GameStop is creating its own gaming tablet (but this isn't it)

Yep, you read that right. Apple has changed the face of gaming so strongly thanks to its iPad tablet (not to mention the iPhone) and download-only game apps that video game retailer GameStop is feeling the burn. In addition to Apple’s iOS, there are all the Android tablets starting to pop up. Now GameStop is getting in on the action, too — but there’s a big, honkin’ twist.

Barnes & Noble’s got one. Amazon’s working on one. HP’s died a young death. Sony just released theirs. Nintendo’s even incorporating one into their next game console.

Touchscreen tablets are the new hotness in the computing world, and gamers in droves are discovering the unique brand of fun and tremendous potential that they offer. GameStop — which recently added iPads and iPhones to its trade-in program — announced today that they’re working on a branded tablet of their very own, but with one distinct difference that will set it apart from all others.

Early details suggest that the GameStop tablet — which like all of its non-Apple brethren, will use Android as its OS — will have several game titles pre-installed when you buy it. The other thing it will have is its own dedicated controller. Why a controller for a tablet? Because GameStop intends to stream console games directly to their tablet, and you’ll need a controller to properly play console games.

So not only will you play Angry Birds on your GameStop tablet, you’ll be able to play Gears of War 3, as well. On paper, it’s a compelling idea, don’t you think? With one purchase — a single, handheld device — you’ll get access to both Xbox 360 games and PS3 games. (Who knows whether they’ll embrace Nintendo’s Wii U platform and it’s games, or whether they even could. The differences between how those games are played could make streaming them to a tablet impossible.) GameStop also says that they’re considering reaching out to developers to test the waters regarding creating exclusive games designed specifically to take advantage of a tablet with a peripheral controller.

But let’s back up to those triple-A console titles for a second. Can you imagine playing Assassin’s Creed or Deus Ex on a tablet? I can’t even wrap my head around what that will be like. And there are all sorts of question marks instantly attached to this idea… I’m not at all convinced that the technology is ready for this. I mean, the only way to stream games this way is from a dedicated server farm (a la OnLive). GameStop doesn’t currently have a streaming game service, so they’ll presumably be sinking mega bucks into this thing. And they’ll need a blistering fast Android tablet and an even faster Wifi service.

And what about the Big Three console makers themselves? How will they feel about this? One assumes that GameStop will have to license the console games that it streams. But having sold console games for years, it goes without saying that GameStop has good relationships with the Big Three. So they’ll probably work this out.

Another issue that GameStop will have to deal with is the super-fast speed of tablet evolution. Tablets are constantly getting faster and faster. Just look at the drastic jump in processing power between the iPad and iPad 2. The technology moves much faster than consoles do. How will GameStop be able to create one definitive tablet for streaming games from the three major consoles that won’t be obsolete before you can blink? Simply put: next year’s GameStop tablet will always be significantly better at streaming console data than this year’s. This represents a heavy investment for both hardware makers and consumers. Is GameStop willing to keep up with advances in tablet technology?

There’s no launch window or price yet announced yet for GameStop’s tablet, but we’ll be watching its development closely.

Sometimes geeks, dweebs, nerds, whatever you want to call those into technology, are pegged as less than athletic.  Typing on a computer, playing Wii or Kinect, or reenacting lightsaber duels from Star Wars, while requiring movement, aren’t exactly  athletic endeavors.

One man, Joseph Tame , aims to forever change the way athletic geeks are viewed when he runs the 2011 Tokyo Marathon while wearing “iRun.”

The gear pictured above allows Tame to publish constant updates on his race progress to the internet.  Sounds awesome?

According to Tame, iRun features:

“Four iPhones on rotatable mounts, an iPad, an Android handset, three mobile wifi routers, a wind turbine (ok, so it’s a kid’s fan that turns around…), a 4-in-one atmospheric monitor, a heart monitor, a plastic doughnut and of course the very important satellite dish for high-speed data connectivity (cunningly crafted from a bird-feeding dish).”

Cunning indeed, and his cockiness continues:

“The iRun – something I have no doubt Apple will be interested in buying the blueprints for – is a hugely complex device constructed from two IKAN Recoils. The modification process, carried out in my dad’s greenhouse when visiting the UK at Christmas, saw these joined together with composite rods to form a rig that can be worn without danger of it flying off when travelling at high speeds (or low speeds, as is more likely to be the case).”

No doubt Apple will want their hands on the device crafted in a parent’s greenhouse.

So what will the iRun do exactly?  When running, the device will broadcast live video on two cameras, send live location/pace/heart rate data, transmit temperature, all while allowing Tame to look “incredibly cool.” Right.

Check out the video below to see just how super? Tame’s contraption appears when worn and let us know if you’d like one for yourself, and if you plan on tuning in to Tame’s updates as he traverses the streets of Tokyo.

Neatorama

Angry Birds.  Regardless of  the platform one chooses to play the game on, it’s addictive, fun, and as the number of downloads prove, immensely popular.

Angry Birds has spawned creative individuals to create breakfast based on the game, a branded board game, and so much more.

One individual has taken his love for the game to a wonderful new level, an Angry Birds birthday cake.  Not only that, the cake can also be played!

The cake above took a whopping 10 hours to create!

This super sweet is an:

“Interactive Angry Birds cake, playable with a real slingshot and, of course, made of chocolate, icing and so forth. It’s a cake made for a boy named Ben. It took 10 hours to make, and only 2 minutes to destroy.”

As you can see from the video, not only does the cake look delicious, but more so than that, looks like a tremendous amount of fun!  What a wonderful way to celebrate the birthday of one’s child!

Are you an Angry Birds player and fan?  What device(s) do you play the game on? Have you ever had an idea for an Angry Birds-themed item that you’ve actually created, or hope to create?  If so, we’d love to hear what it is in the comments!

electricpig

Do regular iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, or any other smallish, portable device stands result in you uttering, “meh?”

Do you long for a stand that could, in a pinch, be utilized as a weapon, and which will not only get people talking about your device stand, but might also scare the living hell out of them?

If any of the above apply to you, we’ve got the perfect accessory.

The Steampunk Accessory Stand for iPod, iPhone, Android, or whatever… is one monster of a stand.  According to the creator,

“This wicked little stand will support your iphone, your android, or even your old 1972 rotary phone!”

“This little monster stands 7.5″ tall and is 7″ at it’s widest span. The center spar has a lower notch than the rest- which will accommodate a charging cord when the phone is in an upright position.”

Head to the Etsy Shop for Voodoo Vintage Fabrication, out of Austin, Texas, and one will find not only the super portable device stand above, but also:

“Original and creative design and fabrication…ranging from a simple address sign to a custom motorcycle and everything in between!”

The impressive and certainly unique stand is not only large in size, but also in price.  Setting one back $59 USD, your iPhone, Android or iPod will no doubt be the center of attention when placed in the heavy Steampunk Accessory Stand and your wallet will become lighter for having purchased one.

What do you think of the stand?  Is it odd or awesome?  Will you purchase one?

The top free app in the iTunes App Store does not belong to “Fruit Ninja Lite,” “Cut the Rope,” or even an offering from “Angry Birds.”  No, the top spot is held by a game released December 29, 2010, Bubble Ball.

What’s the big deal with Bubble Ball’s ascendancy to number one?  It’s not so much that the game is extremely enjoyable, it is.  No, the important thing to note about Bubble Ball is that it was created by an eighth grade student,14-year-old Robert Nay, from Spanish Fork, Utah, and his mother Kari.

How popular is the app?  Bubble Ball has  been downloaded 1.5 million times on iOS devices, and also has an Android version.

Nay created the app using the Corona SDK from Ansca Mobile, which allows for creation of visually-appealing apps for Android and iOS devices.  The free version of Corona offers users the ability to create apps with advanced features such as effects involving physics, with the $349 version of the SDK letting one publish the app to the Apple App Store.

The 14-year-old Nay learned Lua, Corona’s programming language, allowing him to create a game in a more simple manner than what he could have accomplished using Objective-C, the language used by many iPhone games.

Bubble Ball’s programming and graphic design was completed by Nay, which Nay’s mother assisting him with designing game levels.

Game play involves trying to get a ball to roll from one part of the screen to another by manipulating objects such as a stick or a triangle.  Quite simplistic and very fun.

Have you played, or know others who play, Bubble Ball?  What, if anything, surprises you about Bubble Ball claiming the top spot in the iTunes App Store?

Angry Birds is a tremendously fun game.  Those with an iPhone, iPad, Android device, or Mac, are no doubt aware of its addictive nature.  Thanks to Mattel, the wildly popular game seeks to make the jump from electronic devices to a board game, allowing one to play the game with physical birds, pigs and other pieces that make up Angry Birds scenery.

The iOS versions of Angry Birds have either topped or been near the top of the App Store’s “Paid Apps” charts for what seems like eons now.  Currently, the iPhone version holds the top spot, the iPad version is in second place, and in the newly launched Mac App Store, Angry Birds comes in at number one.

The numbers don’t lie.  The game is extremely enjoyable and extremely addictive.

Now comes word that Rovio, creators of Angry Birds, has partnered with Mattel to create a $15 game, arriving in May 2011, which lets fans play Angry Birds in real life.

To play the game, one selects a card and constructs the structure pictured on the card.  Opponents use the catapult from the game to shoot plastic birds at your structure with points awarded for knocking your structure down.

The game, as the video below indicates, looks as fun as the electronic version.  Moreover, it is a more social way of playing Angry Birds.  Now friends and family can all take part in the joy that is Angry Birds in a pleasing bird-firing, block-busting, manner.

Are you an Angry Birds player and fan?  What device(s) do you play the game on and will you purchase the Mattel game when it launches?

But not everyone is willing to spend that amount of money each year and not everyone is an Apple fan no matter what. If the price starts to get too steep, these people will be willing to drop the iPhone and will look for another brand. If you are an iPhone user, and you haven’t taken a look lately at other phones out there, it’s time that you did.

After reading about the experiences of some people who have switched from the iPhone, I have narrowed the alternative options down to two Google Android phones: the Samsung Galaxy S and the HTC Desire. Spec-wise, all three phones have a touch screen, camera, video, simple design, and they all have the same speed as well.

Google is making huge progress with Android which makes it a serious contender to iOS 4. Samsung even uses the same processor as the iPhone 4 for their Galaxy S and you can upgrade the storage with a microSD card. Being able to upgrade the storage with microSD cards is a huge advantage over the iPhone, especially now with HD video recording.

Apple does take the lead with design, with the iPhone being made of hardened glass and feeling a lot sturdier than the Galaxy S and the Desire.  Both the Galaxy S and Desire have a simple design, but I like Galaxy’s design more because it has minimal buttons.

I believe that if it weren’t for sheep mentality and the fact that Apple is a fashion statement (let’s be honest – a lot of people buy an iPhone to be seen with one), we would see a lot more Google Android phones. Case in point: there were a lot of complaints about the antenna gate, but did the users return the iPhone and exchange it for another brand?

As long as Apple keeps maintaining their strategy to allow only one provider to sell the iPhone, Google Android will slowly control the market.

I have tested Android on friends’ phones and I’m still hoping to own one, alongside the phones that I already own. Now that I have a Blackberry Bold 9700 together with my iPhone, I can really see the pros and cons of each phone, but for me, Blackberry smartphones are an entirely different species – incomparable to the iPhones and Androids. 

What kind of phone do you own or would like to get in the future?

Samsung Galaxy S product page and HTC Desire product page

Gary Booth, who I suppose is one of them, just came out with an Exploded Andy shirt, which I think will enthrall a lot of geeks out there. True, the idea of Andy exploding may not seem nice at first, but once you take a look at the shirt, I am pretty sure that you will want to get your hands on one.

Isn’t that a pretty sight? To be honest, I have never been that much of an Android fan. I even thought Andy to be quite a bit on the chunky side (although there’s nothing wrong with being chunky per se). It just never appealed to me that much. Or maybe I was just not paying attention.

Anyhow, that image is pretty interesting – if only to find out what makes Andy tick. You can buy your shirt at Exploded Andy for $19. Shipping costs $6 for both the U.S. and international destinations. They have sizes for both guys and girls, small to 3x for the former and small to large for the latter.

If you want this image on your wall, then you can also buy a poster from the same web site for the same price, although shipping costs $8 for this product. Don’t ask me why.

I’m an iPhone guy, and have been since the release of the iPhone 3G a few years back. But recently, when I first heard about Windows Phone 7 and saw a demo, I got very excited. That was a cool looking piece of software right there, and maybe something worth switching over. Then I heard about the drawbacks, clutched my iPhone in my arms and said, “Don’t worry baby, I’ll never get rid of you.”

OK, I didn’t do that. We just spooned for a bit.

Anyways, looks like Microsoft is making another spectacular blunder. Gadgetsteria is reporting that Windows Phone 7 won’t come with copy and past anymore. Why? Well, let them answer that for me.

By now everyone and their mother has heard of Microsoft’s extremely Apple-esque stance with the upcoming Windows Phone 7. On several fronts, that’s a very, very good thing. On the other hand, comments such as “People don’t use copy/paste anymore” clearly show they [Microsoft] are F*cking stupid (with a capital F no less). Getting everything to be more simplistic and user friendly. Good. Great. Awesome. That’s exactly what they need to do. But overly water down a platform that has traditionally been a power users platform…?

He’s right. Windows Phone 7 has a lot of potential to take away market share from BlackBerry, Android and Apple, but it’s got to be spectacular out of the gate and at least have the same features as every other smartphone out there.

But here’s the kicker for me: When I got my iPhone 3G, all my Windows/BlackBerry buddies would tease me for lack of copy/paste, like it was some big deal. “Microsoft would never do anything that dumb,” they’d say. Turns out, they did. And not only did they, they’re backing it up with poor logic.

Oh well. Let’s hope they change things before it gets released.

It has two active standby SIM slots. It’s made in China. It runs on Android. After nursing a cold about a week ago, I came into the possession of two prototypes from one of the more “hip” China phone manufacturers, TORQUE. Without any detailed specs, the units came in a brown envelope with no charger (as apparently you can charge these via generic USB) and without any naming spray-painted onto the real estate.

There was a piece of paper accompanying it with three IMEI numbers for the GD55 and G88, and I had concluded that the latter was the dual SIM device. Since these are prototypes, there is essentially no word on pricing, but speculations put these Android devices up for grabs at about USD $200.00.

Finally, “an Android for everyone” is something nice to look forward to. Both devices didn’t seem to have access to the more powerful HSPA networks, but WiFi and Bluetooth are stock. Also, the ROM didn’t appear to be flashed to global standards hence the non-presence of the application marketplace. I’m tempted to flash it … but the units are not mine.

The future of Android looks more and more interesting with China taking in Android as part of its stable of el-cheapo. Dual SIM even, my golly.

So does this tiny detail really mean that we just might see a Google netbook in the near future? Despite the strength of the rumors going around, no one would confirm or deny them. Even CEO Eric Schmidt would not say a word about it. He just said that “the netbook phenomenon looks very real.” He did say, though, that Google has to make sure that their products and services work well with “these devices.” Now that could be interpreted in any way one wants to. I think that they are looking into developing an operating system for netbooks of the near future. Then again, they could just be looking for ways to tweak their existing products. Who knows?

In any case, the only thing that we can do right now is to try and be part of that usability study. I am not sure if the ad is still active today. I think that most, if not all, of the slots were snapped up like candy the moment the word got out.

I don’t particularly follow the mobile phone market unless they are made of Lego blocks, but yesterday I followed the releases over at MWC. Mainly to see what Windows 6.5 would look like and in the hope of more information around the Palm Pre.

For once I must admit that the Redmonders finally got something right with WM6.5. The honeycomb setup for the phone’s homepage looks attractive and most of all usable. That must be a first for Microsoft!
Even though the background of choice too dark is and Windows Mobile still fugly looks with the humongous status bar and its icons, it certainly looks thousand times better than any open source attempt, because no matter whether as full blown distro or on a phone, Tux products always manage to look horrible thanks to their love for thick borders/line on everything.

Obviously nothing beats the looks of today’s most popular and loved phone.