Dec 09
Get schooled by CNET editor Jasmine France. This week she gives tips on how to enjoy video on-the-go in order to survive the tedium and annoyances of holiday travel.
Originally posted at MP3 Insider
Dec 09
App review: Infinity Blade (iPhone)
Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, game, Games, gaming, ios, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, itunes, review, Today's Chili
Aww, would you look at that, the iPhone’s trying to play big boy games! Following in the well received footsteps of Rage HD, today marks the debut of Infinity Blade, the second in what’s hopefully a wave of gorgeous-looking iOS games boasting advanced 3D graphics, if not 3D gameplay. Epic Games has put aside the chainsaw-equipped projectile weaponry of its wildly successful Gears of War console series to deliver the first mobile game built around its Unreal Engine 3. You won’t be surprised to hear that it’s utterly delicious to look at, and the visuals certainly helped transport us to this alien realm of swords, axes, shields, and magical rings — where body armor is optional, but helmets apparently are not. Jump past the break to see this visual feast in motion and to soak up some more of our impressions.
Gallery: Infinity Blade screenshots
Continue reading App review: Infinity Blade (iPhone)
App review: Infinity Blade (iPhone) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec 09
Gadget Lab Podcast: Google Chrome OS, Nexus S, Android Gingerbread
Posted in: Android, boxee, chrome os, gingerbread, Google, podcasts, Today's ChiliGoogle dominates this week’s Gadget Lab podcast with a new computer operating system, a smartphone, an Android upgrade and big sales number for the Android-powered Galaxy Tab.
The search giant on Tuesday shared details on Chrome OS, its browser-based OS that runs web apps. Gadget Lab just got its hands on a test unit of the Cr-48, a pilot notebook running Chrome OS, and we’ll post impressions soon.
Monday launched the Nexus S smartphone, made in collaboration with Samsung. It’s basically the sequel to the failed Nexus One. It comes with a 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, a 1-GHz Hummingbird processor, 16 GB of storage and a battery rated for 6.7 hours of talk time.
Alongside introducing the Nexus S, Google announced its latest upgrade for the Android OS codenamed “Gingerbread.” It’s an incremental upgrade that improves copy-and-paste and cleans up the UI, among other changes we summarized in an earlier post.
In more Android-related news, Samsung recently reported it sold 1 million Galaxy Tab tablets. That’s quite impressive, and it shows that Google and other manufacturers aren’t too far behind Apple in the new tablet market after all.
We wrap up the show with a quick look at the Boxee, a $200 set-top box that plays web-streamed video. Dylan wasn’t a fan of it.
Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast on iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds
Or listen to the audio here:
Gadget Lab audio podcast No. 96
http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0096.mp3
Dec 09
Sure, there are a lot of products on the market that can stream from your iPod or other MP3 player to your car radio. Well, now there’s one more. The AutoCon by iKit has a built-in FM transmitter that uses rapid auto scan technology to play music over any FM station with no interference. You can also use it with radios in your home. If you’re using a smartphone, the AutoCon works as a hands-free answering device, letting you answer the phone and have conversations without having to hold anything.
This package includes iKit’s USB car charger, so you can keep the AutoCon powered up while you drive. You can pick one up from the iKit site for $44.95.
Dec 09
Probably the closest you’ll ever get to an iPhone with an actual keyboard. Unfortunately, design flaws kill the appeal of this otherwise cool accessory.
Originally posted at iPhone Atlas
Dec 09
Diago’s Little Smasher puts a 5W guitar amp in a tiny carbon steel box (video)
Posted in: guitar, Music, Today's Chili, video
Sure, you can always plug your axe into a computer (or even an iPhone) and make sweet, sweet music with software. But what about those times you need an honest-to-goodness amplifier? Diago’s Little Smasher is a full-fledged 5 watt guitar amp head that is only roughly the size of an effects pedal. The thing’s quite stripped down — active bass and treble (which gives you more control of the tone than passive EQs), gain, volume, 4-16 ohm output impedance (should work with any speaker cabinet), and that’s pretty much it! We should probably also add that the carbon steel enclosure is a nice touch, and one that will be appreciated when you’re fighting off a stage invasion at the next Lilith Fair. But you probably want to hear how it sounds — and for that, we direct you to the video placed after the break. Available for $250 this January.
Continue reading Diago’s Little Smasher puts a 5W guitar amp in a tiny carbon steel box (video)
Diago’s Little Smasher puts a 5W guitar amp in a tiny carbon steel box (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec 09
The long-awaited Notion Ink Adam tablet begins preorders today, with models priced as low as $375. Orders are limited to people registered on the Notion Ink blog. Units will ship in early January.
Dec 09
Two of Verizon’s top Android smartphones are receiving updates, which aim to improve the overall performance of the devices.
Originally posted at Android Atlas
Dec 09
Blizzard’s handling Cataclysm’s influx of new and returning players by allowing complimentary transfers from and to selected realms until December 22.
Dec 09
PlayStation Move Sharpshooter hands-on: a first-party SMG peripheral coming in February
Posted in: green, hands-on, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, sony, Today's Chili
This isn’t the first PlayStation Move peripheral to replicate a firearm, but the Sharpshooter is brought to you by Sony itself, so you expect a higher degree of quality than from the third-party deluge. And if you’re the sort who like to accessorize, it’s a pretty good offering. We had a chance to check it out this morning over a brief round of Killzone 3, which Sony says was the inspiration (along with the upcoming SOCOM). Overall, it’s pretty light and sturdy. The Move controller slides into the front, and the buttons then become mapped around the gun: RL is under the grip, the Move button is just under the trigger, start and select rest on opposite sides of the barrel, and Square / Triangle are mirrored above the trigger, making it easier to reach regardless whether you’re right- or left-handed. There’s a cradle under the stock for the Navigation Controller to rest, the butt is adjustable, and the top has a mount for a scope (no details on that peripheral of a peripheral). There’s additionally a lock button and what seems like burst-fire mode that won’t be used by Killzone 3; the reps told us they spoke with various other developers to make sure the accessory fit their needs as well but couldn’t elaborate more.
So, how did it handle? We’ll say the buttons were all easy to get to, but this accessory is fundamentally not for us. Having to move the entire submachine gun (or your whole body, as it were) to aim felt more unwieldy than simply twisting a wrist like you would with the first-party Shooting attachment (or the Move controller by its lonesome). Speaking of which, the Sharpshooter is lacking in retro aesthetic, something we really liked in the “1950s laser pistol” replica that came out last month. We get the feeling this wasn’t made with us in mind, anyway. Sharpshooter should hit store shelves in February (same month as Killzone 3) for a penny under $40. Looking for something more traditional? A jungle green DualShock 3 is also coming in February for $55. Press release after the break.
PlayStation Move Sharpshooter hands-on: a first-party SMG peripheral coming in February originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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