By Andrew Liszewski

It’s not as slick or shiv-able as the CardSharp credit card knife we brought you last week, but if you absolutely have to be able to measure the thickness of something with a reasonable degree of accuracy no matter where you are, you’ll probably want to add this slim micrometer to your wallet toolbox. Made of stainless steel it’s available from the MoMA Store for just $15.95.

[ Credit Card Micrometer Caliper ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While not as robust a multitasker as even a basic Swiss Army Knife, this folding credit card blade from Iain Sinclair looks far more compact and smuggle-friendly as you can keep it stashed away in your wallet. It weighs just 13 grams, is only 2mm thick and features a stainless steel blade with a healthy 65mm cutting edge and a short serrated edge on the opposite side. When folded away a built-in sheath prevents you from accidentally touching the sharp blade, and since I’m sure you’re having as hard a time as I did envisioning how it does fold/unfold, here’s a video showing it in action:

When officially shipping in January the CardSharp will sell for ~$23 (£15) but you can pre-order one now with a deposit of ~$11.60 (£7.50).

[ CardSharp Folding Credit Card Knife ] VIA [ Mobile Magazine ]

We know how it is, you want to be a hotshot developer, but all that coding sounds like daunting work. Never mind, Apple’s got your back with its new iAds producer, which automates all the HTML5 and CSS3 stuff into the background and leaves you to focus on the crucial task of picking out templates and components for your perfect iAd. To be fair to this new dev tool, it does more than merely dumb down the design process. It also includes “sophisticated” JavaScript editing and debugging, a built-in simulator for testing your creation, and a project validator that checks your code for common errors. Hit the source link to give it a try.

Apple iAds Producer helps you produce iAds for iOS devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 06:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Unreal Engine 3 already made a quite spectacular debut on iOS with Epic Games’ own Infinity Blade, but the company’s decided it’s time to finally stop teasing and give us the software to really play with it. Tomorrow’s planned update to the UDK will deliver iOS support, meaning that all the fancy tools that helped make Infinity Blade such a blindingly gorgeous game will be at your fingertips should you be feeling creative. Licensing for the Engine is free for testing and non-commercial use, but you’ll have to pay $99 if you want to sell anything you produce with it, to be followed by a 25 percent slice of your earnings beyond $5,000 and, of course, Apple’s 30 percent cut of whatever’s left. That might not sound like the best business plan in the world, but consider that Infinity Blade is estimated to have racked up over $1.5 million in sales already — we’re sure there’ll be enough change left for ice cream even after Epic and Apple have had their share.

Unreal Engine 3 dev kit adding iOS support tomorrow, Infinity Blade clones coming Friday originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By Chris Scott Barr

As a guy, you can never have too many power tools. Unfortunately explaining that to your significant other isn’t always the easiest of tasks. (If it is an easy task, remember that you’re a very lucky guy.) This means that sometimes you have to get creative with your purchases. If you’re in need of a small cordless screwdriver, this might be a good way to sneak one in under the radar.

The Bosch IXO Vino is a cordless screwdriver with a very special attachment. Specifically, a corkscrew that allows you to open wine bottles. That’s right, you can pass this puppy off as a fancy wine opener. Otherwise, it’s a pretty nice little screwdriver with a lithium-ion battery for cordless operation. Unfortunately the $63 price tag seems a bit salty for what it does.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ The Awesomer ]

By Chris Scott Barr

With eleven different Doctors, Doctor Who fans have a lot to choose from, and a lot of different Sonic Screwdrivers as well. Most of them are simply replicas that do nothing but look fancy. Others come in the form of a pen, stylus or some other semi-useful device. My question is why not make one that’s a screwdriver?

They do indeed make one that drives screws, as they say. It has three interchangeable (and reversible) tips, for a total of six different heads. The tips store neatly away inside the screwdriver when not actually in use. It also lights up and has sound effects. Really, what more could you ask from a Sonic Screwdriver?

[ NeatoShop ] VIA [ ChipChick ]

A designer by the name of Matthias Wandel had an idea. Not that he was the first person to think of this idea, but he’s certainly the first one to execute it in a way that found our eyeballs. More than likely if he aims it right, it’ll be blasting out eyeballs in a very real way, too. This is the Jenga Pistol. Using simple mechanics, wood, a bit of metal, and a rubber band, this Wandel has created a completely awesome cheat tool, a real world hack, for the block toppling game Jenga.

Take a peek at this video and learn from the man himself how to create this masterpiece (actually, it turns out this is version number three!) If I’m not mistaken, the actual hardcore rules for Jenga (depending on what sort of a hardcore player you might be) say you’ve got to use your fingers and no tools, but I’d love to have a match where you were only allowed to use guns (and knives?) That’d be just lovely.

[Via OhGizmo!]

One day, a jeweler decided they’d like to touch their iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and other touchscreen devices without the use of their finger. They tried the foam-tipped styluses, yes, and they did consider exercising their fingers to make them small enough for their needs, but it just wasn’t good enough! That jeweler wanted something new. Thusly, they created the oStylus, a hinged “O” shape held at the end of a rod by hinges that allow it to stay flat to the screen, allowing you, the user, to be able to see everything you’re drawing.

Made of stainless steel, titanium, and solid aluminum. Overall length: 17 cm (6 3/4″), handle length: 14 cm (5 1/2″), handle diameter: 6 mm (1/4″), contact O: 1 cm (7/16″), weight: 12 grams (0.4 oz). Designed mainly for drawing and painting on capacitive touchscreen devices, and there’s a thin vinyl film applied to the contact pad so you don’t have to worry about scratching up the screen.

[Via oStylus]

At my house, it seems like I can’t get away from screwdrivers. Every drawer I open has a couple of the tools crammed inside and I keep them in my desk too because it always seems that I need them constantly for one thing or another. It seems like every toy my kids own uses a screw to keep the battery door closed and any geek will tell you a screw driver is needed if you work on your computer to install hardware frequently.

A new tool for the geek that is on the go a lot has surfaced called the Screwpop 4-in-1 keychain tool. The keychain tool has a large round side that actually slips onto your keychain and is able to open that beer for you. A bottle opener is also something that the prepared geek never leaves home without. The maker claims the thing will make it through airport security as well.

The tool measures 0.435″ x 1.375″ x 3″ and weighs about an ounce. The screwdriver is a bit that has a Phillips head on one side and a flathead driver blade on the other. The inside of the keychain that holds the driver bit is a also a quarter inch hex nut driver as well when you take the screwdriver bit out of the holder section. You can order one minus the package for $4.95 or if you like to fight with a blister pack you can order in packed for $5.95.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

• The Static-Discharging Keychain
• Slip-In Cup Holder – Organize your cabinets in one step
• RFID data security for USB hard drives
• GasCase will surely get you a closer look by TSA at the airport
• Airport Extreme update – Watch out for the new Gigabit Airport Extreme base stations

By Andrew Liszewski

Designed by a Canadian landscaper who suffered long-term injuries after having to heft a 22-pound trimmer for years, the Portable Support Tool Balancer might look a little unorthodox, but the harness will apparently reduce 95% of the weight of a heavy tool by transferring the load to the entire body. The swiveling spring loaded reel that hovers above the user’s head provides the lift for probably any kind of tool you can attach to it, and besides providing relief for arms and shoulders it also facilitates a bit more finesse since the operator can more easily move the tool about. Not particularly important for an activity like shoveling, but definitely appreciated when it comes to something like hedge trimming.

At the moment the Portable Support Tool Balancer is only available in a limited production run, but it recently appeared on the Canadian version of Dragon’s Den so hopefully it will soon be more readily available for purchase.

[ Portable Support Tool Balancer ] VIA [ Gizmag ]