gadgets

A repo to keep track of interesting gadgets and toys that I find or someone tells me about. These are things that I might own already, desperately am waiting to be released, or want in the future.

• Teenage Engineering: Toys for audio, like wireless synthesizers. Great looking hardware design.
  • I got the OP-Z and the PO-137 rick and morty, as well as the modules for the OP-Z: oplab and rumble¹.
  • I got the impossible I-1 old-school polaroid camera². If they are out of the film you can order it from Polaroid. Just make sure it is type 600.
• Love Hulten: Tech + wood crafting meet retro gaming. Interesting that in some instances it is just a raspberry pi inside and has other failings like mono audio.³ Perhaps not a problem with more recent creations.
• Analogue Pocket: Handheld device for playing old game cartridges. Awesome hardware design. However can only take cartridges, not ROMs. This is an explicit design decision.
• play.date: Handheld gaming device made by Panic! and Teenage Engineering. Amazing hardware design featuring a hand crank.
• 8bitdo: Retro game controllers made wireless.
• Polymega: Swiss army knife of retro gaming consoles. Skeptical since it is not an FPGA, could also just be their marketing doesn't show off their hardware like the Analogue marketing does.
• RED Camera: Cinema quality, 8K, cameras. You can attach any lens to these. The quality is really great and some folks swear by them⁴. They have some great documentation around their sensors as well⁵.
• Probe Lens: Along with the RED camera brain from above, this lens allows for some really fun shots⁶. Would be fun for hardware PCB boards or up close on a product. It has a light built in since it needs a lot of light for a great picture.
• Sonos Turntable: The ability to listen to a record in a modern way is very compelling. The design of these is also beautiful.
• Markforged: 3D print metal or carbon fiber. Parts require supports on the parts though to the additive manufacturing process used.
• Desktop Metal: 3D print metal. Parts require supports due to the additive manufacturing process used.
• Hello Robot: Programmable robot arm.
• Spot: Robot dog.
• Genesis Orrery: Model of the planets. Mechanically engineered in a visually stunning orrery.
• Designed by Apple in California: Not a gadget, but a book. Beautifully designed and no longer in print.
• Canon EOS R5: Mirrorless camera, 8K RAW video at 30fps, 4K video at 60fps, has a 45 megapixel sensor, 1053 autofocus zones, 120fps viewfinder