Rotophonic » Stuff

Sleepy Sony PS3 Pandemonium in Pasadena

rotophonic — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 09:59:35 +0000

The geeks are out in force tonight in Pasadena, California waiting for the release of the Sony Playstation 3. While I’d naively hoped to come home with one tonight, it appears the PS3 Profiteers and those without a job holed-up in this middle-class tent city will be the only ones lucky enough to win that prize.

After stopping by all the big box retailers in the area, including Target, Circuit City, Best Buy and Walmart, it appears that very few of the diehard fans will end up with a box tomorrow moring. Most people were reporting that between 10-20 PS3s would be available at each store…and I’m sure a lot of those are the less desirable 20GB model.

The most lively location was the Pasadena Best Buy, where bleary-eyed gamers and entrepreneurs were mingling in the final hours before Best Buy finally supplied them with the Holy Grail of gaming this year.

One cluster of folks were gathered around a 17″ LCD monitor playing FIFA 2007 on a Playstation 2, powered by a long extension cord stretched across the parking lot from someone’s car. Another guy, armed with a laptop, kept tabs on the latest PS3 prices on eBay via Best Buy’s WiFi network. Most were slumped in their collapsible chairs or passed out in their tents waiting for tomorrow morning.

The luckiest guy in the group has to be Alberto, who had waited here since Monday morning to be the first one with a PS3. He proudly displayed the provenance for his future PS3, a front-page article in the Pasadena Star-News showing him occupying the first chair in line. “Tom Cruise will definitely pay an extra $300 with this,” he beamed, pointing to the article.

Needless to say, no spare PS3s were to be found tonight, especially with Sony lowering their launch allocations for most stores. Most of us will probably need to wait until Spring 2007 to get one.

More Wine! Seriously Make Your Own Wine with the WinePod

rotophonic — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 02:39:34 +0000

While they may be on the verge of being sued by Apple for their “egregious” use of the suffix “pod”, the makers of the WinePod are really on to something. With a self-contained, USB-enabled, smart wine making machine, I’m sure to become a total lush in no time.

Bust out the credit card, purchase the $3,499 WinePod and then the WinePod folks will sell you ready-to-use frozen grapes (or pick them from your own vineyard…lol). The device is pretty much foolproof after that. You can even post your progress online and chat with other wine makers. The WinePod uses WirelessUSB to transmit your wine making progress from the garage to your computer (or to wherever you passed out).

Clearly a very big step up from brewing beer in your closet with your Mr. Beer, the WinePod is very slick and it even looks good. [via Uncrate]

Tired of the phone company? Try the sexy WiFi Skype phone from Belkin

rotophonic — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:24:39 +0000

If you’re like me, you grew tired of the Baby Bells a long time ago. Unfortunately, given they have the rights to the government-subsidized copper wire running to your home, it has been hard to escape their greedy little hands. Cell phones made it easier to cut the cord, but given that most of the cell phone companies are basically Baby Bell companies now, you’re right back with them again. Now, finally, someone has made a sexy phone that lets you call your friends on Skype using just a WIFI connection.

The Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype is pre-loaded with the Skype software, automatically downloads your contacts from your existing Skype accounts, and supports the majority of the wireless security protocols that are out there today (WEP, WPA, and WPA2 with PSK).

The phone doesn’t have a web browser (probably a huge oversight given that you’ve got a device that inherently connects to the Internet), so good luck getting on a wireless network that requires you to put in your credit card number in a browser. But it looks like the best designed product to come along in this space so far. They’re taking pre-orders at Amazon and the Skype Store. The device retails for $179.99 — a small price to pay to get one step further away from the Bells. [via]

Sly, high-design gifts

rotophonic — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 00:21:03 +0000

Hailing from Paris, Atypyk offers a slew of cool and often humorous gifts with a slightly wicked slant. My personal favorite is the Revenge CD. While I was usually the annoying neighbor, perhaps I would have changed my ways if I woke up hearing this CD at 3AM. Those with annoying neighbors can return the favor by putting on a vengeful track, like “Drill” or “Party of at least 200 people”, popping in the included earplugs, and sitting back to watch.