Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to Halo 4 DLC, we already know quite a bit. We know that Microsoft and 343 Industries are planning three separate map packs named Crimson, Majestic, and Castle. We also know that the companies are offering a War Games Map Pass for 2,000 MSP, which means that opting for the Map Pass will save you 15% over buying each map pack individually. What we didn’t know, however, is when these map packs would be releasing.

That may have just changed, as a new screenshot from the German Xbox 360 Dashboard apparently lists the release dates for all three map packs. Originally posted over at Halo Council, this screenshot says gives Crimson, Majestic, and Castle release dates of December 10, February 25, and April 1 respectively. If this is true, it means that the first Halo 4 map pack DLC is a mere two weeks away.

We wouldn’t be surprised at all if this is true, but the fact that Castle has a listed release date of April 1 makes this whole thing a little suspicious. April 1, as many of you know, is the worldwide day of pranks, so it’s possible that Microsoft and 343 Industries are having a little fun at the expense of players. In any case, with no official word from Microsoft, it’s hard to say with any certainty that this is legitimate.

If these dates are the real deal and Crimson’s release is really just two weeks away, then we should be getting confirmation from Microsoft and 343 any day now. While we’re hesitant to believe that these are the official release dates, it’s worth pointing out that Microsoft said the three map packs would be releasing in December, February, and April when they were all announced, so that lends some credibility to this rumor. Stay tuned.

[via Kotaku]

Halo 4 map pack release dates reportedly outed is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Hey parents, what was it like the first night you had your child(ren) home and you turned on the baby monitor? Did you jump at the first sound? Let me guess – constantly peeking in to check on baby? I’m assuming it was nerve wracking. For current parents of young ones you could probably use any device that may help instill more confidence in what may be happening in baby’s room – whether 10 feet away or across the country.

BabyPing provides the perfect baby monitor solution to give you peace of mind thanks to technology. It consists of a square monitor, less than 3.5” x 3.5”. On the monitor are a video camera, microphone and infrared LEDs to light up the room. Don’t worry, LEDs won’t be too bright for baby to sleep and they adjust to exterior lighting. Mount the monitor where you get the best view of baby and where you can plug the monitor in. Included with the monitor are a mount and things to make setup easy. Once you have the monitor in place, connect it to your router via cable or wi-fi. Then download the BabyPing or BabyPing+ app to your Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (iOS 4 or greater). The app will find the BabyPing monitor on your network and connect you. Voila! Baby is on your i device. With BabyPing app you can watch from anywhere within the network. And you can even restrict access. For those that travel away from home definitely download BabyPing+ which enables remote viewing too. And yes, password protection and encryption are involved so not just anyone can see baby.

This seems like such a natural evolution of technology. Our busy lives mean home time is far from peaceful, work often takes us away from town and relatives may not live nearby. BabyPing provides a great solution to help with busyness. Rest assured while at home that baby is safe and sound – while not having to barge into the room every 5 minutes. If you are back to work after maternity leave or on business travel log in anytime to see the little bambino. Or if relatives live far away give them access to see the bundle of joy. And to top that off, BabyPing is offering a sale at the moment too! Shipping from UK, BabyPing is available for £132 (normally £165). And if shipping from the US, pick up the unit for $199 (normally $249). I find  very few reasons why parents – or those with parents on their shopping list – wouldn’t want to have or give this peace of mind.
[ See Baby From Anywhere copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The online film you’re about to witness may very well blow your mind – and not just because it’s web exclusive, and made to attach directly to a Facebook app where you’ll get un-Scrooge-ified. It’s Snoop Lion (aka Snoop Dogg) speaking on behalf of himself, Ebeneezer Snoop, in what the folks at Adidas are calling a “pioneering” Facebook app – one that’s sure to get you in the holiday spirit – that spirit where you buy up tons of sportswear and hot sneakers.

It’s an animated wonderland in here with some of the “world’s finest sporting and cultural icons” including David Beckham as the ghost of holiday present, Stan Smith as the ghost of holiday past, Derrick Rose as the ghost of holiday future, and Rota Ora as the ghost of holiday future as well – yes, there are two ghosts of holiday future. This holiday tale is about to get extremely cautionary on you, top to bottom.

The big deal here is the fact that you’re able to send some holiday cheer to some friends via Facebook with a process that includes the folks at Adidas going through your gigantic list of contacts. They have a peek at if you’ve wished everyone you know a happy birthday – and if you haven’t, you’re given a second chance. WIth this second chance you’ll be giving a postcard (digitally, of course), that includes any one of the superstars shown above.

This all links in quite easily to the holiday Adidas collection of sneakers, accessories, customizable bits and pieces, and everything in-between. Whether you need a new pair of kicks or just want to get down with the holiday screen-on fireplace, listen to Uncle Snoop and let him let you in on how not to be a bother at the holidays.

Adidas teams digitally with Snoop Lion for #bahumbizzle campaign is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Well, that was quick. It’s only been two or so months since LG pulled officially pulled back the curtains on its flagship Optimus G smartphone, but it seems the Korean company isn’t done fiddling with the formula just yet. According to a recent report from Korea’s MK Business News, LG is already preparing a followup (tentatively called the Optimus G2) that could launch as early as next May.

At this point it’s tough to say whether or not the G2′s spec sheet is already set in stone, but MK’s report paints a pretty impressive picture. First up is the rumored inclusion of a 5-inch, 1080p display — LG is hardly the first to take the plunge into 1080p territory (that distinction goes to Taiwan-based HTC and its Butterfly J). During my week spent with Butterfly J’s American cousin, I found its 1080p display to be an impressive performer despite some minor flaws and it’ll be interesting to see how well LG’s own homebrew panel fares.

Honestly, the timing isn’t exactly a surprise here — both LG and its eternal rival Samsung were both expected to release 1080p smartphones in the first half of 2013 — but there’s more to the G2 than just a pretty screen. If the report holds true, then the G2′s internals are nothing to sneeze at either as an unspecified 2GHz Qualcomm chipset is expected to run the show. The original Optimus G was one of the snappiest I’ve gotten to play with in quite some time thanks in part to its beefy Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, so the G2 has a hell of a bar to live up to. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to have been much digging done when it comes to the G2′s battery — a wimpy little thing could spell doom for a device like this.

May might seem like a long way off, but don’t be surprised if the further leaks start trickling out well in advance. Frankly, between the Optimus G and the Nexus 4, LG has managed to impress me in ways I didn’t think the beleaguered company was capable of — here’s hoping the G2 is just as pleasant a surprise.

Nintendo of America’s president, Reggie Fils-Aime, has proudly stepped forward to claim that the recently released Wii U is “essentially sold out of retail”, and we’re talking about moving approximately 400,000 units here. In fact, over the last week, Nintendo sold over 1 million hardware units, and the Wii U made up approximately 40% of the total figure, with the rest of the hardware comprising of the Wii, 3DS, and DS. Hmmm, it does seem to me that the Nintendo DS still has some legs left in it, no?

In fact, the Nintendo Wii did seem to have some more staying power, mustering up approximately 300,000 sales over the last week last week. Not bad, eh? As for the portable segment, Nintendo managed to land over 500,000 hardware units, where 250,000 3DS and 275,000 DS devices thereabouts landed in the hands of avid gamers in the US. It seemed that the technologically inferior DS outsold the 3DS simply because of the “significant” deals that retailers offered on Black Friday.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Raspberry Pi Powers Small Arcade Cabinet, Minecraft Aids UN In Regeneration Projects,