The Creative Technology Buyer’s Guide

If you’ve ever wondered where to buy all the amazing and creative technology/gadgets referenced on this blog, then you’re in luck. This guide outlines the places that I’ve purchased from and recommend.

Where to buy: Microsoft Xbox Kinect | Arduino | Raspberry Pi | Edimax Nano WiFi Dongle

Xbox Kinect

If you’re in the market to buy and hack an Xbox Kinect, then you’re going to want to keep a few things in mind.

  1. To use the Kinect with your Mac, you’ll need model number #1414. Ask before you buy! To find the model number, simply flip the Kinect upside down, and you should find it on the bottom of the Kinect’s base.
  2. Make sure your Kinect comes with an AC Adapter.
  3. This model comes in both black and white too (I have one of each).
  4. Heavily consider purchasing a pre-owned Kinect. They’re generally the older model (#1414), and a lot cheaper too.

Buy the Microsoft Xbox Kinect #1414 from eBay.
Pre-owned versions are around $45 in the USA / $55 in Australia / £30 in the UK / €35 in Europe, or a brand new one is approximately double the price.

Alternatively, Amazon occasionally have stock and can sometimes be cheaper (compare against eBay to get the best deal).
Buy a new or pre-owned Xbox Kinect #1414 on Amazon.

Tutorials for the Xbox Kinect:
Setup Microsoft Kinect on Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
How to use Quartz Composer, Synapse and an Xbox Kinect to Create Special Effects on your Mac

Articles about the Xbox Kinect:
Xbox Kinect Inspiration: Art Installations, Advertising, Hacks, Experiments and More

Arduino

The Arduino is an amazing little microcontroller that has been purpose built to help you create amazing electronics projects. If you’re just getting started, then I heavily suggest buying a kit (as opposed to just buying the Arduino board itself). Kits will give you lots of additional components and project templates to help you get up to speed with Arduino development and programming.

My favourite retailer for Arduino components is Amazon.
They have a great selection, good prices, and ship internationally. The ARDX Arduino kit is awesome for those just getting started, and should cost you about $60, or the board by itself is around $30.
Buy the ARDX Arduino kit (recommended for newbies)
Buy the Arduino Uno Rev 3 board

Tutorials and articles for the Arduino are coming soon. Follow me on Twitter to be notified as soon as they’re posted.

Raspberry Pi

Now we’re talking! The Raspberry Pi is fantastic little computer that has been shrunken down to fit in the palm of your hand. You could use it to create a streaming media player, a retro video arcade, a voice-controlled home automation system, a robot… the possibilities are endless. When you purchase a Raspberry Pi, consider the following:

  • Choose to buy the Raspberry Pi Model B+ version, which has more power than the older Model B.
  • Also consider purchasing the Camera and/or NoIR Infrared Camera modules too.
  • The Raspberry Pi doesn’t come with a case, so you’ll need to buy that separately – mine comes from SB Components on eBay.

I recommend buying the Raspberry Pi from Amazon or RS Components (aka Allied in the USA).
Both Amazon and RS have great prices. Amazon is probably better stocked, but RS does have many international locations for countries that find it hard ordering from Amazon. Both should be selling the new Raspberry Pi B+ model for around the $35-40 mark.
Buy the latest model Raspberry Pi B+ from Amazon
Buy the Raspberry Pi from RS Australia
Buy the Raspberry Pi from Allied USA
Buy the Raspberry Pi from RS UK

Tutorials and articles for the Raspberry Pi are coming soon. Follow me on Twitter to be notified as soon as they’re posted.

Edimax WiFi Dongle for Raspberry Pi

If you’ve got a Raspberry Pi, then you’ll probably also want to get a WiFi dongle. The one most people (including me) prefer and recommend is the Edimax EW-7811UN 150Mbps Wireless Nano USB Adapter. It’s tiny… really tiny, and is completely compatible with the Raspberry Pi.  Just be careful not to spend too much! The price on these dongles can vary considerably.

I recommend buying the Edimax EW-7811UN WiFi Dongle from Amazon.
Amazon are now selling the Edimax WiFi dongle for about half the price of most other places. Definitely worth considering at around $8US.
Buy the Edimax EW-7811UN WiFi Dongle

Just like the Raspberry Pi, tutorials and articles for the Edimax WiFi dongle are in the works, so follow me on Twitter to be notified as soon as they’re up.

Keep an eye on this page, as new products will be added on a regular basis.