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Video: Star Trek USB Communicator because you're out of your Vulcan mind
While the new Star Trek film is bound to disappoint hardcore Trekkies since it's unusually fun and exciting, we're sure the Star Trek USB Communicator will meet their expectations perfectly. The $45 USB mic with speaker is compatible with Skype or your favorite instant messaging client and finally up for sale at all fine crapgadget stores. Check the built-in sound effects video with complimentary Onion film review after the break. Kirk out.
Star Trek, CSI Blu-ray boxed sets doing BD-Live right with dynamicHD
Implementations of dynamicHD on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs so far have been some of the best examples of the potential BD-Live holds that we keep hearing about, but rarely see. For those Star Trek fans that picked up TOS box set this week, it not only ties them into the www.cbs-bdlive.com website, but also brings home interviews, behind the scenes looks and other highlights from FEDCON in Europe that is going on from today until May 3. Next up to tie Internet downloads into the disc based experience? CSI: Crime Scene Investigation The First Season hitting May 12. You can check out the website to see who is watching right now and where, set up watching parties and share quizzes. Imagion AG demoed a lot of these features for us on HD DVD during CES '08, and some got a peek at them on Terminator 2: Ultimate HD Edition, check out the official press release after the break and let us know if this is enough to change your opinion on BD-Live.
Star Trek edition Nokia 5800 announced: officially awesome
We knew that endless product tie-ins would come along with the new Star Trek film, so this isn't too big of a surprise (though it is rather a welcome one). A new Star Trek special edition of the 5800 has been announced to coincide with the release of the new J.J. Abrams epic, and while it doesn't appear to be an official Nokia release, it does appear to be pretty rad. The handset is going to boast four animated screensavers, three wallpapers, and eight exclusive ringtones, including ones named "Phazer Shot," "Red Alert" and "Kelvin Communicator." We've also heard tell of a special "Phazer application," and though we don't yet know what that entails, we have really high hopes. The stellar 5800 will be available starting May 1st exclusively at Phones 4 U in the UK in blue, red, and black/silver on Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and O2. Make it so.
Blu-ray releases on April 28th 2009
Although we're still pretty far from seeing blockbusters like we do during the holiday season, there are some pretty decent titles this week. This is especially true from Sony who has What Doesn't Kill you and The Da Vinci Code. Not all the new releases are good this week though as Fox has Bride Wars and Paramount brings us Hotel for Dogs -- yikes. Paramount does finally bring out Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 on Blu-ray which we have to admit is kinda exciting. Next week looks more exciting to us though, as one of our favorite 80's movies Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button both hit the shelves. What Doesn't Kill You (Sony) The Da Vinci Code (Sony) Bride Wars (Fox) Hotel for Dogs (Paramount) The Uninvited (Paramount) Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 (Paramount) In the Realm of the Senses (Criterion) JCVD (Peach Arch) The Reader (Weinstein) Amazing Journeys (Razor)
Dream Cheeky's USS Enterprise webcam exudes charm and class
Now that it's legal for George Takei to get married in Iowa, what better way to celebrate than by letting your "Trek flag" fly in your home or office? The USS Enterprise-themed USB webcam features an adjustable focus, and the red engine lights (or whatever they are) actually, you know, light up. For maximum realism, we guess. And the cable is adorned with the Star Fleet Insignia although, sadly, it will not function as a communicator. It is just a TV series, you know. No word on release date or price, but we're keeping our eyes peeled.
TV.com gives Trekkers a streaming treat for iPhone: full episodes on demand
Just as Hulu has more-or-less reluctantly barred boxee from streaming NBC video content to anything other than a browser, here comes the new TV.com iPhone app. It offers full episodes of such classics as Dream On, Night Gallery and Star Trek, and clips from current shows on multiple networks. Compare and contrast with the original NBC mobile site and you'll see that mobile streaming has come a long way, baby.Sure, the Slingplayer app for the iPhone may be just around the corner, and rumors of a Hulu app have been floated. Does that give you Kirk and Spock during your morning commute? No, I didn't think so.CBS Interactive's TV.com app is a free download from the App Store, and works either over WiFi or 3G. I have a hunch it's not going to be available outside of the US store, so if you're able to check that out please let us know. Update: As suggested, I checked myself -- not in the UK store, not in the German store.[via Techmeme]
Star Trek: TOS and Trilogy gets US box art, release date
We already saw these delightful pieces of Blu-ray magic unveiled in Norway, but TheDigitalBits has confirmed that Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One, Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection and Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy will all ship here in America, with the former shipping on April 28th and the latter two on May 12th. The details about each collection are far too lengthy to cover in this space, but you can head down to the read link if you're even remotely interested in dropping $118, $104.99 or $29.99 (in order of mention).[Via The Blu-ray Blog]
Star Trek USB Communicator dials up galactic jetsetters
Heads-up, Trekkies! We just stumbled upon the perfect complement to your LCARS-esque touchscreen, and chances are that you won't have to sell off too many Spock action figures in order to procure it. Created by Dream Cheeky, this VoIP / Skype phone is powered by USB and looks pretty much exactly like one of those classic Star Trek Communicators. Best of all, there's a velcro backing in order to mount it up for everyone to see. Because you will want everyone checking this out, right?[Via OhGizmo]
Star Trek: TOS & Star Trek The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray boxes decloak in Norway
Rumors that Paramount was planning a Blu-ray release of the remastered Star Trek: The Original Series coinciding with the new movie this spring just got a lot stronger, with box art pictures for season one and a Star Trek: The Motion Picture trilogy consisting of the first three movies popping up today on Release.no. Through the magic of Google Translate we know these are due in Norway May 13 (along with Star Trek II, III, IV & VI in standalone editions on BD & DVD) and it's not unreasonable to assume they'll hit U.S. shelves around the same time. Of course, if you can't wait until then, or at least for some more official info from Paramount, we're sure there's an HD DVD player and boxed set in a bargain bin somewhere just waiting to be picked up.[Via Indy Star]
SpaceX's rocket destroys Scotty's space-bound ashes in a demonstration of tremendous irony
Finely riding that razored edge between tragedy and comedy, the New York Times reports that not only did the SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket lose its three satellites and fail to reach orbit during a recent launch, but it also destroyed the remains of actor James Doohan, best known as the original Star Trek's Chief Engineer "Scotty." The actor's ashes -- as well as those of over 200 others -- were being carried into orbit by the rocket when complications with the ship's stage separation led to the (assumed) destruction of the craft. This recent mishap puts a sad period on the end of the sentence that already included an earlier loss and eventual recovery of the remains.[Via Slashdot]
LCARS-esque touchscreen controls home, excites Trekkies
za9000's LCARS-like touch panel isn't quite ready to hop aboard any spacecraft, but it sure seems to do a fine job of controlling his home. Truthfully, detailing this thing in words wouldn't do it justice, so we'll leave it to you to don your best Spock face and check out the three-minute clip waiting just past the break.[Thanks, Daniel]
Portable medical scanners built to interface with cellphones
You know those elephant-sized medical scanners? Totally amazing machines, sure, but things like that aren't apt to be shipped into obscure jungles throughout Africa. Thankfully, a team of researchers have developed something that could bring medical scanning to an even larger chunk of the world: a real live Tricorder. Of course, it's not really going by that moniker, but the diminutive scanner is able to interface with a cellphone via USB and utilize its 3G / WiFi access to send raw scan data to servers and receive images back. Granted, you won't get any high-resolution viewing from your average mobile, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
iPhone as Tricorder
Set phasers to Huge Frakking Nerd.I'll be honest and admit to trying this as soon as I saw it. Point Mobile Safari to http://38i.biz/tricorder and view an iPhone-optimized web page that resembles a Star Trek Tricorder.So, what does it do, you ask? Why, it scans a given area, interprets and displays gathered data and records all findings to isolinear chips.Actually, it doesn't do to much. Once you "turn it on" by clicking the power button, you can switch between three functions and view related animations. Every minute or so, a window pops up with a snide remark like, "The Federation is shocked. The Enterprise actually ferried an alien VIP from one place to another without serious incident." It's even got a snazzy webclip icon.Sadly, there are no sounds to accompany the visuals. It might not offer much more than a little entertainment, but one thing is certain ... it will definitely help you pick up chicks.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Aptera to make cameo in next Star Trek film?
For those unaware, "veiled in secrecy" is an extreme understatement when it comes to the next Star Trek flick -- if there actually is a next Star Trek flick, that is. Nevertheless, an undercover photographer managed to grab some recent shots of a film production operating under the title "Corporate Headquarters," and a few snaps caught a vehicle that looks awfully similar to the 300MPG Aptera. Coincidentally enough, said craft was also missing from last week's New York Auto Show. Look, we aren't piecing together clues in a valiant attempt to get you stoked about seeing a space aged automobile in a movie that may or may not even be real (okay, it's real), but then again, it's hard to shake the evidence.[Via AutoblogGreen]
Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional running on an HTC StarTrek
It seemed pretty impressive when a user managed to get Windows Mobile 6 Standard up and running on a busted old HTC StarTrek -- but WM Professional 6.1 on that badboy? You had us at hello. A member of the xda-dvelopers forum named Erofich has managed to hack together an install of the touchscreen-only mobile OS for the decidedly non-touchscreen flip phone. The configuration includes a number of workarounds for using the keypad as opposed to a finger or stylus, and it looks like there aren't a ton of issues right now. We're pretty sure that this isn't the speediest or most robust implementation of the software, but it's an admirable feat nonetheless. We doff our caps to you, sir.[Thanks, maflow]
WinMo 6 ROMs for HTC Star Trek bring it out of the graveyard
HTC's Star Trek can now be safely categorized in the "classic" file, but it'd be a big mistake to put this interesting footnote in HTC's history out to pasture just yet. The handset, after all, ranks among the smallest Windows Mobile phones ever made, among the only clamshells, and arguably, among the most attractive (alright, maybe that's a bit of a stretch). But with that stale Windows Mobile 5 build on there hastening its death, what's an owner to do? Turn to the wizards at xda-developers, of course, who've come out swinging with a number of different Windows Mobile 6-based ROMs for a variety of Star Trek flavors, including the Cingular 3125 likely owned by many American customers, and it's all available for download. Always fun to see new life breathed into perfectly decent hardware, ain't it?[Via pocketnow.com]
Star Trek: Conquest boldly going for much cheaper than what it was going for before
Star Trek: Conquest didn't fare too well in our last metareview, partly due to its lack of options, and partly because its retail price of $30 is double that of the near-identical PS2 version. There isn't anything short of a time-travel episode that can be done about that first complaint considering that the game is already out in the market, and, unfortunately, we used up our one time-travel episode for the season when we visited Nickelodeon's studios in 1996 to stop them from canceling the original Are You Afraid of the Dark? series. We regret to report that we weren't able to complete that important mission due to interference by the Romulans. Amazon has addressed that second criticism, though, cutting the strategy/shooter title's price by a third and selling it now for only $19.99! This deal ends today, so pick it up now if you're interested, but just keep in mind the 19th Rule of Acquisition: "Satisfaction is not guaranteed."[Via CAG]
Metareview: Star Trek: Conquest
We were excited when we heard that Bethesda was bringing Star Trek: Conquest to the Wii, even more so when the strategy/shooter's $30 budget pricing was revealed ($15 for the PS2 version). So, now that it's out, is it worth its weight in gold-pressed latinum? Well, no.IGN -- 68%: Though Star Trek: Conquest is technically sound, IGN doesn't think there's enough there to warrant pruchasing: "The game is obviously a quick cash-out strategy game that does little to innovate, and lacks the serious depth it takes to sit among the ranks of strategy greats ... For starters, there's no multiplayer at all in the game, so while it's a turn-based board game in nearly every respect, you'll be playing one-on-one with the computer only, rather than bringing friends into the action via local or online play. Even further, the game has no real story mode, as it only includes a user-defined 'Campaign' mode and skirmish extra mode."Gamespy -- 20%: GameSpy agrees, and takes issue with its combat portions and inaccuracies: "It's not a very good shooter, with trudging controls, no choice over which of your ships you control (you only get to control one), and bland graphics. And just to drive the license fully into the ground, you'll encounter fun things like Borg spheres as fast/light 'scout' vessels. Technically, Conquest could be worse, since it loads quickly and has no real technical issues. But there is simply no reason to play this game or spend the money on it."Remember how every other episode of The Next Generation climaxed with some sort of warp core breach that required a saucer separation? The red alert klaxon would sound off and the camera would cut to a shot of Geordi rolling dramatically under one of the descending emergency gates, just narrowly escaping death and ensuring he'd be around to host another episode of Reading Rainbow.We imagine that's just how your Christmas morning would play out if someone were to gift you Star Trek: Conquest, except instead of a saucer separation, you'll be running out of the house and jumping into your car, driving away as fast as possible, glancing at your rearview mirror just in time to see your house explode spectacularly behind you.
Star Trek MMO going 'more casual'
There was some crazy financial news recently for Perpetual, the publisher of long-in-development Star Trek Onine. The practical upshot is that the company is in new hands, and, according to Shacknews' source, they're taking the game in a new, more casual direction.That doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to match three dilithium crystals to engage your warp drive, but there is a possibility the game may shed subscription fees in favor of asking players to pay real-world cash for in-game items.Perhaps this move is for the best though. With a new Trek film still a ways off and no versions of the series getting new TV episodes, we'd imagine that the place on the Venn diagram where hardcore gamers and Trek fans intersect is getting smaller every day.
Star Trek HD DVD phaser promo details uncloaked
All you trekkies who picked up a new Toshiba HD DVD player and the Star Trek: The Original Series set to go along with your new toy, perk up your ears Vulcan style. You should already know the CBS-Toshiba Federation have a phaser-styled remote promotion just for you. A $70 value, the remote will operate any Toshiba HD DVD player (if you have a HD DVD player, chances are it's a Toshiba) with Trek-style lights (ooh) and sounds (ahh). It's the perfect way to stay "in character" as you plow through the 10 disc set. In a press release, Toshiba and CBS direct you to a website to claim your phaser; but get to it right away -- the promotion only runs until February 29, or until the limited supply of this Federation-issue sidearm run out.
