This has been a long time coming, but now they’re finally here. Starting today, Marvel will be releasing its digital graphic novels via Apple’s iBookstore. So far there is over sixty titles available from their catalog from popular titles like X-Men, The Avengers, Spider-Man and more. I know many of you are still comic book purists and have to physical copies, but for those of you who’ve embraced the digital age, this should provide a welcome alternative. Marvel’s promising new releases each week, as well as free previews for each graphic novel, including an extended preview for New Avengers Volume 1. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 28, 2012 in Design, Tech
Some of us use it for work, others just to craft memes for their favorite image boards, but one thing is for certain, Adobe Photoshop has easily become a staple of internet culture. Until recently iOS users have been forced to contend with Adobe’s Photoshop Express which, as I’m sure many of you know from their browser-based version, comes with an extremely limited toolset, missing features like multiple layers, advanced adjustments, filters and more. The complaints haven’t gone unnoticed. To provide a tablet alternative, Adobe recently released Photoshop Touch. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
When it comes to mobile gaming, I’m always in the market for a decent control interface. Recently I wrote about Ten One’s Fling Joystick which allows you to stick an analog nub to your favorite tablet or smartphone. While it’s a great alternative to fussing with a touchscreen interface, it has its shortcomings such as a lack of buttons, and so on. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives such as ION Audio’s iCade series. Read more…
This has got to be one the most unique Smartphone accessories we’ve come across yet. Introducing the XAPPR pistol, a $30 peripheral that fits most Android and iOS devices. You’re probably wondering how it works. First you mount your phone to its stand, then the device connects to your phone with the trigger sending its signals via the headphone port. Currently, there are only a few apps that support the device, most of which require the use of augmented reality. It works well with iOS titles likeSpray’Em, or AR Warsand AR Invaders. There’s also an Android app, ATK, currently in open beta that supports it. If you’re interested in picking one up, you can currently pre-order one from the official website via Paypal, but it won’t be ready to ship ’til June.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
I love the concept of tablet gaming, I really do, but like many of you, I find the touch controls absolutely maddening at times. This is especially true for any game or app that requires the use of a directional pad. Thankfully, the chaps at Ten One Design could read my mind. Introducing the Fling Joystick and Fling mini — a simple analog nub that sticks to your tablet, or smartphone and holds in place via small translucent suction cups. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 12, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
This is kind of cool news for those of you like me who can’t stand heavy handhelds. Nintendo’s Masahiro Sakurai recently revealed that the upcoming 3DS title Kid Icarus Uprising will come packed with a special stand to help keep the system steady while you play. Truth is, I love the concept behind Nintendo’s 3DS, even if I don’t really own too many games for it, but unfortunately, the system is a bit hefty, especially when I want to play for any extended period of time. Although I wasn’t looking forward to Kid Icarus Uprising so much, having played a demo at last year’s San Diego Comic Con International, this little addition might just change my mind. Keeping the system balanced could potentially improve the gameplay, and I’m sure I’ll be making use of the stand for future titles.
Recently, over 60,000 free ebooks were removed from the Nook’s digital bookstore, and fewer titles are appearing every day. Why, might you ask? It’s not Barnes & Noble’s fault, but Amazon could have something to do with it. It should come as no surprise, especially considering their history of aggressive marketing and bully-boy tactics, but Amazon recently negotiated a deal with authors, offering to instantly add their novels to the Kindle’s lending library in exchange for their exclusivity. Read more…
Introducing Retrode, a USB adapter for 16-bit retrogaming. I’m not sure if there’s a simple term for what Retrode does, but I certainly dig its purpose, so I’ll try to describe it. The adapter delivers an authentic retrogaming experience by allowing you to use your own cartridges and controllers with the emulators you download. With ports for both the SNES and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive , Retrode gives you driverless emulation, complete with data access and the ability to save to sram, without the need to obtain your roms via the net. Of course, you can still use the controllers with one you’ve downloaded, but its nice to know you’ll have options. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 13, 2011 in Tech, Videogames
There was a time when I would look at portable gaming with disdain. The products, ranging from Tiger handhelds, to even Nintendo’s GameBoy, always struck me as poorly developed, delivering casual experiences just to kill time. A lot has changed since then and, in recent years, I’ve grown new-found respect for the medium. These days, developers have found ways to offer the deep, immersive experiences that were once exclusive to the consoles and PCs of old. Even some of those classic titles I once held in such high regard have made their way to our smartphones. But what about the ones that haven’t? There’s options.
So what did fanboys do to collect their favorite shows before the advent of videotape? Believe it or not collecting actual films was a passion of a select few fans back in the day — the hardcore fans would actually purchase 16mm prints, however you could buy on the market a wide range of 8mm film prints which featured clips from many of the popular TV shows of the day. By the 70s this faded, however in 1978 this very cute Pocket Flix viewer from Ideal toys shows the very last gasp of that era. This toy was aimed at kids and one could buy a variety of “easy to snap-in movie cassettes” to recapture a few precious seconds of a show like Star Trek or the Hardy Boys: Read more…
I’m sure at some point you’ve all thought about having your very own robot — I know I have. The closest I ever came was helping a friend build a remote-controlled “battlebot,” only to see it laid to waste by some other kid’s metal monstrosity. It’s been well over a decade since then, and technology has certainly progressed. Designers Peter Seid and Phu Nguyen sought to take advantage of these advancements by developing a unique interface that transforms our everyday smartphones into robots capable of learning, growing, and expanding their functionality through a series of apps. They call it Romo, the smartphone robot.
If you’re like me, and I imagine many of you are, you’ve loaded your smartphone with games. It’s a bit ironic, really. We spend hundreds of dollars on dedicated gaming handhelds and for whatever reason, some of us find our phones more appealing. There was a time when I might have scoffed at the notion that my phone would replace my DSi or PSP, but that’s simply no longer the case. While I can still count on a deep, involved, experience with one of those $30 to $40 titles, more often than not, I’ll pick up my phone for a quick game of whatever cheap thrill the app store has to offer. With hundreds of apps available for almost too reasonable price, determining which system gets my attention for the evening can be an easy decision. So, why not try to improve that experience? That’s where the iControlpad comes in.
Many of us know about the 1988 video by Apple called Knowledge Navigator — well here’s the follow up video! This nice snapshot of history includes interviews clips from Alvin Toffler, Ray Bradbury, Steve Wozniak and Alan Kay (who really envisioned the iPad in the 60s): Read more…
Yelp certainly has its problems, and anyone who has taken the time to wade through the sea of nonsensical reviews would agree, but even I have to admit that its been useful on occasion. Unfortunately, upset customers tend to be the most vocal, and it’s impossible for an establishment to please everyone. That being the case, the service often finds itself plagued by it own users — people with a false sense of entitlement and way too much time on their hands. Don’t believe me? Just check out this hilarious Tumblr account that chronicles some of the worst Yelp reviews ever written. Normally, I would say that I’ve never seen so many ridiculous reviews in one place before, but that’s not true — I’ve also browsed Apple’s app store.
Yuruppy is a word that may sound strange, but in the context of a toy, perhaps not so strange. If you know what Tamagochi then learning about another new word is not problem. Yuruppy is a virtual pet toy for the people who are allergic to real animals, but want to experience what it is like of taking care of a feline or furry companion. Unlike Tamagochi though, your Yuruppy friend won’t die, when you are away from it for hours. Read more…
Over the course of the next few days, Facebook plans to roll out a list of improvements and changes the service designed to increase our privacy. It’s likely the move was made specifically to combat the support garnered by Google+ and its platform of selective sharing. Following their example, Facebook will now make it even easier for users to determine who they want to see their posts, photos, and more without having to wade through their user settings to do so. Instead the options will appear next our their posts, which should cut down on the hassle. On top of that, it looks as though users will now be notified before they’re tagged in a photo by another user, giving them the opportunity to opt out or approve tags before they’re added to your profile. Amazing, right? Unfortunately, many users have already migrated to Google+ and I’ve yet to see anyone bother to look back, which begs the question — are these changes too little, too late? I know many of you keep up with our site through Facebook, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
The Great Garloo was first manufactured by the Marx toy company in 1961 — this very creepy looking two foot tall battery powered humanoid lizard robot could go forward or backward and turn his arms. And for extra kitsch we wears a “Garloo” medallion and cute leopard print loin cloth. How to Be a Retronaut discovered this great commercial from 1963 for the little green guy: Read more…
he ultimate dream for many an illustrator is to turn their iPad into a Wacom tablet. Well here’s a hack which shows you how to do that: This Japanese video below shows a cool hack to turn a pen into a stylus for an iPad, iPhone,iPod touch. Read more…
I had always assumed the most intense fanboys in the realm of tech were the Apple fanboys who would camp out on line to get the latest Steve Jobs goodie — well I was wrong! Upon playing with Google+ I’ve come across a growing legion of Android fanboys who are obsessed with the Android mascot. And shown here is the proof of this devotion — I present the Droid_Robot font created by Natsumi Kawashima. Read more…
I love my iPhone, but I really wish it had a notch for a phone charm. I suppose a charm might not be the manliest thing, but it always helped me keep track of it whenever I’d have to rummage through my pockets. These days, I go for the next best thing, swapping out cases. I’m not sure how many different iPhone cases I own at this point, but sometimes I just come across one that I absolutely must have, like this sweet little case from the guys at Lootiful. The iPWN! 4 case is a slick little nod to the original GameBoy. It’s made from a thin but durable polycarbonate material that weighs less than an ounce, and the best part? Easy button access. That has to be my number one gripe about any case for the iPhone 4 and they’ve got it covered.
This wonderful video below gives an overview of the effort to rebuild a fully working version of the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC). EDSAC was an early British computer from 1949 which was one of the first machines which was able to store software. The computer did this with little more than vacuum tubes, punched tape and a teleprinter: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 18, 2011 in Fandom, Tech
It’s funny I somehow assumed that the rock stars who had conquered Twitter would move onto Google+ and do the same exact thing — but that simply isn’t the case. From my small time playing with this new service I’ve noticed a few folks who are really going the extra mile to use the site to say something interesting and to really make their mark. This isn’t by any means a scientific or comprehensive list, but here are some of the more interesting folks I’ve come across on Google+ so far: Read more…
