The Gadget Geek

App review: The Incident

Like its contemporary, Canabalt, The Incident is a game that knows exactly what it is — and is not — and plays to those strengths to a T. The basic premise of this iPhone title is simple enough, and in that simplicity (as with many great games) lies its power. You are Frank Solway, a lone man involved in a day that has gone completely out of whack — namely, objects have begun falling from the sky, and you need to get out of the way. That’s it. That’s the whole game. You dash and jump while all manner of items come hurtling towards you from above; Mini Coopers, Ikea bookshelves, bikes, fences, arcade cabinets… really just about anything you can think of. Your goal is to avoid what’s coming next (teased by a flashing white strip along the top of the screen), grab the variety of power-ups that happen by, and keep getting as high as you can to reach checkpoints. It’s amazingly fun, and the charm of the game is doubled by developer Big Bucket’s use of retro, 8-bit graphics along with a pitch-perfect chiptune soundtrack. The effect is terrific, blending the best of what we love from our NES years with the kind of gaming that’s perfectly suited to a mobile device. We can’t overstate how polished The Incident seems — the developers have made all the right decisions, and the result is a game you pick up quickly, but can’t put back down. If you’ve got $1.99 to spare, why are you still reading this?

Continue reading App review: The Incident

App review: The Incident originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: S1 Audio NxSet Neckphones
CES 2009: S1 Audio NxSet Neckphones
Man Scrawls World s Biggest Message With GPS Pen
One man drove 12,238 miles across 30 states to scrawl a message that can only be viewed using Google Earth. His big shoutout: “Read Ayn Rand.” Nick Newcomen did a road trip over 30 days that covered stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. First, he identified on a map the route he would need [...]

Japanese researchers develop robotic wheelchair that can follow humans

Continue reading Japanese researchers develop robotic wheelchair that can follow humans

Japanese researchers develop robotic wheelchair that can follow humans originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: Gravitonus Ergonomic Workstation
CES 2009: Gravitonus Ergonomic Workstation
Magnetic Lenses Snap-on to Your Cellphone
We’ve covered a few add-on lenses for cellphones, but none as cute, convenient or clever as these two. The wide-angle macro and fisheye lenses from Photojojo come with a little self-adhesive magnetic ring that you stick permanently to your phone, surrounding the crappy lens it already has. The lenses then simply snap onto that. The wide-angle [...]
Concrete Veil and Shade

iPod touch coming in a ‘few weeks’ with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber

The sun will rise, pigeons will annoy, and Daring Fireball’s John Gruber will get inside scoops on Apple product releases. So it goes. This time he’s touching on, erm, the iPod touch, making an offhand (though firmly declarative) comment on a post about the Dell Streak: “if you wait a few weeks to buy the Touch, you’ll get one with a Retina Display and dual cameras.” The man’s not one to fool around with such matters, so we tend to believe him here. It also helps that nothing he’s saying would be really surprising — a new iPod in September? With features trickled down from the most recent iPhone? Then again, that camera has proved elusive before.

iPod touch coming in a ‘few weeks’ with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Next-Gen Console War
The Next-Gen Console War
Cellphone Death Grip Increases Radiation Exposure, One App Shows
Not only does a death grip cut into your phone s ability to connect, it also increases the amount of radio-frequency radiation it s pumping out. Now you can see exactly how much more radiation your head is absorbing, with an app that estimates the RF output of your smartphone in real time.

250GB Xbox 360 Kinect bundle tipped on 4GB packaging

Well, well — what have we here? We already knew that Microsoft was planning to ship a 4GB Xbox 360 bundle that included Kinect, and now it seems as if the Big M will also package its forthcoming motion sensor with the 250GB ‘box. Based on the packaging of a 4GB bundle over in Australia, it definitely looks as if consumers will have a more capacious option if buying an Xbox 360 for the first time with Kinect, but we’re all waiting with bated breath to hear the official confirmation (or denial, but mostly just confirmation) from Ballmer’s crew. Anytime now, folks….

250GB Xbox 360 Kinect bundle tipped on 4GB packaging originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: iPhone Poddio
CES 2009: iPhone Poddio
5 Things Google Still Needs to Fix in Android
Any day now, the Evo 4G is going to get an over-the-air update to Android 2.2 (aka Froyo), complete with marquee features such as the ability to play Flash video and share contact details over Bluetooth. But after spending every day with a Motorola Droid, now running Android 2.1, we can think of plenty of [...]
Orbital Force In Washing Clothes

Apple patent application details iPod / iPhone bike integration system

Apple patent applications can be a little out there sometimes, but this one makes so much sense we have to wonder why it’s not a product already. Described as “Systems and Methods for Integrating a Portable Electronic Device with a Bicycle,” the application details what basically amounts to Nike+ for bikes. That includes the ability to relay data from bike sensors to your iPhone or iPod, which you’d be able to view on the device itself or on an external display of some sort — the application even goes so far as to mention the possibility of a heads-up display, although we wouldn’t get our hopes up for that. What’s more, the application also suggests that the system could communicate and share information with other nearby cyclists, and it would apparently include some fairly extensive GPS capabilities (on the iPhone, at least), including turn-by-turn directions to help you find a specific bike route, and maps complete with reviews from other cyclists.

Apple patent application details iPod / iPhone bike integration system originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2007: LG VX9400 Mobile Phone
CES 2007: LG VX9400 Mobile Phone
Gadget Lab Podcast: BlackBerry Torch, Universal Chargers, and More
runMobileCompatibilityScript(’myExperience441691345001′, ‘anId’);brightcove.createExperiences(); In this week’s podcast, your hosts Dylan F. Tweney and Priya Ganapati discuss the top gadget release of the week: Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Torch, a touchscreen phone with a slide-out “crackberry” [...]

Clearwire puts its money where its mouth is, announces LTE trials for later this year

In spite of its pretty healthy (and growing) WiMAX footprint, Clearwire’s been saying for at least a year now that it’s seriously technology-agnostic — undoubtedly a bid to assuage investors’ fears that WiMAX could end up losing the 4G race in light of LTE’s global momentum. Well, it’s finally more than mindless fluff for an earnings call, because the company’s getting real with both FDD and TD-LTE trials in Phoenix starting this Fall running through early 2011 that will allegedly push downlink speeds as high as 20Mbps and “showcase unique advantages” of Clearwire’s “vast” reserve of spectrum. They’ll also be testing LTE’s ability to coexist with WiMAX in the same band, presumably in a bid to show that it can migrate down the road without leaving its existing customers high and dry. These guys are still a long way off from committing to LTE for the long haul, but it’s a sign that they definitely mean business — and a sign that Sprint could end up falling in line with Verizon and AT&T after all. Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading Clearwire puts its money where its mouth is, announces LTE trials for later this year

Clearwire puts its money where its mouth is, announces LTE trials for later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2010 – Hands-On with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5
CES 2010 – Hands-On with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5

AT&T blocking Dell Streak beta units?

There’s a fascinating discussion going on over in MoDaCo’s forums today suggesting that Dell Streak units that were given out recently as part of the company’s US beta test in and around Austin, Texas are no longer functioning on AT&T, the result of an apparent IMEI block; voice calls placed from the devices all get re-routed to AT&T customer service, and 2G / 3G data doesn’t work at all. Our understanding is that beta testers were allowed to keep their units after the conclusion of the test period — some of those ended up on eBay, naturally, so you can imagine that buyers are probably feeling a little steamed by this. One user has had luck with data by using the iPad’s APN and plan settings, but otherwise, there seems to be a bit of frustration going around. We’ve reached out to AT&T to figure out what’s going on; we’ll let you know when we have more.

[Thanks, Reece M.]

Update: We’ve had at least one buyer of a beta unit write in to tell us that his Streak is still functional, so it seems that the IMEIs haven’t been blocked across the board — so far, anyhow. Leave us your experiences in comments, won’t you? Thanks, Josh G.!

AT&T blocking Dell Streak beta units? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keyspan USB 2.0 Server
Keyspan USB 2.0 Server
Roboscooper: Like Wall-E Without the Charm
Roboscooper: a cute little toy or an exercise in excruciating frustration? You decide. The six-wheeled robot is like a cross between Wall-E and the 1980s “favorite” Big Trak. In fact, the product page even bills it as “WowWee s answer to Wall-E” (WowWee is the manufacturer). Unlike Wall-E, this ‘bot looks like it would have trouble [...]
Party Hard At Digital Summer And Meet Up With Yanko Design

Acroban: the childlike robot you want to punch (video)

We see a lot of robots around here. But few can evoke emotion without resorting to a doe-eyed visage or plush, Dough-Boy bodice. That’s what makes Acroban so interesting. Dispensing with the cheap parlor tricks, Acroban still comes across as child-like, playful, seemingly dependent upon your care and guidance. Cute, even though it’s a quivering mass of aluminum, wire, and servos with a questionable taste in headwear. Doesn’t mean you won’t punch it in the pie hole now and again just to show it who’s boss — it is a murderous robot after all. See what we mean after the break.

Continue reading Acroban: the childlike robot you want to punch (video)

Acroban: the childlike robot you want to punch (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech Squeezebox Boom
Logitech Squeezebox Boom
DIY Wearable Computer Turns You Into a Cyborg
Someday humans and computers will meld to create cyborgs. But instead of waiting for it, Martin Magnusson, a Swedish researcher and entrepreneur, has taken the first step and created a wearable computer that can be slung across the body. Magnusson has hacked a pair of head-mounted display glasses and combined it with a homebrewed machine based [...]

NZXT Phantom proves there’s still life in chunky desktop towers

Did the recent reappearance of the Phantom console spark a tiny bit of nostalgia in you? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that NZXT has picked up the moniker for its latest full tower chassis, and it’s a fittingly futuristic-looking beast of burden. The angular steel enclosure provides tool-free access to five 5.25-inch drive bays plus the room to fit in 7 HDDs, 7 fans (up to a mammoth 230mm size), and a dual radiator within its walls. A top-mounted mesh window is accessorized with a slightly more useful array of USB, E-SATA and audio ports, while the innards are specifically designed to accommodate the bulkier graphics cards and CPU coolers out there. Sounds like a winner to us, and the $139.99 price seems about right for a flagship product that aims to tick all the boxes — see the Phantom on video after the break and expect it to arrive, in all its glorious hues, this September.

Continue reading NZXT Phantom proves there’s still life in chunky desktop towers

NZXT Phantom proves there’s still life in chunky desktop towers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2010 Television Widgets
CES 2010 Television Widgets
Note-Worthy Panasonic Earbuds Have Best Packaging Ever
Really, the Panasonic RP-HJE 130 is just another earbud. Price is a good indicator of headphone quality, and after that you choose whether you need noise-canceling or an in-line remote and you’re done. But the real genius behind the RP-HJE 130, the thing that will make people buy a pair, is something that has nothing [...]

ChouChou Electric Butterfly flutters to life inside a jar

Continue reading ChouChou Electric Butterfly flutters to life inside a jar

ChouChou Electric Butterfly flutters to life inside a jar originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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