CrunchGear |  |
- Marcello C. Hydrox Watch
- “I Am Rich” App Shows Up For Windows Phone 7 At The Bargain Bin Price Of Just $499
- What I Want For Christmas: A 16:9 iPad
- Will The Motorola Tablet Be Called The Xoom?
- They Got Him! Children’s Cancer Ward Console Thief Apprehended
- Review: 3M MP160 Pico Projector
- 2011′s Top 10 Most Anticipated Gear
- Enhanced Vision System For Soldiers Being Investigated
- Did The Xbox 360 *Really* Usher In The Era Of HD Gaming?
- Fly Or Die: The Nexus S, Barbie Video Girl, And AR.Drone (TCTV)
- Activision Adds EA To Its $400 Million Infinity Ward Lawsuit
- 12 Days Of Christmas: Sony Bloggie Touch Giveaway
- The Handstand: An iPad Case… For Your Hand!
- EA: In-Game Ads Not As Fruitful As Micro-Transactions
- Net Neutrality Opponents In Congress (Including Those Funded By AT&T) Promise Repeal Fight
- Biblio Leaf: Japan’s KDDI Specs, Prices And Rolls Out Its Kindle Competitor
- Video: TalkTorque 2 Robot Will Be A Master In Non-Verbal Communication
| Posted: 23 Dec 2010 04:04 AM PST  Here is a new watch from Marcello C. called the Hydrox. Yes, it does have (a lot) of IWC Aquatimer influence, as well as a few other popular dive watches, but it really is a nice looking re-hash timepiece. The Hydrox will be in steel and 43mm wide. There will be a polished version and a PVD black version. Marcello C. does dive watches really nicely, so I am expecting good things out of this one.
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| “I Am Rich” App Shows Up For Windows Phone 7 At The Bargain Bin Price Of Just $499 Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:07 PM PST
Remember that ridiculous $1000 dollar iPhone application, I Am Rich? The one that did nothing but show a tacky static image of a red gem and some silly (and misspelled!) affirmation? It didn’t last very long on iOS (Apple removed it hours after it went up), but it looks like someone else is trying to see how the idea fairs on another platform: Windows Phone 7. Read the rest at MobileCrunch, where we’ll never charge you for our uselessness.
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| What I Want For Christmas: A 16:9 iPad Posted: 22 Dec 2010 05:00 PM PST
But given Apple’s continuing focus on media and inter-connectivity, and given that media’s increasing focus on the 16:9 aspect ratio, it really isn’t that much of a stretch. At least, it’s not a stretch to hope. Although let’s be honest, take a look at that picture there, it does look pretty strange. I mean, Apple already went widescreen with the iPhone and iPod touch, and their displays are 16:9 now too (though laptops are still 16:10). Why shouldn’t all their devices be like that? I’m guessing they’d want to keep it at very nearly the same screen size. So I did my rough calculations based on the idea of a theoretical 9.7″ 16:9 display. It would require a lengthening of the device by a small amount, about 3/4″ of an inch, and making it narrower by somewhat more than an inch. The resulting device would still be largely the same size and weight.
The benefits are easy to see: first, no big black bars when you watch movies and TV shows, both of which are increasingly in 16:9 instead of 4:3, 3:2, 2:1, and the other sundry aspect ratios in the business. Apple could also increase the resolution to 1280×720. That’s native HD, and a net increase in pixels. Easy to market, easy to differentiate, easy to sell. The existing 16:9 tablets are 1024×600 or even 848×480, and can only ape HD the way the current iPad can. Having a truly HD (though not so-called “true HD,” i.e. 1080p) tablet would be a huge benefit. Add better speakers (as the gap on the back is rumored to be) and you’ve got a device you can easily sell as a media powerhouse, as long as you have the processing chops to do HD playback. And can you say “secondary display”? I knew you could. The downsides are also obvious: lots of graphics and menus will have to be resized, or would be “letterboxed” in portrait mode. It’s also one more resolution to add to the once tightly-controlled iOS stable. And at the moment, part of the iPad’s draw is that it isn’t 16:9 like some other tablets. And it’s possible they already rejected this form factor as being too unwieldy at this size. The Galaxy Tab is svelte, but with only a 7″ screen that’s not really an apples-to-apples comparison. Anyway, this is all just a fantasy. But it’s only a fantasy until it’s a reality!
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| Will The Motorola Tablet Be Called The Xoom? Posted: 22 Dec 2010 02:16 PM PST
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| They Got Him! Children’s Cancer Ward Console Thief Apprehended Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:30 PM PST
Not only that, but the crime attracted the attention of do-gooders around the country, and the hospital has been gifted a ton of stuff from local shops and elsewhere. In fact, my own post (and I take no credit for this at all, especially since it was originally from HardOCP) got picked up by none other than Motley Crue’s Nikki Six, who talked it up on his radio show and helped bring it to the attention of some game companies. The result?
I think we can safely overlook the blatant plugging of the “Sixx Sense” show considering the good that has been done here. ‘Tis the season for promoting! Anyway, hope this makes the season a little warmer for you guys. One scumbag is behind bars, and a bunch of kids just had their holidays made. Thanks to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Nikki Sixx, Nintendo, Sony, Disney, Activision, EA, Microsoft, generous locals, and the internet. And if you still feel like helping out, remember that Child’s Play is still accepting donations for other hospitals in similar situations.
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| Review: 3M MP160 Pico Projector Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:00 PM PST
Pros:
Cons:
Full review: I’m a fan of the 3M series of pico projectors, it’s no secret. Their best asset is ease of use and a very short-throw image. And I’ve liked their bodies better than the competition from Microvision and Optoma for the most part. The new series sacrifices the compact size of the original series to accommodate a bigger bulb and battery. Is it worth it?
The original MPro120 was quite petite, but somewhat dim. The followup MPro150 had internal file support, but was somewhat bigger. Now we have this one, bigger than the rest, but with a much brighter image (the 180 will add file playback and a touchscreen). The size has increased from… well, 3M has a handy little chart to show you the exact measurements:
Most importantly, the MP160 feels much bulkier, and weighs twice as much. The tripod included is also bigger, giving the whole thing a larger footprint on your desk, coffee table, or whatever. It’s still much smaller than a regular projector, even the most compact ones, and it is still portable, just not so much as before. The image is quite decent. I feel that colors are less vibrant than on the Optomas, but the MP160 has the major advantage of having a shorter throw. With 30 lumens and only about three feet, I can create a very nice 40-inch image. You will need the tripod, and it can be frustrating getting everything just right and adjusting the focus, but that’s common to all pico projectors. Battery life is rated at two hours, which I’d say is about right. If you keep it plugged in, you should be able to watch a movie through it or play games for a while. you can always plug it in while you play. Note to international users: it comes with US, UK, EU, and Australian plug adapters.
Operation is dead simple, this version being a simple passthrough for the video input. There are no menus whatsoever, only volume up/down/mute, battery check button, and power. No brightness adjustment or aspect ratio adjustment, which seem like they’d be no-brainers. 3M opted for the ultra-simple approach, which I can appreciate, but a huge amount of content these days is 16:9 or thereabouts, even pictures and presentations. Conclusion
The MP160 is much more effective than its predecessors (and the competition) due to its superior battery life, short throw, and bright image. However, it’s also, as you can see above (next to the petite ShowWX+), big enough that you might consider moving into stationary projector territory with something compact yet full-featured like the Joybee GP1. And for the record, I don’t see much reason to wait for the MP180, since it will cost significantly more and these things don’t have very good format support. The MP160 is still a good option for those who want a compact way of throwing their show or game up on a bedroom wall (unless you like 16:9), and of course the more projectors 3M puts out, the cheaper the perfectly good old models get!       
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| 2011′s Top 10 Most Anticipated Gear Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:00 PM PST
Who’s ready for 2010 to expire? Man, we are. It’s not that 2010 was a bad year or anything, but it was all iPad-this, iPhone-that with a bit of Android news bits scattered here and there. With the products in the following list lined up for release, 2011 is set to be a much more balanced year. Of course Apple will still be a major part of the news cycle, but everyone from Nintendo to HP to even start-up companies like Notion Ink should be able to enjoy a fair share of the spotlight too.
Backstory: Nintendo randomly announced a 3D version of the Game Boy last March. The announcement really came out of nowhere. Nintendo, “Hey, yo. We’re working on a 3D version of the DS. BYE!” But then E3 rolled around where the 3DS made its official debut and we went hands-on. Neither announcement mentioned a price or release date though, which has caused the industry to speculate wildly. Finally Nintendo announced that while a 2010 launch was originally planned, the 3DS will hit Japan on February 26 with the US and European launch in March. Hot in ’11: 3D is fun, but the current implementation with glasses and whatnot kills the appeal. The 3DS does not require glasses and it’s really 3D. Hollywood might be bumbling around with the tech, but the Nintendo 3DS could kick it mainstream. The system is going to be pricey with a sticker around $300, but this is no Virtual Boy. It’s the real deal and something you’re going to have to peep at Best Buy to believe just how good the games look in 3D. iPad 2Backstory: Steve Jobs sat down in a comfy leather chair on the stage of San Francisco’s Moscone Center and effortlessly launched the iPad. It’s now one of the fastest selling gadgets in history with over 3 million sold in the first three months of its life alone. Some estimates put the iPad on top of the entire tablet scene with a whooping 95% marketshare. But it’s not perfect. Ports are missing, there’s no camera, the 4:3 aspect ratio is no good for movies, etc. That’s where the iPad 2 comes in. Hot in ’11: Apple could simply morph the current iPad into a different size and it will still break all sales records. But here’s hoping the company listened to the criticism of the original iPad and worked in some of the suggestions. Early leaks seem to indicate that it will at least have a camera, which only makes sense with Apple’s recent Facetime virtual product strategy. A lower price would be nice as well even if it means a smaller screen size.
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| Enhanced Vision System For Soldiers Being Investigated Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:00 PM PST
While many of our current troops are outfitted with some serious visual enhancement gear, the Defense Department is looking into taking this tech to the next level. The SCENICC research project is a bit of a pie-in-the-sky effort right now, but like the prudent archer, DARPA is aiming high in order to hit a target on a lower level. SCENICC calls for a full-3D virtualization of the entire battlefield, navigable by each soldier and provided with enhanced imagery so they can detect distant muzzle flashes, lock their weapons onto targets, and other stuff that isn’t even remotely possible right now. Oh, and did I mention that the whole system needs to weigh like a pound and a half?
Actually, it’s increasingly possible that this information could be held at a distant datacenter and be crunched by supercomputers there, like OnLive or Netflix. All the soldiers would need would be video on demand and some basic low-bandwidth data like telemetry. Will our doughboys be cyborgs in 2020? No, but they’ll be far better-equipped because we tried to make them cyborgs. There’s lots more information over at Danger Room.
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| Did The Xbox 360 *Really* Usher In The Era Of HD Gaming? Posted: 22 Dec 2010 11:30 AM PST It’s the end of the year, and that means many publications are rolling out their annual "best of" list. I don’t know if *we’re* doing anything along those lines, but I *do* have a bone to pick with 1UP. They’ve a delightful little list of 10 things the Xbox 360 did to change gaming forever. You already know most of the list before reading it: Achievement Points, Microsoft Points (1UP calls them "convenient" to use across Microsoft’s various services, as if dollars can’t be used in exchange for goods and services…), Kinect, and general entertainment use (things like Netflix streaming). But the one thing that has my dander up? That the Xbox 360 ushered in an era of HD gaming. Ha! The phrasing of the entry is most troublesome:
I’d like to know on what planet Halo runs at "stunning" 1920×1080. Is it Reach? It’s certainly not Planet Earth, that’s for sure. A quick look at this list reveals the resolutions of the many Xbox 360 (and PS3) games that have been released over its five-year run. Halo 3 runs at 1152×640 (my three-year-old laptop has a higher resolution than that) and Halo: Reach runs at 1152×720. Note that Halo 3 has no anti-aliasing to speak of, while Reach adds 2x temporal AA. Going through the list I found exactly four games that run at 1920×1080: Fifa Street 3, NBA Street Home Court (the demo!), Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, and Virtua Fighter 3. Hardly what I’d consider the "HD era" of gaming. Look at this screenshot of Dragon Age II and try to tell me we’re living in the "HD era" of gaming (here’s the full-res version):
I rest my case.
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| Fly Or Die: The Nexus S, Barbie Video Girl, And AR.Drone (TCTV) Posted: 22 Dec 2010 11:01 AM PST  It's video time, folks. Here is the latest episode of one of our newest TCTV shows, Fly or Die. (For those of you paying attention, before it was called Death/Star for the pilot, but we changed it to make the name clearer). Fly or Die is a review show where Crunchgear editor John Biggs and I take on three new products and argue which ones will become huge hits or mark them for death. The twist is that an executive from one of the companies is watching the show and appears as a surprise guest. John and I don't know who the guest will be until the end. In this week's episode, we talk about the prospects for the Samsung's Nexus S Android phone, the Barbie Video Girl, and the AR.Drone remote controlled flying toy. The Nexus S is the latest Android phone (read our full review). I've been playing with a loaner for a few days, and it is definitely the best Android phone out there today. As you'd expect, the Google apps look great on the phone, especially the new Google Maps for Android with the 3D buildings. In general, it seems faster than an iPhone just in terms of the responsiveness of the apps and browser load times, and the apps are getting better. But the iPhone still beats Android hands down in the overall quality of its apps. Still, I would seriously consider getting a Nexus S. Biggs feels differently.
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| Activision Adds EA To Its $400 Million Infinity Ward Lawsuit Posted: 22 Dec 2010 09:45 AM PST
Tis the season to be suing the pants off your nearest rivals. Activision’s lawsuit against former Infinity Ward gents Jason West and Vince Zampella has expanded to include—you guessed it!—EA. Activision claims that EA "set out to destabilize, disrupt and to attempt to destroy Infinity Ward." Ooh! West and Zampella left Infinity Ward earlier this year, and have since formed a company called Respawn Entertainment, which will create games for EA. Oh: the lawsuit against EA is worth a cool $400 million. Why innovate (or even iterate) when you can litigate? Activision has essentially accused EA of sabotaging the inner workings of Infinity Ward, thereby costing Kotick & Co. many dollars of revenue. (That’s somewhat difficult to believe, given the success of Call of Duty: Black Ops.) Hopefully Activision is as tenacious in ensuring the next 800 editions of Call of Duty are as appealing to people as the previous 300. We all saw what happened to the music games genera: releasing too many, too quickly turned people off (even if the games aren’t too bad). Part of Activision’s case is a series of e-mails that would *seem* to suggest that EA had courted West and Zampella, with one such e-mail saying: "JR cooks a mean BBQ. I think we could accomplish some interesting chaos." "JR" refers to John Riccitiello, EA’s CEO. "Interesting chaos" refers to… I have no idea, but it certainly doesn’t look good. Incidentally, you can find all the old Doom games on sale on Steam right now. They’re just as much fun as all these new-fangled Call of Duty games, and they’re much cheaper.
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| 12 Days Of Christmas: Sony Bloggie Touch Giveaway Posted: 22 Dec 2010 09:16 AM PST
The Sony Bloggie camera is for taking pictures and videos with. It is my understanding that some people would be particularly interested in this hardware and so we are pleased to offer two of these items to two of our readers. Does that sound nice? Sure it does. All you need to do is leave a comment below linking or describing your most memorable holiday photo. For example:
Two winners will be chosen randomly and awarded the following prize: Two Sony Bloggie Touch Cameras Official rules:
Be sure to use your real e-mail address! It will not be shared with anyone, period. It's just for this contest. Keep your eyes out for more giveaways over the next week and don't forget about our big Santa item: a gaming rig valued at nearly $2,300. This contest runs through Christmas Eve!
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| The Handstand: An iPad Case… For Your Hand! Posted: 22 Dec 2010 08:37 AM PST
This patent pending device offers a more ergonomic way to hold your iPad and encourages proper posture, tapping, and Rolfing positions. Why would someone use this? Probably because they were a doctor or something and needed to make rounds. Otherwise, this is kind of a hindrance to normal existence, especially considering the iPad is strapped down pretty hard to your hand. It’s not uncomfortable by any stretch, but it’s pretty hard to yank off if you need to get at your sidearm or katana. For $60 this is a pretty pricey single-use item and I wouldn’t recommend it as an “around the home” device. However, if you’re using the iPad for any inordinate length of time on a daily basis, it’s worth a look. Music by Polka Madre, Gitanas Mojadas.
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| EA: In-Game Ads Not As Fruitful As Micro-Transactions Posted: 22 Dec 2010 08:35 AM PST
It seems like it was only *the day before today* when in-game ads were all the rage. I even remember candidate Obama taking out campaign ads in one of those racing games. Those days may be coming to an end, with EA saying that micro-transactions, and not in-game ads, are the *true* source of additional revenue for publishers. That’s good news and bad news. It’s good news for those of you who *hate* to see in-game ads, but it’s bad news for those of you who *equally hate* having to pay 75 cents every time you cast a spell in an MMO, or shoot off a round of ammunition in an FPS. Part of this is due to the rise of "social" games, including all those Facebook games put out by Zynga. Those guys have made giant sacks of money as a result of micro-transactions, whereas EA "actually [isn't] getting much from ad revenue at all." So says Ben Cousins, the general manager of the free-to-play Battlefield: Play4Free, which is now in private beta. The only way to fully take advantage of in-game advertising is to deeply integrate it with the game, like EA did with Battlefield Heroes. There was some deal with Dr. Pepper that would get you exclusive in-game items provided you supplied one of those codes printed on the bottle. That type of thing would seem to have a future, but merely plastering virtual billboards with ads for The Gap or Wonder Bread doesn’t work as well as publishers may have once thought.
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| Net Neutrality Opponents In Congress (Including Those Funded By AT&T) Promise Repeal Fight Posted: 22 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST
Barely one day after the FCC passed a form of Net Neutrality, pleasing no one in the process, opponents have already committed themselves to repealing the "hostile takeover." Sen. Jim DeMint, from South Carolina, has come out against the new rules, saying that "unelected bureaucrats rammed through an Internet takeover." I suppose we should ignore the fact that AT&T, no friend of Net Neutrality, has been his third biggest campaign contributor over the past five years. But that’s just a coincidence. DeMint goes on.
He’s so dedicated to this cause that he’s decided to refer to the FCC as the "Fabricating a Crisis Commission." Well played, Senator. To his credit, DeMint may have a point buried underneath all that silly rhetoric, and it has to down with how the FCC enacted Net Neutrality in the first place. The New York University School of Law’s Institute for Policy Integrity bemoaned [PDF] the fact that the FCC passed Net Neutrality not by "[invoking] it more robust regulating powers," but that it "based the new rule on legal authority that was called into serious doubt by court decision earlier this year making the long term prospects for the rule quite poor." If there’s to be a proper legal challenge to this form of Net Neutrality—and that might not be such a bad thing, given how flimsy the new rules are—it’s to come from that angle, that the FCC didn’t have the authority to pass any sort of Net Neutrality in the first place. This is what happens when you try to please everyone.
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| Biblio Leaf: Japan’s KDDI Specs, Prices And Rolls Out Its Kindle Competitor Posted: 22 Dec 2010 07:01 AM PST
Here are the final specs:
KDDI plans to start selling the Biblio Leaf, which is being manufactured by Taiwanese firm Hon Hai Precision Industry, this Saturday in selected cities in Japan. The company says the device itself will be priced at $180 and that users will need to pay a $6.30 monthly fee to download books via its 3G network.
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| Video: TalkTorque 2 Robot Will Be A Master In Non-Verbal Communication Posted: 22 Dec 2010 06:22 AM PST
A team of researchers at Japan’s Tsukuba University is working on a robot that’s supposed to improve the interaction between man and machine in the future. The aim is to make the so-called “TalkTorque 2″ [JP] a master in non-verbal communication with humans – even though it looks a little creepy. TalkTorque 2 is supposed to serve as a guide in museums and other places by moving certain parts of his body like a human, namely his head, arms and waist.
The robot is equipped with a laser range finder and a total of 3 cameras (pictured above) through which he’s able to identify returning visitors. This video shows the former model, TalkTorque, performing gesture tests: Via Plastic Pals
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That’s a lawyer underneath all that armor
Filter applied because the original photo came out blurry. Sorry.
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