Archive for the ‘Fun & Games’ Category

• Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004

  Roll Up Piano

  

  
  I wish I remembered how to play the piano, ’cause if I did, I’d own this cool little roll up piano by HECSAN. It plays 100 different tones including piano, organ, trumpet, harp, electronic sounds and runs on only 4 AA batteries (included). The Rollup Piano also comes with an AC power adapter, instruction book and a carrying case. This musicial wonder can be yours for one easy payment of $149.95.

  
  

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• Thursday, July 22nd, 2004

  Glowing Popsicles

  When I was a kid, I was never suppose to put anything that glows into my mouth. Times are a changing, Lick’Em Lights, the patented glowing popsicle from Poppin’ Glows, Inc., is now available nationwide through local participating 7-Eleven stores. It has been featured on “The Food Network” and in USA Today. So you probably are wondering how they make the popsicles glow… Well, the handle of each ice pop is hollow and a traditional Glo Stick is activated and pushed inside the handle. “The ice captures the glow in an eerie, iridescent light that surrounds the popsicle with a halo of light.” And now we have it… an edible, glowing popsicle.

  
  

  Posted in Fun & Games | 16 Comments | Read On

• Thursday, July 1st, 2004

  Turn Your GameBoy Into A Media Player

  <% rating = 3 %>Don’t waste your money on an over priced Portable Media Player… instead buy a GameBoy Advanced or SP for about $100 and the $24 GBA Movie Player that uses Compact Flash for storage. I haven’t checked it out for myself, but it seems like it would work. With this little cartridge, you can watch movies, listen to music, look at photos, and even read a book… the best part, when you get sick of media overload (and looking at that little screen), just remove the cartridge and plug in a GBA game… The package includes Windows software to convert or create the content and since it’s based on Windows DirectX, whatever your PC can play, can be converted to the GBA. As an added bonus, Lik-Sang is including a new multi-lingual packing and exclusive Demo CD-ROM with 450mb movie files.

  
  

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• Wednesday, May 26th, 2004

  LidRock CDs Coming To BLIMPIE

  Just a heads up for all you LidRock CD collectors out there… BLIMPIE is going to be launching their huge “Super Summer” Promotion on May 28th and will be offering three separate custom LidRock Audio/Interactive CDs — one for each of the three months of the promotion. Each collectable CD comes packaged in the plastic beverage lid of a 32 oz. drink and will feature music from a headline artist with additional songs from other current, popular musicians as well as interactive content including music videos, artist bios, concert dates, sneak previews of other BLIMPIE “Super Summer” LidRock CDs and a special BLIMPIE printable coupon offer. Which artists will they be offering you ask… Alanis Morissette, LeAnn Rimes, Ben Jelen, Tyler Hilton, Amy Dalley and Rodney Atkins. LidRock CDs will be available for $1.00 for customers who purchase a 32 oz. beverage or for $1.49 without beverage purchase. So there you go, I try to post something for everyone… even the LidRock collectors of the world.

  
  

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• Wednesday, May 12th, 2004

  Now That’s a “BushPig”

  

  No, that isn’t some kind of political expression… it’s actually a product name. The BushPig is a two-wheeler designed for your pleasure and convenience by an Australian company called Wheelman. Each $1500 BushPig is hand made and features a 43cc 2 stroke engine, which takes about one litre of oil and gas mix, just like a lawnmower. They say the learning curve of a Wheelman is very similar to skate/snow/surf board riding, and if you have experience in any of those three things, it should be easy to use the BushPig. Once you get the balance stuff of taken care of, you can get moving up to 16-19mph. Not bad… it’s just you and the pavement… so it may feel like 100mph. The speed is controlled by a pneumatic ball held in your hand, the more you squeeze, the more fun you have! To stop, all you need to do is stop squeezing the ball. The vehicle will slow quickly but smoothly, then you angle the toes of your rear foot toward the ground until the pads come into contact, the harder you push the faster you stop. The vehicle remains quite stable and minimises the risk of being thrown over the front… which I think is the only ’safety’ feature this thing has. To order one or to find out more, check out the Wheelman website.

  
  

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• Tuesday, May 11th, 2004

  Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) Specs

  UPDATE: Official Photo of the PSP released.

  

  PSP comes in a black color, with a 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD centered in a sleek ergonomic design with a high-quality finish that fits comfortably in the hands. The dimensions are 170mm x 74mm x 23mm with a weight of 260g. PSP features a high-quality TFT LCD that displays full color (16.77 million colors) on a 480 x 272 pixel high-resolution screen. It also comes complete with the basic functions of a portable player such as built-in stereo speakers, exterior headphone connector, brightness control and sound mode selection. Keys and controls inherit the same operability of PlayStation and PlayStation 2, familiar to fans all over the world.

  PSP also comes equipped with diverse input/output connectors such as USB 2.0, and 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless LAN, providing connectivity to various devices in the home and to the wireless network outside. The world of gaming is further enhanced by enabling users to enjoy online gaming, or by connecting multiple PSPs to each other, directly via the wireless network. In addition, software and data can be downloaded through a USB or wireless network onto Memory Stick(TM) PRO Duo. All of these features can be enjoyed on one single system.

  PSP adopts a small but high-capacity optical medium UMD(TM) (Universal Media Disc), enabling game software, rich with full-motion video and other forms of digital entertainment content, to be stored. The newly developed UMD, the next-generation compact storage media, is only 60mm in diameter but can store up to 1.8GB of digital data. A broad range of digital entertainment content such as music video clips, movies and sports programs can be provided on UMD. To protect this entertainment content, a robust copyright protection system has been developed which utilizes a combination of a unique disc ID, a 128 bit AES encryption keys for the media, and individual ID for each PSP hardware unit.

  PSP Product Specifications
  

  Product Name:	PlayStation Portable (PSP)
  Color:	Black
  Dimensions:	Approx. 170 mm (L) x 74 mm (W) x 23 mm (D)
  Weight:	Approx. 260 g (including battery)
  CPU:	PSP CPU(System clock frequency 1~333MHz)
  Main Memory:	32MB
  Embedded DRAM:	4MB
  Display:	4.3 inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD 480 x 272 pixel (16.77 million colors) Max. 200 cd/m2 (with brightness control)
  Speakers:	Built-in stereo speakers
  Main Input/Output:	IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi) USB 2.0 (Target) Memory Stick(TM) PRO Duo IrDA IR Remote (SIRCS)
  Disc Drive:	UMD Drive (Playback only)
  Profile:	PSP Game UMD Audio UMD Video
  Main Connectors:	DC OUT 5V Terminals for charging built-in battery Headphone/Microphone/Control connector
  Keys/Switches:	Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left) Analog pad Enter keys (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square) Left, Right keys START, SELECT, HOME POWER On/Hold/Off switch Brightness control, Sound Mode, Volume +/- Wireless LAN On/Off switch UMD Eject
  Power:	Built-in lithium-ion battery, AC adaptor
  Access Control:	Region Code, Parental Control
  Accessories:	Stand Headphone with remote commander Headphone with remote commander and microphone External battery pack Case Strap
  E3 Prototype Exhibition:	USB Camera for PSP USB GPS for PSP USB Keyboard for PSP

  UMD(TM) Specifications

  Dimensions:	Approx. 65 mm (W) x 64 mm (D) x 4.2 mm (H)
  Weight:	Approx. 10g
  Disc Diameter:	60 mm
  Maximum Capacity:	1.8GB (Single-sided, dual layer)
  Laser wavelength:	660nm (Red laser)
  Encryption:	AES 128bit
  Profile:	PSP Game (full function) UMD Audio (codec ATRAC3plus(TM), PCM, (MPEG4 AVC) UMD Video (codec MPEG4 AVC, ATRAC3plus(TM), Caption PNG)

  
  

  Posted in Fun & Games | 1 Comment | Read On

• Tuesday, April 27th, 2004

  McDonald’s ESPN25 Happy Meal Games

  

  Between April 30, 2004 – May 27, 2004, at participating restaurants, while supplies last, McDonald’s will be offering six ESPN25 inspired mini-handheld sports action video games. McDonald’s will offer games in each Happy Meal and Mighty Kids Meal featuring basketball great Vince Carter, soccer star Mia Hamm, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, car racing champion Tony Stewart, football star Michael Vick, and tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams. If someone gets one or six, please post your comments.

  
  

  Posted in Fun & Games | 2 Comments | Read On

• Thursday, April 22nd, 2004

  Leisure Suit Larry Is Back!

  

  WOW, this brings back memories… I remember playing Leisure Suit Larry, The Land of the Lounge Lizards back in 1987 on my IBM XT in 16 color CGA graphics (here are some screen shots). Vivendi Universal Games announced today that Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is scheduled for release this Fall on PC, PlayStation 2 and the Xbox. Don’t expect to see our friend Larry Laffer, the series’ original lovable loser, in this installment we’ll be rooting for Larry Lovage, his nephew. In Magna Cum Laude, Lovage starts as a
  sixth-year-senior enrolled at the local community college, and spends most of
  his time in his dorm room or on campus striking out with women. After hearing
  about a reality TV dating show visiting his college campus, Larry resolves to
  revitalize his life and get on the show. Over the course of the game, Larry
  sets out on an epic search for love (or its equivalent) and finds that things
  don’t always go as planned. This game will be packed with mini-games like Tapper, Trampoline, and Wet T-shirt Contents. I don’t know if the reason why I liked the original was because I was younger or if it really was an entertaining game… guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

  
  

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• Monday, April 19th, 2004

  Hello My Name Is… GEEK?

  

  If you are the ultimate geek or are planning the ultimate geek fest, you need to purchase a few of these Scrolling LCD Badges from Think Geek. Not only is this badge fully programmable, it can be changed on the fly by using the IR remote control. The badge can store up to 4 messages, scroll at 7 different speeds, and can be programmed or changed via a serial cable. It sure beats the old school “Hello My Name Is” badges! Though, don’t expect to pay 15¢ for this badge… the whole kit runs $70.

  
  

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• Friday, April 16th, 2004

  Gizmondo, not to be confused with Gizmodo

  

  Gizmondo Europe Ltd., formerly known as
  Gametrac Europe Ltd, subsidiary of Tiger Telematics Inc. announced today that its much-anticipated handheld mobile entertainment device will be marketed under the brand name of Gizmondo. Their Gizmondo device is best described as a futuristic multi-entertainer. The product is a wireless, handheld device featuring cutting-edge gaming, an MP3 music player, movie player, multimedia messaging, in-built camera and GPS function. They will have their latest model and games to showcase by May 11-15 at E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo. The Gizmondo is due to be launched later this year… I have a feeling by Christmas 2004 we’ll be seeing some very cool gadgets on shelves.

  
  

  Posted in Fun & Games | 2 Comments | Read On