Hasta La Gadget!

It’s no secret that Sony’s motion controllers were in the works for quite a long time before finally being unveiled at E3 2009. Still, it’s fun to look back into the past and see how the whole project evolved. Our buddies at Joystiq have cleverly dug up some slides from a 2001 Richard Marks presentation which describes, among other things, a game called Misho the Witch — which made use of a ball-and-stick controller to train a virtual pet — much in the vein of Sony’s just unveiled EyePet. Some other ideas being tossed around were an X-Men branded game based on “superhero properties” and one based around the Teletubbies. Remember them? Yes, this presentation is that old. Oh, the olden days. There’s no evidence that any of these ideas went too far beyond the talking-phase, but we’ll have to wait and see for sure when the PS3 Motion Controller debuts next year. One more shot after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s early plans for motion controllers involved superheroes, magic, and… Teletubbies?

Filed under: Gaming

Sony’s early plans for motion controllers involved superheroes, magic, and… Teletubbies? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s got a lot of problems when it comes to overheating iPod batteries — not only is the situation potentially dangerous, every move Cupertino makes is subject to sensational misinterpretation. Take today’s Times UK story this morning about 11-year-old Ellie Stanborough, whose iPod touch blew itself up last month: when her father Ken contacted Apple for a refund, it seems he got a little bit of a runaround, but was eventually sent a settlement agreement offering a full refund if the family agreed to keep the deal confidential. That’s actually totally standard practice when companies settle out-of-warranty claims, but since the agreement was written by lawyers, it contained a bunch of vaguely threatening language about how breaking confidentiality might result in Apple relentlessly suing everyone until Liverpool itself goes bankrupt and the populace is forced to resort to cannibalism and network television. Cue hysterical media coverage.

Now, it’s no secret that lithium-ion batteries like those used in the iPod have a long history of overheating and exploding, and Apple’s certainly had large-scale problems with defective cells — the first-gen iPod nano has been recalled in Korea and Japan, for example. It’s also obvious that the sheer number of iPods sold means there are more exploding iPods than anything else — and while we’re sure some accountant at Apple has a spreadsheet showing the exact failure rate is acceptable, all we’ve got right now is story after story of these things blowing up with zero context. So here’s our suggestion to Apple: maybe instead of having lawyers draft individual settlement agreements full of impenetrable and scary legalese for each and every jilted iPod owner out there, why not simply fess up to the problem, let people know exactly how common it is and how to avoid it, and provide a dead-simple replacement option for people who’ve had their iPods go up in smoke? That would put everyone at ease, and make these types of stories much less likely to blow up in a media feeding frenzy. Or, you know, do nothing because overwhelming market share inevitably leads to arrogant laziness — your call.

[Via TUAW]

Exploding iPod blows up in Apple’s face originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re looking for a deal on a smartphone and are stuck signed up with Verizon, this may be your chance. According to Boy Genius Report, the carrier has cut most of its smartphone prices to $99 or under (with a two-year contract and after rebates, naturally).

There are some good ones in the bunch, such as the much-improved BlackBerry Storm, the Windows Mobile-based Samsung Omnia, and the powerful-if-inconsistent HTC Touch Pro. All three now cost just $99 with a two-year contract, which is several hundred dollars less than before in some cases. The only ones above $99 are the BlackBerry Tour and the Samsung Saga. (The HTC Ozone and BlackBerry Curve 8330 remain at $49 and are both great deals, incidentally.)

All this does is bring Verizon’s pricing in line with the $99 iPhone 3G on AT&T–at least while we wait for the Storm 2 and other new handsets to reach Verizon stores. But we all win as a result, so who cares why Verizon did it?

Samsung Electronics has launched a “Tap and Take” teaser Web site promoting its new camera, which will launch on August 13 in New York City, according to a spokesman for the company.

Interested users can also follow the campaign on the Facebook page or Twitter account. The campaign “is designed to engage the consumer,” according to the Samsung spokesman.

Given the numerous videos and images all displaying a people gazing into the camera and tapping the screen, we’d bet on this new camera using at least a rear- (or would that be the front?)-mounted LCD screen oriented in the same direction as the camera sensor. Of course, the “tap the screen” metaphor for taking a picture isn’t new, as both the iPhone and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G use the same method for taking pictures, among others.

I wonder if it will be called the Narcissus? I’d love to see that.

Heads up, home automation fanatics: It seems that the CEDIA folks have got the inside scoop on Crestron’s new Prodigy Home Control System — and have been kind enough to share their hard won knowledge with us. A lower-cost system aimed at the mass market, this guy features a ZigBee-compatible controller with remote, a SideShow-combatible in-wall touch panel for all of your fave widgets, and the usual control switches, dimmers, and thermostats. The system starts at around $825 for the PMC2 controller (up to 100 wireless devices), PLX2 remote, and P-MNETGW wireless gateway. Or you can just bite the bullet and go for the sample system which includes the above, four zones of audio, one thermostat, 15 wireless light dimmers/switches, and the in-wall touchscreen for about $5,500. Or, if none of the above appeal to you, you can just turn off your own lights. Be sure to check out those glamor shots in the gallery below.

Gallery: Crestron’s Prodigy Home Control System gets prices, specs

Filed under: Household

Crestron’s Prodigy Home Control System gets prices, specs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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