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The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool can now play games, complete with hand-tracking
The Flipper Zero digital multi-tool already has tons of uses, from hacking to controlling home systems. Now it can even play games, thanks to a partnership with Raspberry Pi.
Flipper Zero turns hacking into a Tamagotchi-style game
Its creators want to show that hacking is 'a skill set like anything else.'
UltraTek Flipper USB plug can't be stopped
Thanks to our good pal Murphy, we're fairly certain that over our past decade or so of interaction with the Universal Serial Bus we've attempted to plug the way-too-symmetric connector in upside down at a rate far above 50 percent. However, it seems we might at last have a solution to this horrific problem: UltraTek's new "Flipper" male USB connector lets you plug it in any way you choose. There's that standard metal housing you know and love, but instead of it being half filled by plastic with connectors on one side, there's a thin male connector in the center, with connectors on both sides. You'd think that would cause a bit of unwanted tension on the plug, but we're hardly engineers over here. Check out the video after the fold to see it in action.
Universal's back with more DVD / Blu-ray flip discs later this month
We're still not sure if those Jason Bourne DVD / Blu-ray combo discs went over well, but Universal is already gearing up its second go round of "flipper" combos with Out of Africa 25th Anniversary Edition, Traffic and The Jackal all set to arrive April 27. With $27 MSRP and sub-$20 pricing on Amazon there's not a huge price premium on these catalog releases, but unless they're personal favorites we're leaning towards waiting for their inevitable appearance in a bargain bin. Are there any among us who just have to have a little old and a little new all in one?
NintendoWare Weekly: Flight Control, Flipper, Ghost Slayer
Today's WiiWare and DSiWare update is brought to you by the letter "F." Four of the seven games released on Nintendo's download services today have titles starting with the letter, including: a new game in the Aksys "Family" series; Flight Control; the indie platformer from goodbyegalaxygames, Flipper; and ... Faceez. In non-alliterative news, the spooky WiiWare sword fighting game Ghost Slayer is now haunting the Wii Shop.
Bourne DVD / Blu-ray combo boxes are incredibly descriptive
Just in case you weren't sure what's inside, these boxes for the upcoming Jason Bourne Blu-ray releases -- due on Universal's new flipper DVD combo discs -- are very clear about what to expect. While they may be slightly better than our Photoshopped imagining, we suspect even more than a blazing BOTH VERSIONS ON ONE DISC header, it will be the (still unrevealed) pricetag that either pull customers in or pushes them away January 19.
Universal's BD-59 Blu-ray / DVD flip discs to debut on Bourne trilogy releases
Once upon a time Universal was the hybrid disc king, with plans to release up to 90% of its 2007 HD DVD titles on the dual sided discs, but we know how that ended. Now the company is back to its old tricks, ready to ship the first BD-59 discs with a 50GB Blu-ray / 9GB DVD configuration promising movie and all available special features in whichever format is desired. The expensive answer to a question no one was asking or the perfect way to add future proofing and extended compatibility to new movie purchases? We'll know more once a price is announced for the Jason Bourne trilogy of movies -- seeing their first individual Blu-ray releases -- due on January 19.
Telus getting BlackBerry Curve, Samsung U740?
With the 8130 and the 8830 already in Telus' BlackBerry lineup, the natural next step for any CDMA carrier to take is to launch the recently-spied CDMA Curve, of course. Indeed, it looks like Telus is stepping up to the plate and doing the right thing here, thanks to a sharp-eyed HowardForums member who captured a shot of Telus' site showing the 8330 on sale for $199.99 CAD (about $203) on a three-year contract. 'Course, like a mirage, the mysterious 8330 vanished into thin air -- its time hasn't come yet -- but we expect it'll be back in the mix in short order now.Separately, we've heard from another tipster that both the Curve and a Samsung U720 can be found in metadata associated with Telus' media player. What's the U720, you ask? We're not sure, but they're calling it the "Flipper" and it looks suspiciously like Verizon's U740, alias "Alias." No word yet on when exactly the Canadian carrier will commit to putting these new pieces up on its site for keeps.[Thanks, Tal and John]
Sprint announces Samsung UpStage, 99 cent songs over the air
As expected, Sprint has announced the SPH-m620 "UpStage" dual-faced musicphone today, giving Sprint a decided "wow" factor in its lineup -- for the moment, at least. Manufacturers seem to be turning to unusual form factors in an effort to gain some differentiation in a crowded high-end and specialty phone marketplace, and the UpStage fills the bill nicely with a full side devoted to traditional phone activities -- "calls, text messaging, and contact management" to use Sprint's verbage -- while the entirety of the flip side takes the form of a traditional MP3 player; a button press switches between sides. Naturally, the phone offers a microSD slot for up to 2GB of external storage, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and stereo Bluetooth, while an included 3.5mm jack adapter lets folks use more traditional headsets if they so choose; even cooler, incoming calls are announced via text-to-speech while you're jamming out. Also included is a Music Manager app for sideloading tunes to the phone via USB and a unique "battery wallet" boosting the phone's stamina for playing music up to a solid 16 hours or 6.3 hours of talk time (up from 2.5 hours talk time without) -- you sacrifice a bit of girth from the phone's normal, svelte 1.73 x 4.07 x 0.37 inch form, but for music junkies, the tradeoff may be worth it. Simultaneously with the phone's release in early April, Sprint will be offering 99 cent over the air (nice!) music downloads good on its entire Music Store catalog, which we reckon is just perfect for a phone of the UpStage's nature. Look for it to hit shelves for $149 on a two-year agreement with a $50 rebate available. Gallery: Sprint's Samsung UpStage
Samsung m620 to be christened "UpStage" for Sprint
So it won't be called the "Flipper" or the "Ultra Music" -- no, it seems Sprint wanted a name all its own for the very unique m620 musicphone from Samsung. When it launches at CTIA this week, the two-faced handset will get slapped with the name "UpStage," which in our opinion really doesn't convey the craziness of the phone's form factor appropriately -- but does give a nod to its unusually strong audio capabilities. As the Flash presentation points out, the UpStage's key features include touch-sensitive music controls, a 1.3 megapixel cam (which is shared with the phone side's face), stereo Bluetooth, built-in speakers for rockin' out the old-fashioned way, and microSD expansion. We're hoping that everyone is going to be able to waltz into their friendly local Sprint store in the next few days and pick up an UpStage of their own, but either way, expect some serious hands-on action from the floor of CTIA![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sprint launches Samsung m620 teaser site (we think)
We think we've got a pretty good -- nay, perfect -- idea of what this is, but Sprint's doing its darndest to keep us all guessing about its upcoming handset that's "redefining flip." We can't really say we blame them; Samsung's curiuous two-sided musicphone is pretty innovative even on a bad day, and it's likely in Sprint's best interest to ride the hype for everything it's worth here. Anyway, the latest marketing antic has us looking at an official countdown to the Samsung "Flipper" m620's reveal at CTIA (at least, that's our best guess as to what's going on here) toward the end of this month -- a phone Sprint promises will offer "a perfect trifecta of voice, music, and unique, stylish form-factor." Their words, not ours, but if the buzz the m620's GSM cousin has been generating translates well to the CDMA version, they may not be too far off the mark.[Thanks, tuolumne]
Hands-on with Sprint's 1H '07 roadmap?
Authenticity is tough to verify here, but what we've heard from an inside source here regarding Sprint Nextel's launch estimates for the first half of the new year -- including some devices that have already hit the streets -- seems totally plausible, if not probable. Samsung's been tapped to provide three: the m300 "Vivace," m510 "Fantasy" (apparently a minor update to the m500), and -- most interestingly -- the m620 "Flipper," which we've now heard from multiple sources will be a CDMA version of the nifty F300 Ultra Music Edition, scheduled to launch with Sprint on April 1. Sanyo brings a total of five to the party, two of which have already launched: the 3200, 7000, 7050, Katana II (hopefully sporting EV-DO this time), and M1. Sierra Wireless and Novatel will team up to bring three more data devices to market, the 595U, 597E, and Express (the XV620, we're guessing?). Moto's on the hook for three devices, the Q (wow, we haven't heard it called "Franklin" in ages) and a pair of iDEN / CDMA hybrids, the ic502 and ic902. Rounding out the offerings will be the 6800 -- an HTC Titan variant -- and the previously-unmentioned Palm Sherlock (a CDMA version of the 680 or 750, we'd wager). Not a bad lineup considering this all theoretically goes down in the first six months of the year, eh?[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Samsung's Robin, Flipper, and Spear?
We're always up for getting to the bottom of corporate conspiracies to shield our eyes from upcoming products. This time the culprit is Samsung (along with its partners in crime, Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint), which sent out a rough copy of a press release introducing new products to be showcased at CES; in it, they made mention of three phones that are now mysteriously missing from the final release on Samsung's site. Our good friend Sascha Segan over at Gearlog keenly picked them out: the i760 "Robin" for Verizon, the "Spear" for Cingular, and the "Flipper" for Sprint. Now, we've previously heard of a 3G (albeit HSDPA, not EV-DO) Pocket PC going by the i760 monker, but the Spear and Flipper are both totally fresh to us. Sascha has since picked up on some intel that the Flipper might be the F300, but it's all speculation at this point. Care to elaborate, Samsung, or are ya going to make us wait for CES?
Sony Ericsson files "flipper phone" patent
Just when we were ready to give the award to Samsung for the most complicated phone form factor, Sony Ericsson outdoes their Korean counterparts in a just-revealed 2004 patent application aptly titled "Flipper Phone Configuration." The concept appears to accomplish essentially the same function as a swiveling clamshell but with additional drama surrounding the conversion between modes, using a pivot point halfway up the sides of the display to allow 180-degree rotation. At least Samsung is trying to bring some additional functionality to the table with their "sliding clamshell" patent; where's the innovation here, fellas?[Via textually.org]
Flipper Critters video provides pinball fix
The Nintendo Gal has been so kind as to upload this very delectable, mouth-watering video for Flipper Critters, a game that seeks to revolutionize the way we think about pinball. The footage presented really conveys an awkward approach to the timeless flipper-flapping past time of gaming. This isn't to say that the awkwardness presented is to be taken negatively, however, as we're very excited to give the final product a go after seeing this footage. Beyond the video, Nintendo Gal's kindness even extends to offering up a plethora of screenshots as well.[Via Nintendo Gal]
