According to the guys over at FormatWarCentral, the Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-Ray player has been spotted at at least one Wal-Mart store with a price Rollback to just $98 (USD). Despite the crazy low price, this model supports full 1080p resolution video, over an HDMI 1.3 connection, and true 24fps playback to boot.

It’s not currently available on the Wal-Mart website, but with a price like that, it’s worth heading out to your local big box shop to see if they’ve also cut the price. I’m hopeful that these kinds of price cuts are just a taste of what’s to come for the 2009 holiday shopping season.

[via Engadget HD]

The new XCM Eye Candy replacement shell kit lets you coat your NDSi in luscious candy colors. And better yet, you can see through to the guts of your handheld and see all of its inner workings.

In addition to the bold candy apple red, emerald green, electric blue, there’s a clear shell and matte black and white if you really want to stick with the DSi stock colors.

Each kit comes complete with color-coordinated shell and matching buttons to complete the look. XCM even includes the proper screwdriver in the kit so you don’t need any extra tools to replace the shell. Of course, you’ll want to read over the detailed disassembly and assembly instructions before your break your precious handheld.

You can find all 6 colors of the XCM Eye Candy for the DSi over at Divineo for $25.99 (USD) each.

Pretty impressive papercraft on the face… and even moreso when you realize that the accessories–the hats, the bows–are all individual pieces. Move ‘em around as you will. But leave the mustaches alone.

If you are braver than I, and less apt to get papercuts, you can download the templates for these projects and give ‘em a try yourself.

[Nintendo Papercraft via Tiny Cartridge]

In the browser game Fragger, you aim grenades in order to solve problems. Er, puzzles. Puzzles. Though, in a pinch, I’d bet a grenade could solve an awful lot of problems.

Underneath, this simple game is about strategy (and blowing dudes up), and it’s important to consider each move carefully, because until you can prove yourself, you’ve got a limited amount of grenades.

[Fragger via IndieGames]

Berlin-based artist Aram Bartholl created these cards by uploading the individual images to MOO Cards, who specializes in making tiny business cards, each with a different image. While the cards ask the question “Are you human?”, I’m not quite sure what would happen if you handed one of these to a robot. Would it self-destruct? That would be cool.

Did you know CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”? I always thought it meant “Cats Acting Cool Taste Chocolate Ham Animals”. Mnemonics, your dear, dear friend.

[via F.A.T., Josh Spear and Micah Spear]

As you can see, Creative may be planning on trumping the Walkman X , the iPod touch and all other PMPs by including an HD camera in their device. Engadget’s Thomas Ricker also reckons that the “developer edition” Zii EGG (seriously, wtf is up with these names) means that Creative is intent on going Apple’s route, e.g. apps, making the Zii more than just a media player, just like the iPod Touch. Hopefully the price won’t be as ridiculous as the gadget’s name.

[via Electricpig]

However, the file transfer is mediated by a program called Ur-Transfer, so there’s a chance that the device is for computers running Windows only. Sad face for me and my Mac. The software can also synchronize Outlook data, or you can tell it which folders you want to be synced. Sweet. PQI’s press release also says that the software’s icon will reflect the remaining capacity on the Cool Drive U360’s flash memory.

The Cool Drive U360 will be available in varying capacities, from 4GB to 16 GB. Price and date of availability are still unknown; better bookmark PQI’s website for future updates on this very practical device.

[via Unplggd]

As proof of concept, an image of a smiley face was successfully captured by the fibers and then projected onto a computer screen. The researchers, led by Associate Professor Yoel Fink of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), are optimistic that the fabric’s image-capturing capabilities can be improved – crisper, with the addition of “optoelectronic layers.” Future stalkers and paparazzi will have a lot of fun with this.

[via boingboing]

The new patent expands on the combination of wand and camera demonstrated at E3. Now, instead of simply recognizing and identifying that controller, it looks like Sony’s camera will be able to “read” any real-world item, coffee mugs to… is that a magnet? A 2D horseshoe? A giant wooden letter U? Whatever it is, the EyeToy will apparently be able to read it.

Used well, this could really opening up gaming to all sorts of experiences on a level heretofore unseen, edutainment games aside. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on!

[Siliconera via PS3Blog]

That is pretty huge right there… and you can get it bigger if you want, though this necklace, from the MagnetGames Etsy storefront, already weighs in at a hefty $32. If you want to look your best, though, you got to lay out that cash.

Giant, ridiculous, gaudy necklaces aren’t your deal? You might want to check out the perler bead nerd glasses. Is it just me, or would these things make excellent silly gifts?

[via Geek Crafts]

The Korean-built compact Ripple LOOK PC measures in at just 215mm x 235mm x 69mm (appx. 8.46″ x 9.25″ x 2.71″). While that’s still quite a bit larger than the 6.5-inch square Mac Mini, it’s still much smaller than most desktop PCs. Of course, what really caught my eye was the interior designer-friendly styling of these compact machines, which come in several artistic case patterns.

The other nifty thing about the LOOK is that it doesn’t just live on the desktop. There’s a set of available VESA mounts for the computer that let you attach it to either a wall or to the back of your monitor, getting it up off of your valuable desktop real estate.

The systems come powered by either an Intel ATOM N230, N270 or N330 processor, and are available in 1GB and 2GB RAM configurations with a 160GB or 320GB hard drive.

The LOOK is currently available only in Korea, but there’s an outside shot that someday you’ll see these little PCs elsewhere on the planet. There’s no word on pricing yet.

[Ripple via Early Adopter's World]

They look kind of ugly to me, but then again when it comes to speakers looks don’t matter as much as the quality of sound, and this giant has got a bunch of audiophiles drooling at the prospect of owning – or even just testing – an HT4. The cabinets you see above are made of trans-laminated bamboo, which doesn’t really add to the quality of the sound (at least that’s what I gathered from the thread), but there’s a cheaper MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) version in the works as well. The price? About $18,000 (USD) for the 12″ woofer-equipped bamboo version, and at least $14,000 for the MDF version. An HT4 with “only” a 10″ woofer in bamboo will be about $12,000, and the MDF version at least $10,000. Let’s all sigh and imagine what kind of sounds $18,000 buys.

[via Audio Junkies]

Okay so it’s really Megaman vs. Metroid, but we all know who the champion of Metroid is. Made with SNES-era graphics, the game plops the Blue Bomber down into the world of Metroid, presumably with Samus as the final boss, in order to settle once and for all which hero is better at using a literal hand cannon.

I say presumably because, well, I wasn’t able to finish the game, what with our deadlines and all. Blogging is hard work you know.  So why don’t you head on to 8-bit.com right now and beat the game, so you can tell me how it ends. And then tell me how to finish it as well.

[via level select]

Using “advanced frequency analysis technology”, the device can tell you what your baby is feeling just by listening to his/her cries. The guide at the back of the analyzer will tell you what the emoticon on the LCD screen means. As you can see, the device also detects the temperature in your baby’s room, as well as the humidity. Why measure the ambient humidity? You’re the parent, so you tell me.

The Why Cry Baby Analyzer sells for $100 USD at Think Geek, 4 AA batteries included. Does it work? Let’s just put it this way: it’s gotta be one of those 5 right?

*I’m kidding. Benjamin Franklin is obviously a very great man, one of the greatest Americans of all time, as evidenced by his Wikipedia entry, which is longer than the Wiki entries of some countries.*

The Brinno GardenWatchCam observes your flowers as they grow, taking time lapse digital photos at intervals ranging from 1 minute to 24 hours apart. Just set the camera in front of your plants, set the desired interval, and start capturing your garden as it takes shape. You can also include time and date stamps on your images if you want. Here’s an example video taken from the GardenWatchCam’s time lapse images.

The camera is designed to take 1.2 megapixel macro images from as little as 20-inches away from your subject, or can be set to a distance focus mode for plants more than 20 inches away. Images are captured in JPEG format and can be saved into an AVI video file, and you can store up to 2GB of pictures on any USB flash drive. The camera runs on 4-AA batteries and should be able to shoot images for 4 to 6 months depending on the interval you set.

Of course, you don’t have to use it to shoot time lapse videos of flowers. Pretty much anything that takes a long time to happen is a potential subject…

You can find the GardenWatchCam over at Amazon for $139.99 (USD). More example videos can be seen here.