After Hours

TR Community favorite geeky gadgets

By // June 23, 2010, 6:51 AM PST // sonjathompson

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  • Modern hardware devices designed to work with classic retro game consoles

    TR member dcolbert took the following photo of his favorite geeky gadgets.

    Left to right - Coleco AtariMax 128-in1 USB cart, Schell's Electronics Intellivision Cuttle Cart 3, Schell's Electronics Atari 7800 Cuttle Cart 2, Stelladaptor USB to Atari Joystick adaptor, AtariMax 5200 128-in1 USB cart, and Redemption 7800 Atari 5200 Joystick Adaptor.

    If you'd like to add your favorite geeky gadget to this photo gallery, either send us an original photo or just tell us what it is and we'll secure an image and add it to the list. Send all correspondence to trol@techrepublic.com.

  • Universal Network Cable

    According to TR member Peconet Tietokoneet, "[This] Saves me buying too many cables. And yes, I have these in my possession, and they do come in handy."

    This was also featured in the "Geeked out gift ideas for Father's Day" gallery.

    Photo credit: ThinkGeek

  • Motorola Droid

    On Facebook, both Rick Fischer and Jim Miller pick the Motorola Droid as their favorite geeky gadget. According to Jim, "My Droid is never more than an arms length away. Can't remember any other gadget I could say that about."

    Photo credit: CNET Networks

  • Withings WiFi Scale

    According to TR member GSG, "My new favorite gadget is the Withings WiFi Scale. I bought mine through Thinkgeek.com. The scale runs on 4 AA batteries, and comes with a USB cable for setup. It took me about 5 minutes to configure the wireless to work on my network, so the set up is very simple. It measures weight in your choice of pounds, kilograms, or stone, and also measures body fat and BMI. Just step on the scale, and it automatically turns on, and tells you if you are standing in the correct spot. When the indicator shows it's done, just step off and it turns itself off.

    It sends your data to your personal Withings web page where you can set goals, and it graphs your weight, BMI, etc.. If you set a goal, then it will send you periodic emails. I've already lost 25 pounds!

    Oh, and if you have an iPhone, "There's an app for that." It will monitor and graph for up to 8 people.

    Photo credit: ThinkGeek

  • PC Cable Tester Pro ATA

    According to TR member NickNielsen, "This thing has helped me solve more printer and serial comm issues than all the knowledge I've accumulated over the years."

    Photo credit: CablesToGo

  • Barnes and Noble nook e-reader

    TR member Mark Sibbald said, "I absolutely love my Nook. I played around with both the Kindle and Nook, and the Nook just felt better. Even so, I probably would not have purchased it if I hadn't received a gift certificate. Since I've had it, I've downloaded tons of reading material from work (all those PDF manuals no one wants to print out or read on their monitor). The B&N store has a pretty good selection, and everything I've looked for that the store didn't have, I've been able to get from independent ePub sites. I was skeptical at first how much I'd actually use it. After 3 months, I literally take it everywhere I go. Definitely my favorite gadget.

    TechRepublic contributor Derek Schauland rated the nook five stars out of five in his Geek Gifts 2010 review.

    This was also featured in the "Geeked out gift ideas for Father's Day" gallery.

    Photo credit: CNET News.com

  • HTV EVO

    On Facebook, Rana Banerjee said, "HTC EVO.... simply awesome......"

    Photo credit: ZDNet

  • Kodak Zi8

    On Facebook, Mark Okke said, "The KODAK Zi8."

    Photo credit: Kodak

  • Apple iPhone 4

    On Facebook, Mark Okke also said he is ordering Apple's iPhone 4, which will be his next favorite geeky gadget.

    Photo credit: Apple

  • Flip MinoHD camcorder

    As I explained in the "Geeked out gift ideas for Father's Day" gallery, the Flip is my all-time favorite geeky gadget.

    Blogger Mandy Detwiler reviewed the Flip Mino for the Geek Gifts series in 2008, and she gave it an overall score of five out of five stars.

    Blogger Nicole Bremer Nash reviewed the Flip MinoHD camcorder for the 2009 Geek Gifts series, and she also gave it the highest score possible.

    Photo credit: ZDNet

  • Palm Tungsten T

    On Facebook, Carl Logan said, "Palm Tungsten T. Still have it. Way back in '02 I listened to MP3s on it via its SD card... the original MP3 player. A missed opportunity for Palm."

    Photo credit: ZDNet

  • LG enV Envy Touch

    TR member sarpri selected Verizon's LG enV Envy Touch as her favorite geeky gadget.

    Photo credit: CNET Networks

  • Ice Blue Gameboy Pocke

    On Facebook, Robert Folsom asked, "Does my limited-edition Ice Blue Gameboy Pocket count?"

    Photo credit: ConsoleColors.com

  • Universal Remote Control

    According to TR member Hal 9000, "My favorite Geek Gift was a Remote Control which I had to buy for myself, and now I am the only one who uses it. SWMBO, prefers to use the 5 separate smaller remotes that came with the individual components of the TV and related devices. This works them all after a Quick Program and has the added advantage on being easy to find.

    Photo credit: Hal 9000

  • Casio Calculator Watch

    On Facebook, Carmine R. Etter said, "I'm gonna go old school and say the calculator watch."

    Photo credit: Casio

  • Caller ID

    On Facebook, Mary Stacy-Perez said, "I'm going old school too and say the Caller ID. (tells my age doesn't it?)"

    Photo credit: CNET Networks

  • Soldering kit

    On Facebook, Jungle Paradise Ronin said, "12V battery operated solder kit from Goots with with wattage control... All parts can be changed to suit your needs."

    Photo credit: Goot

Modern hardware devices designed to work with classic retro game consoles

TR member dcolbert took the following photo of his favorite geeky gadgets.

Left to right - Coleco AtariMax 128-in1 USB cart, Schell's Electronics Intellivision Cuttle Cart 3, Schell's Electronics Atari 7800 Cuttle Cart 2, Stelladaptor USB to Atari Joystick adaptor, AtariMax 5200 128-in1 USB cart, and Redemption 7800 Atari 5200 Joystick Adaptor.

If you'd like to add your favorite geeky gadget to this photo gallery, either send us an original photo or just tell us what it is and we'll secure an image and add it to the list. Send all correspondence to trol@techrepublic.com.

Related Topics:

After Hours Innovation Hardware Tech & Work

By Sonja Thompson

Sonja Thompson started at TechRepublic in October 1999. She is a former Senior Editor at TechRepublic.