What The Christ? » Gadgets

Google Instant

Mr. Pink — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:56:13 +0000

Google made sweeping changes to its core search interface today with the launch of a new integrated function called Google Instant – a “predictive search” system that changes as you type. Google’s intent with the launch is to reduce the amount of time you spend typing and increase the amount of time you spend on more meaningful tasks.

If you’re interested in learning more about the changes or if you have a question – such as how to disable the feature – you can visit the official Google Instant webpage.

Google TV Coming in Fall

Mr. Pink — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:32:52 +0000

Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced at the IFA consumer electronics trade show going on in Berlin, Germany today that the search giant plans to roll out a Google TV service in the United States this fall. Schmidt’s statement comes hot on the heels of Apple TV, a similar service unveiled by Steve Jobs and co. last week.

The Origin “Big O”

Mr. Pink — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:19:22 +0000

Origin is a custom PC manufacturer that doesn’t cut any corners when they decide to “go big”. Take, for example, their Big O tower. Not only does it run on a six-core Xeon 5680 clocked at 4.3GHz – it also features an integrated Xbox 360 slim. That’s right – they rip apart and strip down the console, add liquid cooling, and mount it right into the tower.

Of course, the rest of the specs are just as ludicrous.

Sony Nukes PS3 Jailbreak with Firmware Update

Mr. Pink — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:01:20 +0000

Sony wasted no time responding to the PlayStation 3 jailbreak. They’ve already issued a firmware update – version 3.42 – to nuke the hack introduced by the PS Jailbreak. It’s going to be a back and forth struggle, I’m sure.

Snakebot

Mr. Pink — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:46:19 +0000

This “Snakebot” robot is currently under development at Carnegie Mellon University. My immediate reaction was, “Holy shit, it’s a robot climbing a goddamn tree.”

We’re all screwed if one of these falls into the wrong hands.

PS Jailbreak Outlawed in Australia

Mr. Pink — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:57:40 +0000

Despite a 2005 Supreme Court ruling that console mod chips are legal in Australia, the Federal Court there has issued a ban on the PS Jailbreak device. According to the text of the ruling, all of the devices currently in the country are to be handed over to the courts.

Unfortunately for Sony, it’s too late at this point. The damage has been done. The code for the jailbreak is freely available on the web.

Novint Falcon Pistol Grip Game Controller

Mr. Pink — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:27:35 +0000

This is one of the most interesting game controllers I’ve ever seen. I want one.

It’s not as expensive as you might think, either!

Epic Games Unveils Project Sword

Mr. Pink — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:15:45 +0000

Not to be outdone by John Carmack’s announcement of an iPhone 4 version of Rage at QuakeCon 2010 a few weeks back, the team behind Unreal and Gears of War showed a stunning cell phone game of their own at the Apple press event yesterday.

It’s called Project Sword. It was built using a new iteration of the Unreal Engine and it pits players against each other in sword fights across a rich 3D world.

The game is due out this holiday season. No price information is available, yet.

Power Laces 2.0

Mr. Pink — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:02:43 +0000

Technology has made us lazy, fat, and stupid. You don’t even need to know how to tie your own damn shoes, anymore!

Of course, I’d take a pair of these in a heartbeat. Who wouldn’t?

PS3 Jailbroken Despite Sony

Mr. Pink — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:47:12 +0000

Engadget reports that despite the drama between Sony and the PSJailbreak last week, a new challenger has appeared in the form of an “open source” device called PSGroove. It’s all over, folks. The PS3 has been jailbroken.

Geek.com has the details.

Mojowijo

Mr. Pink — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:44:56 +0000

Take a long, hard look at the Nintendo Wiimote attachments in the image below. If you had to guess, what game would you say these were designed for?

If you said, “Some sort of awesome robot game,” you’d unfortunately be wrong.

If you said, “Some sort of bizarre multiplayer sex game,” you’d be right on the money.

Just when you thought people couldn’t get any weirder…

AMD Killing ATI in 2011

Mr. Pink — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:22:38 +0000

AMD has announced plans to kill the longstanding ATI brand in 2011 in favor of their new Fusion technology, which is essentially a hybrid between a GPU and a CPU. However, we won’t stop seeing video cards from ATI. The Radeon and FirePro brands remain intact.

AMD and ATI merged in 2006 in a deal valued at $5.4 billion.

PAX 2010: This Weekend!

Mr. Pink — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:35:22 +0000

The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is happening in Seattle this weekend!

Dozens of companies are planning to reveal details about their newest games and gadgets – including Ubisoft, Microsoft, and Blizzard. Event badges are completely sold out… but it just so happens that myself and Mr. Maroon may be attending, anyway. Regardless, we plan to report on any major developments.

If you’re going to be in the greater Seattle area for the festivities, drop us an email. (If you happen to have an extra badge or two, definitely contact us.)

7″ Headrest DVD Players with Bizarre Extras

Mr. Pink — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:07:27 +0000

I usually try to avoid third party gadgets like the plague but there’s something special about these generic 7″ Headrest DVD Players that caught my eye.

Maybe it’s the fact that they feature built-in NES and SNES emulators and ship with a CD containing 550+ ROM files that aren’t actually legal to sell?

Or maybe it’s the fact that they also include full DivX compatibility, headphone jacks, a wireless remote, composite AV inputs, an SD card reader and a USB port for accessing multimedia content.

All for around $175. Per pair. Including the game pads for using the emulators.

Yeah, that might be why they’re awesome.

Ostendotech 43″ CRVD Curved Monitor

Mr. Pink — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:56:46 +0000

This is the Ostendotech 43″ CRVD curved display. It’s a $6,499 monster that runs at an insane 2880×900 native resolution.

You can pick one up from the CRVD website if you live in the United States or Canada.

Everything There is to Know About the Nintendo 3DS

Mr. Pink — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:17:34 +0000

If you’re at all interested in the Nintendo 3DS, this is the place to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the device. It’s an impressive compendium, to say the least.

Sony Wins Ban on Australian PS3 Mod Chip

Mr. Pink — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:17:07 +0000

Remember that PS3 mod chip that was announced a few weeks back? Sony wasn’t happy about that – and they took swift action to stop it from being released. OzModChips, Mod Supplier and Quantronics cannot import, distribute, or sell the device until the case is resolved. Sony has until August 31 to plead their case.

Drunken Man Shoots Computer Server

Mr. Pink — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:13:41 +0000

Given the things that I’ve been dealing with over the past few days, I have to admit that I can identify with Joshua Lee Campbell, a 23 year old (former) employee at a mortgage company in Utah who was arrested for firing a .45 caliber handgun into a server worth at least $100,000 at the offices of his employer, RANLife Home Loans.

Campbell, who was drunk at the time of the shooting, called police and reported his weapon stolen after blasting the server himself. Fortunately, this happened late at night, so none of his coworkers were around.

8′ AudioQuest K2 Terminated Speaker Cable – $6,800

Mr. Pink — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:46:19 +0000

I’ve seen some stupid shit for sale on the Internet, but the AudioQuest 8′ K2 Terminated Speaker Cable absolutely takes the cake. It’s currently “one sale” for $6,800, which is an incredible deal compared to the regular retail price of… wait for it… $8,450.

I don’t care how rich you are. This is just a waste of money. Period.

You really ought to read the reviews, too. They’re rather hilarious.

Fallout 3: The A3-21 Plasma Rifle

Mr. Pink — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:08:07 +0000

Flickr user CitizenSnips built this fantastic looking replica of the A3-21 Plasma Rifle from Fallout 3 using spare parts and a lot of creative thinking.

Check out his photo stream from the project for dozens of shots of the build process.