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ICYMI: Mobile music making, skateboard stroller and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-940559{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-940559, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-940559{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-940559").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The iMaschine 2 app uses Apple's 3D Touch to record the difference in how hard you tap to make beats, a big upgrade since our wasted days using Simon. Construction on the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile is finally going to begin, three years after the country first blew up a mountain peak where it will be located. The U.S. and other countries have jointly pledged $500 million towards its construction so we're eager for that to be finished. And the Quinny longboard stroller is a skateboard prototype that aims to 're-imagine the future of baby transport,' aka terrify grandmothers everywhere.
Laptop reliability survey: ASUS and Toshiba win, HP fails
Boy, do we have a nice slab of data for you to sink your teeth into today. The 3-year service history of more than 30,000 laptops has been pored over, analyzed, and reduced to gorgeous comparative charts, which you know you're dying to know more about. We should note, however, that the service was provided by SquareTrade, whose primary business is selling extended warranties, but that shouldn't completely prejudice us against reaching conclusions on the basis of the presented facts. Firstly, netbooks have shown themselves to be on average 20 percent less reliable than entry-level laptops, which in turn are 10 percent more likely to break down than premium machines. In other words, you get what you pay for -- shocking, right? The big talking point, though, will inevitably be the manufacturer comparison chart above: here ASUS and Toshiba (rather appropriately) share the winners' spoils, while HP languishes in the ignominious last place, with more than a quarter of all laptops expected to suffer a hardware fault of some kind within three years. So, does your experience corroborate / refute this info? Keep it gentlemanly, okay?
Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode
In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.[Thanks, murph]
