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For $100 you can get a pretty decent phone. The mistake is in buying a $60 phone.

http://www.dx.com/p/umidigi-a1...

Oreo 8.1 , 5.5in screen, 13MP camera, international 4G bands, quad core, 3GB RAM, dual SIM, etc..

All of the "better options" that have keyboards are also way too big to carry everywhere you go.

You could buy a foldable keyboard by Geyes that fits in your pocket, as recommended by DrYak. But that doesn't solve the by-design OS limits.

How many people do you see in practice carrying such "a full-sized, foldable keyboard" with them everywhere they go in case they need to reply to an email?

I do.
But I don't mean that all smartphone maker should absolutely cater to my specific needs.
I just mean that it's great that some OS manufacturer don't outright make it impossible,
so the few of us who are interested can keep using it.

(like the early 4-parts Stowaway by Thinkoutide, sometime branded).

Did it look anything like Portable Folding External USB Wired Keyboard for Cell Phone / Tablet PC - Black?

Yup, that's the technology. Geyes bought the license (and presumably some of the moulds).
But I find the built quality of the Geyes a little bit less good that the original back when it was still ThinkOutisde.
(My bluetooth ThinkOutside works perfectly. My Geyes has a few keys which are a little bit less responsive).

Once folded, it's smaller and more pockateable than a paperback.
You can easily carry it in a cargo pants' side pockets.
Or in a small back with a few other travel accessories (in my case : eBook, powerbank, roll-up micro-USB and plug-sized charger).

the (presumably small) fraction of smartphone users who carry a Bluetooth keyboard everywhere.

It helps when the keyboard is a full-sized, foldable keyboard

How many people do you see in practice carrying such "a full-sized, foldable keyboard" with them everywhere they go in case they need to reply to an email?

(like the early 4-parts Stowaway by Thinkoutide, sometime branded).

Did it look anything like Portable Folding External USB Wired Keyboard for Cell Phone / Tablet PC - Black?

The real problem is that Matias jacked up the price of its Half Keyboard to $600.

I don't think including a fast adapter is exactly overcharging on a $999 phone. If they included a $3 USB-C to USB-A adapter like this there would be very little reason to

buy a nickel's worth of copper, formed into a $1 cable and priced at $50 in a white "Designed by Apple in Cupertino California" box.

I don't think including a fast adapter is exactly overcharging on a $999 phone. If they included a $3 USB-C to USB-A adapter like this there would be very little reason to complain since you'd get faster charging with the "native" charger and hey it kinda works with any other USB port too. But chargers are a profit center, most people need more than one (home, cabin, car, travel) and they lose or forget them so hey, let's buy one more. And in some people's mind there's only brand chargers and cheap knock-off fire hazards from eBay, a lot of people will only buy it almost no matter how much they charge.

As other people have said this has existed for a long time. Example: http://www.dx.com/es/p/ipega-p...

A while ago, i stumbled on this ad.
Its for micro usb, but surely it could be made for usb-c as well. Thier target is phone chargers, so weight inertia shouldn;t be an issue.

http://www.dx.com/p/wsken-micr...

It looks like there are a variety of options that claim data as well as power for micro usb - here is another one:

http://www.dx.com/p/magnetic-d...

With all the Apple models now using USB-c exclusively, there is going to be quite a market for adapters and docks and general peripherals with USB-c.

A while ago, i stumbled on this ad.
Its for micro usb, but surely it could be made for usb-c as well. Thier target is phone chargers, so weight inertia shouldn;t be an issue.

http://www.dx.com/p/wsken-micr...

It looks like there are a variety of options that claim data as well as power for micro usb - here is another one:

http://www.dx.com/p/magnetic-d...

With all the Apple models now using USB-c exclusively, there is going to be quite a market for adapters and docks and general peripherals with USB-c.

A while ago, i stumbled on this ad.
Its for micro usb, but surely it could be made for usb-c as well. Thier target is phone chargers, so weight inertia shouldn;t be an issue.

http://www.dx.com/p/wsken-micr...

I found something better: http://www.dx.com/p/gl-inet-wi...

Dual Ethernet. $22. OpenWRT. I like the PI, but it needs better networking options.

Does that have GPIO pins? An active helpful user community? Hell, even the ability to connect to some form of video out? No? Well then.

I found something better: http://www.dx.com/p/gl-inet-wi... Dual Ethernet. $22. OpenWRT. I like the PI, but it needs better networking options.

the very link from the story reveals you are making up figures. The range is 100 meters (~320 feet) (look at the specifications tab), not 160 feet as you said.... and 8 minutes, not 6.

So are you incompetent or lying?

Do you have any idea how far a drone can go in eight minutes? Even with the reduced flying time from carrying a half pound of C4, it could be hundreds of feet away in under a minute.

The fact you think this is a harmless toy with zero possible destructive possibility is alarming for a Slashdot poster.

With 1/2 lb of C4, the flight time of this drone is zero minutes. It's not designed to be able to lift an 8 oz payload.

Well ... according to the link In the Summary ( http://www.dx.com/p/syma-x5sw-... )

It lists the range at 100 meters which, if you don't speak metric, translates to a little under 330 feet or 110 yards, whichever you feel comfortable with.

To put it a different way, just about the distance from one set of uprights to the other on an NFL football field.

I don't know about you, but my arm isn't that good.

the very link from the story reveals you are making up figures. The range is 100 meters (~320 feet) (look at the specifications tab), not 160 feet as you said.... and 8 minutes, not 6.

So are you incompetent or lying?

Do you have any idea how far a drone can go in eight minutes? Even with the reduced flying time from carrying a half pound of C4, it could be hundreds of feet away in under a minute.

The fact you think this is a harmless toy with zero possible destructive possibility is alarming for a Slashdot poster.

Except it can't go "hundreds of feet away" if the range is only 100 meters.

I'm really dubious the specific drone in question could be used as an effective weapon for carrying bombs. But are there other drones that could? Definitely. And they're probably doing a blanket ban on that basis.

the very link from the story reveals you are making up figures. The range is 100 meters (~320 feet) (look at the specifications tab), not 160 feet as you said.... and 8 minutes, not 6.

So are you incompetent or lying?

Do you have any idea how far a drone can go in eight minutes? Even with the reduced flying time from carrying a half pound of C4, it could be hundreds of feet away in under a minute.

The fact you think this is a harmless toy with zero possible destructive possibility is alarming for a Slashdot poster.

DX.com ( http://www.dx.com/s/esp8266 ) also has a good selection of the ESP8266 -- both bare chips and proper devboards. I got the Nodemcu - compatible devboard ( http://www.dx.com/p/esp8266-es... ) myself and it has been fabulous so far. Though, it's not exactly $3 anymore.

DX.com ( http://www.dx.com/s/esp8266 ) also has a good selection of the ESP8266 -- both bare chips and proper devboards. I got the Nodemcu - compatible devboard ( http://www.dx.com/p/esp8266-es... ) myself and it has been fabulous so far. Though, it's not exactly $3 anymore.

For those who are willing to do want to look at the data 7 EU BlueTooth dongle will give you what you want.

I think geeks should be using it more and hacking it more. There are also Wifi ones available. And even complete systems

For those who are willing to do want to look at the data 7 EU BlueTooth dongle will give you what you want.

I think geeks should be using it more and hacking it more. There are also Wifi ones available. And even complete systems

Its important to note that it was really a 29$ computer with shipping included. I remember during the campaign even if you wanted 100 pieces, you would still pay 29$ x 100. And with that price I can already buy a tablet with the tablet stuff for a similar price with shipping included (currently listed as 31$).

Try to find 12V RV bulbs that are not Amber, Red, or Cool White 6K.

Okay, done.
* http://www.amazon.com/Daiwl-68...

Instead of buying a DC to DC supply for a laptop to get 19V for about $100

WTF are you even talking about? Here's a $15 unit:
* http://www.dx.com/p/universal-...

There was an order from DX.COM sent from Singapore that did not arrive after 5 weeks. I did send a mail to USPS with the tracking number and they send me several pictures of the envelope (different qualities and angles, from different sorting stations in the US).

From those pictures it was clear that DX.COM messed up the ZIP code so USPS send it back to Singapore. It is good to have this proof to DX.COM to explain it was their fault, it was bad that USPS did not deliver it the first time because the rest of the address was all correct.

So, yes. They make pictures and they keep them for at least for a month.

http://www.dx.com/p/meegopad-t...

$110, 2GB ram 32GB storage. for $10 less you can choose 16GB, either way its got a MicroSD slot to expand it.

It's pretty much the same thing as the new Intel one. Same CPU, same amount of RAM, same storage, as Bluetooth and wifi, except it was announced back in October last year or thereabouts.

$40 cheaper as well.

no one wants a big buzzing PC in their living room

You say this as if the first PS3 and the first Xbox 360 weren't likewise louder than my laptop PC.

that takes a bit of time to boot up

The last instant-on console was the Nintendo 64. Every console since then has included system software that takes longer to start than my laptop takes to come out of suspend and pop up the password box.

typically requires navigation with a mouse and keyboard and so forth

The Steam client in Big Picture mode can be navigated with a USB gamepad. Beyond that, if you can text, you can use a Lenovo N5901 Bluetooth handheld keyboard with trackball.

platformers tend to be awful on PCs

Where does that leave people who want to mod platformers or play indie platformers?

Try a pair of pinhole glasses.

And that's a disc lock (not to be confused with a "disk"/wafer lock). Those aren't terribly common, although the price has come down significantly in the past couple years. I've got a couple on hand and the tools to pick them (yes, IAAL--I Am A Locksmith). And yes, they can also be picked, although it's a real bear, because they don't give you any feedback on whether or not you've spun the disc to the right position (they're built very similarly to a sidebar wafer lock in the sense that they use a sidebar to avoid giving you feedback). One of my bicycle locks is also a disc lock, works fabulously for gritty/dirty conditions that would murder a pin tumbler. They also have another vulnerability to speed things up, but this isn't a locksmithing forum and I'm too lazy to do your googling for you.

If I had a customer ask me to get in, I'd probably suggest drilling it. The price has come down enough to replace them.

http://www.dx.com/s/usb%2Bsoun...
No idea about quality. No idea if any of them will work for you.

Probably not good I had to think so hard to come up with just one answer. Universal remote control

You can get everything important for a watch to do including UIR in a watch with 1980s technology for ten dollars and change. Sadly, it also features 1980s styling.

Maybe Dealextreme http://www.dx.com?

Or just one of these $400-$500 puppies: http://www.dx.com/s/android+di...

You can grab NRC tag rings fairly cheaply at most of the Hong Kong importers.

One of many examples:
http://www.dx.com/p/smart-nfc-...

There are some cheap wireless Chinese systems you can get fairly inexpensively.

Some offer GSM/Cel phone dial out/listen in capabilities, multiple zones, and a variety of sensors: PIR, mag-contact, water leak, smoke detect, gas detect.
They have remote, cel, or panel control.

You can just add stuff until you get all the parts you want.

No monthly fee. You can't have it dial the police directly (legally) but it could call you, you could listen in, and then you could call the police if you hear people breaking in.

http://dx.com/p/dp-60-gsm-home-alarm-system-w-wireless-door-sensor-window-sensor-pir-motion-sensor-black-275911

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/HOT-NEW-99-zones-wireless-GSM-alarm-system-with-LCD-Keypad-voice-Free-shipping-Promotional/453561713.html

Case in point: I'm using an inverter that I bought 6 years ago, rather than buying a new laptop with a longer-lasting battery right now (cellular data, too... in the back seat of a car that's travelling 100km/h through the countryside).

An inverter is a terribly wasteful way to power a laptop, and when that waste is powered by gasoline in an ICE, you might be quadrupling the expense.

My old EeePC is powered by 12V, so I can use an old $2 car cig-lighter cord, with no dual-conversion waste. If your laptop is not (most aren't) I strongly suggest a $12 investment, which you will get a return on in a matter of days:

http://dx.com/p/universal-car-cigarette-powered-adapter-charger-for-laptop-cell-phone-pda-gps-81013

http://dx.com/p/usb-av-usb-power-current-voltage-tester-translucent-blue-silver-235090

I ordered hundreds of dollars of equipment from dx.com/dealextreme.com over the years.

The absolute worst things that's happened to me is that something was out of stock, and they credited me for my order.

Say what you want about ordering things on the slow boat from China, but DX, overall, has pretty good customer service -- especially for a company that'll send you a $2.97 butane torch (filled with butane!) from Asia, shipping included.

http://dx.com/p/jet-1300-c-butane-lighter-1320

My cigars thank them.

I really like how Lighters are listed in the Toy section.

I ordered hundreds of dollars of equipment from dx.com/dealextreme.com over the years.

The absolute worst things that's happened to me is that something was out of stock, and they credited me for my order.

Say what you want about ordering things on the slow boat from China, but DX, overall, has pretty good customer service -- especially for a company that'll send you a $2.97 butane torch (filled with butane!) from Asia, shipping included.

http://dx.com/p/jet-1300-c-butane-lighter-1320

My cigars thank them.

You can leave a reader like this plugged in all the time (this is the exact one I have). A smartphone app connects to it via Bluetooth. Even when the car isn't throwing a code it can be great to have realtime data.

The hardware is significantly worse than that of the Nexus 4 from a year ago which was available for $299.

...and which is available now for $199

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_8gb

I think we're all in agreement that a moron wrote the "can't argue with the price" thing.

A 320x480 Android 4.0 phone is under $50 at Deal Extreme - albeit with less memory.

http://dx.com/p/mini-7100-android-4-1-gsm-smartphone-w-3-5-capacitive-screen-quad-band-and-wi-fi-black-226619

"$30,000? LOL. I'd bet you could stretch your dollar further than that in Africa. Wanted dead, $500."

GSM powered wildlife cameras with rugged casing and months of battery time, which MMS you the photos can be had for less than 300$, so a hundred would cost less than 30.000$ with no extra cost or work whatsoever.

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/wildlife-scouting-camera-gsm.html

or

http://dx.com/p/sg-660m-2-4-lcd-gsm-mms-wildlife-trail-camera-w-26-ir-led-sd-tv-out-camouflage-8-x-aa-141890

http://dx.com/p/megafeis-m806-8-capacitive-screen-android-4-1-quad-core-tablet-pc-w-tf-wi-fi-camera-white-221323

I used to buy Tritum keychains from DX as well because I couldn't get them shipped here from the UK. Seems that illumination using Tritium is considered a "trivial use of radiation" and keychains need not apply. Never mind that my watches have it and so do many gun sights. However, like the powerful lasers DX used to sell it seems these were pulled...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmgXZ9atf58

http://club.dx.com/forums/forums.dx/threadid.994836

DX sells, last I looked, GPS jammers, Cell jammers, all sorts of things that make the Govt. twitch. Having seen some of these firsthand purchased by others I can't help but laugh at crap like the banning of these balls. The day I heard about it I bought some from DX just to give them the finger.

P.S. The lasers were apparently put in their own store now -> http://www.yourlasers.com/

DealExtreme.com - it's where I've been getting mine from since this asshattery started.

http://dx.com/s/magnet+balls

This box is great for running XBMC http://dx.com/p/android-4-0-google-tv-player-w-wi-fi-1gb-ram-4gb-rom-black-164039 Here's a great firmware for it: http://www.j1nx.nl/downloads/?category=6

These are the devices I bought:

http://dx.com/p/187854 (This is my favorite, Center-Top in the picture I linked before. Larger, 4:3 screen.)
http://dx.com/p/178118 (Left.)
http://dx.com/p/166593 (Center-Bottom.)
http://dx.com/p/183756 (Right.)
http://dx.com/p/160535 (Top-right corner.)

Unfortunately, it was during this crazy 50% off sale back on May 15th, but in my opinion, they're still totally worth it at full price. They're ridiculously capable little devices.

They're great readers, they run apps perfectly, and they even play 1080p video files over my network flawlessly. (With the correct combination of player/codec) And I'm talking like 18gb .MKV files; the stuff I watch on my desktop.

The 'Android TV' stick turns any TV or monitor with HDMI (Or DVI with an adapter) into an Android device. Just add USB or wireless keyboard and mouse. Instant media center! Has OTG for external storage, and has GPS for some reason, lol. Really an awesome idea.

These are the devices I bought:

http://dx.com/p/187854 (This is my favorite, Center-Top in the picture I linked before. Larger, 4:3 screen.)
http://dx.com/p/178118 (Left.)
http://dx.com/p/166593 (Center-Bottom.)
http://dx.com/p/183756 (Right.)
http://dx.com/p/160535 (Top-right corner.)

Unfortunately, it was during this crazy 50% off sale back on May 15th, but in my opinion, they're still totally worth it at full price. They're ridiculously capable little devices.

They're great readers, they run apps perfectly, and they even play 1080p video files over my network flawlessly. (With the correct combination of player/codec) And I'm talking like 18gb .MKV files; the stuff I watch on my desktop.

The 'Android TV' stick turns any TV or monitor with HDMI (Or DVI with an adapter) into an Android device. Just add USB or wireless keyboard and mouse. Instant media center! Has OTG for external storage, and has GPS for some reason, lol. Really an awesome idea.

These are the devices I bought:

http://dx.com/p/187854 (This is my favorite, Center-Top in the picture I linked before. Larger, 4:3 screen.)
http://dx.com/p/178118 (Left.)
http://dx.com/p/166593 (Center-Bottom.)
http://dx.com/p/183756 (Right.)
http://dx.com/p/160535 (Top-right corner.)

Unfortunately, it was during this crazy 50% off sale back on May 15th, but in my opinion, they're still totally worth it at full price. They're ridiculously capable little devices.

They're great readers, they run apps perfectly, and they even play 1080p video files over my network flawlessly. (With the correct combination of player/codec) And I'm talking like 18gb .MKV files; the stuff I watch on my desktop.

The 'Android TV' stick turns any TV or monitor with HDMI (Or DVI with an adapter) into an Android device. Just add USB or wireless keyboard and mouse. Instant media center! Has OTG for external storage, and has GPS for some reason, lol. Really an awesome idea.

These are the devices I bought:

http://dx.com/p/187854 (This is my favorite, Center-Top in the picture I linked before. Larger, 4:3 screen.)
http://dx.com/p/178118 (Left.)
http://dx.com/p/166593 (Center-Bottom.)
http://dx.com/p/183756 (Right.)
http://dx.com/p/160535 (Top-right corner.)

Unfortunately, it was during this crazy 50% off sale back on May 15th, but in my opinion, they're still totally worth it at full price. They're ridiculously capable little devices.

They're great readers, they run apps perfectly, and they even play 1080p video files over my network flawlessly. (With the correct combination of player/codec) And I'm talking like 18gb .MKV files; the stuff I watch on my desktop.

The 'Android TV' stick turns any TV or monitor with HDMI (Or DVI with an adapter) into an Android device. Just add USB or wireless keyboard and mouse. Instant media center! Has OTG for external storage, and has GPS for some reason, lol. Really an awesome idea.

These are the devices I bought:

http://dx.com/p/187854 (This is my favorite, Center-Top in the picture I linked before. Larger, 4:3 screen.)
http://dx.com/p/178118 (Left.)
http://dx.com/p/166593 (Center-Bottom.)
http://dx.com/p/183756 (Right.)
http://dx.com/p/160535 (Top-right corner.)

Unfortunately, it was during this crazy 50% off sale back on May 15th, but in my opinion, they're still totally worth it at full price. They're ridiculously capable little devices.

They're great readers, they run apps perfectly, and they even play 1080p video files over my network flawlessly. (With the correct combination of player/codec) And I'm talking like 18gb .MKV files; the stuff I watch on my desktop.

The 'Android TV' stick turns any TV or monitor with HDMI (Or DVI with an adapter) into an Android device. Just add USB or wireless keyboard and mouse. Instant media center! Has OTG for external storage, and has GPS for some reason, lol. Really an awesome idea.

Try either of these: http://dx.com/p/175870 http://dx.com/p/208694 and run http://code.google.com/p/rk3066-linux/ on it.

I haven't powered my Pi up once since I bought the simpler one with 1GB of RAM.