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Review: Joule iPad stand by ElementCase
The iPhone cases from ElementCase have always impressed me. Made to last from sturdy materials, they are beautifully designed and a joy to use. I've used a lot of iPhone cases and after so many wound up treating my phone badly, I felt the case we covered a while ago did possibly the best job of protecting the iPhone and providing a functional purpose as well (bigger handles for your phone when gaming). They also sell a car and boat mount for the iPhone cases... But then Apple introduced the iPad. ElementCase got right to work, building a gorgeous stand for the thing. As we reported last week, the stand is called the Joule. Hit the link below to read about the stand itself and find a discount code for your own purchase, and be sure to stay tuned -- we'll be giving some of these away on Monday of next week. %Gallery-90934%
Cowon's all-metal J3 PMP gets official
We'd already gotten a early look at Cowon's new all-metal J3 PMP earlier this month courtesy of the red dot design awards, but the company has just now gotten fully official with it, and detailed its complete specs. As expected, this one packs a 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen, along with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot for further expansion, a built-in DMB TV tuner and FM radio, Bluetooth support, a built-in speaker and, of course, that brushed metal case -- not to mention a few familiar UI elements. Unfortunately, there's still no indication of a price, nor is there any word of a release over here. Update: At least one website has listed prices of between 189,000 and 359,000 South Korean won, or roughly $166 to $316. [Thanks, David K]
US mineral companies to tech industry: drill, baby, drill
Even if your favorite gadget isn't flaunting them, rare earth metals are vital to all sorts of high-tech gizmos, from your flat-panel TV and computer hard drive to the hefty batteries that power the Toyota Prius. But over 95% of the world's rare earth comes from China; and late last year, China told the world that they'd like to keep the lion's share all to themselves. What will we Westerners do? Well, we could let China continue producing mountains of e-waste on our behalf. But we could also find plenty of rare earth just by digging in our own backyard. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the United States has over 13 million metric tons of rare earth with concentrated deposits in Mountain Pass, California and Diamond Creek, Idaho. But since the private firms that control those deposits aren't willing to spend the requisite eight years and minimum $500 million to construct a chemical separation plant, Idaho-based U.S. Rare Earths is just sitting on their ore for now, while California's Molycorp Minerals is forced to send their material all the way to China (once again) for processing. "No one wants to be first to jump into the market because of the cost of building a separation plant," former USGS rare earth specialist Jim Hedrick told LiveScience. Should China's export dwindle and the U.S. feel the pinch, that may change, but for now it's good to know that when the global game of StarCraft tells us "not enough minerals," we'll know exactly where to look.
Conceptual 4010-Overdress router covers can't materialize soon enough
C'mon, let's be honest with ourselves here -- we all think our current router is unsightly. Like, truly hideous to look at. In fact, the bulk of us spend the first 20 minutes post-unboxing trying to figure out how to best hide it. Berlin-based designers Johannes Laue and Johannes Schroth have done what should've been done by multi-national corporations years ago, with the 4010-Overdress project delivering an array of delectable wood and metal enclosures that simultaneously make your router / set-top-box beautiful while maintaining all of the core functionality. There's no indication of when (or if) these beauts will ever be produced for public consumption, but seriously, someone at Netgear or D-Link should ping these fellows as soon as possible.
Macworld 2010: What is it? Apple Campus edition
While we were walking around the Apple Campus yesterday, we spotted this strange device planted in the ground. The picture above is the only one we took, but we'll give you a few hints: the two holes in the metal box are upside down trapezoids, and inside of them, you can see a metal grating just bigger than the holes themselves. The device stood right next to the Apple visitor parking lot (and in fact, that shadow on the right side is of a parked car just outside the frame -- the box itself is planted in grass, with no other wires or connections on it). Our query to you: What is this thing? We have our own ideas -- we joked it was some kind of electric car charger, or perhaps an iPod nano dispensary. It almost seems like the leftover parts of a parking meter, but it was the only such box in the lot, and it was facing away from the cars parked there. Give us your guesses below: what is this strange box on the Apple Campus parking lot? We'll update this post with your best answers, and maybe even the right one, if you can figure it out. Update: Well that makes sense. Commenters guessed right away that it was a cigarette bin. Interesting, considering that, as you can see in the gallery in the link above, there's no smoking on Apple's campus. Drop your butts before entering, please!
World of WarCrafts: Getting hammered
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. Here's a type of craft we haven't seen much of before: a hammered metal bowl that simply bellows "For the Horde!" Talk about taking blacksmithing to a whole new level ... We visited with Blazecheetah, the bowl's maker, to find out more about the crafting behind her creation. Her play-by-play on its creation is an intriguing peek behind the scenes, if you've never been exposed to metalcrafting before. "The bowl is made of 16-gauge copper that was originally a flat, square sheet," she explains. "I cut a circle shape out of it, then did the ol' fashioned method of raising a bowl shape, which involves making a small indent in the center of the circle, making some guideline rings (think of a bullseye) around it; then, using a T stake and a certain type of hammer, went around the bowl hammering it in a spiral like pattern, following the guidelines. Between each round of hammering, you have to do what's called annealing, which is basically just heating up the metal with a torch until it's red hot, then dousing it in water. This keeps the metal soft and easy to work with."
Dream Theater adding even more metal to God of War III soundtrack
Dream Theater, a heavy metal band best known for creating songs that are impossible to play in Rock Band -- and, based on the image above, for serving as the artistic inspiration for Metalocalypse's Dethklok -- has chosen to lend its potent rock powers to the soundtrack of God of War III. This announcement was made by Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, who mentioned on the band's blog, "we will then enter the studio right after New Year's to write and record a brand new instrumental track for inclusion on the upcoming Gods [sic] Of War 3 soundtrack." Between the inclusion of this track and the exclusive Trivium song (which was announced late last month), we appreciate the metallic infusion Sony's trying to introduce to the title. However, if it doesn't culminate in an unlockable electric guitar weapon, then you can expect us to be stricken with grief for a few months after the game's release. [Via VG247]
Rock Band: Metal Track Pack to feature Motorhead, Nazareth, more
A recent addition to the ESRB ratings list reveals an upcoming "Metal" track pack for Rock Band for PS2, PS3, Wii and 360. The ESRB rated the expansion with a "Teen" rating due to the upcoming pack's inclusion of songs with expletives "as well as allusions to violence." It's a good thing the game doesn't make detailed references to violence!Example lyrics given by the ESRB reveal two of the track pack's songs: "D.O.A." by Haunted and "Transmaniacon MC" by Blue Oyster Cult, a brand new addition to the Rock Band franchise. A leaked achievement list also reveals "Killed by Death" by Motorhead, "Hair of the Dog" by Nazareth, and "Master of the Universe" by Hawkwind as new songs exclusive to the pack. Considering the last Rock Band track pack debuted 13 new songs unavailable as DLC, we're confident that this new addition will do the same.Rock Band: Metal Track Pack hasn't been announced yet, but considering the reliability of the ESRB's ratings, we expect EA and MTV Games to announce the full track list, along with the track pack itself, within the next few weeks.[Thanks, Justin R.!]
EXOvault case wraps your iPhone in cold, hard steel
Do none of the gazillion iPhone cases currently on the market suit your fancy? Are you still looking for a holster that's really built to take abuse? Look no further, as the handcrafted EXOvault is an all-metal sheath that can be ordered in aluminum, brass or titanium. Beyond that, details are surprisingly scant, leaving us to assume "what you see is what you get." Be sure to make clear what kind of iPhone you have when ordering, and be extra sure to have $95 / $95 / $300 (respectively) in liquidated funds available before pulling the trigger.[Via Boing Boing]
Inventors develop transistor to change color of any surface, your face notwithstanding
Color shifting has been a pipe dream for about as long as alchemists have claimed their studies to be legitimate, but now a brilliant team from the New University of Lisbon can finally say a breakthrough has been found. Essentially, these inventors have conjured up a transistor that changes the color of practically any surface (paper, glass, plastics, ceramics and metals, just to name a few). For what it's worth, this same team already has quite a bit of display cred, as it has developed technology currently used within Samsung panels. With the help of a few good men and woman at the University of Texas at Austin, the team was able to register for a patent right here in the US, and with any luck, they'll be giving OLEDs and e-paper a run for their money before we can snap our fingers twice and run around the block. Check a video (narrated in Portuguese) after the break.[Thanks, Nelson]
L80ETC interview brings the thunder
Are you one of the 11 million people playing World of Warcraft? Frustrated by your enormous amount of down-time while waiting for the hot tastiness of the 3.1 patch today? Into Heavy Metal? You're in luck! Just in time for 10+ hours of agonizing maintenance (and probably a few extra hours of weirdness afterward) Games On Net has released their exclusive interview with Azeroth's madmen of metal, Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftan! Yes - you heard that correctly; not an interview with the creators, but an actual in-character interview with the members. We're throwing horns at the power-chord crunchers over at Blizzard for actually actively role-playing the interview for the sheer sake of awesome. Some of the answers in the interview were pretty funny, including references to several real-world musicians being given a special World of Warcraft twist (ManoWarrior and Jethro Troll being favorites) and an unexpected reference to Dwarves. If you get the chance (and let's face it, you've got the time with downtime) head over and give it a read. It's far too much metal for one hand... err... interview!
Joystiq impressions: Brutal Legend
click to make brutally large! While others were stuck in boring panels or roped into demos of ridiculous new peripherals, we spent an afternoon during last week's Game Developers Conference at Double Fine, the idea factory of Tim Schafer, designer of such bona fide classics as Full Throttle, Grim Fandango and Psychonauts. We were there to see his latest, hotly anticipated creation in action for the first time -- a little game you may have heard of called Brütal Legend.We went in with a rough idea of what to expect: an action game set in a world inspired by heavy metal, with, we hoped, loads of trademark Schafer humor. We came out having seen a game that honestly exceeded our expectations. Brütal Legend is what you'd expect from Double Fine and more. It's not just a one-man crusade; it's a war set to a thunderous soundtrack and filled with surprises. %Gallery-49211%
All the World's a Stage: So you want to be a Miner
This installment of All the World's a Stage is the twenty-eighth in a series of roleplaying guides in which we find out all the background information you need to roleplay a particular race or class (or profession!) well, without embarrassing yourself. Mining is one of the strangest professions in the World of Warcraft. This may seem counterintuitive in the face of such odd professions as alchemy, and more particularly, engineering. But when you think of it, mining is equally strange in its own way.Mining in the World of Earthiness is by and large a capitalist venture, where the people getting rich off of the various precious metals in the world are never ever the same people who actually go out and dig the stuff out of the ground. No, the rich people find other people do to the actual digging for them, and then compel those diggers to hand over the fruits of their hard work for a mere fraction of the work's actual value. Furthermore, precious metals here on Earth are not simply lying about at the surface for anyone with a pickaxe to come along and collect -- otherwise those metals wouldn't be precious anymore. Mining on Azeroth is more like collecting interesting seashells than it is anything similar to what humans do on Earth. Below, we will find a few ideas about why in the world only the very greatest adventurers with the best training can go around picking up shiny ore nodes sticking up out of the ground, as well as what it might mean to your character to do so.
WoW Moviewatch: Trident of Naz'jan
Gnomechewer's Trident of Naz'jan has actually been floating around for about a month, which makes it a shame we haven't picked it up before now. I'm actually very happy to see it, as I'd worried we'd lost the music video superstar to Age of Conan. This is one of my favorite pieces by him, and totally worth the watch. I'll fess up at the beginning that the music isn't entirely my style, but within the context of the movie it works wonderfully.As the story of the video goes, those dastardly mist-men called Vrykul are (or have been) summoning That Which Devours from Below, Naz'jan. This is related to the opening Tuskarr quests in the Borean Tundra, so if you like the video, take the time to go check those out.Overall, though, I really like that Cthulu-esque "deep one" kind of feel. The strident heavy metal captures the mood of the Vrykul (c'mon, no instance is as "metal" as Utgarde Keep). Even the opening soundtrack voiceovers give you a good sense of impending doom. The video has several shots of the viking-like Vrykul cruising around on longships, which enhances a definite sense of movement.Here's hoping we see more from the maestro Gnomechewer soon.[Via Machinima.com]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
Tunes for toons while raiding
We've talked about listening to music while playing the game before. While the "actual" game music is pretty good (I've gone back and forth between having it on and off during the time I've played, and at this point I'm in an "on" phase, so I can hear all the new Northrend music). But Lazaragh on Jubei'thos wants to know about a specific situation: what do you listen to while raiding?Personally, while I'll often have a podcast or a movie on while playing solo or sometimes running five mans (if I'm feeling particularly awake), I tend to have to focus while raiding, so I usually turn the background noise off and listen to Vent or just the audio queues ingame. Any more than that an I get distracted. But there are all kinds of answers in the thread, from trance to pop to metal (Dragonforce FTW!), and pretty much across every genre that you can think of. What might be most interesting about all of this is that the music apparently has no effect on gameplay, though it'd be interesting to see the raiding performance of people who listen to music while playing against people who don't.Maybe an enterprising raiding group can do an experiment and figure that out. I'd guess it's just personal taste, but it does seem to me that even if you say your attention isn't divided, the music has to be a little distraction. Maybe it's just me. What kind of music do you raid with?
Detroit Metal City makes for awesome action figures
Upon first seeing Detroit Metal City: Death Shout, we came to a conclusion: the game was the perfect amount of crazy for us. It's no secret that we enjoy odd things here at DS Fanboy, so we'd like to point out that the game is now getting action figures, allowing you to act out scenarios you might not find in the Japanese title.As you can see to the right, Johannes Krauser II came out wonderfully in his action figure. He's not only available as you see him there, but also in another costume. Joining him for this run of action figures is also the band's drummer.So, anybody want to pick these up for us? Our birthday is, uh, soon or something.
Detroit Metal City: Death Spank
New screens of Detroit Metal City: Death Shout confirm our suspicions that the performance portions of D3's manga-based J-metal game take their inspiration from the Ouendan series: numbered circles appear all over the screen, and the player taps them in order to rock. But that (and, well, the makeup and title) is about the limit of Detroit Metal City's derivative nature.The "Cult Game" mode is a set of minigames that includes activities like trying to climb Tokyo Tower in a lightning storm, wiping bats away in hell, and spanking a guy in drag until he takes flight -- in a race. Spanking him with the stylus. As if that weren't enough, Detroit Metal City features a shmup game in which you, as Johannes Krauser II's head, shoot at other heads.
New Hero Class revealed: Bard! Also, new Molten Core for the console
I did not think anything could break me away from the Death Knight class. The minute I got my hands on the Wrath of the Lich King beta, I was going to go to the character selection screen, pick Death Knight, and never look back. Sorry Druid, Sorry Hunter. Sorry Warlock. Maybe I'll come back to you when my uber awesome Death Knight is level 80 and I have Frostmourne in my hot little hands. Blizzard has once again raised the bar. No longer shall I be a Death Knight. Instead, I shall be a Bard. That's right, Blizzard's just announced a new Hero Class, and it's not the Archdruid that was previously rumored.
Vulnerable USB drive gets wrapped in aluminum for security's sake
Corsair's Flash Voyager comes straight from the factory in a water- and shock-resistant enclosure, but for one particular owner, said chassis just wasn't hardcore enough. Rather than swapping it out for an Iron Drive, he took matters into his own hands by gutting the innards and custom building an ultra-rugged aluminum casing. Showing off his fantastic attention to detail, a machined slot for the keychain and a LED indicator hole were included, too. Hit up the read link for the walkthrough if you're feeling atypically industrious -- otherwise, just kick back and admire.[Via Hack N Mod, thanks Joe]
Researchers devise method for colorizing metals, alchemists swoon
Unfortunately, Dr. Chunlei Guo of the University of Rochester hasn't yet figured out how to turn scrap metals into gold, but he, along with Dr. Anatoliy Y. Vorobyev, has discovered how to colorize a variety of metals. By utilizing a "femtosecond laser processing technique," the duo has crafted a method for turning even aluminum into aluminum with an impeccable gold finish. Furthermore, they've also been successful in turning tungsten dark blue, leaving reason to believe that nearly any metal could be altered to appear as a different color. Ah, just imagine what these folks could do with your MacBook Pro.[Via The New York Times, thanks Jonathan]
