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CES 2009

CES 2008

January 8, 2008 9:19 AM PST

Bug Labs: Build your own dream gadget

by Michelle Thatcher

Bug Labs platform

Snap up to four modules onto the BugBase, and you've got your own custom gadget.

(Credit: Bug Labs)

It's the rare product that excites CNET editors across all categories. The Bug Labs platform, which has been the subject of several conversations around the CNET booth, is one such rarity.

Described as "the Lego of gadgets" by Webware's Rafe Needleman, the Bug Labs platform starts with a minicomputer, the Bug Base, onto which you can snap multiple modules, such as a digital camera or an LCD screen. You can then program your own software to run your custom gadget or download software others have written from the Bug Labs site. Need a GPS-enabled digital camera that will automatically upload your images to Flickr? With the Bug Labs platform, you can build one.

Aside from being eager to tinker with the product, we're thrilled to see such an innovative approach to consumer electronics. The Bug Platform is totally open source, highly configurable, and designed to go wherever consumers' imaginations take them. Plus, the company has a unique "early adopter" pricing scheme, in which the price is lower during the first 60 days; this is a great way to encourage people to start developing software to share.

For more information, check out Tom Merritt's video from the CNET Stage.

Michelle Thatcher has been reviewing technology products for nearly a decade. Her current focus is laptop reviews, with some kitchen gadgetry and Web 2.0 thrown in for good measure.

Topics:: ces - Emerging technologies,; ces - Gadgets

Tags:: open source,; gadget,; DIY,; hacks,; CES 2008

Share:: Digg; Del.icio.us; Reddit; Facebook

View complete CES 2008 coverage from CNET.

Recent posts from CES 2008: CES 2008: Home audio wrap-up; CES 2008: Home video wrap-up; CES 2008 HDTV wrap-up; Computers and hardware CES 2008 wrap-up; Emerging technologies CES 2008 wrap-up; Car Tech CES 2008 wrap-up; CES 2008: MP3 and PVP wrap-up; Cell phones and smartphones CES 2008 wrap-up

Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (23 Comments)

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by qc4000 January 8, 2008 11:20 PM PST: YUMMY!; Like this Reply to this comment


by yu_buffon January 9, 2008 4:26 AM PST: Wow... Great Idea...!!; Like this Reply to this comment

by keith_s_mills January 9, 2008 6:14 AM PST

The gadget is brilliant, but the "early adopter" program is equally so. Finally a company that wants to reward early adopters rather than penalize them!

Like this Reply to this comment


by Renegade Knight January 9, 2008 7:22 AM PST: More Early adopters paying less solves the same problem as charging fewer of them more.; Like this


by wvbailey January 9, 2008 8:51 AM PST: Tres cool. Will go to their homepage and poke around. Have been fiddling with OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) as an early adopter ( Give One Get One (G1G1) program) but this bug thing is really interesting in a similar way, especially if the price is right. wvbailey; Like this Reply to this comment


by cant_get_enough_tech January 9, 2008 1:01 PM PST: Hopefully, the programming won't be in binary or hexadecimal that nobody understands. If they can have it with a programming software that is easy and user-friendly, this should be a huge hit!; Like this Reply to this comment


by xZero2007x January 9, 2008 4:24 PM PST: Holy crap this looks great. it's like HOLY CRAP I want one right now... lol.

Lets hope it's successful.; Like this Reply to this comment


by riku0116 January 9, 2008 4:34 PM PST: Wow, what an awesome idea... But I'm worried about how well the individual components can do the things they're supposed to do. Especially when it comes to the quality of the photos taken with the camera chip...; Like this Reply to this comment


by EliarTres January 9, 2008 6:26 PM PST: Reminds me of the Handspring Visor Springboard Expansion modules.Then they abandoned PDA (and module) tech for the Treo line. Like the Newton, maybe they were ahead of their time.; Like this Reply to this comment


by Richsr40 January 9, 2008 9:23 PM PST: Great Item; Like this Reply to this comment


by matthew.holmes January 11, 2008 6:30 AM PST: I wish I had thought of that!; Like this Reply to this comment


by TradeHound January 11, 2008 8:56 AM PST: I hope they are successful: This could be the start of a whole new custom designing era.; Like this Reply to this comment


by Cyberfool January 11, 2008 12:37 PM PST: Mom have you seen my Bugs camera module...; Like this Reply to this comment


by lorinhl January 11, 2008 5:04 PM PST: I'm not a techno person at all, but when I saw this thing it made me stop and really look. I've seen my husband try every GPS, etc on the market, always a new gaget, always the latest thing and I've never seen anything like this. It's so innovative that I can only wish them every success. An idea this good should succeed. Forwarding this product to everyone I know---it's just cool. I may not know technology, but I recognize something unique when I see it. Best of luck to Bug Labs--the name is kind of confusing, but Apple didn't always mean "computer"--ask Eve.; Like this Reply to this comment


by cant_get_enough_tech January 12, 2008 6:41 AM PST: How much will that price be?; Like this Reply to this comment


by Igor Stroganoff January 12, 2008 4:53 PM PST: An excellent example of lateral thinking and someting uniquely fresh. However, I can't see it succeeding on a mass scale as majority of people will either not understand it or will, quite rightly, decide that dedicated devices usually do the job better and are 100% custom built for that specific task. Is the camera going to be better or even on par with the best of mobile phones. Most mobile phones also feature music playback and some have QWERTY keyboards and GPS modules. A lot of this simply already exists in our phones. And with no tooling around with 'modules'.

Perhaps it a solution looking for a problem...? Still a cool idea though...; Like this Reply to this comment


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by dangeling-arrow October 8, 2008 10:14 AM PDT: This is more of a question and I hope someone has an answer for me as I can't seem to find another way to reach someone at cnet.

Can this device coordinate a digital clock to work with two video machines? I need the video machines to switch from a loop to a different loop on the hour, and then back again at the end of the second loop. How many devices can I coordinate with this device?; Like this Reply to this comment


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by serlis May 4, 2009 7:38 AM PDT: That's really great.
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