Hasta La Gadget!

Back in January, we caught a glimpse of a hilarious PS Vita title dubbed Reality Fighters, and as the name suggests, it’s a Street Fighter-like game that makes use of the device’s augmented reality feature. Well, SmartAR, to be precise, which has already been proven to deliver slick AR in large space without the need of a marker, and that’s exactly what we experienced earlier today at TGS 2011.

What happens in this game is that you can first create your own fighting avatar — not only does it let you map your face using either camera on the Vita, but there’s also a whole range of body shapes, facial features, weapons and fashion accessories to add to your character. Once you have your fighter ready, you then have three options: use the current surroundings as your battle backdrop, or use one of the many default backdrops (and the final version of the game will allow players to create their own backdrop), or use a marker. We only managed to try the first two AR modes with the brief hands-on time we had, but both worked seamlessly for us — see for yourself in our hands-on video above.

Surprisingly, this game only uses just one of the four CPU cores on the Vita! But then again, we’ve already seen SmartAR running smoothly on the Xperia Arc, which goes to show how relatively little number crunching power is required for SmartAR. Expect to see this funny game to come out in February.

PlayStation Vita’s slick augmented reality demoed in Reality Fighters, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’re getting our game on — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Let’s be honest, balancing coursework with recreation is just as important as maintaining a balanced food diet — perhaps even more. After you spend countless hours hitting the books, cramming for tests, and writing papers, you’re just going to need something to turn your brain to mush. Don’t worry, we have just the thing: video games. It doesn’t matter how many midterms you have, we’re sure we can find something to help you slack off. Of course, it’s not going to be easy; you’ll have to wait until next semester (at least) to get your hands on the PlayStation Vita, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have options now. Jump past the break — we can probably help you find something to get you through mid-terms with your sanity intact. Don’t want to shell out cash to have fun this semester? Enter our back to school sweepstakes! Simply leave a comment below for a chance to win, and drop by our giveaway page for more details.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: gaming

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For those who’ve been dwelling on this planet long enough, you might just remember a category of mobile computers by the name of UMPCs. In particular, think Sony’s VAIO UX, the OQO devices and the elusive xpPhone. Alas, those Windows devices were — and probably still are — well ahead of their time no thanks to their battery life, bulkiness and sometimes cost; though for some bizarre reason, Fujitsu begs to differ. In fact, said company took one step further and released a hybrid device in Japan: the LOOX F-07C, a QWERTY slider phone that can switch between Symbian and Windows 7 at a click of a button. Interesting combination, right? Read on to find out how this weird device fares in real life.

Continue reading Fujitsu LOOX F-07C review

Fujitsu LOOX F-07C review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In case you’re still skeptical about the $310 Xiaomi Phone, our brief hands-on with a prototype just now suggests that little should be worried about this Foxconn-made device (not Motorola as previously rumored). While the 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz dual-core phone is a tad thicker and heavier than many other flagship smartphones these days, the soft back felt nice in our hands — a bit like the HTC Sensation but smaller. The overall build quality was surprisingly solid, though we won’t comment much on the software since it was a non-final build (we had a little crash while filming, and the three touch buttons didn’t light up). Leaving those issues aside, we’re definitely looking forward to this nicely priced, feature-packed Android in October. Hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Xiaomi Phone hands-on (updated with video)

Xiaomi Phone hands-on (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Growing up in the 80’s, many kids used their Little Tikes easels to sketch their homes, or their families, or a football or two. Mine was littered with pictures of ceiling fans. But not just the ceiling fan mounted above my playroom — no, these fans were upside-down (like a model I saw in New Orleans), daisy-chained (seen at a local arcade), and connected to a gas-powered motor (as I once noticed at an Amish farm). My obsession with ceiling fans, and really any motor-powered gadget, ran deep. At one point, shortly after I took my first steps, I began refusing to eat in restaurants that didn’t have fans. And when a particular establishment was sophisticated enough to have installed that ever-so-necessary exposed air circulator, you better believe that it needed to be running, and at full speed.

My seemingly bizarre obsession with powered devices didn’t stop there. I also had an unlikely fascination with vacuum cleaners. Not with their ability to pick up dirt — I don’t believe I had any interest in what they were actually used for, much to the chagrin of my mother — but with the loud motor that sprung to life when I flipped the power switch, and the uncannily bright headlight that lit the way. Sure, vacuums today feature quiet motors and highly maneuverable ball designs, and even though life was simpler two decades ago, that mesmerizing loud hum, and bright, guiding light would be all it took to get a two-year-old me hooked. But electricity became more than a casual curiosity. My most prized possession was a wood-mounted set of outlets paired with matching switches — one was fixed, and one dimmed. My grandfather helped me build it after one of our weekend trips to the hardware store.

Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Zach Honig

Growing Up Geek: Zach Honig originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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