Hasta La Gadget!

The Smith & Tinker Nanovor Nanoscope ($49.99 list, for kids 7 to 12) is an electronic handheld device that turns the Nanovor online game into a portable experience. In the Nanovor game, kids collect Nanovor characters and have them battle against other players’ Nanovors. The Nanoscope device, about the size of a large MP3 player, lets kids play against their friends (as long as they also have Nanoscopes) without a computer: You simply touch the Nanoscopes together, and you’re on your way to a battle.

Once my six-year-old son and I got the Nanoscopes working, he really enjoyed Nanovor; in fact, I had to ask him to stop playing several times. However, getting the toys up and running was not easy.

First, let me warn you: The packaging says it works with Windows XP. It doesn’t. When updating it, the software wiped out the Nanoscope firmware. We were able to recover the Nanoscope by connecting it to a Vista machine. This seems to be a known issue, as we found mention of it on the company’s Web site.

Hasselblad intros 50 megapixel H3DII-50 MS with multishot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To celebrate the release of Forza Motorsport 2, Microsoft made a big deal about its Wireless Racing Wheel, a cable-free force-feedback controller for racers that was only really wireless if you didn’t want force-feedback. It was a reasonable compromise and a reasonably good wheel, but it just didn’t compare to the high-end stuff supported by that other great console racing series: Gran Turismo. In GT5 you can hit the track while gripping things like Logitech’s G25 or G27, either of which make Microsoft’s offering look like a toy. With the release of Forza 3 there’s a new contender available, the Porsche Turbo S from Fanatec. It’s a much more serious offering with more capable feedback, proper shifters with a clutch, and a rather more impressive design. But it also has a rather more impressive price tag: $249 to start and, like a real Porsche, going way up from there with options. Is it worth the entrance price or are you better off putting your money toward race tires? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel for Xbox 360 review

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Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel for Xbox 360 review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most bargain-basement TVs are seriously lacking in the input department, but this Dynex from Best Buy serves up three HDMI, two component, and more. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-10401432-58.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Cheapskate/a/p

While nothing’s been confirmed, PSInsider is reporting that an anonymous source “close to Sony” is saying that the company is in talks with Mozilla to bring the Firefox Web browser to the Playstation 3.