Hasta La Gadget!

We always knew something like this was a realistic possibility, but we had high hopes that it’d never really come to fruition. Today, what little hope we had left in humanity has been thoroughly crushed, as the introduction of a guitar controller that costs far more than many actual guitars has occurred. In an effort to truly milk the sector for all it’s worth, Mad Catz has begun to ship the sunburst-colored Rock Band Wireless Wooden Fender Stratocaster, which is a 1:1 replica of the iconic axe that is constructed from genuine Stratocaster wooden blanks. Heck, even the tuning keys and bridge are built from genuine Fender metal parts and fittings. There’s also a wireless module designed to function with Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and just so you know you’re getting your money’s worth, the $299.99 asking price also includes a Fender guitar strap and a headset socket for online play. So, who out there is brazen enough to admit that they’re buying one (or two)?

[Via OhGizmo]

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Mad Catz ships $300 Fender Stratocaster Rock Band guitar, disgraces real musicians everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BERLIN–In the midst of America’s raging debate on the future of health insurance, one man says he has a solution to out-of-control health care costs: more robots.

A prototype robotic telepresence "nurse."

(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)

Of course, this is coming from Colin Angle, a roboticist and CEO of iRobot, …

As much as we’d love to believe otherwise, our gut and Verizon’s track record are both telling us that the BL40 probably bears no resemblance to the Chocolate Touch that Big Red’s about to get. That doesn’t mean LG’s gorgeous mile-long slab isn’t coming to North America, though — we’d heard a long while back that it might be coming to Telus, whose new HSPA network is currently slated for an October launch. Coincidentally, fresh PR out of corporate reveals that the phone will be hitting “the rest of the world” in October following European kickoffs in the middle of this month, and if this isn’t the perfect launch device for a brand new Canadian network, we really can’t think what is. One way or another, LG says the phone will ultimately end up launching in 50 countries around the world — so no matter where you are, you’ve got about a 1 in 4 chance you’ll get a shot at this in the coming months without calling up your importer and taking out a second mortgage.

Read – English release
Read – Korean release

Filed under: Cellphones

LG BL40 Chocolate Touch coming to Europe this month, everywhere else in October originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Ovi Store launched in late May — and then promptly crashed. The company has long-since gotten everything working smoothly and so is now so confident about its stability that it’s letting other developers in on the party. Coders proficient in HTML, CSS, and Javascript can apply for access to the beta SDK, invitations for which are being doled out right now. The navigation-focused kit includes a number of UI widgets and controls that will help any ‘ol app sport the clean, understated Nokia look, as well as things like the Ovi Navigation Player API, which makes nav-related apps much easier to get up and running. Nokia’s not giving any indication of just how long the line at the door is or what criteria it’s using to judge who gets past the red velvet rope into this shin-dig, but we’d recommend at least a shave and a clean shirt before applying. Vids excitedly discussing this wondrous new world are embedded below.

[Via Nokia Conversations]

Continue reading Nokia’s Ovi Software Development Kit released to invited and excited Javascripters

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia’s Ovi Software Development Kit released to invited and excited Javascripters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unless you’re a speed reader you’ll never make it through the written version of How We Test TVs in five minutes, nine seconds. Lucky for you, that’s exactly how long …