Amazon has announced that a new version of the Kindle is available now for pre-order for only $114, and will be released on May 3, 2011.

The new version of the popular e-reader device is called the
Kindle with Special Offers. It’s the same device as the existing 6-inch graphite Wi-Fi version (that’s $139), but it’s $25 less. And why is it $25 less? Because the $114 “Special Offers” version includes ads — but fear not, the ads are NOT within the ebooks; they only appear on the screensaver (which, let’s face it, no one pays attention to) and at the bottom of the home screen.

I know, lots of people freak out at the thought of ads — and I haven’t seen this new version, so I can’t say from experience — but seriously, if the ads don’t interfere with the reading, I’d say it’s well worth the low price. I have the 6-inch graphite Wi-Fi Kindle and believe me, if I didn’t already own it, I’d grab the $114 version without hesitation. Actually, I’ve owned every generation of Kindle after the first one and I just love it more and more with each upgrade [...]

An interesting video is making its way around the ‘net, and we want to hear your opinions on its legitimacy.

The video in question shows a man with a very cool trick. He’s created a little transmitter device that plugs into his iPhone, and when a second device is held near a video screen it automatically takes over the screen with the video playing on the phone. To prove this, he starts by recording a little video of himself shot by a friend in New York City’s Time Square of all places (where better to show off such a thing?) and then goes to prove it works.

So has this guy created something incredible, or is the entire thing a complete joke? Be sure to click on over to the other side now and see the video for yourself!

The first stop they make is a small screen where they play the video while the gizmo’s creator holds the second device right next to the video that’s currently playing. [...]

Apple announced details of the latest version of its popular tablet computing gadget, the iPad 2, at a special press event hosted by CEO Steve Jobs (much to the surprise of the crowd).

Notable upgrades include a new A5 chip, faster CPU, both front and rear cameras, a gyroscope, 33 percent thinner design (8.8 mm), support for both CDMA and GSM cellular networks (AT&T and Verizon), and it comes in white or black. The iPad 2′s battery life remains at 10-hours as well as their pricing structure that begins at $499 for wi-fi only.

Additionally, Apple debuted support for two new accessories, including HDMI Mirrored Video Output via a dock cable, which offers up to 1080p to computer monitors and HD televisions, and a new smart cover that acts as a protective screen/microfiber cleaner when on the iPad and props up the device when taken off [...]

Today is a special day, folks. Today is a day where we find out that one of those things we’ve always dreamed about but never actually thought was possible is revealed to be a reality.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, Smell-O-Vision is here! We’ve all heard of it, and all wished it were real: movies, TV shows, video games, and more that allow you to smell various settings or things you’re seeing on the screen. Such a thing would make home entertainment more immersive and interactive than it’s ever been before, and has the potential to be an endlessly amusing sensory experience if done correctly.

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (which featured some jaw-dropping new technologies that are fast on their way to every day usage) a product called the ScentScape was presented by creator Scent Sciences. The device is synchronized with whatever you’re watching or playing and at certain points throughout, a specific scent is triggered and sent out to nearby nostrils. [...]

Capitalizing on the colorful upgrades to the classic Doctor Who enemy race in the most recent season of the popular BBC sci-fi show, toy manufacturer Kids@Play debuted a video of their fully functional — and ride-able — Dalek.

Standing at 128cm tall, these mobile Daleks are powered by a 6-volt rechargeable battery allowing for 360-degree steering, lights, and 10 authentic sound effects that more or less promise the death of all living creatures.

Considering that the Dalek race’s motives are to carry out genocide against all inferior races (which is any race that isn’t their own), I can’t decide if turning them into playful vehicles is terrifying or morbidly awesome. [There's also a slim chance that I'm just bitter because my adult size would never fit inside one.]

I leave you to make your own conclusions after watching the video clip embedded below [...]

Need a place to stash a little cash on the go? Then check out this TARDIS Emergency Fund Keychain!

The keychain, which sells for $12.95, is in the shape of the TARDIS time-travel machine from the Doctor Who television series, and it opens up a secret 3/4-inch diameter cylinder where you can hide some money or other paper items.

It’s totally adorable and it’s water-resistant, too! [...]

Is this the future? Some wild technology is here right now, and it could just be revving up to change the world as we know it.

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, many demonstrations were shown off. One of them involved a new wireless technology that would deliver a whole new type of power source to our homes and beyond.

For the demonstration, Fulton Innovation — the technology’s creator — brought along some shelving and surfaces that look pretty much like any other shelving or surface you might look at. What’s not seen, however, is power surging through these surfaces, which makes some very interesting things possible. The most entertaining of these, for those who aren’t interested in the scientific stuff, are cereal boxes; they look just like regular cereal boxes, naturally, but when placed on these special surfaces, the cereal boxes illuminate playfully. Something sure to catch the eye of any passing child. But that, my friends, is just the beginning.

You can see a much more in-depth video of these crazy-cool cereal boxes and the even crazier technology behind them, as well as read about some more useful possibilities by heading on over to the other side now. [...]

Among the things shown off at CES 2011 by gadget accessory company Incipio was an iPhone 4 case inspired by Nintendo’s classic GameBoy hand held gaming device.

The likeness appears on the back of the case’s design, which includes raised buttons and a screen displaying the Apple logo. Although these are merely cosmetic changes, it’s still pretty cool to sport outdated nostalgia from the 1990s [...]

Think Geek is currently selling an arcade-style joystick that you can add quickly and easily to you iPad!

The JOYSTICK-IT works with the iPad and many Android tablets, and even with mobile phones that have capacitive touchscreen displays. It will work for any game that features a virtual on-screen control pad. Now you can play games on you tablet like Pac-Man and use a joystick!

Check out the video here below to see this joystick in action [...]

When we first reported on the Misa Digital Guitar about a year ago, it was a prototype guitar that looked like a Guitar Hero controller with a touch pad, which was indeed an actual musical instrument. [READ: Guitar Hero Eat Your Heart Out – Misa Digital Guitar]

A really cool looking instrument.

In a post-TRON: Legacy pop culture world, I’m more inclined to compare it to something you’d find played in Castor’s EOLC (End of Line Club) rather than a toy you plug into a gaming console.

Misa is now taking pre-orders on two versions of their guitar: The Kitara ($849), which “is crafted with high-density injection-molded ABS polymer, MIDI controller and onboard digital synthesizer with an eight-inch multi-touch screen” and the Kitara Limited Edition ($2,899) that sports a solid aluminum body [...]

At Dragon*Con, the 4-day geek convention held in Atlanta, GA, every Labor Day weekend, people in costumes greatly out number those in plain clothes, panelists often attend the fan parties and the droids serve you alcohol.

OK, actually only one droid: the appropriately named BAR2D2.

The droid has a 15-beer capacity that’s proudly displayed around a neon-lit carousel and features a “beer” elevator that pushes the bottles up to the top for consumption. Just above that is the hard liquor mixing stack — a 6-bottle shot station that can serve about 100 drinks without stopping to refill the booze. Using the LazyDrinker software, BAR2 can mix about 5,000 drink combinations on demand with access to a laptop computer (and soon an iPhone), according to creator Jamie Price.

And of course, there’s a remote controlled Ice, Garnish & Juice drawer to make your alcoholic beverages served exactly like they are from boring humans behind a counter.

Check out the pictures and video embedded below to get a closer look [...]

Apple‘s next television product — said to be dubbed iTV — could feature support for popular video rental subscription service Netflix, Business Week reports.

If true, a Netfix-enabled iTV would surely be a huge hit given the device’s speculated $99 price tag. The new TV product would also feature a multitude of potential apps that would presumably also work with iPhone and iPad operating system iOS.

This might also be the reason the current favorite set top streaming media box Roku just received a price drop across the board — their low-end model now just $59 [...]

In our very first episode of Gears of Doom — the Official Geek Gadget Podcast of Geeks of Doom — Tom Cheredar and Cinegeek editor Stephen Lackey discuss what’s new on the horizon, including Clearwire’s new pay-as-you-go 4G device Rover, cheaper Roku boxes, possible upgrades to Apple’s next generation of iPods and Samsung’s iPad competitor, the Android 2.2 Galaxy Tablet.

So if you’re a gadget geek, come check us out by subscribing to our podcast via iTunes or playing the episode using the widget below [...]

Gears of Doom: Episode 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today, Amazon unveiled its newest version of the Kindle, their popular e-book reader, now available for pre-order in Wi-Fi and 3G + Wi-Fi versions.

The newest version of the wireless reading device still has the 6-inch screen, but now has a smaller, sleeker frame, eliminating a lot of the extra useless space from the previous version, and weighs only 8.7 ounces. Most importantly, it has a new high-contrast e-ink screen, making it even more like reading a paper book; plus, you’re still about to read from the Kindle in bright sunlight with no glare.

The new Kindle — Wi-Fi available in graphite; 3G in both white and graphite — has faster page-turns and quieter keyboard buttons, and can store up to 3,500 ebooks. Also, you can download books in under 60 seconds, and with the wireless turned off, the device lasts for one month on a single charge.

The Wi-Fi model is priced at $139, while the 3G + Wi-Fi model, which includes FREE 3G wireless coverage, is priced at $189. Both versions ship on August 27, 2010.

Watch video of the new Kindle here below [...]

As Disney has been prepping for the release of Tron: Legacy for well over a year now, it seems about the right time for them to start teasing their line of toys to coincide with the film’s release in December. But rather than manufacture the standard hunks of plastic, batteries, and tiny light bulbs, the Tron Light Cycle toys actually perform much like they do in the film: by climbing walls and driving on the ceiling (a.k.a. “defying” gravity).

The Light Cycle toys also feature a streaming trail of light that if crossed with another cycle’s stream, will cause both cars to lose traction and fall to the ground just like in the movie, according to Fast Company, who got their hands on a few as shown in the video embedded below.

What you won’t find is an explanation of how the Light Cycles work beyond mention of Zero-G Technology from the toy’s manufacturer Spin Master.

Tron fanboys only have to wait until October to purchase these bad boys, which will retail for $34.99 each. It’s a very reasonable price considering the hours of entertainment you’ll experience by chasing your cat around the house and uploading videos of it to YouTube.

[NOTE: Just below the demo, we've embedded a video of the "real" Light Cycle, which we recorded during a Tron: Legacy marketing event at last year's San Diego Comic-Con.] [...]