Google Doodle lets you play guitar, honors Les Paul 96th birthday

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Google, Internet, Music,

Google's Thursday homepage doodle is celebrating what would have been the 96th birthday of musician Les Paul with a playable guitar logo.

For the next 24 hours, the logo on Google.com will be replaced with the strings of a guitar that will play a tune as you strum them with your mouse. In the U.S., users can click the black "compose" button and record a 30-second track. Clicking the button again will display a link to share the song you've just created.

Google said it was inspired to include the record button because Paul, in addition to his guitar work, also "experimented in his garage with innovative recording techniques like multitracking and tape delay," Alexander Chen, a designer (and musician) with Google's Creative Lab, wrote in a blog post.

The doodle, meanwhile, was created by Google engineers Kristopher Hom and Joey Hurst as well as doodle team lead Ryan Germick. They used a combination of JavaScript, HTML5 Canvas (used in modern browsers to draw the guitar strings), CSS, Flash (for sound), and tools like the Google Font API, goo.gl and App Engine, Chen said.

Click to continue reading Google Doodle lets you play guitar, honors Les Paul 96th birthday

Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, E3, Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox 360,

One of the biggest complaints with the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 is its space requirement. For the depth-sensing cameras to function properly, Microsoft recommends a good eight feet between the Kinect sensor and your body. That's a lot of space, especially for all the apartment and dorm room dwellers out there.

Nyko might have fixed that problem with the Zoom, a surprisingly simple and affordable Kinect attachment that seriously cuts down on its need for room.

The Zoom is a wide-angle lens attachment that fits over the Kinect, changing how it sees the room. With a wider angle, it can see more laterally, but doesn't have as much depth. According to Nyko, this means the Kinect needs up to 40 percent less space than without the Zoom. Because it's just a set of lenses that fit over those on the Kinect, it doesn't need any power or complex installation; it just slides on.

The Nyko Zoom will retail for $29.99 when it ships later this year.

Click to continue reading Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect

Heads up! Two Fandango movie tickets for $9

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, Movies,

The summer blockbuster movie season is upon us, what with Super 8 opening this weekend and all. Since movie theaters are pretty much a rip-off these days (although, haven't people been saying that for, like, 15 years now?), it's always nice to have a deal. Today LivingSocial is featuring a national deal where you can get two Fandango movies tickets for $9, making a trip for two to the local theater just $4.50 each. Not bad, right? Hit the link to grab it, you've got less than a day left if you wanna buy it.

Read More | LivingSocial

HP TouchPad launches July 1 for $499

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds, Wireless / WiFi,

The HP TouchPad finally has a launch date! If you've been jonesing to pick up the first webOS tablet, your lucky day will be July 1st, as long as you're cool with the Wi-Fi model. If you prefer the 3G TouchPad, you'll have to wait until later this summer. The 3G provider for the TouchPad will be AT&T, which may influence your decision on waiting. You'll be able to get the 16 GB TouchPad for $499, while the 32 GB model will retail for $599, which is right in line with iPad 2 pricing.

Read More | Palm Blog

Star Fox 64 3D launches September 2011

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, Adventure, E3, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Portable/Mobile,

Nintendo has announced Star Fox 64 3D for the Nintendo 3DS portable. The game will support both analog movement, as well as supporting the Nintendo 3DS accelerometer, allowing you to simply tilt the console to fly throughout the vast levels. The other big feature touted is that you'll be able to see the faces of up to three other friends who you are playing multiplayer with, thanks to the Nintendo 3DS front camera. Each player will have a small box over their vehicle, where you can see exactly who is in control. Star Fox 64 3D will be available in September 2011 in the US.

Deal of the Day: Alienware Aurora microATX Core i5/i7 gaming desktop for $1099

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, PC / Laptop,

Our Deal of the Day today brings you the Alienware Aurora microATX for $1099. This beast of a machine is built from the ground up to be a killer gaming rig, packed with the latest Sandy Bridge processors. The dual-core Core i5 and i7 chipset scream alongside the built-in 3 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTS450 graphics card and 4 GB RAM. Shipping is even free to boot:

Alienware Aurora microATX for $1099

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.

Video: Steve Jobs presents new spaceship-like Apple campus to Cupertino council

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Videos,

As Steve Jobs puts it in this video, Apple has grown like a weed. With the popularity of Mac computers, and the recent rise of iOS devices, the company has been having to lease buildings outside of their main campus just to fit everyone in. Now it looks like they are ready to converage again, and they wanna do so in typical Apple style. In the video above, Steve Jobs presents the new concept for a monstrous Apple campus, the center of which is a single building that can hold 13,000 people.

Mario Kart 3DS coming your way this holiday season

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Driving, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Trailers,

Nintendo announced Mario Kart 3DS during its E3 2011 keynote. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime took the stage to announce a cluster of upcoming Nintendo 3DS titles aimed at their core audience. Mario Kart 3DS features 3D graphics, and sets itself apart with the ability for gamers to trick out their karts. This one will be available for the 2011 holiday season.

Kid Icarus Uprising comes to Nintendo 3DS later this year

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, E3, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Portable/Mobile,

Nintendo has announced Kid Icarus Uprising, a new Nintendo 3DS title, this morning at its E3 2011 media briefing. They'll also be releasing a set of cards that, when used in conjunction with the 3DS cameras, allow you to do some augmented reality gaming as well. Kid Icarus Uprising will be released later this year.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 announced for Nintendo 3DS

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Adventure, E3, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS,

It's been years since the original Luigi's Mansion game hit the scene, but Nintendo is finally set to release a sequel. At its E3 2011 media briefing, Luigi's Mansion 2 was announced, and it'll be a Nintendo 3DS exclusive. No release date was given, but it certainly looks like a title that'll highlight what the 3DS can do.