Gadgets Connect

Not all games play nicely with the Wii hardware it seems, as numerous frustrated gamers can attest. Nintendo’s highly-anticipated new game Super Smash Bros. Brawl won’t work properly on some Wii consoles due to the way the game is stored on the disc. The official line from Nintendo reads as follows: Super Smash Bros. Brawl utilizes a double-layer disc which has a large memory capacity. A very small percentage of Wii consoles may have trouble consistently reading data off this large capacity disc if there is some contamination on the lens of the disc drive. Nintendo has specialized cleaning equipment that can resolve this problem. (Read the full post about ‘Super Smash Bros. has trouble Wii’ing’…)

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Samsung was showing an 31” uber-thin OLED TV at CEBIT. While this is interesting, it is hardly new – except to remind us that the company is making steady progress in this area. In the past, Epson demonstrated a 40” OLED TV (2004), followed by Samsung has shown a 21” OLED TV (2005), then Samsung came back to demonstrate a 40” OLED TV too (07/2005). Between then and now, OLED TVs have gotten better, thinner and nicer, but Samsung itself said that there would be no large Samsung commercial OLED products before 2010. (Read the full post about ‘31-inch OLED Display from Samsung at CEBIT’…)

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When people refer to Facebook fatigue and more generally “social network fatigue,” it can mean two different things, either that (1) you’re bored with social networking and are spending less time with it, or (2) you’re generally exhausted from spending too much time keeping up with online interactions with your friends and updating your information. Web 2.0 Asia suggests that social network fatigue hit Korea and Japan a little earlier, in the same way that certain tech trends hit and then decline in Asia ahead of the U.S. and Europe. Apparently, Cyworld in Korea and and Mixi in Japan, have been losing their appeal with users for whom the novelty of online networking has worn off. (Read the full post about ‘Are you suffering from social network fatigue? Take our poll.’…)

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Posted Mar 10th 2008 2:13PM by Paul MillerFiled under: Gaming Hey kids, listen up. That guy with the red hat and blue overalls in the fancy new Super Smash Bros. game you just brought home? His name is Mario. He’s a neat guy. This Wii mod here features the lovable plumber in his natural habitat, World 1-1. On the other side is a pipe, his favored form of travel, which doubles as a Wiimote charger. Pretty great. OK, that’s it for today’s lesson, stay safe out there![Via Wii Fanboy]Tags: PDA, laptops, digital, lcd (Read the full post about ‘Super Mario Bros. Wii mod is doing it exactly right’…)

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The Charlatans (here in the U.S. they would be called The Charlatans UK) have pulled a Radiohead and are initially making their latest album available to download for free! But unlike Radiohead, where fans had to decide how much they were willing to pay, the Charlatans’ offer comes with no such strings attached. There’s no guilt trip whatsoever! All right, there might be a bit of one when the Charlatans have the CD release of their album, which is their 10th and is called You Cross My Path, in a couple of months. You see, I downloaded the album and burned the songs to CD, so I already have my CD. (Read the full post about ‘Album download giveaway from the Charlatans to you’…)

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So you’ve always wanted to play an electric guitar just like Slash, but the closest you’ve come to his standard is by strumming an air guitar while rocking to his CD/MP3. Here’s the Silverlit V Beat Guitar to fulfill your dreams. This motion-sensing electronic guitar simulator is perfect for wannabe guitar heroes who’ve graduated beyond air-guitar and tennis rackets, but haven’t quite got to grips with the real thing yet! Pre-programmed rhythms and an instructive guided learning feature will ensure great sounds in no time at all. So, raise your fist in the air and rock out with the V Beat Guitar for super shredding solos and raucous rhythms! (Read the full post about ‘Silverlit VBeat Air Guitar’…)

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Need to open a folder on your computer but you’re feeling a bit too lazy to move your fingers? Tobii Technology is here to the rescue, with the introduction of their OEM eye tracking technology during this year’s annual CeBIT trade show. This technology can further be applied to gaming, medical and vision diagnostics, market research set-top boxes, 3D displays, and as well as in automotive safety. The list goes on to include computer interfaces in medical, industrial and military environments. Personally, I think this would be a great feature in vending machines, where it would enable anyone to look at a particular product (a hot/cold beverage, tissues/napkins, etc.) and claim the item at the push of a single button without having to go through the currently difficult process of pushing two to three stubby nubs. (Read the full post about ‘Tobii Technology lets you control your computer with your naked eye’…)

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The X-Twin Thunderjet definitely has the looks, and according to the product description below, it also has the brawn to go along with its brain. This ominous R/C flying machine looks meaner than a cybernetic vulture hearse (whatever that is) and it boasts twin duct-fan engines for serious kick-in-the-tailfin power. You can even vary its speed as it stalks the sky searching for enemy encampments. Or naughty duckie wucks and squirrels. Whatever. Once you get to grips with the controls you’ll be soaring through thin air and pulling off mind-blowing twists and turns. Like its real life USAF counterpart, the sinister Thunderjet looks almost unreal. (Read the full post about ‘X-Twin Thunderjet takes to the skies’…)

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Posted Mar 10th 2008 6:53AM by Thomas RickerFiled under: cellphones, Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video While Apple continues to market the iPhone as a 3-in-1 device — web, phone, and ipod — it’s clear that Jobs has a 4th market clearly in his sights. It’s no accident that EA and Sega were both selected to demonstrate their skills with the iPhone SDK during last week’s press event. Now Gameloft, the worldwide number one mobile game publisher in terms of revenues — has committed to developing games for the iPhone. “Over 15 titles” are expected in 2008, in fact. Oh iphone, is there anything you can’t do with your 3D processor, multi-touch display, and 3-axis accelerometer? (Read the full post about ‘iPhone guns for PSP and DS market share as Gameloft commits, Id too’…)

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Posted Mar 10th 2008 7:32AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Laptops We already knew the GX600 would be showing itself at CeBIT this year, but apparently, quite a few siblings made the trek to Germany as well — including the aforementioned unit’s 14.1-inch sister, the GX400. Moving on, we’ve got the 15.4-inch GX620 and 17-inch GX720, and while the former looks to arrive in a wood, leather or carbon fiber finish, the latter supposedly arrives with a black lacquer coat and a built-in subwoofer (among other goodies). The GT-730 gaming lappie was also mentioned, but unfortunately, all we know is that it gets its graphics prowess from some form of ATI Mobility Radeon. (Read the full post about ‘MSI shows off bevy of new laptops at CeBIT’…)

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