DOOM now available in the App Store!

Ahh…this brings back memories. Doom, the legendary shoot em up from back in the day is now available in the app store.

The game includes the original three episodes as well as Episode Four, Thy Flesh Consumed, spread across 36 levels of non-stop carnage and action.

You can choose from customizable control schemes, all designed by id Software co-founder and industry legend, John Carmack.

In DOOM Classic, multiplayer action is reborn! With a wireless connection, battleSource: The Next Web RSS Feed

Using Voice and Photos to Translate Language With the iPhone

Filed under: Cell Phones, iPhone

If you aren't well-versed in a native language, traveling to another country can be intimidating. But two new iPhone applications seek to remedy that anxiety by translating foreign languages on the fly. More interesting, the apps use two different methods -- audio or images.
PicTranslator, which supports more than 10 languages, can translate text that appears in a picture you've taken with the iPhone's camera. If you're at a fancy FrenchSource: Switched RSS Feed

Handset Makers Set to Cash In on the Holidays

The handset market will have much to be thankful for this holiday season, according to new reports out this morning from IDC and Strategy Analytics. IDC said manufacturer shipments increased by 5.6 percent in the third quarter over the previous one as promotions of older devices at lower prices — such as the $99 iPhone 3G — propped up demand. While the 287.1 million handset shipments were down 6 percent from the same period in 2008, the quarter-by-quarter increase in shipments indicates Source: GigaOM RSS Feed

A spoken English-to-Spanish translation app that works

Translation is tricky enough, but an app that turns your spoken English into Spanish in real-time? It sounds like something out of Star Trek, and that's exactly what the Jibbigo app for the iPhone claims to do. We tried it out, and we like what we see.

At a glance: Jibbigo would be perfect for any iPhone owner who likes to travel to Spanish-speaking countries. It does well with vital phrases you'd need, such as asking for directions for specific things. It also does it all whileSource: DVICE RSS Feed

Hands-On With the Diana F Lens Adapter and Fisheye: As Bad As You’d Expect

If you’re thinking of buying Lomo’s latest plastic-fantastic accessory, the Diana Lens Adapter, which lets you put the company’s range of medium format lenses onto your DSLR, we have one word of advice. Don’t.

The adapter was launched just over a month ago, and at the time I wrote “I’m sold. As soon as the local Lomo store re-opens after today’s holiday, I’m going to pick one up.”

It took a little longer, but I bought one this week for €12, although in the USSource: Wired RSS Feed

Gamasutra examines Gamerscore and game completion statistics

In a new feature, Gamasutra looks at Xbox 360 Gamerscore and game completion statistics in search of a reason why some players stop playing games in their library.
According to the feature, a game's overall difficulty is the biggest culprit from discouraging players from completing a game. Using data of 14,000 players regularly surveyed provided by Microsoft and the top 13 Xbox Live titles in 2008, it was concluded the group unlocked less than half of the possible Gamerscore onSource: Xbox 360 Fanboy RSS Feed

MSI working on Tegra-based e-book reader for 2010

Oh Tegra, is there anything you can't do? Not only are you at the heart of the Zune HD, you're also the rumored silicon foundation underpinning next generation smartbooks, media pads, MIDs, and even the Nintendo DS. Now we've got MSI chairman, Joseph Hsu, peddling promises of an NVIDIA Tegra-based e-book reader that will be fully revealed in the first half of 2010 -- exactly as rumored. While no details have been provided, one could assume that a device with that kind of power will be doing Source: Engadget RSS Feed

New releases from usbfever.com

usbfever.com has released two new and interesting products for the iPhone and iPod Touch and we wanted to share them with you.

The STRAP POCKET is a versatile gadget holder that is made out of Neoprene material which is more commonly used for wetsuits and is very light and durable. You can hold your gadgets and portable devices such as your mobile phone and MP3 player in it, and strap it onto various straps such as your backpack or shoulder bag strap using the velcro fasteners.  It isSource: Gear Diary RSS Feed

Bike-Carrying Flight Case Advertises Its Contents

Traveling with a bicycle is always a scary proposition. You can either do your best to pack your bike safely in a cardboard box or a bike bag and pay over-the-top surcharges for sports equipment, or you can pack the bike safely in a hard case, paying the same rip-off handling charges. Either way, you’ll have to cross your fingers and hope you don’t get to the destination with a bent fork or buckled wheel.

The best alternative I have seen so far is the S and S Coupling, whichSource: Gadget Lab RSS Feed

Lexmark T656dne Monochrome Laser Printer

Lexmark is not nearly as popular as other major printer manufacturers.  Companies like Canon and Epson continue to be the pack leaders in the world of printing jobs, but this doesn’t stop Lexmark from designing new printers with great features for a great value.

The Lexmark T656dne Monochrome Laser Printer is a high-volume printer that can handle the most complicated printing jobs.  The printer has a touch screen that makes it convenient for the user to launch different LexmarkSource: Gadgettastic RSS Feed

Shure’s SE115m+ Headset for iPhone Available This Month

Shure this week unveiled the SE115m+ Sound Isolating Headset with Remote + Microphone, which is fully compatible with the iPhone 3GS and current Apple iPod models. It features a three-button remote control located on the right earpiece cable, enabling users to easily adjust volume, control music and video playback, record voice memos, and answer or end calls without having to remove their earphones.

Priced at $119.99 USD, Shure’s SE115m+ will be available to consumers this monthSource: SlashPhone RSS Feed

Switched On: Making book with ePUB

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
The ePUB standard, developed by Adobe, allows consumers to purchase books at a variety of digital stores and use them on a wide range of compatible devices without the manufacturer having to explicitly support them. That may sound a bit like the PlaysForSure initiative that Microsoft tried mounting to challenge the iPod but ultimately shifted away from (at least for MP3 players) in favor of the Zune,Source: Engadget RSS Feed

Web 2.0: Teens love Facebook and Apple, confused by Twitter

The old fogies at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco today tried to figure out what those crazy kids are doing with technology by interviewing a group of five Bay Area teenagers. The session, moderated by former Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy, rambled and eventually degenerated to teenagers free associating on different companies (”Google?” “Simple!”), but the most compelling part for me was seeing their visceral dislike of Twitter.

Now, the “teens don’t tweet”Source: VentureBeat RSS Feed

Borderlands Haiku Contest Winner!

The dust has settled on our Borderlands haiku contest and a clear winner has emerged. Not only did they write a Borderlands themed haiku, but six of them! All six were put together in a single poem entitled "Character Countdown." Congratulations, VoiceofGosh for your award winning haiku collection which everyone can read below. Character Countdown Character countdown Get to know this fine quartet Fun times much? You bet! Hunter Mordecai Bloodwing is his deadly pet Head shots=hawt!!! LilithSource: GayGamer.net RSS Feed

A look at the Alien vs. Predator game you never played

Edge Online has posted a trimmed version of the magazine's Alien vs. Predator retrospective. Since you probably didn't have an Atari Jaguar, which struggled to establish a user base in the short time before it was buried by the first Playstation, you probably didn't play this game. But fifteen years ago, consider this game was doing things that were even too cool for the more recent Aliens vs. Predators.Deft design touches differentiated the [Alien and Predator] sections, such as the ability Source: DVICE RSS Feed

Acer Aspire 5738DG 3D Notebook Official [Aspire 5738DG Cheaper Than Previously Speculated]

Quite an impressive piece of technology that has caused some serious drooling for the craving geeks from TFTS, Acer’s first laptop to boast 3D capabilities somehow has managed to leak online, last week, and we had our take on it. Today however, the new Acer Aspire 5738DG has gone official and this time we managed to get our hands on the full list of specs and a price.

(more…)

See: Acer Aspire 5738DG 3D Notebook Official [Aspire 5738DG Cheaper Than Previously Speculated]Source: Nexus404 RSS Feed

Get Your Tickets For PAX East in Boston

Registration has officially begun for PAX East,  a gaming convention scheduled to take place in Boston from March 26 to March 28, 2010.

Three-day passes are a mere $45. The folks at Penny Arcade have provided a one-stop-shop for hotel booking at their web site as well.

Penny Arcade Expo is a consumer-oriented gaming convention that delivers three days of nerdy bliss. LAN, handheld, console, table-top and role-play gamers are all well served with dedicated gaming rooms, flushSource: Game|Life RSS Feed

New Look for LDSMediaTalk

 

 

This week, we’re proud to launch an updated look for the branding of LDSMediaTalk.com, thanks to the design efforts of Jared Fitch.

The LDS Media Talk blog shares ideas with LDS parents and youth who are interested in learning how to use technology and new media to strengthen families and build The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I began the blog on July 5, 2006 as ldsWebguy.com.

 

 

 

It was later rebrandedSource: LDS Media Talk RSS Feed

The culture crosser

Lisa Jardine lecturing against a backdrop of (I think) Feliks Topolski’s portrait of C.P. Snow

I went to the C.P. Snow Lecture in Christ’s last Wednesday with fairly low expectations generated by the title “The Two Cultures Revisited”. What more is there to be said about the famous Rede lecture, delivered 50 years ago just down the road in the Senate House? Were we going to be treated to yet another rehash of the row between Snow and another Cambridge figure of the time, F.R.Source: Memex 1.1 RSS Feed

FAIL: When A 400 Ton-Haul Truck Tries To Carry 600 Tons [LOLCars]

A Caterpillar 797 Mining Truck costs $3.4 million, weighs 1.38 million lbs., has a 3,370 HP engine and can carry 363 tons. What happens when one tries to carry 600 tons? An amazing fail documented in the gallery below.

These photos were posted by user John Lee PeTTimore at the QuattroWorld forum, who was forwarded the image by a co-worker. We'd like to see the tow truck that showed up to carry this $3.4 million vehicle back to the shop.

[QuattroWorld forum]

Source: Jalopnik RSS Feed

Gateway intros 15.6 and 11.6-inch EC Series laptops: EC58, EC54 and EC14

It's quite possible that you've missed the memo, but Microsoft's next major operating system launches this week. Along with pretty much every other PC maker on the planet, Gateway is also announcing new laptops that hum along on Windows 7. Starting things off is the 11.6-inch EC14, which gets going at $549.99 and includes a 1.3GHz Pentium Dual Core SU1400 CPU, 1,366 x 768 resolution LED-backlit panel, Intel's GMA 4500MHD graphics, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a built-in webcam and multicardSource: Engadget RSS Feed

ASUS Eee Box EB1012 and EB1501 Ion-toting nettops get video hands-on

ASUS’ latest NVIDIA Ion based nettops have been well and truly pawed over by NetbookNews.de, and considering that the Eee Box EB1012 at least seems destined for the US market it’s only right that we should take an interest.  The EB1012 – and the ASUS Eee Box EB1501 – uses Intel’s dual-core Atom 330 1.6GHz processor, paired with the Ion 1080p-capable graphics chipset, with the key difference being that the EB1501 finds room to squeeze in an optical drive.

Video demos afterSource: SlashGear RSS Feed

X-Mini II and X-Mini Max II Review

We recently received a couple of sets of speakers for review named the X-Mini II and X-Mini Max II. When first getting the speakers out of the box I was a little worried that they wouldn’t provide much sound or volume due to their small size. Lets take a look to see if I was right… The X-Mini II is a single speaker that has a 40mm driver built in that you can attach to your computer via the attached 3.5mm cable. The X-Mini Max II comes in 1 unit that actually splits in 2 and houses aSource: Gadget Venue RSS Feed

Dell Adamo XPS gets price, release date

We have been reporting recently on the new ultraportable Dell Adamo XPS, which promises to be almost half the size of its main competitor, the Macbook Air.
Besides its 0.39-inch thinness, there has been little other details on the device, however.
This weekend, Bloomberg Business Week added a bit of info on the ultraportable, giving consumers a price and release date at least.
The Adamo XPS will cost $2000 USD and will launch on the same day as Windows 7, October 22nd.
Source: AfterDawn.com RSS Feed

Mark's violin update

Mark Williams' electric violin, which he has been building over the past few months, is nearly complete. Other than the neck and a few other items, the whole instrument has been scratch built, mostly at the Boston Fab Lab. He has a nice gallery of photos detailing the build.

I'm almost finished painting it, and I just string it all up for the first time since the project exposition to test out the new pickup magnets. It works GREAT! So amazing to play something I've built from Source: MAKE: Blog RSS Feed

EyeTV 3G Stream Goes Bye Bye…

Larry was all excited to post about EyeTV’s easter egg that enabled streaming video from your Mac to your iPhone over 3G. Unlike Yelp which required the user to shake and shake and shake their iPhone to unlock the hidden augmented reality goodness, the EyeTV bonus was available by simply tapping the screen differently when warned about the lack of connectivity.

It was neat.
It was awesome.
And it was something that, we all knew it was too good to be true… at least forSource: Gear Diary RSS Feed

‘a boy and his blob’ comes to life, my worst nightmare realized

I have an irrational fear and hatred of “blobs” and blob-like creatures. Growing up, I used to watch a Saturday morning cartoon called The Herculoids, in which there were two gelatinous mounds named “Gleep” and “Gloop.” Hated them. To this date, I haven’t watched Irvin Yeaworth’s The Blob. And I have no intention to play A Boy and His Blob, despite how prettiful the visuals are.

Blobs are my enemies.

And now . . . Now crazy German designer Stefan Ulrich has gone Source: technabob RSS Feed

$800 MSI X-Slim X400 Arrives in U.S., I’d Opt for the X340 [jkOnTheRun]

So a you need a notebook-sized display, but want the portability and light-weight of a netbook, eh? MSI has you covered. You could go with the 13-inch X-Slim line that’s been around for a bit, or you could jump up to the slightly bigger X400 that’s now for sale in the U.S. Laptoping reports two online retailers have the 14-incher in stock for $799.99. I double-checked and Excalibur PC does offer the X400, but Mwave is either out of stock, or never had it to begin with.

Like theSource: GigaOM Network RSS Feed

Mobinnova Beam — Windows CE Laptop Because… I Don’t Know [jkOnTheRun]

LAPTOP Magazine is showing off a special notebook from Mobinnova called the Beam. What makes it special is the OS that the Beam is running… Windows CE. Yep, it’s a smartphone OS in a full laptop form. Why? I’m not really sure. The company claims it will get hours and hours of battery life, but I suspect that’s because it won’t do all that much. Windows CE is rather dated for phones, and is not even designed for larger format devices.

The Beam is built around a 8.9-inchSource: GigaOM Network RSS Feed

CyberCity3D releases a ton of 3D buildings in San Francisco

CyberCity3D has just pushed out a lot of 3D buildings for the San Francisco area. They're all gray buildings (no textures), but the number of buildings is quite impressive. As per their Facebook Page, they've just covered the neighborhoods of Marina, Cow Hollow, Japan Town, Fillmore, Hayes Valley, Haight-Ashbury, Cole Valley, Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, Laurel Heights, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond, Sea Cliff and Pacific Heights. Below is a snapshot of Haight-Ashbury, with downtown SanSource: Google Earth Blog RSS Feed

LG to launch the world’s smallest 3-inch full touch phone LG Pop

SEOUL, Korea (AVING) — LG Electronics(www.lge.co.kr) is going to launch its ultra-compact 3-inch full touch phone ‘Pop(model: LG GD510)’ in 15 European countries including U.K.

Measuring 97.8×49.5×11.2mm, the LG Pop adopts ‘Narrow Bezel’ technology for its compact body shape. Boasting ‘Active Flash’ UI, the LG Pop features a 3M camera, mp3 player, FM radio, Bluetooth connectivity, external memory slot expandable up to 8GB and more. The company also launches solarSource: Remove The Labels RSS Feed

Vespa Gives a Loud Ride To a Good Cause

We’ve always liked a loud ride here at Autopia, but pink is an ultrasonic scream that appeals to more bubbly and energetic buyers than us. And that’s how Jennifer Weaver describes the typical person buying the Pink Vespa LX customer.

Weaver is the sales manager at Vespa San Francisco, where most of the people buying the 2010 Pink Vespa LX are women. “You don’t see too many men flying by on one,” she said. It’s only fair that Vespa would offer a more feminine color for its Source: Autopia RSS Feed

Carnival of the Mobilists #195 At Always On Real-Time Access

You can always find the week's best blog posts on mobile topics at the Carnival of the Mobilists. The latest edition is at mobile industry consultant and author Chetan Sharma's blog, Always On Real-Time Access.

Topics this week include mobile social networking, mobile application development, mobile advertising, inovation in emerging markets, mobile VOIP, a CTIA report and my Bolt browser review (thanks for including it, Chetan).

Don't miss Carnival of the Mobilists #195 AtSource: Wap Review RSS Feed

HP announces new TouchSmarts to coincide with Windows 7

Section: Computers, Desktops, Hardware

With the release of Windows 7 looming, HP is certainly bringing out everything it has both for the new OS update and holiday shopping. First, there was the new Envy laptops, and now HP is bringing out new TouchSmarts. However, these new machines take advantage of much more than just the Windows 7 release.

For those unaware, HP’s TouchSmart line is its collection of multitouch enabled desktops. With the new multitouch-friendly Windows 7, Source: Gadgetell RSS Feed

'Spider pill' bowel scanner will be ready within a year

Endoscopy, or the examination of a person's bowels via a tube-mounted camera, is not exactly the most pleasant medical procedure one could undergo. In 2004, we noted the early stages of a project to alleviate the (literal) pain of the procedure with a spider pill, which -- once swallowed by the hopefully willing patient -- can be remotely controlled and positioned inside the human body. Yes, it's a tiny, wirelessly communicating robot with a camera for a head crawling inside you. Hit theSource: Engadget RSS Feed

Ford GPS tech could tell cars when you're going too fast

We like it when GPS is feeding us information, telling us when traffic is causing a problem and indicating when a bridge is out so that we can warm up our voices ahead of all the hootin' and a hollerin' required for our General Lee replica to clear the gap. However, we're not too keen on the All-Seeing Eye aspect of GPS, and that's what we're fearing in Ford's latest research. The company gave a $120,000 grant to the Auburn University's GPS and Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory to look intoSource: Engadget RSS Feed

Google Docs ‘custom shapes and lines, snap to guides, draw multiple lines’ features

Google added somenew featuresto drawings in Google Docs, choose 'Insert Drawing' in any document, spreadsheet, or presentation:

Custom shapes and lines,select 'Polyline' from the toolbar, choose shapes, fill them, and even move around points on a line by double-clicking the line.
Snap to Guideshelps you align shapes with the canvas and with other shapes. This feature can be enabled by selecting 'Snap to Guides' from the edit menu.
Draw multiple lines letSource: D' Technology Weblog RSS Feed

ClusterShot: How a Startup’s Pet Project Became Profitable

When Canada’s Silverorange started developing ClusterShot, a web site through which people can upload and sell their photos online, in May of 2008, it was nothing more than a side project members of the 14-person web development firm worked on in the evenings and on weekends. Today the service consumes up to 25 percent of Silverorange’s development time and is profitable.

ClusterShot earns revenue from selling annual Pro subscriptions, which cost $20 and provide users with theirSource: GigaOM RSS Feed

Google testing Cloudboard, an online clipboard service

It appears that there could soon be a new way to share data between Google’s many web services.

Google Operating System has uncovered details of private testing for a new product called Google Cloudboard. According to an internal feedback form (screenshot here), Cloudboard would allow you to send data between different Google apps.

Although only the main Google Docs apps (the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps) are being targeted by the service at first, itSource: The Next Web RSS Feed

Buffalo ships world's first USB 3.0 hard disk drives this month

It's fine to announce USB 3.0 gear, but it's another thing entirely to actually put it up for retail. Buffalo's making the boast today that its HD-HU3 series of USB 3.0 hard disks will be the "world's first!!" to ship. Since a USB 3.0 device is pointless without a controller to support it, Buffalo will also make NEC's 5,300 (about $60) IFC-PCIE2U3 2-port PCI Expressx1 host controller available with its hard drives when they ship late October in Japan, almost a month before Freecom'sSource: Engadget RSS Feed

A Netbook/ultramobile hybrid from Sharp

The NetWalker is part Netbook, part ultramobile PC.

(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET)

CHIBA, Japan--The Sharp NetWalker comes off like a computer with an identity crisis.

It's part Asus Eee PC Netbook and part Samsung Q1 ultramobile PC.

And it's a little bit puzzling.

The NetWalker is dressed up ...

Originally posted at Circuit Breaker

Source: CNet News RSS Feed

Gateway 11.6-Inch Tablet PC Leaked

Gateway has been largely silent on the Tablet PC front for a good while, but that may be changing soon. Engadget has gotten wind of a new convertible notebook by Gateway that will be running Windows 7 when released. Gateway has produced heavy, clunky tablets in the past, but the EC18T has a pretty small form with an 11.6-inch screen.

Not much is known about the this new Gateway, but the folks at engadget have a gaggle of photos of the new Tablet PC. We’ll have to see what kind ofSource: jkOnTheRun RSS Feed

Bamboo Keyboard and Mouse Will Make a Panda Drool

Just because something is made of Bamboo doesn’t mean its not fucntional. This interesting USB Bamboo Keyboard and Mouse add an eco-friendly charm to any home.  The Bamboo gives both devices an earthy natural look and would probably make a Panda’s mouth water. The keyboard is a standard size keyboard and the mouse is optical. So no need to worry that they left out any important features for the sake of the environment. You can purchase the both items together as a package orSource: Chip Chick RSS Feed

The Evolution Of Technology In Schools

Schools try to keep up with the current technology trends, especially in Silicon Valley, the home of technology innovation. You would think that schools in Silicon Valley would be the most up to date on technology—with the latest computers, projectors, drawing boards—but coming from a first hand perspective, as a student at a local school, it’s the complete opposite. I go to a high school where there are no technology classes that even teach students the basics of web development, orSource: TechCrunch.com RSS Feed

Commenter Of The Day: Pirates! Gold Edition [Commenter Of The Day]

We wasted a full year of childhood development playing games on SEGA Channel as a child, including the popular-with-certain-nerds Pirates! Gold. The game set you as the captain of a pirate ship in the rough-and-tumble Caribbean in the early colonization period. You had a large map to explore and you could sword fight, naval battle, charm, and trade your way to victory. There was even an opportunity to woo various females in order to secure a lovely wife for extra points. And while I didn'tSource: Jalopnik RSS Feed

Follow Up: Banned PSN Player Stays Banned, Loses Lawsuit

Remember that semi-silly news item I brought to your attention back in July about Erik Estavillo, the agoraphobic individual that could banned from the PlayStation network and went out and sued Sony for the reimbursement of his prepaid cards and emotion distress? In a totally not shocking turn of events, California Judge Ronald Whyte ruled that Sony didn't trounce on Estavillo's First Amendment rights by permanently booting him off the network and not refunding his money. In a short andSource: GayGamer.net RSS Feed