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Daily Crunch: Blue Moon Edition

Posted: 31 Dec 2009 12:00 AM PST

Ever wonder what FFXIII Elixir tastes like? Now you can know

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 08:50 PM PST

Here’s one for the really dedicated Final Fantasy fan. The beverage company, Suntory, has teamed up with Square to offer a limited edition drink collection, featuring 16 special art cans of Final Fantasy “Elixir”. The set also contains a commemorative metal cup, presumably to drink your elixir from.

Only 30,000 of these sets will be made, and they were originally available only in Japan. The good news is, you can buy one for yourself in the US now, for the kingly sum of $165.90.

[via Technabob]

Make it Sir! Patrick Stewart attains knighthood

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 06:40 PM PST


Sir Patrick Stewart — I like the sound of that. Just for the record: he deserves it. Also, if you haven’t read his piece on domestic violence, go do so now.

PSA: Watch for the blue moon this New Year’s Eve

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 06:07 PM PST

a_blue_moon1250259866This isn’t part of our usual beat, but I thought I’d share it with you anyway. This New Year’s Eve has a very special event associated with it, a blue moon. No, that doesn’t mean a baby smurf is going to be born, if means that there are going to be two full moons in the same month.

The last time this happened on New Year’s Eve was 1990 and it… well, really didn’t impact anything other then the themes of New Year’s Eve parties. So I guess file this one under something to talk about around the water cooler.

4600 Polaroid photos make for a hell of a video journal

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 05:20 PM PST


A good idea if you can afford the cartridges: Mark Tasman took a picture of himself every day (or more often) for 10 years, and has put them all in order to create this video. Man, that would be an arduous process. I’d have to hire an underling.

If you need more time-shifted beard action, try our slow-motion bearded high fives.

[via Laughing Squid]

TiVo Premiere leaked by manual mix-up?

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 04:44 PM PST

tivo-premiereIt’s about time that TiVo outs some new hardware and it looks like it might be sooner than later. The TiVo HD and HD XL have been sitting atop the companies mast unchanged for sometime now, while other DVRs like the Moxi keeps the updates rolling. But a little manual mix-up might show what TiVo is prepping to launch.

The story goes that Patrick McCarron upgraded to a TiVo HD and discovered that his box included a TiVo Premiere and Premiere XL setup guide. Now that’s a little interesting because as far as anyone knows, those products don’t exist. But from what we can make it, the info on the unannounced products seem to follow a evolutionary path from the current models.

Really the only info shown in the guides are a pic of the back panel. The front-facing dual Cable Card slots (one single stream, one multi-stream) have been replaced by one slot in the rear, which we can only assume is of a multi-stream type. Also, the S-Video port has been dropped along with the RJ-11 phone jack. Thankfully it appears the ATSC tuner made the cut and is still included. Hopefully this time around though, the included eSATA port is opened up to more devices than TiVo branded units. (not likely)

But this is what everyone would expect next-gen TiVo HD would look like: less legacy ports, a single, multi-stream Cable Card slot, in a smaller device. It’s the hopefully revamped UI that comes with it we’re dying to see. The one thing the MoxiHD DVR has going for it is that the interface is gorgeous compared to the old TiVo GUI. As long as TiVo followed the design cues in theBeta Search though, it should be good looking indeed.

TenYears: The best console games of the decade

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 04:00 PM PST

ten-yearsIt’s almost January 1st, 2010 and we’ve been mulling over our favorites of 2009 – and the previous decade. Here we present another installment in our “Of the Decade” lists.

Winner: Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2004)

re4This decade saw a lot of “big” games, but how many of those games were any good? How many do you think you’ll even consider replaying in five or 10 years? If there’s one, and only one, game of the decade it has to be Resident Evil 4. The game resurrected a waning franchise, justified your purchase of a GameCube, and was actually fun to play. How rare. The lackluster Resident Evil 5 only reinforced how well made Resident Evil 4 was: perfect controls, probably the best graphics ever to grace the GameCube, and, yes, the best single-player mode of the decade make this the game of the decade. It’s pretty much non-stop fun, which is really all you can ask a video game to do.

Runners Up

vicecity Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2, 2003)

You can almost consider Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to be the same game three times, but Vice City wins because it’s our favorite setting of the series so far. Is it fun to go around and blowing up anything that moves? Yes, but it’s actually more fun to appreciate the time and effort Rockstar put into crafting a pretty enjoyable cast of characters and reasonably OK story for our entertainment. Plus, how many game in the 2000s have completely ripped off the GTA franchise?

guitar-hero-ii-20060517053840543Guitar Hero (PS2/PS3/Xbox 360, 2005)

Our original game here was Super Smash Bros. Melee because it was, and I quote, “the ultimate party game.” Upon further reflection, that title actually belongs to Guitar Hero if only because you couldn’t attend a party attended by non-gamers between the game’s release and today without running into people banging on the strumming a plastic guitar. This is especially true if you visited certain gentrified sections of Brooklyn. The game was everywhere, so clearly it must have done something right. Publishers may have since shot themselves in the foot by releasing 800 versions of the game in a two-year window, but you can’t blame the game itself for publishers’ greed. It’s fun, and it represents the peak of the music game genre that, in a very real sense, defined the decade in gaming.

sotc Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, 2005)

This is our arthouse pick, yes, but for all the hullabaloo of “please re-make Final Fantasy VII for the PS3,” we say: no! Instead, re-make Shadow of the Colossus for it pushed the PS2 as far as the little guy could go. The game was like playing art. Rarely has a sense of scale been so raw in as it was here. A terrific soundtrack, a unique setting, and an unmatched sense of “oh man, we’re going on an adventure” means that youre sure to impress your “games as art” buddies .

Our Take

Devin: I want to throw Final Fantasy XII on here. A lot of people dismissed it because of its cipher of a main character and weird MMO-style combat. But the fact is it was a hugely deep, very interesting, and strikingly beautiful game. I loved it from start to finish, although the final boss was a bit corny.

Matt: You can’t tell me that any of these games above are more fun — I mean LOL, smile-on-your-face, gets-better-as-you-drink fun — than Super Smash Bros. Melee. Yet it probably isn’t the best game from the last 10 years. But it’s still damn fun.

Greg: I’m going to pull a Nicholas here and proclaim that this is all a bunch of nonsense. It’s impossible to claim that any one game of this decade was the most definitive (especially not RE4, dumb dumbs), considering how many games changed the horizon. Guitar Hero and Smash Bros made busting out a video game at a party okay. The Lego Star Wars/Indie/etc. series proved to girlfriends around the world that gaming with your boyfriend can be a fun experience. GTA taught the world to hate linear gameplay. Call Of Duty and Halo taught millions of console gamers the joys and frustrations of well made competitive first-person-shooters whilst simultaneously increasing the average weight of adolescents around the world. WoW brought MMOs into the mainstream. Shadow of the Colossus destroyed our sense of scale, while Katamari Damacy proved that games can be abstract and still sell well. There is no one answer to this question, because the games of this decade were simply too good.

Doug: Wii Sports — hear me out! As most people’s introduction to the Wii, the bundled Wii Sports game serves as the ambassador to a new way of thinking about video games. How many video games from the past ten years will you find people of all generations playing? Nobody’s really playing Halo in nursing homes or senior centers. The simple control scheme and 1:1 movement in Wii Sports made Nintendo’s latest console a hit with people outside the core demographic of gamers, something Sony and Microsoft are still scrambling to replicate.

David Diaz: I think Halo: Combat Evolved should have made this list. It became the benchmark for all console FPS and sparked the beginning of one of the most dominant franchises in console history.

Mother Russia plans to save us all from killer asteroid

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 03:30 PM PST

armageddon1Someone call Bruce Willis. Russia announced Wednesday that they are considering launching a spacecraft with the intention of altering its possibly earth-crushing trajectory to a less threatening one.

The asteroid, named Apophis, was first discovered in 2004, and is expected to fly by the Earth in 2029. Apophis is expected to pass close enough to the Earth that there would be a 1-in-37 chance of impact. Unlike Hollywood however, Russia isn’t planning on using a nuclear explosion to move the asteroid, but they haven’t revealed exactly what they have planned yet.

The leader of the Russian space program said that they would be inviting NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Chinese space agency to participate in the project. No word on if Aerosmith would be writing the soundtrack.

Let’s get out of this country, we’ll pick berries and recline: All aboard the USS Ark from Escape From Earth 2012!

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 03:00 PM PST

byeearth

“Baby, let’s blow this popsicle stand.” That’s the snappy dialogue you can expect to see in the screenplay I’m writing about a man who takes up Escape From Earth 2012’s offer. You see, there’s a company out called there EcsapeEarth2012 that’s offering you the chance to leave this dumb planet before everything explodes in an orgy of stardust and iPhone cases come December 21, 2012. So, you buy a ticket, then if the apocalypse does, in fact, arrive, you board the spaceship and it takes you to a brand new planet, one that’s fit for humans.

The offer is both real and a joke all at the same time. It’s real in that you can book a ticket right now, and it’s real in that the company will mail you a ticket (and travel package!) to board the USS Ark. The package costs $14.49, which is less than the price of a monthly MetroCard in New York. That must be one efficient spaceship~!

It’s a joke in that, if there really is an apocalypse and you don’t survive the plane trip over to New Earth then you get your money back.

So yes, you’re buying a novelty spaceship ticket for $15, so that’s sorta neat.

And let’s face it: if there’s an apocalypse, I sincerely doubt that the remnants of the United States of America will be too concerned with making sure the small claims courts are still up and running.

End of the world: the most interesting sci-fi scneario of them all, if done right. I’m looking at you, 2012.

Sorry, dude, Game Stop won’t be able to fulfill that Duke Nukem Forever pre-order

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 02:32 PM PST

SZ9e3Even though developement started in 1997, the year Clinton was inaugurated a second time, Duke Nukem Forever never came out. It’s dead dead. Hopefully Game Stop at least gave him $10 worth of in-store credit. [imgur]

[thanks for the tip, Nick]

Ford and MIT studying driver stress levels

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 02:07 PM PST

2010_lincoln_mks_ecoboost_red_newYour next Ford might have flowers, pastel colors, or calming scents coming from the interior. All of this will be aimed at reducing stress, and allow the driver to better connect with their vehicle.

Ford has announced that they’ve teamed up with MIT for a six-month study designed to reduced stress through the use of technology. The intention is to help drivers (and their cars) be more aware of their surroundings and driving conditions, which would of course improve driver safety. The first car to feature these improvements will be the 2010 Lincoln MKS, not a car one thinks of as being a high stress environment in the first place.

The courts say don’t blame Apple if your iPod caused you to go deaf

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 01:41 PM PST

baby-ipodThe Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a 2008 ruling that stated the iPod does not pose an unreasonable risk for hearing loss even though everyone knows the old stock iPod earbuds were the worst earbuds ever made. (I added that last part) The original case argued that because the iPod earbuds were designed to sit so far back in the ear, and the iPod itself does not have any volume meters or noise-isolating properties, that the device could be made safer. But the courts just told the plaintiffs to shut-up and sit down.

The planintiffs in the case were seeking money damages and that Apple would release an iPod with better volume controls and earbuds. But as we all know, the latest stock iPod earbuds are worlds better than the original although they probably still aren’t good enough for these chaps. People should just do what I do and not use an iPod at all.

January 26th Apple Event confirmed by FoxNews, focus on “Mobility Space”

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 01:12 PM PST

FOX News logoIt seems that Clayton Morris, from FoxNews, has confirmed from a “source inside Apple” that there will be a “big” event in January 26th. This source also stated that the event will focus on the mobility space, which could actually mean a lot of different things. That is if there is if this event even is real.

Could this mean mobility as in an updated iPhone or the announcement of the iSlate/iGuide/iPad/iPod Touch DX? Or mobility could even mean new notebooks equipped with the new architecture Intel is rumored to launch next week. Or maybe there will even be a new iPod Hi-Fi. That thing was somewhat mobile.

So right now, all know for sure is we don’t know a damn thing. Until we get an invitation, let’s file this one in the rumor drawer along with the Wii HD and John Biggs making the Apple Tablet in his basement. [FoxNews via MacRumors]

2009’s top products for Amazon: Kindle, Dan Brown, and “Twilight”

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 12:55 PM PST

plenty
Amazon has just released its “Best of 2009″ lists, showing the top-selling devices, books, DVDs, and such from this, the final year of the aughts. And although 2009 has not brought us hovercycles or Lunar colonies, it has brought us love-stricken vampires and a great number of replacements for paper-based book products, both of which sold extremely well. Do you like drawing conclusions from lists? Then buddy, this one’s for you.

* Electronics: Kindle Wireless Reading Device
* Books: “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown
* Kindle Books: “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown
* DVD: “Twilight”
* Video On Demand: “Twilight”
* Music: “I Dreamed a Dream” by Susan Boyle
* MP3 Album: “No Line on the Horizon” by U2
* MP3 Song: “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas
* Video Games: Wii
* Computers: ASUS Eee PC 1005HA 10.1-Inch Black Netbook
* Software: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
* Home & Garden: Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator
* Grocery: Coffee People, Donut Shop K-Cups for Keurig Brewers
* Gourmet Food: 50’s Decade Box Gift Basket
* Health & Personal Care: Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer
* Beauty: Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation
* Toys: Scrabble Slam Cards
* Baby: Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether
* Clothing & Accessories: Levi’s Men’s 550 Relaxed Fit Jean
* Shoes and Handbags (Amazon.com and Endless.com): Crocs Cayman Sandal
* Jewelry: Sterling Silver Marcasite & Garnet Glass Heart Pendant
* Watches: Casio Men’s Sea Analog Illuminator Dual LED Dive Watch
* Sports & Outdoors: P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program
* Home Improvement: Toro Ultra 12 Amp Variable Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum
* Automotive: Battery Tender 021-0123 Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger

That’s the best selling item in each of their categories. As you can see it’s a good mix of the obvious and the banal. Well, what were you expecting?

But let’s look a little more closely at the categories that actually interest us. In electronics, the vanilla Kindle v2 is followed by two iPod touch models, the Flip UltraHD, the Kindle DX, and a Blu-ray player. I think that speaks well of adoption rates for new technologies. The DX is surprising, though, considering it’s extremely expensive.

In software, there’s the usual boring mix of Office, financial stuff, and upgrades (Windows 7 edging out Snow Leopard). Lots of netbooks in the computer category. I’m thinking a lot of those went out as gifts. Unsurprisingly, iPhone accessories dominate the phones category. Whatever you may say about that phone, it’s eminently accessorizable. And of course, in video games, the Wii is king.

The last thing I would like to point out is that under most gifted items, we have:

Clothing & Accessories: The Mountain Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee

Meme power!

You can check out the rest of their exciting lists at the official release.

CrunchGear visits top robot store Vstone in Akihabara (photo report)

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 12:20 PM PST

vstone_1

We’ve covered robots from Japan-based robot developer and retail store Vstone a few times in the past. Reason enough for me (I live in Japan) to go and have a good look at Vstone’s flagship store in Akihabara, Tokyo’s electronic district, and make a few pics (the company itself is headquartered in Osaka).

vstone2

The so-called VStone Robot Center is a mild disappointment though. It’s located in the heart of Akihabara, but it’s very small (probably somewhere between 80-100sqm).

vstone3

There are quite a few robots, but not really as many as you’d expect from a “robot center”. And some of those robots aren’t even for sale. What you can see on the picture above is the Cam Baby, a really ugly mini robot.

vstone4

What should be a dream for robot fans out there is the number of robot-related accessories. I didn’t even understand what most of the hundreds and hundreds of robot-related parts and components were good for.

vstone5

vstone6vstone7

Vstone also offered their very own Tetsujin 28 and Black OX robots (see picture below).
vstone8

vstone9vstone10

It’s not a robot paradise, but if you’re are a robot fanatic, you should check this place out. Vstone has a decent English page with a map.

The Owen E1 E-Book reader brings some sexy curves to e-readers

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 12:00 PM PST

180026
E-readers don’t always have to be stark slate’s of modern art and the Owen E1 E-Book is anything but. You just know by looking at it that it’s comfy to use and should fit into more pockets thanks to its rounded edges and smallish 5-inch screen. But it doesn’t matter, you probably won’t be able to buy it anytime soon.

So far this boy is set for a Chinese-release only and the pricing hasn’t been announced yet. But it shouldn’t be that expensive as it isn’t loaded up with every available e-reader option like the $349 Dulin’s Books Boox 60. The reader only shows 20 lines per page and 30 characters per line and can playback MP3, WMA, and OGG files. It’s not like you really don’t need a color screen and Wi-Fi anyway, right?

WiiWare: Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth now available

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:30 AM PST

Weird naming conventions aside (What, no colon? And what's with the capital B?), Castlevania fans have another installment in the series to conquer. This one's available as WiiWare for ten bucks.

Per the game's description:

"Another 100 years has passed since the death of Count Dracula, but the revival of his curse has emerged once again within the realms of Transylvania. Play the role of the ultimate gothic hero from the long lineage of vampire hunters, the Belmont clan, and rid the universe of Dracula's legion of darkness and doom. Based on the classic 1989 original Castlevania: The Adventure, the WiiWare version will allow players of a new generation and older fans to experience one of the most popular games within the storied Castlevania timeline from a new perspective."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dracula has a legion of darkness and a legion of doom? That sounds pretty unfair. Leave some legions for the other villains out there, greedy pants.

Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth [Nintendo.com]

Here’s a LEGO Starcraft Terran Battlecruiser

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST

lego terran battlecruiser
Sure, this isn’t the largest or most impressive LEGO ship out there, but it still cooler than anything you could build. Check out Jerac’s Flickr set to see the construction and other just-as-nice LEGO creations.

[Thanks for the tip, Scott!]

Boxee will have an iPhone App

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 10:30 AM PST

boxee

Looks like Boxee will release an iPhone App to control its upcoming set-top box, developed jointly with D-Link. The App will be on display at CES next week. Oh, God, CES is next week. With any luck Las Vegas will mysteriously disappear à la “Lost” before the show starts. That would truly be ideal.

Maybe now is when I can ask, publicly, what’s the big deal with Boxee? Am I mistaken in calling it a port of XBMC? Am I mistaken in calling XBMC a re-brand of Xbox Media Center? Am I mistaken in calling Xbox Media Center a re-launch of Xbox Media Player, which I dutifully downloaded from Xbins on Efnet back in the day? And wasn’t Xbox Media Player merely the Xbox port of mplayer?

So Boxee = mplayer with a fancy skin and a few plugins. (As if skins and plugins are exclusive to Boxee!) Obviously people like the idea, but I don’t understand all the hype.


The Dulin’s Books Boox 60 packs Wi-Fi into a $350, 6-inch e-reader

Posted: 30 Dec 2009 10:00 AM PST

boox 60The US e-reader market is about to get one more player when Dulin’s Books brings its Boox 60 reader to the States in the middle of January. But even though it packs a lot of tech into its shell like W-Fi, Wacom technology, and a Webkit browser, chances are it won’t ever make it mainstream thanks to the Kindle, Nook, and Reader.

Even still, the Boox 60 demands respect with an impressive spec list: microSDHC slot, Wi-Fi, 512MB of memory, 1,600mAh battery, MP3 playback, 6-inch touchscreen, text-to-speech and a dozen different support file formats. Nice, eh? You can get all this for only $349 — or $90 more than the Kindle or Nook.

ulin's Books Announces Launch of Boox 60 ereader in the U.S.

A Wacom enabled touch tablet Boox 60 allows for note taking and more with included stylus. WiFI and Webkit browser optimized for the E-ink Vizplex display enables surfing your favorite news, blogs and wiki sites as well as content download.

Portland, OR (PRWEB) December 29, 2009 — Dulin's Books, an independent ereader retailer from the Pacific Northwest, announces the newest addition to its lineup of innovative digital readers, the Boox 60 by Onyx International.

The Boox 60 ($349) is available now for ordering and deliveries will begin in 2 weeks. International shipping is available.

The Boox 60 is the first effort from new ereader company Onyx International. First exhibited at Cebit 2009, Boox boasts a 6" inch VizplexTM e-ink display, 532MHz processor, up to 16 shades of gray, 512mb of memory expandable with SD/SDHC cards up to 32GB. The replaceable 1600mAh battery allows for 8000+ page turns.

Support for a wide variety of formats including EPUB and PDF, MOBI, HTML, TXT, PDB and CHM for reading. Image formats JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF and TIFF. MP3 for listening to music or audio books and Text To Speech capability. DRM EPUB and PDF support is via Adobe Digital Editions.

Advanced PDF support includes zoom and reflow. Using the included stylus, you can select specific sections or images within the PDF to zoom. Boox supports Table of Contents and internal Hyperlinks.

Wacom touch technology embeds the touch layer below the e-ink screen so readability is not affected. The included stylus allows you to sketch and make notes, select and highlight text, select areas for zooming and much more.

WiFi and a Webkit browser optimized for the e-ink screen allow you to surf the web, read the latest news and blogs and download content. To increase battery life the WiFi can be easily disabled.

Boox 60 comes with white leather cover, USB 2.0 cable, Wall charger, and a quick start guide

For more information or to order the Boox 60 visit www.dulinsbooks.com.

Dulinsbooks.com was formed in 2009 with the idea of showcasing well-designed, innovative ereaders that are easy to use and aren't locked to one book seller. In 2010 dulinsbooks.com will expand by adding eBook content and new devices. http://www.dulinsbooks.com/

Onyx International is a group of dedicated designers and engineers whose goal is to bring exceptional reading experience to the consumers, to enable new business models for the publishers, and to revolutionize the publishing industry, by creating state-of-the-art e-readers and distribution platform with the newest display and communication technologies. Visit Onyx at CES Booth 12402. http://www.onyx-international.com/
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