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Super Mario Bros. Wii mod is doing it exactly right
2008-03-10 20:13:00
Filed under: Gaming Hey kids, listen up. That guy with the red hat and blue overalls in the fancy new Super Smash Bros. game you just brought home? His name is Mario . He's a neat guy. This Wii mod here features the lovable plumber in his natural habitat, World 1-1. On the other side is a pipe, his favored form of travel, which doubles as a Wiimote charger. Pretty great. OK, that's it for today's lesson, stay safe out there![Via Wii Fanboy] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Mario Bros , Super Mario Bros , Super Mario

The 3D Mario Wii Casemod [Gaming]
2008-03-10 20:00:00
The Wii is great and all, but I think it just slides too easily into my home theater cabinet. I want something more awkwardly shaped and garishly colored, dammit! When will Nintendo listen to my requests? I need to go to modders to get what I want; specifically, this hand-painted Wii mod with a 3D Mario popping out of the side. A little much? Maybe, but you can't hate on this type of constructive fanboyism. I approve. [Hack n Mod]
More About: Gaming

HANNSpree hits new low with HANNSMilano handbag TV
2008-03-10 19:44:00
Filed under: Displays HANNSpree's never been one to shy away from unconventional designs for its TVs, but the company has really outdone itself with its new "HANNSMilano" model, which it says is "inspired by today's modern woman." That inspiration apparently resulted in a genuine leather exterior with "intricate detailing," which surrounds a wholly unremarkable 9.6-inch LCD screen -- with a handy carrying strap rounding the look, of course. Sadly, there's no word on a release 'round these parts, but those in the UK will be able to get their hands on one of these later this month for £130 (or about $260).  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Hits , Handbag

Poseidon Mk IV Discovery Oxygen Tank Recycles Your Exhaust, Lets You Dive S
2008-03-10 19:32:00
Diving is fun until your oxygen tank runs out and you die, but this Poseidon Mk IV Discovery tank actually extends the time you can be underwater by recycling your carbon dioxide exhaust and turning it into breathable oxygen. The tank works its magic with its C02 scrubbers and oxygen cells, which is powered by a lithium-ion battery. And because it takes in the air you breathe out, you'll be able to dive stealthily without your bubbles alerting people to your presence. Community pool, watch out! [Poseidon via Pop Sci via DVice via Geekologie]
More About: Tank , Oxygen , Dive , Exhaust

Project Canoe: Cable Companies Paddle to Catch Up To Google in Targeted TV
2008-03-10 19:32:00
Whenever cable companies feel threatened, they form a joint venture. The latest is called Project Canoe , an effort by all six major cable companies in the U.S. to deliver targeted TV ads to viewers through their set-top boxes. The NYT reports: Collectively, the cable companies will initially put about $150 million behind the effort ...
More About: Google , Companies , Catch

Inkel IDS-1500 WiFi phone dock keeps the iPod in awkward company
2008-03-10 19:12:00
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio You know how Apple products get when they're around their "lesser" consumer electronics counterparts at parties. It starts with a lack of eye contact and some foot scuffing, and ends badly with a scene in close proximity to the punch bowl. That said, Inkel's giving it a shot with this here IDS-1500 WiFi phone dock, which mixes an iPod dock with internet radio functionality and song playback through the phone. Not a bad combination in the least, so as long as the iPod steers clear of the alcohol. No word on price or availability. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Phone , Ipod , Company , Wifi , Dock

Driving While Calling is the Same as Driving Drunk? [Driving]
2008-03-10 18:55:00
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University just confirmed two older research studies, one in 2006 and one in 2003, that says driving while talking is as bad as driving while drunk. How did they reach this conclusion? Brain imaging. Volunteers drove a simulator inside an MRI brain scanner and were asked to determine whether a sentence was true or false. We've got two problems with this study. One, since when does your wife ask you to determine whether somethings is true or false, repeatedly, while having a conversation? It's usually just talking about picking up milk or the crazy broad at work—a decidedly easier activity. Two, did these volunteers actually get drunk and take the same test? Or were the researchers just saying that the errors made while on the phone were similar to the ones made theoretically while drunk. Because their study report doesn't seem like the subjects liquored up and did some driving. It's pretty difficult to come to the conclusion that talking o...
More About: Driving , Drunk , Calling , Drunk Driving

Ericsson exec sees WiFi hotspots becoming the new telephone booths
2008-03-10 18:42:00
Filed under: WirelessWhile it hardly comes as much of a surprise, Ericsson Chief Marketing Officer Johan Bergendahl is now predicting nothing short of the demise of WiFi hotspots, and he's saying that that they'll be replaced by -- you guessed it -- mobile broadband. Speaking at a conference in Stockholm, Bergendahl said that "hot spots at places like Starbucks are becoming the telephone boxes of the broadband era," and that "in a few years, [HSPA] will be as common as Wi-Fi is today." Leading to that widespread use, he says, is ever-decreasing prices for mobile broadband subscriptions, and the fact that HSPA is being built into more and more laptops. Of course, if other companies have their way, WiFi hotspots could become a thing of the past simply because entire cities would effectively be one huge hotspot, although we'd gladly take both options.[Image courtesy of IDG.no] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Wifi , Telephone , Booths , Sees

Cowon Q5W does SNES emulation with a PS1 controller
2008-03-10 09:22:00
Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video If you're an owner or prospective owner of the Cowon Q5W, you're probably impressed with its myriad audio and video playback capabilities -- but did you know it can handle emulation as well? Apparently, since the device is based on Windows CE, it's fairly easy to get game emulators up and running on the 5-inch PMP. In the video you can watch a setup of what appears to be an SNES imitator playing both Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario Kart (two favorites of our SNES fanboy, Paul Miller, we suspect). The games are controlled by a decidedly non-Nintendo accessory -- a PS1 controller connected via USB adapter. With that recent $50 price drop, this may be just the incentive you need to spring for a shiny new edition to your gadget library.Continue reading Cowon Q5W does SNES emulation with a PS1 controller Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Controller , Snes

Watch Out FriendFeed: Socialthing! Is Even Easier to Use
2008-03-10 09:05:00
There are a bazillion social network aggregators out there (Mike attempted to round up some of the most notable ones here). FriendFeed is the most visible of them all for two main reasons: it was founded a group of ex-Googlers and, as a consequence, benefits from a clean and easy-to-use design. But FriendFeed’s going to have ...
More About: Watch

Samsung’s SWT-W100K WiBro PMP gets official, priced
2008-03-10 08:58:00
Filed under: GPS, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video We had the chance to get hands-on with Samsung 's WiBro-lovin' SWT-W100k back at CES in January. Judging by the arrival of the product waifs, the 4.3-inch, WVGA touchscreen PMP now looks to be getting an official coming-out party in its native S.Korea. €341 takes the little all-purpose device with GPS, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, 8GB of internal flash, and DMB mobile television home on a yet to be determined date. VoIP client, personal organizer, and web browser? Sure, that too. No word on the processor choice but it's definitely not running any flavor of Microsoft OS. With any luck, Samsung will bring a US-speced variant capable of running on Sprint's XOHM service later this year. Video refresher posted after the break.Continue reading Samsung's SWT-W100K WiBro PMP gets official, priced Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Official , Wibro

Gmail Scam Signal Of A Much Bigger Security Issue
2008-03-10 08:20:00
This weekend news came that a Gmail archive service called G-Archiver, which backs up all of your Gmail emails to your hard drive, was actually the front for a scam - hard coded into the application was a “feature” that sent every user’s email address and password to the creator’s own email account, giving him ...
More About: Security , Scam , Signal , Issue

SanDisk’s Sansa Fuze gets official, priced
2008-03-10 08:15:00
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Check it -- HandStands isn't just making kit for items not yet conceived. Oh no, SanDisk's Sansa Fuze is indeed more than a figment of someone's clever imagination. Judging by a product listing at Amazon, this media player is set to ship "within one to three months" and features a 1.9-inch display, FM tuner, built-in microphone for voice recording, a battery good for 24 hours (audio) / 5 hours (video) and a microSD / microSDHC expansion slot for good measure. As of now, we know that the 4GB unit in red, pink or black will sell for $99.99, but there's no word on whether more (or less, for that matter) capacious / colorful models will eventually emerge.[Via DAPreview, thanks Nick] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Official , Sandisk

JVC’s Publio TX-700 handheld helps advertise, doubles as PMP
2008-03-10 07:31:00
Filed under: Handheld s, Portable Audio, Portable Video Here's a curious one. Straight out of JVC's Japanese laboratory comes the Publio TX-700, which was seemingly created to be used in stores to play back video files and promotional stills depending on what type of sale was ongoing. Still, we see a fair bit more potential in this 7-inch gizmo. It does look a tad bulky -- we'll give you that -- but it manages to feature MPEG1/2, MP3, JPEG and BMP format support, an SD expansion slot, built-in stereo speakers, USB 2.0 connectivity and a programmable on / off setting. Unfortunately, we're left wondering what the screen resolution, price and availability dates are, but feel free to ask the owner of the next retail establishment you find one in where he / she managed to procure it from.[Via AkihabaraNews] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Advertise

The Championship Gaming Series 2008 Draft
2008-03-10 07:06:00
The new teams are formed and the 2008 season is on its way.
More About: Gaming , Championship , Series , Draft

A Facebook Application To Find Blood Donors Fast
2008-03-10 05:32:00
About 43,000 pints of blood are donated each day by Canadians and Americans, which help the 4.5 million patients who need that blood transfusions every year. Total donations aren’t adequate to satisfy demand, though, and shortages occur regularly. When a patient is in need of blood that isn’t available, it becomes a life and death situation. ...
More About: Find , Facebook , Blood , Fast , Application

One Year Down for the CGS
2008-03-10 05:29:00
We talk with the CGS general managers about the inaugural year of the professional gaming league.
More About: Year

The Wii crossbow: for fanatics only
2008-03-10 05:26:00
Filed under: Gaming Do you ever feel like your Wii accessories aren't niche enough? Does it seem like fitting your Wiimote into a simple gun-shaped cradle to play Link's Crossbow Training doesn't completely capture the realism you're after? Well you're in luck, because the Wii Laser Sight Crossbow is here! That's right, it's a crossbow meant to lovingly hold your Wiimote, and turn any game into a trip to the Renaissance Fair. C'mon, you've got the Nerf Blaster, lightsaber, and teddy bear add-ons, isn't it time to complete the collection? Available now for the totally odd price of $27.54.[Via technabob] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Fanatics

CNET Board Has ???Tense, Uncomfortable??? Meeting With Jana Corsortium
2008-03-10 04:11:00
Last Thursday, March 6, multiple sources say, the CNET board of directors and CEO Neil Ashe met with representative from the Jana Partners investor consortium that has amassed a 21% ownership stake in the troubled company. The goal of the meeting was to negotiate a settlement that would avoid a proxy fight and a potential ...
More About: Board , Meeting

MSI intros the Eee-ish Wind PC
2008-03-10 03:20:00
Filed under: Laptops Apparently MSI is gearing up to release its own Eee competitor, tentatively called the Wind PC. There's not a lot known about the system (which was shown at CeBIT), though it's slated to feature an 8- or 10-inch, 1024 x 768 display, utilize Intel's Atom CPU, will make 2.5-inch hard drive and SSD options available for storage, and will come with 1GB of RAM standard. The mini-laptops are set to range in price from £299 to £699 depending on configuration, feature 1GHz or 1.6GHz CPUs, and should first be available with a Linux build installed -- though the company claims a Windows version will be made as well. Based on photos we've seen, the laptops will come in a variety of colors, though it appears that these are still in prototype territory, so anything could change.[Thanks, Jarrett]Read - MSI Wind, details of the new low-cost laptop MSIRead - MSI Wind PC Permalink | Email this | Comments

SXSW08: Inside Austin’s Developerscape
2008-03-10 03:00:00
Filed under: Culture, MMO In this panel, a group of Austin -based game developers set out to discuss the unique Austin game development community, moderated by journalist (and Joystiq contributor) N. Evan Van Zelfden. In the course of the discussion, a bit of neuropsychology and hilarious anti-MMO (and pro-MMO) vitriol also came out, along with a lot of reminiscence.According to Junction Point's Warren Spector and NCSoft's Dallas Snell, the Austin game development scene, as well as its current MMO focus, have their origins in, uh, Origin. The Ultima developer moved in Austin in 1986 from New Hampshire, and many companies spun off from ex-Origin personnel. Spector was hired at the company after time spent teaching at UT and working at Steve Jackson Games, and then a stint in Wisconsin at TSR. Snell was at Origin during the 1986 move.Continue reading SXSW08: Inside Austin's DeveloperscapePermalink |  Email this | Comments

Asus spills more details on the 9-inch Eee
2008-03-10 01:28:00
Filed under: Laptops In a recent interview, Asus CEO Jerry Shen talked up the company's newest edition to the Eee family, and also dropped a few more details on the forthcoming laptop. Apparently, the new set of miniature PCs will carry SSDs as opposed to the flash memory we saw in previous iterations, with sizes ranging from 8GB in the XP-equipped model, up to 12GB or 20GB in the Linux versions -- though it's hard to say why the smaller-footprint Linux would need more drive space. Shen also revealed that there are tentative plans to release WiMAX and HSDPA-enabled models sometime in Q3 of 2008, and he confirmed that come May the company will trade up to Intel's Diamondville (er, Atom) chips. In addition, more colors are on the way, and the base price in the US will be $499 at launch -- though that figure is expected to drop in the following months.[Via Eee Site] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Inch , Details

Nokia N830 WiMAX-equipped internet tablet photo leaked?
2008-02-19 19:08:00
Filed under: Handhelds, Wireless Just when you think Nokia doesn't have any more tricks up its sleeve -- wham! the WiMAX-equipped N830 internet tablet gets all up in your section (maybe). According to a sweet, sweet photo which appeared in Best Buy's February Mobile Buyer's Guide, the Finnish giant is preparing to unleash a new version of its popular N810 tablet, and it seems like this could be the rumored WiMAX device that we've heard whispers about. Of course, this could also just be a new paint job and refreshed number -- though something in our heart tells us that ain't the case. Word on the street is that we'll know what's up come CTIA. In the meantime, feel free to zoom, zoom, and zoom some more on this picture, and check out the full page of the brochure after the break.[Via IntoMobile]Read - WiMax N810 Leaked, To Be Announced At CTIA?Read - N810 at Best Buy/New ColorContinue reading Nokia N830 WiMAX-equipped internet tablet photo leaked? Permalink | Email th...
More About: Internet , Photo , Wimax , Tablet

Intel get official with Skulltrail, gives it an incredibly dull name
2008-02-19 19:05:00
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming We actually thought Skulltrail was a pretty slick name for a gaming platform, but it looks like the suits at Intel were afraid of having too much fun -- say hello to the "Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform." Yep, it's official, just announced at GDC. Based on the new $649 D5400XS mobo and a pair of $1,499 3.2GHz QX9775 Core 2 Extreme chips, Intel says prototype machines have been the fastest ever tested, with 3DMark06 scores of 6481 and Cinebench 10 scores of 20,160 when configured with a pair of CrossFire'd ATI Radeon HD 3870 cards -- but don't fret, the platform also supports NVIDIA SLI cards. It looks like a variety of high-end system builders will be shipping Skulltrail (sorry, that's what we're calling it) machines over the next 30 days, including Falcon Northwest, Voodoo, and Velocity Micro -- better start saving those pennies. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Official

In case you missed it: peace broke out in the format war, HD DVD is dead
2008-02-19 19:02:00
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment Just in case you missed the big news earlier this morning, after more than two years on the market, HD DVD finally rolled over. Here's everything you need to know: Official: HD DVD dead and buried, format war is over Toshiba: "no plans" to adopt Blu-ray HD DVD casualty report: over 1m players, recorders, and drives lost to the format war Paramount and Universal to publish films on Blu-ray More Live from Toshiba's HD DVD press conference in Tokyo Top ten things to do with your now-defunct HD DVD player  Permalink | Email this | Comments
More About: Peace , Dead , Case , Format , The Format

Samsung-built, Google-branded Android phones due later this year?
2008-02-19 18:41:00
Filed under: Cellphones According to man-about-town, Robert X. Cringely, Samsung is readying not one, but two separate Android -based phones, one of which is due in September, with another model following around Christmas. If you believe what you read (and what his tipster says), these phones will not be labeled Samsung, rather they will be released as Google -branded gPhones . The model released in the Fall will be a "higher-end" model which apparently looks "somewhat like a Blackberry Pearl" but with a screen that flips and "a keyboard for texting" (though to be honest, that description makes little sense, as the Pearl has a keyboard). The second device will be a cheaper model (under $100), and will likely be released after the holidays. Of course, right now this is just speculation -- given the large gap of time between now and September, these plans could be completely rearranged or nixed altogether... even if they are accurate.[Via IntoMobile] Read | Permalink | Ema...
More About: Year

Gravity Lamp Lasts 200 Years, Will Gmm/r2 Torchiere Lamps Out [Lamps]
2008-02-19 18:40:00
This Gravity Lamp by a Virginia Tech student won second place at the Greener Gadgets Design Competition this week. The idea is quite simple in theory: a mass moves slowly down a column, which generates electricity by when the potential to kinetic energy conversion of the mass falling spins a rotor. To "reset" the lamp, the user just flips the thing over and sets the process in motion again. The entire setup should last about 200 years if used only 8 hours a day, but should be plenty long for anyone we know. [Greener Gadgets via via DVice]
More About: Years

Aquadom Is Largest Cylindrical Aquarium in the Planet [Waterworld]
2008-02-19 18:10:00
What do you do with a 25-meter-high acrylic glass cylinder, 238,000 gallons of sea water, 2,600 fish from 56 different species, and two divers? The Aquadom, the largest cylindrical aquarium in the world, that's what. In its core there's an elevator that travels through a cylinder of glass. As you will see in the videos after the jump, it's simple stunning. galleryPost('aquadom', 3, ''); Located in the atrium of the 5-star Radisson SAS Hotel in Berlin Mitte, the $18.8 million aquarium is 36 feet in diameter and sits on a 29.5-foot-tall concrete foundation. Without a doubt, the most impressive thing about the aquarium from an engineering point of view is the glass surface. Built by Reynolds Polymer Technology, it required 41 R-Cast pannels, 26 for the outside cylinder and 15 panels for the inside, plus 16 on-site bonds. The precision of the work, required to hold that water volume and pressure, it's amazing. Reynolds is specialized in creating this kind of aquariums, amon...
More About: Aquarium , Planet , Largest , The Planet

Top ten things to do with your now-defunct HD DVD player
2008-02-19 18:04:00
Filed under: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment digg_url = 'http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Top_ten_things _to_do_with_your_now_defunct_HD_DVD_playe r'; Finally, HD DVD users now have the empirical evidence they've been looking for to prove that the universe really is conspiring against them. We figured we'd make ourselves useful over here and give you a list of things you can do with your poor, obsolete HD DVD player -- starting with taking it out to dinner, excusing yourself to the bathroom before the check comes... then getting the hell out of there.Gimmes eBay Doorstop Entertainment center cup-holder Destroy it. Office Space style. Oh, the humanity Mail it to the office of Howard Stringer in protest of Blu-ray's victory. Plug it into your clothes dryer's 240-volt outlet. Woops, honey! My bad, guess we have to buy a Blu-ray player now. Finally, replace your Betamax player. Buy the Blu-ray player of your choice, put it in the ...
More About: Player , Things

Bleacher Report Gives Stage to Amateur Sports Writing
2008-02-19 18:00:00
As someone who barely follows professional sports, it always amazes me how knowledgeable and opinionated about sports that ordinary people can be. Bleacher Report is a publishing platform formally launching this week that wants to give a voice and audience to those people who seem to always have an opinion about the current draft, drug ...
More About: Sports , Writing , Stage , Amateur