Sifteo Cubes take interactive gameplay to a new level

Sifteo Cubes take interactive gameplay to a new level

Earlier this month we featured some novel building blocks that help teach robotics to kids, and grew from a project at Carnegie Mellon University. Now it's MIT's turn, with the Sifteo Cubes – 1.5-inch gaming blocks sporting full color screens that respond to motion, and interact with the player and each other as they are moved around. Games and apps can be bought online and wirelessly transferred onto the cubes via an internet-connected computer or laptop. The current title catalog includes adult games, puzzles for kids, and challenges and games that people can play together. Read More

iCam motion controlled games console gets youngsters “edu-physical learning”

iCam motion controlled games console gets youngsters “edu-physical learning”

Motion controlled videogaming, ushered in by Nintendo’s Wii and joined by the PlayStation Move and Kinect, has opened up a whole new market of casual gamers – not least of all because of the ease with which previous non-gamers can get into the action without the need to learn complicated button layouts on a traditional controller. Educational toy company Comfy figured that such ease of use is ideal for its target audience of kids aged four to eight and has released a motion controlled education game console called iCam that has been dubbed “the baby Wii.” Read More

Alienware M17x Gaming Laptop – The Little Conqueror

Alienware M17x Gaming Laptop – The Little Conqueror

As computer games get better and better so does their demand for a more powerful hardware. And nothing conquers the most graphic and resource intensive games like the hottest out-of-this-world gaming weapon – the new Alienware M17x laptop. Just how a lion mangles a hapless carcass, this formidable gaming laptop chews on the toughest system requirements like they’re just another meat before the king of the jungle. Exaggeration? Look at the hardware specifications and you be the judge.
Inside this 17-inch metallic black or metallic silver anodized aluminum encased mechanical contraption lurks a powerful choice of Intel Core i7 and i5 processor with Turbo Boos Technology that offers dynamic and on the go overclocking. Every gamer knows that a good GPU is one of the secrets for a great gaming experience, Alienware knows that too that’s why they didn’t settle for anything less than a pair of GPU in ATI CrossfireX configuration running around with a full one teraflop of pure unadulterated graphics processing power. Still, even with all that raw dual-GPU capabilities, gamers can switch between discrete and integrated graphics using Alienware BinaryGFX technology to save on power until they see the next opportunity to pounce on their next prey. Gamers can go as far as putting the M17x in Stealth Mode which will turn off the discrete graphic cards and other hardware to go down to a 65-watt power limit. When playing, all combined power of the processor, discrete graphic cards, and other hardware are displayed in all brilliance on the M17x’s 17-inch widescreen LCD display that features dual CCFL backlight and an 8-ms ghost-exorcising response time.
Alienware M17x also features a 2.0 MP webcam with integrated mic, a built-in High-Definition 5.1 surround sound audio, an array of ports, slots, and jacks, and Alienware’s exclusive Command Center and AlienSense face recognition software.
Your own Alienware M17x laptop can be found here.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Sony Ericsson has announced the Xperia Playwhich comes with an FWVGA display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels, there is also a 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8225 processor, plus 512MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM.


Other features on the Xperia Play include built in  WiFi, plus Bluetooth, A-GPS, a microUSB port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Xperia Play will come with Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play also features a 5.1 megapixel camera with autofocus, a built in flash, plus geo-tagging and image stabilization, there is also a microSD card slot which comes pre-loaded with an 8GB card.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play will be available in March in Europe and in April in the USA, there is no word on pricing as yet.

Phone Frenzy – Call Your Friends to Play

Wasn’t it just a matter of time before technology crept into the inner workings of everything we hold sacred? Well, here we sit, as the ever present mobile phone invades the last bastion of non-tech family game night, the lowly board game. Does anyone remember those?
As if my husband and daughter really needed yet another way to rip through their cell phone minutes, it seems like the folks over at Buffalo Games have created just the thing to help them out, Phone Frenzy, the board game that use’s everyone’s mobile phone as the center of the game. Players draw cards that require a call or a text to be sent to one of the players contacts, in the hope that without being told it’s a game, he or she will still play along.
Phone Frenzy is the first socially interactive party game that claims to be more about WHO you now than WHAT you know. So call your friends and ask them to sing a song, answer a question or send you a picture, and remember, you cant tell them it’s a game. I already know who my go to guy is. Do you?
Phone Frenzy is for 2-10 players (not including your phone friends), and contains challenge cards, a timer, a gameboard and instructions. You knew it was just a matter of time, right?
Phone Frenzy will be available this summer for around $22.00 bucks, extra phone charges absolutely not included.
Source: www.buffalogames.com

Apple iPad two will bring five innovations

Apple iPad two will bring five innovations

8:34 AM  Smkhanz  No comments

Our Chinese colleagues argue that the iPad 2 - successor to the most popular among Russians tablet Apple sells five new functions. In particular, a new Apple tablet will offer better mobility and will be able to video calls, port USB, a new screen technology, as well as three-axis gyroscope.

Perhaps the function of video calls (probably, FaceTime) is one of the most anticipated innovations, among which also means equipping the device smaller screen with support for the Retina and a thin protective glassHowever, for some users in the first place will clearly be the introduction of interface support USB, and for some even more freedom in the games due to triaxial gyroscope.

ZMP City Simulator Experiment

Some of you might remember the last time we covered the RoboCar ZMP, which is essentially the Knight Rider dream of a car with an autopilot.
I’m not certain whether this City Simulator Experiment is related to this story, but it sounds like it could be how the robot car works.
Think of it as a way to operate a remote control car just like you would operate a real car. You will notice this man at the giant screen, and I have a video of it after the jump in action. I also have another video of the car if you want to see it for yourself.
I think this might be a very fun toy for kids who can’t drive as yet. Just be sure to wear your helmet. In fact, while we are on that subject, why is this man wearing a helmet? I mean, real drivers aren’t required to wear helmets, for crying out loud.
It certainly looks like a lot of fun. You know those people that like to go to Go-Cart tracks to do some racing, even though they can drive actual cars? Well, perhaps they would love to race around some serious tracks with this bad boy. I’m not certain what ZMP has in store.