Hasta La Gadget!

If you have kids and own a tablet, chances are you’ve passed it to the back seat on occasion, asking your five-year-old to help you navigate to the beach, or to beat an otherwise hopeless level in Angry Birds. Now, you can reward them with a tablet of their own. Available in green and pink, the $100 LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer includes a 5-inch, 480 x 272-pixel (16:9) touchscreen, 2GB of built-in storage, and a durable housing — but your 5-9 year old isn’t going to get caught up on specs. They will take notice to the built-in camera (with video capture), microphone, stylus, and accelerometer, however — all of which enable custom kid-friendly apps and educational games, including Disney Animation Studio, an interactive reader, and compatibility with over 100 downloadable apps and LeapFrog cartridges, which range in price from $5 to $25. There’s no wireless connectivity, so you’ll be tethering with Windows or Mac OS to download additional content, and to share your child’s creations with family and friends.

We’re certainly far outside LeapPad’s target demographic, but we did have a chance to go hands-on with the device earlier today, and felt that the tablet was solidly built, with a well-rounded feature set and sufficient expandability options — for a kids toy, of course. Games and apps took advantage of the Pad’s features, such as Roly Poly Picnic, which uses the accelerometer to navigate through a maze, spelling out simple, three-letter words along the way (like all apps and games, Picnic is adjustable based on your little one’s age and skill level). There’s also a video player (currently limited to 4:3 content), photo, and video capture apps. Shipping August 15th, the device doesn’t have a ton of horsepower under the hood — a 400MHz processor means apps won’t launch with the speed and grace of an iPad 2 — but for a $100 toy, the LeapPad will do just fine. PR and hands-on video are after the break.

Continue reading LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video)

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If an alien symbiote bonded with your Xbox 360 controller, it would probably look a lot like N-Control’s Xbox 360 Avenger controller attachment. It would undoubtedly make a lot of the same promises, too: lightning reflexes, more kills. More »

Those of you toting around an HTC Flyer probably just got an update that loaded OnLive Viewer on your 7-inch tablet. Don’t get too excited though, the name of the app says it all — this is a viewer not a player. So, if you’ve got a voyeuristic streak, you can watch others shoot their way through F.E.A.R. 3, but you won’t slowing down time yourself. If that sounds like a blast but you don’t have a Flyer, fear not, the folks at the XDA forums were kind enough to rip the APK and post it for all the world to enjoy. We successfully tested it on a Droid X, and reports are that it’s up and running on the EVO 4G, Desire HD, and even a hacked Nook Color. Once installed you’ll just need a WiFi connection (the app kicks you back to the homescreen on 3G) and low expectations — the video quality was less than impressive. Hit up the source link to download it for yourself, and check out the video our tipster sent us after the break.

[Thanks, Phil]

Continue reading OnLive Viewer hits HTC Flyer, ripped and posted for other Android gaming voyeurs (video)

OnLive Viewer hits HTC Flyer, ripped and posted for other Android gaming voyeurs (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 06:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still not clear on what your gaming options will be like with Windows Phone Mango? Then Microsoft’s now got you covered with a fairly extensive overview of its new Games Hub, which has actually been tweaked a bit further from earlier previews it’s offered. One of the biggest changes is that the Hub now includes features previously relegated to the separate Xbox Live Extras app, including improved Xbox Live messaging, integrated achievements (complete with comparison views with your friends), and the ability to edit your Xbox Live profile — not to mention fully animated 3D avatars. The Hub also boasts a new Collection view that promises to let you more easily manage your installed Windows Phone games, and it’s literally been brightened up a bit across the board. Check out the gallery below for a closer look, and hit the source link for some more details.

Microsoft details the new Games Hub for Windows Phone Mango originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gun accessories for your Wiimote or Move wands are old hat but, we can’t help but be at least a little intrigued by this rifle-like dock for the iPhone. The appBlaster is an accessory from apptoyz designed specifically for use with the company’s Alien Attack iOS game. Slide in your iDevice and fire up the AR shooter and you’ll be treated to a bit of Piper-vision, exposing the invisible aliens in our midst. Pull the triggers and two capacitive pads touch the screen to fire at the invaders that only you can see. The appBlaster is available for pre-order now at RED5 for £19.99 (about $32) and will official hit shelves on July 7. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading appBlaster iPhone accessory lets you kick AR alien butt, bubblegum not included

appBlaster iPhone accessory lets you kick AR alien butt, bubblegum not included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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