CrunchGear

CrunchGear

Link to CrunchGear

Fujitsu and Toshiba to merge cell phone units, go international

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 03:19 AM PDT

We reported last week that two of Japan's top cell phone makers, Fujitsu and Toshiba, were in talks to merge their cell phone businesses. And today, we have the rumor confirmed. Under the agreement, Toshiba will spin off its handset unit and Fujitsu is expected to take the majority stake in the joint venture (between a whopping 70 and 80%, according to reports in Japanese media). Read the rest on MobileCrunch.


Toshiba hits 128GB with new NAND flash memory

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 12:41 AM PDT

Expect your smartphone, digital camera or tablet computer to get a big spec bump in the near future: Toshiba today announced it has developed the world’s first embedded NAND flash memory module with 128GB capacity. That’s enough to store 2,222 hours of music (at 128Kbps), 16.6 hours of full HD video, or 38.4 hours of SD video.

Made by combining 16 64Gbit NAND chips, the new devices are sized at just 17×22×1.4mm (including a controller). The new module is compatible with the so-called e-MMC standard (embedded MultiMediaCard), as is a 64GB NAND module Toshiba announced along with the 128GB model.

The company plans to ship the first samples of the 128GB module in September (the 64GB samples will get shipped in August), followed by mass production of both versions in the fourth quarter of this year.

Daily Crunch: Light Gun Edition

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Ten One Design’s Particle case keeps your iPad cool

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 11:30 PM PDT

Looking for a case for your iPad? Here’s one to consider; Ten One Design just came out with the Particle Case. The Particle Case combines a capacitive touch screen stylus with a integrated clip and open back to protect your device, but also keep it from overheating during use. Best part about it is the quite reasonable $34.95 retail price. The Particle case is available now from the Ten One design website, and shipping immediately. To order (or just for more details) head over here.

How to really turn off that damn vuvuzela noise

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 10:00 PM PDT


A couple of days ago, we told you about a method for removing the noise from the vuvuzela, using a simple filter. Well, it turns out that the filter doesn’t exactly work as advertised. The good news however, is that Consumer Reports found a filter that does work, and they were kind enough to share the information. Details after the jump.

Previous filters were selling for around $3.50, but testers found out that in many cases it only made the noise worse. Consumer Reports offered some tips on how to actually remove most of the annoying noise from the video, allowing viewers to watch without being irritated.


iFixit Breaks Down the Mac Mini

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 08:19 PM PDT

Our friends at iFixit have taken the new Mac Mini apart to show us it’s insides. From the looks of it, it was a pretty easy break down, with not too many parts inside. And, it looks just as good inside as i does out – in true Apple fashion.

Here are the highlights:

* Departing from previous generations, the Mini’s unibody top enclosure is machined from a single block of aluminum.

* With a simple counter-clockwise twist, we were able to gain access into the Mini’s internals. Gone are the days of the putty knife. You will be missed, old friend!

* Removing the RAM is very simple this time around, requiring only the simple prying of two clips.

* The fan doesn’t have too much work to do, since the new Mac Mini is the most energy-efficient desktop, running on less than 10 watts at idle!

* There are two blind holes in the case of the Mini that are meant for the ends of Apple’s custom U-shaped logic board removal tool. We just used two Torx screwdrivers. We call them the “Mac Mini logic board removal tool.”

* In keeping with its space saving design, the fins directing air toward the vent hole are slanted to allow for better fan placement.

* The new Mini’s power supply churns out a minuscule 7 Amps at 12V. Compare that to the 25.8 Amps at 12V cranked out by the iMac Intel 27″, and you can understand how they fit the power supply inside the Mini.

* The Mini’s 3/8″ woofer dome won’t be popping ear drums anytime soon.

* Apple had to get creative with the antenna placement because they switched to unibody construction for this Mac Mini.

[via Gizmodo]

Demoing Sports Champions for the Playstation Move

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:30 PM PDT


Matt had a blast playing this; I wish I’d given it a go before we left Sony’s little press island. Think Wii Sports Resort but with the precision and responsiveness that are lacking from the Wii even with MotionPlus. The upgraded graphics don’t hurt, either. They hit the surprisingly elusive sweet spot between realism and caricature, and it does a good job of keeping you in the game while at the same time allowing some wiggle room in how the characters move and act.

The controls looked pretty snappy too; the archery game shows that off. Matt got the hang of the gladiator game pretty quickly, but the subtleties of Ping Ping eluded him completely. He’ll be the first to say that the failure was on his part — you can tell by the way our host confidently trounces him that there is a lot of precision involved. Sorry about the audio, but the middle of West Hall at E3 really is one of the loudest places on Earth. We’re talking vuvuzela levels here.

Hands-on: Razer’s StarCraft II-themed mouse, keyboard, and headset

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 06:00 PM PDT


For the last six months or so, whenever I was on Razer’s site for whatever reason, I always would check the StarCraft II section for updates. There were silhouettes there for ages, teasing Blizzard-branded peripherals, yet aside from the messenger bag we gave away, we saw no more of said peripherals than we saw of the dark side of the moon. But E3 this year was the launch date, and I spent a little time yesterday talking about the devices with the head of Razer, Robert Krakoff.

So there are three new peripherals: a keyboard, a mouse, and a headset. All three were joint projects between Razer and Blizzard, and it shows — for good and for ill. Let’s take a look at the gear.

Spectre mouse

The idea here was to provide a compact but robust RTS-oriented mouse. They found that most pro RTS players use a claw grip, so an ergonomic shape was less necessary than one that’s comfortable to grip from both sides. So it looks a bit weird: it’s bigger toward the button end, making a sort of wedge pointing at you. There is the usual button selection: two main buttons, two side buttons, a scroll wheel and wheel button. They all felt snappy to me, no surprise there. The tracking engine is even more advanced than their previous line of mice — it’s now a 32-bit interface. While I doubt anyone was running up against the limitations of a 16-bit interface, there were times where there was simply too much data to process and the result is skipping. At any rate, higher is better.

I was going to make fun of the lighting on the mouse, since Robert told me some time ago that they’re trying to move away from flashy lighting, but it turns out that it’s functional. On the mouse, keyboard, and headset all, there are customizable LEDs, but they’re not just for looks. They worked really closely with Blizzard to build up a set of in-game events and actions that can be set to turn on different colors of LEDs. So if your base is under attack, flash red. If a unit is born, green. You can also set it to record your APM (actions per minute, a critical metric in pro RTS gaming) and change color based on how fast you’re working. Pretty awesome if you ask me, though at $80 it’s pretty expensive.

Marauder keyboard

Robert tells me that the big StarCraft II pros tend to use a certain model of keyboard — a long-throw membrane one of all the ones to choose from. It’s just what they like. So… they put out the Marauder based on that design. Personally, I didn’t like it at all. The key depression action felt gummy, and the lack of dedicated media keys will turn off a lot of people. The drivers support enormous macros, and you can pretty much set a macro for any key by using the macro modifier button, so if you’re a macro fiend that might be handy (not me, though). And no USB slots or mic/audio ports? For $120 it really needs to do a lot more than this, I’m afraid. It does sport the lighting system, which is nice.

Banshee headphones

I liked these, though I can’t say exactly why. A certain je ne sais quois, I guess. There are controls for volume and mute on the back of the earcups, with the right controlling audio and the left controlling microphone. The placement seemed nice; I’m always hitting the Logitech G35’s media buttons by accident, and on Razer’s Megalodon set it’s a pain to have to take yourself out of the game to fiddle with the little hub. They look heavy but they’re not particularly so, and the weight is distributed nicely. The final design will have slightly larger earcups… the better envelop you, my dear.

The microphone is removable, which just means I’ll lose it. It also flips up, though I’m not sure if I prefer that over the retractable style of the Nox and SteelSeries headsets.

At $120, I think it’s a bit much for a stereo headset — maybe if it were surround sound…
There you have it. My judgment is: nice gear, but a bit dear. The SC2 branding allows them to charge a bit extra, and there will almost certainly be bundles where you can save a bit on all three plus the game, but they’re coming in with a high price to an already-competitive market. The lighting system might give you the edge in a game, though, so if I were playing competitively I might pick up the mouse just for that.

Of course, there’s always more info available at Razer.

Fart Battles for iPhone. It’s what’s inside that counts!

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:57 PM PDT

There’s not much to say about this new iPhone app created by Popkiller Games that isn’t covered in their youtube promotional video (see below). The bottom (ooof) line is that you need this app because, well, you fart!

The app measures and categorizes a plethora of data on each fart and stores audio samples in your very own fart library. Save the best ones and attack your friends with them, clandestinely via shortened links. I haven’t tried it out yet, but it looks FARTASTIC!

From the press release:

Fart Battles (http://www.fartbattles.com) is the world's most accurate mobile fart-measurement device, complete with multiplayer battle mode and "Fart-Rolling," a feature that allows users to prank their friends by sending them an email of a fart in disguise.

Fart Battles is the first fart measurement application to test for length, volume, bass, range, key, and more. Users can store their masterpieces in the playback library and then challenge friends to a battle by sending them an attack across the user network.

"When we started this project, we knew one thing: the world desperately needed a better way to measure farts," said Tucker Aaron, CEO of Popkiller Games. "What we didn't know was that so many good farts were senselessly wasted each day. Fart Battles has finally solved this issue by enabling flatulence enthusiasts to record their creations and challenge friends."

Let’s recap:

Fart Battles is the first app ever to let players:
· Record their farts
· Rate their power
· Attack their friends
· Win Battles
· Send Fart-Rolls (like “Rick-rolling” but better)

If nothing else, it’s a pretty funny sales video.  More info at http://fartbattles.com/

iTunes link is here

Trying out SOCOM with the Playstation Move

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:43 PM PDT


Just a quick video to show you that yes indeed, you can play SOCOM with the Move. Quite well if I do say so myself — at least, once I got the hang of it. It’s a lot like playing a Wii FPS, but you can actually rely on its accuracy, and there’s less lag and drift. I could definitely play the whole game like this. Even the developer present said they wanted it to be small movements for aiming, but I really think it’d shine with a little bit more latitude for aiming.

Sony PlayStation Move Charging Station: $29, charges two Move controllers simultaneously

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 05:21 PM PDT

Buried in the depth’s of Sony’s online archives were these photos of the PlayStation Move Charging Station, a device we don’t remember seeing at the big E3 booth. Or maybe we’re blind. In any event: the Charging Station, as the name implies, charges your Move controllers. Up to two at a time, too.

When will you be able to get the Charging Station? At launch, of course, and for only $29.99.

[Devin sez: I saw it in the little display case. Not very prominently featured, though.]

The Playstation Move is a Wii clone – but it’s awesome

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 04:43 PM PDT

The Playstation Move is just what it looks like: a Wii clone. It feels the same, looks the same, and works the same. That’s a good thing, though. Everyone and their grandmother has played Wii bowling and knows how it works. Sony isn’t reinventing motion control with the Move. They are, however, seriously improving it.

A long time ago — about four years — Nintendo introduced the world to motion controlled video games. There was a period of time when the world wasn’t sure about it. Wii Remotes were flying through TVs and gamers actually had to get off the couch to play. But then it started to sell out and companies like Sony and Microsoft took notice. Microsoft went with full body tracking while Sony kept it simple and developed the EyeToy add-on, the Move (originally rumored to called the Wand, Gem, and other names).

I’ll say it again: the Sony Move is a Wii clone, but it’s a Wii clone that utilizes the powerful PS3 and the already-familiar Eye camera. That’s the only difference in reality and like Sony touts, the PS3 does everything. Because the PS3 is infinitely more powerful than the Wii, the games are more intense, immersive, and realistic. The experience is like what we always imagined the Wii could be.

The games range from the fun and casual (Sports Champion) to the FPS (SOCOM 4) to the puzzler (Echochrome 2). All of these have Wii counterparts, theme or control-wise: Sports Champion features short field games like Wii Sports, SOCOM is just like any of the Wii FPSes, and Echochrome 2 is your simple yet deep Wii puzzle game. There’s no shame in this. After all, the Wii has been out for four years and there are games of nearly every genre utilizing motion control. The difference is that the Move flavors bring better graphics and far more precise tracking, which results in a lot better experience.

My favorite was Sports Champions, actually. The field games of archery, table tennis, and even a comical sword fighting mode really showed off the Move’s versatility. The controls are different from the Wii; you have to follow through on swings for one thing. That’s a big difference; many of the Wii Sports games are better played with small, quick flicks of the wrist. The Move requires real-life movements, which surprisingly, generates real-life results. The harder you swing your sword, the harder it hits. It’s not a game you can play from your couch like Wii Sports.

I played a half a dozen Move games at E3 2010 and walked away satisfied. No, the system doesn’t blow me out of the water, but that’s because I’ve played the Wii and the novelty of this controller scheme wore off a few years ago, even though the Move does motion control so much better than the Wii. Perhaps that will be a stumbling block for the Move, at least initially. People have seen it before, but the Xbox 360 Kinect is something totally different — and novelty sells.

The Move, however, with its traditional motion controller abilities can easily build upon what Nintendo started. True gamers will appreciate the more intense games found on the PS3. Casual gamers should find the more accurate tracking and dramatically better graphics refreshing.

Hopefully Sony has learned from Nintendo’s mistake and made the Move in a way where developers will easily find success. 3rd party games need to be a big part of the Move and that’s something that the Wii hasn’t been able to do. The vast majority of the Wii’s best titles are right from Nintendo. The Move needs all the help it can get.

The Move will never sell as many units as the Wii, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be successful. It will no doubt sell well to the dedicated PS3 crowd and will probably even convince some Wii owners craving a deeper experience to make the expensive upgrade. Is it better than Kinect? I’m not sure — but it’s definitely better than the Wii.

Sony’s Playstation-branded sound bar is exactly what it sounds like

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 04:03 PM PDT


When they told me there was a new PS3 surround sound bar, I didn’t expect much in the way of originality. And I didn’t get much. But it does look like a nice little audio solution for a small apartment or room where you don’t need cables running all over. It’s a little more than two feet wide and about three inches tall and deep. What were you expecting? it’s a bar.

They weren’t being demoed or anything, just sitting in a display case, so I can’t tell you how it sounds. My guess is pretty good. It uses Sony’s S-Force PRO virtual surround engine and it has a built-in subwoofer, so it’ll sound better than my setup. It’s just got RCA and optical inputs, nothing fancy, though its little display seems to be doing something interesting.

The creatively named “Surround Sound System” is expected to cost $200, which sounds reasonable for a small home theater, but there’s no release date yet. We’ll keep you posted, of course.

Play Xbox Live from Atop a Mountain with the help of the Droid Incredible

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:44 PM PDT


An experiment involving the HTC Droid Incredible's internet tethered to an Xbox 360 has successfully shown you can kill alien avatars of children playing Halo in their basement from across the world – on top of a bridge – over the Missouri River. Alex Kuklinski explains further:

How it works: The actual Pod is built from a standard storage rack which consists of a top & bottom rack with 4 legs. On each corner, I took twine, and connected the top rack with the bottom. This prevented the bottom rack from falling out when we lifted it up. On the bottom rack, I have my APC UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) which powers everything on the Pod via it’s built-in battery which is charged prior to the trip. (It can also be charged in the car via a power inverter plugged into a standard cigarette lighter in the car.) Also on the bottom rack is the Xbox 360, 13″ MacBook Pro, (Which is running Windows 7 Ultimate) and the Bose Companion 3 Subwoofer. On the top rack, there is a 19″ 720p Samsung HDTV, my HTC Droid Incredible, and 2 satellite speakers (which are connected to the sub below)

How it really works…:
My Xbox 360 is connected, via ethernet cable, to my 13″ MacBook Pro which is running Windows 7 Ultimate. The computer is connected, via USB, to my HTC Droid Incredible. The Incredible provides internet to the computer via the PDAnet application. The computer then bridges the connection it’s receiving from the phone with the Xbox 360. (Phone –) Computer –) Xbox 360) This allows the Xbox to connect to Xbox Live anywhere the phone has a data connection. I built this Pod so I can bring everything with me. It’s portable, so I can basically play Xbox Live, anywhere. Everything is powered via the UPS, and that can be recharged in the car while in transit. So really, this is the 100% Mobile Xbox Live Experience.

Where do I stand in line?

Zapper attachment for Playstation Move makes your light-gun dreams come true

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:41 PM PDT


This little guy, not announced at any big press conference but there for all to see at Sony’s media island, looks like a must-have accessory. If you’re planning on playing Time Crisis or any of the many shooters that are sure to come out for the Move, that is. Otherwise it doesn’t make much sense. But I love the styling: pleasantly retro yet functional and compact.

There’s no information on pricing or availability, but I’d say it looks like a $24.99 bit of plastic (and well worth it). You’ll really see it being moved with bundles, though. Looking forward to playing a game with this for sure.

Apple Releases iTunes 9.2, hurry before they sell out

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 03:11 PM PDT

Okay, they aren't really going to sell out. For those who will receive the new iPhone next Thursday, you need to first update iTunes to its new version. In it, you will find mostly minor updates that prepare you computer for iPhone 4.

Look for iBooks 1.1 to be the major amendment in this release. You can now synchronize books and PDFs from right in iTunes. Also, organize the home screen folders just as you would organize app icons. The most interesting thing to note is an increase in performance for backup speed and album art refresh in Cover Flow.

Get yourself downloading now.

Time to make your “Move” and pre-order Sony’s latest gadget

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Good news Sony fans, turns out that it’s time to start warming up that credit card and ordering your PS3 Move controller. It’s starting to show up as being available for pre-order (along with a few other tasty bits). Remember it’ll be officially available in the US on September 19th, but you might want to pre-order since Sony kind of has a habit of running out of product when they first come out.

So what will your $99 pre-order get you? The current promotion from Amazon includes a PlayStation Eye, a Move Controller, and a copy of Sports Champions. Get your pre-order here while it’s hot.

[via PlayStation Lifestyle]

Zoom announces R24 home studio in a box

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:45 PM PDT

So you’re always wanted to produce records, but lacked the money to either hire a studio or build one your self. Not a problem any more, Zoom has launched the R24, which is an interface, controller, and sampler, all in one.

The R24 lets you fulfill all of your home studio dreams, with it’s included sampler/drum machine, 8 track recording, and something called “6 channels of phantom power” to the popular R16. I’m not sure what 6 channels of phantom power does for you, but it certainly sounds ghostly. The R24 does allow for digital multi-track recording with a 24-track playback option and 8-track simultaneous recording, which should let you sample Rolling Stones tracks into your Bittersweet Symphony until the lawyers catch on. The R24’s drum machine includes up to 400 rhythm patterns, letting you create backing beats without the emo problems a real drummer inevitably brings to a band.

The Zoom R24 will be available this coming July 7th for an as yet undisclosed price. And all kidding aside, it’s an amazing piece of technology, for the full details make sure to visit the R24 website where they explain far better then I can how it works.

Authentic Moleskine Notebook for the Kindle, it’s so edgy

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:30 PM PDT

The sense of style for a Mission District hipster can often times be too edgy for the "culturally sheltered mainstream consumer". As a hipster you will undoubtedly rock a Moleskine notebook in the city, because let's face it, you've got something intelligent to write. Let us take that one step further, and throw a Kindle inside the cover. Can you feel that edginess? It's an analog-digital hybrid – man that's so edgy.

Made for both the small 6-inch Kindle and the larger Kindle DX, the Moleskin Kindle cover has four elastic bands on it's corners that offers a secure way to protect your favorite e-reader and house the notes you've taken on Shakespeare. That's quite the dichotomy. No word on an iPad case yet, but I'm sure that it's the works.

Available now for $39.99 at Amazon.

[via Gizmodo]

E3 2010: Hands-on with the surprisingly good AAA: Heroés del Ring

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:00 PM PDT

Rather than use E3 to pile on the mountains and mountains of hype of the big-budget titles, I’ve elected to sprinkle through our coverage the small little gems that might otherwise go unnoticed. First on the docket is AAA: Héores del Ring a lucha libre (Mexican-style higly-flying pro-wrestling) game that’ll hit your Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PSP on August 10 of this year. I had some quality time with it this morning and I can say this: I left the booth absolutely shocked at how thorough the game is.

The game, developed by Immersion Games and published by Konami in the U.S. and Slang south of the border, lets you play as one of 30 luchadores from Mexico’s AAA promotion. (AAA is sorta the WWE of Mexico.) All the bigs names are there, from Konan to Cibernético to La Parka—that’s AAA’s La Parka and not LA Park, mind you. Or, if you want to create your own luchador you’ll find an incredibly detailed create-a-wrestler mode. You can customize your guy’s physical characteristics to your heart’s content (you can even create your own mask!) as well as their move-set. Very much reminds me of the golden days of Wrestlemania 2000 and No Mercy on the N64 back in the day!

Controls also remind me of those games. Everything revolves around your luchador’s popularity. In order to use your guy’s big special move you need to build up said popularity meter, which you do by striking your opponent, taunting your opponent, etc. There’s weak and strong grapples: weak grapples lead to weaker (but quicker) moves, and strong grapples lead to stronger (but slower) moves. Pretty easy to follow.

There’s a story mode that you can play, either as a técnico (babyface or "good guy") or rudo (heel or "bad guy"). The storyline, naturally, is different depending on you’re técnico or rudo. In the build I was shown, Konan, featured in a recent outstanding Wrestling Observer bio, narrates the cutscenes.

There is, in fact, a mask vs. mask (or mask vs. hair) match mode. If you lose your match or hair in an online match, you’ll have to win three ranked matches to get your mask/hair back. Phenomenal.

The game has the authentic AAA commentators for the Spanish-speaking audience as well as English commentators, which I believe will also be Konan. The point is, the game’s developers thought to include English dialogue (again, in addition to Spanish) throughout&mdas;that’s pretty key if the game is to do well here in the U.S.

So yeah, like I said, walking in to the game this morning I though, "Meh, hopefully it’s halfway decent." I’m pretty sure I can say it’s quite a bit better than "halfway decent." It’s fairly arcadey (as in a single big punch can send one guy over the ropes), but then again lucha libre itself is pretty arcadey, too.

Pleasantly surprised by this this.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)