Hasta La Gadget!

Razer’s Sixense electromagnetic orb threw around plenty of intradimensional portals at CES, but sadly the company wouldn’t let us play. Today at E3 2011, however, we were finally handed the reins. Those twin sticks are impressively responsive and accurate in the specially-made Sixense levels for Portal 2, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun to physically stretch out blocks, reposition portals with a twist of the wrist and physically throw objects through the air. However, we got the impression that outside of games particularly designed to work with the sticks, it might be a different story. Waving the right stick around works pretty adequately for controlling the mouse cursor, but when we exited out to Windows, the sticks didn’t work — apparently, controls have to be mapped separately in a desktop client to work with the OS and other games or programs. We don’t think many PC gamers will mind the six-foot range and wired tether here, but it does restrict those hoping to kick back with a game on the big screen.

We also got to try Razer’s new “4G” dual-sensor technology, which will be rolling out to new Mamba and Imperator gaming mice right away — it pairs a laser sensor and an optical sensor for more precision when lifting mice off a surface for advanced first-person shooter mousing techniques, not to mention 6400dpi tracking. We took it for a spin with a handy Razer Mamba, and we immediately fell in love — whether we flung the mouse around haphazardly, furiously swiped it across the mousepad or simply tried for a quick headshot, it kept up with us. The cursor does creep if you lift and drop very rapidly, though, and without an original Mamba to compare with, it’s hard to say just how much better it was. Thankfully, that won’t be much of a factor in your purchasing decision: you’ll pay the exact same $130 for the Mamba or $80 for the Imperator when they hit shelves this month. PR after the break.

Continue reading Razer totes Hydra sticks and 6400dpi dual-sensor mice to E3 2011, we go hands-on

Razer totes Hydra sticks and 6400dpi dual-sensor mice to E3 2011, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

It’s already made an early debut, just to sell out in a matter a hours, and now Samsung’s answer to the Chromebook, the Series 5, is getting some attention of a more destructive sort. The folks over at iFixit have proven once again that ripping apart consumer electronics is not only therapeutic, but also enlightening, this time putting Google’s ultraportable under the knife. On top of the specs we already have, this Chromebook’s inner workings reveal 2GB of non-upgradable DDR3 RAM (the CR-48 apparently packed upgradable RAM), Intel NM10 graphics, a Qualcomm Gobi WWAN board, an Atheros AR9382 802.11n WiFi chip, and a 16GB SanDisk SSD. If you want even more intimate details (and have some cash to burn) you can wait to rip into the Chromebook yourself — or you could to do the practical thing, and click on the source link below.

Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook gets iFixit teardown, lays bare its telling internals originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wired  |  iFixit  | Email this | Comments

The US produces about 26 million tons of industrial sand every year—and it’s not like it’s just getting scooped off the beaches. It’s pulverized from larger rocks in massive crushers, like this one. More »

If you bump in to the Periodic Table of Elements today, be sure to give it a hearty Mazel Tov, because it’s just welcomed two new members to the family. Yesterday, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) officially recognized elements 114 and 116, crediting the discovery to scientists from Russia’s Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in California. Boasting atomic masses of 289 and 292, respectively, the new man-made additions are now the heaviest elements on record, seizing the belt from copernicium (285) and roentgenium (272). As with most heavyweights, however, both decay within less than a second, making it difficult for researchers to get a grasp of their chemical properties. Nevertheless, both apparently had enough credibility to survive IUPAC’s three-year review process, paving the way for the real fun to begin. At the moment, 114 and 116 are known, rather coldly, as ununquadium and ununhexium, respectively, though their names will eventually be jazzed up — sort of. The Russian team has already proposed flerovium for 114 (after Soviet nuclear physicist Georgy Flyorov), and, for 116, the Moscow-inspired moscovium, which sounds more like an after shave for particularly macho chemists. IUPAC will have the final say on the matter, though one committee member said any proposed names are likely to be approved, as long as “it’s not something too weird.” Head past the break for a full, and somewhat obtuse PR.

Continue reading Periodic Table welcomes two new, ultraheavy elements, jury still out on the names

Periodic Table welcomes two new, ultraheavy elements, jury still out on the names originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |   | Email this | Comments

Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to reject DUI checkpoint-locating apps.