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Iron Man Xbox 360 escapes Stark Industries, heads right to eBay
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Iron_Man_Xbox_360_escapes_Stark_Industries_heads_right_to_e'; Halo-inspired Xbox 360? Check. Xbox 360 laptop? Seen it. Xbox 360 fused with a PS3? Yep. A Tony Stark-approved Xbox 360? Thanks to one Zachariah Perry Cruse, we can now add this beaut to the list. This here design student managed to use his summer vacation for a little more than weekend jaunts to Gary, putting an awful lot of blood, sweat and fear into his very own Iron Man Xbox 360. Naturally, it's the older, less slimmer 360 console, complete with a 120GB hard drive and an HDMI socket. There's a video of the LEDs doing their thing after the break, and that eBay link will get you where you need to be if you're a prospective buyer. And let's be honest here -- you are a prospective buyer.
Timex Ironman Global Trainer review
Running has changed quite a bit as an activity over the last decade or so. Moisture-wicking (or "technical") clothing has become commonplace, portable media players are small and light enough to not be a hinderance, and GPS watches and other gadgets have emerged on the scene and rapidly come down in price. While some may think those devices are reserved for only the most serious runners, they can actually be a great tool for those just starting out as well. One of the latest such gadgets is Timex's Ironman Global Trainer, the company's first true GPS sports watch (previous models relied on a separate GPS module), and one of the few rivals to Garmin's well-established Forerunner line. How does it stack up? Timex kindly let us put the watch through its paces so we could find out. Read on for our review.
Iron Man fanatic crafts his own repulsor, shows you how to do likewise (video)
It's certainly not the first homegrown Iron Man repulsor to surface, but it's definitely one of the best. And frankly, we're fond of any mod where the modder details the build process to the rest of the peons in attendance (us included). Granted, this still pales in comparison to the one on Tony's own arm, and never mind that the LEDs won't actually level anyone on command. Truth is, you're still going to have a peek at the video just below, and you're going to love it.
Iron Man 2 Blu-ray goes on sale September 28 with plenty of extras
After breaking $300 million in the domestic box office and a record breaking (though initially flawed) predecessor, you'd figure Iron Man 2 would be in for an incredibly well-spec'd Blu-ray release... and you would be right. The three disc Blu-ray/DVD with Digital Copy set has plenty of extras including a 5.1 DTS-HD MA English soundtrack, commentary from director Jon Favreau and Previsualization and Animatics special features -- and that's just Disc 1. Disc 2 brings even more HD features including an extensive making of, more featurettes and a shout out to the late DJ AM. Check after the break for box art and all the other details in the press release (except for the MSRP) we'll be waiting to find out if this is a proper addition to the collection of reference quality discs this fall.
Timex Global Trainer GPS watch now available exclusively at REI
Timex said that REI would get its Global Trainer GPS watch first when it announced it way back in January, and it looks like it's now finally available both in REI stores and at REI.com -- albeit a bit later than the originally promised May launch date. That includes both the standalone watch and the bundle with a heart rate monitor, which will set you back $275 and $325, respectively. As for the watch itself, it seems to stack up pretty well against the likes of Garmin's Forerunner GPS watches -- complete with SIRFstar III GPS, water resistance to 50m, ANT+ compatibility, and training software for both PC and Mac -- and it does so while looking considerably more watch-like. Look for it to launch at other retailers globally this September. [Thanks, Derek]
The Classifieds: Coming out of the closet edition
The Classifieds is a weekly roundup of news from around the WoW community. Your host for this week is the ever-so-shadowy Fox Van Allen, filling in for a vacationing Lisa Poisso in exchange for an undisclosed sum of pirate treasure. As always, if you have guild news or a Random Act of Uberness to share, send it in to TheClassifieds@WoW.com. If there are 50 ways to leave your lover, then there must be at least 100 different ways to leave a guild. There's the middle-of-an-argument /gquit, the log-on-in-the-middle-of-the-night-so-no-one-sees-you /gquit, the passive-aggressive /gquit, and of course, the I-illegally-sold-my-WoW-account-on-Craigslist-to-buy-a-ten-year-old-dirtbike /gquit. I think I have a new favorite, though: The tauren-trapped-in-a-night-elf's-body /gquit. Milkmenot (Boulderfist [US-H]), formerly Slimbones (Uldaman [US-A]), wrote one of the most creative goodbye notes to his guild that I've seen in a long time: I have a confession I need to make, it's something that has been bothering me for quite some time and I need to get it out there. I've been having these feelings. It started out just around town in Dalaran when I would see this Tauren going by. Our eyes would meet, just briefly, and all these feelings would well up inside. I'd try to follow her, intrigued by her curves and horns, but then she always goes into that Horde-only area and I would get booted out. So I'd hang around the entrance there just hoping to sneak a peek. The rest of the goodbye note -- and so much more -- is available just after the break.
Man recreates Iron Man suit so amazing we never even noticed it (video)
We don't know how we missed this the first time it was making the rounds on the internet -- but we have a theory. Twenty five-year old Iron Man fanatic Anthony Le spent one month and over $4,000 making the Iron Man (well, War Machine, actually) suit you see above (and in the video below). It's constructed mostly of high-impact urethane and has a resin helmet which was made from a clay mold. It's incredibly impressive, and insanely detailed -- and it looks just like Iron Man. So yeah, the first time we saw this, we probably just assumed we were looking at the real Iron Man and moved on without ever investigating or reading the text. And for that, we are truly sorry.
Objet 3D printing put to the test in Iron Man 2 (video)
We got a pretty good look at some of the tech of Iron Man 2 recently, and it looks like the flick's gadgety goodness extends behind the camera as well. It appears that all that bad ass armor is actually produced on the fly by the film's production company, Legacy Effects, using an Objet Eden 3D printer. The company describes the process as "print-to-wear" – pieces come out of the printer, get applied with paint, and make their way to the actors. And since the designs begin with an actual scan of the actor's body, they are much more comfortable. Believe us, there is nothing that a director wants to see less than a cranky Robert Downey, Jr. on their set. For more info on how the device is being used throughout the creative process, check out the video after the break.
LG's $100 Ally crashing Verizon stores on May 20th, pre-orders start tomorrow (update: now with specs)
We had a hunch that LG's Android 2.1-based Ally would see its first customers on May 20th, and Verizon Wireless has finally opened up and confirmed as much this morning. The Iron Man 2-infused smartphone -- which we spent some time with yesterday -- will be available in all VZW stores beginning May 20th, with pre-orders going live for phone and web customers tomorrow. We've already given you the rundown when it comes to specs (they're after the break for those with memories shorter than their shoelaces), but now we're able to confirm that it'll sell for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract. A well-specced Android smartphone for under a Benjamin? Not bad, LG. Update: Nothing in particular to write home about, but LG has just unveiled the Ally's nearly complete spec sheet. [Thanks, Rey E.]
Iron Man 2: the gadgets (video)
When done right, a science fiction or fantasy film will leave audiences with a prescient glimpse into our actual gadget future. Remember the heady pre-iPhone, pre-Pureness days of 2002 when you first saw Minority Report? Staring silently, mouth agape, jonesing for a chance to partake in a multi-touch, transparent display future using nothing but gestures? Well now that Iron Man 2 has been released, we've got another chance to look into the high-tech crystal ball, this time envisioned by a team of artists at Perception who did the design, animation, and visual effects work that turned Tony Stark's transparent LG smartphone (pictured above), touch-screen coffee table, and holographic lab environment into an on-screen reality. The group was compelled by director Jon Favreau and the team at Marvel Studios to keep the UI elements "legible and logical, while still appearing to be several generations beyond the typical user experience." Perception tells us that some of its inspiration was directly attributed to Engadget as it researched near-term technologies for the film's future reality. No doubt, we do see influence from Emblaze's First Else navigation elements and limited color palette as well as Microsoft's InkSeine research at the heart of the doomed Courier UI. And if we're not mistaken, Stark's big ass computing table is almost certainly inspired by Microsoft Surface. Now get past the break and check out Perception's contribution to Iron Man 2, the future of Google search alone is not to be missed.%Gallery-92501%
LG Ally gets its own website, details finally start to flow
LG's Ally recently got its stamp of approval from LG, but outside of a terse acknowledgment that the phone was real (and had a thing for iron-clad superheroes), little else was divulged. Today, we've stumbled upon the phone's dedicated product page over at the company's website, which not only plugs Iron Man 2 to the nth degree, but also informs us that it'll ship with a 3.2-inch touchscreen, Android 2.1, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a backside camera and a microSD card slot. There's also a link over there to jump into the LG Ally community, so feel free to do just that if this trickling of information is driving you up the wall.
LG confirms Android-powered Ally, coming May 20th
Well, this hasn't exactly followed the usual smartphone launch route, but LG has now officially confirmed the existence of its new Android-powered LG Ally handset, although it's still not doing much talking about the phone itself. It has, however, revealed that the phone will be available on May 20th (presumably on Verizon, though LG oddly doesn't mention a carrier in its press release), and that it will naturally feature plenty of Iron Man 2 tie-in content, including an augmented reality application of some sort. Otherwise, LG is only saying that the phone will have a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keypad, and it's pointing folks towards an Iron Man 2 tie-in site (linked below) that, last we checked, still says to check back on April 30th. We should be getting some more details on the phone soon enough, however, as LG is holding an event in New York on May 11th where it will be showing off the Ally and other "Stark-worthy" technology.
Chad Barraford's JARVIS life assistant is the envy of Pepper Potts (video)
Chad Barraford is living the dream. Inspired by Edwin Jarvis, the superhero's man-servant turned computer in the film adaptation of Iron Man, the 27 year old Barraford pieced together a digital life assistant, dubbed JARVIS, to keep his household (and life) in order. JARVIS is built on a 4-year-old Mac mini linked to everything from his home lighting/security and RFID entry system (self-built on Arduino) to his George Foreman grill plugged into his X10 home automation network. JARVIS is always aware of Chad's location (thanks to Google Latitude) and can be controlled in the house via remote control or a wireless mic and the Mac's built-in speech recognition software; or via Twitter and text messages when away. Chad's friends each have their own keychain RFID tags. So does his dog. When his friends are in the house, JARVIS becomes less chatty and doesn't speak any personal information related to his finances or Facebook updates, for example. When the dog comes home JARVIS turns on the lights in the mutt's room. The Chad started the project less than a year ago and cost the man less than $700 in gear. Yes, he hopes to commercialize it. Until then we've got a few choice video selections after the break.
Former Apple Store employee creates Iron Man's J.A.R.V.I.S. using a Mac mini
Okay, there's no HUD display like Tony Stark had and it isn't voiced by Paul Bettany, but former Apple Store employee Chad Barraford has created Project Jarvis, a digital assistant that greets him, Tweets for him, and can even tell his family when he has a headache and dim the lights of his apartment before he reaches home. Project Jarvis is based on the comic book character Edwin Jarvis, Tony Stark's human butler who became an AI construct after he was reinvisioned for a twenty-first century audience in the first Iron Man film. Chad's real life Jarvis may not help him fly an invisible suit of armor, but via RFID tags, webcams, and microphones, Barraford can communicate with Jarvis in a number of ways including tweeting, instant messaging, and speech recognition which allows him to control lights and appliances, notify him of breaking news, Facebook updates, Netflix queues, check stock quotes and weather, and even help assist him with cooking. Barraford calls Jarvis a digital life assistant (DLA) and runs it entirely from a four year-old Mac mini running custom AppleScript, he told us. Right now he has no plans to sell the AppleScript code, but is always happy to share ideas with other developers of DLAs. Click on over to The Boston Globe to see video of Jarvis in action.
Timex readying GPS-equipped Ironman Global Trainer wristwatch
It's been a white hot minute since we've seen a snazzy new timepiece from the labs at Timex, but it seems that the outfit will finally be dishing out a new GPS-laden watch a year after introducing the Expedition WS4. Set to debut next month, the Ironman Global Trainer with GPS is easily one of the slimmest, most not-ugly GPS watches we've ever seen. At a glance, you'd never know that such features as real-time speed, pace and distance data were included courtesy of the SiRFstarIII module tucked within, and you'll also get 50 meters of water resistance, a customizable display to showcase four metrics at once and the ability to push performance reports out to your PC. The device will be compatible with Timex heart rate and bike sensors, not to mention any third-party power meters utilizing ANT+ wireless technology. Unfortunately, next month's reveal will only let you know that it'll ship this May to REI stores here in the States, while the rest of the world will have to wait until September to strap one on.
Flickr (err, Etsy) Find: Iron Mac
Ok, so usually our Flickr Find feature is about photographic stuff, but this was so cool I had to share it anyway. Gizmodo (via SlashFilm) found this awesome MacBook sticker over on Etsy, and I think, though the Newton one is still cool, that we have a new winner for coolest MacBook sticker ever. Unfortunately, it's sold out, but I just love the way the logo is used in a pretty awesomely defiant B&W portrait of Iron Man. In other sticker news, Cult of Mac says the Steve Jobs sticker they found is probably the best one ever, but the funny Carmen Miranda mod on that page is excellent, too. I wouldn't normally just put stickers on my laptop -- it's too good looking already to muddy up with other graphics. But this Iron Mac sticker would be the sure-fire exception.
Epix HD queues up Iron Man, Madonna and Eddie Izzard for online & FiOS launch October 30
Epix HD has locked down a launch date and lineup, confirmed for Verion FiOS subscribers so far, the festivities will kick off October 30th with television and online premieres of Iron Man, Madonna "Sticky & Sweet: Live from Buenos Aires," and Eddie Izzard: Live From Wembley. Other titles set for launch weekend are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Madea Goes to Jail, Pink Panther 2, the Indiana Jones movie that sucked, Cloverfield, The Duchess and more. Epix has previously stated a goal to build the largest stable of movies online with a planned 3,000 titles available in the Epix Megaplex, you'll see if this whole new way of delivering a premium movie experience is all it's appeared to be very soon.Update: Epix just passed along the launch weekend schedule so check after the break for all the times (EST)
Motorola's Sawgrass, Android-powered Heron do the vertical slide onto AT&T?
The previously rumored Motorola portrait QWERTY slider Iron Man has popped up again, this time as the AT&T-bound Heron, with listed specs being a 2.8-inch touch screen, 3 megapixel camera with flash, aGPS, 3G, and a big red "subject to change" notice since the device has moved to (drumroll, please) Android OS. Planned availability is said to be November 2nd here, but we suspect these slides are a bit dated and that may ultimately be wholly off target. Also on the menu is another portrait slider, the Sawgrass. This one may in fact be Alexander, and if that's the case, at least we've got a cleaner press shot to put on its tombstone. Then again, we hear from Boy Genius Report that it's reincarnated under the name Somerset. The information you (probably) seek is in the gallery below.
Motorola's first Android phone(s) to have sliding QWERTY?
Motorola needed to release an Android set about six months ago, but we know these things take time -- and if it's any consolation, it sounds like the first fruits of the labor could be pretty awesome. Boy Genius Report now claims that the rumored landscape QWERTY slider Calgary will be the first Android-powered Moto device to go commercial, though it's not clear when (or where) it'll hit shelves; given the device's seemingly unusual appearance and the possibility (foolish hope?) that they'll be infusing some customizations into the UI, they might just have an angle to attack offerings from HTC and others. That's not all for the Android department, though -- it looks like there might also be a portrait QWERTY slider in the works for the third quarter codenamed "Ironman," pictured, which will pack 3G, WiFi, and some sort of high-res camera. In other words, a solidly high-end device. Bring it on, guys.Moving on, it seems the lovely full touchscreen Flash has been canned, along with the Krave's successor, the Inferno -- possibly further confirmation that Moto's throwing virtually all its weight into the Android camp at this point. Finally, rumor has it that a device codenamed "Rolex" is in the labs -- and as you might've guessed, it uses the Aura's astonishingly awesome ultra-high-res circular display. Odds are this is another luxury phone given its aspirational name and the screen being used, but a poor guy can dream.Read - Calgary, Inferno, Flash, and RolexRead - Ironman
The OverAchiever: Master of Warsong Gulch
Warsong Gulch. The game's oldest Battleground. I still remember those days when it was only possible to queue up in the Barrens (or in Ashenvale, if you were Alliance) and enemies made sport of players zoning out of the Battleground like so much sitting ducks. It's still going strong, as far as Battlegrounds go, even prompting Blizzard to share some thoughts on strategy while others even advertise that you just might find true love. It might not be the Battleground Holiday, but it's still worth the visit as Warsong Gulch remains the most combat-heavy Battleground of all. While you're at it, why not go for some Achievements?Warsong Gulch VeteranWin 100 games. Just like all Battleground veteran Achievements, this is just a matter of time. Depending on your luck and your faction, this can breeze fast or painfully slow. If you're grinding for reputation, you're pretty much guaranteed to finish this Achievement before getting to Exalted. As fun as it is to engage in battle mid-field, just remember that the goal of the map is to capture the flag. Unlike other Battlegrounds, Warsong Gulch can drag on for a very, very long time if players don't keep focused on the goal or are too evenly matched.Difficulty: ModerateCapture the FlagCapture the flag. This is one of the easier Achievements in this meta, and it helps if you're a class with some mobility like a Druid, Shaman, or even a Rogue and Mage. That said, it shouldn't be too difficult to do this once out of all the many games you'll be playing.Difficulty: Easy
