By Chris Scott Barr

Yesterday Logitech launched their new Flight System G940, which looks awesome from the pictures. However, this is one of those products that you really have to get your hands on to really understand. I’ve never flown a plane (or anything else for that matter) so I have no real basis for comparison. However, if I were flying something, this is exactly what I’d want it to feel like.

I’ve used quite a few joysticks in the past, but this is the first that actually has rudder pedals which adds a whole new dimension to the game. Add in the dual throttles and the force-feedback and you’ve got yourself one hell of a setup. One of the best features about joystick itself the lack of springs. Instead it is handled entirely by small servos and motors, which makes handling so much smoother than your average stick. $300 is pricey, but if you’re an enthusiast it might be worth finding the cash.

By Chris Scott Barr

It’s hard to find someone that doesn’t appreciate The Beatles. Many would argue that they are the greatest band of all time, and though I might put Led Zeppelin right there with them, I’d have to agree. These four guys changed the world of music as we know it, and now they’re finally coming to Rock Band.

I was able to score a little face time with some of the Harmonix crew to get a hands-on look at the latest iteration of Rock Band, which is dedicated to The Beatles. The Harmonix guys played a 3 song set which showed off a couple of the historic venues, as well as one custom venue for Back in the USSR. The graphics for the game look great, with each of the band members looking just as good as you would hope.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Shane McGlaun

Turtle Beach has been making nice gaming headphones for the PC and the Xbox for a while. The line has been a bit scant on headphones for the PS3 though. I have used several of Turtle Beach’s PC surround sound headphones and they work pretty well.

The company has now announced a new set of gaming headphones called the P21 for the Sony PS3 console. The P21′s feature a USB powered inline amp to provide deep bass. A mic boom allows players to take advantage of in game chat functions. Read the rest of this entry »

By Shane McGlaun

I loathe the camera in my first gen iPhone. I have tried to use it on several occasions and it simply isn’t worth the time it takes to try and use the camera. If you want to take a picture of something that doesn’t move it works most of the time, but try and shoot a pic in a dim room or of something moving and you are out of luck.

Samsung has officially announced its new Pixon 12 camera phone and it sounds like they started with a camera and added the phone as an accessory rather than the other way around. The Pixon 12 has 12-megapixels and a full AMOLED touchscreen. The camera also has a Xenon power LED flash and a wide-angle 28mm lens. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

In my mind they’re definitely a sound of Summer, but gas-powered mowers are noisy, messy and of course produce harmful emissions just like an automobile. But an electric model that’s tethered to a power cord can be problematic too, particularly if you’ve got a large piece of property to maintain. So the Neuton CE 6 seems like a better alternative since it provides all of the benefits of an electric mower, like being quiet and clean with no engine emissions, without the hassle of a long extension cord trailing behind you. It uses a removable, rechargeable battery with 360 watt-hours of juice that should be good for about 1/3 of an acre, or for about an hour, depending on the grass conditions.

The Neuton’s battery takes about 12 hours to recharge, which could be problematic if you run a landscaping business, but it should be a non-issue for homeowners who only cut their lawns on a weekly basis. Now the Neuton CE 6 will set you back $499, but the rechargeable battery should last for about 5 years, so when you remove the cost of gas, it might be worth it in the long run.

[ Neuton CE 6 Battery-Powered Mower ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

According to Christie, their new Entero line is the first rear-projection display system to feature an LED-based projector. Who knew? Designed for facilities where large displays are needed but front-projection can be problematic, like AT&T’s Global Network Operations Center, or the NORAD control room from the movie War Games, the Entero projectors feature a zero maintenance design with no lamps, filters or color wheels that need replacing. And since the LEDs are rated at more than 50,000 hours, the projector is designed to run 24/7 for a period of over 5 years.

At the moment there are 2 Entero projectors available from Christie, an SXGA+ model with 1400×1050 resolution and a WUXGA model with 1920×1200 resolution, and both feature 600 ANSI lumens of brightness.

[ PR - New Christie Entero™ LED Rear Projection Systems Launch Future of 24/7 Videowall Solutions ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In a move that is expected to save the city almost $12.9 million over the next 10 years, Philadelphia is installing 500 BigBelly trash compacting garbage cans over the next couple of months. While conventional trash cans need to be emptied 19 times a week, the BigBelly receptacles can accept 4 to 8 times as much garbage since it’s being compacted, which means they only need to be emptied about 5 times a week. So instead of the 33 workers that are usually needed to empty trash bins, the city now only needs just 8. And when they’re full, the BigBellys will automatically phone the Philadelphia Streets Department HQ letting them know they’re ready to be emptied.

[ BigBelly Solid Waste Management System ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I think referring to this over-engineered baby carriage as a ‘robot’ is a bit of a stretch, but if you’ve got $780 to burn and an overly-energetic/clingy baby to deal with, it could be the next best thing to a live-in nanny. Besides a unique horizontal swinging motion designed to lull your child to sleep, the Bomo will also autonomously follow you around the house whilst avoiding obstacles like furniture, pets and other babies that aren’t so privileged.

But that’s not all! Why let Bomo’s sensors decide where it roams when you can switch it into a manual mode and let your kid pilot the chair via an actual accelerator pedal and a fully-functioning steering wheel. On a 3-hour charge Bomo’s battery is good for about 6 hours of use, and all of the upholstery is easily removable and washable since ‘indoor ride-on toys + kids’ is the basic scientific formula for spills.

[ Bomo Indoor Robot Baby Carriage ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s an understatement to say the iPhone’s built-in camera isn’t the greatest, but that doesn’t mean the phone itself can’t be a useful tool for serious photographers. A company called Pixelexip has a couple of apps currently available on the App Store for $0.99 each that might come in handy, even if you’re shooting with thousands of dollars worth of professional camera equipment.

LightSource turns your iPhone (or iPod Touch) into a customizable light panel for accenting still-life or low light photo shoots. In reality the app is nothing more than another flashlight, but it features a wide array of settings for specific light sources like fluorescent or gaseous lights, and it could be just the thing for adding a distinct catch light in your subject’s eyes, or adding a specific tint to a scene.

GrayCard is basically the same idea, another glorified flashlight, but it turns your iPhone into an adjustable gray card for white balance reference and corrections later on. You simply select how your scene is lit, daylight or tungsten lighting, as well as a cool or warm setting depending on how you want your shots to turn out. Now I’m actually a little skeptical as to how well this app would work when using a flash, given the iPhone’s reflective glass screen and limited viewing angle, but in certain situations it might be better than carrying around 20 different filters.

Thanks Wook!

[ Pixelexip - LightSource & GrayCard ]