lighter

Looking at the Sega Mega Drive-modeled Zippo lighter reminds me of the actual console that I still have on top of my wardrobe. I remember spending a good deal of time on it playing Mortal Kombat and Sunset Riders with my friends. Those were the days when 16-bit graphics were more than enough, and 3D games were almost unheard of.

There's also a Sega Saturn version available, and both lighters retail for $114 each. Give the PlayStation 3 10 years, and I'm sure it'll be inducted into the Zippo game console hall of fame.

(Source: Crave Asia … Read more

Adjusting your computer's brightness just got a lot easier. Desktop Lighter offers users a way to quickly and easily adjust how brilliant their screen appears. The only concern is whether the majority of users will find a need for it.

This freeware program hides itself in the tray until you decide your computer needs an adjustment. Clicking on the program's icon brings up a simple purple and pink screen. So simple, in fact, the only variable on this control is a slider that moves up and down. As you click and drag this bar, a small window pops … Read more

Whenever a next-generation version of a product is launched, inevitably you get comparisons to the previous model--and what the older model did better. Well, in the case of the Kindle 2, the nitpicking is in full swing as several blogs have taken up the debate over whether the Kindle 2's text is lighter than the original Kindle's.

On Joe Wikert's Kindleville blog, one reader lodged the following complaint:

Side-by-side, the K1 text is bolder and jumps out at you. It's as if the low fidelity, dot-matrix-like typeface of the K1 is better suited for the reading experience than the feathered, crisp, 16-shades of gray of the K2. After 30 minutes of reading on the K2, my eyes get tired and I actually experience mild dizziness, headaches. Never experienced that with the K1.

In the Mobileread forums, a reader posted that he had decided to return the Kindle 2 after he noticed "low contrast on text as compared to kindle 1...text on kindle 1 is really good it is dark and somewhat thicker than kindle 2 at the same font size, menu is normal on kindle 2." He said he spoke to a Kindle representative (we assume a customer service person), who said he'd heard complaints from other Kindle 2 users as well.

On Amazon, there's a thread titled, "Amazon: Please make the text darker on Kindle 2!"

The thread's starter, BMK, is calling for an e-mail campaign to encourage Amazon to update the firmware on the Kindle 2 to fix the alleged problem.

"Kindle 2 is capable of producing darker text than the default setting, which is light, thin, and difficult to read for many people. Customer Service has reportedly told at least one person that the standard text could have been a darker shade of gray/black than the one that was chosen."

So, what's the deal? Are people imagining things or is there really an issue? … Read more

There's nothing worse for a spy than being busted just because the voice recorder pen can't be used when the villain tries to sign a check. Which is probably why this lighter/video camera combination might work better--at least you can light a cigarette when you're feeling nervous.

The Lighter DVR from Ajoka is perfect for any Bond wannabe. It records VGA-quality (640x480-pixel) color videos with sound, and the battery can last up to six hours. The microSD slot accepts cards up to 8GB, which gives approximately eight hours of footage. The microphone and lens are hidden … Read more

Literally a flashlight of a different color, myLite goes beyond the majority of bland iPhone flashlight applications to bring you the full spectrum of colors and strobes, including SOS lighting and a lighter to get into the concert act. It's dead simple to operate, and you may one day find yourself needing its pulsing red rays as an emergency strobe or its neon green beacon to signal a friend in a crowded concert. At the very least, it will impress the kiddies and you'll be all set to host spontaneous dance parties.

I have to admit, I didn't see the point of Sonic Lighter. I mean, it was cool to see real-time mapping of people using it, but there was no real point. With the latest version, however, that's changed.

Smule has released Sonic Lighter 1.2.1 Special Campaign 2008 Edition for the iPhone. Instead of just lighting a normal orange flame, with the new version you now get to express yourself politically (somewhat), by choosing either the red (McCain) or blue (Obama) flame.

The coolest thing about this is the ability to see, in real-time, which flame is … Read more

In September, Smule introduced Sonic Lighter, an iPhone and iPod Touch app that's basically nothing more than a virtual lighter. Not very exciting honestly.

The folks at Smule have been working on something a bit meatier in the meantime though: the company's follow-up to Sonic Lighter, Sonic Boom. Sonic Boom turns your iPhone into a virtual firecracker, using your finger as the virtual match.

Just flick your finger along the screen, touch the fuse, then sit back and watch the fireworks--the fireworks in this case being a virtual firecracker exploding into several hundred pieces of polygonal debris.

You … Read more

It appears that sometimes wishes really do come true. Last week I talked about iGolf, hoping that Version 2.0 would include some sort of course to play through. Apparently this was already in the works. With Version 2.0 you can now play through three holes in addition to hitting for distance at the driving range. It still needs some work (putting requires you to perform a full swing making it less-than-ideal), but adding the three playable holes is a nice touch. I should point out that if you don't have a good grip while playing you may … Read more

If you happened to come by one of those cigarette pack phones from China we saw awhile back, this may be the perfect mate for it: a music player made to resemble a lighter.

And not just any lighter, but a Zippo. The "Zarva Zippo MP320" is a 1GB player that handles only music, though it does have a small LCD for navigation purposes, according to PMP Today. The casing purportedly is even made from the same material as that used to produce the iconic lighter.

The biggest drawback, however, is that it won't actually light your … Read more