasn’t exactly invented by the Chinese, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t damn cool, right!? The tip is detachable (as seen in that handy dandy picture) and lets you show all your friends that you have some sort of twisted love for Chinese history and culture (and dorky swords). There is a possibility you will be beat up and swirlied for having this USB drive, but for those with passion and drive, that shouldn’t matter! 
Scent can be a wonderful thing, reminding you of memories past and wonderful experiences like Granny’s cookies in the morning, or when your big brother dared you a dollar to eat the “mud pies” from the pasture. Those things are addictive!
Thomas Edison was well known for going to war with fellow electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla in an all out AC/DC war (yes, it is more than a band kids, look it up). So while the man was a genius, he did not play so nice with others. Oh woe would he be if he saw this AC wall outlet with its more advanced USB cousins!
The mobile gaming market is something that hasn’t evolved as well as its console bretheren; whereas Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are dominators of the console market, the PSP and DS are rapidly losing appeal to those can game on their iTouch and iPhone, but some of us remember the good old days! When people didnt have to worry about “touch screens” or “high def graphics” or “quick time events”, it used to be all pixels and d-pads. This USB drive harkens back to those times and lets you carry your love of 16-bit portable games with you at all times, and it comes in a variety of carts. So far, the available games are Super Mario World, Metroid Fusion (my personal favorite), Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and Pokemon Sapphire, all at 4GB for $34.99. If you’re worried about the drive being cheap, it’s all made by Kingston, a very well known and respected brand. Get your very own from 