GeekSugar

Etsy Seller Digital Soaps Takes Over the Internet

GeekSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:07:15 PDT

Been on a tech blog lately? Then surely you've seen a bat of soap in the shape of a video game console controller. It started with the solid-color controller soaps, then we saw the more-detailed, gray-and-color PlayStation controller, and now there's more vintage controllers, keyboards, iPods, and calculators. Who's behind this? Brilliant Etsy entrepreneur Digital Soaps.

The soaps range in price from $1.75 to $16.50, and aside from their web presence, appear to have launched a fad, but aside from fascinated geeks checking them out online, is anyone getting their dirty hands (ahem) on these?

To see more soaps,

View 10 Photos ›

Hori Joystiks: Where Have You Been All My (Adult) Life?

GeekSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:30:22 PDT

I'm totally blown away that I have not purchased both of these Xbox 360 and PS3 fighting joysticks already! Where's my credit card? If you spent as much time as I did trolling the neighborhood pizza-joint arcade, you recognize my excitement. The Hori Fighting Stick for the Xbox 360 and PS3 ($60 and $50 respectively) totally bring back the joy of banging on buttons and thrashing the joystick during Mortal Combat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - or whatever your fighter of choice was back in the day.

Amazon reviewers are saying to stick with fighting games if you want to get the best results with these bad boys. So unfortunately, that means if you're looking forward to a rousing session of Burnout Paradise, it's wise to stick with your usual controller.

31 Days of Spring Cleaning: Organize Your Remotes

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 06:30:48 PDT

If Spring cleaning makes you think of clearing the clutter in your home, today's tip will serve as a good reminder not to stop at your closets. Your coffee table could use a refresh as well, and one simple way to do this is by organizing your remote controls. Having a remote for your TV, DVR, and sound system isn't enough, you might even have one for your PlayStation. Keep them wrangled by storing them in one of these pretty and creative catchalls.

Want to keep up with all of our 31 Days of Spring Cleaning posts? Follow our pretty Spring Cleaning Pinterest board or cruise through the tag here!

Photo source: Shannon Vestal

6 Ways Couples Can Tell They're Financially Ready to Live Together

Business Insider — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:15:47 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

Moving in together as a couple is more than deciding who gets the "good side" of the bed and finding the best spot to stash the PlayStation.

Not only will you be sharing household bills and probably setting up a joint bank account, but you'll also get up close and personal with your partner's money demons for the first time.

"A husband or wife, even a boyfriend or a girlfriend, is not a financial plan," says Dr. Taffy Wagner, CEO of Money Talk Matters. "We've seen enough drama on Court TV shows."

As a certified personal finance educator and author of Bride and Groom Money Talk FAQ, Wagner's an expert on all things relationships and finances.

Before you start building a bigger closet, make sure you're both ready to merge your finances by checking for these six signs:

1. You can talk money without arguing. Per Wagner: "When you can openly discuss finances without arguing and blaming the other person when there is a financial issue," you're on the right track. "The people in this situation would also be able to discuss a financial issue and reach a viable solution that is best for the overall relationship."

Read on for more.

First Look at Doctor Who PlayStation 3 Game

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:10:30 PST

Ready the controllers and clear some room in your personal TARDIS, the Doctor Who PlayStation 3 game is inching closer to a place on the retail floor. Below is the first look at Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, slated for release in the first half of 2012.

As you'd expect, players travel through space and time as the Doctor and River Song, it's not so easy though - the actions of one era directly impacts play in another era. In addition to PS 3, the game will be available to PlayStation Vita and PC consoles.

Watch PlayStation's trailer for the video game that is very much a tease featuring the voices of Matt Smith and Alex Kingston (who plays River) after the break.

Three Beats Jewelry: Kid-Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Kate Stahl — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:32:59 PST

You love your diamonds, so shouldn't your kiddies have some, too? According to Malaysia Pargo, one of the ladies on VH1's Basketball Wives LA and a mom to three kids all under the age of 4, the answer is "definitely." Pargo, along with celeb jewelry designer Jason Arasheben (who counts Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Justin Bieber among his fans), has just launched Three Beats Jewelry, a line exclusively for kids. What makes this tot jewelry collection different: it features iced-out diamond and gold necklaces and bracelets in the shape of PlayStation controllers and ice cream cones (the cone weighs in at 1.61 carats). So would you ever ice out your lil one? Let us know below.

Best Black Friday Deals Roundup

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:08:53 PST

It's hard to believe that we're halfway through November already, but it's true. Not only is it time to start thinking about your guest list for Thanksgiving dinner, but also your Black Friday shopping list. Get a head start on your planning by checking out these Black Friday ads that are already posted online for your browsing pleasure.

Amazon

Motorola phones will be on sale for just a penny. Some of the available models include Droid Razr 4G, BlackBerry Torch 4G, HTC Inspire 4G, HTC Rhyme, Samsung Focus Flash 4G, and more. This sale is available now through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28.
Verizon and Sprint customers are eligible for some extras. If they activate a mobile hotspot data plan on their hotspot-capable smartphone, they will also receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

Apple

Apple's sales will take effect on Friday, Nov. 25 at physical locations and online.

Get $101 off MacBook Airs, Pros, and iMacs. The 11-inch MacBook Air will be on sale for just $898!
Save up to $41 on iPods, including iPod Touch and Nano
iPads (first and second generation models) will be discounted up to $61.
Accessories for Macs, iPods, and iPads will be discounted as well.

Best Buy

Stores will be opening at 12 a.m. on Black Friday. Get a closer look at the Best Buy Black Friday ad here.

An insane deal, the Sharp 42-Inch LCD 1080p TV is only $200. Better get in line early for that one.
Capture precious moments with the Canon Power Shot ELPH 300HS Digital Camera for $150.
Alternatively, you can grab the Kodak PlayFull 1080p HD Camcorder for just $70.
Insane prices on DVDs - just $1 and up.
Or, grab Blu-rays starting at $5 and up.

GameStop

Stores will be opening at 12 a.m. on Black Friday.

Trade in your old DSi XL and get a 3DS bundle (that includes the system and a game) for $100.
The black Wii bundle, which includes Super Mario Bros. Wii and the official Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack, will be selling out at $150.
There's also a Xbox Kinect Bundle, which includes 250GB Xbox 360, Kinect, wireless controller, three-month Xbox Live membership, and two games for $300.

Kmart

If you're looking for a camcorder to capture family moments, snatch up the Sony Compact Camcorder with 60x Optical Zoom, which is on sale for $170.
Listen to your tunes on the cheap with Maxell Color Earbuds that are going for $2.50 a pair.
I love the Samsung PL120 DualView digital camera for self-portraits and videos, and on Black Friday, you can get one for yourself for just $99.
Looking for an affordable tablet that will let you surf the Internet on the fly? The Archos 8GB 101 Internet Tablet will be priced at just $219 on Black Friday.

Office Depot

The 17-inch HP g7 laptop is going for $350, but if you buy any HP laptop you can also get the HP Touchpad for $149.
The "tech bundle" from Office Depot offers a laptop sleeve, wireless mouse, and 500GB hard drive for $80.
8GB SanDisk SD cards are only $9 each.
All M-Edge Kindle accessories and cases are buy one get one free.
All tablets are on sale during the Black Friday sale. The BlackBerry Playbook is only $200, while the Lenovo IdeaPad is $300.
The Canon Power Shot A22 14.1MP digital camera is $90 and comes with a free 4GB SD card.

Sam's Club

Stores will be open starting at 5 a.m. on Black Friday and will include a complimentary egg sandwich breakfast for members!

It could be better, but for the price of this Samsung 51-Inch Class 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV ($498), it's a nice upgrade for someone with a smaller screen.
If you don't already have one, the Sony PS3 160GB Bundle is going for $239.
Or, get a Nintendo Wii Limited Edition Blue Console for only $99.
Need a laptop? The HP Pavilion 17.3-Inch Notebook is $499.
And though model numbers haven't been released, select 4G Android Smartphones are going for just $1.

Target

Stores open at midnight on Black Friday.

Get your game on with the PS3 gaming bundle, that comes with a 160GB PS3 Slim, two games (including Little Big Planet 2 and a 30 day PlayStation Plus membership for $199.
The Acer 10.1-inch netbook is $72 off and priced at $157 on Black Friday.
Get a Westinghouse 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $298. That's $250 off the regular price of $550!
Select video games start at $5 a piece and DVDs starting at just $2.
Other gaming bundles include the Kinect sensor bundle (Kinect, two games and two game downloads) for $99, and a 3DS bundle (red 3DS and a copy of Super Mario 3D Land) for $180.

Walmart

Walmart's Black Friday ad is available to view online. Electronics will be going on sale starting at 12 a.m. on Black Friday, while toys and other departments will be open for shopping at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Get your hands on an LG Blu-ray Player for movie-watching fun for just $49.
Or, if you're in need of some sweet sounds to go along with your flicks, the Philips WiFi Blu-ray Home Theatre is going for $178.
Upgrade your movie-watching experience with the Samsung 51-Inch Plasma TV, priced at $498.
Keep the fun coming with DVDs starting at just $2 and up.

A Trio of E3 Expectations

GeekSugar — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:21:20 PDT

With the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) kicking off this week, gamers are buzzing with early news and industry rumors. For our top three anticipated products and games, Monday can't come soon enough.

Wii 2 Code-named Project Café, we can't wait to see what Nintendo has in store for Wii 2.0. Will they follow Microsoft's leap into motion-controlled gaming or introduce a 3D console? Either way, this will be the "It" product in the coming year.
Kinect Games Please, oh, please, announce new games for Kinect. Though we love them, there are only so many times we can play Dance Central or Michael Jackson the Experience at housewarming parties.
Call It a Comeback Fan favorites Lara Croft and Zelda resurface this year. 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda, and naturally, Nintendo will celebrate in style. Sneak peeks on Link's latest adventures abound, while Tomb Raider fans can take an early look at Turning Point, a prequel to the Lara Croft series.

Whether it's Playstation news or handheld gaming updates, what are you looking forward to seeing from E3?

Sony's Tablet S and HTC's Jetstream Tablet: All the Details You Need to Know

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:31:19 PDT

It's raining gadgets from Berlin's IFA 2011 conference this week, and tablets are again stealing the spotlight. Two new tablets were announced this morning: the Sony Tablet S and the HTC Jetstream, which are both due to hit shelves in the coming weeks. Let's take a closer look at each!

Sony Tablet S

Sony's Tablet S (seen here) is the more affordable of the two, priced at $500 for a 16GB model and $600 for 32GB. Coming with a wedge-shaped body, a 9.4-inch touchscreen display, and running an Android OS, the Tablet S has a crisp display and fast processor. It's perfect for on-the-go computing, since there will be a WiFi-only and WiFi+3G version to choose from. Features loaded on the Tablet S include:

Android 3.1 Honeycomb (WiFi), Honeycomb 3.2 (WiFi+3G)
0.3-0.8 inches thick and weighs about 1.25 pounds
NVidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor
Front-facing .3MP camera, and rear-facing 5MP camera with LED flash
An IR port that lets you control your TV, DLNA compatibility
Expandable SD card slot
Plays classic PlayStation games that are downloadable from a custom store
Sony ereader store built in
Battery life around 8.5 hours
On sale in September

See what's up with the HTC Jetstream after the break.

Chris Hardwick on His TV Show, Doctor Who, and Star Trek Battles

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:05:30 PDT

With an upcoming special on BBC America and book slated for a Fall debut, we caught up with Nerdist Chris Hardwick for more details on the TV show, viral video culture, and his nerdiest facts.

Taking the Nerdist blog and podcast format to television, Chris's half-hour BBC America comedy special called, Nerdist, naturally, will air on Sept. 24 at 10 p.m. Joining the show to talk all things nerd and pop culture will be infamous Doctor Who fan and talk show host Craig Ferguson and the not-so-secret special guest: the doctor himself, Matt Smith.

You may remember him as host of dating game shows Singled Out and the under-the-radar gem, Shipmates, but with his place as unofficial ambassador of current geek culture, we asked Chris for his expert take on all things nerd.

On his love for Doctor Who - "I haven't watched any of the previews, because I love the show so much that I want to be as surprised as possible. I watched the prequel to the episode, because they obviously wouldn't spoil anything in that, and it would just be setting up the episode."

As host of Web Soup, you see a lot of Internet viral videos. What percentage of the Internet do you estimate to be videos and photos of cats? - "64 percent, I think it's pretty high. Cat videos are the glue that keeps America together."

Singled Out or Shipmates - "They were both delightfully horrible in fun ways. Shipmates was fun, because they let me say whatever I wanted. I would literally finish an episode of Shipmates by saying, 'Thanks for watching. Be sure to root for Gryffindor in the upcoming Quidditch trials,' and they never said I couldn't do it. But probably Singled Out, because I was right out of college and it completely redefined my life."

Best nerdy pick-up line - "I'd like to upload this file to your hard drive."

Follow the break for more of Chris's nerd picks and his choice for victor of the ultimate Star Trek battle.