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Withings adds sleep apnea detection to its tracking mat
There are countless products available that help you track your sleep, giving you insights into your sleep patterns and quality. But there's been nothing to help snoozers identify sleep apnea, a potentially-serious condition that could traditionally only be diagnosed by a sleep clinic. Now, health device maker Withings has released a new update to its sleep tracking mat that could help users recognize the symptoms of this disorder.
Razer's latest gaming mouse mat is a light-up wonderland
Think your mouse pad is a little lifeless? Razer thinks it can spruce things up. Its new Firefly gaming mat is ringed with customizable lighting that can glow and pulse in 16.8 million colors. It'll even sync with Razer's Chroma-badged peripherals, if you're bent on putting on a coordinated show. The Firefly will undoubtedly be one of the most expensive mouse pads you could buy when it ships in June for $60, but you could easily justify the expense if you already have a flashy PC case sitting under your desk.
Smart yoga mat helps you perfect your poses
Yoga can be a great way to stay healthy, but it's hard to refine your technique at those times you can't see an instructor. SmartMat may have a solution for when you're stuck at home, though. Its self-titled smart yoga mat gives you feedback on poses by sending pressure data to an app on your Android or iOS device. On a basic level, it helps you perfect your poses by suggesting corrections to your alignment and balance; you can also teach yourself new moves through downloadable lessons, and there's a "Zen mode" if you'd prefer to enjoy the moment and get feedback later.
The Daily Grind: Would you rather use mats to craft or make money?
With each new MMO that I dig into, there's always that looming question I must address from the start: Do I want to pursue crafting or just be a gatherer-supplier? Crafting has a lot going for it: delayed gratification, potentially big rewards, self-reliance, and satisfaction for making your own gear. It's also not a terrific money-maker in most games in the beginning (in fact, it's often a money pit), it takes a long time to do, and sometimes it's just easier to farm or buy gear elsewhere. I usually choose to gather and sell materials to make money, because then I can just buy what I want. Plus, I like being well-off in games -- you never know when you'll need a huge chunk of cash for that tempting purchase! What about you? Would you rather use mats to craft or make money? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Razer trots out Transformers 3 Edition DeathAdder, Vespula and laptop case
After what we're guessing was a fruitful tie-up with Tron, the fine folks at Razer are back at a similar well; this time, the company's dishing out a limited run of gear that's been splashed with color and branding from the upcoming Michael Bay train wreck blockbuster, Transformers 3. Outside of being doused with red, yellow, silver and purple paint, the special edition DeathAdder mice ($69.99 a pop) are identical to the version already on the market. If that's just not enough, there's also a dual-sided Vespula mouse mat ($44.99) to commemorate the film, not to mention a foursome of colored laptop sleeves ($49.99 each) that'll make public your infatuation. Curiously absent? A handwritten letter of congratulations from Shia LaBeouf.
Raptr and MAT offer prizes for killing zombies
Raptr has become one of the more popular game community systems out there, and odds are good that several of our readers already use it for tracking playtime and messaging across multiple games. The team behind the client has teamed up with Suba Games to provide a pretty interesting promotion, offering MAT players a chance to earn some goodies for both the game and Raptr itself. And as with most player-friendly promotions, all you have to do is sign up and play. The promotion is structured around playtime within the game, with players qualifying for better prizes the longer they remain in-game. MAT itself is an MMOFPS structured around players wielding real-world weapons against the usual army of zombies, mummies, and other supernatural undead scourges. If it sounds like the sort of thing that might tickle your fancy for the weekend, take a look at the official page to sign up -- after all, there are worse ways to spend some downtime on the weekend than shooting zombies.
PYNK smart system could make those Kodak print kiosks useful (video)
Just because film is dead doesn't mean that companies are at a loss for schemes to profit in the digital age. Take Kodak's PYNK smart print system as the perfect case study. Consumers buy PYNK branded photo frames and mats at $15 and $4 a pop, respectively. They then scan the goods into one of Kodak's 100,000 imaging kiosks and the machine will print photos (at further cost) into a perfectly cropped, sized, and aligned collage suitable for framing. A pretty smart solution for craft-less dummies like us.
Reclusive mathematician says 'thanks, but no thanks' to that million dollar prize
Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman has apparently turned down a one million-dollar prize which he was awarded in March by the Clay Mathematics Institute. Perelman was awarded one of seven million dollar prizes for solving a "millennium" problem -- the Poincaire conjecture -- which had been puzzling mathematicians for about one hundred years. The problem -- which was a theorem about the governing the properties of three-dimensional spheres -- was one of the most important questions in topology before being solved. While this is not the first time he's turned down a prize, Perelman has seemingly rejected this one because he disagrees with the "organized mathematical community."
New information on Guild Wars Wintersday redux and next skill update
The Guild Wars Wintersday festival had a few issues this year, but ArenaNet kindly offered up a Wintersday redux. Anyone who missed out on their hats or didn't get to participate as much as they wanted thanks to lag now gets a second chance. If you were lucky enough to have smooth sailing on the first round, just enjoy the bonus! We've been waiting on a date for the festivities, and yesterday community manager Regina Buenaobra announced that it will begin January 29 and run until the finale on February 7. (It doesn't look like the event will overlap Canthan New Year, of course.) Regina's announcement also included new information on the large skill update that the team originally planned to roll out in full this month: "The next skill updates will be rolled out in stages. First, GvG skills will be updated, and this will come next week, before the Monthly Tournament. We will release preliminary patch notes with details of those GvG changes later this week, so that those participating in the Monthly Tournament will have some notice of the changes". We'll keep a close eye out for those patch notes for you, and happy Wintersday! (Again)
Razer Orochi now shipping in limited quantities, we go hands-on
Remember when Razer introduced its first-ever mobile gaming mouse? No worries -- July was indeed a long, long time ago. At any rate, the Bluetooth 2.0 / USB Orochi, which was engineered to fit within knapsacks and backpacks of road warriors the world over, is now shipping to both US and EU customers... on a limited basis, anyway. Razer claims that stock is arriving in spurts, and if you're greeted with a "sold out" message, there's a special sign-up page to be notified of when the next batch comes in. So, why the fuss? %Gallery-75553%
Razer Naga MMO mouse (and Megasoma mat) unboxing and hands-on
Razer's got a knack for cranking out the unusual, and from the First Edition Boomslang, the outfit has also had a thing for developing gaming mice that demanded respect. The recently announced Naga (which is now shipping out to customers, by the way) is one of the most bizarre mice yet, boasting no fewer than 12 buttons on the left side and a promise of making your MMO gaming a more enjoyable experience. Alongside the wired USB critter, Razer also introduced a patently gigantic gaming surface, the $49.99 Mesasoma. We were able to spend some time with each of these peripherals, so hop on down to the gallery for a closer look and on past the break for a few impressions. %Gallery-73385%
Razer adds a dozen keys to Naga MMO mouse, intros rollable gaming surface
Who says MMO gamers are alienated by everyone accessory makers? Across the pond in Germany, Razer has stepped up to serve the needs of basement-dwelling World of Warcraft players with its first dedicated MMO mouse. The Naga, as it's so beautifully called, gives users a dozen customizable buttons on the side in order to take some of those keyboard macros (or just the 1 - 12 number keys) and put them within thumb's reach. The mouse (shown in video after the break) also ships with a robust software suite that can save unlimited profiles and program "thousands of different in-game commands for each character you choose to play." In case that's not enough to get your juices flowing, the company also outed an all new gaming surface (the Megasoma) that can be rolled up and tucked away for easy transport between LAN parties. Check the read link for all the nitty-gritty details, and get ready to hand over $79.99 for the critter and $49.99 for the mouse when they ship worldwide later this year.
Take advantage of a fit Gold Box deal today at Amazon [update]
Despite the crazy amount of deals Amazon threw at us last week, the online retailer has another trick up its sleeve. Of course, this time it won't be anything as grandiose -- just a single Gold Box deal, lasting from 10am-1pm PDT.The wording of the deal has caused some to speculate that Amazon will be offering Wii Fit: "No more slip-slidin' away while you get your Fit on. " However, we think this wording implies that the retailer will be offering a deal on a Wii Fit accessory, like a mat (or maybe even a whole bunch of accessories). Considering Amazon doesn't have the game itself in stock, we doubt they'd be hoarding copies just for a Gold Box when selling them regularly would be easier and more lucrative.We'll know for sure soon enough, though -- and don't worry, all you cheap readers out there, we'll keep you updated. Gallery: Wii Fit [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!][Update: The deal was revealed; you can grab this Wii Fit Balance Board Mat for $16.99 ($8 off). If interested, you have to go to the actual Gold Box (and not the item's product page) to see the slashed price.]
Active Life: Indoor Mat Interview
MTV Multiplayer's interview with Active Life: Outdoor Challenge producer Yusuke Sasaki barely touches on Active Life: Outdoor Challenge at all, and instead focuses on the really attention-getting part of the package: the new Family Trainer mat!Apparently, compared to the NES mat, the technology has been refreshed a bit. No specifics were given, but perhaps the Family Trainer is something more than buttons inside soft plastic? Or perhaps the years of Dance Dance Revolution mat testing undergone around the world has helped hardware designers make more robust mat controllers. As far as tangible changes, "The Active Life mat actually has more buttons in a unique configuration that works well with different types of games as well as multiplayer gameplay on a single mat."Sasaki also reaffirmed Namco Bandai's intention to create more games that use the mat. Dance Aerobics seems ripe for remaking, if they want the Wii Fit crowd.
Magisters' Terrace: Great instance or the greatest instance?
I, like many other players, spent the better part of the morning running the new 5man Magisters' Terrace instance (and yes -- it is "Magisters'," so there is actually more than one Magister in it), and while not everyone is thrilled with it (I know some are saying that it's too hard), I love it. I pretty much agree with AA -- it's not that hard when you actually figure out what to do with CC, and get a handle on the fact that even on normal difficulty, this is a dungeon that doesn't let up.But my favorite part of the dungeon is just the fact that Blizzard put their money where their mouth is on this one -- for a while, they've been saying that they wanted a five man to be like Deadmines, in that it felt like the end of a long storyline. And MT (which is what I think it will eventually be called by most players, since who really runs Mana Tombs anymore?) is definitely that -- I won't ruin the lore too much, but it works perfectly as both a cap on what happened in Outland, and as a sweet preview to Sunwell Plateau. I never thought we'd meet some of those names in a five man instance, but I loved it, and we'll see more of that in Wrath for sure.Plus, the encounters are fun. Unfortunately, there's nothing super new -- Blizzard cribbed directly from Warlord Kalithresh for the first boss and Curator for the second (boy, AoEing the little guys before that is exciting, isn't it?), but the miniboss battle near the end really does play like a little PvP-ish PvE (similar to the .5 upgrade event in BRD). All in all, I think it's a great instance, and a fun way to cap off five mans at level 70.
An accessory for the Balance Board you don't own yet
And, just like the anti-slip pads, this one isn't all that useful. You see, it's a mat. Just a mat. For Wii Fit. A long piece of mat that goes below the Balance Board, undoubtedly to protect your knees from being burned by your carpeting or scraped by your tile floors. For those of you with other, more smooth and consistent flooring, we suggest you look elsewhere for something to put down under your Balance Board. Maybe one of your bath towels? Heck, that could probably work for all of you.Head past the break for some more images.%Gallery-4745%
Hello Kitty embraces warming blankets, gets fired up via USB
If you think we were baffled after seeing Hello Kitty USB foot warmers, you probably can't imagine the speechlessness we all feel when seeing the USB-powered lap warmer. Considering that anyone who would actually toss out their hard-earned dollars on feline feet heaters would likely not have the will power to resist this mat, it's fairly to say to say that this is a must-have for hardcore fans braving the tail end of winter. No word on just how large this thing is, nor if poses any eruption capabilities like one of its siblings (clones?), but judging by the mat-to-USB-connector ratio, this kitty ought to warmly cover a litter or two at least.
