Google’s Androidify app lets you create your very own bot avatar (video)

While we’re probably still years or decades away from getting our very own animatronic clones, Google’s released the next best thing for the time being. Available on the Android Market is this Androidify app, which, as the name says for itself, lets us mere mortals craft our very own Android mascot lookalikes. Hell, you can even slap on some facial hair or a baby droid while you’re at it. We’ll say no more — see the app in action after the break, if you’re not already busy dishing out your new avatar across the web.

Continue reading Google’s Androidify app lets you create your very own bot avatar (video)

Google’s Androidify app lets you create your very own bot avatar (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 02:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marvel Versus Fighting Pad features micro-switch thumb pad, art direction courtesy of a 12 year old boy

PDP, known in the gaming biz for everything from PlayStation Move accessories to heart-shaped guitar-ish (and garish) controllers, has really pulled out all the stops with its latest. The Marvel Versus Fighting Pad is a wired joypad that sports micro-switches for the thumb stick and six front-facing buttons, which is what you get on most arcade consoles (and what you don’t get on cheaper controllers, so theoretically this should be rather nice). Available February 14, this bad boy will set you back $40. Right now only an Xbox 360 model is planned, but if it sells well they will also be bringing it to the PS3. And yes, that is a panel from an actual Marvel comic slathered all over the thing. PR, Video after the break.

Continue reading Marvel Versus Fighting Pad features micro-switch thumb pad, art direction courtesy of a 12 year old boy

Marvel Versus Fighting Pad features micro-switch thumb pad, art direction courtesy of a 12 year old boy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Incipio shows off Game Boy-themed iPhone case and no, you can’t have it

Do you want this Game Boy-themed iPhone 4 case? Well, how does it feel to want? Not all that hot from where we’re sitting, that’s for damn sure. Spotted at Incipio’s CES booth, the company put the case together to demo the company’s production capabilities. Sadly, for us, the thing won’t be coming to market at any time in the near future (unless someone in Shenzhen decides to take on the cause, that is). We must say, this is a big improvement over the company’s iPod nano watch bands — and an immense improvement over the guy who shoved an HTC Aria inside his old Game Boy (throwing in a fake iPhone 4 for good measure). Get another look after the break.

Continue reading Incipio shows off Game Boy-themed iPhone case and no, you can’t have it

Incipio shows off Game Boy-themed iPhone case and no, you can’t have it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said

Yes, this is definitely a post (and video!) about a hand-built, robotic head of author Philip K. Dick, who died in 1982, leaving the world a trove of literature which could be turned into films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly. Sadly, he did not leave a robotic head of himself. It may surprise you to find out that this is actually not even the first robotic head of Philip K. Dick, it’s apparently the second. This newly-built robo-PKD is meant to replace one that was famously lost in 2006, and was built by Hanson Robotics and Dutch public broadcasters VPRO. The video after the break is creepy and amazing, but it’s nothing compared to the VALIS Trilogy.

Continue reading Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said

Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virtual pipe organist is the Phantom of his own living room

If any instrument deserves to be geeked over, it is the pipe organ. Over the course of its almost 2,000 years of development, it has evolved from the rudimentary Greek water organ to the extremely complex device featured in cathedrals and concert halls all over the world. And this is all well and good, but what is an aspiring (or accomplished) organist to do when he wants to practice yet doesn’t have access to the Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris? Well, he might go ahead and build his own — at least that’s what an Engadget reader named Rob Stefanussen did. The heart of the thing is a Mac Pro running Hauptwerk’s Virtual Organ, and while the software is pretty impressive itself, what caught our attention was the baroque MIDI controller he built to play the thing. Featuring four keyboards, a pedalboard, pistons, and expression shoes, this thing plays like the real deal. And not to be undone in the sound department, he threw in six speakers and a sub-woofer, routing different sets of pipes to the different speakers to let the sound mix in the air for that authentic pipe organ sound. Wild, no? How would you like to hear it in action? Check out the video after the break to see (and hear) it for yourself.

Continue reading Virtual pipe organist is the Phantom of his own living room

Virtual pipe organist is the Phantom of his own living room originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer Switchblade preview: 3G, Intel Oak Trail, almost definitely going on sale

Whoa, Nelly! We just made a beeline to Razer’s booth here on the CES show floor, and were presented with a fairly technical talk surrounding the newly launched Switchblade. While officially deemed a concept, we came away with a serious impression that Razer’s not investing loads of time and money on this just for kicks. In other words, we’d cautiously expect to see this thing on sale at some point next year — but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We spent a good half-hour toying with this Windows 7-based mini netbook, and we came away seriously impressed by what’s happening here. Head on past the break for more of our impressions.

Continue reading Razer Switchblade preview: 3G, Intel Oak Trail, almost definitely going on sale

Razer Switchblade preview: 3G, Intel Oak Trail, almost definitely going on sale originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer Switchblade: 7-inch pocket gaming concept blows our minds six ways from Sunday

The most beautiful thing to come out of CES 2011? The show ain’t over yet, but we’re unafraid to say that Razer‘s Switchblade is the device to beat. Before you go getting your hopes up, we have to (regretfully) point out that this here gaming handheld is but a concept, but considering that Toshiba’s Libretto W105 made it to store shelves (if but for a moment), we’re hoping and praying that the Switchblade can also find its way to a production line. Little is known about the device itself, but Razer has imagined it using a pair of 7-inch multitouch displays as well as a layer of tactile, dynamic keys on the lower screen. Much like the Optimus Maximus of yesteryear, this keyboard would enable gamers to place different screens underneath depending on title, and even within a game, you could imagine the keys shifting to account for different POVs, levels, scenarios, etc. Internally, the concept is based around an Intel Atom processor, but there’s no word on what kind of GPU would work alongside of it. Sadly, Razer’s unwilling to talk pie-in-the-sky details when it comes to price and release, but if four million comments show up below begging and pleading for the company to take this commercial…

Update: Just to be clear, the keyboard on the bottom is a full-on LCD , but covered with physical keys. In contrast, the W105 had a flat touchpanel on the bottom.

Continue reading Razer Switchblade: 7-inch pocket gaming concept blows our minds six ways from Sunday

Razer Switchblade: 7-inch pocket gaming concept blows our minds six ways from Sunday originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toy smartphone jailbreak: top tech trend for 2011?

Not since we ran into Benign Girl at the Dollar General have we been so taken with a toy cellphone. Yours now for a mere 99 cents, Smart Phone (creative name!), proves what we suspected all along: in Shenzhen, even children’s playthings are jailbroken. But please be careful, as this thing is only recommended for users over the age of four. Get a closer look after the break.

[Thanks, Josh]

Continue reading Toy smartphone jailbreak: top tech trend for 2011?

Toy smartphone jailbreak: top tech trend for 2011? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone-controlled beer cannon is the robot friend of our dreams (video)

If your morning’s been running low on a little thing called awesomeness, hurry past the break and gorge yourself on the stuff in the embedded videos. For the more patient among you, we’ll set the scene. A young chap by the name of Ryan has repurposed an old mini-fridge from his college days into a beer-firing drone, which can accept instructions on beer brand, temperature, and destination, before launching it at the target with a force of 50psi. An embedded webcam assists the iPhone user in aiming the throws, while it’s also said to record every toss and tweet it out for posterity as well. If this thing could slice bread, we’d probably offer to marry it.

Continue reading iPhone-controlled beer cannon is the robot friend of our dreams (video)

iPhone-controlled beer cannon is the robot friend of our dreams (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, that’s a woman with a dog in a Baby Björn throwing prototype Nokias

So here’s how the story goes: employees at Nokia facilities in Oulu and Tampere, Finland, were fed up with negotiations being held between their representatives and the company over planned layoffs, and decided to do something about it. But really, why strike or organize a rally when you can just socialize, use a few prototype devices for target practice, and get your Cavalier King Charles spaniel some fresh air at the same time? If this keeps up long enough, these staffers might have second careers as competition-level phone tossers. Hit up the source link for the full video — but be warned, if you love Nokias, you might find the video graphic, violent, and objectionable.

[Thanks, Juuso H.]

Yes, that’s a woman with a dog in a Baby Björn throwing prototype Nokias originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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