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New Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles movie
Turn out the lights, get some popcorn and pull up to your computer: it's time for Extremely Short Horror Theater! This week, we've got a super spooky treat for all of you fright fans: a chiller from the masters of horror at Capcom, called "The Evil Residents and the Umbrella," about a town full of arthritic pedestrians terrorized by a group of militaristic, gun-wielding murderers! We're sure you'll have such a screaming good time that the name "Residence of Evil" will haunt you for years to come![Via Famitsu]
Gratis RFID umbrellas track movements, excite marketers
Dutch Umbrella -- a startup focusing its efforts in and around the city of brotherly love -- is looking to take the idea of courtesy umbrella rentals to a new level by incorporating RFID tags and marketers. Currently, the firm has landed eight partners that will toss logos on the stark white umbrellas and utilize the tantalizing tracking information that gets recorded each time a rainy day encourages patrons to grab some cover. Merchants are required to pony up $100 per month in order to receive the marketing intelligence, and can then use it to determine where umbrella carriers go once the downpour begins in order to better position future ads. Unfortunately, we tend to hear that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but there's probably not much truth to that.[Via DailyWireless]
Resident Evil: Impressions Chronicles
GayGamer recently got a chance to play Capcom's Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, which pulls old RE stories from their graves and reanimates them as segments of a rail shooter. Unlike previous Resident Evil spinoff games, this one seems like it's going to be okay. They were especially pleased with the treatment of the story-- since the Resident Evil series has traditionally had a good story element, this game has a leg up over other zombie-filled shooting games. Nobody will have to suffer like G did.The Nunchuk use also received praise-- being able to look around freely with the joystick just lets you do more in each area, allowing the players to search for hidden items, aim shots more accurately, and choose paths.%Gallery-3286%
Capcom wins at packaging
This is simply the coolest limited-edition box in recent memory. Forget the European Resident Evil 4 box. This Japanese Biohazard box is the business. For 3,675 yen, which is a suspiciously low $30, you get an awesome 20-DVD-capacity Umbrella Corporation biohazard storage box (itself inside an Umbrella Corporation shipping box), two keys, warning tags, and caution tape to seal it up. With a case this cool, who even needs a game? You could always buy this and RE4 Wii Edition and build your own limited edition set.[Via The Tanooki]
Famitsu reveals Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, confirms RE4 port [update 1]
[Update 1: fixed the name of the DS game. Thanks, SnesR0X, and no thanks to the many similar DS-game subtitles!]It's been a while since we had a directed blurry-Famitsu-picture staredown, and this one is, as usual, totally worth staring at. Famitsu printed a long-awaited look at Capcom's Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, the Wii-exclusive RE-series-spanning game.According to the article, it's a first-person gun shooting game with playable characters from past REs including Chris, Jill, Wesker, and others. Whether it's a true FPS or an on-rails affair like Resident Evil: Dead Aim remains to be seen.Also in Famitsu was confirmation that Resident Evil 4 is getting an enhanced Wii release. Rumor has it that all the PS2 extras will be included, but the only definite is an added Wiimote-controlled knife mode. Sounds like RE Deadly Silence on the DS.[Thanks, zshadow!]
Experience a world of weather under one umbrella
"Weather Explorer Umbrella" is an installation project that clues you in on current weather conditions worldwide using a souped-up 'brella and an outlined world map. As you scamper about the "world," your weather "experience" changes according to each unique location that the umbrella captures with a tracking camera. An XML feed provides real-time weather data, altering the actions of a fan, speakers, and LEDs installed on the underside of the umbrella. Wind data adjusts the speed of the fan while other weather patterns are expressed with white (lightning / thunderstorm), blue (rain), and yellow (sun) lights. Definitely not as practical as the news or the internet, but with a little imagination (okay a lot of imagination) it might be fun to try. If you're looking for a dorky umbrella that's actually useful in real life, this one might be more your style.[Via Hackaday]
NanoNuno: the water-repelling umbrella
So we've got umbrellas that are WiFi-enabled, iPod controllers, and wannabe meteorologists, but how about one that just keeps itself (and you) dry? Some crafty blokes in Britain are getting back to basics with the NanoNuno umbrella, which utilizes nanotechnology to create a canopy of minuscule fibers that water, dirt, and a host of other elements out there have a hard time adhering to. The idea was supposedly borrowed from the "natural phenomenon" witnessed on the Lotus leaf, which sports a similar, sleek surface that water simply rolls off. Since moisture can (presumably) not penetrate the surface, the company claims a simple shake or two will return the umbrella to the arid state it was in before braving the weather, but priced at £49.95 ($94), this probably only appeals to those stuck on the windward side of the island (or Seattle).[Via PopGadget]
ReWii confirmed as Umbrella Chronicles
And that's really about all that has been confirmed for Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Here's what we do know, and it's not much: the game is categorized as "action" (you don't say) and Kawada Masachika, who handled the port of Resident Evil 4 from the 'Cube to the PS2, will be the lead producer. The game also appeared briefly in the Wii preview video that we've been cooing over all day. There are a lot of rumors flying around about the game, naturally. Some people think it's at least a partial remake of the remake of the original Resident Evil (that's a lot of remaking). There's word of an established voice actress lending her pipes to Jill Valentine. And some people say it may even -- wait for it -- have some zombies. Now that's news.Speculate your fanboy hearts out and we'll bring you information as it comes. [Thanks to everyone who sent this one in!]
Latest iPod remote accessory: an umbrella?
Those searching for something a little more unique in realm of iPod accessories need look no further than the iBrella, certainly one of the most ingenious iPod remotes I've ever seen. With the power of an accelerometer, a hall-effect sensor, a gyroscope and a PIC microcontroller, this clever iPod hacker was able to turn his umbrella (in stylish white, of course) into an iPod controller, complete with movements for volume adjustment, track selection, play/pause and even a mode switch. I wonder if Griffin is trying to get in touch with this guy as you read this.Check out Proto-typen.org for more details on the what and how.[via Engadget]
Control your iPod with an umbrella
Apple may think that future of iPod control lies in a virtual, on-screen scroll wheel, but we know better. As it turns out, the best way to change tracks, adjust the volume, etc. is by attaching your DAP to an...umbrella? Well, it may not actually be the perfect input method (or even in the top 10), but the homemade iBrella (in white, of course) certainly takes Apple's suggestion to "think different" to a whole new level. The makers of this strange device crammed a two-axis accelerometer, Hall-effect sensors, and a gyroscope into the handle of a standard umbrella, and using a PIC microcontroller programmed with the so-called iPod Mini Protocol, were able to translate the sensors' motions into commands that the 'Pod can understand. So, opening and closing the iBrella will play / pause the current track, while rotating the handle could either tweak the volume or change songs, depending on what mode it's in (mode changes are achieved by stabbing the umbrella skyward). There are obviously a thousand reasons why this device is completely impractical -- especially if you happen to be using it in the rain -- but we prefer to concentrate on the innovative design rather than the lack of real-world applications; after all, it's the seemingly useless projects that often inspire folks to go out and build stuff that really will make a difference.[Via Make]
WiFi umbrella lets you know when its needed
We're often at a loss as to why the citizens of earth deem it necessary to partake in these "outdoors" of which they speak, but if such an action must be done, might we recommend a WiFi umbrella to help combat the elements? The premise is pretty simple, the umbrella handle has an LED that glows based on the likelihood of precipitation, so instead of taking the 30 seconds necessary to look up the weather on the Internet, or sticking your head out of a window, you can just glance at your umbrella on the way out. Sounds a lot like Ambient's Weather Forecasting Umbrella, but beyond looking just plain snazzier, this version pulls all its information off of your Internet via WiFi. It really sounds like quite the functional use of usually superfluous technology, even if it is just a clever ploy to draw us outside for our demise. No word on price or availability.[Via Inhabitat]
