Category Archives: Technology

DJ Hero 2 adds a second turnable and mic to the mix

Technology, Video, , , , ,

DJ Hero is getting significantly upgraded in its second installment.  DJ Hero 2 will feature over 70 never before heard mixes with artists ranging from Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, and Rihanna.  Only three mixes have been revealed: Lady Gaga “Just Dance” Mixed With Deadmau5 “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff”, Pussycat Dolls “Don’t Cha” Mixed With Pitbull “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”, and MSTRKRFT “Bounce” Beat Juggle.  Deadmau5 will also be featured as an in-game playable character.  This game will include something the original did not–a story mode.  In Empire Mode,  “players start out as an up-and-coming DJ on the road to becoming the head of a major entertainment empire, all of which is founded solely on their success as a DJ.”  There will also be a couple new multiplayer modes.  DJ Battles will “pit DJ against DJ in mixes produced specifically for battle gameplay.”  This mode differs from the multiplayer experience in the first game.  Previously both players played the same notes and battled for the high score.  This new mode has players take turns with the notes, making it feel more like a genuine head-to-head DJ battle.  Gameplay is separated into checkpoints, and the objective is to collect the most checkpoints.

With the original DJ Hero, players were given the option to connect their own mic into the deck’s USB port to freestyle vocals over mixes.  DJ Hero 2 integrates the mic as a standard intrument in gameplay.  If you choose to play along with/as a vocalist, on-screen lyrics will appear at the top of the screen and you’ll be scored on pitch and accuracy.

DJ Hero 2 will arrive this fall on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii.  The “Party Bundle” includes the game, two turntables, and a microphone (if you opt for this bundle, you can select a white deck).  The “Turntable Bundle” includes the game and one turntable.  They will go for $149.99 & $99.99, respectively.  Also the game will sell standalone at $59.99.  Pre-order here.  More details will spill next week at E3, so stay tuned.  For now, check out the awesome trailer above!

[Via Engadget; IGN; Activision]

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock gets detailed

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This week Activision spilled the beans on details surrounding the next iteration of its coveted Guitar Hero franchise.  Number 6 is called Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and it will pack  90 “guitar-shredding tracks” and come bundled with a brand new guitar.  The story is dubbed Quest Mode and it will be narrated by Gene Simmons of KISS.  In this story-driven mode, “players will embark on a larger-than-life, epic rock journey from the stage of CBGBs, the infamous punk-rock club in New York City, to the molten lava fields of rock treachery as eight Guitar Hero characters transform into rock warriors that must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down “The Beast” and save rock n’ roll.”  A new mode called Quickplay+ will introduce 13 challenges for every track in the game (and for all downloadable content tracks released since Guitar Hero World Tour).  In it, “gamers will complete challenges such as Band Streak, High Score and Power Challenge, which allows players to choose any two warrior powers they have unlocked to try and earn ridiculously high scores, to rank up and unlock more rewards and content than ever before.”  A partial tracklist has been revealed and is sitting after the break.  Avenged Sevenfold, Black Sabbath, Children of Bodom, DragonForce, Foreigner, KISS, Megadeth, and ZZ Top made the cut.  Oh and there’s this: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Muse’s “Uprising” are featured as well!

The guitar features a bold new design.  Since all of the internal circuitry is now located in the neck of the guitar, players can remove the interchangable “wings” and replace them with other custom designs if they so choose.  Noticably absent is the touch-enabled slider bar.  Now located at the bottom of the neck is a battery compartment (or where you’ll store the Wiimote if you’re a Wii user).  Also, the star power button has been slightly raised so reaching it with your palm is an easier task for you non-tilters.  Two guitars will be made available for WoR, the standard controller (above, left) and the GameStop exclusive “axe” controller (above, right).  Look after the break for a closer look at ’em.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will release for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii this September.  Pre-order your flavor here.  With E3 looming around the corner, more details surrounding gameplay, release date, and pricing will surely be announced soon.

[Via Joystiq, here & here; Activision] Continue reading Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock gets detailed →

Durex condom app rubs two iPhones together to make a baby

Design, Technology, Video, , , , ,

Sure, it’s a fake app but the advertisement is very real and it’s downright hysterical!  This ad for the “Anti Knock-Up Application” was entered into the Cannes Future Lions 2010 competition that challenged designers to “advertise a product from a global brand in a way that couldn’t be conceived five years ago.”  This ad does a pretty damn good job at showing how such an app could scare young men into using condoms.  Ah, what a hoot!

[Via AdFreak; Gizmodo]

Lego people put their bricks together to print out “Hello World” with felt-tipped pen

DIY, Technology, Video, ,

YouTuber horseattack has managed to construct a printer made of Legos.  He describes his work: “Lego felt tip 110″ printer connected to an Apple Mac. This is not a kit you can buy and does not use mindstorms. I designed/built/coded it all from scratch including analog motor electronics, sensors and printer driver, the USB interface uses a “wiring” board.” Now watch the magic unfold in the video above.

[Via Engadget]

AT&T intros new data plans, iPhone tethering coming this summer

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Today AT&T laid out a brand new pricing scheme for their data plans.  Let’s jump right into the deets, shall we?  New AT&T subscribers will be offered two options for a data plan: DataPlus and DataPro.

*DataPlus. Provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data – enough to send/receive 1,000 emails (no attachments), send/receive 150 emails with attachments, view 400 Web pages, post 50 photos on social media sites and 20 minutes of streaming video – for just $15 per month. This plan, which can save customers up to 20 percent off their wireless voice and data charges, is designed for people who primarily like to surf the web, send email and use social networking apps. If customers exceed 200 MB in a monthly billing cycle, they will receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15 for use in the month.

* DataPro. Provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data – enough to send/receive 10,000 emails (no attachments), send/receive 1,500 emails with attachments, view 4,000 Web pages, post 500 photos to social media sites and watch 200 minutes of streaming video – for $25 per month. Should a customer exceed 2 GB during a billing cycle, they will receive an additional 1 GB of data for $10 for use in the month.

That’s right, people–it’s the beginning of the end for data plans complete with “unlimited data.”  President and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets Ralph de la Vega on the change: “To give more people the opportunity to experience these benefits, we’re breaking free from the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ pricing model and making the mobile Internet more affordable to a greater number of people.”  And you know what?  Unless you’re part of a small bracket of people, these changes will save you money every month.  According to AT&T, “65 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB of data per month on average,” and “98 percent of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB of data a month on average.”  Much to my surprise I use less than 200 MB of data per month, so I am looking forward to saving $5 on my cell phone bill.  I guess constantly checking my Twitter and Facebook feeds plus surfing on Safari every now and then does not eat up thatmuch data; and I am sure I work on a WiFi network more often than I think.  And I’d bet you’re in the same bracket, too.  To find out how much data you use on a monthly basis, log on to your AT&T Wireless Account web page or download the AT&T myWireless Mobile app to access a chart of your usage.  For those of you who tether (or who have been waiting to tether your iPhone) to access the Internet on your laptop via your cell phone and are heavy data users, this move away from “unlimited data” may invoke some anger.  Speaking of tethering… Continue reading AT&T intros new data plans, iPhone tethering coming this summer →

Apple sells 2 million iPads in under 60 days

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It seems like it was just yesterday when we received news that Apple sold one million iPads in a matter of 28 days.  Oh wait–that did just happen.  Time for another milestone in the history of the iPad.  Shortly after launching the iPad in international waters (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK), Apple can proudly claim that they’ve sold two million iPads in under 60 days since its US launch on April 3.  Says Apple CEO Steve Jobs: “Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do. We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”  And let the good times roll for Team Apple.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Apple] Continue reading Apple sells 2 million iPads in under 60 days →

Affordable 3D handtracking brings out the Tom Cruise in all of us

Technology, Video, , , , ,

Researchers at MIT have discovered the key to gesture-based computer (a la Minority Report):  a multicolored Lycra glove that costs about $1 to manufacture.  The glove is covered with 20 irregularly shaped patches that use 10 different colors that are all picked up by a standard webcam.  Using a “new algorithm for rapidly looking up visual data in a database” the glove can be used to “gauge hand position in three dimensions — including the flexing of individual fingers — as well as a possible application in mechanical engineering.”  Love it.

[Via Gizmodo; MIT]

Best Google doodle yet: it’s Pac-Man!

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Last weekend the Internet was treated with a fun little game called Pac-Man.  The guys and gals at Google HQ thought it’d be fun to turn the Google logo into a full-fledged game of Pac-Man to celebrate the game’s 30th anniversary.  This was the real deal–the game included all 256 levels, the ghosts, the fruits, the wakka wakka sound, and the kill screen in the final level.  There was even an “insert coin” button in the place of “I’m Feeling Lucky” that when pressed once started the game, and when pressed a second time introduced Ms. Pac-man and allowed for a 2-player mode (played with the WASD keys).  And check out what the playable doodle did to productivity in America on the Friday it was introduced (according to RescueTime Blog): the average user spent 36 more seconds on Google.com; the game consumed 4,819,352 hours of time; $120,483,800 in lost productivity.  “For that same cost, you could hire all 19,835 Google employees, from [founders] Larry and Sergey down to their janitors, and get 6 weeks of their time.”  Now that’s impressive (and scary).

And with all that said I bring good news!  Although the Pac-Man Google doodle was taken down after the weekend, the game has not been wiped from Google’s server.  Head over to google.com/pacman to play whenever you want!  But try to get your work done first, hm?  Aw, who am I kidding?  Get your wakka wakka action on right now!

[Via CNET; RescueTimeBlog]