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DS Daily: Traveling plans
In honor of the (U.S.) holiday, we thought it might be a good time to talk about travel. One of the best features of the DS is its portability; you can take handhelds just about everywhere. But when planning for a trip, there are always a few questions to consider. Will you have a chance to actually use it? If you're going camping, say, do you really want to risk your DS ... particularly if you're the one likely to be behind the wheel? Where don't you take your DS? But if you're heading off for a plane ride and a few days in a hotel somewhere, the DS can be a welcome distraction. The question that remains is: how many games do you pack?
Philadelphia mayor caught camping for an iPhone
If we ran the world Philadelphia, it's highly unlikely that we'd camp out in the dismal rain for an iPhone like all those "normal citizens," but we've got to give props to John F. Street for roughin' like the rest of us. Apparently, Mr. Street set up shop earlier this morning and made up his mind to brave the inclement weather in order to be one of the first to snag an iPhone. Currently, he's waiting patiently along Ranstead St. at 16th St. in Center City to be third in line to purchase an iPhone from the AT&T store, and while we're sure such an influential character could have just paid someone off to do the waiting for him, the reward will be that much sweeter when 6:01PM rolls around.Update: Looks like the media descended on the mayor and the dude took off about an hour ago! Looks like someone else has his spot in line (now word on whether he's waiting for the mayor), but we'll have an update in our lineblog shortly.
AT&T launches iPhone store finder for the planners
We know the pencil pushers, er, Excel gurus out there are already crunching numbers, mapping out routes, calculating the opportunity risk in ditching work entirely on Friday, and figuring if you'd rather wait for the next iteration, so here's one more asset to help you wrap your mind around an attack plan. AT&T's "Find a Store" feature now boasts a selection that enables users to find retail outlets nearby that will definitively stock iPhones, meaning that your strategy of misguiding your local "friends" to an empty store is likely to backfire. Additionally, an anonymous tipster has noted that current Cingular / AT&T customers who aren't yet eligible for a new contract can still purchase an iPhone, but it sounds like an extension to their current contract will be tacked if this does prove true. Enough chatter -- now, get back to your scheming.[Thanks, Anonymous, image courtesy of Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
First iPhone camper smelled at Apple's 5th Ave store
There he is, first in the queue at Apple's flagship 5th Ave store. Now what could he be waiting for... besides a sponge?Update: Davidjr.com went one-on-, er two with the first few people in line. Check the nonsense after the break.
Gadling details the necessities for an iPhone camp out
While our latest blogger Chris Ullrich has dug up some details on how AT&T stores are going to handle crowd control on June 29th, Justin Glow at our sister blog Gadling has gone the geek route by laying down a complete list of Must-haves for your iPhone camp out. I really hope things don't get this desperate around the Colorado stores as I hope to score an iPhone in just under 9 days now, anyone obsessed with grabbing Apple's latest gadget might learn a think or two from this list and be able to wake a bit more rested than their competition the morning of the big day. From tents that provide power for charging your gadgets to - no joke - portable toilets, Glow has you covered with what is probably the most over-the-top, über-prepared survival guide for iPhone Day.
AT&T preps landlords for iPhone campers
Those who've started taking notes in order to keep track of all the iPhone launch details still floating in can add one more, and thankfully for those worried about their own safety come next Friday, you'll be relieved to know that this one involves crowd control. Two documents outlining how managers should "prepare landlords for the iPhone launch" explain that stanchions (you know, those annoying cattle herders that keep you in order whilst waiting in the airport) should be made available at almost any cost, so it's pretty safe to say they know you (and your posse) are coming. Additionally, it's noted that AT&T stores will be staying open only until 10:00PM unless individual managers choose to keep the overtime clocks a-rollin', and venues located within enclosed malls will be closing at their normal times. Guess we can't blame 'em for trying to make us all happy campers.
Satmap's Active 10 handheld GPS / mapping system
If you're planning on roughing it out in the woods anytime soon, there's already a plethora of rugged GPS options to keep you (somewhat) on track, but Satmap Systems' Active 10 handheld puts a new spin on trekking. The device is being dubbed the "world's first to offer fully integrated digital maps and GPS hardware," meaning that users can purchase additional map cards that include detailed imagery of counties, regions, national trails, and national parks. Additionally, the unit sports a 3.5-inch backlit color display, integrated patch antenna, Windows CE operating system, a multitude of power options, USB 2.0 connectivity, an SD card reader, ARM 9 processor, 128MB of RAM, SiRF Star III receiver, integrated media player, and an impact resistant waterproof enclosure to boot. Initially, the company will be offering maps of popular UK locales, but additional maps (including "international" zones) will purportedly be available in SD cards or potentially as internet downloads in the not too distant future. Satmap is currently accepting pre-orders for the Active 10, and while the unit is set to ship sometime this month, you can get on the waiting list now for £299.99 ($594).[Thanks, Simon]
The solar powered lighter flings sparks without fuel
Considering that the smokers in the house have probably already set up an import to get one of Golden Dragon's e-cigarettes shipped over, why not do yet another good deed and rid yourself of that fossil fuel-wasting lighter? All jesting aside, it seems that a Portuguese webstore is stocking a rather vivid new way to start fires (and open bottles, too) using the sun, and thankfully, it doesn't involve a magnifying glass and days of patience. The device is equipped with a built-in solar panel that reportedly utilizes sunlight or artificial light to charge up internal Li-ions, and with the presumed flick of a switch, the device flings out a "continuous series of sparks" that should get that pilot light going. Apparently, this thing isn't meant to be a flamethrower of any sort, but if you're out of matches and have tons of dry lint, you can snag one of these uber-green fire starters for €13.90 ($19).[Via UberReview]
Wireless Outdoor Solar Speaker rocks out on beaches, picnics
It's not like we had anything personal against the 80s style boomboxes that lasted a good half hour or so on eight D-cell batteries, but tagging one along to a day at the beach wound up getting pretty costly in a hurry. Joining the hordes of other eco-friendly and multi-faceted camping / outdoor gear is the Wireless Outdoor Solar Speaker, which is quite likely to be overlooked as a simple thermos at first glance. Atop the canister sits a solar panel that soaks up energy and uses it to pump out tunes through its (understandably weak) five-watt speaker. Additionally, a complimentary wireless (albeit battery-powered) transceiver allows any music source with a 3.5-millimeter output to be beam music to the solar speaker from "up to 150 feet away." Reportedly, the sun-lovin' device will run UK-based chaps £99.95 ($199), but that's assuming you can actually catch it in stock.[Via PopGadget]
More the merrier on quest kills
I have to admit that the spawn camping has slowed down a lot since the expansion's release (mostly because I'm still hanging out around 66 when all the crazy people have made their way up to 70), but if I could send one message to all my fellow Hordies out there, it's this: if you're after a named kill (like Grillok 'Darkeye' here), and you see me or someone else sitting on the spawn point waiting with you, please, please, please invite us to group up and get the kill together.There's no reason we should fight on this one. On a collecting quest, where there are so many boar's jaws to go around, I understand it's every Orc for himself-- in that case, I'll usually move on to greener pastures. But if we're both here for just the kill, why would you refuse a member of your own faction? This one's in Mystic Worlds' helpful Outland tips, too: if you're both camping the same named, group up.Of course, this only goes for factions. I'll steal a kill from any Alliance I see out there, and I just expect those smarmy Night Elves to do the same to me (and I'll take them out when they're halfway down for doing it, too). But if members of the same faction are going after the same kill (or kills) for a quest reward, people, let's just all get along.
Bonfire, the Tripod Burner: all the fun of a cookout with none of the work
Perhaps the best part about being a camp counselor was making our wards risk mosquito bites and poison ivy in order to collect dirty, rotting wood for their campfires -- while we sat around laughing and planning the evening's snipe hunt. Well one of those poor souls must have grown up to become a product designer bent on saving future generations from such cruel torture, and the result is a portable "bonfire" that you can fold up and slip into a knapsack or strap onto your pack mule. Designer Yu-ri Lee's "Tripod Burner" is little more than a three-legged gas stove that supports the cooking surface of your choice, but because of its unique shape, makes the perfect companion for a small tailgating party or romantic picnic in the woods. Unfortunately the 2007 iF Award-winning stove is only a concept for now -- meaning you won't see it on sale at Target anytime soon -- so if you want a real bonfire whose flames kiss the forest's leafy canopy, a crew of indentured campers is still your best bet.
The Burning Crusade: Lag and Instability
The vast amount of coverage I have seen on The Burning Crusade rollout has been positive. I'm having very negative experiences. For the first time since I started playing Warcraft I got to bed early last night. Not because a raid got cancelled, or because I was tired, but because I couldn't actually do anything.Every quest spawn in Outlands was camped. As a warlock, I'd typically get a couple DoT's on a mob, and some warrior would charge it. DoT's don't tag mobs until they do damage. It was taking, oh, 20-30 seconds for DoT's to tick because of the breathtaking lag. So I'd do about half the damage on the mob, the warrior would do the other half and get all the quest credit. Excellent. At least I was still out mana for the cast.So I rolled a new Draeni. Every quest spawn in the Draeni starting zone was camped. As a mage, I'd typically get 8 seconds into a 10 second frostbolt cast (did I mention it was laggy?) and a shaman would earth shock the mob, and I'd kill it half and get no credit. Nobody wanted to group, because of the XP penalty. The Outlands and the new starting zones are all on the same server. How do I know that? They all crash together. So I went back to my warlock, back to Outlands, and decided to get a guild group together to try the Ramparts. We zone in, the server crashes. Twice. Before the first pull.Then I get clever. I go to bed early, use flextime for the early in-early out and get home at 4. That would give me 3 hours of playtime before prime time. And they rebooted the servers this afternoon. I got 20 minutes in before the waves of crashes started again. I'm moving one of my level 60's over to a different server. A server that isn't crashing the outlands over and over and over again. Maybe I'll hit 70 there. Because it's not happening on my main server. So far this patch has been a uniformly horrible experience for me. Anyone else having bad experiences? Vent (but keep it civil) below.
2AM: The Wii/PS3 lines form and spots are for sale
In front of stores all across the country the lines are forming for today's down-to-the-wire purchases of Wii and PS3 for the holiday. Rumor had it that many stores were holding on to their shipments from last week to begin selling tomorrow morning to coincide with the Sunday flyer advertisements -- an archaic concept for sure, but that was the rumor.We stopped by the Dedham, MA Best Buy this evening to see what was going on. Although there was no confirmation of any PS3s on premises, they did have a printout with a confirmed count of 24 Wiis. At 1AM there were only 14 people waiting outside, however three of them were willing to sell their spots. Alicia, Morgan and Norman are ready to give up their spot for $75. Alicia says, "As college students you're going to be doing stupid stuff anyway, at least this way we'll be making money off of it."On the other hand we met Joe who was waiting outside in the 31 degree (-1 C) weather because of the Wii's good buzz, he says, "I'm gonna be completely honest, I didn't want the Wii, but my friend got one at launch and he can't stop talking about it. So, I figure, for $250 -- why not?" Joe already purchased Zelda, now he just needs the system to play it on.You reading Joystiq out there in the cold on your mobile device? Planning to go out? Let us know! Good luck campers!
PS3 launch: Overheard on Resistance
Dude #1: We camped for four days. Bought a couple cots and stayed in sportings goods -- 'til they kicked us out. So we got some tents, barbeque grills -- partied outside. Dude #2: Yeah man, we camped for two days. I love that shit! Dude #1: Ah, that shit is so cool! [Resistance: Fall of Man; unranked deathmatch]
Girl in Austin not sure about PS3, waits in line for fun
This video just sort of makes you stare at the screen with your jaw gaping open and go, "What the?!" A girl in South Austin who knows nothing about gaming at all "heard that this was going to be good," and has decided to wait in line at a Best Buy for a PS3. The reporter asks "What do people do for a living in order to come out here and camp out?" Casey's extremely truthful reply, "I don't do anything, honestly ... I'm just doing it for the thrill. Something to get out of my usual ... you know." We have a feeling she was about to say "boring life." The reporter accurately goes on to identify her as a girl, proving that there is still some top-notch news reporting going on out there, folks. She then goes on to say, "Us girls don't really fit into this environment with all this gaming." This is about as bad as the "math is hard!" Barbie doll, which we suspect the reporter probably owns and has propped up on her makeup mirror. Any female gamers out there care to issue some rebuttal smackdown to this reporter wannabe? Casey says all the guys in line have been really nice to her (mm hmm) by helping her set her tent up and take it down, and that friends have been bringing her blankets, gloves, and a beanie because it's cold out there. We wonder what she showed up in line with.Anyhow, Casey, we truly hope this is everything you want it to be. If it's not, eBay can help you turned those failed dreams into some bling. We have a sneaky suspicion that's really what she's doing in line anyhow. Let's do the math: does nothing + heard it was good + not a gamer = look for this console to be listed at about 8:37AM central time on Friday."Those waiting in line cannot pitch tents until the store closes at 9PM ..." We can guarantee that there's some tent-pitching going on in that line. We're at less than 24 to go, and it's fanboys on high alert! Plus look, a girl![Thanks, Collin]
PS3 campers shot outside Kentucky Best Buy
Hardcore just got a lot more hardcore. PlayStation 3 devotees camping outside of a Lexington, Kentucky Best Buy were showered with BB-gun pellets last night in an apparent drive-by shooting. The suspect, who is still at-large, even managed to peg a local news reporter interviewing one of the stationed hopefuls. No serious injuries were reported.As for motive, Engadget opines the shooter was bitter about missing out on a pre-order opportunity. Our guess, an Xbox fanboy soldier giving Sony's fresh recruits a taste of the war to come.
USB camping lamp with FM radio
If you're the type who never really disconnects even while shacking up in the woods, this handy USB camping lamp should fit right into your electronic arsenal of must-have campout gear. Although you may not need portable lighting in your Travelodge hotel / tent hybrid, a little backlighting never hurts while staking your place in line for those oh-so-important launch events. Sporting a flashlight beam, lantern mode, FM radio, retractable antenna, and 3.5mm headphone jack, this multi-function device can be powered from any open USB port -- if your laptop is running out of juice, three AAA batteries will also do the trick. While you probably shouldn't expect an awful lot of candle power here, it'll provide a fairly good excuse to bust out your machine in hopes of finding a stray WiFi (or WiMAX) signal, and besides, brightening up your next campout will only set you back $12.[Via Uber-Review]
Travelodge trials Travelpod tent / hotel room
Although you may have skipped the whole Boy Scout thing as a kid and still can't envision yourself ever setting foot on a campground, Travelodge's Travelpod may be of interest. Chances are if you've never tried roughing it in the wilderness just for kicks, you may still have considered camping out for certain launches of inexplicable importance, or found yourself homeless after a long day at name-your-music-festival. Travelodge is aiming squarely at those who turn their noses at the the thought of a tent by offering a semi-portable hotel room at various outdoor venues. The palatial pod is sealed up by clear polycarbonate glass to keep those pesky creatures out of your dwelling area, and features a "luxury double bed" (since when have hotel beds been luxurious?), tables, lights, duvets, pillows, carpeted flooring, a mirror, and even a fully functional bathroom. While we're unsure how similar the restroom is to an indoor outhouse, we do admire the effort, and the sealed nature of the pod helps to quell the noises of the nocturnal. The Travelpod will be offered at various concerts and festivals in the UK next year, and if catching a good night's rest just doesn't happen while you're flat on the ground, you can shack up in style for £26 per night.[Via Core 77]
Breakfast Topic: Fun with campers
The humble camper is a life-form frequently encountered amongst the many zones -- often found in great numbers throughout high-level areas in particular. By sticking to one particular spot based on a number of factors -- primarily aiming to harvest particular drops for fun and profit -- campers cause high-level questers a lot of trouble. I've had numerous encounters with level 60 campers who decide that pulling every mob in the area, all at once, is a good tactic to maximise drops -- indeed it is, but when there are other players there waiting to complete a quest, it's not a particularly nice tactic. Of course, on PvP servers you can add ganking into the equation, making it often more fun for the would-be quester to give up rather than waste several hours on one quest.Have you had bad camping experiences? Any tips to deal with those who just refuse to budge? Or are you a camper, and willing to defend your stance?Asking politely is one way to deal with campers, but it only gets you so far -- nowhere, when it comes to the opposite faction. Irritating them so that they'll give up is another tactic that I've seen employed, but can't bring myself to try. Ultimately, there isn't much you can do to stop people camping, especially when they ignore you -- but don't dismiss them all as gold farmers without a second glance. Some may be questers just like you.
Breakfast Topic: Dirty tactics
While we might assume by default that every other player is a honourable and upright paragon of virtue, sometimes little quirks of behaviour manage to shatter our illusions beyond repair. From chat spammers to mob campers, we frequently run into some dirty tactics which serve to convince us that perhaps WoW isn't such a nice place to be after all.Ganking aside, what are your favourite or least favourite tricks to employ in these situations? One of mine is excessive politeness--it may be the Englishness of it, but saying "I'm terribly sorry, old chap, but would you mind pushing off for a few minutes while I finish this quest?" has surprising effects.
