Latest Gear Live Videos
Burnout Paradise Gets Previewed
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Action, Driving, Electronic Arts, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,
Tom Bramwell has a preview for the upcoming Burnout Paradise that is surprisingly thoughtful and critically considered as far as previews go. He discusses the challenges faced by Criterion Games in re-inventing a popular series practically from the ground up and asks some pertinent questions where they ought to be asked. For example, when the topic of the Crash mode comes up and Criterion mentions that they have scrapped the original concept of the popular mode, Bramwell presses the point, getting Criterion rep Matt Webster to confess they don’t yet know exactly how it will all work out:
Asked whether they’re opting for a Burnout 3 approach of trying to manoeuvre the car in slow motion between power-ups and Crashbreakers, or a Burnout Revenge “golf swing” of perfect start and target cars, Webster admits it’s not all there yet. “We’re still throwing ideas around. I think we’ll be talking about it more in the coming weeks.”
The preview isn’t about sticking it to the Burnout devs, though, it reads more like a fan of the series seeing drastic changes and slowly coming to the realization that if executed properly, these could make for a remarkable game. Among the more exciting aspects of Criterion’s open-world approach to Burnout is the focus on seamless online play that works the way most gamers prefer, by putting the folks in your Friends list first.
Burnout Paradise is scheduled to hit shelves early next year for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Read More 
| Eurogamer
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The Bleeding Edge 174: DARPA Grand Challenge Qualifier: Carnegie Mellon and GM’s BOSS Vehicle
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Features, Mods / Hacks, Transportation, Videocasts, Videos,
Read More | The Bleeding Edge
Bleeding Edge TV 174: DARPA Grand Challenge Qualifier: Carnegie Mellon and GM’s BOSS Vehicle
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Full Episodes, Gizmatic, Hack Attack, Design, Features, Transportation,
We visited one of the fifty or so groups participating in the DARPA Urban Challenge during one of their qualifying rounds. In case you are unaware, the DARPA Urban Challenge is a charge given publicly to groups who are capable of designing and proving the technology for autonomously driven vehicles. Carnegie Mellon University teamed up with GM to create an autonomous SUV they call “Boss.” In order to participate in November’s 60-mile urban driverless race, they need to pass this benchmark. Check out the video to see Boss pull perfect three point turns and beautifully follow traffic rules - even at four way stops with other cars. We’re crazy excited to see this technology come alive in our society. The team from DARPA is darting back and forth across our country qualifying and disqualifying entries. Some of the remaining companies and teams will bring us autonomously driven cars during our lifetime, its amazing how close we already are.
Need for Speed Video Teaser Shows Massive Damage
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Driving, Electronic Arts, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Trailers, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360,
On the heels of EA’s new Madden video comes this brief look at the newest Need for Speed title, which we know next to nothing about - not a title or even the platforms it’ll be released on. The video is entitled “Damage,” and if you take a look at the video, you’ll agree that it’s an appropriate name. One of the features in the new NFS is apparently going to be the ability to rip your car to shreds in an accident, Burnout-style.
Like the Madden video before it, the game certainly looks pretty, but hopefully the game will play as well as the competition. As the video alludes, there apparently will be some sort of announcement on May 31 at the official Need for Speed website, and we’ll get word of whatever that might be to you as soon as it’s made available.
Inventor Builds His Own Solar-Powered Vehicle
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,
Yes, it looks huge, klunky, difficult to navigate and impossible to park. But hey, when’s the last time you built your own solar-powered car? Which is why we give inventor Saqr Bin Saif serious props for building his own environmentally-friendly vehicle. The DIY car utilizes four 170 watt solar panels, two batteries, and was built in only three months. Bin Saif’s baby can only reach a speed of up to 50 mph, but hey, it’s a start, and we look forward to his next car, which he promises will be more compact and faster.
Read More | Gulfnews
The 2007 Academy Awards: Live Commentary
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, Specials, ABC, Editorial, Features,
Welcome to our live coverage of the 79th Annual Academy Awards! During our live-blog of the 2006 Oscars, I made what may now be considered an eerie prediction about Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe:
“For some reason, I keep getting this nagging feeling that their relationship will dissolve sometime soon, but that discussion is for another post.”
I’d like to say that I’m psychic (if so, that Oscars pool at work is all mine)...but I’m going to have to chalk it up to nagging intuition. What is that little voice inside me saying this year? While some races may have been locked up months ago (I’m talking to you, Helen Mirren), there will be a shocker this year. I can’t pinpoint the category, but I think it will be come riding in on a big yellow bus…
To find out who will be going hog-wild tonight during the Year of the Pig, stay tuned here for the live results!
Click to continue reading The 2007 Academy Awards: Live Commentary
Read More | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Bleeding Edge 149: Technocom Vehicle and Infrastructure Integration Technology
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: CES, CES 2007, Features, GPS, Science, Transportation, Videocasts, Videos,
Read More | The Bleeding Edge
Bleeding Edge TV 149: Technocom Talks About The Future of Automobile Safety
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, CES, CES 2007, Features, GPS, Transportation, Videocasts,
We caught up with Technocom to talk about their Vehicle and Infrastructure Integration, which allows vehicles to integrate with both the road infrastructure as well as other cars. The hope is that the technology will both reduce traffic congestion and reduce auto accidents. Vehicles would be fitted with a custom Technocom console, or it would be built-in to a standard GPS device, and all of a sudden your driving world would be willed with different safety alerts so that you are kept on your toes about driving conditions and hazards.
Horntones FX-550 Customizes the Sound of Your Car Horn
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Mods / Hacks, Transportation,
We live in a society that loves to customize it’s cell phones and cars. Well the folks at Horntones have ingeniously taken that notion a step further: in April look for the Horntones FX-550, a clever $150 USD device that lets you to customize the sound of your horn using almost any standard audio file. The dashboard-mounted device stores hundreds of different sounds; some are pre-loaded, and more can be downloaded from Horntones.com. Here’s the fun but scary part: you can create your own tones in MP3 or WAV format. Yes, you can have any sound or song clip as your horn, whether it’s naughty, nice or just flat-out obnoxious. A USB thumb drive transfers the sounds from your computer to the player, which never has to leave your car. You can even create your own themes, utilizing the 8 preset buttons on the player. Could be fun, or a complete nightmare on the roads if this actually catches on.
Read More | Horntones via Gizmag
Bleeding Edge TV 132: DATZOO FixDat Car Diagnostics Tool
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Accessories, CES, CES 2007, Features, Peripherals, Transportation, Videocasts,
For anyone not wanting to get screwed by their local auto mechanics shop, DATZOO offers their FixDat personal diagnostics tool. You just hook the device up to your vehicle when you suspect something has gone awry, and it will run a complete diagnostic test on your car to tell you exactly what the deal is. You can then bring your car in for fixing with full knowledge of exactly what’s wrong to make sure it gets fixed, and not broken further. We even get a bonus proof of concept at the end, although it was told by a DATZOO representative, so, you know, grain of salt?
