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A German outfit promises a tool to cut a standard SIM card into a micro-SIM

In a surprising expose on the seedy underbelly of pre-release gaming demos for the whole family, Parade Magazine‘s own A.J. Jacobs reports on a bit of fun gone awry. Mr. Jacobs details the horrific scene: “We next tried an obstacle course where you have to dart under trees and jump over logs. I was really working it, leaning my body and windmilling my arms. Unfortunately, Zane, 3, wandered a bit too close to me and, well, I inadvertently smacked him in the face. He started crying.” Luckily, Zane bounced back quickly, and the Jacobs household (6-year-old Jasper was also in attendance) quickly determined that their best chances at beating the few Project Natal demos Microsoft was showing them might involve benching the old man. The Jacobs brood got three demos in all, including a couple we haven’t had a chance to play ourselves: an obstacle course, and a river rafting game we’ve seen referred to as “River Rush.” You can see a brief glimpse of it yourself (along with entirely more arm flailing than is strictly necessary) after the break.

Continue reading Natal ‘River Rush’ gameplay glimpsed, first wild gesticulation-related violence reported

Natal ‘River Rush’ gameplay glimpsed, first wild gesticulation-related violence reported originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most docking stations that come with a laptop or can be ordered from manufacturers are designed to do one thing: consolidate cables and connections into one unit that you can dock your laptop to without having to plug in or unplug anything. If you’re lucky, you can find a docking station that goes the extra mile and adds a few USB ports. Then there are docking stations like the SMK Link Notebook USB Audio Station, which aside from being a mouthful of a name, supports just about any laptop you mount on it.

The Audio Station, which supports Windows PCs and Macs, connects to your computer with a single USB cable. Through that cable, the Audio Station gives you a powered 3-port USB hub and an integrated set of stereo speakers, all while keeping your laptop elevated so your display is at eye-level.

The Audio Station isn’t a complete panacea though: It doesn’t charge your laptop or offer any additional ports (like a DVI or VGA port) aside from the embedded USB hub. Even so, its design leaves the sides and back of your laptop clear so you can attach your normal charging cable, external display, or external mouse and keyboard, and audio is handled over USB without the need for drivers. The SMK Link Notebook USB Audio Station is available now on SMK Link’s Web site and in Apple retail stores worldwide for $59.99.

Looks like Australia and Poland were just the beginning: Coulomb Technologies is looking to roll out nearly 5,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the US, effective immediately. If one of those cherry-red push pins is pointed at your neighborhood, you’ll likely see the stations popping up at local businesses soon, and if you’re looking to purchase a Chevy Volt, Tesla-powered Smart or one of Ford’s two new EVs, you can even qualify to have a free station installed in your home. Partially paid for by a $15 million grant from the Department of Energy, the ChargePoint America program won’t necessarily give you free electricity to go with it — that “charge” in ChargePoint has a double meaning, after all — but we’re happy to see the zero-emissions future is finally on a roll. PR after the break.

Continue reading Coulomb partners with Ford, Chevy, Smart to deliver 4,600 free EV charging stations in US

Coulomb partners with Ford, Chevy, Smart to deliver 4,600 free EV charging stations in US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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