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Virgin Mobile lets you customize your family's prepaid phone plan
In the US, prepaid cellphone service tends to be a like-it-or-leave-it proposition that rarely fits perfectly, especially for families. Virgin Mobile may have a smarter approach in store; it's launching Custom, a prepaid family plan that lets you tailor usage to your liking. You can put as many as five people on plans that start at $7 each ($35 for unlimited talk and text) and scale up depending on individual needs. If Mom is a big fan of streaming music but rarely makes calls, she can pile on the data (or use a $5 Unlimited Music plan) and reduce her voice minutes; a chat-happy kid, meanwhile, can have gobs of messages but only minimal internet access. You can change the plans at any time from mobile apps, and built-in parental controls let you declare certain apps as off-limits during specified hours.
Lian Li's new desk is a computer, no, wait, it's a desk, no, wait...
We've seen plenty of modders build gaming PCs into their desks, but what about those of us without any DIY skills? Lian-Li has stepped in, offering the DK-01 and DK-02, a pair of Table PC chassis that straddle the intersection between high-end technology and furniture. The big difference between the 01 and its bigger brother is the 02 can house a pair of PCs instead of just one, so where the former has a quartet of USB 3.0 ports and an audio jack up front, the latter doubles it. Inside, there's room for a HPTX motherboard, as well as a secondary mini-ITX board if you go for the 02, as well as 10 expansion slots for HDD or SSDs. Unfortunately, this technology does come at a price, since the DK-01 will set you back $990, and the larger variant marked up at $1,200 -- even before you start buying components.
Philippe Starck wants you to make 3D-printed custom furniture
Philippe Starck is no longer satisfied with crafting exotic-looking products that don't change -- he wants to give you control over the design process. He tells the Wall Street Journal that his newly opened custom furniture venture, TOG, will eventually become an open source community that lets you create your own 3D-printed furniture and share designs with others. He'd also like to see kiosks that make it easy for anyone to produce their own furniture, even if they can't justify a 3D printer of their own.
EVE Evolved: Rubicon 1.3 and repainting ships
EVE Online's recently released Rubicon expansion was an important first step toward a truly player-run universe for everyone, allowing corporations to wage empire wars over planetary customs offices and introducing a series of new personal deployable structures. The initial release was a little light on content, but developers have since expanded on it significantly with three major point releases. Rubicon 1.3 went live this week, and the changes seem pretty good all around. This release overhauled the directional scanner, buffed the SoE Nestor battleship's capacitor recharge rate and remote repair range, and nerfed remote sensor dampeners into the ground. Large corporations like EVE University were pleased to hear that the limit on the size of corporations has been increased to 12,600 thanks to changes to the corporation management skills. And in response to an emerging trend in fleet warfare involving hordes of drone ships assigning their drones to an interceptor, developers have also limited the number of drones that can be assigned to another ship to 50. The 1.29 GB patch also included several overhauled ship models and new ship shaders, but the new feature I see the most potential in is the ability to finally repaint our ships. This could eventually help corporations establish their own visual identities and might even link into gameplay or EVE's spying metagame. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at some of the Rubicon 1.3 changes and how repainting your ship could become more than simply a cosmetic upgrade.
Evil Controllers goes next-gen with PS4 and Xbox One gamepads, custom controllers en route
If you still have money to burn after buying a PlayStation 4, an Xbox One (or both!) and games for each, Evil Controllers wants to help with that. The company's been churning out user-customized Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers for awhile, but now it's added the DualShock 4 and the Xbox One controller to the mix. For now, the outfit is offering a handful of pre-made designs, but an updated version of its controller creator webapp will be live soon. Aside from some cosmetic flair, the jazzed up products use all original hardware, ensuring you get the factory-made experience. What's more, the controllers' arresting designs should help them stand out from your couch cushions. If you thought the vanilla gamepads were pricey at $60, however, you might want to avert your eyes -- these start at $85.
Evil Controllers now offering custom PS4, Xbox One peripherals
Third-party peripheral manufacturer Evil Controllers is now offering customized PS4 and Xbox One controllers through its online store. The store currently holds 18 PS4 controllers, ranging in price from $84.99 to $109.99. Evil Controllers also has seven Xbox One game pads, priced from $89.99 to $109.99. The peripherals are official Xbox One and DualShock 4 controllers, so the buttons, analog sticks and other components won't differ from the game pads Microsoft and Sony pack in with their consoles. There are a few versions of Evil Controllers' modified peripherals that include the custom controller brand's trademark bullet-style buttons, though.
Personalize your Kindle cover or skin with vacation photos at no additional cost
If a regular ol' Kindle accessory doesn't express your personality as well as you'd like, Amazon has announced a new service that looks to oblige. Customers can now personalize an Amazon Origami cover along with a smattering of other covers and skins with a library of images, logos and patterns or by uploading their own photo masterpieces. That collection also includes comic, movie and TV artwork from the likes of Breaking Bad and Peanuts -- just to name a couple. The best part? There's no additional charge. Covers and skins are available for Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HDX and a few older models. Can't wait to get started? Hit that source link to begin crafting your very own.
ABC: Moto X smartphone to ship with custom colors and engraving
We've heard few details about Motorola's upcoming flagship smartphone since the firm's CEO teased the device at D11, but a full-page advertisement in several of the country's top newspapers today hinted at customizability, which ABC News has now confirmed. According to an article on the broadcaster's website, the device will be available in different colors, with an optional engraving. And, since it's due to be manufactured in Texas, the customized device will reach American consumers within a few days of an order. Customers will be able to select colors for both the back panel and the smartphone's side trim. Additionally, you'll be prompted to upload a photo that'll be used as the device's default wallpaper. Like traditional handsets, Moto X will also be available in retail stores, according to ABC's sources, though you'll need to order online if you want a non-standard configuration. We're still waiting on specification details, pricing and availability, but if today's ads are any indication, we can expect a formal launch soon. Update: Wednesday is turning out to be a good day for Moto X leaks. Following news of customizable colors, we've just come upon a snapshot that purports to show off three of these options: teal, red and fushia. You can take a peek after the break, and we have a feeling these might be just the first of many colorful leaks to come.
Hack a Day modder builds a custom controller for disabled gamers
Sure, when tinkerer Caleb Kraft found out that pressure switches marketed at the disabled were massively overpriced, he got mad like anybody else. But then he decided to get even the best way he knew how: by building his own, and posting the plans for all to follow on Hack a Day for free. The project came about via a kid with muscular dystrophy named Thomas, who enjoyed Minecraft but may eventually lose the ability to hold a controller or use a mouse and keyboard. Caleb's idea was to build low-pressure switches using a 3D printer and simply map them to the Minecraft keyboard and mouse commands using a $20 Teensy board. He posted his plans online, but since he feels they could be improved on, also created a site called the Controller Project (see the More Coverage link). From there, those in need of a custom device can make a request, other modders can post their own plans and builders can use them to make controllers for donation. Since more is always merrier for such things, if you have those skills or know someone who needs them, hit the source for more info.
HackEDA hits Kickstarter, makes Arduino board design a drag-and-drop affair (video)
Writing code for an Arduino-friendly board is relatively easy; creating the board is the hard part, unless you live and breathe electrical engineering. If HackEDA has its way, however, the design process could be almost as easy as window shopping. Its new Kickstarter-backed project lets tinkerers choose from a list of parts and get a made-to-order board without knowing a lick about PCB assembly -- algorithms sort out the finer details. While the initial effort includes just 36 combos based around an Atmega328 processor, contributors who want tangible hardware can pay anything from $30 for a bare board through to $10,000 for the first stages of mass production. The truly committed will have to wait until December for the finished goods, but those willing to try HackEDA can use its existing web tool for free.
Loewe Reference ID TV hits the UK in July with full customization and a 1TB DVR
Loewe has staked its success in the TV market on personalized designs, and it's taking that concept to its logical extreme with the upcoming Reference ID. First shown at IFA last year, the LCD set is now due to reach the UK in July with progressively wilder customization options. Owners will only have a choice of covers for the built-in 160W speaker at first, they'll get frame selections later in the summer, and full customization of materials and patterns this fall -- if they want a set housed in leather and gold, it can happen. Conformists might still be happy with the Reference ID between its 3D-ready 400Hz panel, media streaming and a dual-channel DVR with 1TB of space. Loewe's adaptable design won't be cheap for discerning Brits, however: 40-, 46- and 55-inch variants will respectively cost £4,500, £5,500 and £6,500 ($7,007, $8,564 and $10,121), and that's before applying a personal touch.
HTC E1 headlines company's Chinese online store with custom options (video)
While the Chinese variants of the HTC One won't be formally introduced until April 24th, we've managed to get our hands on its cousin device: the 603e that sports a similar earpiece design as the One, but without the front-facing BoomSound stereo loudspeakers. The retail name of this dual-SIM (WCDMA 900/2100 and GSM 900/1800/1900) device is actually E1, and HTC pitches it as an affordable Android 4.1 (with Sense 4+) phone with a 2.1-megapixel f/2.0 wide front-facing camera -- likely identical to HTC One's, judging by our own comparison -- along with beautification features and the company's much publicized ImageChip technology. But the real selling point of the E1 is its role in HTC's new e-commerce strategy in China: while you can get hold of one at an authorized HTC store, HTC's Chinese "eShop" throws in custom options for the built-in storage (8 or 16GB), main camera (five or eight megapixels, both with only 720p video capture) and one of the six body colors plus patterns. Choosing the top spec combo will also get you a special red body interior.
'Project Unity' is 15 fully-functional consoles in one giant box
Constructed by evil genius/mad scientist/hardware hacker Bacteria, Project Unity is a single, unified gaming console that can play Sega Master System, Neo Geo MVS, GameCube, Dreamcast, Saturn, Intellivision, Colecovision, Atari 7800, Turbografx 16, PS1/PS2, Mega Drive, NES, Super NES, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64 and Amstrad GX4000 games.Project Unity's most impressive feature, besides the fact that it works, is that it was constructed entirely out of authentic hardware and does not make use of emulators or combo units like the FC Twin. It also manages to use a single power supply, video output and custom-built controller, regardless of the system selected.Jump to 09:30 in the video above for a demonstration of this behemoth in action, including the repurposed NES cartridges that contain different circuit boards for each controller type, or start from the beginning for some deliciously chaotic wiring shots.
Custom wood Neo Geos are so pretty they might be worth the price
Analogue Interactive, purveyor of ridiculously cool (and expensive) Neo Geo hardware mods, has upped the ante with a new service that builds custom, new CMVS Slims out of your choice of domestic and exotic woods, dubbed Black Label. Consoles start at $1,300, and that's for one made with domestic wood.The Black Label set comes with an Analogue CMVS Slim, two analogue arcade sticks, brass Black Label tags and the requisite cables. Check out the entire selection on Analogue Interactive.
Twitch introduces ad-free Turbo subscription service
Popular video streaming site Twitch has announced a new service called Twitch Turbo. For $8.99 a month you can turn off all the ads on the site, get priority customer support, and unlock a special badge, chat colors, and custom emoticons that only Twitch Turbo subscribers can use. Twitch also streams lots of eSports events and other videos that would otherwise be interrupted by commercials.If you subscribe to knock the ads off completely, eligible Twitch broadcasters will still be paid for their views. Twitch says this is "just the beginning of what we hope to offer through Twitch Turbo," and that more "benefits and enhancements" for both viewers and broadcasters (including the official Joystiq Twitch channel) are likely coming soon.
Nokia releases 3D-printing specs for making custom Lumia 820 back covers
One of the great things about Nokia phones from way back when was making it your own with swappable plastic. While that level of exterior personalization isn't available on many handsets these days -- instead we've got bumpers and cases -- Nokia added a removable shell to its Lumia 820 Windows Phone. You can always go ahead and buy new ones, but if you've got access to a 3D printer, Nokia has just released a "3D-printing Development Kit" with all the documentation you'll need to create a custom backing for yourself. It's available for download from the source links below, and contains "3D templates, case specs, recommended materials and best practices."
CES: Roccat's Power-Grid is almost ready to be switched on
Roccat first showed us the Power-Grid system (that uses an iPhone app to control various functions on a PC and the company's PC accessories) at CES in 2012 before officially announcing it last March. And now, a year later, the service is almost ready for launch. It's not quite good to go, but Roccat kindly showed off the near-finished version to us at this week's CES in Las Vegas, and man, is it ever impressive. Before I start going on and on about how just versatile and useful Roccat's app will be, I'll get the one major catch out of the way first: This product isn't for a Mac. It does of course use an iPhone, but the app ties over wi-fi into a desktop app that, Roccat has confirmed, is only going to be available for PCs. Mac compatibility is a remote future possibility, but Roccat told me that "it will take some time" -- the company has a long history of Windows accessory customization, and not so much with OS X. So for now, the Power-Grid service will only work using the iPhone app to control and PC and the software on it. But if you do happen to use a PC with your iPhone, you'll love what Power-Grid can do. Just as we heard last year, the app will have a series of screens with control buttons on them, and those controls will hook into PC functions. One screen will be full of various status updates (tracking your PC's CPUs, RAM, hard drive space and so on), and some of those controls will be interactive (tapping on the C: space listing, for example, will open up a Windows Explorer window on the PC set to the C: directory). A sound control screen will offer access to system audio, including the main volume as well as sliders for mic volume and other options. There's also a controller for your music client that Roccat says will work with all of the major players, including iTunes. Another screen will have updates from various social networks and programs like Twitter, Facebook, TeamSpeak, Skype and even RSS feeds, so you can browse through everything while a game is running on your PC's screen. And a final screen is called the "News Center", and will feature a series of curated feeds (including great blogs like TUAW, Joystiq and Engadget) and content to include if you want. Any of these tabs can be deleted or moved, but those are the main core tabs available to everyone. Where the Power-Grid gets really interesting, however, is after the default tabs. First up, Roccat will offer a number of other tabs built to offer functionality in various games or apps. I was able to play with a Skyrim tab, for example, that offered macro buttons on the iPhone to do things like change the game's camera, or bring up the skills or map screen automatically. The whole thing was surprisingly responsive: Just pull up the Skyrim tab on the iPhone, hit a button and then immediately the effects appeared on screen. And thanks to Roccat's experience with keyboard macros, the iPhone buttons are very powerful: One button toggled moving in the game, and another one attacked with a weapon or cast a spell, which put a surprising amount of functionality just on the iPhone. There are also tabs like that planned for League of Legends, Starcraft (think of just setting up a production queue by tapping a button on your phone), and a number of other games. And there will be a few non-game tabs available as well, according to Roccat, including functionality for Word, Photoshop and other popular apps. But even that's not the most interesting part. Tabs can also be custom made by users button by button, through a very simple process of first setting the button's attributes, and then just dropping and placing it on to the tab and syncing up to the iPhone app. Anything you can do on your PC with a keyboard can be placed into a button macro, and then you can drag and set that button up however you like, turning your iPhone into a custom-made controller for your PC. It's really unbelievable, and even if you don't have the time or interest to create a custom tab for yourself, users will be able to share and favorite tabs online, so you can just wait until someone else makes the one you want. The Power-Grid was an interesting idea when I first heard about it at last year's CES, but it's about to become a really incredible reality. Roccat said the biggest difficulty right now is getting Apple's approval on the whole system, but hopefully we'll see both the PC desktop app and the iPhone app (both of which are set up to be free!) available within the next few weeks.
Prettied-up pastel SNES consoles now on sale
Okay so, we've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that a French retailer called Lekki has started selling four different shades of gorgeously refinished Super Nintendo console, each with its own matching controller and bonus Super Mario World cartridge. Hooray!The bad news, for us non-Europeans at least, is that these are PAL systems, which means that your dust-covered, attic-stored boxes of old SNES carts won't work, and therefore you'll need to either find a good import shop, or only ever play Super Mario World. If you are European though, or you've run out of holiday gift ideas for the retro-gamer in your life, the consoles will set you back €150, which is essentially $200.
DMCA update shuts down new phone unlocking next year, allows rooting (but not for tablets)
And so it passed that Congress didst layeth its blessing on the jailbreaking and rooting of all manner of devices; the hacking community saw the miracle and rejoiced. But that amendment to the DMCA two years ago was just a temporary exemption and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has been vigorously lobbying to get it reinstated. The Library of Congress has now done just that through a new three year extension, but with some serious caveats: After 90 days, unlocking of new phones will be verboten and all tablet mods will still be illegal. This differs from the 2010 decision which did allow unlocking, because the Librarian decided that a recent copyright ruling means fair use rules no longer apply to a handset's OS. It also said the exception isn't needed anymore because carrier rules regarding unlocking are now more liberal -- although the lawmaker may be confounding chicken with egg by that reasoning.
Razer's customizable fight stick returns to TGS for final beta, is still nameless (video)
Remember that disassembly friendly, unnamed Xbox 360 arcade stick Razer trotted out at TGS last year? It's back, and while it hasn't gained any traction in the moniker category, it's received a few notable hardware tweaks. Razer's TGS team told us the stick has been through a total of thirteen revisions since it entered closed beta last year, and is now entering its final beta before production. Leveraging feedback from over 200 enthusiasts, Razer has made a number of tweaks to the controller, including alternative joystick tops, an included miniature screwdriver and a honeycomb screw-mount bottom so modders can install custom PCBs. The new unit also wears an acrylic cover, allowing perspective buyers to swap Razer's default artwork for a custom inlay. Just like last year, this unit features Sanwa Denshi components -- but picky players will be able to swap them out for their preferred parts without fear of voiding their warranty. Razer couldn't tell us how long the final beta phase would last, and only said that the stick would be released once it was "perfect." Our host did hazard a guess, however, that it would be out by early next year. Want to see more? Relive our TGS booth visit after the break.
