Gadgets Blog

There was this little get-together called E3 going on this week… you may have heard of it.

It’s a small thing really, only thousands of gaming and computer entertainment peeps gather at the L.A. Convention Center for a few days of gaming and announcements and all around showing off.  And yes, we love it.  Please, show us more!

Tons of news so here’s a few highlights:

Project Natal — Hands-free, wire-free, motion-sensitive control for your Xbox. Competition for the Wii-style controller, only there’s no controller, ergo nothing to be thrown at the screen by mistake (those Wii wrist straps aren’t just for decoration). Check out the video on CNET. No release date was given yet. Let’s hope for soon.

Facebook, Netflix & Twitter — Because connecting from my desktop, laptop, cell phone, etc., aren’t enough.  Coming to Xbox Live service.  Link your FB page to your gamer account and update your status to things like “Johnny is kicking ass and taking names” and “shooting zombies in the face” from your Xbox.  Browse through your movie queue and oh yeah, that annoying “tweet” thing too.  However, this could mean a whole new level to Twitter parties.

Halo 3:ODST and Beatles Rockband — Coming soon to a living room near you. Oh, and a skateboard-shaped controller for Tony Hawk:Ride.  Half-pipe not included.

A Multi-Platform Crysis 2 — Not just for PCs anymore. Whoohoo for multi-platform, the great equalizer.  Scheduled to be released on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Sony’s PSP GO – Nice little upgrade to its PSP3000, it’s smaller, lighter and has the trick slide-up screen.  16GB of built-in flash memory, no UMD drive, no touch screen.  Will be available October 1 for $249.

Nintendo Vitality Sensor — Uhhh… say what now?  I love Wii, but just not sure how this will up the game play.  That said, it is a cute gamey gadget that reads your pulse from your finger, so maybe after a few rounds of Wii tennis or boxing you can take a reading and calculate the calories you’ve burned?

New Super Mario Games — A 2D four-person co-op for the Wii, and a follow-up to Super Mario Galaxy with 3D gaming.  In all fairness, I haven’t played Super Mario Bros. in, I don’t know, years?  So this could be enough to pique my interest once again.

Left 4 Dead 2 — Riding the success of the first edition, Valve is smart to be quickly on top of the sequel.  Scheduled for this November, a zombie uprising in New Orleans?  Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Okay, seriously, this list could go on for miles.  The designers and producers are working hard to wow us and we love them for it.  Keep it coming, lads (and ladies).

Shop more Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation, and Xbox consoles, games and accessories at Smarter.

Sources: E3, G4, CNET

Dude. This is just cool.

Microsoft gives us Project Natal, a hands-free, wire-free, motion-sensitive control for your Xbox.  Competition for the Wii-style controller, only there’s no controller for this webcam-based system, ergo nothing to be thrown at the screen by mistake (those Wii wrist straps aren’t just for decoration).

Check out the video on CNET.

You are the controller.

Step in front of the “dashboard” and the system instantly recognizes you and signs you in using a facial recognition tech that hasn’t been seen on a consumer product before.  Definitely aiming to get you off the couch and into the action; to kick a ball you kick your foot, to hit the ball you swing your arm, the player moves freely in real 3D space and the avatar does it on screen.   It also accepts commands by voice. Can’t wait to try it! Unfortunately, no release date was given yet.  Let’s hope for soon.

To which Nintendo replied, they plan to release Super Mario Bros 28.

Just kidding.  Nintendo’s up to bat tomorrow so we’ll see what awesome surprises they have in store for us.

Sources: E3, G4, CNET

This week in gadget blogs and news from around the Net:

•  The World’s Largest Cheetoh Eaten Over the Most Expensive Keyboard - Gizmodo
• Speakers that look like trash cans - Engadget
• Wooden iPhone cases - OhGizmo!
• Self-propelled suitcase drives itself - Technabob
• Blue Space submarine - Machines that Go Bing
  

And this week in the Smarter Gadgets Blog we talked about:

• SkyMall Deal: Save $25 off $150 at SkyMall 
• Xbox Stimulus Package; Hero Hawking Hospitalized
• Logitech Deal: Save 10% on Logitech Security Camera
• Banned Apple App: Apple Takes Down Baby Shaker
• Top 8 Helpful Gadgets for the Unemployed
• How to Buy an LCD: Tips on Buying an LCD TV
  

I’m thinking about a couple things right now.

Let’s go with the lighter stuff first:

Could it be true?

Gizmodo and ars technica sources seem to agree.

For those of us who couldn’t shell out the $400 for the Xbox 360 Elite system, Microsoft is easing up on consumers in these hard times and including two pretty awesome games…get this… for the same price as the system itself. Nice guys, them Gates boys.

So while at one time $400 would have gotten you only the Elite system, that same $400 can soon acquire the Elite system, Halo 3 and Fable II. For those of us who were holding out and mooching off our friends for Xbox playtime (sorry, guys… um, sort of), it looks like it’s going to be a little easier on our wallets in the coming months. Seeing as these are games a buyer would most likely want to get anyway, and at about $40 each, that’s a nice little stimulus package.

You know my thought — what’s the catch? Well, we haven’t found one yet. You still get the 120 gigs, the wireless controller, and the HD video. Sounds pretty good. No date had been given for the arrival of this bodacious bundle, but it’s currently available on Xbox.com and even Amazon.com shows a preorder status for the item with a release date of May 1, 2009. Nice. You might wanna get on that.

And secondly, I have to mention a few words about Stephen Hawking.

According to reports, he was rushed to the hospital on Monday and hasn’t been feeling well for a few weeks now. I’m really hoping he comes out alright. This man amazes me; I mean, he’s just brilliant. You all know the story, despite his ALS, he completed his doctorate, gave us “A Brief History of Time”, put “The Universe in a Nutshell”, continued to teach physics, not to mention all the fodder he provided for sci-fi enthusiasts… who does that? A greater mind than mine, for certain. Anyway, here’s to Professor Hawking, all our best. We’re pulling for you.

Image Sources:Xbox, Wikipedia

I realize that this looks like the printer they happily destroy in the movie Office Space but don’t let it’s humble appearance fool you, this bad boy is sweeeet with a capital S.

What you are witnessing is the ITC One from the chaps at SE2 labs!

ITC One integrates a variety of the best components out there, including high-definition DVD players, audio components, video components, gaming systems, control devices, cooling systems and more. And the system is even available with displays, speakers and other peripherals for the most complete home entertainment setup available today.

ITC One helps simplify everything you want in a system down to a single, sleek, stylish and compact box. And then, once you have it built, all you need to do is plug it in and start enjoying your custom home theater experience.

What’s Included:

All the following components are included in your custom ITC One:

Yes, you read right, the unit cost $25,000 dollars! How badly do you want everything you love in one spot?  

To read more or purchase the ITC One at SE2 Labs, click here.