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 [...]

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.] [...]

The Amazon Kindle has just dropped down in price to only $189!!!

This 6-inch wireless reading device was released in February 2009 and was previously sold for $269. So, this is a major drop in price and totally worth grabbing right now!

I was gifted this very device for my birthday last year and I can honestly say it changed my life for the better. Yes, I still love print books, but believe me, having to carry only a thin little tablet like the Kindle makes a difference in your life. Also, with the Kindle, if you’re on the go and feel like reading a particular book, it takes less than a minute to have the book transferred to your Kindle.

And if you’re worried about reading off an electronic device, have no fear — there’s no glare on the screen and you can make the typeface larger if necessary. It’s very easy to use and you can fit a ton of books on it. Also, if you have a Kindle, you can also read your Kindle books through your PC or Mac computers, iPad, iPhone, and Blackberry!

See below for details from the product page, but take my word for it, the Kindle is a worthy investment, especially at this new low price [...]

Netflix‘s streaming media library is finally coming to the iPhone app store, according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings who announced the news today at the Apple WWDC event.

The push to make Netflix available will happen this summer and coincide with the release of Apple’s fourth generation iPhone device, which features a plethora of major hardware upgrades.

The iPhone 4 (as it’s currently being called) will sport a larger 3.5 inch display, 960×640 resolution with 326 pixels per inch, 800:1 contrast ratio (4x better than the older model), IPS Technology for superb color, and wide viewing angle, stated Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the WWDC stage.

“It has 78 percent as many pixels as the iPad! Right in the palm of your hand!,” Jobs said […]

Every year, we scatter looking for the best gifts and the best prices to complete our holiday shopping needs as soon as humanly possible. For some strange reason, many people still actually head out into the chaos that is the holiday shopping season, though it’s obvious that just hanging out at home is so insanely better, even if you have to pay a little more. Many sites online like to do their own holiday gift guides each year to help you find what you may be looking for, and we at Geeks of Doom are no different. Our own Tom Cheredar recently put together a fantastic guide for those of you looking for the best Wii sports accessories, and if you stay tuned, we will have a large gift guide with all of 2009′s best movies, games, and other goodies that translate into the best gifts!

Until that guide is complete, here is yet another to tide you over. This is a guide that really digs to the core for some of the best gifts out there for the true geek in all of us. The gifts in this guide come from perhaps the best website on the planet for strange and wonderful goodies, ThinkGeek. [...]

Nintendo’s Wii is a triumph of creative engineering in the realm of video games that had previously only been experienced inside a shrinking number of arcade venues. Not since the first Nintendo in the mid `80s has a console been able to innovate to a level that bridges generational gaps and ushers in a brand new era of gaming.

So, it’s incredibly sad to see the amount of dust collecting on Wii consoles owned by friends or family members.

The most frequent explanation I hear for this kind of mass console neglect is due to the lack of available opponents, which changes drastically when large groups of people consume a moderate amount of alcohol at a party. The same is true during the holiday season because there is always an abundance of bored loved-ones eager to avoid playing board games.

Obviously there is nothing wrong with the Wii, which is just as fun today as it was the day it was purchased. In fact, I’d argue that anything with the power to make both your old college roommates and your grandmother swat fists into the air and holler at the television screen is FAR MORE entertaining than any other device.

This level of entertainment can only increase with the addition of Wii accessories that help to mimic real-life sports [...]

Just in time for Halloween comes the Vampire-inspired Fleshlight — a variant version of the original strange-as-hell sex toy “the Fleshlight” — called the Succu Dry.

If you are unfamiliar with this device, it essentially looks like a flashlight that you insert your…and then the glitter comes…well you get the point.

The folks at Gizmodo discovered this little gem and offer a few more pictures on their site [...]

In terms of weird but awesome stuff found while roaming the floor of a big convention like San Diego Comic Con, Mindflex, a game that uses your own brain waves to levitate a foam ball through a board-game-sized obstacle course, tends to rank pretty high.

Mattel, who produces Mindflex, had their own booth set up separate from their main display to let people test out the game’s functionality. The ball can move up or down depending on the desired direction by wearing a headband that reads brainwaves. A dial positioned on the obstacle course is then used to move the ball from left to right.

Oh, and you also have to concentrate really hard or it’ll just look like another failed attempt at performing the Jedi mind trick (don’t act like you haven’t tried at least once in your life time.)

It doesn’t really matter what you focus on, according to the folks giving demonstration. Relaxation seems to be the key factor, but I’d suggest clearing your mind of the gorgeous booth babes strutting around in silvery outfits (lest you make other things rise).

Check out the video demonstration here below [...]

The Longbox is the standard storage and catalog unit for comic books and perhaps the most recognizable staple after bags and boards for collectors. The digital version is a bit more handy, or at least it aims to be, according to members of the Longbox Digital company.

At San Diego Comic Con, the company hosted a live demonstration of the Longbox application, which aims for the scope of iTunes but specifically tailored for all things digital comics.

The free app will have native versions on both Windows and OS X when it launches in late October, however, keys for a closed beta version were given to those attending the SDCC panel and will go live soon, according to the company.

There approach seems to be more Hulu, than iTunes in the sense that small creator owned and published work is eligible only after being screened for quality. So at this time it seems unlikely that they’ll build out support for user generated content.

This was the second publicly showcased demo since the app’s initial announcement (at Hero Con earlier this year). This build debuted new features such as a three-setting toggled viewer mode, a magnified lens tool that can adjust to the desired size and several other tweaks and polishes. In future builds, CEO of Longbox Rantz Hoseley stated there would be social functions as well as the ability to connect with pre-existing social networks.

Check out a live demo of the application [...]

The 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray release of Fast & Furious doesn’t just come with higher definition video quality than its DVD counterpart, it’ll also comes with a free companion iPhone/iPod Touch application that grants viewers access to an exclusive “Virtual Car Garage” feature.

The iPhone/touch acts as a remote control specific to the Blu-ray disc, that allows users to control 360-degree views of the movie’s suped up racers and instantly pull up exclusive technical specs for cars featured in the film.

It’s the first of many special edition discs that will include support for a companion application with the ability to control interactive content over the Internet via Wi-Fi connected Blu-ray players, according to Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Future companion apps like this will allow viewers to use their mobile devices as a virtual remote control and also to download bonus content from the discs to their iPhone/iPod that they can watch on-the-go [...]

TwitterFon Pro
Mobile Twitter Client
Developer: Kazuho Okui
Price: $4.99

TwitterFon, the popular iPhone and iPod Touch Twitter Client, released a long overdue update to their app that introduced several new features, the most noticeable being ad support for the free version. But if you think you can get around the introduction of advertisements by skipping the update, you may want to reconsider due to the number of general usability issues that slow functionality and often times crash the app.

Alternately, TwitterFon released the first Pro version of the app. Gone are the load time issues that accompanied Twitter’s recent change to how often API’s can retrieve information. The pro version offers the familiar interface with a few changes to accommodate new features.

The most noticeable difference between its free-version counterpart is that it removes the advertisements. Users will also get multiple accounts support, the ability to save search results, four different themes Shake to reload (who cares?), and landscape Keyboard mode. If those features weren’t enough to sell you, the Pro version has user authenticated support for bit.ly, which can be useful if you need to track statistics while on the go, and integration with Instapaper, a site that lets you save links from your feed so you can continue scanning the bulk of updates [...]

When the first Amazon Kindle was released, I thought it an exciting new invention — a wireless reading device that lets you purchase digital copies of books right from the device and, within seconds, it’s sent to the Kindle. I thought of all the books I could tote around with me, without the space and weight of them in my bag — the same principle as the iPod, which allows you to carry your music library around with you in a lightweight device. But, since I hate being the “beta tester,” I didn’t buy the Kindle even though I really, really wanted it. I figured, let some braver people discover the kinks and when it’s eventually improved upon, then I’ll get it for myself.

Well, it seems like that time is now. The Amazon Kindle 2 is available now for pre-order and will be released on February 24, 2009. From what I could tell from the Video Demonstration (on the purchase page), there’s been vast improvements from the original version, like a slimmer, lighter model with a better battery life. Not only is it far more aesthetically pleasing and easier to navigate, but new features have been added, like the Text-to-Speech feature, which can read the books out loud to you [...]

Most geeks don’t realize Apple’s app store for the iPhone is chock-full of free apps that have nothing to do with a Lightsaber. There are literally thousands of things to download to satisfy nearly every electronic need you may have. Below is a list of five essential apps every Geek should experience…

The Dark Knight: HaHaHa

Remember when viral marketing began for The Dark Knight? The odd Web sites with Harvey Dent’s campaign all over the place. Billboards with “I believe in Harvey Dent” plastered on them. And then weeks later the picture of Gotham’s would-be District Attorney was defaced with black circles around his eyes and bright red mouthy-lookin’ Bat symbol. The HaHaHa app gives you the ability to tag any picture with the hideously cool graffiti. Literally no one is safe from being Jokerized — not friends, not family, not even your pets are safe from jokerization. I went nuts and Jokerized all my friend contacts for an entire month (which possibly cost me at least one professional relationship and perhaps a dozen evil glares — all worth it.) [...]

IDW Publishing and iVerse Media announced today that Star Trek Archives: The Best of Peter David #1 is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The issue is the first in an ongoing digital series that reprints classic Star Trek comic books.

Issue #1 reprints Star Trek #13 “The Return of the Worthy: Part One” by Bill Mumy, Peter David, and Gordon Pucell, which sees the original cast in a story that takes places between the 5th and 6th Star Trek films.

Star Trek Archives #1 is available now in the iTunes App Store for 99 cents [...]

Press Release

UCLICK®, America’s #1 provider of comics on mobile phones, has added the graphic novel version of Clive Barker’s The Thief of Always to its rapidly growing line of comic book titles optimized for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Like the children lured to Mister Hood’s Holiday House in the novel, once fans begin reading this engrossing tale, presented in vibrant color and rich detail on their iPhone screens, they too will find it impossible to leave.

Creator of the well-known horror films Hellraiser, Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions, and author of more than a dozen horror novels and short story collections, Clive Barker has long been considered a master of the horror genre. Barker originally published The Thief of Always in 1992 as a fable for young readers. The novel was serialized as a graphic novel in 2005 by IDW Publishing, with story adaptation by Kris Oprisko and art by Gabriel Hernandez. All three installments of The Thief of Always are now available on the iPhone App Store for only 99 cents each [...]

Ever wonder what it might be like to have a Star Trek phaser of your very own? I have. Ever since I saw Kirk and Spock fire at a rock, a Horta, or a crazed crewman, I’ve been intrigued with the possibilities of coherent light. This led to early perusal of The Way Things Work: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Technology for the explanation of how lasers worked and time spent pouring over ads in Edmund Scientific catalogs for real lasers. Eventually, I got to do some experiments with lasers in my college physics classes, but I was still not completely satisfied.

Though the Executive Series Fusion has the size, dull matte finish, and heft of a high quality laser pointer, it means serious business. Meant for the optics enthusiast, it is bright — insanely bright. You can see the beam in darkened rooms. You can also damage objects. You can make holes in dark-colored balloons and dark trash bags and cut black electrical tape. The Wicked Lasers web site even says it will light wood or paper matches [...]