Awesome Tech

Keep your phone juiced up in your car and without wires. This easy-to-install accessory plugs into one of your car’s USB ports and clips onto an air vent. Its grippers hold a variety of phones while charging any Qi-compatible smartphone. Save 31% in The Awesomer Shop.

There’s nothing worse than plugging in your charging cable to find its connector is damaged. ChubbyCable solves this problem with an innovative connector that can smoothly rotate 180 degrees, while a thick silicone jacket prevents kinks. Its tip also lights up while charging. Available in USB-C, Lightning, and Micro-USB versions.

In the 1980s, Audio-Technica sold a portable record player called the Sound Burger. Now it’s back, with Bluetooth connectivity and a USB-C charging port. It can play 33-1/3 and 45 RPM LPs and singles using a spring mechanism that maintains pressure between the stylus and the record. A 60th-anniversary limited edition.

We’ve seen some unique clocks and timers, but this is the first time we’ve seen one that displays time using the kind of metal filings you’d find in a Wooly Willy toy. B.B. Korry created this electromechanical clock which uses a grid of electromagnets to attract and release iron filings to count down seconds. It’s really loud, though.

This convenient device charger can juice up two devices at once via its USB ports, plus it has two AC outlets and a ledge for holding your phone on top. In addition, it has a built-in nightlight on the bottom. We suggest keeping one in your suitcase for travel too.

When it comes to melding design with audio quality, it doesn’t get much better than Bang & Olufsen. This cylindrical Bluetooth speaker sounds fantastic, with deep bass and 360º audio. It runs for up to 27 hours on a charge, is IP67-rated dustproof and waterproof, and its anodized aluminum shell resists scratches.

There are many faster ways to get around than walking, but Shift Robotics wants to improve that too. Their Moonwalkers shoes let you walk naturally while increasing your speed up to 250%. They’re far beyond ordinary roller skates, with the smarts to move with your gait and to stop naturally. You can even climb stairs in them.

LEDclaw makes all kinds of geeky lights, including this wall light inspired by an Xbox game controller. The 20″ W x 14.5″ H light is made from wood and cast acrylic and is backlit with colorful LEDs. They also make some cool lights based on floppy disks and cassette tapes.

Engineer Linus Akesson shows off his typing and musical skills with a performance of Bach’s Prelude from Partita No. 3 on old Commodore 64 computers, along with a 1541 floppy drive which makes sounds with its motors. Stick around to the end of the video or visit his blog for details on the project.

Light painting is the process of capturing long-exposure images of a light source being moved. Most light painting is done by hand and with 2D images. However, it’s possible to use the three-axis movements of a delta-style 3D printer to create 3D light paintings. Ekaggrat Singh Kalsi shows how this is possible. Read more on Hackaday.

Engineer Ekaggrat Singh Kalsi came up with this unique mechanism which displays digits by flipping segments into place. Its cams push levers that lift the segments into the proper position based on signals sent from a controller circuit and a pair of stepper motors. You can read more about the project Hackaday.IO.

Ready to advance your computer networking and security skills? This series of 14 eBooks from ExamsDigest includes exam objectives and practice questions for CompTIA, AWS, Cisco, Microsoft, and Google certifications. Save more than 80% on this deal in The Awesomer Shop.

The C-Max Call Time is a bargain-priced alternative to other smartwatches. It offers 14 useful features, including making and answering calls, message alerts, weather, stopwatch, health monitoring, alarms, music controls, and more. Another great deal from The Awesomer Shop.

Clockwork’s compact uConsole computer was created for indie game developers and programmers. Its mainboard has swappable cores, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A, USB-C, Micro-HDMI, headphone, and MicroSD connectors, and the kit includes a 720p 5.0-inch IPS screen and a backlit QWERTY keyboard with game controls.

Known for its graphical and sound abilities, the Commodore 64 personal computer was home to some of the best games of the 8-bit era. Engineer Linus Åkesson took advantage of its audio capabilities to build this unique accordion which consists of two C64 computers connected by bellows made out of floppy disks and tape.

A Roomba has a top speed of about 1.1 mph. Electrosync knew he could do better. After cleaning out the dirt and dust from a Roomba’s vacuuming duties, gutted the robotic vacuum and installed two high-performance RC car motors. The two-wheeler can spin incredibly quickly, but how fast is it in a straight line?