If multiple batmobiles , a bat-usb stick , and a bat-puter aren’t enough to convince you Bruce Wayne is a vain egomaniac, maybe these Batman: Arkham City batarang controllers will give you pause. In traditional bat-gadget fashion, these Xbox 360 and Ps3 controllers boast a cheesy bat-aesthetic (such as bat-start and select / back buttons), dual rumble motors, comfort-soft grips, and seven switchable splashes of LED color. Although physically the two controllers are pretty similar, Ol’ Bats seems to favor the PlayStation 3, giving its controller not only the popular Xbox 360 button / analog layout, but an internal battery, detachable charging cable, and batman-themed USB RF receiver, to boot. The Xbox variant? A dated, wired affair — but hey, at least it’s got that Xbox guide button, right? The controllers will be on display next week at E3, courtesy of Power-A, and will hit store shelves when Batman: Arkham City ships in October, leaving you little excuse not to be geared up and ready when the bat-phone rings. Hit the break for the official press release… or, you know, have Robin do it for you. Continue reading Batarang controllers to be thrown at E3, come back in October Batarang controllers to be thrown at E3, come back in October originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 21:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line. We first heard about the Eyez video recording glasses concept back in March , when those familiar black frames packed a 1080p camera, 16GB of flash memory, WiFi, and dual exawatt-class lasers (ok, we made that last part up). Named for the product’s “utopic vision,” ZionEyez now has a prototype with a more grounded spec list, including a 720p camera and 8GB of memory, along with micro-USB and Bluetooth connectivity for livecasting to Qik or LiveStream — The Truman Show style. Afraid you won’t be able to pull off those high-tint lenses at night or in that top-secret (indoor) business meeting? You can swap out the removable sunglass lenses for clear versions, or throw in your prescription in daylight (tinted) or indoor flavors, since many optical stores stock appropriately sized lenses. Availability for these $199 HD Ray-Ban clones is currently slated for fall (assuming ZionEyez hits its funding target), but you can pre-order your pair for $150 on Zion’s Kickstarter page. Continue reading Insert Coin: Eyez 720p video-recording glasses (video) Filed under: Wearables Insert Coin: Eyez 720p video-recording glasses (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Mercedes-Benz completes hydrogen-powered F-Cell World Drive, but had to bring its own fuel
June 4, 2011 No Comment
At January’s Detroit Auto Show , Mercedes-Benz eagerly showed off its hydrogen-powered F-Cell car, vowing to prove the viability of fuel-cell vehicles by driving three of them around the world . And now, 18,641 total miles later, it’s completed that circumnavigation, arriving safely home at the company’s Stuttgart headquarters. Does this prove fuel-cells are ready for prime time? Well, the trip took 70 driving days to cover four continents, and the vehicles’ range topped out at just over 400 miles — in Kazahkstan. But M-B admits there are only 200 refilling stations worldwide; in most cases the F-Cells had to rely on a tag-along mobile refueling unit. The company hopes its demonstration will spur development in a refilling-station infrastructure: having a fuel-cell car you can’t easily refuel must feel like owning a flying DeLorean in 1885. To get the full breakdown, see the Mercedes-Benz PR after the break. Continue reading Mercedes-Benz completes hydrogen-powered F-Cell World Drive, but had to bring its own fuel Mercedes-Benz completes hydrogen-powered F-Cell World Drive, but had to bring its own fuel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Ross Rubin contributes Reserve Power , a column focused on personal perspectives and products. Last week’s Reserve Power introduced six handset stands for propping up your miniature movie theater. This week’s column takes on a half-dozen more, names my favorites, and concludes with a chart detailing which phones fit which stands. Continue reading Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2 Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft Wireless Desktop 2000 protects that sensitive area between your peripherals
June 4, 2011 No Comment
Microsoft’s new wireless keyboard-and-mouse duo aims to thwart keystroke spies with full AES 128-bit encryption on over-the-air data — an improvement on older wireless models that have proven to be easy pickings for hacker-types. You can pick up the Wireless Desktop 2000 now for $40, but that won’t buy you protection from more common threats like Shandong phishmongers , nor will it make up for security loopholes in your other peripherals. Speaking of which, are you still using that seemingly innocent USB coffee-cup warmer ? Microsoft Wireless Desktop 2000 protects that sensitive area between your peripherals originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A quick glance at the above photo might have you believing that’s the site of a Microsoft Store being constructed; actually, it’s an Apple Store . Yesterday, in the Jungfernstieg section of Hamburg, Germany, a group going by the name of “.WAV Collective” apparently vandalized the soon-to-be Apple retail location. They casually went up to the building posing as a team of construction workers, cordoned off a work site, and proceeded to screw pre-made panels, forming a Windows logo, to the side of the store’s black veil — all in broad daylight. Looks like the old question of Mac vs. PC just got a bit more confusing over in Europe. Don’t believe us? Have a look at the collective’s own video recap of the events posted after the break. [Thanks, Toni] Continue reading Windows logo planted on upcoming Apple Store in Germany (video) Windows logo planted on upcoming Apple Store in Germany (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We said that MobileNotifier unobtrusive notifications might be the single best reason to jailbreak your iOS device, and it sounds like Apple may agree — Redmond Pie reports that lead developer Peter Hajas has been spirited away by the Cupertino computer company to work on iOS itself. Hajas wrote that he was taking a break from MobileNotifier, and some newfangled detective work dug up the rest — a thinly-veiled reference to Steve Jobs, a tweet mentioning a California “fruit” company, and finally an alleged screenshot of Hajas’ entry in Apple’s employee database. We’re feeling slightly bittersweet about the whole thing, to tell the truth, as while we’d rather not have to smash our iPhone chains, the notion that this is all happening now suggests we won’t see greatly improved notifications in iOS 5, come Monday . [Thanks, Jeff] MobileNotifier dev snapped up by Apple to work on iOS framework? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Earlier this week the Eee Pad Transformer scored itself a sweet upgrade in the form of Android 3.1, and with it came USB host support. When we did our hands-on with the Honeycomb update we couldn’t demo the feature because, well, the Xoom doesn’t have any USB ports. But that Transformer keyboard dock has a pair of 2.0 jacks and someone was kind enough to post a YouTube vid of a PS3 controller and the ASUS tablet getting their game on. Theoretically, this should work with any USB gamepad, including those for the Xbox 360. The only drawback? You’ve got to be wired in — no Bluetooth support here. Follow the break to see it in action and satisfy your Android-loving curiosity. [Thanks, Ben] Continue reading Eee Pad Transformer caught playing nice with PS3 controller (video) Eee Pad Transformer caught playing nice with PS3 controller (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft outlines new features for Windows Phone Mango’s Music and Video Hubs
June 4, 2011 No Comment
When Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone Mango last month, the company spent a lot of time walking us through some of the 500-plus changes to the OS — most notably, conversation threads, people groups, enhanced search functionality , Twitter and LinkedIn integration, IE9, and the instantly responsive Bing Vision . It’s no wonder, then, that Redmond didn’t have much time to talk multimedia. Well, the company just spilled the beans in a blog post, laying out a raft of new features that runs the gamut from podcasts to improved playback controls. We’ve got a lot to recap, so join us past the break, won’t you? Gallery: New Music Hub features in Windows Phone Mango Continue reading Microsoft outlines new features for Windows Phone Mango’s Music and Video Hubs Microsoft outlines new features for Windows Phone Mango’s Music and Video Hubs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …iTunes leak suggests ‘Automatic Download’ over-the-air updates are coming in iOS 5
June 4, 2011 No Comment
In the lead-up to this year’s WWDC , we so far know three things for sure: Apple will unveil OS X Lion , iCloud , and… automatic, over-the-air app updates for iOS 5 , apparently. While searching for updates in iTunes, a MacRumors reader stumbled upon this page, which alludes to an “Automatic Download” feature that allows for wireless syncing. Also, the fact that Apple went out of its way to say “…if your device has Automatic Download enabled for apps” makes us wonder what else we’ll soon be able to update over the air. The company has since pulled the tattletale page in iTunes, but MacRumors grabbed a screenshot while it was still live. Looks like the cat’s out of the bag, but we’ll let you know when Jobs & Co. make it official on Monday . iTunes leak suggests ‘Automatic Download’ over-the-air updates are coming in iOS 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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