skin
Latest
New armor set skins are coming to WAR
It seems Mythic is ignoring any and all naysayers as it's steadily ploughing ahead with improvements to Warhammer Online. Patch 1.3.1 just introduced a bunch of tweaks to the endgame and Jeff Skalski's producer's letter mentions a number of cool features coming ahead in 1.3.2. A new post on the WAR Herald is now telling us that the Art team has been busy redesigning all the tier 4 armor set skins.Part one of this reskinning series shows off new concepts for six different classes, including the Blackguard, Squig Herder, and Zealot for Destruction and the Bright Wizard, Engineer, and Swordmaster for Order. The new armor sets are looking pretty amazing if we do say so ourselves, however, there's one minor sticking point. In terms of comparison, some players don't feel that the old sets are being fairly represented. Each of the old sets are shown in-game at what appear to be extremely low screenshot resolutions, while the new sets are richly detailed and colored 3D renders or screenshots from a game client with maxed graphics. Nonetheless, Mythic is looking for your feedback on the new designs, so make sure you give it to them on the official forums.[Thanks to JP]
iPhone graced with HTC's Sense UI theme, beauty ensues
Sure, Taiwanese HTC Magic owners might be happy today, being promised Hero's Sense UI via official channels, but thanks to the hard work from Redmond Pie deviantART member Justflikwalk, this very stylish skin has jumped species and landed on the iPhone. A jailbreak is required, but once past that hurdle, you'll get a new home page with the ever-so-classy time and weather widget -- which isn't always 73 degrees and sunny, we might add -- a quick launcher for apps / contacts, and of course some modified icons. All pertinent files for the theme and step-by-step instructions are available via the read. Care to gaze upon the awesomeness using the power of moving pictures? Video after the break. [Thanks, David]
Palm Prefection iPhone theme lets you have the best of both worlds, kinda
So you're an iPhone owner with a massive case of Pre jealousy, but you've got another year left on your AT&T contract. We know you're out there, and we know you're struggling -- you're feeling totally alone and misunderstood, like a lone voice struggling to be heard amongst the din of a thousand push notifications. A gadget nerd without a clan. You don't have to live this way. You don't have to be trapped into a single touch interface aesthetic by the fear of early-termination fees and loss of Tap Tap Revenge compatibility. You have a choice -- you can jailbreak your phone and install the Palm Prefection theme. You can show the world you're not afraid to mix it up. Sure, you won't be able to multitask for real and no amount of fevered prayer will ever bring a gesture area to your iPhone, but that doesn't mean you won't be taking a stand. Fly high, butterfly. Video after the break.[Thanks, Dave]
Kent Displays's Reflex LCD Electronic Skin changes colors to match your shirt, lipstick
Is that Coco Chanel cellphone applique you got at the mall starting to look a little... last season? Kent Displays Reflex LCD Electronic Skins may be the perfect partner to your fickle ways, changing colors on demand to suit your every mood and/or outfit. The company first started talking them up late last year and now is finally showing them off, flexible single-pixel displays with an eight-color range and the ability to be layered to form multiple color-changing regions, like logos for your next alternative advertising venture. Despite the demonstration videos below these still don't seem to be ready for consumer purchase, rather Kent appears to be looking for manufacturing partners. Hurry up and get those production lines working -- our corporate Blackberries aren't getting any more interesting by themselves.[Via Engadget German]
HTC Hero build of Android ported to G1
The process isn't for the faint of heart, but considering the reward here, the trials and tribulations of hacking the hell out of your G1 might just be worth it. As usual, the bright chaps over at xda-developers have managed to obtain the HTC Hero's heavily-skinned Android ROM and port it to the G1, offering a totally unique look and feel with all manner of enhancements and customizations not found on a stock Android 1.5 build. Getting it all going involves flashing your device, connecting to it with the Android debugger while it's stuck in an endless boot loop, and messing around with some other stuff, so yeah -- if you're a greenhorn you might want to get a pro to take care of this for you and make sure that you're comfortable with the very real possibility of bricking your baby. Hey, it's just a phone, right? What's the worst that can happen?[Thanks, Ash]
"WM7 Titanium Project" adds glory, glitz, glamor to 6.5
Commercial and grassroots efforts to reskin Windows Mobile are nothing new, but we were particularly taken aback by the "WM7 Titanium Project" that's coming together over on xda-developers (where else?) with the goal of crafting a Windows Mobile 7-like experience from a device running 6.5. Of course, no one's exactly sure what version 7 is going to look like just yet, but that's not going to stop folks from taking a stab at it -- and we've got to say, when random individuals can make WinMo-based user interfaces look this good in just a few weeks' or months' worth of fiddling, it really does make you wonder what the hell Microsoft is doing up in Redmond with its gobs of money, talent, and time. Unfortunately, the skin's only compatible with WVGA devices running cooked 6.5 ROMs right now, which limits your selection pretty significantly to say the least -- but WQVGA is in the works, so stay tuned. [Thanks, Mikeo]
Sony shows that 'C' stands for Crocodile with skinned VAIO Type C
Shattering misconceptions that crocodiles only come in various shades of dark, menacing green, Sony has managed to genetically engineer crocs in girly pink, luscious red, and chocolaty brown colors exclusively for the sake of wrapping its CS series VAIO notebooks in organic texture. Mind you, textures are all those crocs sacrificed, as like the company's earlier Crocodile-themed machines these lappys are still made entirely of plastic and bits of silicon -- just grooved and pigmented to look like prehistoric, genetically modified reptiles (check out the detail pic after the break). The crocette devices, which are otherwise identical internally to those sporting myriad of other hues, hit Japan on the 18th for ¥104,800 (just over $1,000), and while Sony hasn't announced any plans for an international release, we're thinking if you head on down to Florida you could find yourself a good 'ol boy who could whip up one of these in no time and make a rib-stickin' stew with the remains.[Via Sony Insider]
Human Females trade faces on the PTR
One of the more mysterious bugs currently on the PTR is the fact that Human Females (maybe others, but none I've noticed) transferred over to the PTR are having their faces swapped around. In the picture above, you can see that my Paladin has two different faces. The one on the left is from Live servers, the one on the Right is from the patch 3.1 test realm. It isn't happening to all characters, oddly. Just some of them. My Priest, who is also a Human Female, transferred just fine and has the same face she always does. Which happens to be the face my Paladin has on the PTR now. Funky.It's a known issue, and I'm sure it'll go away long before this patch ever hits live realms, but it's a very curious bug. It was likely caused by something quite mundane, but it makes me wonder if they were working on something that caused faces to shift out of the numerical order they had before. Adding new skins, perhaps? Updating old ones? Maybe, maybe not.
German scientists think LEDs are the new Botox
All of us here at Engadget are young, beautiful, and vigorous, but we understand that time is not always as kind to everyone else as it has been to us -- that's why we're giving you the heads up that German scientists claim that they can restore your youth in a whole new way. Researchers Andrei P. Sommer and Dan Zhu say that they were able to reduce wrinkles by subjecting a test subject's skin to regular ol' LED lights daily over a period of several months. It seems that at a certain intensity the light dives into skin tissue and alters the molecular structure of water that would otherwise immobilize elastin, a protein that keeps skin healthy and, y'know, elastic. The researchers believe the tech can be "converted to deep body rejuvenation programs," which we assume entails more than just taping our faces to our LED-backlit screens -- but we'll try it just in case.[Via The Earth Times]
Paid character customization on the horizon
I was one of those people who got really excited about the idea of changeable hairstyles way back when they were first announced. Ever since then I've been daydreaming about how I would get to modify my character's appearance, albeit in a limited way: Blizzard seemed to think that faces and skin colors should be unchangeable -- otherwise the Barber Shop would feel too much like a Plastic Surgeon.But now, it looks like one day there will be nothing we can't change about our characters except their race and class (and gender). In a small BlizzCon '08 press conference about WoW and Diablo 3, Production Director J. Allen Brack (whom we interviewed recently), mentioned that one day even the skin and face of your characters would be customizable through some sort of paid change, akin to changing your character's name, perhaps. They haven't worked out any details yet, but it certainly does look promising.I have no idea why they'd charge real money for it, or how much it would cost, but as long as it's not too expensive (around $5 dollars maybe?) I think it's something I'd go for. I'd like to change my draenei hunter's skin color and facial expression, even though what I have now is already nice enough. Sometimes it's just nice to have a change every now and then. What about you? Is it the sort of thing you'd pay real money for? How much would be too much?[via G4TV, and reader Anthony with the tip]
Velocity Mobile details its WinMo skin
Following a spring handset announcement, Inventec buddy Velocity Mobile is now ready to get into the nitty gritty about the software it has thrown together to cover up Windows Mobile's ancient roots. The interface looks a good deal like the early build we'd seen before, but with a bit more spit and polish -- and Velocity is quick to point out (as it always has been) that the UI can be seamlessly updated over the air without so much as troubling the user with a PC sync. We'd still take TouchFLO 3D over this, but does it beat the stock WinMo 6.1 look? That's an unqualified "yes." [Via phoneArena]
Japanese researchers craft "e-skin" to let robots feel
The folks at the University of Tokyo have been trying to create more touchy, feely robots for what seems like ages, and they now look to have made some real progress with their so-called "e-skin," which promises to give robots a more human-like sense of touch. To do that, the researchers created a bendable rubber sheet filled with carbon nanotubes, which lets the "skin" conduct electricity even when it's stretched. When combined with sensors, that would let robots feel heat or pressure, which the researchers say is essential "as robots enter our everyday life." They also, not surprisingly, see a whole host of other applications for the technology, including on steering wheels that could judge whether people are fit to drive and in stretchable displays that could start out as a tiny sheet and be stretched to a larger size when you want to watch TV.
T-Mobile to let users craft their own Gekko shells?
Geckos don't have shells, but Gekkos will -- and it looks like T-Mobile is going to be serving up an unprecedented level of customization for its latest Sidekick. Hiptop 3 is showing mockups of what appears to be T-Mobile's shell creation site, a special little place on the internets where users will be able to design their own Gekko (aka Gecco, aka Sidekick 2008, aka "please just release this thing already") skins, which in turn will likely be outsourced to Skinit for manufacture. Considering the Sidekick's line wild, crazy, and creative target demographic, it seems like a great idea and a potential gold mine of secondary revenue for the carrier. Who's going to be the first with an Engadget shell, hmm?
Skin that On Tour peripheral
Now here's a neat video. For those of you who have picked up Guitar Hero: On Tour and want to add a little bit of your own personal style to the included peripheral, the above video will aid you in doing just that. It's surprisingly easy to create your own skin insert for the thing. While the video doesn't showcase the most artistic replacement, we're sure you creative folk out there wont have much trouble coming up with some really badass skins. Anyone going to give this a try? %Gallery-19362% [Thanks, Max!]
ASUS showcases "Glide" UI for Windows Mobile
Tough time to try to hype a new skin for Windows Mobile, we'd say, what with juggernauts HTC and Sony Ericsson both trying to knock balls out of the park with TouchFLO 3D and the XPERIA's shell, respectively; that's not stopping ASUS from giving it a go, though. The Taiwanese manufacturer has chosen Computex as the stage to officially take the wraps off its "Glide" UI concept, the first shot of which we saw in the leaked shots of the P560 a few weeks back. Features of the shell include ASUS Today, a home screen replacement; Anytime Launcher, a straight-up app launcher; EziPhoto for photo management and EziMusic for a glorified media player. Nothing too groundbreaking here, but hey, can't blame 'em for trying to keep up with the Joneses.
GHSkinz opens up new line of pricey PSP skins
GHSkinz, a company that specifically makes skins for Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments is now opening up a line of skins for handheld systems. The PSP is included, but unfortunately has the most ridiculously expensive ones at $10.95 a pop. That's more than double the price that their Nintendo DS and iPod Touch lines go for.That's not to say that their products are not any good; the designs are quite beautiful -- just have a look. It just makes us scratch our heads as to why the PSP gets screwed over with such a large bill. Anyway, that's expensive in our minds but ultimately that's up to you if you're willing to pay the price.
Show and Tell: By hand
Need a case? Sure, you could buy one -- and there are plenty available -- but as a dedicated Show and Tell reader, surely by now you can guess where this is going. If you just shouted out, "Wisconsin!," you are both very wrong and very random (also, stop yelling at the screen; it's sensitive). If, instead, you suspect a little DIY is ahead, you just may be right.Reader Eleniel decided to make a case, but there was just one problem -- no sewing machine about. But that's okay, because DS Fanboy readers are hardcore, so like your intrepid hostess, Eleniel sewed it by hand. It is, however, one hell of a lot better than my work. It's got that fancy new zipper technology. That doesn't mean it's perfect, though; Eleniel confesses that the pocket designed to hold games doesn't exactly hold anything. We still like checking it out, though. And, while on the DIY kick, Eleniel also made an Okami-inspired skin. Might as well go all out, right? You can check out the finished products in our gallery below. %Gallery-23519% Show and Tell is all about your stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts. Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.
Feed your discs to the alligator-skinned Xbox 360
We're usually not ones to post about console case mods of any sort, but we decided to buck that trend today -- namely because no case mod we've ever seen has inspired such fear into our hearts. A forum-dweller by the name of dfw monkie recently posted pictures of his latest monstrosity to The Llamma's Game Console Forums (instilling a greater fear in us that a Llama-themed 360 is in the works) -- an Xbox 360, covered in the pitch-black skin of a gargantuan alligator that dfw monkie killed with his bare hands.Okay, the crocodilian pattern was created with common crafting supplies, but we much prefer our own "Man vs. Wild" interpretation of the console's backstory. Martha Stewart-esque origins or no, the final product is still downright unsettling.
Alligator skin Xbox 360 case is a bit too realistic
Oh yeah, we've seen some undeniably bizarre Xbox 360 case mods, but this freakish homegrown covering exemplifies the art of destroying resale value. We don't quite know what else there is to say about an incredibly detailed alligator skinned console, but if pictures really are worth a thousand or so words, there's an epic waiting for you down in the read link. Please kids, don't try this at home.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Creepy Xbox 360 alligator skin creeps us out
Posted over on the Llama's Game Console Forums (yes, llamas enjoy gaming too), forum member dfw monkie posted a few images of his custom Xbox 360 skinning creation that we are certain PETA doesn't approve of. Behold the alligator skinned 360 complete with rough alligator skin and an alligator eye that you have to jab your finger into to power up the console. We have one word for this custom skin ... creepy! Seriously, this thing is creepy odd creepy. Who comes up with this stuff? It's cool and all, but hella' creepy. KAH-REAP-EE![Thanks, Rob K]
