What's new on SlashGear.com |
- Gears of War 3 Beta Early Access Included in Bulletstorm Epic Edition
- Harddrive with a Trackpad Concept
- Hipster Glasses Video Record Like a Spy in HD
- Utterly Odd Assortment of Star Wars Props Offered Up for Auction
- Avi Greengart’s Last Minute, Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide 2010
- Palm Bluetooth Keyboard Leaks Out, Accessory to Topaz Tablet
- World of Warcraft: Cataclysm 10-Day Free Trial Released
- Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac Updated, Brings Plenty of New Features
- SlashGear Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z Giveaway WINNER ANNOUNCED
- Bionic Ballerina Features 17 Lasers and LEDs, Dances the Night Away [Video]
- Synology DiskStation DS211+ Announced
- Striker Light Mine Professional Lets You Drop Light Where You Need it
- Electric Carbon Fiber YikeBike Now on Sale for $3,595
- Blizzard Entertainment Confirms MMO Codenamed Titan
- News Corp’s “Daily” iPad App Coming January 17th, News Corp Sources Say
- PDP Tron: Legacy Inspired Controller is Licensed by Microsoft, Costs $50
- SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: December 17 2010
- Palm Pre 2 for Verizon Shown Off in eBay Auction, Subsequently Pulled
- Movie Review – Tron: Legacy
- HP/Palm’s Jon Rubinstein made Amazon director: Kindle tablet in his remit?
- Panasonic VIERA TH-L42G3 HDTV records Full HD video to SDXC
- Amazon MP3 swallowing heavy loss-leaders in fight for iTunes market share
- EA iPhone, iPad and iPod touch games slashed to 99 cents
- Sharp to provide 2012 Apple displays with new $1.2bn LCD facility?
- PC versus Windows Phone 7 gaming launches
- $99 Wii and 3rd-party gaming is Nintendo’s salvation suggests EA boss
- Hitachi outs new 7mm thick 500GB single disk HDD
- Dish Network adds new 3D movies
- Sceptre X420BV-FHD 42-inch HDTV unveiled
- Razer unveils new Scarab hard gaming mouse pad
| Gears of War 3 Beta Early Access Included in Bulletstorm Epic Edition Posted: 17 Dec 2010 03:01 PM PST So you’re thinking about firing some bullets and you want to fire a LOT of them at a LOT of people as fast as possible in a game where you massacre basically all day long, right? Video games these days are like that, lots of them are, so you’ve got to choose the right one. How does buying one iffy game sound if you also get a massively popular game’s early access to Beta gameplay with it? That’s what’s happening right now – if you purchase the new “Epic Edition” of the game Bulletstorm, (for Xbox 360,) you’ll be granted early access to Gears of War 3 beta.
This game comes out on February 22 of 2011 (that’s forever away!) while the Beta of Gears of War 3 is scheduled for “sometime” next year. The Bulletstorm Epic Edition game will cost $60 (same as the regular edition did) and will be on Xbox 360 only, and it’s limited edition (whatever that means nowadays.) In addition to the nothing-else-matters bonus of GoW3 Beta access, Bulletstorm EE has 25,000 bonus experience points, new boots and armor, “visual upgrades” for your leach, and of course, one new freaking awesome sounding gun: the “Peace Maker Carbine.” Check out the full press release here:
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| Harddrive with a Trackpad Concept Posted: 17 Dec 2010 02:28 PM PST So we’ve got a concept here, and it’s branded LaCie, but that’s almost certainly just added in post-production by the designer André Silva. This is what he calls LaCie Float, a harddrive whose bulk not only appears to float above the ground because of its slightly smaller glass base, but has a strange feature on top of that, too. The entire top panel of this HDD (there’s an SSD version too) is a trackpad. You know what that means?
It means that this machine (though not all the details are worked out, obviously), take some of what otherwise seem to be crucial components out of the picture: all you need now is a monitor or screen of some sort and a way to attach it to the hard drive. From there, the harddrive could (with some modifications turning it into what’d be closer to what’s considered a computer) become a whole new all-in-one sort of machine. Remember that this is a conceptual design and isn’t meant to be a complete idea yet. This is where great things are born, especially when the idea precedes the technology or the means of creating the project. Love it. [Via Yanko Design]
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| Hipster Glasses Video Record Like a Spy in HD Posted: 17 Dec 2010 02:09 PM PST Perhaps you’re so into your everyday life that you’d like to record it all? Now you can, you ol’ fashion conscious geek hipster nerd. These particular glasses have a fat gray rim all around, probably you could get a prescription lens in there if you’d like, and right in the middle is a HD 1280 x 960 resolution camera that records at 30 frames per second. Not too shabby! All video then goes straight to a MicroSD card slot where you’ll be putting in anything up to 8GB.
You can also take still images at the same resolution and the batteries in these love goggles provide what they say is two to three hours on a single charge (which is done via USB.) But wait – there’s more. One thing that’s really amazingly backward about these sweet rims is a blinking LED light indicator. What in the world? Might as well just use a camera so large you can’t carry it if you’re going to be blinking green from your face. Cripes! Still I want a pair. They’re not branded though really, so I’m a teensy bit skeptical about their overall quality. [Via Gizmodiva]
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| Utterly Odd Assortment of Star Wars Props Offered Up for Auction Posted: 17 Dec 2010 01:20 PM PST Now, Star Wars items are bought and sold every day. When you’ve got a movie series whose whole existence is basically one giant advertisement for action figures, there’s going to be lots of buying and selling going on. What’s up on the block today? Some real rarities. Some real oddities, too, including a fantastically weird stash of items from Industrial Light and Magic’s Phil Tippet (master puppeteer, all around cool dude.) The items up for auction are put up by Profiles in History, posted in this year’s Hollywood Auction 43.
Included in this auction are some massively excellent items, most of the Star Wars items being listed right here: 1191 Tauntaun armature heads and sculpts from Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back *Pictured in gallery below. To check out all auction items, head on over to icollector.com and bid live! Otherwise see the posting on Profiles in History or download the entire catalog [here] – Happy bidding!       [Via StarWarsBlog]
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| Avi Greengart’s Last Minute, Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide 2010 Posted: 17 Dec 2010 01:00 PM PST First, a confession. This guide is always “last minute,” mostly because I get so busy covering all the new devices launched just in time for the holiday shopping season that I end up starting the holiday gift guide late. Last year it was so late that I gave up and turned it into a Best Products of the Year piece instead. This year I've missed Chanukah but I'm still getting in ahead of Christmas, so that's good. However, I do usually try to make this a “non-obvious” gift guide. SlashGear already has you covered if what you want advice on the best cellphone, camera, Bluetooth headset, or the like. My favorite products this year include several on that list, including Apple's iPad, Jawbone's ICON, Mophie's Juice Pack Air and the 11″ MacBook Air. I'd add Amazon's Kindle and Microsoft's Kinect (assuming you can find one at retail). But what if you're looking for…
Stocking Stuffers For recipients who are accident prone or have mild OCD, the first cleaning solution I have ever recommended is CyberClean. It's green goop that you press into your gadgets – it is particularly well suited for computer keyboards – and it pulls out all the crumbs, dust bunnies, and [you really don't want to know]. It doesn't work miracles, but it does work. It comes in packets or tiny little buckets ($5 – $10 at Best Buy, Amazon, and other retailers). I thought that I would have a whole section on wire management as several vendors sent me products in this category, but they all lost to Velcro Reusable Self-Gripping Cable Ties ($8.85 on Amazon) which I bought on my own after stumbling upon them while searching for something else. They come in a package of 100, they stay where you put them, they can be reused, they can be used on nearly any size cable, and they cost less than $.09 each. Buy some now.
If you want to give your child an iPad during car trips, Griffin has a solution for that, too. The Cinema Seat ($40) attaches to the back of a car headrest. It attaches with an attached Velcro strap, so it can be removed and used as a regular iPad case if your seven year old chooses not to watch Cars for the millionth time and wants to play Plants vs. Zombies while holding the iPad on his lap instead. Home Entertainment Roku pioneered the Netflix streaming digital video player, but there was an explosion of Internet TV boxes this year, and all of them offer Netflix streaming as a highlight feature. Some mighty big names joined the fray, including Apple and Google, and Apple's $100 Apple TV has the prettiest menus and the best movie/TV rental options. Still, if you mainly want to stream Netflix, the simplest solution – and best value – is still Roku. Even the least expensive box, the Roku HD ($60), can stream movies in high definition (720p; stepping up to the $80 XD or $100 XD|S gets you 1080p support and faster wireless networking) and both setup and operation is exceptionally easy. A Harmony remote seems to end up on my list every year, and for good reason: the most sophisticated home theater system is useless if you (or your spouse/parent/babysitter) can't figure out how to use it. Logitech has a massive online database of entertainment products, and the Harmony remotes guide you through programming it through a relatively straightforward online survey. This part of the process is much easier than looking up codes and setting up macros, but it is still not quite idiot-proof. Thankfully, using the remote itself is wonderful: it presents the user with a list of activities ("Watch TV," "Play Xbox," etc.) and the buttons are all ergonomically designed. There are bunch of different remotes in Logitech's Harmony line, and none are new this year. Still, the Logitech Harmony One ($179) is my favorite.
While your giftees are comfortably watching streaming video or listening to music throughout the house they may get hungry. If you really want to complete the picture, send them some Dale and Thomas gourmet popcorn (http://www.daleandthomaspopcorn.com). There are some unique popcorn flavors to choose from, but the kettle corn is addictive and anything with chocolate on it is generally a winner. It also makes an excellent (if late, at this point) Chunukah gift, as all Dale and Thomas popcorn is certified kosher. Sadly, this is another item where I did not receive review units from the manufacturer, and had to test on my own. They Didn't Know They Needed This In-ear headphones are a great upgrade over the cheap earbuds that shipped with your MP3 player or smartphone, and there are many good options from specialty headphone companies like Shure, etymotic, and Ultimate Ears. Even Monster (the overpriced A/V cable company) makes some terrific in-ear headphones. However, if for the ultimate in noise blocking and comfort, you really need custom fit ear molds. Wait, your gift recipient isn't a rock star? No matter – etymotic's CUSTOM•FIT program has made customized headphones affordable. For $100, etymotic will connect you with a local audiologist who will make ear impressions (it takes about 10 minutes, it's completely painless and is actually rather relaxing) who will ship the custom inserts 4 – 8 weeks later (YMMV; mine arrived in two weeks). All of etymotic's headphones can be fitted this way, including models with built in microphones for use with smartphones. My favorites from the line are the budget ER-6i (currently $71 on Amazon) and higher end ER-4P ($299).
For the Apple aficionado who has an iPad and an iPhone or iPod touch, Griffin offers the PowerDock Dual ($60), which charges both items and provides a spot to leave your keys. I can't really explain why I like this one more than the dozen or so other iPad and iPhone stands and chargers I've tested, but I do. (I'm still searching for the perfect iPad case, by the way. I thought I found it, but the sample I received failed the durability test. Next!) Do you have an old school geek on your list or a writer who uses a Mac? Nothing beats the feel of the original IBM PC keyboards, which uniquely featured buckling spring technology that mimics the feel of IBM's Selectric typewriters. Some people type faster on these keyboards, others just like the feel. Or the sound – it's gloriously noisy. IBM stopped making these eons ago, but there's still a company in Kentucky, Unicomp, who will sell you modern versions of these classics, updated with a USB connection (the Unicomp Customizer 104, available online, $69). For Macs, add $10 to get proper Option and Command keys, and the text entry will be transformed: clicky keys, a full numeric keypad, and an honest to goodness "delete" key. With so many people using their computers to watch videos and listen to music, upgraded speakers are a great gift that's still a bit unexpected. For the best bang for the buck, Logitech's Z623 ($125) 2.1 speakers are hard to beat. They are not the last word in audio quality, but they offer plenty of bass and reasonably well controlled midrange and highs, and they're THX certified, which means your recipient will think you spent more than you did. Those pickier about their sound should turn to AudioEngine. The company's speakers are essentially tiny studio monitors for your computer (the company treats them like pricey studio monitors, too – each speaker is packed in its own soft slip case). At this point, I've tested most of the company's line, but my favorite remains AudioEngine A2's ($199). The A2 is a tiny little pair of powered speakers which produce clean, exceptionally detailed and uncolored sound regardless of volume. Despite their size, upper bass is plentiful. Deep bass requires a subwoofer, but I've thoroughly enjoyed them without one (AudioEngine sells a subwoofer for $349; that's the one speaker I have not tested yet). AudioEngine has larger desktop speakers, too, but I didn't find that the added size improved the bass enough to justify giving up the desk space, and I really, really like the sound of the A2's.
However, if you really want to give an over-the-top gift, you can combine a pair of AudioEngine P4 unpowered speakers with the N22 desktop amplifier. The P4's are a bit larger than the A2's but will look just right next to today's larger displays. Does separating the amplification from the speaker cabinet appreciably improve the sound? Not to my ears, but this arrangement allows your giftee the option of upgrading the amplifier or speakers in the future – not that they'll need to. An all-in-one printer can scan full page documents well, but what do you do if you want to scan in receipts or business cards or some other oddly shaped paper of variable thickness? Fujitsu's ScanSnap S300 should have been the answer, as it was compact and extremely flexible: load it up with ten documents of any size, press a button, and you have an editable PDF (or email, or JPG, etc., single-sided or duplex). However, the S300 device drivers were notoriously fickle so I never could recommend it, and when I upgraded my XP notebook it didn't take well to Vista or Windows 7 and I couldn't get it running on 64-bit Windows 7 at all. Earlier this year, Fujitsu replaced the S300 with the ScanSnap S1300 ($259) and upgraded the software so that it works with PCs and Macs alike. The included software for managing scanned files and handling business cards differs based on platform, but everything I've tried has worked on both a Windows 7 64 bit Thinkpad and an iMac running Snow Leopard. Fujitsu also threw in the ability to create searchable keywords by highlighting the word on the document with a highlighter pen before scanning, which I thought would make an awesome party trick, though my wife informs me otherwise. A scanner is not the most exciting gift you can give someone, but there's a good chance that this gift will still be in use this time next year. Avi Greengart is a consumer devices analyst for Current Analysis covering phones, personal connected devices, and connected devices in the digital home. Unless otherwise noted, Avi did not pay for any of the products listed above. No company paid for inclusion on this list, and Current Analysis clients did not get preferential treatment.
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| Palm Bluetooth Keyboard Leaks Out, Accessory to Topaz Tablet Posted: 17 Dec 2010 12:39 PM PST While those interested in seeing a webOS-based tablet are going to have to wait a bit longer, at least you get to look at what some believe is one of the accessories for the upcoming, but still unofficial device. Engadget was just sent a picture of what looks to be, and is detailed as, a Bluetooth equipped keyboard. It was sent in from a trusted source, and its detailed as having not only keys for webOS-specific functions, but also a Windows key.
That last bit probably means that Palm will sell the Bluetooth keyboard as an all-around accessory, but one that makes the most sense as an add-on to their tablet device. As for that rumored tablet, it’s now being rumored to be codenamed “Topaz.” As for the keyboard itself, it won’t have any backlighting for the keys, but they are chiclet in design. There’s a battery door, and an On/Off switch, which isn’t surprising. There also won’t be a number pad. The tablet, or Topaz for now, is rumored to not have any hardware keys on the front of the device. It’s also supposed to share similar design cues as the keyboard itself. There’s no release date for the keyboard, or the tablet, but we’ve hard in the past that it’s due in the first half of 2011 some time, and the source confirme this. And finally, there’s a teen-phone coming, apparently. It’s codenamed “Castle” at the moment, and it’s rumored to be a successor to the original Palm Pixi. It’s said to look like a Pre, but without the keyboard. With 2011 right around the corner, it’s likely that Palm/HP are getting ready to release a good amount of new devices. Let’s hope that the Topaz makes an early appearance. [via Engadget]
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| World of Warcraft: Cataclysm 10-Day Free Trial Released Posted: 17 Dec 2010 12:27 PM PST So you’re on the fence on deciding weather you’d like to upgrade your World of Warcraft to the Cataclysm with the giant dragon and the fire and the crazy wild awesomeness? Perhaps you’d like to give it a whirl for about 10 days while you think about if you’d like to have it forever? Now you can do just that. Today Battle.net and Blizzard give you a completely free 10 day trial period (similar to some other older games they’ve still got lying around) during which you can play the game in its fullness. After that, probably you’ll be so WoWed that you’ll need to Cataclysm your WoW to stay WoWed enough to WoW forever.
Now, this is an awesome tactic. This sort of deal was offered on the original base setup of World of Warcraft and there’s definitely demo versions of basically every Blizzard game out there, including the greatest series of all time Diablo (don’t deny it mang.) This new expansion for WoW isn’t hurting for sales, breaking records by selling 3.3 million copies in 24 hours, but I’m sure a little demonstration action wont hurt to give that another boost. Check the full trial out over [here] and don’t be shy, tell everyone how you like it (or, if it’s the worst thing since the amount of time you’ve had to wait for Diablo III, say that too.) [Via Blizzard Entertainment]
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| Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac Updated, Brings Plenty of New Features Posted: 17 Dec 2010 12:23 PM PST Knowing that some Mac owners out there might want to have their very own Windows Phone 7 device, Microsoft had to come up with some kind of idea to make it possible for their smartphone to be able to connect to their Apple-branded computer. Considering that Zune Software doesn’t work on an Apple machine, Microsoft released the Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac, and now it has its first major update. Microsoft officially began pushing it out earlier today.
Users of the application will be told that an update is available when they open it up today. The update comes in at only 7.6MB, but Microsoft is labeling it as a “critical” one nonetheless. Some of the updates that users will find, are the ability to now sync purchased items from the phone, to the computer, as well as a new experience for setting up a new device. Users will now be able to use the Browse Device feature to manually select, import, and delete media. The program will also now be able to have better support for photos, and should have better performance overall. The update is available right now, and is available through the Microsoft AutoUpdate application. As we said above, users should be notified of an update waiting for them as soon as they open up the application. [via Pocket-Lint]
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| SlashGear Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z Giveaway WINNER ANNOUNCED Posted: 17 Dec 2010 12:13 PM PST If you’ll remember back a while we reviewed Lenovo's ThinkCentre M90z, then we had a giveaway, one where entrants were asked to suggest excellent non-profit groups that might benefit from a pack of 5 ThinkCentre M90zs (three sets of which will end up going to non-profits at a later date.) From the entries we received, we’ve chosen (at random) one big winner to receive an M90z of their own! Take a peek below to see if it’s you!
Entries were accepted until midnight PST on December 13th, 2010, and now we’ve got our winner. Are you excited? AMY BREWER! COME ON DOWN!
Amy Brewer ended up suggesting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. If you take a look back at the original contest post you’ll see that this hospital was suggested more than a couple times, that perhaps maybe giving it a better chance at getting one of the packages of 5 ThinkCentres. All of the other non-profit organizations are going to Lenovo where they’ll be thought over and decided on, the top groups to be chosen at the beginning of 2011. If you’ve not won here (aka everyone but Amy,) feel free to take a look at this list of other sites where you’ll be able to enter again! Win win win! Then take a look again at the full rules below that. Seeya next contest [oh wait, we've got another one going on right now, win a Google Chrome OS Cr-90 laptop on Android Community or on SlashGear]
Rules: Competition is open to residents of the US and Canada over the age of 18. Family members of Lenovo and SlashGear are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified SlashGear post; entries left in the comments section of any other post will not be recognized. Entries should be submitted before midnight pacific time on December 13th 2010; one entry per person (and yes, we check). The winners will be announced on SlashGear and contacted via email; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Lenovo and SlashGear. Prize consists of one Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z PC. There is no cash alternative. Should this prize become unavailable, SlashGear and Lenovo reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. If you have already won one of the Lenovo M90z giveaways on another site, you are not eligible to win again on SlashGear. The winner of SlashGear’s giveaway will not be eligible to win a giveaway on another site with a contest closing after ours.
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| Bionic Ballerina Features 17 Lasers and LEDs, Dances the Night Away [Video] Posted: 17 Dec 2010 12:06 PM PST While LEDs can be used in as something as small as as round, magnet-rich flashlight that looks like a deep-water mine, they are better equipped to make normal things, like dancing, look ridiculously awesome in the right situations. The Bionic Ballerina is a classically trained ballerina from Russia named Milena, who has been training to dance since she was only five years old.
Her undeniable skills in dancing have landed her a spot with Zhantra Entertainment. In such, she’s become a world famous “bionic ballerina.” So famous in fact, that she’s even got herself a Facebook page, with a growing number of fans. 164 (at the time of this writing) may not seem like many, but we imagine that as the video below gets passed around on the Internet, that number will certainly change. The Bionic Ballerina features 17 lasers that have been hooked up to Milena’s body. These lasers work in tangent with the numerous LEDs hooked onto her dress. The result is a dance that’s full of lights and spectacle, and you can watch it below. [via DVICE]
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| Synology DiskStation DS211+ Announced Posted: 17 Dec 2010 11:48 AM PST For some people, making sure that their files are backed up is of the highest priority. And sometimes focusing on the cloud is just not the best bet. That’s where equipment from Synology comes in handy, especially for offices and those who just need a physical place to keep everything important to them. With the new DiskStation DS211+, it makes it easier than ever for businesses, and anyone else to share files, protect data, and have a centralized location for backing up important files.
The latest equipment deserves the latest software, and Synology has included it with the DiskStation DS211+. They’ve thrown in DiskStation Manager (DSM) 3.0 with the latest hardware, providing those who use the new DiskStation DS211+ with an intuitive interface, making it easier than ever to manage the server. The new DiskStation is also priced at around $400, and features the ability for drives to be hot-swapped, so that there’s a minimal amount of downtime in the chance that there’s a failure in a certain drive. It’s a 2-bay NAS server, and supports drives that come in 3TB, providing up to 6TB of space in total. That should be plenty of space for a small business, and especially the average user that wants something of this caliber. There’s also an integrated SD card reader for good measure. Check out the full press release below for more information about the new DiskStation DS211+. Press Release
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| Striker Light Mine Professional Lets You Drop Light Where You Need it Posted: 17 Dec 2010 11:18 AM PST There are many different ways out there for someone to put light where they need it. Usually, and in this case, it involves magnets, which let you stick your light source to a metallic source for easy positioning. But sometimes you just need your light to rest on the floor, and using a flashlight doesn’t always work out. Having something small enough to fit in the necessary nooks and crannies, but still be bright enough to actually help, is essential. That’s where the Striker Light Mine Professional comes in.
As you can see from the image above, it’s pretty obvious where the name of the device comes from. The look of an underwater mine is inescapable, but it also makes it one of the coolest looking gadgets we’ve seen in awhile. It also makes it easy for you to roll the device into an area that you need lit-up. However, if you do need this little ball of light to hang from something, the 11 Neodymium magnets inside will help you with that, making sure that it will stick to the magnetic surfaces around your home. There are eight white LEDs on one side of the device, and four red LEDs on the other. The red lights are meant for a “night vision” scenario, where perhaps using the white light may be too bright. What’s better, though, is that the Striker Light Mine Professional is available right now, and it will only cost you $20. [via UberGizmo]
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| Electric Carbon Fiber YikeBike Now on Sale for $3,595 Posted: 17 Dec 2010 10:19 AM PST It’s been a long time coming, but the YikeBike is now officially on sale. With its unique design, and its tag as an alternative electric commuting device, the price tag may seem to make more sense. Initially unveiled a year ago, the YikeBike has finally made it to the “purchase” stage, and just in time for Christmas.
The YikeBike is made out of carbon fiber, and features one of the most unique designs for any kind of piece of equipment for transportation that we’ve ever seen. If you do buy one, you’ll have to live pretty close to your work, or wherever you plan on taking this thing the majority of time, as the bike is only able to go about 6.2 miles on a single charge. It may not be a long distance, but hopefully it’s enough to get you where your’e going. At least to somewhere where you can charge it up again. It’s top speed is recorded at 14mph. It can also be folded, so that if you do need to jump onto a train or bus, you can. As for the price, it’s listed at $3,595. That’s better than the estimated $5,000+ that the designers originally had the YikeBike going for a year ago, but it’s still a bit of a shock when you see it. Though, it may not be that wild of a guess to say that if you do pull the trigger on buying one of these for yourself, or someone you know for the holidays, that they’ll probably be one of the few riding around in their city. [via Wired Gadget Lab]
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| Blizzard Entertainment Confirms MMO Codenamed Titan Posted: 17 Dec 2010 10:03 AM PST That didn’t take long. It was just a few days ago that the five-year plan for Blizzard Entertainment leaked out of China. If you’ll recall, there was the possible plan for a new MMO title, called Titan, on that sheet. And now it looks like Blizzard Entertainment wants to go ahead and confirm that that game does, indeed, exist. The company is labeling it as their “next-gen MMO,” and details about the title are pretty much non-existent at this point.
Frank Pearce is a producer for World of Warcraft, and he happened to have a recent interview with Destructoid. In that interview, he had a quick comment to make about Titan. “The media is not supposed to know anything about [Titan]. It’s our next-gen MMO, and we’ve only started talking about it in a limited fashion because we wanna leverage the fact that we’re working on something like that for the purpose of recruiting, getting some of the best talent in the industry on that project.” Pearce wouldn’t verify the validity of that previously leaked document from China, which also outlined future titles for StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3. But, with Titan now being confirmed, it’s certainly possible that leaked sheet is an indicator for what’s to come for Blizzard Entertainment. Who’s excited? [via Destructoid]
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| News Corp’s “Daily” iPad App Coming January 17th, News Corp Sources Say Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:32 AM PST
Rumors regarding the “other” major iPad publication have been going off and on recently. With release dates being shuffled around at a constant rate, and details leaking about the application, and its presence on the iPad, every so often, by now we’re just waiting for an official announcement from News Corp, or Apple. Or both. But, that hasn’t happened yet, and so we’re left with more “sources,” and their information. This time around, it’s News Corp actually reporting about the News Corp “the Daily” application, basing their information from unnamed sources.
According to these sources, the Daily application is set to get announced, and launched, on January 17th. There are rumors suggesting that Steve Jobs might be involved with a launch event, but that hasn’t been confirmed quite yet. However, considering that we’ve heard in the past that Jobs will have something to do with the app, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see him stepping on stage at some point during the announcement. (If there is even an announcement, and not just a release.) “Given that News Corp. has hired dozens of blabby journalists for the Daily, and interviewed many more, lots of other details about the app/service have leaked out already: It will come out daily, it will sell for 99 cents a week, it will use lots of video and it will have cool multimedia bells and whistles, including some kind of 3-D effect that lots of people are very excited about. And Apple CEO Steve Jobs may or may not participate in a launch event.” The sources say. At this point, unless some unseen force causes the Daily to drop off the face of the planet, we know that the daily periodical is coming. We know that it’s going to cost $.99 per week, and we know that it’s going to be media intensive. Will it be able to compete with Richard Branson’s Project? Only time will tell. And a release, of course. [via 9to5 Mac]
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| PDP Tron: Legacy Inspired Controller is Licensed by Microsoft, Costs $50 Posted: 17 Dec 2010 09:03 AM PST The TRON: Legacy-themed accessories aren’t going to stop showing up just because the movie is now available to watch in theaters. But, when they look as good as this new design from PDP, we can’t really say that we’re disappointed in that fact. Of course, this isn’t the first controller with the TRON theme we’ve seen heading to the Xbox 360, but it is the first one we’ve seen that’s actually licensed by Microsoft. It’s up to you to decide whether or not that has anything to do with the fact that this controller looks so nice.
The description of the controller paints it as being inspired by Clu, the main antagonist of the TRON: Legacy film. The orange hue to the lights certainly does inspire that feeling, doesn’t it? As you can imagine, those orange lines do light up when they get into a dark room, so those late night gaming sessions can be highlighted by some orange incandescence emanating right from your controller. Unfortunately, there aren’t hundreds of thousands of these controllers floating around. According to PDP, there were only 250 of these fantastic controllers made, which means they get that Limited Edition sticker that’s so coveted for gadgets. The price for the controller is $50, but they are not available for pre-order right now. We’d recommend heading through that source link below, and making sure you bookmark that page and checking it frequently, so you don’t miss out on a chance to get one of these for yourself. [via PDP]
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| SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: December 17 2010 Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:35 AM PST Take a trip on the root train with Nexus S, emulate your way back into the greatest system ever SEGA Dreamcast – on Android, see Google aspire for a musical future, and translate foreign text in real time with Word Lens for iPhoto! Then just incase you missed it last night, take a peek at this first look at the L1v2 Laser Pico Handheld Projector with none other than your humble narrator, and get your first taste of TRON: LEGACY with a full review by Philip! All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up!
R3 Media Network Editor’s Choice Android Community SlashGear To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]
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| Palm Pre 2 for Verizon Shown Off in eBay Auction, Subsequently Pulled Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:33 AM PST While the Palm Pre 2 may be making the rounds over in some European countries right now, as well as in GSM form, and unlocked here in the States, there are several fans of the new device, and primarily webOS 2.0, that are (trying to) wait patiently for the device to land on Verizon. While the device has yet to receive an official release date, or even be shown off yet with Verizon branding, there’s no doubt that there’s at least a few devices running around on the Verizon network. And sure enough, someone with one of those devices put it up on eBay, where you could have been the lucky buyer. Until the auction got pulled.
Interestingly enough, the person behind the auction listed the device, which is obviously the updated hardware of the Pre 2, as the Palm Pre Plus (Verizon). While that device is already available on Verizon, it’s probably a good indication as to why the device had such a low bid at the time of its removal from eBay. At just $46 after two bids, and two days remaining on the auction. Of course, it could be that it was also listed as having a bad ESN, too. However, the auction holder was throwing in a free car charger. The Pre 2 was being auctioned off for parts, but actually finding a device to make use of those parts would probably have been pretty tough for anyone out here in the real world. The whole story gets more interesting after the seller actually realized that he had a Pre 2 on his hands, and not just another Palm Pre Plus. When the realization hit him, he pulled the auction of his own accord, and now there’s no way to get that Pre 2 for yourself. So now we’re back to the waiting game, wondering when the Verizon-branded Pre 2 will actually hit retail shelves. [via PreCentral.net]
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| Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:30 AM PST Driving home from the midnight screening of Tron: Legacy, I realized that I should have been disappointed by the movie. It’s very difficult to leave Tron and drive home on a deserted highway at 2:30 AM, with the streetlights stretching out before you and the waxing moon rising in the west, and not push the accelerator far in excess of the speed limit. I kept checking behind me to see if I was leaving a trail. Also, looking out for cops. No on both counts.
It says something that it wasn’t until this drive home that I realized the movie might have been disappointing in retrospect. It says even more that at 8:30 PM on a Thursday night, I downed two shots of espresso and headed out to see a midnight showing. I don’t know if I’ve ever bothered to see a movie at midnight the night before it opened. Certainly, I didn’t bother for the new Star Wars fiasco, or the subsequent Indiana Jones debacle. I’m definitely too old for this. Thus is the power of Tron. Let’s get one thing out of the way. If you are a fan of the original movie, and by that I don’t mean a fan of the impression the original left in your head two decades ago, or a fan of the video games that cemented Tron in the technogeek zeitgeist, or even a fan of Tron Guy, I mean a fan who remembers the original movie well, then you will love the new Tron: Legacy. I was happy throughout the movie that I watched the original 1982 film less than a week before I saw the new edition. You would be wise to do the same. Not that there is any necessity in remembering the original plot. The new movie is a completely new story, set in a new digital world. There are a few shared characters, but they have changed dramatically since the last time we saw them, almost 30 years ago. There are references sprinkled throughout. Even more so, there is the overall tone and style of the original, pervasive through the new movie, but updated and polished to a dazzling sheen. Without the original close in your rearview mirror, you might not understand the significance of the young Dillinger who sits on the board of Encom, the company at the heart of the digital world. You might not remember the original Clu, Jeff Bridges’ doppelganger character. You certainly won’t understand why the sage-looking Flynn acts more like The Dude from The Big Lebowski than the Obi Wan Kenobi he more closely resembles (though not by much). But with the older film fresh in my mind, these bits and pieces added some nuance to the new film, and helped to sculpt the characters a little better. The original, after all, was goofy. It was fun. It didn’t take itself as seriously as Star Wars or, heaven forbid, The Matrix. I was correct in my review of the original movie that the new film would borrow heavily from the style and character of the Matrix films, especially the second in the Matrix trilogy. What alternate reality science fiction movie doesn’t borrow from The Matrix these days? But Tron: Legacy isn’t as derivative as its predecessor. It’s inventive and unique, both in style and substance. It doesn’t pave new ground the way its predecessor did, but it refines the original style in a way that’s fresh and exciting. I’m not going to bother rehashing the plot of Tron: Legacy here. If you’ve seen the commercials, you know the plot. There is more to the story than what you see in a 60-second TV spot, of course, but there are no significant surprises, and that’s fine. The metaphysics of the original are expanded in some interesting ways, but the director seems to be much more interested in creating a stylized universe than guiding that universe on its path and answering questions about where it might be going. The new movie did forget some of the original, as well, but only in spirit. Tron: Legacy takes some casual swipes at Microsoft and the profiteering of software companies, seeming to take the side of the open source movement. But that’s not really what the original was about. Certainly, the first Tron was interested in opening up the channels of communication to share information freely, but Kevin Flynn in the original Tron was not interested in giving his software away, as the new film suggests. Quite the contrary. The plot of the original Tron revolves around Flynn’s quest to prove his best creation was stolen from him, and at the end of the original he takes it back and becomes so wealthy that he wrests control of Encom from its board and executives. That’s not why I was disappointed, though. I was disappointed because there could have been so much more. There could have been more creations. There could have been more characters, more development all around. The movie follows the same basic structure as the first film. The lead character is sucked into the digital world. He fights. He runs. He returns. By the time he escapes back into the real world, the movie is over. Say what you like about the meandering paths taken by the Matrix trilogy, at least it had something to say about the nature of reality versus experience. It was a true surrealist movie, bending the division between the real world and the dream world and begging the question of which is more important, and does that importance matter. Tron: Legacy never takes on the sort of deep philosophical questions that it could so easily ask. Neither did the first Tron movie, mind you, but I’d like to think we’re at a point where we take our science fiction movies seriously enough that they can make us think, instead of just making us drool. However, for the entire span of the film, it never occurred to me to be disappointed. The movie is gorgeous. The action is stunning and fresh. The music is pounding and dynamic, a score from Daft Punk with a cameo by the robotic duo barely concealed in the film. The costumes are brilliant, the pure, glowing essence of the vision created in the original Tron. They aren’t as detailed or friendly, but the original movie had little control over its own lighting and special effects. The new movie takes place in a dark world, a world of despair, but when you’re sitting in a dark theater, it’s a glorious show.
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| HP/Palm’s Jon Rubinstein made Amazon director: Kindle tablet in his remit? Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:21 AM PST
Speculation regarding an Amazon tablet has been circulating for some time, though the company has resolutely stuck to the party line that it is focused on its Kindle range of dedicated ebook readers. Nonetheless, the Kindles have become more functional as the line has matured; Amazon now offers third-party applications, and the most recent Kindle has a WebKit based browser like the latest smartphones.
Amazon already has a tablet-centric UI for its store – albeit currently only for the iPad – and ambitions for mobile music downloads that, according to recent figures, fall well short of Apple’s strong iTunes lead. A piece of dedicated – and more functional – hardware that could gather up all of those threads might well present strong competition to Apple’s head-start, and that’s before you factor in the inevitable rumors of an Amazon-branded device based on HP acquisition webOS. [Thanks Peter!]
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| Panasonic VIERA TH-L42G3 HDTV records Full HD video to SDXC Posted: 17 Dec 2010 08:07 AM PST Panasonic Japan has outed a new HDTV, and if you’ve ever wished for an easy way to archive live TV without messing with a DVR then this could be the VIERA you’ve been waiting for. The Panasonic VIERA TH-L42G3 is a 42-inch set with an IPS LED-backlit Full HD display, but the clever stuff is in the SD card reader in the side. Rather than just allowing you to play back media, as with memory card slots on other HDTVs, this one lets you record it.
That slot will take SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards – up to 64GB in size – which is good enough for up to five hours of Full HD, 24Mbps video. Alternatively, there’s a USB port to which you can directly hook up an external drive, for even longer storage. The only problem is that the media files the VIERA creates won’t apparently play on other TVs, computers or mobile devices, which seriously undermines the TH-L42G3′s usefulness as a way to get video onto your smartphone. Other features include an ethernet port for smart TV functionality, two HDMI ports, VIERA Link, video-on-demand connectivity and DLNA. It’ll drop in Japan come January 18 2011, priced at the equivalent of $1,800.
[via CrunchGear]
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| Amazon MP3 swallowing heavy loss-leaders in fight for iTunes market share Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:47 AM PST
Meanwhile, record labels – though anecdotally frustrated by Apple’s control over the market – suggest that Amazon is doing even worse than NPD calculate. Those the WSJ spoke to say Amazon may have only 6- to 10-percent of the market, versus Apple’s 90-percent. Amazon is refusing to release details on how much return business it sees, but the strong tie-in between iTunes and Apple’s iPod, iPhone and iPad ranges look to be keeping the company ahead of the game.
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| EA iPhone, iPad and iPod touch games slashed to 99 cents Posted: 17 Dec 2010 07:31 AM PST If you’ve a taste for gaming and an iOS device to do it on, Electronic Arts has a sale you might be interested in. The game publisher has discounted all of its titles for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad to a mere $0.99 [iTunes link] in the US (or £0.59 in the UK), for its “EA Games for the Holidays” promotion, including popular games such as The Sims 3 and FIFA 11.
The list also includes Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit and Scrabble, making a catalog of around sixty titles that are heavily discounted ahead of the holidays. EA say the discounts are available for a limited period, so if you’ve picked up an iPad, iPod touch or iPhone 4 for someone this Christmas then it might be an idea to sneakily buy them a few games in advance.
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| Sharp to provide 2012 Apple displays with new $1.2bn LCD facility? Posted: 17 Dec 2010 06:53 AM PST Sharp is the latest company to be fingered as getting help from Apple’s purse to open up a new display plant, following reports earlier in the week that Toshiba was opening a similar small/medium panel fab with Apple the primary customer. According to Japanese paper the Nikkei business daily, Sharp is spending around 100 billion yen ($1.2bn) on the project, a figure which Apple is apparently significantly contributing toward.
The panels Sharp is producing will mostly be purchased by Apple to go to future iPhone models, the paper continues, suggesting they will be high-resolution “Retina Display” units. The facility Sharp plans on using was previously employed for large-panel LCD production, but the new smaller LCD equipment will be installed in 2011 and mass production kick off in the second half of 2012. Unlike Toshiba, which has outright denied Apple investment in their new plant, Sharp has merely declined to comment on the speculation. Sharp already offers a Retina Display matching panel in its own IS03 Android smartphone, currently only on sale in Japan.
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| PC versus Windows Phone 7 gaming launches Posted: 17 Dec 2010 06:40 AM PST Head to head gaming between a Windows PC and a Windows Phone 7 smartphone is now on offer, though if you’re expecting high-tension Halo: Reach battles while you’re on the bus, you should probably lower your expectations. The first title to support cross-platform play has arrived in the shape of Game Chest: Chess, which unsurprisingly offers turn-by-turn chess games.
The $2.99 game uses a web-based interface for the PC gamer, with invitations to play handled by email. Although not the most exciting of titles, it’s the first in what Microsoft has promised will be a significant drive in Windows Phone 7 gaming. While we found the WP7 gaming to be pretty rudimentary in its early incarnation, Microsoft execs have been enthusiastic about the platform’s potential for integration with Xbox gaming. All Electronic Arts games for WP7 will eventually get Xbox LIVE integration, for instance. [via Neowin]
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| $99 Wii and 3rd-party gaming is Nintendo’s salvation suggests EA boss Posted: 17 Dec 2010 06:25 AM PST Nintendo should slash the Wii sticker price to $99 and watch sales of the console “explode”, according to EA CEO John Riccitiello. Talking to Industry Gamers, the studio head pointed to “tapered” sales of the Nintendo console over the past two years, in part blaming the company’s unstinting focus on its own games franchises to the detriment of third-party developers.
Describing the Japanese firm as “unique in the world,” Riccitiello suggested that Nintendo’s main appeal could also be one of its major shortcomings: “first-party hardware, first-party content is what makes them great” he claims, “they start the morning thinking what’s best for their own intellectual property.” Currently the Wii retails for around $199.99 with a games bundle in the US. Despite the calls for price reductions, Nintendo sold 1.5m consoles over the recent Black Friday weekend. [via The Escapist]
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| Hitachi outs new 7mm thick 500GB single disk HDD Posted: 17 Dec 2010 05:36 AM PST One of the things that will allow us to get more storage capacity inside our small and thin ultraportable devices and netbooks is thinner hard drives. Hitachi has announced a new HDD that is a typical 2.5-inch notebook form factor that is crazy thin at only 7mm thick.
The HDD is able to be so thin thanks to needing only a single platter. That single platter doesn’t mean a small amount of storage though; the new Travelstar Z5K500 HDD has 500GB of storage on that single platter. Hitachi GST claims that the new drive is the thinnest 500GB HDD in the world. The thin drive has the best cost per gigabyte and gigabyte per cubic millimeter on the market when compared to SSDs and some other HDDs. The drive needs only 1.8W of power in read and write operations and has a 0.55W low power idle and it’s very quiet as well with 2.1 bels of sound output during seek operation. That means the drive is quieter than the ambient noise in most homes making it virtually silent. The drive will ship this month at undisclosed pricing.
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| Dish Network adds new 3D movies Posted: 17 Dec 2010 05:19 AM PST
Dish Network has announced that it is expanding its 3D movie offerings to allow 3D TV owners to watch some 3D shows on their sets via PPV. The new 3D flicks include new release titles like “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” “The Last Airbender,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Step Up 3D.” I am a bit embarrassed to write that last title. In January, more 3D flicks will be coming to the service as well including “Despicable Me,” “Shrek Forever After,” and “Saw: The Final Chapter.” The 3D flicks are in full 1080p resolution and rent for $5.99 to $7.99 per viewing. It’s nice to see new 3D flicks coming to satellite services.
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| Sceptre X420BV-FHD 42-inch HDTV unveiled Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:50 AM PST Sceptre has added a new HDTV to its lineup of affordably priced sets. The new TV is called the X420BV-FHD and it has a big 42-inch screen with full 1080p resolution and a bargain price for the segment. The TV has an MSRP of $699.
The native resolution of the set is 1920 x 1080 and the screen has a 5MS response time. The integrated tuner has ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners inside and the thing has three HDMI inputs. The contrast ratio is 1200:1 and it has 5.1 digital surround sound output. The base of the set swivels 30-degrees in either direction to get the best viewing angles. The integrated speakers have 10W per channel and viewing angles are 178-degrees vertically and horizontally. I already said the screen supports 1080p and it also supports 720p, 1080i, 480p, and 480i. other than the trio of HDMI inputs, the set also has component, composite, S-Video, VGA, and audio inputs.
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| Razer unveils new Scarab hard gaming mouse pad Posted: 17 Dec 2010 04:38 AM PST When it comes to PC gaming the hardware and peripherals you use can make all the difference. The Razer brand is a favorite among the hard-core gamers that like high sensitivity mice and cool gaming keyboards. Razer also offers all sorts of other gear for gamers like mouse pads.
When it comes to mouse pads, they are not all created equal. Some like a cloth mouse pad and others like hard and very slick mouse pads. The latest from Razer is the Scarab and it has a hard gaming mouse pad that uses a new Fractal 2.0 surface. The special surface is made to allow the mouse to track better for more accuracy. The mouse pad also has an improved rubber base that is designed to help smooth out irregularities on the surface that the pad it sits on. The idea is to make the smoothest mousing surface possible. The Scarab also comes with a carry case to protect the pad to and from your LAN party. The Scarab will ship on January 1 for $39.99.
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The Woogie. This isn't a large, hairy creature played by Peter Mayhew in four Star Wars movies, rather, it may be the most innovative case for touchscreen devices I have ever seen. The Woogie resembles a bright plush octopus and solves the problem that toddlers have with handheld touchscreen devices like the iPod touch: how do you watch those Thomas the Tank Engine videos without touching the screen and causing the movie to pause? Slip the iPhone/iPod touch into the clear pouch on top, and the Woogie rests on your child's lap. Should it fall, it will be protected. There is an internal speaker that isn't nearly loud enough (especially in a car), so child-friendly headphones are a must, but that is the only negative I can think of. I cannot overstate how much my 3 year old LOVES this. $20
Sonos has long been known for its incredible wireless multi-room audio system. It is dead simple to install, and even complete technophobes can use it. Sonos was one of the first home entertainment companies to provide a free remote control app for the iPod touch or iPhone even though one of Sonos' products was a touchscreen remote; this year the company added an iPad app. Last year's big product news was the S5 speaker, an all-in-one unit that adds a zone of music anywhere you plug it in. When Sonos first showed me the S5 speaker, they were adamant that consumers would not want an iPhone/iPod dock to go along with it – after all, Sonos is pulling music from the same PC that an iPod is synchronized with. I argued that consumers would want one anyway. I was right, and Sonos added a Wireless Dock for iPod/iPhone ($119) to the mix this year. Now, a Sonos system is not a stocking stuffer: a full system costs a bit more than $400 per room (the S5 costs $400, and some installations will need a little ZoneBridge box, and some people will want that iPod dock). There are other ways of moving music around your house, but Sonos is still the simplest and most versatile solution, particularly if you want to have music playing in multiple rooms at the same time.
For the gadget lover who does the grocery shopping, I can finally recommend the SmartShopper SS-301 ($129). I have tested a lot of kitchen gadgets, and this is one of the few that has stood the test of time. SmartShopper is a little grey box that sits on your refrigerator (it has a built in magnet) that collects, organizes, and prints your shopping list. You walk up to it, tell it what needs to be added to the list, and it uses voice recognition to add the item. When you are ready to go shopping, its built in thermal printer prints your list, which is now itemized by the section where you will find the item in the store. In this third generation of the product, the voice recognition has been upgraded with Nuance technology and a second list has been added (crucial for those who shop at a supermarket and also a warehouse club or specialty store). The voice recognition still isn't perfect, and the SmartShopper eats batteries alive (it drains one battery much more quickly than the others), and nobody actually needs one. Of course, nobody needs an iPad, either. That's why it's a gift.
Amazon has 
Amazon’s MP3 download ambitions continue to fall short of Apple’s iTunes behemoth, with even heavy discounts and loss-leading sales failing to claw away significantly at their rival’s market lead. According to the latest stats from 
One of the big issues that have plagued 3D TV owners and kept many from adopting the new tech aside from price of the sets and the fact that the active glasses are expensive has been the lack of content. Some of the big cable companies have added 3D sports channels, but many of the 3D stations are not 3D all the time.
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