Awesome Tech

A ready-to-assemble ambient lighting kit that extends the colors coming out of your HDTV. Lightpack 2 comes with RGB LED strips, corner pieces and an adapter that lets you connect up to four HDMI devices. Optional “pixels” let you extend color into your room.

These amazing wheels allow a car to not only move in the typical directions, but to turn on a dime or move sideways. Their inventor says they’re driven using 24,000 pounds of torque directly on the tires, and are more precise and durable than prior omni-directional wheels.

Customize and clean up your desktop computer setup with GAEMS’ VESA-compatible monitor stands. The Rail System supports up to 24″ monitors and has room for mobile devices, headphones, webcams and more. Available in satellite and weighted variants. Video here.

The mature gaming laptop continues to impress. For the same price as the base 15″ MacBook Pro, you get a 14″ 3200×1800 touchscreen, a 6GB GTX970M GPU, RGB LED backlit keys and a USB-C port to connect it to the Razer Core and other peripherals.

A tiny robot designed to kill you with cuteness, from the guys behind Anki Overdrive. Cozmo uses AI and computer vision to learn to recognize people, interact with its environment, and emote. Plus, its movements were designed by former Pixar animators. Your move, BB-8.

Google’s Project Bloks uses simple, modular blocks to help teach kids the principles of programming – letting them create logic using tangible controls, rather than having to write code. As an open hardware platform, developers can create their own variants.

An upcoming note-taking app for iOS and OS X devices that’s lightweight yet versatile. Use it to make quick notes, to-do lists, essays, programs and more. It has essential word processing tools such as word count and saves files as plain text but can export in various formats.

The idime is a tiny and coin-shaped external flash storage device for iPhones. It comes with a USB adapter and a Lightning adapter to make it easier to transfer files to and from PCs or other iOS devices. It also has an optional magnetic iPhone case connector.

The folks behind robots like BigDog and AlphaDog are back with a smaller dog. SpotMini is designed for use around the home, and can not only act as a family pet, but can do chores, like doing the dishes and bringing you a beer. We only wonder if he poops batteries.

Creating commercials for new cars can be challenging because the cars aren’t always yet in production. The Mill’s amazing contraption acts a stand-in for virtually any car, simulating its length, width, wheels, and driving dynamics. CG artists can then wrap it in any virtual body.

The Panther has a pair of bone conduction speakers that send sound to your inner ear through your skull for a discreet and safe listening experience. It connects via Bluetooth and lasts up to 4h per charge. It also has five different frames and replaceable lenses.

IK Multimedia’s rig transforms your smartphone into serious pro video gear. It provides a rock solid grip, adds an XLR mic pre-amp, a wireless receiver bracket, phantom power for high-end microphones, and headphone monitoring. Holds devices with 3.5″ to 6″ screens.

Despite its cluttered interface, Waze is a shining example of crowdsourcing – it turns parts of a problem into parts of a solution. Google employees Nat and Lo visited their co-workers to learn more about the community-based interactive map app.

da Vinci’s versatile 3D printer not only outputs ABS & PLA objects on a heated bed, but it can do 3D scans, and can be upgraded with an $199 laser engraver for cutting designs into leather, cardboard, wood and plastic. A junior model for beginners is also in the works.

Roccat’s couch-friendly keyboard is now available for pre-order. The Sova features large and replaceable wrist rests, underside cushion and mouse pad. It’s available as a membrane or a mechanical keyboard. Pre-order it now to get a free Kova mouse.

Automotive innovators Local Motors latest creation is an autonomous 12-passenger electric bus that’s designed to offer door-to-door rides, smartphone-based ride hailing and payment, and remote monitoring from a control center. Initial prototypes start road tests in DC soon.

So your buddy is complaining that their seedless watermelon has a seed in it. How do you respond to their whining? Whip out two fingers and play them a sympathy tune. Now, thanks to Design I/O and Project Soli, your fingertips can actually make the sounds too.

OnePlus‘ latest Android flagship is powered by the Snapdragon 820 quad-core 2.2GHz CPU plus 6GB of RAM. It also has 64GB storage, dual nano-SIM slots, a USB Type-C port and a 16MP rear camera. Best of all, OnePlus has removed the invite system so anyone can pre-order.

We’re sure you could use a new MacBook, right? Well all you’ve got to do is head to The Awesomer Shop now, and enter for a chance to win a 12″ MacBook with 256GB of storage, valued at $1299. After you enter, be sure to share for bonus entries. (Ends 7/29/16)

Voice assistants are great for mobile devices, but for desktop computers the keyboard is king. That’s where Brandon Horst’s Lacona comes in. This OS X assistant recognizes a ton of commands in everyday English, from making reminders to opening multiple apps at once.

This pocket-sized flashlight only measures 4″ long, but it can crank out 1,080 lumens and a beam up to 500 feet long. Made from aerospace-grade aluminum, and is IPX-6 waterproof and impact resistant. Offers three brightness modes and recharges via USB.

ThinkGeek’s officially-licensed Pip-Boy 3000 Mk. IV replica. This post-apocalyptic wearable device has working knobs and screen that displays a variety of decorative interfaces, but it can also show incoming SMS and calls if you pair it with your smartphone.

Toon Welling and David Menting designed this plaything which encourages face-to-face interaction, with one person controlling an analog synthesizer, and the other controlling a sequencer on the other side. Its simple enough for kids, but awesome enough for all ages.