A Gallery of Clear Gadgets

The first time I had an electronic gadget that I could see inside of without cracking it open was the original iMac G3. With its semi-transparent colored backside, you could barely make out the electronic components inside, and even then, most of them were hidden beneath massive RF shielding. But it turns out that there have been many gadgets, computers, and electronics inside of clear shells over the years. The guys at Computer Love Records got me thinking about these see-through devices and found a clear Apple Newton, a clear Polaroid 660 instant camera, a clear GameBoy Color, among others.

Polaroid 660 Special Edition Camera

While my initial assumption was that these transparent versions were meant to keep prison inmates from hiding contraband inside of them, it turns out that it’s common to develop clear pre-production prototypes so that engineers and designers can see the placement of components inside. Beyond that, sometimes brands release special see-through versions of their products, as Sony did with its Crystal DualShock controllers. Scroll down to see the complete our gallery of transparent computers, gadgets, and electronic gear:

Apple Newton MessagePad 110 Prototype

See-Through Prison TV

Game Boy Color Launch Edition

Apple Mac Portable Prototype

Sony Crystal DualShock 4 Controller

Vintage 1980s Unisonic Phone

Apple Vintage eMate 300 Laptop Prototype

Sony PlayStation 2 Slim (SCPH-9000x) Prototype

Keep Whatever You Want Inside These See-through Platform Shoes

Back in the 1970s, there was a ridiculous pair of pimp shoes which had goldfish in their see-through heels. Now, there’s a modern take on that design which lets you fill up the bottom of your shoes with whatever strikes your fancy.

Made by YRU Shoes, Qloud shoes have a see through platform under their foot box, which can be loaded up with anything you can get through the secret opening under its insole. You can fill it with candy, gumballs, coins, paper clips, vending machine toys, marbles, or whatever. And while I don’t recommend filling these with water and goldfish, they could make for an interesting ant farm under your feet. Or Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers.

While the versions shown in the video and images above appear to be sold out at the moment, YRU is taking orders for its new neon pink and black Qloud Elevation shoes, which both start shipping in mid-August. They’re going for $150 a pair.

These Transparent Jigsaw Puzzles Are Clearly Insane

A 144-piece jigsaw puzzle doesn’t sound very difficult, does it? Now imagine that all of the pieces of the puzzle were transparent, then ask yourself the same question. Now that sounds like a challenge to me!

These see-through jigsaw puzzles are laser cut from clear acrylic, with each piece being virtually indistinguishable from the next. In addition to the fact that they all look the same, you get the added confusion of whatever the surface might be underneath the pieces messing with your perception. I’d recommend assembling this puzzle on a nice monochromatic background if you want any chance of it not driving you mad.

Etsy seller Little Flower Pot Shop is making these puzzles in four different sizes, ranging from a stupid simple 3×3  version up to a 12×12 version. They’re available for pre-order now, with prices ranging from $16.99 to $24.99, or you can get all four sizes for $69.99. They’re hoping to start shipping these out by late April.

[via Bored Panda]

Return of the Jedi See-Through Ships: Clear Wars

The spaceships and starbases in Star Wars are some of the most iconic and recognizable in the history of moviemaking. There are lots of ways that collectors can enjoy these ships at home, from LEGO Imperial Star Destroyers to drones that look like the X-Wing fighters. Now, you can add to that list these see-through models.

This set of four ships comes from Bandai Spirits and includes tiny transparent models of an X-Wing Fighter (1/144 scale), the under-construction Death Star II (1:2700000 scale), a Y-Wing fighter (1/144 scale), and the Millennium Falcon (1/350 scale). Each one is made from PVC and ABS plastic and comes with a desktop display stand with the ship’s name on it.

The set is available for order from Amazon (affiliate link) for about $34, and would make a great gift for any Star Wars fan.

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