Gadgets Control

Now that the power of gaming graphics has risen to the point that games are blurring the lines of reality entertainment, one has to ask … could LucasArts “The Force Unleashed” be the greatest game ever? Designed with three different simulation technologies, The Force Unleashed is being designed to push the envelope in Xbox, Wii, and Playstation 3 consoles. And judging by the video below that talks about the tech behind the game, it just may be. The game’s premise is a simple one. The gamer is Darth Vader’s secret apprentice and after much training, the Force has unleashed incredible powers in this padawan learner. Designed around three major simulation technologies, TFU is more than a game, it may actually be a Force simulation. (Read the full post about ‘The Force Unleashed … will the tech behind it make it the greatest game ever?’…)

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The idea behind this phone concept is that it brings ideas together from past and present with its wood styling and smartphone functionality. The designer says the wood and rock casing is supposed bring together nature and technology, but it just looks like a piece of 70s tech to me (see the bluetooth headset with analog knobs). [Yanko Design] Tags: DVD, M4A, cable, gear (Read the full post about ‘Retro Woodgrain Phone Invokes Synthesizers of Old [Concepts]’…)

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We have long thought the acronym P2P was the very antonym of the word legal, but Qtrax, a new P2P music sharing service, has plans to rewrite the geek dictionary. Here’s the skinny: The service is free, completely. Qtrax offers an unlimited service. It is supported by the four major labels, as well as smaller, niche music groups, and that means it will have a start-up music library of over 25 million songs. That is about four times bigger than iTunes, and about 100% cheaper. We know what you are thinking; is this all smoke without fire? Short answer; we’re not sure, but Qtrax is hitting soon. Very, very soon. Monday, in fact, is the day the service goes live, and we cannot hold our wee we’re so excited. (Read the full post about ‘Qtrax Promises Legal P2P Music Sharing Service, the Impossible [Music Downloads]’…)

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Fact: NERF glocks are way cooler than their gunpowder-based alternatives. And steampunk (like certain varieties of sharp orange cheese) makes everything better. That’s why we’re flipping out over these customized steampunk NERF guns by Chris Furniss (even though you may have seen them before). It doesn’t appear that Furniss fabricated anything, and instead scraped off the toy logos and painted the pistols to looks like an aged mixture of metals. Sadly, these two pistols don’t appear to be for sale. (Read the full post about ‘Steampunk NERF Weaponry [Weapons]’…)

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Verizon and AT&T have both gone on record saying they do not record SMS communications. The privacy debate is one that, understandably, gets emotions stirred, but you can all rest a little easy knowing the official stances of two of the major cellular networks. Erica Sevilla, a Verizon spokeswoman, said:I think people can feel comfortable we’re not storing information that can later be used against them. Unless you have something stored on your phone or on a recipients’ phone, it does not stay on our network for a long period.AT&T said they do not store SMS messages beyond 72 hours, which are only kept for delivery purposes. (Read the full post about ‘Verizon, AT&T Respect Your SMS Privacy [Privacy]’…)

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Nowadays the significance of book reading slightly decreased because there is a great amount of different sources of information. Nevertheless a lot of people all over the world still like reading books. Due to the fact that book reading is quite a simple process it seems that nothing new can be invented in this domain. However, it is not exactly so. Japanese designer Sakura Adachi suggested combining of bookcase and reading space. His invention represents quite a comfortable place for reading that is located right inside of the bookcase. This place is designed in the form of a chair that is made of a kind of soft material in order to ensure comfort. (Read the full post about ‘Book lover’s cave’…)

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The Open Television Network, which was born this week, is a sneaky little behind-the-scenes platform that lets small media publishers sell content that’s distributed through RSS. It represents an entirely fresh approach to creating an unmediated online video marketplace between content owners/creators and consumers. Big publishers will continue to sell content through major stores like iTunes, but OTN allows publishers to distribute content that, if fairly priced, might make a few bucks. It works via a technology the company previously built, called KlickTab. Users first set up an account, and then whenever they want to buy content from an OTN publisher, that account is debited when the item is downloaded. (Read the full post about ‘The Open Television Network and RSS feeds: One neat trick’…)

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This strange appendage snaps on to the bottom of your standard PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS joystick, turning it into a poor-man’s DualShock controller. PEGA’s oddly-named “Vibrating Bag” adds rumble capability to your stock PS3 controller. Now they don’t specify if the vibration actually works when the game generates its feedback signal, or if the thing just continuously rumbles. But couldn’t your tired hands use a relaxing massage anyway? In addition to adding some unwelcome bulk to the controller, the remote receiver that plugs into the console’s USB port has a huge antenna sticking out of it, messing with your PS3’s sleek good looks. (Read the full post about ‘too cheap to buy a ps3 dualshock controller?’…)

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For the latest info on the coolest gadgets, emerging technology and wired madness, subscribe to our full news feed or have it delivered to your inbox. Always free. Always unique. Thanks for visiting! If I ever do pack it all in and decide to work from home, then I am definitely getting me one of these. I would not go quite as far as setting it up over a bed; I would be setting up the ErgoQuest 500 over some sort of mega-expensive massage chair. Seriously, this is a cool concept for people that are bed ridden for whatever reason, not just the extremely lazy amongst us. The ErgoQuest 500 carries up to 400lbs of equipment, so you can fit whatever combination of monitors you want in there. (Read the full post about ‘ErgoQuest 500 Enables a Successful Life of Sloth’…)

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You can now receive hundreds of books via ICUE on your cell phone that are priced anywhere from 50-cents to $9.00! And you don’t have to worry about buying a new bookcase to store them either! Your cell phone will take on the job so you can read them whenever and wherever your little literary heart desires. You can also read them at any pace that makes you feel comfortable, whether that be per word or per phrase. The text appears automatically at a size and speed that you determine, which means no more endless scrolling down the page or squinting at small text. ICUE is a mobile phone-based service that allows you to download, read and store up to 400 books on your phone. (Read the full post about ‘ICUE: The perfect way to read anything’…)

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