Jan 31
Mobile gaming is a contentious topic right now, variously accused of being the future of play, a passing fad, or the insidious villain undermining and devaluing traditional consoles and the … Continue reading
Jan 31
Later today, Sony Online Entertainment does something the developer of titles like EverQuest, PlanetSide, and DC Universe Online has never done before: it invites gamers into alpha code that’s far, … Continue reading
Jan 31
When traveling with everything on your back, every bit of space will need to be used appropriately. You want to pack as lightly and efficiently as possible, but that often comes at a price. Lightweight tents and sleeping bags that have the durability to stand up to harsh weather will cost more than something you’d want for a weekend romp in the woods.
Aside from a campfire, you’ll probably want a light source that is easy to keep charged, and won’t take up much room with your gear. The Hand-Crank Accordion Lantern measures at only 1.75×3.5” when closed, and 4.5×3.5” when open. When compressed, it can be used as a flashlight, and when fully extended, it can be a lantern.
If you don’t feel like cranking away for hours to charge your gear, then you can always plug it in via USB and have a full charge within 4 hours. Although, it may feel a bit more like cheating to bypass all the hard work. Either way, having the option would be nice, just in case you face an emergency and end up needing the manual mode. Made of ABS and Polyethylene Plastic, it’s very easy to keep clean as you only need to wipe it down. This will cost close to $30, and while it may not be perfect for long backpacking travels, it would be nice to have around for a short stint in the woods.
Available for purchase on Momastore, found via thegreenhead
[ The Hand-Crank Accordion Lantern can come out and play or be packed away copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jan 31
EverQuest’s Terry Michaels talks gaming’s Craigslist: The SlashGear Interview
Posted in: Today's Chili“Up until this game we have always tried to make a game that we thought people would like” Terry Michaels, senior producer for EverQuest Next and EverQuest Next Landmark admits, … Continue reading
Jan 31
Ouya’s original hardware featured just 8GB of storage onboard, but a temporary Limited Edition all-white version launched during the holidays doubled that to 16GB. Now, the game console startup is making that a permanent feature of its newest hardware, an Ouya console with a solid matte black finish that also offers better Wi-Fi connectivity and a “refined” controller design.
The new 16GB version adds $30 to the MSRP of the original, coming in at a total of $129 for the console and one controller. It goes on sale at Ouya.tv, as well as Amazon and Amazon.ca starting immediately, and the original 8GB model will continue to be sold as well at its original $99 price point (which is discounted to $69.99 currently on Amazon.ca)
As for what’s been improved about the controller, Ouya says that the joysticks and buttons are “better” and that the controller has less lag time overall. We’ve asked for more specifics around the improved Wi-Fi, but have yet to hear back with any details. The new console also ships with the latest Ouya firmware, which is said to improve all-around performance for the Android-powered hardware.
Ouya has faced some challenges lately, including the departure of one of its key founding team members, VP of Product Muffi Ghadiali. The company has not released any sales data recently, so there’s no telling how it’s performing, but the introduction of a new SKU seems a little unusual given the relatively modest nature of the tweaks.
Developers on the platform recently shared some numbers regarding their software sales on the console with Gamespot, which could be an indicator of hardware sales strength. Feedback was mixed, but overall the impression given was that sales by no means represent runaway success. Ouya has raised $23.6 million in funding to date, including its initial crowdfunding campaign and a Series A round led by Kleiner Perkins.
Jan 31
If you were jonesing for a 16GB OUYA console but didn’t snag the limited white edition, we have good news: you just got a second chance at buying your dream Android gaming system. The company plans to launch a standard 16GB model in matte black (aka …
Jan 31
If you decided to save a few bucks and opt for an iPad without cellular hardware, it also means you bought yourself a tablet without GPS. Wi-Fi hotspot locations help it guesstimate your locations, but if you want better results, you’ll have to spring $130 for Bad Elf’s tiny GPS module.
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Jan 31
A new international group meets for the first time in February to coordinate efforts to predict and prevent major asteroid impacts.
(Credit: ESA)
Next week in Germany, representatives of all mankind’s space-faring nations will get together in a room to begin coordinating efforts to prevent the end of the world…or at least to figure out how to identify and prevent really big space rocks from smacking us around like that meteor that hit Russia last year.
We’ve all watched those scenes in science fiction movies where the leaders of the planet (or planets) all sit around a large table and come to a consensus about the best way to confront the latest existential threat. I’m always left wondering where the heck they get such a huge table, and how they managed to come up with a unanimous plan of action in less than 5 minutes. It’s a little different from the endless gabfest of political posturing translating to minimal real-world action that is a meeting of today’s United Nations.
Or is it? The first ever meeting of the Space Mission Planning and Advisory Group (SMPAG, pronounced “same page” — see what they did there?) set to be hosted by the European S… [Read more]
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‘Star Wars,’ Nintendo collide: ‘Super Smash Wars 2: The Empire Smashes Back’
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Jan 31
HTC M8 will carry the baton from the all metal HTC One
HTC’s 2013 flagship, the HTC One, was very well received. It was loved for its all metal build, which gave the smartphone a premium feel as well as a leg up on its rivals that stuck with plastic and polycarbonate. The design and build coupled with the software tweaks by HTC really made the One a bonafide high-end Android smartphone. It might not have done wonders for the company’s balance sheets, but it certainly intrigued consumers, who will no doubt be wondering HTC comes up with this year. A few months ago we heard that the company was developing a new flagship under the codename M8. This is believed to be the One’s successor, and its possible that HTC might unveil it at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona next month. Last year, the HTC One was unveiled on February 19th, before being showcased at MWC 2013 a week later.
HTC M8 Release Date & Specs Round-Up – Unofficial original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 31
A couple of years ago, we guess you could say that Samsung pioneered the phablet category when it announced the first Samsung Galaxy Note. The device featured a 5.3-inch display, which at that time was considered to be pretty massive. However fast forward to today, many companies have no qualms about releasing phones with large displays.
In fact we have seen how companies like Sony and Hisense push the boundaries with phone whose displays are larger than that of 6-inches. That being said, it looks like at MWC 2014, we can look forward to additional phablets, and one of them could be from LG, Samsung’s biggest rival back home, who recently confirmed that there will be an LG G Pro 2 that will most likely be unveiled at MWC 2014. (more…)
LG G Pro 2 Specs & News, Pre-MWC Overview original content from Ubergizmo. 
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