GadgetMadness: We find the coolest gadgets first

What do you think of when you imagine ancient Greece? While we know from reading Michael Cremo that the ancient Greeks were probably WAY more advanced than anyone gives them credit for, we think most people imagine a bunch of guys chilling out in togas around white marble pillars wearing laurel wreaths. In 1900 a group of sponge divers discovered an ancient Greek shipwreck dating from 70 BC that contained some corroded lumps of rock. Those lumps of rock were the remnants of the Antikythera: an ancient clockwork celestial computer used to predict the movements of the heavens. So the real question is - where did the knowledge to build a device this sophisticated come from?

Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer via guardian.co.uk

Have you checked out the new USB powered vacuum cleaner from Dirt Devil called the "KWIK?" It's designed to live in your work area or entertainment system and cleanup crumbs from keyboards, pet fur, dust in gaming equipment, entertainment centers, and other expensive electronic equipment.

GadgetMadness has teamed up with Dirt Devil during their "12 Days of Cleaning Sweepstakes" where from now until December 12th you can win your very own KWIK vacuum. Contest details are below, winners to be notified daily by Dirt Devil via email. You can enter once per day, so good luck!

• Sweepstakes drawings will be held every day December 1-12
• Readers can submit one entry form per day to win a KWIK vacuum
• Winners will be randomly selected at 3 p.m. EST the day following the drawing from a database of eligible entry forms
• Prize winners will be notified via the e-mail address provided with entry submission
• The drawing is open to residents of the U.S. only

Dirt Devil 12 Days of Cleaning Sweepstakes - Click here to enter

Sometimes the marketing minds at Sony confound the heck out of us. Ever since the original mention of the PSP Camera at E3 in 2004 it has been one of the most desired PSP accessories that we in the US "can't" have. Why Sony, why won't you release it here in the states? Heck, we even setup the World's First PSP Camera Webcam back when the PSP-2000 introduced video out capability. Every time we go out with our red God of War PSP 2000 with the camera attached we literally get stopped and asked this question: "Where can I buy the PSP camera?"

We purchased our original "Chotto Shot" (the Japanese name for the PSP Camera) from Play-Asia a year or so ago. While we simply cannot fathom the reason why Sony won't release it here themselves, luckily you can still purchase it from Play-Asia using either of the links below. The PSP camera is region-free and every PSP made to date from the PSP-1000 to the PSP-3000 have the software already loaded to use the camera to take photos and videos.

Play-Asia - Link 1
Play-Asia - Link 2

Related: PSP Sample Photos

Chances are if you're reading this you're like us - you have absolutely no desire to get in the car and fight the crowds and all their nasty germs today on Black Friday. There are a bunch of sites posting specific Black Friday deals and sales however we were unable to find a concise list of online retailers that are offering the best sales overall. (We could tell you about a toaster that's on sale for $10 but if you're not specifically toaster shopping that doesn't help you now does it?) So based on hours of surfing and totally unscientific research, here is our top five list of online stores that are offering the best deals and sales this Black Friday:

1) Amazon Black Friday Page

You have to give it to Amazon - the are motivated. While some sites don't even list a Black Friday sale on their home page (shudder) Amazon is all about the Black Friday today. There are tons of deals on toys and electronics to be found, with some price drops bordering on the insane. If you're into Blu-Ray Amazon is also offering three discs for the price of two, and last we checked had the Transformers (Two-Disc Special Edition + BD Live) [Blu-ray] edition for only $9.99!

BluRay Subdeals: Amazon - Three Blu-Ray For Price Of Two

2) Wal-Mart : Shop Electronics Special Buys!

While Wal-Mart seemed to focus on in-store deals this year, they have some amazing prices to be found on their online Black Friday page. Cameras and HD televisions seem to be the best buys on Wal-mart.

3) MacMall 3 Day Apple Black Friday Sale

While there are some decent prices to be found at some online stores for 1st gen iTouch iPods, MacMall wins hands down for having the best prices overall on the entire iPod line. If you're looking for an Apple product this Black Friday, check MacMall first.

4) Circuit City Black Friday

Despite rumors Circuit City isn't down yet, and they have some fantastic deals overall on electronics, cameras, and televisions. They also offer a nifty store pickup option, so you could feasibly place an order today to reserve your item, and then pick it up in-store tomorrow when there are fewer people in-store.

5) Buy.com Black Friday Specials

We'll never, EVER forget the Buy.com "Check us out" commercial. It's one of the simplest and funniest ads in recent years and regardless of if you love it or hate it, it sticks with you (sniff sniff). This year Buy.com has some really nice prices on electronic toys overall, so...check them out! (Commercial after the jump.)

Continue Reading "Top Five Best Black Friday Deals & Sales Sites Overall For 2008"...

The largest spacecraft ever built by mankind, the ISS just celebrated its tenth birthday:

By the time the first element launch anniversary rolls around on Nov. 20, the space station will have completed 57,309 orbits of the Earth, a distance of 1,432,725,000 miles.

ISS we're a little late in wishing you a happy birthday, but here's to you - bartender, a round of recycled astronaut pee for everyone!

(Photo courtesy of NASA)

NASA - International Space Station 10th Anniversary

So you're considering a Nintendo DS Lite or games for the DS for Christmas? Why not have Mario call in your own personalized wish list via telephone? If you're comfortable telling Mario all about yourself and what Nintendo toys are on your wish list this Christmas, you can do just that via the site below.

(We give kudos to Nintendo for this new innovative marketing angle, which we also find to be very slightly creepy.)

Mario Wish List

This is easily the best price for the Playstation3 we've found yet. From the Playstation.Blog:

"You can go to to www.sony.com/newpscard to get instant approval for your card, and an immediate $150 credit when you purchase a PS3 directly through the website."

"Or you can go www.sony.com/getpscard to apply for the card and upon receipt of the card, use it at any authorized PlayStation retailer to purchase a PS3. The $150 credit will show up on your billing statement."

If we didn't already have a PS3 sitting in the corner of GadgetMadness Headquarters quietly saving mankind by running Folding@Home computations 24/7, we'd seriously consider signing up for this card and getting the Metal Gear Solid (MGS4) PS3 for $250. Sounds like an awesome deal to us - of course make sure you read all the fine print before signing up.

Playstation Blog via Gizmodo

You've probably heard about the LifeStraw which lasts up to three years and uses crazy nanotechnology to purify any kind of contaminated water into crystal clear drinking water. To prove that it actually works the UnculturedProject went to Kenya where they took rain water and actual cow manure and ran it through the LifeStraw system, and then drank the filtered water that came out!

After some digging we've discovered that you can't actually purchase either the LifeStraw Personal or LifeStraw Family for yourself, although you can donate one through the LifeStraw website. We humbly suggest that LifeStraw offer their products for sale via the One Laptop Per Child Approach - we know we'd gladly pay for two to add one of these awesome survival gadgets to our arsenal, and have one donated to those who need clean drinking water at the same time.

LifeStraw

touchArcade reports that the new 2nd Generation Apple iPod Touch has the fastest 3D rendering performance of all devices in its class, making it even faster than the new iPhone 3G in this regard:

The most clear difference is that fact that the iPod Touch’s processor was quietly boosted to 532MHz (up from 412MHz) with the 2nd generation model introduced in September. Meanwhile, the iPhone 3G, Original iPhone and 1st Generation iPod Touch continue to run at the original 412MHz. Though not the intended purpose, this video from Handheld Games Corp shows that the app load time of the 2nd Generation iPod Touch is notably faster than the 1st Generation model.

It seems that there are additional factors, however, as there are performance differences even found between the models that run at the same speed. The models rank in the following order (fastest to slowest) for 3D rendering, with the 2nd Generation iPod Touch being the fastest “by far”.

We love Apple's discreet way of introducing products that offer enhanced functionality like gaming without shouting "Hey look now it does this too!" from the rooftops. The new Touch is easily our favorite gadget of the year so far - with the ability to check email, browse the web, play games, view photos, listen to music and watch videos AND run cool apps we're as happy as we can be!
(Image Courtesy of Apple)

2nd Generation iPod Touch Faster than iPhone

You've probably never heard of the Magnapinna (which means "big fin") squid before today. After watching the video National Geographic has provided of one of these huge deep sea creatures filmed by a Shell Oil Company ROV (remotely operated vehicle) it's unlikely you will ever forget these squid. We're still trying to shake the creepy image of this deep sea horror, looking like the half-breed love child of Cloverfield and H.R. Giger, staring back at the camera like it's thinking about eating it.

Alien-like Squid Filmed at Ultra-Deep Oil-Drilling Site