Jun 17

Inflatable Racecar: Best or Worst Wii Accessory Ever?

Posted in: nintendo, Today's Chili, video games, wii

inflatable racing car.jpg

A lot of memorable events occurred at E3 this week. But strangely, this is one image that is going to stick with me.

Actually, the bizarre Wii accessories dreamed up by third parties has been something of a quirky highlight of the show for the past several years. And this year, the inflatable racecar from CTA Digital is either the best or the worst–I can’t say for sure.

It’s best in the sense that, well, look at it, it’s a big blowup racecar that you can sit in while you’re playing the Wii–adults and children alike, though like the perennial favorite racecar bed, it’s likely to be a bit awkward for anyone over the age of 10.

It’s potentially the worst in the sense that the car itself doesn’t seem to do anything. It’s not a rumble seat. The Wiimote does slip into the steering wheel, which turns, so there’s that.

This bizarre accessory is compatible with Mario Kart Wii, Need for Speed, and, let’s face it, pretty much any driving game, because, as mentioned above, it doesn’t actually do anything…

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Jun 17

Serafinowicz: Five Reasons I Love Apple and Five Reasons I Hate Apple [Peterserafinowicz]

Posted in: Apple, Today's Chili, top

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Jun 17

Particle Case: The iPad Case that Gives You a Stylus

Posted in: case, ipad, Today's Chili

ParticleCase.jpg Many iPad cases do pretty much the same thing in the same way. But the Particle Case by Ten One Design gives you something different: a stylus. Tired of tapping things out with your finger? Then you’ll love the particle case, which comes with a capacitive touch stylus and a clip on the side to keep it in place.

While that would be enough to justify its $34.95 price tag, the Particle Case also includes an open-air back to keep your iPad running cool, and it has rubberized feet to keep it stable on any surface.

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Jun 17

Samsung Captivate is AT&T’s version of the Galaxy S, launching ‘in the coming months’

Posted in: Android, att, breaking news, BreakingNews, GalaxyS, Google, samsung, Today's Chili

So much for the “AT&T refuses to release high-end Android devices” conspiracy theory, eh? T-Mobile had been widely pegged as Samsung’s launch partner for the Galaxy S in the States, but AT&T stole its thunder this morning by announcing the Captivate featuring a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, Android 2.1, 7.2Mbps HSPA, and a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. If it sounds more or less like the European Galaxy S, well, your intuitions are spot-on — AT&T actually describes the Captivate as “a Galaxy S smartphone.” As for media, you can expect a 5 megapixel camera with 720p recording, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and 16GB of onboard storage combined with support for external storage for a total of up to 32GB; you also have 802.11n WiFi and a variety of built-in apps (some of which you’ll want, others you won’t) like Swype and AT&T Navigator. Unfortunately, this is a little while out yet — AT&T is only saying that it’ll launch “in the coming months” for an undisclosed price — but we’re at least stoked that AT&T’s finally fully entrenched in the Android superphone game. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Samsung Captivate is AT&T’s version of the Galaxy S, launching ‘in the coming months’

Samsung Captivate is AT&T’s version of the Galaxy S, launching ‘in the coming months’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

Dropcam Echo streams imagery to your iPhone, sends push notifications

Posted in: Today's Chili

Oh, sure — you’ve got oodles of options when it comes to webcams, particularly the security types that are meant to monitor your home, garage or underground lair. But by and large, the ones already out there are difficult to install, pricey and impossible to troubleshoot. Dropcam’s aiming to make things far simpler with its barebones Echo, which is the outfit’s second-ever product. Essentially, it’s a wireless Dropcam (original) with audio support added in, and after you’ve got it mounted and streaming, you can sign up for a (partially paid) Dropcam.com service to access remote viewing via PC, iPhone, iPod touch or iPad (other devices are “coming soon”), and automatic alerts can be pushed to your iDevice whenever motion is detected. There’s even the ability to review up to 30 days of footage on a timeline, and Dropcam makes it easy to generate video clips for permanent storage, too. It’s on sale now for $279, representing an $80 premium over the video-only model.

Gallery: Dropcam Echo

Dropcam Echo streams imagery to your iPhone, sends push notifications originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

Senators ask FCC to prioritize action on broadband white space, FCC promises nothing

Posted in: government, Today's Chili
Senators John Kerry (D – MA) and Olympia Snowe (R – Maine) have written a letter to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski asking them to prioritize actions on broadband white space while adhering to the scheduled Broadband Action Agenda, finishing it up by the third quarter of 2010. The national broadband plan includes 360 recommendations, with the white space action being just one of them. The letter reminded the commission that it’s been about two years since it first authorized the use of white space, which would allow the use of unused television channels for wireless broadband.

Senators ask FCC to prioritize action on broadband white space, FCC promises nothing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

DualShock can be used in lieu of Navigation Controller

Posted in: e3, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, sony, Today's Chili

Remember that rumor a couple years back of PS3 motion control gaming being based around a pull-apart DualShock 3? Well, perhaps it wasn’t such a wild idea after all. No DualShock 3s have been harmed in the making of Move, but Joystiq has just confirmed that you can actually use the existing controller for Move gaming instead of springing for the Navigation Controller if you’d like. Obviously, you’ll be one-handing the DualShock, not quite as comfortable as the Move’s tiny, dedicated quasi-nunchuck, but it saves you $30 for your hassle. You’ll only have access to the d-pad or four face buttons, depending on which side you choose, but interestingly, the Nav Controller’s X and O buttons are redundant with the full Move wand, so hopefully this won’t impact gameplay too greatly.

DualShock can be used in lieu of Navigation Controller originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

Koss Celebrates With PortaPro 25th Anniversary Edition Headphones

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, headphones, Today's Chili

Did you know that the insanely popular Koss PortaPro headphones have been around for 25 years? To celebrate, Koss has come up with the appropriately-named PortaPro 25th Anniversary Edition, a product that remarkably appears to improve on the classic original.

The PortaPros are folding, lightweight headphones that sound great. Wired associate editor Joe Brown says they sound like electrostatic headphones. I say that they sound like something four times the price (just $50).

There are problems, though. The PortaPros break easily and, despite a lifetime warranty, you’ll find yourself buying replacements. The weak points are the spot where the earpieces join to the band, and the cables and connections. In the Anniversary Edition, the cables are now corded, which should help.

Another addition should make an even bigger difference. The Anniversary Edition brings beefier magnets: neodymium iron boron to be precise. This, combined with the “oxygen-free copper voice coils” will make the headphones louder. The very open design of the PortaPros makes it easy to drown out their sound in noisy places, so this is welcome.

But the best part is that they lose the dorky light-blue earpieces, replacing them with cool black. I’m totally sold. I have used PortaPros for years, and love them, so I’m searching for a local dealer right now. Happy birthday, PortaPro! $80.

PortaPro 25th Anniversary Edition [Koss via Uncrate]




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Jun 17

HTC Aria review

Posted in: Android, att, Google, GoogleAndroid, HTC, htc sense, HtcSense, review, reviewed, sense, smartphone, Today's Chili

It’s sort of hard to believe, but AT&T finally has an Android phone worth paying attention to. Mind you, the AT&T compatible Nexus One is easily the best Googlephone on America’s largest GSM operator, but this is the first one that the company has bothered to brand and sell on a subsidized plan within its own stores. Pundits could argue the reasons why forever, but considering that the carrier’s doing all it can just to keep up with the demand for iPhones, it’s hard to imagine that AT&T has been longing to pursue Android with reckless abandon. Believe it or not, it’s been over 1.5 years since T-Mobile gave the world the first taste of a mobile OS that would soon rival (and surpass) the other options already on the table, but outside of the forgettable Backflip (and the nowhere-to-be-found Aero), there’s been no Android to speak of on AT&T. HTC has somehow managed to break down the blue and orange walls, piercing the heart of a hardened operator and squeezing a delightful mid-range Android smartphone into a lineup that’s about to be monumentally overshadowed by the iPhone 4. So, is the HTC Aria worth the $129.99 that you’ll be forced to pay on a 2-year agreement when it ships on June 20th? Read on to find out.

Continue reading HTC Aria review

HTC Aria review originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 17

How to Silence Obnoxious, Deafening Vuvuzela

Posted in: Hacks, Mods and DIY, Sports, Today's Chili, TV

Do you hear that? The hideous, piercing dirge of a B-flat drone that is the unfortunate backdrop to every single World Cup match? It’s the vuvuzela, a stupid plastic trumpet that has infested the temple of the beautiful game with an incessant buzzing that is a cross between a traffic jam in Naples and a giant, booming mosquito. We’re going to tell you how to kill it.

If you have never heard a vuvuzela in person, you won’t know quite how loud it is. I hear one every time Barcelona plays a game, and my neighbor expresses his over-excitement by forcing his asthmatic breath through the thunderous plastic horn.

It is deafening. It literally makes my ears hurt, and it is the most annoying thing I have ever heard. Now imagine a football stadium filled with these things, and you have an idea of the fun going down in South Africa right now.

At home, the problem is less severe, and we can do something about it. B-flat has a frequency of 466.164 hertz, which is unfortunately close to the frequency of human speech, and the main reason that the frequency isn’t more forcefully blocked at source by broadcasters. You can cut the drone almost entirely, though, by filtering at home, blocking 466 hertz along with other harmonics. The easiest way is to drop the 300 hertz bar on your TVs EQ, which is close enough to make a quick-and-dirty fix.

If you have a more capable setup, like a home-theater receiver, or are prepared to run the audio through a computer, you can get even better results. First, use your EQ to drop the 466 hertz band by around 20 dB (remember to apply it to both channels). Then do the same for 235 hertz. This, as you see in the video above put together by LifeHacker, cuts out pretty much all of the incessant drone.

If you’re using a surround-sound system, you might try turning down the left and right speakers, which broadcasters use for crowd noises, and turn up the volume of the center speaker, where commentators’ voices come from.

You could, of course, employ the simplest and fastest filter on your TVs buzzing output: Hit the mute button.

Vuvuzela filter [Surfpoeten]

How to Remove Vuvuzelas From an Audio Recording [YouTube via Lifehacker]

Can you block out the blare of vuvuzelas? [BBC]

How to turn down the volume on those World Cup vuvuzelas [Consumer Reports]




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