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Dark-alley defense: Tech tools to keep you safe
"One of the best gadgets you can have is a doorstop." Douglas White has been in the personal security business for nearly 30 years. He started training in martial arts 24 years ago, and he's been a bail enforcement agent -- a bounty hunter -- for 13 years. He's done international security tours with Linkin Park and the Stone Temple Pilots, but he's currently prioritizing fatherhood and capturing fugitives from his home base in Connecticut. White can handily navigate a dark alley filled with foes, even when his only weapons are his hands. However, in an ideal scenario, White will always have a tool at his disposal. Not necessarily a weapon -- then again, anything can be weaponized if you try hard enough.
People won't stop stealing this company's rentable umbrellas
Sharing E Umbrella, a Chinese startup that allows people to share umbrellas as they would bicycles has run into some early problems with its business model: specifically, people don't bother to return the items once they are out of the rain. According to a report in the Thepaper.cn last Thursday, the company announced that most of its umbrellas had gone missing within just weeks of the sharing scheme's launch.
Former Samsung engineers build a smart umbrella
Wouldn't it be great if your umbrella told you if it was going to rain before you left the house each morning? That's the idea behind the Opus One, a(nother) smart brolly that's been designed by a team of former Samsung engineers. The device (for it is not an umbrella now, but a device) connects to your smartphone over Bluetooth and pulls weather reports every morning. When it's time to go out, you simply shake the handle and a light will flash red or green, depending on what's coming.
Smart umbrella tells you when it's going to rain
Everything is connected these days, so why not an umbrella? Oombrella is an upscale parasol that alerts you if it's going to rain before you head outside and reminds you not to leave it behind. That's a neat idea, but is it worth a $75 (€64) bet on Kickstarter? Clement Guillot (above), the Paris-based entrepreneur behind it certainly thinks so, and was recently at the Hacking Hôtel de Ville event in Paris to find more backers. I was able to check out the device and found it to be a charming use of connected tech, though the price may dissuade many folks.
ICYMI: Thought-controlled exoskeleton, textingbrella & more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-947132{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-947132, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-947132{width:570px;display:block;} Today on In Case You Missed It: Thought-controlled exoskeletons are walking around a lab in Korea and we remain impressed. An advertisement for a redesigned handle on an umbrella is making us all shout #firstworldproblems. And this may have happened back during MakerFaire, but it's news to us: A 15-year-old beat out everyone else at a "Game of Drones" competition that pits drones against one another, Fight Club style.
Captain's Log: Arc Q&A with Perfect World's Noel Holmes
A week or two ago, I came across a dev blog about the new portal called Arc on the Star Trek Online website that seemed to raise more questions than provide answers. Not unlike most passionate gamers, I reacted emotionally and admittedly with some unfounded anger. I realized very quickly that if I was having that kind of reaction, then there were likely many others who were having similar reactions. So I did the only thing that I could: I contacted the representatives of Perfect World to gain some clarification to the blog and hopefully ease my concerns. Instead of a shoving a palm to my face, Perfect World made available Noel Holmes in the hopes he would be able to clarify not only my concerns but also concerns borne by other Star Trek Online players as well.
Pokemon Rumble U figures available in UK at GAME
UK trainers can capture (with money) Pokemon Rumble U NFC figures at GAME, which has exclusive rights to them in the UK, much like GameStop does in the US. Players can scan the figures using the Wii U to put Pokemon into the game, a la Skylanders. It was initially unclear if the figures would make it in time for the game's UK launch today, but GAME has them on sale at £4 a pop. The retailer also offers a £20 Rumble U special edition, bundling together an eShop code for the game, a double-sided poster, and two figures: one black or white Kyurem and a "mystery" figure. The standalone game is priced £13.49 at both GAME and on the eShop; as a friendly reminder, the figures aren't needed to play the game (but who are we kidding, if you want the game, you want the figures). As for North America, Pokemon Rumble U heads there in two weeks' time on August 29, with the game priced at $18 and the figures $4 each.
Pokemon Rumble U shakes a trailer, rattles off new features
Pokemon Rumble U hurls itself at North America on August 29, landing on the eShop with a $18 price tag. The Poke-brawler uses NFC tech to 'scan' figurines into the game, where up-to-four players can rough it up in 100-monster skirmishes. There are 18 figurines, available at GameStop for $4 a pop, but it's worth noting they aren't needed to play the game.
Pokemon Rumble U coming to NA, EU next month [update]
Update: The Pokemon Company announced Pokemon Rumble U is coming to North America on August 29, with 18 figurines sold exclusively at GameStop stores. The game, available via the eShop, is priced $18, while each individual figure goes at $4. The announcement notes the figures are not required to play the game. Pokemon Rumble U, a western version of Japan's Pokemon Scramble U, is headed to the Wii U eShop in Europe on August 15, but plans for figurines aren't finalized. Nintendo released Scramble U in Japan earlier this year with physical figures which players can scan into the game a la Skylanders, using the Wii U's Near Fields Communication tech. However, Nintendo of Europe told MCV , "We're still working through the plans for the small number of figurines we plan to release, and will update people in due course." While Nintendo's statement confirms figures for Europe, when they'll be released remains unclear, and with the game a month away it raises doubts over their availability at launch. As per Scramble U, Rumble U features all 649 Poke-critters available in the series - that doesn't include those coming to X and Y - and the game lets up to four players and 100 monsters face off against each other. Nintendo of Europe didn't announce a price for either the game or the individual figurines. %Gallery-193994%
Pokémon Rumble U toys revealed
Nintendo officially unveiled six launch figurines for upcoming eShop brawler Pokémon Rumble U in Japan. Following the CoroCoro reveal earlier this week, Nintendo published images of the six toy critters - there's another special figure yet to be revealed - which are being released on April 24 alongside Rumble U, or Scramble U as it's known in Japan. The sextet comprises Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Torchic, Lucario, Victini, and the oh-so-cute Piplup.As the debut trailer shows, the toys use the Wii U's Near Fields Communication tech to inferface with the game, allowing them, much like in Activision's Skylanders franchise, to appear as in-game characters. Rumble U remains unconfirmed for release outside of Japan, but if the game proves a success - who can see Pokémon meets Skylanders being anything but a goldmine? - it would be staggering for it not to make its way west.Rumble U is priced ¥1800 (around $19), and individual figures ¥200 each (around $2). %Gallery-182943%
Report: Pokémon Rumble U uses Wii U NFC with Skylanders-like toys
Pokémon Rumble U is reportedly taking a leaf out of the Skylanders book by using the Wii U's Near Fields Communication technology with a line of physical Pokémon toys that can appear in-game. The latest CoroCoro magazine, according to Serebii, reveals the toys are going on sale when the game launches in Japan on April 24, and using the NFC tech the Wii U can recognize the figures to have them appear as playable characters.Serebii reports the downloadable game, called Pokémon Scramble U in Japan, is priced ¥1800 (around $19), while the individual figures cost ¥200 each (around $2), with six standard toys and one special toy to go on sale at launch - including a Pikachu one, of course. While the previous Wii and 3DS Pokémon Rumble games made their way west, this Umbrella-developed follow-up has yet to be confirmed for release outside of Japan.
Pokémon Rumble U screens feature a whole bunch of Pikachu
These are the first screens of Pokémon Rumble U, which was announced earlier this week as coming to Japan's Wii U eShop this spring. The Umbrella-developed brawler for up to four players lets 100 toy monsters face off at once, and the best way to showcase that is with plenty-o-Pika. %Gallery-178938%
Resident Evil 6 pre-orders from Capcom store include rain protection device
All pre-orders for Resident Evil 6 placed through the Capcom store will include the freebie seen above: a literal Umbrella umbrella. Somewhere right now, Xzibit just felt a chill run up his spine.The custom Umbrella umbrella bears the "Umbrella" name on the outer top and on the handle, just in case you're bad with the names of evil corporations and those things you use when it rains and you don't want to get wet.
Vodafone creates a signal-boosting, solar-charging umbrella to juice your cellphone whatever the weather
Vodafone has created the Booster Brolly, an umbrella that boosts your signal, charges your handset and can even keep you dry during the traditionally aqueous British summer. Developed by Dr Kenneth Tong at University College London, it's designed around a carbon fiber skeleton which holds a heavy-duty canopy in place. On top, there's 12 hand-stitched silicon solar cells which charge a battery stored in the handle. It'll reportedly charge your handset in around three hours via the handle-mounted USB port, while on top, a pair of high gain antennae enhance the signals of any cellphone within a meter radius. It'll be unveiled to the public at large at the Isle of Wight festival on June 22nd, where hordes of people will hope that the company starts selling this publicity and electricity generating canopy.
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: fun stuff!
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! We're well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties surrounding the seasonal shopping experience, so we're here to help you sort out this year's tech treasures. Below is today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. For some, it's easy to forget about having fun -- fretting over buying the "right" tablet, e-reader or DSLR can strip the joy of unbridled silliness that Christmas allows you. This is your handy guide to stuff you can kick back and enjoy some crazy fun with. There's no ecosystem wars here, no desire to have the loudest or fastest plug-in gadget; just things you'd prefer to give and receive instead of a Sharper Image motorized tie rack... or back-hair shaver. So join us past the break, if you will, for a look at this year's collection of fun stuff!
Replenishment's wild ride
Ah, Replenishment. No buff might be more welcomed in raids and reviled in theorycrafting. Ever since Ghostcrawler told us it was a necessary buff earlier this year, Blizzard seems to have twirled it around and around, taunting us like the proverbial carrot on a stick. It's been passed out to many classes, buffed a few times, nerfed even more (that Arena nerf was particularly strange), and in patch 3.2, soon headed to the PTR, it's getting nerfed again, even while MP5 (mana per five seconds) is getting a boost. What's the deal?Merlot, the Shadow Priest behind the Misery blog, has a good breakdown of just why Blizzard is so schizo with Replenishment. The whole point of the buff was to have Blizzard have some control over mana during fights -- instead of worrying about each class' mana separately, they'd just have this buff that gave mana like a big spigot, which they could then control as they saw fit. But players are so different across the board that putting them all under one big buff umbrella hasn't worked so well: a buff to Replenishment helps some and hurts others, and a nerf does the same, meaning Blizzard is flipping back and forth on turning the spigot on or off nearly every patch.
Solar paneled umbrella will charge your gadgets while you hang in the sun
We see boatloads of solar charging gizmos around here, but they're usually not so... large. What we have here is a big sunning umbrella, for use outdoors (obviously), which has large flexible solar panels made by Konarka on top. The solar collecting panels store the energy in the stem of the Powerbrella as it's called, and it's got outlets at its base for charging your phone, PMP, etc. The 'brellas have already been tested in Florida, and are set to be manufactured by Sky Shades, for release sometime this summer. No word on pricing yet -- but there is one more shot after the break. [Thanks, The Gadgets Weblog]
LightDrops umbrella classes up your act, generates electricity
The brainchild of designer Sang-Kyun Park, LightDrops is an umbrella that uses the piezoelectric effect of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to transform falling rain into electricity, which is then used to light LEDs installed on the umbrella's underside. The heavier the rain falls (and the harder it hits the umbrella), the brighter the light shines. Combine it with the solar tie, and who knows? This might someday become de rigueur for the stylish tech professional. Ella, ella, ella...[Via StyleCrave]
Friday Video: The room of a Nintendo fanboy
And, before you ask, yes, our room puts this kid's to shame. Our room has a frozen clone of Shigeru Miyamoto in it. Why? Well, we need to get witty headlines for Eric's posts somehow. He can't be bothered, he's too busy counting his theoretical millions in internet money.Back to the subject at hand, we dare you to say you have even half of the junk this guy does. If there's one thing he has that we don't, it's that Umbrella watch. Not like it matters, because the iron shackles that tie us to our Joystiq company Acer laptops would never allow us to escape out into the real world, where a computer desktop clock is nowhere to be seen.
Nubrella: tomorrow's fashion mistake, today!
This is frankly brilliant. A hands-free umbrella is perfect for walking to work while yapping on your phone with one hand and cradling a cup of coffee with the other. Unfortunately it's just never going to make it past the "my friends will laugh at me" stage, because they will. They will laugh so very hard. It's a cruel, backwards society we live in, and it's no wonder we don't have flying cars yet. That said, you can destroy your own fashion credibility today for a mere $59.99. Maybe the fanny pack types will accept you, but we can't make any guarantees. [Thanks, Chris]
