Hasta La Gadget!

EA has offered up some impressive statistics from the first week of availability for its new Madden NFL 13 video game. I think we all expected this video game to do very well – after all, it’s the most popular sports franchise in all of video gamedom.

According to EA, sell through for the game was up 8% year-over-year on HD platforms with more than 1.65 million units sold in its first week. EA says that this is the best ever start for the franchise on this console generation. The first week following the launch saw more than 24 million online games played equating to 47,000 NFL regular seasons.

It looks like a lot gamers spent their Labor Day playing Madden with over 3000 games per minute started on average on Labor Day alone. EA also notes that there are more than 1.4 million fans connected online during the week and there were more than 702,000 unique visitors to the enhanced Madden Ultimate Team mode.

Traceur. Defined as a male practitioner of the sport and art that is known as parkour.
Parkour. Defined as a physical discipline of movement that’s focused on overcoming obstacles.

Let’s get on with it now that we’ve got the definitions out of the way.

The world witnessed the sheer awesomeness of the videogame/parkour mashup when a video showcasing the Tempest Freerunning Academy went viral last year. In case you missed it, the academy was actually a gym that was designed to look like Mario Land.

This time around, we’ve got some awesome parkour action in the style of Assassin’s Creed featuring the awesome traceur Ronnie Shalvis and directed by the prolific and talented Devin Graham (aka Devin Supertramp). I’ll probably just ruin it if I try to describe it using mere words, so watch the awesomeness for yourself by checking out video below.

If you want to see how they shot it and pulled off all the stunts, check out the behind-the-scenes footage here:

[via Mashable]

If you’re a fan of BBC programs like Doctor Who, Top Gear, and more and enjoy the iPlayer app, check this out. The app for iOS has got a lot more useful with the ability to download your favorite BBC TV shows directly to the smartphone or your tablet. That will let you watch your favorite programs even when a Wi-Fi network isn’t available.

The app has a couple caveats though. The app only allows you to keep shows you download and don’t start to watch for 30 days. Once you begin to watch the show, you have only seven days to finish. It’s unclear if you can download the same episodes again later if you want to watch second time. The other big caveat is that iPlayer still isn’t available in the US as of yet, though a global player may someday make its way stateside.

iPlayer now has a download icon on each program that you can tap to start the download and save the episode. If you’re not on a Wi-Fi network when you hit the download button, the next time you connect to a Wi-Fi network, the download will begin. This should be the perfect way to have shows with you when you’re traveling. Android users in the UK should also be getting the download capability soon.

While most sit-down restaurants offer a way to add on a tip when you sign the credit card slip, It’s a bit of a hassle to have to fish for some loose change or bills in your wallet after paying for a cup of coffee or snacks using your credit card. But if DipJar gets traction, then you might soon be able to leave tips simply by ‘dipping’ your card into the jar.

DipJar is an electronic jar of sorts that has been programmed to charge you $1 every time you dip your card into it. So if you want to leave a $5 tip, you’re going have to swipe your card five times, so that might sound taxing. But really, how tiring is it to have to dip your card five times into the slot? I’d imagine not very much – though it might wear out the stripe on your card faster.

The DipJar is currently being tested for use in coffee shops, restaurants, cafes, and every other establishment out there that accepts tips. You can contact the crew behind it if you want to get a DipJar for your own establishment. All you have to do is tell them a bit about your store and location and sign up on their site. If they like you, they’ll send you a DipJar so you can start collecting tips electronically.

[via DipJar via Eater]

More than a decade ago, I decided to learn how to touch type. I didn’t use any tools or special programs, I just placed my hands on the keyboard and tried to find the right keys without looking at it. It took some time, but these days my hands flutter across a keyboard very quickly indeed, but I can see the reason for a keyboard like the Smartype.

Smartype includes a full-color LCD screen, that reminds me of some of electronic typewriters, that shows you what your are typing. If you’re not a touch-typist, it stops you from constantly glancing at the screen and back to the keyboard. The creators claim that the Smartype keyboard will even make touch-typists more productive. That seems somewhat counterintuitive to me, but maybe the visual cue will help.

The display on the Smartype keyboard promises also to run widgets including minimal versions of Twitter and Facebook so that you can share things without even having to open a full-fledged app on your tablet, smartphone or browser. You’ll also be able to run other handy apps like a PC status bar or e-mail and calendar notification apps. Unfortunately, though, the Smartype is only planned for Windows computers at this point, and it doesn’t have a numeric keypad either.

The Smartype will be available for pre-order soon, but no official price has been announced. For now, you can register your interest over on their website.

[via The Verge]