torch
Latest
BlackBerry Torch is official, launching August 12th on AT&T for $200
It hasn't been announced just yet -- we're expecting that shortly at a New York event today -- but the long-rumored BlackBerry Torch (née 9800) just went live on AT&T's site offering the opportunity to sign up for a notification when you can buy the thing. Major features include a 5 megapixel cam with flash, full QWERTY on a portrait slide, 802.11n support, and -- of course -- BlackBerry 6 with an all-new browsing experience and a host of other features that should help position RIM within earshot of its less-stodgy rivals. You've also got 4GB of storage onboard paired with a 4GB microSD card in the box, 512MB each of ROM and RAM, a quadband 3G radio that'll travel well around the globe, a 480 x 360 touchscreen display (same resolution as the Bold 9700) measuring 3.2 inches, the typical optical trackpad down below, and an interesting new Media Sync feature that'll let you sync your media library right over WiFi -- something various third parties have tried over the years, but has rarely been offered as an out-of-the-box capability. Interested? It'll hit AT&T and third-party retail locations and websites on the 12th of the month for $199.99 on contract. Follow the break for RIM's introductory videos and the press release. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]%Gallery-98749%
Midsummer Fire Festival: Need help juggling?
The Midsummer Fire Festival is pretty decent for a WoW holiday -- good experience and gold from extinguishing and honoring fires, fun cosmetic rewards and occasionally mind-numbing achievements. Wait, what was that last one? Torch Juggler has become notorious this year, as the achievement is not only difficult for people who are unable to click their mouses and buttons fast enough, but it is also part of the meta-achievement for completing the Midsummer Fire Festival and gaining the title "Flame Keeper." So, here's how to get Torch Juggler in three easy steps. Get about 15 Juggling Torches. For five Burning Blossoms, the holiday's currency gained through honoring fires, desecrating fires and dailies, you can purchase five Juggling Torches. Go to Dalaran. A common mistake is that many players attempt this achievement in other capital cities. You need to be in Dalaran! Download and install the mod Juggler. Juggler is a simple addon that you activate with /juggle or /juggler. The addon replaces your mouse wheel with a series of actions that select a torch and then selects where to throw the torch. Download Juggler at [Curse]. Activate Juggler, aim your mouse underneath your character and spin your mouse wheel faster than you've ever spun it before. Is this cheesing the achievement? You bet it is. But frankly, the achievement requires dexterity that might not be possible for many people, and factoring in other variables like lag time in Dalaran makes this addon worthwhile. And there you have it. The worst part of the Midsummer Fire Festival is now put to rest, so you can go on having fun.
WowWee Roborover gets friendly with the furniture in our review
See that glowing face? Yep, it's the super-enthusiastic Roborover from WowWee. We won't lie: we were a bit stoked by the arrival of this yellow explorer at Engadget's doorstep. Too bad it didn't exactly walk all the way from its warehouse, forcing us to go through the painful procedure of cutting up the tapes and untangling the ties of its shipping box. Five minutes later we've got a 4-pound robot on our hands, and we'd say overall the build quality is an eight out of ten (the cuts on the plastic parts could do with a finer finish) which is pretty good for a toy. You'll be pleased to know that those treads are for real and supported by a third mini roller at the back, but the friendly manual does say, "For indoor use only." Think we'll skip that page, thank you. Now kids, you might need your daddy's screwdrivers and some extra cash to feed the Roborover three "C" size batteries, and another three "AAAs" for the chunky IR remote. All ready to go? Skip along to learn how the Roborover explores the "ancient tombs of your parents' closet."%Gallery-75825%
Motorola Sholes and Torch battery covers unearthed (hey, it's something)
We really don't need any more convincing that the Sholes is real, but what about the Torch? Oh, you don't remember that one? Yeah, we had to look it up to refresh our memory -- turns out this was the rumored market name for the Inferno, a touchscreen featurephone Moto apparently had in the works to replace the Krave on Verizon. The company has just published press shots of the battery covers of both the Sholes and the Torch -- those are the names Motorola is using, though it's not uncommon for them to refer to press shots by codename, so we wouldn't make much of it -- so if we had to guess, the Torch is still alive. Also notable is the fact that they're showing two versions of the Sholes' cover, one with a Verizon logo and one without, so this is a strong indicator that there'll be a second model -- most likely for overseas GSM markets. Or, you know, an unlocked US 3G version. Dare to dream, right?
Breakfast Topic: Vanity Items
I know it's a silly RPer thing, but I try to pay some attention to how my characters look in game. For example, I still haven't gotten the Shave and a Haircut achievement on my Death Knight because I think he looks pretty cool and very much like he should as a character and I'm having a hard time changing it, even for an achievement. Another thing I do as a result of this is do varied and esoteric quests to get gear that MIGHT look good on me conceivably. Some day. Possibly. My Hunter has a full set of black leather armor in case she ever has to, I don't know, join an RP night stealth strike force, I suppose, and a torch in case she needs to lead an angry mob or something. It's a little obsession.
WebKit-based Iris browser for Windows Mobile hits beta v2
We know how it goes -- once you get your Windows Mobile setup situated how you like it, making tweaks is a rare, rare occurrence. To that end, you probably passed on the highly dangerous first beta of the WebKit-based Iris browser. At long last, the entirely more stable beta v2 has emerged for those courageous enough to give it a go, and the designers are promising that the over 100 fixes and improvements make it "incredibly fast" and almost life-altering. If you're not keen on waiting for the next iteration of Internet Explorer Mobile, and if you're somehow not pleased with Opera Mini or Mobile Firefox, roll the dice with this one and see how things turn out.[Via the::unwired]
World of Warcraft's Midsummer Fire Festival ends soon
There's only a few days left before the fireworks fizzle out as the Midsummer Fire Festival comes to an end on July 4th. Why not go out with a bang, the next time you fire up World of Warcraft be sure to grab one last ribbon do-si-do, juggle a few torches, honor and steal those remaining bonfire flames, or slay Lord Ahune for that friend you promised, you do keep your promises don't you? If you have nothing else to do you could run your lower-level alts around the world to collect all the different bonfire flames for some pretty decent experience gains. If you are struggling on what to spend your burning blossoms on WoW Insider has you covered. A lot of players are saying this is the best event in a long time, thanks to some new festivities. You better celebrate the good times before its too late and back to the dailies routine again!
The Torch flashlight: why illuminate when you can incinerate?
Sure, there's always the pukelight for good times around the house, but sometimes you've just got to do some damage -- which is where The Torch from Wicked Lasers comes in. The 4100-lumen flashlight is being considered for the Guinness Book of World Records, and can ignite paper, light cigarettes, melt plastic, and even fry an egg -- but only has a fifteen minute battery life. Check a video of The Torch taking out a pile of plastic bags after the break, and hit the read link for even more high-candlepower destruction.[Via I4U News]
Beijing Olympics to get Lenovo-designed torch, seeded clouds
Apparently, Lenovo kept enough staff on board to create the 2008 Olympic torch, as the firm's Cloud of Promise design was recently selected over 300 competing themes and will be "carried by torchbearers around the world in the Olympic Torch Relay preceding the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games." With Lenovo being a China-based firm, the company's chairman (Yang Yuanqing) stated that it was "an honor to have its torch design chosen," and oddly enough, that wasn't the only cloud-related Olympic news coming out of Beijing. Reportedly, meteorologists will be utilizing a process known as "cloud seeding" to force rain out beforehand and subsequently clear the filthy skies and alleviate the purported "50-percent chance of rain during the opening and closing ceremonies." Of course, this isn't exactly a push to become a greener society or anything, but at least the HD feeds from around the area will look a bit better during the competitions.Read - Lenovo designs Olympic torchRead - Cloud seeding in China
LAPD's blinding new flashlights too light to beat suspects
It's kind of sad when one of the main features being touted by the LAPD about its new flashlights is their inability to provide suspects with a good beating, but after that very public 2004 incident in which a motorist took 11 blows from a heavy 'torch,' we guess the new model's light weight is indeed an important selling point. The 10,000 Pelican 7060's that officers will soon begin carrying -- specifically designed for the department of Rodney King fame -- sport two separate power switches, a no-slip 'grenade grip,' cooling fins on the shaft, and 130 lumen LEDs that are said to be capable of momentarily blinding a non-compliant individual. Sounds like good news for criminals and the falsely-accused, but maybe not so great for that cop in the direct path of a raging meth-head; in those situations, we'd take the cold hard steel aluminum of our four D battery MagLite over a wimpy Pelican any day of the week.[Via The New Zealand Herald]
