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Only thunder gods are worthy of handling this PC
Thermaltake's PC modding community often likes to do things to excess: Taiwan's biggest tech show is a huge opportunity for such excesses. The PC you see above, unashamedly modeled on a certain Nordic deity's blunt implement of choice, is a good example. Did we want to try to grab it and see if we were worthy? Sure. Were we allowed to? No.
Build your own 80,000 volt Thor hammer, what could possibly go wrong?
When someone says "The idea is extremely simple, a tiny tesla coil inside a fake hammer" we look up "simple in the dictionary just to check. This is Hack a day though, where simple can mean almost anything -- in this case a genuine electrified Mjölnir replica. All you need to make your own is the aforementioned tesla coil (you have one right?), some foam, a battery pack and, well... the ability to follow instructions. Fittingly, the first attempt at Thor's hammer went on a saga of its own, suffering damage at the hands of the delivery service en route to a studio. No bother for our resident hacksters though, who patched it back up in no time to the fully functioning -- if a little over-sized -- model you'll see in the video past the break.
Nokia uses Lumia 900 as a hammer in a torture test, makes us wince (video)
As much as we're familiar with mobile device torture tests, they're normally inflicted by us or otherwise not-so-voluntary. Nokia, however, has stepped up to the plate and doled out the abuse to the Lumia 900 itself with a hammer and nail, all based on a wager that the Windows Phone's use of Gorilla Glass would hold up to Sonim-level punishment. The company's Chris Ruble and Mike Meyers (not that Mike Myers) used a Lumia 710 as a dry run before an on-camera demo that not only saw the 900 assaulted with the hammer, but used as a blunt instrument itself -- all without a crack or scratch. We imagine that other toughened-glass phones would survive the hit, and there's every possibility that smacking the polycarbonate plastic would leave more than a scuff mark. Nokia's test still proves that its pride and joy can withstand more than just a casual roughing up, and you can see the slightly cringe-inducing test in the video below.
WIREDoo search engine gets running man stamp of approval (video)
MC Hammer already proved that you only need one hit record. But can you get by with just one search engine? Not if you believe his pitch to the Web 2.0 Summit this week, which promoted a "deep search" technology called WIREDoo. The rapper-approved tool emphasizes relationships rather than keywords, which yields very different results to Google's. Type in 90210, for instance, and instead of pages of links about the TV show, the pre-beta WIREDoo brings up stuff about the neighborhood -- schools, homes, the crime rate and other supposedly useful information. You'll find the full presentation after the break, but don't expect any nostalgic dance moves -- Hammer is serious about this, just like he was about those revolutionary tablets.
Robot arm learns to use hammer, mocks pathetic human's attempt to fight back (video)
This guy had a pretty natural reaction upon discovering that the DLR Hand Arm System has learned to use a hammer: he took a bat to the thing. Rather than curbing the inevitable robotic uprising, however, the whole thing just demonstrates exactly how durable the mechanical appendage is, as it resumes normal functionality after the swift blow. The arm contains 52 motors and super strong synthetic tendons, and is the work of the German Aerospace Center, the electronic sadists who also recently took a hammer to one of their robot hands. Videos of the mayhem after the jump -- we're sure they'll be Skynet's Exhibit A. [Thanks, Joseph]
Portal 2 Authoring Tools now available in beta for PC gamers
Finished Portal 2 but haven't had your fill of Aperture Science testing chambers? Aside from handing out a slew of free content in the coming months, Valve is releasing the Portal 2 Authoring Tools -- essentially giving PC users access to some of the nuts and bolts behind the developer's critical hit. The tools are free for owners of the game on PC, and can be found in the Tools tab of Steam accounts. As with previous Source Engine mod kits released by Valve, you'll be able to employ all of the game's assets: single player and co-op levels, character skins, sound effects, music, and 3D models are all at your disposal. Beyond the basics, Valve is including an updated version of Faceposer (facial animation software), some "examples maps and instances to help build new maps," and an "updated suite of command-line compiling utilities." That last part sounds dangerous, so we'll leave it up to you to figure out what it does.
Fujitsu's 10-inch Stylistic Q550 tablet to sport Oak Trail, Windows 7
We knew good and well that Fujitsu's Stylistic Q550 was en route, but now we're learning a few more dirty details as its official launch day draws ever nearer. Reportedly, the business-oriented slate will be fully revealed at CeBIT next month, with Fujitsu being one of the only outfits out there eager and willing to take a chance on both Oak Trail and Windows 7 Professional. Our experiences with existing Win7 tablets haven't been stellar, but it's possible that the added power in Oak Trail will cut down on the lag and make things a bit smoother to operate. We're told to expect a 10-inch LED touchscreen, smartcard slot, fingerprint reader, trusted-platform module (TPM), front and rear cameras, a 32GB / 64GB solid state drive, USB socket and an optional 3G module. Most impressive, however, is the claimed eight hours of battery life, which we'll quite honestly have to see to believe. If all goes well, it'll start shipping this April to European nations, but there's no word yet on how badly it'll hurt your wallet (or when it'll grab a passport and head to other continents). As you'd expect, we'll be live from Germany digging for more just as soon as the show floor opens. A brief introductory vid is just past the break.
Fujitsu's tablet is easy like a hammer, cozy as a scarf, and never scratchy like Windows 7 (video)
There's no denying that Meinolf Althaus brings some personality to an otherwise stoic slate. Good thing too, because the idea of Fujitsu and Microsoft spawning a stylus-driven tablet from a session of ugly-bumping doesn't elicit much excitement in the burgeoning tablet space. Enter Mr. Althaus who begins his lesson with an explanation that software user elements must be based on recognition and not on something that's remembered. You know, like a hammer (or Fujitsu's new slate) which is obvious in its usability and function. He then likens the current crop of consumer-based tablets to chocolate bars: they're great for consumption but do little to help with content creation unlike Fujitsu's Windows-based slate that's optimized for corporations -- spreadsheets naturally, not music or illustrations. The highlight, however, has to be the point in the video where he equates the Windows 7 user experience to a "scratchy" kitchen sponge that's useful for utilitarian tasks like cleaning the dishes. Fujitsu's tablet, he contends, is "cozy" like a silk scarf thanks to a custom-built layer that sits on top of the standard Win7 desktop. Brilliant. We'll take two... Meinolfs that is. You will too after watching the video embedded after the break. [Thanks, Hanson]
Please hammer, don't hurt Samsung's flexible OLED prototype (video)
Surely by now you've seen pictures or videos of flexible OLEDs -- many from Samsung. Did you ever wonder just how durable the things are? The video after the break should answer that question. In it, one of the Hammer Bros. from the Super Mario games, apparently frustrated about Polyphony Digital's endless delays, is attempting to destroy a screen looping a Gran Turismo 5 clip. A traditional LCD shatters like so much porcelain, while the 2.8-inch, 20 micrometer thick OLED display is completely unaffected, even when folded. Impressive, and apparently just the thing to wear when exploring the Mushroom Kingdom.
A brief history of Ceton and its 6-tuner CableCARD HTPC tuner
The Seattle Times sat down with Ceton, and the entire Hammer family that founded the company, and uncovered some pretty interesting details about the Kirkland, WA startup. Lucky for Windows Media Center fans -- when Gary and Pamela Hammer's son Jeremy graduated from college with a engineering degree, the entire family decided to start a new company, which designed the first multi-stream CableCARD tuner for HTPCs. Without going into all the details here, we did enjoy learning about the origins of the company as well as the fact that a yet to be announced dual tuner version of the quad tuner card should sell for less than $300. We've been excited about this product since CES 2009, but as we get closer and stories like this surface we can hardly contain our anticipation.
Ice-T repairs a Mac, his way
I don't think this is anything I would have ever asked to see, personally, but now that it's here, I can't look away. Above, you can click through to see a NSFW (language) video of the star of stage and screen, Ice-T, doing some "repairs" on a broken PowerBook -- the kinds of "repairs" you can only do with a clawhammer. As he says in the video, "if any of you people out there really have a love affair with Macs, this'll be hard to watch." In Apple's defense, that Mac gives him quite a bit of trouble... until he really starts swinging the hammer.Ah, the Internet. Where else can you watch B-list celebrities destroy expensive electronic equipment? Everybody have a great weekend!
Touch Revolution's household Android devices coming this year -- it's Hammer time!
When a former Apple product engineer mixes up some Google-juice with MC Hammer you'd be surprised at what you get. If you guessed a range of household Android devices sporting 4.3- to 10-inch touchscreens, WiFi, and Ethernet connectivity well, that would be weird... but you'd be right. Mark Hamblin, the founder and CEO of Touch Revolution who claims to have worked on the iPhone and iPod touch, breaks down the Touch Revolution product family into three major categories: 1) home control to manage lights, security, heating and ventilation, 2) media control for the TV, stereo, and DVR programming, and 3) home-based smartphones like the NIMble we played with at CES. The first Touch Revolution modules will launch later this year inside a range of devices that can be hand-held, placed on a tabletop, or even embedded in a wall. While not naming names, Hamblin says that the hardware and software will be customized and sold by "companies with major brands" before the end of the year in the "US and elsewhere." As for Hammer, that's hard to say -- but we'd buy pretty much anything he'd like to officially endorse.
Wowhead goes to War(hammer)
Wowhead is displaying a very large full page Warhammer ad right now. You can check out the picture above or head over to their site.We've received numerous tips about this, and I'm sure the folks over there would be touched to know that you all care so much. It's likely that the ad came down through their parent company zam.com – so don't read too much into it.But it is rather funny seeing a large Warhammer ad on a WoW site. These ads have also been known to exist on WoWWiki. They too likely have their ads chosen by their parent company Wikia, just like AOL does for WoW Insider.So enjoy the Warhammer ads on Wowhead for the time being. You can learn more about Warhammer over at our sister site Massively.
Hammer introduces skinnable morespace Portable hard drive
Make no mistake, it's been a hot minute since we've heard a good word from Hammer Storage, but the outfit is back and better than ever with an all new pocket-friendly hard drive. The morespace Portable weighs in at less than 5-ounces and houses a 2.5-inch HDD with capacities ranging from 160GB to 750GB. The USB 2.0 device can also be customized with your own protective skin, giving data thieves one less reason to pick off your drive versus one that's not plastered with your ex-girlfriends face. Pricing is available "upon request," and just so you know, the 160GB - 500GB units are available now, but the 750 gigger won't be around 'til January of next year. Full release is after the break.
Phat Loot Phriday: Verigan's Fist
Before Death Knights show up and take all of the Paladins' glory, let's take a look at the weapon that originally defined Human Paladins, the two-handed mace of heroes.Name: Verigan's Fist (Wowhead, Thottbot, WoWWiki)Type: Rare Two-hand MaceDamage/Speed: 65-99 / 3.20 (25.6 DPS)Abilities: +7 Stamina, +6 Intellect, +12 Spirit. A Paladin hammer of justice if there ever was one, and not just because it's only for Pallies. The quest you can get it at (see below) is at level 20, and the weapon is so nice for the level it'll easily last you most of the way towards the 30s. There's no two ways about it -- any Paladin poking around midlevel should be wielding this hammer. Unless you're healing all the time, this is the thing to hit bad guys with. As soon as you get it, enchant it, because odds are that you'll keep it for a while. And it's one of the best quest rewards before 60 -- in my opinion, one of the best for-the-level weapons in the game. How to Get It: You've got to be an Alliance Paladin, which means Human (Update: or Dwarf or Draenei, of course, thanks commenters. But you still have to go to Westfall to run the quest). And at level 20, you'll get a quest called The Tome of Valor from your Paladin trainer, which will take you on a journey to save a lovely lass, and into a few instances for the level to do some weapon material fetching. It's a nice, and fairly simple quest chain, it'll get you not only this sweet weapon, but a nice shield and the Sense Undead ability, and, most importantly, it'll teach you how to be a Paladin and stand up for the Light wherever darkness encroaches (which doesn't include, strangely enough, QQing about ret gear itemization).Blood Elf Pallys have a much easier quest, and can nab the Blood-Tempered Ranseur. But Verigan's Fist is a classic, so we're featuring that one. The Whirlwind Weapon is a good one for Warriors, but that's three different weapons -- no other weapon exemplifies a class, in our humble opinion, as much as this one. Disagree? Sound off in the comments.Getting Rid of It: Sells to vendors for 74s 59c. Disenchants into a Small Glowing Shard. But don't get rid of it -- good Paladins always walk softly and carry a big hammer.
Rumor: Project H.A.M.M.E.R. gets the hammer
According to rumors, one of the titles that took the 'meh' medal home from E3, Project H.A.M.M.E.R., has been canned. Or, rather someone came into the cubicle holding all of the discs and computers with the game's code on them and dropped a gigantic hammer in the most dramatic way possible. Yeah, that's the mental picture we want to go with.Obviously, this isn't confirmed, but we could understand why Nintendo would want to go ahead and shut it down. It didn't look very fun and we imagine playing it is the video game equivalent of drinking the bottle of bleach underneath the sink. So, while we hope the rumor is true, some of you out there just might still be interested in this game, sitting there biting your nails while rocking back and forth in your chair. Care to comment?[Thanks, ConstyXIV!]
Rumor: Project H.A.M.M.E.R. axed
Sources close to NST allege that the studio's first-party Wii game Project H.A.M.M.E.R. has been canceled, IGN reports. The team has apparently moved on to one or more "expanded audience" projects -- more minigames? The ill-fated action romp was previewed during E3 2006 (in playable form), and then dipped below the radar, stamped with a "TBA" date on Nintendo's press site. IGN speculates that a supposed initiative to redesign several "traditional" titles to cater to casual players forced Nintendo to rethink Project H.A.M.M.E.R. Perhaps the Ninty think tank deemed the hack-n-smack unfit for mainstream tastes.Nintendo has yet to issue an official statement or change the "TBA" status of Project H.A.M.M.E.R. on its site. Despite the corny plot -- hammer-wielding cyborg saves U.S. from "killer robots" -- Project H.A.M.M.E.R. was (is?) expected to provide a relatively unique gameplay experience (like, um, some actual violence) for Wii owners.
'The big three' ARE coming in 2007 (to Japan)
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Nintendo confirmed that they do in fact plan to release Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl by the end of this year, as well as pretty much every Nintendo game announced for the Wii. This corroborates an IGN report to the same effect, and is also totally, totally rad. Here's the full list of Nintendo's planned 2007 releases. Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race is slated for June 28, and the rest are all "2007": Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race Wii Health Pack Disaster: Day of Crisis Mario Party 8 Project H.A.M.M.E.R. Wii Music Super Mario Galaxy Super Smash Bros. Brawl Battalion Wars II Forever Blue Mario Strikers Charged Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Keep checking with us for news of the inevitable delays of about half of these. Seriously, that's a lot of first-party Nintendo games for just half a year or so. Aw, we just made ourselves sad with our own skepticism. Still, if half of this stuff does get released in Japan this year, it'll be great news and do a pretty good job of ending any drought that may or may not be happening.Update: fixed some italics and formatting.
Hammer's new myshare NAS shares 2TB on home networks
If your motley collection of home PCs demands a copious amount of shared storage, Hammer has a solution for you. The new myshare NAS offers anwhere from 320GB to 2TB of storage, and can support PCs of the Windows, Mac and Linux persuasion without a hitch. There's also a built-in web server for getting at your files remotely. A pair of USB ports allows you to share printers and external storage devices, and RAID modes include stripe, mirror and span. There's only room for two 3.5-inch SATA drives in here, meaning the 2TB edition is based off of two 1TB drives. If that's too extreme for you, you can get a 1TB (2X 500GB) myshare for $500, or hit up one of the many other configurations. If you decide to go 2TB, you'll have to wait until August, but the other versions should be shipping now.
Some games we want to see on the Wii
After reporting on T3's Wii wishlist, we couldn't help but wonder what kind of games we would want to see on the Wii. In the hopes of being rich guys who think of game ideas and stuff spirit of sharing, we thought we would add in our own 5 titles, completely made up and not lacking in vitamin ridiculous. Our list goes something like: Rickshaw Rush - We assure you we're not racist. Instead, we picture us holding both Wiimotes in steady fashion, jogging in place as we take rich Japanese businessmen to their destination. Lowering or lifting a controller will cause the rickshaw to turn in that respective direction. Fun for all ages! Frisbee Frenzy Funtime - Gripping the Wiimote sideways, the player must physically toss it in order to fling the virtual Frisbee through hoops for points. A lot of people end up breaking their Wiimotes. The end boss is hard. Hammer Time - This is pretty much the greatest idea for a Wii game you will ever hear. You play as an up-and-coming young contractor, looking to make a place for yourself and get a slice of the lucrative pie that is the construction industry. As such, you take up a partnership with the bankrupt, however incredibly-talented, MC Hammer. Together, you will hang drywall, spackle, cement walkways, and lay carpet like, well...like it's your job. And with a job this fun, who'd ever want to quit?! Scratch That Itch! - Basically, you just scratch people. This game will be rated T for Teen. Martha Stewart's Ironing Extravaganza - Martha's been in prison for a long time, and as such her linens have been sitting around, collecting wrinkles and dust. Now that she's out, it's time to roll up those sleeves and get things in order! Use the Wiimote to iron curtains, shirts, table cloths, and anything else your imagination could desire. It's a no-holds-barred homemaking deathmatch when you go one-on-one against the Femme Fatale of Fabric. Now, how about you fine readers? What are your craziest ideas for games that could make it on the Wii?
