DS Lite Coming to America

Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Portable/Mobile, Release Dates,

Good news for everyone who has fallen in love with Nintendo’s recently revealed DS Lite. According to IGN, the portable machine will be coming out here after it release this spring in Japan. It’s unfortunate that we’re going to have to wait longer to get it, but we’re still glad it’s coming out here. Of course there’s always the option of importing.

Read More | IGN

Revolution and PS3 Sites Open at Wal-Mart.com

Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: PlayStation 3, Wii,

You know something’s going to be big when Wal-Mart gets involved. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer has posted seperate Revolution and PlayStation 3 pages on its website. Neither page has any new details or specific talk of release dates, but it’s still good to see hype being built. The site simply says to check back soon for release date info.

Read More | Kotaku

Xbox 360 Full Auto Demo Available Now

Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Action, Driving, Release Dates, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Marketplace,

Earlier today, we were pleasantly surprised to log into Xbox Live and discover that SEGA’s Full Auto demo had been released. After a few minutes of downloading, we jumped right into the game. The main concept behind the game is this: get behind the wheel of a car and race to the finish line - while firing weapons at your opponents, utilizing boost, and gaining air.

Unfortunately, the play experience wasn’t as smooth as you’d hope it’d be. Reportedly, some 360s freeze when the game’s booted up. We didn’t have a problem with freezing though, and we doubt most people will. However, while the gameplay is a lot more polished than what was shown at E3 last year, it’s still not great. The frame-rate isn’t perfect and the controls seem off. Additionally, the game simply doesn’t have the sense of speed that other great races have. Still, the demo’s free and you might as well check it out. Full Auto hits February 14th.

PodDater: Video Personals on Your iPod

Posted by Edwin Soto Categories: Internet, Portable Audio / Video,

Did you get a new video iPod to listen to music and video content? Shame on you.  The real purpose of the device is to get on this site and start meeting singles.  Finally, no 5 year old pictures of someone before you meet them.  Now you’ll get to see if this person has personality in motion.  Not enough? Get the feeds right to your iTunes for the best selection process.

Welcome to PodDater. The FREE, fast and easy way to meet singles like you on the go. Signing up is free, there are NO SUBSCRIBTION FEES. Just look, create and connect to local singles.

Read More | PodDater via Chip Chick

Microsoft to Enter Portable Gaming Market?

Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Portable/Mobile, Rumors,

Business Week writes that Microsoft is looking at getting into making a portable entertainment device. Apple’s exploded in recent years thanks to its iPod, and Microsoft’s noticed. However, the Seattle giant is thinking broader than simply creating a music-playing device. Naturally, we’d expect for such a machine to be similar to Sony’s PlayStation Portable. If Microsoft decides to release a portable machine, it should be able to play games, music, and videos. It’d also be nice if the device has other features including a calendar, organizer, and hard drive. Heck, Microsoft could clean up if it released a device with such offerings - it would just have to work on selling the thing at an ideal price. Oh, and it’d have to make sure enough units are available at launch.

Read More | Business Week

Thumbthing: Book Reading Helper

Posted by Edwin Soto Categories: Misc. Tech,

Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple ones.  Thumbthing allows you to hold you book open with one finger - guess which.  The best part is that it also leads a double life as a bookmark - something I find myself always looking for.  For a measly $2.95 you can own this genius piece of molded plastic.  I recommend using this only for paperback novels.  We used it with our encyclopedia and got a killer carpal tunnel cramp.  Ouch.

Read More | ABC Stuff via Cool Hunting

E-TEN G500 Pocket PC PhoneE-TEN G500

Posted by John Goulden Categories: Smartphones, GPS, Handhelds, Wireless / WiFi,

GPS-enabled devices are everywhere these days.  They’re in everything from dog collars, to wristwatches, and of course, cell phones.  The latest GPS equipped phone to hit the market is E-TEN’s G500 Pocket PC Phone.  A quad-band GSM phone with GPRS, it has the increasingly popular SiRF Star III chipset with an internal antenna for GPS duties.  The phone eschews the typical Intel XScale processor in favor of a Samsung unit running at 400MHz and has 128MB ROM and 64MB RAM for program executionstorage.  Windows Mobile 5.0 is the operating system of choice, and the rest of the G500’s features read like almost any other PDA or phone - 1440mAh Li-Ion battery, 1.3 megapixel camera, Class 2 Bluetooth 1.2, speakerphone, and miniSD slot.  The only thing missing is a VGA screen, as the G500’s is a 65K color, 240x320 TFT-LCD.  No word yet on pricing or availability. 

Read More | E-TEN via phoneArena.com

Texas Politician Proposes 50% Game Tax

Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Culture,

Gamespot reports that gubernatorial candidate Star Locke has proposed the creation of a 50 percent tax on games the governments calls violent. The candidate has also proposed a $10,00 tax per-abortion and also a 50 percent tax on sodas. According to Gamespot, Locke has made these taxation proposals to be able to eliminate property taxes.

While I won’t write deeply on the abortion and soda taxes (although I think they’re absurd), I will write a little on the violent game tax. Personally, the proposed tax is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, I can see how Locke could consider it punishment for making and purchasing violent games but the whole idea is a joke. Violent video games aren’t that bad and this sort of tax is completely unneeded. I have a feeling that this guy has just announced these tax proposals to gain attention. Yes, he’s getting attention, but that doesn’t translate to a win come election time.

Read More | Gamespot

Toshiba Works on 10GB Micro HDD

Posted by Edwin Soto Categories: Smartphones,

While recently releasing a 2GB and 4GB version of their Micro hard drive, Toshiba has announced that it is working on the 10GB model.  The Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) technology allows the disk to write at 90 degrees.  Measuring at an astonishing 5x24x32mm, and weighing only 8.5 grams, the 10GB model will be most likely be an industry first in areal density - an amazing 200 gigabits per square inch.  This will play an interesting role in phone hardware on its release in 2007.  This means we should be seeing lots of phones with capabilities to hold more annoying ringtones, MP3’s, and loads of bad photos taken at the club. 

Read More | Slashphone

Send Us Your Optimus Keyboard Questions! We Are Interviewing Art Lebedev

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Announcements, Design, Features, PC / Laptop,

So, back in July we were the first to report on the Optimus OLED keyboard. After we posted it, everyone and their mother picked it up - just check out the press clippings area on the Optimus site (notice - we are the earliest!). This is the keyboard that took the Internet by storm. In just a few days, the precursor to the Optimus Keyboard will be unveiled - that being the Optimus Mini Three.

We will be chatting with Art Lebedev, the designer of the Optimus keyboard, and wanted to be sure to get in as many of your questions as possible. If there is anything you would like to know about Optimus Keyboard, the Mini Three, or Lebedev Studios itself - let us know here.