Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 141 of 168)

      Star Wars Periphs Coming to Wii This Fall

      June 26, 2009 /

      Tired of that painted cardboard tube you’ve been sliding over your Wiimote? Wish you could play homerun derby as Anakin? This fall you can ditch the cardboard and intimidate your fellow batters with…these plastic Star Wars peripherals.

      We’re talking about the lightsaber/blaster you see pictured at right, the newest official peripherals to be licensed by LucasArts and Nintendo. The lightsaber comes in colors for Anakin or Yoda, while the blaster comes with some super nifty customizable stickers. YAY! Nothing like throwing stickers on your laser rifle from the future. Who’s a badass? You are, my friend. You are.

      The rifle is built just like other rifles for the Wii, with a holster for both the Wiimote and the nunchuk, giving you double triggers and the necessary movement controls. Did I mention the stickers?

      No word yet on pricing, and no one’s mentioned whether the lightsabers actually light up (and kill your Wiimote batteries), but I’d guess yes on the lighting and $25 on the price. Someone please make a hilarious video with these.

      Gaming

      Unsurprising News of the Day: iPhone 3GS Bumps YouTube Mobile Uploads By 400%

      June 26, 2009 /

      iPhone video recording at the pool.There’s a word that’s frequently omitted from the recent blog chatter about YouTube’s latest upload stats: mobile. It’s an important word, too, especially for a site that sees tens of thousands of uploads per day.

      For those of you who aren’t up to date, a recent YouTube blog post claimed the iPhone 3GS has bumped uploads by 400% per day since its release last Friday. Taken out of context, that’s mind-blowing, and at first led me to believe iPhone 3GS users were somehow pushing nearly half a million videos per day through YouTube’s servers. That would be staggering.

      In the original context, though, you can see the YouTube team is talking about mobile upload increases, not total upload percentages, which makes this completely unsurprising news. The last six months have seen the first widespread adoption of phones with video paired with data connections capable of uploading those videos. It’s no surprise then that the last six months have also seen a 1700% increase in mobile uploads and the 400% iPhone 3GS stat mentioned earlier. It’s pretty easy to post huge growth numbers from…next to nothing, and it just gets easier when Apple sells a million phones, all with build in video and editing features, all with an easy YouTube upload app.

      Now it’s easy to panic and wonder when all of this uploading is going to crush AT&T’s upstream, but YouTube hasn’t released any hard numbers. It’s still 400 percent, which could be 100 or could be 10,000. Even a generous 100,000 videos a day is a lot for mobile video, but compared to the number of mobile users (take the 20 million active iPhone users, for instance) and you’re talking about marginal amounts of data compared to the total upstream per day.

      So please, take it easy, and don’t forget to look at the original data before taking fantastical news to heart.

      iPhone, News, Video

      id Software to Release a New iPhone Game Every 2-3 Months

      June 25, 2009 /

      id on the iPhone.The latest in iPhone news (and I know there’s been a lot of it this month) comes from id Software. You may know them as the creators of games like Doom and Wolfenstein and the upcoming Rage. iPhone users will be getting introduced to, or reacquainted with, id over the next year.

      id co-founder John Carmack told Joystiq today that he is “passionate about the benefits of the iPhone,” and that his company has a lot of fun porting their titles. He also says it doesn’t require a lot of focus, at least for an established IP like Doom. But there is more to come from Carmack and company, who recently announced their buyout by ZeniMax, parent company to Bethesda.

      “I’ve got a slate of iPhone titles, I expect to have an iPhone release every two or three months for the next year,” said Carmack. He made it clear that the benefit isn’t necessarily the money, but rather the level of commitment. When a game doesn’t cost millions of dollars to make and market, it’s a lot less pressure on the development team, which Carmack views as a good thing.

      I’m glad to see a major developer taking the iPhone into serious consideration. Titles like Myst have recently been ported as well, but how about some new IP? Personally, I’d love some.

      Apps, Gaming, iPhone

      Nudie iPhone App Goes Live, Gets Pulled

      June 25, 2009 /

      The first iPhone app showing any sort of nudity debuted today and has since been pulled from the app store.

      The app, called Hottest Girls, has been around longer than the parental controls that could supposedly allow explicit content to be viewed within an app on Apple’s iPhone. Previous to today’s update, the application simply showed pictures of girls (mostly asian) in various types of scanty clothing. The app was supposed to be the first to feature adult content.

      There’s been no word concerning the removal of the app from the app store yet. I’ll be surprised to see Apple try to keep the pics from returning. It’s not particularly hard to find porn on the phone, considering it has a nearly fully featured browser. You can imagine, though, the massive influx of applications we’ll see if porn apps get the official sanction.

      For now, looks like you’ll have to stick to Safari to get your mobile porn on.

      Uncategorized

      Windows 7 To Be Cheaper Than Vista

      June 25, 2009 /

      Windows 7.Microsoft announced their pricing for Windows 7 today, along with upgrade information, launch details, and a nice little preorder deal. I know plenty of users will be getting rid of Vista when 7 ships, and many have already done so with the 7 RC build.

      As for pricing, upgrades will fall just a hair short of Windows Vista prices since the cut in February 2008. A Home Premium upgrade version will run $120 as opposed to Vista’s $130. The Home Premium full version will be $200, down from $240 for Vista.

      The preorder prices are where the real money…isn’t. I can’t say if this is an apology to all the Vista users or whether Microsoft just wants 7 in the hands of as many folks as possible. Whatever the reason, I’m happy. Here’s a look at the price breakdown by country for the Home Premium and Professional builds:

        * US: Home Premium ($49.99) Professional ($99.99)
        * Canada: Home Premium ($64.99) Professional ($124.99)
        * Japan: Home Premium (¥7,407) Professional (¥14,073)
        * UK: Home Premium (£49.99) Professional (£99.99)
        * France and Germany: Home Premium (€49.99) Professional (€109.99

      Just $50 for a Microsoft OS that won’t drive me completely insane? I’ll take it.

      A quick note about upgrades: Be sure you pay attention to your upgrade process, because it will vary depending on your current product. For example, Windows XP users, whether upgrading or not, will have to do a clean install. The responsibility for backup falls to the user, so don’t pop your DVDs in expecting MS to keep your data.

      Vista upgraders can follow Vista upgrade paths. You will only need a clean install if you are moving from Professional to Home Premium, even if it’s Vista Pro to 7:HP. Going from Vista:HP to 7 Pro will not require a full install.

      US preorders start tomorrow at the Microsoft Store and other select retailers, including Best Buy and Amazon. Don’t miss out. The offer is only good while supplies last.

      microsoft

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