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Engadget's back to school guide 2012: fun stuff!
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. The good news? We're on to the fun stuff, the gear that isn't always practical but will definitely help you let off some steam after a tough mid-term. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Laptops, phones and e-readers might be slick pieces of tech, but they'll all be used for business while you're buried in term papers during the semester. We're rounding up a set of gadgets meant purely to lift your spirits -- whether it's zapping fellow froshmates in a game of Lazer Tag or an electric motorbike to blast through the countryside on a long weekend. We've even got a few borderline sensible gadgets, such as a robot that will clean up after a wild party at the dorm. Jump past the break for our full collection of antidotes to the end-of-summer blues.
The Engadget Show 35: EVs in Portland, hacked bicycles and a Tesla Model S test drive
With a transportation themed episode, it only seemed natural to take the Engadget Show out of our traditional digs -- it was also a great excuse to visit one of our favorite cities in the world: Portland, Oregon. We drove Mitsubishi's i-MiEV EV around the Northwestern green mecca, stopping at some great PDX spots along the way, including the amazing Ground Kontrol arcade, Hand-Eye Supply and the hackerspace, Brain Silo. We also took the time to speak to some PDX residents, including Core77 co-founder Eric Ludlum and some local modders showing off their homebrew projects. Also, Brian travels out to Boston to ride along with a gang of bike hackers, Myriam takes the Tesla Model S for a spin around the streets of San Francisco and Michael does his best not to fall off the DTV Shredder in the California desert. And, as always, we got a pile of the month's latest and greatest gadgets, including the Google Nexus 7, Hasbro's new Lazer Tag guns and a quick trip around OS X Mountain Lion. Also: comic books, donuts and plenty of EV road trip shenanigans. Click through the break to tune in!
Hasbro Lazer Tag hands-on (video)
The NERF has been dropped, but Hasbro's Lazer Tag system is still the same awesome toy we got a taste of in February. The difference is, now they're retail ready. Individual blasters, complete with iDevice dock, will hit shelves in just over a week, while packages of two are scheduled for October 1st. The companion iOS app is already available through iTunes, but a rep from Hasbro still describes it as being in beta form (an update is on its way that will remove that tag and simplify the initial set-up). The same rep was also nice enough to swing by the Engadget compound and deliver us a pile of blasters to test ourselves, which we immediately took out for a test run in Washington Square Park. Head on past the break for some impressions and a taste of our "Lazer" battle royale. %Gallery-161146%
NERF Lazer Tag hands-on
We just came from Hasbro's off-site Toy Fair show room and, needless to say, we made them take us straight to the NERF Lazer Tag installation. The guns are still clearly in the early prototype stages and hand made -- with plenty of hot glue and header pins serving as evidence. Still, they felt solid and the app appears to be coming along nicely. We weren't allowed to take photos or video of the HUD, which is a shame since that's what sets Hasbro's product apart from similar toys, but we can tell you about some of the features.In the top left of the screen is your life meter, which decreases every time you're shot. You'll know when you've been hit because the display will flash red. The app also beeps letting you know when an opponent has been detected -- alerting you to an opportunity to strike or of approaching danger. In the bottom right hand corner is you weapon selection and ammo remaining. You can reload by pressing in the lever on the front of the weapon. Holding it down opens the weapon selection, which you'll be able to upgrade through achievements and in-app purchases. There's also a pair of triggers in the well. The front engages your shield, which prevents you from being hit, but also stop you from firing on opponents, while the primary trigger fires blasts (complete with laser beam animation and explosions) at your opponents. Check out the gallery below for a few more impressions.Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
Hasbro reinvents Lazer Tag for the smartphone generation, lets you live out your Doom-fueled fantasies
Xappr and appBlaster are fine weaponizers for your smartphone, provided you don't care to share your violent tendencies with your friends. Thankfully, Hasbro is bridging the gap between new-school AR shooter and that teenage classic -- laser tag. The NERF Lazer Tag system is getting an update for 2012 that lets you pair your blaster with an iPhone or iPod touch. The top of the plastic guns now sport a slot for your iDevice which, when loaded with the Lazer Tag app, provides you with an augmented HUD view. While you can play against purely virtual opponents, the real fun is in using to track your battles with fleshy foes. The app will display your gear and power level, and update your progress on a global Lazer Tag leaderboard. As you play, new attacks and gear will be unlocked for you to enhance your gaming experience. The app will even actually show your blasts' trajectory, letting you see exactly where you shot your former friend. The 2012 edition of Lazer Tag will hit shelves on August 1st with individual blasters costing $40 and sets of two $70. Check out the PR and a screen shot of the app after the break.
