Posts Tagged ‘equip’

Shooting Challenge: Inappropriate Holiday Browsing [Shooting Challenge]

December 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

You’re home for the holidays, and once again, friends and family are thwarting your opportunities to browse the internet. So we’d like Giz readers to fight back, reclaim the holiday in digital protest and capture the moment while doing so.

This week’s Shooting Challenge? Inappropriate Holiday Browsing.

For inspiration, look at the results of our last inappropriate browsing contest (warning, some NSFW images). The shot need not include Gizmodo, but someone should be , ruining the holiday cheer.

The rules:

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the “challenge” part.)
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com.
5. Include 800px image AND something wallpaper sized in email.

Send your best entries by Sunday at 6PM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with “Inappropriate Holiday Browsing” in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs at 800 pixels wide, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email.




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Report: Handhelds grab larger share of hotspot traffic

December 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

Hotspot usage by handheld devices is growing fast, thanks to the increasing popularity of products equipped with Wi-Fi, according to In-Stat.

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The Future of Vehicle Apps Are—You Guessed It—on the iPhone [IPhone]

December 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

Thirty minutes north of the city, Jason Chen is waiting for us to meet him for ramen. We’re late. Brian’s at the wheel of his late-model Audi station wagon, turning the control knob from letter to letter, dutifully twisting-and-clicking the name of the noodle shop. In the passenger seat, I’ve already got the address and driving directions up on my .

Welcome to the future of connected cars.

How our cars talk to the internet—and how we talk to our cars—continues to evolve. And it’s about to get a lot better. Ford is putting a Wi-Fi router inside next year’s Sync-equipped vehicles that will rebroadcast any card’s connection. Audi is experimenting with fingertip touch inputs. BMW is already trying to figure out how to put a “monster” antenna on their cars to the faster next-generation LTE wireless standard “without putting this ugly lump on our cars.”

But it’s the little ol’ , with its versatile, optional, liability-shifting bundle of that may making the biggest difference in how we use the internet in our cars in the coming years.

Getting

Drive off the lot today in a new Sync-equipped Ford, pair your Bluetooth phone, and you’ve got a data connection to the internet—sort of.

Sync uses technology from a company called Airbiquity. Their service sends data over the voice connection of your phone—not a data plan or SMS—using tech similar to an old-school analog modem. It’s rather slick, as hacks go, allowing Sync-connected cars to get data anywhere there is cellphone coverage, even if there isn’t data service offered by the carrier.

But I can’t seem to track down the raw speed of an Airbiquity connection—and given both the nature of the technology as well as the amount of data a current Sync system displays (sports scores, stock prices, simple phone number lookups)—I can’t imagine its throughput compares to a modern service. It’s a robust platform for basic connectivity, but it’s not Real Internet.

The new Sync fixes that—or will as soon as Ford starts taking advantage of the higher-speed connections. Jason Johnson, an engineer at Ford who helped develop in the in-car Wi-Fi system, was cagey when I asked him when we could expect Sync to piggyback on a internet connection from a third-party stick, saying only that “it broadens the horizons for applications in the future.” So strangely, while the new Sync will help you get other devices in the car , it won’t be using that connection for its own data, nor use its Wi-Fi router to talk to, say, your home network. Yet.

Upscale automakers have been taking a different tack, offering optional connectivity packages like Autonet Mobile, or, as BMW has offered since 2007, build in connectivity at the factory.

Like a laptop with a built-in modem, however, these cars suffer from a distinct lack of modularity. Want to upgrade when LTE starts to come next year? Better buy a new car.

And worse, the integrated systems, even though they’re connecting to the same wireless internet as every other device, are severely restricted. The $200-a-year BMW Search service can bring down Google Maps, local fuel prices and grades, even weather forecasts—using a “major GSM provider” in the United States which, although BMW would not confirm, is probably AT&T—but there’s nary a web browser to be found.

Danger Ahead

“Texting while driving won’t seem like a big deal,” laughs BMW’s Fran Dance, “when people are YouTubing while driving.” Dance (no relation) handles telematics for BMW in North America, so he’s been thinking a lot about not just how drivers will use the internet in their cars, but how they shouldn’t.

“We can’t be searching eBay for my favorite Afghan scarf,” says Dance. “I really shouldn’t be googling too much stuff or reading too much text. BMW recognizes that the driver is still the most important person in the car.”

BMW has been doing car computers for years—the new ones are even, by all reports, good. But it took several years for BMW to balance the utility, convenience, and safety factors in their iDrive system.

We’ll continue to see development in this area, with bigger screens, faster, more accurate voice control (something on which Sync heavily relies), even biometric measurements like Toyota’s eye monitoring system.

, , . Also: . Consider the App.

But what will our car computers be controlling? More and more, it’s looking like iPhones.

For certain, a limited amount of sanctioned applications will be coming from manufacturers to run directly on a car’s computer. Ford has let owners add 911 Assist and Vehicle Health Report apps to existing Sync systems by copying them over on USB keys. BMW is exploring the idea of map updates that would allow drivers to turn on audio tours of historic places, matching up museum-style guidebooks triggered by GPS location.

“We would be very foolish to create our own version of Pandora or Rhapsody,” says Dance. Better to let Pandora build their own BMW client, for instance, which BMW can then vet, sanction, and install.

Or at least that’s what I thought Dance meant, until he explained: “You can listen to Pandora in your BMW today on your .” Well sure. I can listen to Pandora in any car that has an auxiliary input. But BMW is working with companies—including —to allow their applications to interface with a car’s iDrive system. Pandora might be running on an or BlackBerry, but when plugged into the docking station of the BMW, it could be controlled with all of the car’s integrated buttons and doodads.

Ford is taking it a step further, going as far funding the creation of iPhone apps, that mesh with the in-car Sync system. Next year, Ford will open up the Sync API to other developers, making it possible for third-parties to write applications like “FollowMe”, an + Sync app which allows “friends to follow a lead vehicle to a location without the need to physically follow each other, thanks to GPS turn-by-turn directions transmitted from the leader to the followers and read aloud to the drivers.”

BMW is taking a hybrid route with its Mini brand. The Mini “Connected Buddy” concept, slurping up music data from a connected and then building its own “Genius”-style visual map of artists. [Pictured above.] There’s the requisite and Facebook . But most of the work is being done by the , not the car. The screen and controls in the Mini become an extension of the .

on Phones Protects from Lawsuits

In a large portion of the United States, it’s illegal to have a television in your car that the driver can see, a regulation that was put in place long before smartphones and GPS units were even dreamed up. There are considerable liability issues an auto manufacturer has to consider if one were to, say, let you run Firefox in your dashboard.

But by tacitly pushing in-car application development to smartphones—even if those smartphones might so happen to be connected to the car—it puts the liability back in the driver’s hands.

There’s little danger of smartphone literally crashing the car, either. Sync talks to the same telemetric and diagnostic system that the car’s other computers do, for instance, albeit in a one-way polling. It can ask for data, but it can’t, say, reprogram the valve timing to allow for greater fuel economy or allow your Focus to run on water even though we all know that’s totally possible. More conservative companies like Toyota don’t even wire the entertainment system into the same telemetric and sensor packages as the car-control computers.

The Easy Way Out

Despite what you might think, I didn’t expect the to play a big part in this story when I first started looking into it. As a music , sure. Perhaps even eventually as a data option for more modest cars without built-in connectivity.

But using the power of smartphones is clearly where the attention is focused in the connected car industry right now—and I don’t think it’s such a bad thing. The pace of innovation will be faster for developers if our cars become giant peripherals for our phones, bristling with sensors and data, than if we waited for every manufacturer to make their own monolithic platform. (And while the is certainly getting the most attention, I have no doubt that BlackBerry and Android phones will get all the attention they deserve if they keep doing well.)

I mean, Sync is built on Windows CE, which may not be the dog in the embedded space it has become on mobile phones, but is still, you know, Windows CE. Jason Johnson was quick to underline how Ford has a healthy relationship with Microsoft (of course) but also how much of the Sync system was engineered on top of Windows CE by Ford.

Yet if Ford does what they’re planning to do, that Sync runs on top of CE won’t even matter. As long as it plays nice with phones and sends them all the information their need, everyone will be happy. And better yet, the cars’ capability will be upgraded along with the phones’.

In a couple of years, I won’t even have to read the turn-by-turn directions to Brian aloud, because his car will already know exactly what my knows.

Photo compliments of Mr. Tom Arthur.

Wondering what the future of in your car might look like? Jalopnik’s own Matt Hardigree imagines what the first 20 apps you download to your car might be.




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The Best Alternatives to Every Apple Product [Apple]

December 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

makes some of the most specialized mainstream devices around, but the gear is never very cheap and, let’s face it, it stinks for any one company to own your wallet. So here are the best alternatives for each iProduct:

(If you’d like to see this post in non-gallery form, just click here.)

($199) -> Motorola Droid ($199)
When the was released, it was a generation, at least, beyond the entire smartphone market. Now, many manufacturers have worked hard to catch up. And while the is still my personal favorite, I understand wanting a phone on the Verizon network rather than AT&T. Besides, the Droid hardware is fantastic, and its software, Android 2.0, feels far more like a full-featured OS than the original. Just as we said in our full review, “It’s this simple: If you don’t buy an , buy a Droid.”

What you gain:
• Physical keyboard
• Fewer dropped calls
• Memory slot expansion

What you lose:
• integration
• Decent built-in media

iPod Touch ($199, 8GB) -> Zune HD ($219, 16GB)
I know, I know. Why buy a Zune? If you’re heavily invested in albums, the answer is, no reason. But for those who are willing to break from the music infrastructure, the Zune HD is actually an awesome PMP. The aluminum case is very sharp, with an OLED screen that’s richer than any iPod (though slightly worse in the sun). The Zune software, coupled with optional unlimited download subscription packages, is every bit as hip and convenient as Cover Flow and , provided you run Windows. Oh, also, you don’t need to drop $300 to get a decent amount of storage and you get HD TV-Out and a not-so-bad TV interface to boot. So when you’re sick of the little screen, you can go as big as you’d like.

What you gain:
• 8GB more storage (base model)
• HD Radio
• Unlimited music subscription with free MP3s
• HD TV-Out and an on-screen TV interface

What you lose:
• integration
• About a billion

iPod Nano ($180, 16GB) -> Flip Ultra HD ($150)
The obvious contender to the iPod Nano used to be the Zune 16. But now? You can’t even get that model of Zune. And with a built-in camcorder, be it a bit on the crappy side, the Nano truly is a unique contender in its space. However, I ask you this: Don’t you already have an MP3 ? Seriously, it’s not possible that you don’t. OK then, just buy the Flip Ultra HD, the best bang for your buck pocket camcorder on the market. And use your old iPod because it probably still works fine.

What you gain:
• HD video

What you lose:
• I mean, it’s not an iPod, or any kind of media , obviously

iPod Shuffle ($80, 4GB) -> Sansa Clip+ ($70, 8GB)
The new Shuffle is basically nonexistent, a device that, while remarkable in terms of minimalist design, may be a tad difficult to wield when you just want to play that one song you want to hear. Enter the Sansa Clip+, an chunky but still tiny MP3 lauded by audiophiles (if such a thing is possible) that supports up to 16GB of MicroSD expansion. Save even more money by buying the 2GB version (just $40) and sticking in a spare MicroSD. And as we said in our review, the Clip+ is “the best low-end mp3 on the market, without question.”

What you gain:
• Sound quality
• MicroSD expansion
• An actual screen
• Voice recorder
• The freedom to choose any headphones

What you lose:
•
• Trash-talking Voice Over function

TV ($229, 160GB) -> Asus O!Play ($99)
No matter what direction you go, you’re pretty much always better off not buying an TV. It’s basically a closed box that hates supporting not only external codecs but external drives, too, and you can forget about navigating to files on your own network—even ones stored on your precious Time Capsule. The $99 Asus O!Play is our favorite budget way to play media in any codec under the sun, from files on a Mac or PC formatted drive or streamed from pretty much any NAS drive. As for watching movies on demand, chances are, your cable box already does that. Need more options? The LG BD390 is an excellent Wi-Fi-equipped Blu-ray with Netflix and Vudu video, and DivX . And heck, I’d even recommend the $199 Xbox 360 as a Netflix/DivX machine with Windows Media Center Extender capabilities. Basically, you can’t go wrong here. Everything is better than TV, unless you have a library full of purchased music and movies, and if you do, you probably have TV already, so go enjoy it.

What you gain:
• Mega codec
• Ability to stream your video files from computers and NAS drives
• Cash in your pocket

What you lose:
• The video ball and chain

MacBook ($999) -> Dell Studio 14z ($750)
As Mark Spoonauer said in our best Windows laptop roundup, “Think of it as the poor man’s MacBook-with better specs.” No, the Dell Studio 14z doesn’t run OS X, but the Core 2 Duo laptop weighs .3lbs lighter than a MacBook while offering 1GB more RAM (base), 70GB more storage, a backlit keyboard and nicer built-in speakers.

What you gain:
• More storage
• More RAM
• Backlit keyboard
• Less weight

What you lose:
• OS X
• Optical drive
• Flash card reader

MacBook Pro ($1200) -> HP Envy ($1700)
I’m not sure anyone should actually choose the 13-inch Envy (full review) over the 13-inch MacBook Pro (full review), but the Envy is the closest knock-off on the market. For the $500 Envy premium, you do shed .8lbs off the MacBook Pro, coming in at just 3.7lbs (which is crazy-light for a laptop of this size). And you’ll score an extra GB of RAM along with a more powerful, discrete Radeon HD 4330 graphics. But we’re still talking about $500 extra for a computer that, ultimately, doesn’t feel as solid as a unibody Mac. Plus, if you really want to run Win 7, that plays just fine on the MBP, too. As for the MBP 15, there’s really no ideal alternative. And if you were considering the 15-inch Envy, think again.

What you gain:
• More overall power
• Less weight
• Prettier screen

What you lose:
• OS X
• Optical drive
• Frame rigidity

iMac ($1200, 21.5-inch) -> HP TouchSmart 600 ($1,050, 23-inch)
The latest iMac (full review) is a beautiful machine, no doubt. But there are alternatives to this famed all-in-one. Our favorite is the HP TouchSmart 600 (full review), which is sort of the souped-up Civic to ’s classic Porsche. Both will do a quarter mile in the same —with Core 2 Duo processors—but the TouchSmart has the shiny detailing and LED underlighting of a street racer, while sprucing up the package with a decent display coupled with special , Facebook and even recipe box designed for the system. Especially as a kitchen computer, the HP TouchSmart is a valid alternative to the iMac.

What you gain:
• Larger, touchscreen
• Glitzy accents with customizable LED underlighting
• Clever
• HDMI input for home theater fun

What you lose:
• OS X
• Understated design

MacBook Air ($1500) -> Dell Adamo XPS ($2000)
There’s only one laptop on the market that can confidently purge alongside the MacBook Air, and that’s the Dell Adamo XPS. While the price premium seems absurd at first, keep in mind that the Adamo XPS, at about half the thickness of the Air, is loaded with a 128GB flash drive and 4GB of RAM stock (while the MacBook Air will run $1800 in a similar SSD configuration and maxed at 2GB of RAM). If you’re considering an Air, you want a computer that says “I’m good at spending money.” And the Adamo XPS will most certainly fulfill that need.

What you gain:
• 1 USB port
• Ethernet jack
• 2GB of RAM
• A clasp that opens from the heat of your finger

What you lose:
• OS X
• About $500

Mac Mini ($600) -> Acer AspireRevo R6310 ($330)
If I had the choice between a Mac Mini (full review) and the AspireRevo R6310—spending someone else’s money—I would still choose the Revo for its HTPC prowess. The Mac Mini has always been a promising system falling just short of its potential in terms of both price and performance. Meanwhile, the absurdly cheap Revo, equipped with Ion tech that’s more than happy to handle 1080p video outputted to your TV through HDMI (as opposed to ’s need for funky wiring and/or hard-to-find specialized adapters), is kind enough to include 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, HDMI, eSATA, VGA, 6 USB ports, card reader, wireless-N and a wireless keyboard and mouse for roughly half the price of a Mini. The only thing the Revo isn’t optimal for is browsing Flash pages, that is, until we finally see an that makes Ions and Flash play well together.

What you gain:
• HDMI out
• 1 USB port
• eSATA port
• Wireless keyboard and mouse
• Like $300

What you lose:
• OS X
• FireWire

Capsule (1TB, $299) -> D-Link DIR-685 (Expandable, $215)
The convenience of a Capsule, a combination wireless router and NAS, is tough to beat because it’s so unique. But I wouldn’t call the task impossible. The D-Link DIR-685 (full review) is a wireless-N router with a range that’s competitive with ’s own AirPort Extreme. You choose your storage capacity by sticking in your own 2.5-inch drive. Oh, plus it’s a photo frame, BitTorrent downloader, server, FTP server, network file sharing with user management and even a UPnP streamer to video players. The only thing it isn’t? Machine compliant. I know, I know. If you’re willing to part with the built-in router, however, then another excellent choice is the Iomega Ix2-200 NAS (full review)—and that is Machine capable.

What you gain:
• Swappable storage
• Tons of advanced networking features
• BitTorrent downloading
• Media flexibility
• Digital photo frame

What you lose:
• Machine (if this is a problem, check out Iomega’s alternative)

Mac Pro ($2,500) -> Hackintosh (far less $$$)
There is one reason you want to buy a Mac Pro, and that’s for OS X. So I’m not going to waste by pretending there’s any suitable alternative by someone like Dell or HP. Your best bet is to build a Hackintosh, a custom PC with a bootlegged OS X. Just keep in mind, you won’t be able to build this system like any old Windows PC—you’ll need to follow a guide with pretested hardware to construct something you can be sure will work. Luckily, such a guide is available, built by our friends from Lifehacker (see it here).

What you gain:
• Literally, thousands of dollars
• Gaudy case mods

What you lose:
• Peace of mind (there’s always the slight chance of Hackintosh deactivation)
• Easy component upgrades




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Bento (1.0.4)

December 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

Bento (1.0.4)
FileMaker, Inc.
Category: Productivity
Price: $4.99
: papechinois

Application :
It’s never been easier to organize all the details of your busy life – in one application!


Meet Bento® for and iPod , the portable version of the wildly popular personal database from FileMaker® that’s as easy to use as your ! Manage contacts and club members, coordinate projects and parties – even track vet bills and vehicle maintenance in one, easy-to-use application.


REVIEWS:

“How good is the version of Bento? I’d love to see it bundled with every sold.” – TUAW

“Bento for the and iPod is an amazing, versatile, and powerful application, making it possible for you to create databases and manage a variety of information, all from your mobile device.” Awarded 4.5 Mice out of 5. – MacWorld

“Best App for Personal Databases” – Best – O’Reilly

“…definitely one of the better organizational tools available for any market today” – TouchMyApps

“Bento for /iPod : one of my ‘must-have’ .” -iPod Observer


TOP FEATURES:


- Comes with 25 ready-to-use database templates that can be easily customized for whatever you need to organize.

- Supports a variety of field types so you can store text, numbers, dates, times, durations, pictures, sounds, video clips, pop-up choices, check boxes, prices, rates, addresses, phone numbers, ratings, web sites, email addresses, instant messaging accounts, and more.

- Includes -style searching and instant sorting to help you find things fast.

- Integrates with other so you can simply tap on a Bento field to call a contact, view a web site, send an email or display a map.

- Works as a standalone application or can be synchronized with Bento 2.0v5 for Mac or Bento 3 for Mac desktop software (sold separately). Existing Bento users can upgrade to Bento 3 for Mac at www.filemaker.com/products/bento/features.html


INCLUDES PRE-DESIGNED TEMPLATES:


Classes, Contacts, Customers, Diet Log, Digital Media, Donations, Equipment, Events, Event Planning, Exercise Log, Expenses, Files, Home Inventory, Inventory, Issue Tracking, Items Sold, Membership List, Notes, Products, Projects, Recipes, Student List, To-do List, Billing, and Vehicle Maintenance.


PLEASE NOTE:


* Some field types require Bento 2.0v5 for Mac or Bento 3 for Mac desktop software.

* Events and tasks from iCal are not accessible in Bento for and iPod as the OS does not allow , other than iCal, to access this information.

* Bento for and iPod may not large databases created in Bento for Mac due to mobile device memory limitations. Please see details at: http://www.filemaker.com/bikb.

* Synchronization with Bento 2.0v5 for Mac or Bento 3 for Mac desktop software requires a Wi-Fi wireless connection.


If you have any questions, please post a message in the lively Bento forum for quick answers, tips, and tricks at: http://forums.filemaker.com/fmbnto

New in this Version:
- Resolves issues related to performance, record counts, passcodes, and synchronization of media fields.

- You must also download Bento 3.0.2 for Mac to fully resolve the media field synchronization issue by choosing Check for Updates from the Bento menu in Bento 3 for Mac.

Full info on Appulous

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The Ray Guns of War: I Fought In a Laser Tag Nerd Platoon [Laser Tag]

December 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »

Crouched behind a thin eucalyptus tree on a crisp Saturday morning, I peer through my gun sight. I spot someone running through the woods. I aim for his head. And fire. The robotic voice in my gun says “CASUALTY”.

My quarry stops and looks around confused, but makes no effort to take cover. So I resume firing until my gun yells “Arrrrrrgh!”, signifying a kill shot. The LED lights on my opponent’s head flash red and he raises his gun into the air. This little tree is proving to be the perfect spot for ambushing attackers. I maybe kind of like pretending to kill people.

——————

Today is BattleSFO, a day-long laser tag capture-the-flag tournament. The field of conflict is a hilly eucalyptus grove in San Bruno, CA, 45 minutes south of San Francisco, in Juniperro State Park. There are about 30 people here broken up into platoons of 5 to 7. Each is dressed to the nines in varieties of camouflage, some with black war paint under their eyes. They’re not quite as geeky as I had expected them to be. Then again, this isn’t exactly the kind of laser tag everyone played as kids. The gear is bigger and badder, even if the players are not.

Almost the entire crowd of mostly men has never played laser tag outdoors before. For the most part they’re very friendly, though a little shy when I ask them about themselves. One team is made up of four guys who went to college together — an electrical engineer, a carpenter, and an options trader. Another team makes up a local rock band (they seem more interested in drinking beer and running around the woods in battle gear then actually playing to win.) Then there’s a group of three middle-aged Asian gentlemen and one of their sons who get together regularly and compete. They found the game on Meetup.com. Raymond Wan, who convinced the others to join him in the woods, explains that normally they play paintball. “The weapons and radio communication make a big difference,” he says. “I’m a strategy person. This is more fun.”

But among the beginners are some veterans of ray gun war.

The general of these mini-gorilla-armies today is Ziggy Tomcich. Earlier in the morning Tomcich performed his duties as the event’s organizer, scurrying around the picnic table area, AKA central command. He’s sort of a goofy guy, but his excitement was palpable and I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit in anticipation of getting my hands on these fake guns and peering down the sight at some unknowing adversary. As I watched Tomcich untangle headsets, distribute color-coded headbands, and make sure everyone was checking in correctly it was clear that, though his day job is as an audio engineer for the San Francisco Opera, playing laser tag is his true passion in life.

Tomcich has been playing the game since he was a teenager. Running around the Photon indoor arena in Baltimore at 15, Tomcich got hooked. After graduating college he took a job as a designer, marketer, and consultant for several arenas around the country. Then, in 2006, Tomcich took laser tag to the next level. Playing in Armageddon in the UK and Sweden, where players compete in 3-4 day tournaments, Tomcich played outdoor laser tag for the first . When he returned to San Francisco, Tomcich realized that the city lacked the kind of gaming he really loved. Being outdoors and playing laser tag was something, he felt, everyone should do.

“To me, laser tag is an extreme sport,” he says. For him, part of the fun and the reason why he started his event website SFLastag.org, is the idea that the game is simple to play and creates a highly social environment. “Unlike most other sports, first- players in outdoor laser tag can do quite well against seasoned players. It’s more about strategy and tactics.”

Before the first battle “Cypher,” aka Todd Robinson, who co-owns SpecOps Live Play, a central California company that provided the artillery, gave everyone a rundown of their equipment. SpecOps imports their guns from an Australian company called Battlefield Sports, essentially an arms dealer that deals in toys. The company custom builds 10 different models of gaming weapons from sniper rifles to sub machine guns – all equipped with real-world laser sights, speakers for feedback, and sensors to keep track of game stats. Guns can emulate any of 69 models down to recoil, and fire and reload rates and muzzle flashes (LEDs, essentially). SpecOps has brought M4 assault rifles, sub machine guns, carbine rifles, and sniper rifles.

During Robinson’s speech, Tomcich chimed in: “Do not aim your gun at non-laser tag players. These guns don’t exactly look like Hasbro.” For this game every weapon has 99 clips of 50 rounds. Those with smaller guns reload in about 5 seconds, the bigger ones about 7-10 seconds, so Robinson recommended taking cover while reloading. “The ‘bullets’ will bounce off of pavement,” he says. For this game they’ve disabled friendly fire. But when they hit the laser targets velcro’d to heads that belong to enemies, the guns vocalize the action like weapons with built in sports announcers synthesizing current status of prey as “casualty”, “killed” or “already dead”.

As he went through the briefing, the look on Robinson’s face was more serious then anyone in the eucalyptus grove. Listening to him describe each weapon and how they worked made it clear to me that, though some people are here to play a game, for others laser tag is a way of life. In other words, I better take good care of his guns.

Honestly, the weapons are a little intimidating. First off, they’re huge and I’m, well, I’m little. The guns are so heavy, in fact, that I opted for the smallest one I could find. I was also one of two girls on the field. Cypher’s father, who co-owns SpecOps, told me that women actually tend to fair better at this type of laser tag then men. Women, he said, will hang back and think tactically about the game. Guys sometimes have a tendency to run out out commando-style and shoot at everything they see. My tactics were set: I’d wait for my enemies to come to me.

The game starts and I take up position. When I shoot people that happen upon my trap, they stood still, look around, and fired recklessly without making much effort to take cover. Those I shoot over 20 times are killed, sent back to the respawn area (AKA Command Center, AKA picnic tables) where Robinson will reset them, reactivate their ordinance and send them back into the fray.

The battle heats up. Despite my overall aversion in life to things that require running and exercise, the real-world feel of this whole day is bringing up the competitor in me that normally only emerges when I’m shit-talking people during video . It is unclear who is winning at the moment; the command center tracks the flag movement via new GPS-tracking system and the PC that also handles all the on field comms.

But no one is listening back at HQ. The General Tomcich isn’t attending to the computer anymore. Instead, Tomcich’s standing across from me in the grove defending our Purple flag from capture. “We’re encountering heavy resistance,” we can hear over the radio. “Wear them down,” a shouts. Minutes later our fellow Purple team members come running through the brush holding a flag. Our opponents are not far behind. But they’re too late. This round is ours.

Erin Biba is a San Francisco-based Correspondent for WIRED Magazine who writes about science, popular culture and beer made from primordial yeast. Follow her on Twitter.




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Moby Gives a Tour of His Incredible Drum Machine Collection [Collections]

December 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »

In this really fascinating interview, electronic musician Moby reveals his cache of vintage drum machines and keyboards. Get ready to look lustfully at, in Moby’s words, “the nerdiest equipment ever.”

It’s especially interesting because he doesn’t dismiss modern software conveniences—he uses them and likes them, and understands their value. But he also uses these old-school drum machines for their simplicity and their physical presence, and often for their visual appeal. It makes me like Moby, so, you know, good job. [Motherboard.tv]




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Touch Carrom (1.1.1)

December 21st, 2009 | No Comments »

Carrom (1.1.1)
ZENTITY s.r.o.
Category:
Price: $0.99
: most_uniQue

Application :
★★★★★ HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Now only US$0.99 till 1.1.2010 ★★★★★


Carrom is a fun and exciting implementation of the Carrom board game on the /iPod . Carrom is a popular game played all over the world.


Carrom brings the power of controls to the game with the passion and skills just like the real game.


Carrom is a board game played on a smooth wooden square board with pockets at each corner. The goal is to collect your color of the carrom-men (wooden coin like pieces) by pocketing them with a Striker hit. One carrom-man equals one point, queen (red carrom-man) equals three points.  Queen’s three points are counted only if that also wins the board. A match is won from best of three . A game is won by getting twenty five points or best of eight boards, whichever comes first.


Highlights

- Engaging Game Play

- Intuitive Controls

- Single and Multiplayer

- Play Quick Board or Full Match

- Beautiful Graphics

- Realistic Game Sounds

- Precise Game Physics

- Natural Equipment Simulation

- Resume

New in this Version:
- Striker controller improvements

- Instructions video

- Game physics enhancements

- Sound improvements

- Tell your friends from within the game

- Other bug fixes

Full info on Appulous

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Blotto, a column [Blotto]

December 21st, 2009 | No Comments »

A SCOTTISH NERD named Charlie Stross opined on the FUTURE OF PHONES on his text blog, joining the overly washed millions of other future-abusers in imagining what it will be like when iPhones and gPhones can do convincing augmented reality, wirelessly stimulate the male G-spot, etcetera. The only difference was that Stross is incredibly smart, as are his readers, concocting scenarios such as the one where a future Google augmented reality system overlays real-world billboards with their own ads. Love it.

Stoss is also the only Scotsman ever to invite me out for booze the next I’m in Scotland, an offer I intend to accept if I could ever figure out where Scotland is. I keep turning right at the sign but somehow always end up in Greenland. If you know how to get to Scotland please write in.

***

SPOT RECALLED their latest SPOT SATELLITE PERSONAL TRACKER—or the “SPOT 2″ as it was unofficially-yet-now-quasi-officially dubbed—because of a repeatable wonkiness in the low battery flashing indicator, which might lead one to replacing the batteries too soon. NOT A BIG DEAL except for a few wasted batteries, but for a device on which one might rely for one’s rescue from sex-crazed miracle bears, it is probably best to get yours exchanged.

I have been thinking a lot about these sorts of devices as I prepare to purchase a mobile camping vehicle from which I will stage my research into miracle bears and their reproductive predation patterns, marking a tight spiral from their last reported location which is typically a Flying J.

***

I WILL ATTEND CES and I am vaguely even looking forward to it.

***

THE FAMILY OF JAMES KIM, who were trapped on a mountain pass for ten days in the winter of 2006, made a surprise appearance at the Christmas party of the Josephine County, Oregon, SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM.

“When Kati Kim and her girls, Sabine, now 4, and Penelope, 7, surprised the Josephine County rescuers at their Sunday party, ‘It was a jaw-dropping moment,”’said Kate O’Connor, one of the team’s volunteers. O’Connor wrote in her blog, ‘… there was a collective gasp, a split-second of stunned silence and then a standing ovation for them all. There were choked throats, laughs and tears ….’” reported Oregon Live.

***

THE OPENING SCENE OF “COMING TO AMERICA” is the ultimate expression of man’s desire.

***

WHY IS IT SUPER DOUCHEY when a hygiene company like Axe advertises its products as an ENTICEMENT TO WOMEN but it is classy when an electronics company does the same? Dummy, it is because it was the ’70s and because of scotch.

***

WHY AM I WRITING this column this way instead of just putting up little posts? Because Gizmodo is a strange, multi-headed beast now, visible postcounts make blogging feel like a videogame, and sometimes I just need a place to speak in public without having to swing the hammer hard enough to ring the bell.

I will write this column AS DEEMED NECESSARY BY MY SUPEREGO, which you may collectively weave and warp your way into by using the email address or the toots. But do not contact me now because I am going to Crossfit to try and not be a monster.

YOU MAY expect to see one of these columns a day unless it is not here.

***

KING JAMES CAMERON’S ORIGINAL AVATAR treatment in 1998 began the movie on a dilapidated Earth, described, “The walls are gray, the sky is gray… the people are gray. They shuffle past each other in dense crowds, shoulder to shoulder, unwashed because of the water shortages, and sickly looking from the bankrupt diet of cheap carbohydrates and synthetic proteins. It looks like a cross between THX-1138 and a Calcutta train station.” BORING! But it might have made the humans of the final movie seem slightly less wantonly rapacious if we knew that Earth itself had been turned into a DIRTY TRAIN STATION.

***

WHISKY TOOTHPASTE is my selection for Best of CES 2010, even if we have to make it ourselves.

***

NUDE CHILDREN is one thing most Xmas cards don’t include, unless you are Robert X. Cringely. Cris Cringely. Putting the cringe back in Cringemas. This is the future of all tech punditry.




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Max Injury (1.05)

December 21st, 2009 | No Comments »

Max Injury (1.05)
Box Shaped
Category:
Price: $0.99
: Laptop123

Application :
1.05 Release Notes


3 more new levels with this ! Bring a total of 16 levels

Now with OpenFeint !


Look for more **FREE** levels and costumes in our next !


———————————-

No. 1 Top Paid Action Game in UK, Canada, and Australia in September!

No. 4 Top Paid Action and Arcade Game in US in September!


———————————-


iTune reviews:

“Hands down the most addictive app for The !!!!!” Foley629
“Max Awesomeness” beatguru13
“Best game ever!!!” Valerie24
“I laughed while playing this game more than any other app…” Gchrisf
“I PLAYED TIL MY BATTERY DIED !!!! Need to say more???” CRAZYSUE


———————————-

Max Injury is a simple and addictive game everyone can enjoy!


Meet Max, the state of the art Crash Test Dummy. Equipped with the latest in ultra-sensitive impact sensors, he is the ultimate tool for physical Punishment. Push, pull, fling, and throw Max in 16 exciting, mayhem filled levels that are guaranteed to never play the same way twice!


The harder Max hits, the the higher your score. The more objects Max hits, the higher you score. You get the idea.


Put Max to the ultimate test and rack up those damage points and compare your score with testers all around the world!


The game features:


-Advanced 3D Physics system gives Max the most realistic ragdoll motion.

-Elaborate injury score keeping and bonus system makes Max Injury fun and addictive.

-Multiple costumes to dress Max in!

-16 Levels of addictive mayhem!

-Paste Photo of your friends onto Max’s face + Save the screen!

- Global Hi-Score. Can you be the world’s toughest tester?

- OpenFeint

New in this Version:
3 Addtional Levels!

OpenFeint

Improved Responsiveness

Full info on Appulous

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