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How to stay healthy while leveling
What are you going to do first when you start playing Mists of Pandaria? If the answer is leveling to 90, you're in for a lot of potentially unhealthy sitting/munching/caffeine-ing. But you don't have to make Rockstar pyramids or worry about Cheetos stains on the keyboard while spreading in your chair, getting repetitive motion injuries, and otherwise straining your body just to get those levels in. Here are some tips for staying (mostly) healthy while progressing through Pandaria. Get healthy snacks Snacking, or grazing as my doctor calls it, is actually good for you when small and well-spaced throughout the gaming session. Healthy snacks are best of course, but if you must have your favorite munchies, having them in small doses is better than constant gorging. Willing to substitute for yummy but healthy? Try these. Nuts Barring allergies, nuts of all kinds are a healthy snack. Protein, good carbs, iron -- they are full of good nutrients. Nuts will even help balance things out if you choose to imbibe the sugary drinks. Crackers If you're into crackers, get the whole grain/low carb ones. I like Akmaks. Thin slices of cheese as toppings are good, but nut butters are even better.
Lenovo prices IdeaPad Yoga in the UK, reveals a few more laptops on the side
Lenovo has revealed the pricing for its very flexible Ultrabook -- and it's about as pricey as you might suspect for a Windows 8 tablet-laptop. Lenovo UK has the basic IdeaPad Yoga pegged at £1,200 ($1,900) -- a nudge above previous estimates -- while a meatier Core i7 model will set you back £1,500 ($2,380). Neither device has been gifted a release date just yet, but it does cement the likelihood of the 0.67-inch hybrid launching beyond Beijing relatively soon. Alongside the IdeaPad Yoga, Lenovo's U series has pulled itself together following its recent disassembly at the FCC's hands, with both the U310 and U410 also UK-bound. Prices will start from £600 but Lenovo remains similarly mute on other launch details. We'd advise working on your bank balance's flexibility now.
CES 2012: tablet roundup
Couldn't keep up with the 600+ posts we wrote covering CES 2012 in Las Vegas? We're here to help sift the wheat from the chaff, and if you're hoping to see the best of what CES had to offer in the world of tablets, you've come to the right place. As you can imagine, finding the best slate is much easier said than done, since it seemed as though nearly every major company brought a tablet in some shape, form or color. Head past the break to see our personal favorites from the show.
Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga convertible tablet runs Windows 8, is set to arrive later this year for 'around $1,000'
If CES is the place where companies can demo products they don't intend to sell for another six months, what better place for PC makers to tease their first Windows 8 tablets? Though the OS isn't expected to reach its final stage until later this year, Lenovo is already showing off the IdeaPad Yoga, a convertible tablet with a screen that flips over, like a cover on a spiral-bound book. If you like, you can bend it partway so that the keyboard functions as a stand when you're in the mood to watch a movie. Based on our conversations with Lenovo reps, it's clear the company sees this as a laptop first, and tablet second. The proof is in the specs, really. It weighs "less than 1.5kg," or 3.3 pounds, making it heavier than some Ultrabooks. Not only is its display IPS, but it boasts 1600 x 900 resolution -- an unheard of pixel count for tablets, let alone most 13-inch laptops. And when this hits, it'll pack "next-generation" (read: Ivy Bridge) Intel Core processors -- albeit, of the ULV variety. Accordingly, it has a laptop price: around $1,000, when it eventually ships, sometime later this year after Windows 8 gets finalized. Fortunately, the battery life is worthy of a tablet: Lenovo says the 54Wh juicepack can last up to eight hours. If you only have five minutes, we highly suggest you meet us past the break for some hands-on impressions and not one, but two videos. Seriously, folks, even next to all the Android tablets, chubby Ultrabooks and baby scales that have been announced at CES, this is by far the most memorable thing we've seen. Do it. You know you're curious.
Kinect accepts 'Your Shape' from Ubisoft
Remember that yoga game we saw at last night's madness-infused Kinect event? As it turns out, it's actually an Ubisoft-developed game entitled Your Shape. Microsoft featured the game during it's second pre-E3 event this morning, showing off a trailer with flying people and "Nick, the cardio coach" (spoilers: he's a looker, ladies). The trailer also promises that it will evolve fitness, though we're not totally sure how that's gonna happen. Also, like everything featured in today's presser, the game is exclusive to the Xbox 360.
Kinect yoga game debuts at Cirque du Soleil event
[My Yoga Online] Among the acrobatics displayed at tonight's Cirque du Soleil Kinect event, a demonstration was given of a yoga game where players emulate the actions of an on-screen instructor performing various Tai Chi and Yoga moves. Rather than the occasionally frantic actions of Wii Fit or EA Sports Active, the actions in this games seemed much more tranquil. The player replicates the stance of the on-screen instructor, effectively following an exercise routine. Considering an Xbox Live Avatar wasn't anywhere to be found, it would seem this is an entirely separate game from the already revealed Kinetic Sports. We'll find out more as the week goes on.
Yoga Natal game appears on GAME retailer's Xbox 360 release schedule (update: Amazon UK too!)
Time for some more salacious prognostications about the future, courtesy of the wily folks over at vg247. The team there claims to have obtained internal documents from UK video game retailer GAME that lists the release dates for forthcoming Xbox 360 titles. The listing is headlined by new iterations of Crysis, Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid, but the highlight for us gadget junkies is at the very end: Yoga Natal, scheduled for an October release. Now, even if this doc comes straight from the horse's mouth, game release dates are notoriously prone to fluctuation, so let's not read too much into that October date. What's intriguing is that Microsoft does indeed seem intent on creating specialist games for its Natal experience, and it may be that they'll all include Natal in their titles to make compatibility abundantly clear. Or this may be just a big bad April 1-related hoax, we'll live either way. [Thanks, Matt R.] Update: We've now also discovered a pulled Amazon listing for Yoga Natal, and we've stashed a screenshot of its Google Cache version just after the break [Thanks, Ian].
Update: Lenovo leaks Pocket Yoga mystery netbook pics
The mysterious netbook that Engadget Chinese hepped us to from the floor of Lenovo's Beijing office now has a name -- if little else. Images have surfaced on the company's photostream with this bad boy in a number of compromising positions, showing off its convertible design and touchscreen stylus capabilities. Tantalizing, yes? That's it for details, but be sure to hit up that gallery for those red hot pics.Update: The mystery is solved, folks. According to Johnson Li, the director of Lenovo's Beijing Innovation Center, the device is a two-year-old laptop design concept that features a leather exterior and detachable keyboard. You know what? We still want one. [Via Electronista, Thanks Luigi]
JoWooD announces Yoga Wii for Q2 2009
Pictured: Wii Fit JoWooD Productions has announced Yoga Wii (not to be confused with Wii Yoga), coming second quarter of 2009 for the Nintendo Wii. The game will support the Balance Board as, according to the press release, "it plays a central role for the exercising (gaming) experience." No other details or assets are currently available. We expect this to be the first of many no-brainer yoga titles coming to the Wii for the next decade or two.[Via NWF]
JoWood preparing a Wii Yoga workout
European publisher JoWood has announced that, along with new development partner Tivola (publisher of the great-looking Music Monstars on the DS), they're creating a yoga game for the Wii. The name: Wii Yoga. There are no specific details about the game yet (except those evident from the title), but it is planned for a "second quarter 2009" release in Europe, and it uses the Balance Board.No information has been released about a possible American release, but a Wii Yoga game was among the titles revealed in the massive Intellisponse leak a few weeks back, which suggests that Activision or Disney may be releasing the game. Or that another game called Wii Yoga is planned, which isn't that unlikely given the completely, plainly obvious nature of the title.
Wii Fit vs. Let's Yoga
If you happen to also follow our shenanigans over at DS Fanboy, you might have noticed the yogathon we just wrapped up, courtesy of Let's Yoga, a DS yoga trainer. With the release of Wii Fit, we've now got a great opportunity to compare two entirely different games that include yoga lessons. Five years ago, did you think you'd see that on a gaming site? Viable exergaming options -- we never thought we'd see the day. But how do the two titles stack up to one another? Check out our handy comparison chart, available after the break.%Gallery-4745%
Let's Yoga: Let's market games!
In our final look at Konami's Let's Yoga, we thought we'd spend some time discussing training games like this in general, as well as their reception in the U.S. In many parts of the world, training games are big, but not so much in the U.S. beyond Brain Age and its sequel. If we had to guess, we would say that part of that is due to marketing.Can you walk into your local Best Buy and pick up Let's Yoga? Can you order it from Amazon? Sure. But how many people know it exists ... and of those few, how many might actually buy a copy? Let's assume that most gamers don't have the benefit of the DS Fanboy yogathon to let them know that this training game (like another we checked out) may actually be worth their while. Without that knowledge, how many gamers might show any interest in such a title? Probably not very many, even among those actually fascinated by yoga. %Gallery-6931%
Let's Yoga vs. Yoga DVD
Our yogathon is winding down, but there are a few important things yet to cover, such as ... can Let's Yoga compete with a yoga DVD? Exercise DVDs are a huge market -- could a game possibly one-up that industry? We went through a step-by-step comparison of the features of Konami's trainer and a beginner yoga DVD available at a big box retailer. Yoga for Beginners with Patricia Walden comes with a thick booklet detailing all the included poses, as well as guidelines for creating your own workout. In order to use the DVD with them, you'll have to do a lot of fast-forwarding and rewinding; for all intents and purposes, the DVD only includes one lesson. You've already seen what Let's Yoga can do, if you've been following our yogathon, but we've got a chart comparing some of the features of the two after the break.%Gallery-6931%
Let's Yoga: Tackling Krishna
The relative ease of the Naga class in Let's Yoga was apparently a cruel joke meant to make yoga seem easy. After three lessons in the next step, the Krishna class, it is clear that yoga is not easy, not at all. The Master's Lesson quickly moved from "This isn't so bad!" to "OMG whaaaat?" in the space of a few sessions. Ever looked at yoga poses and thought some looked hard? You were right. But after completing over half of the Krishna class, it got a little easier, and I'm willing to concede that maybe the exercises weren't quite as face-rockingly hard as they seemed at first. They were, however, a huge leap forward from the Naga class.%Gallery-6931%
Let's Yoga: DIY workouts
Four days in and the first course is complete! The Naga class in Let's Yoga wrapped up with a simple review of the poses learned throughout, so instead of focusing on that, today we'll be exploring the extras available in Konami's training title. There are loads of options available beyond the basic lessons, including the ability to design your own workout. After a look ahead at the beginning of the Krishna class, I must say that playing with the options looks a lot easier than what's in store, lesson-wise ... there are rough times in my future.%Gallery-6931%
Let's Yoga: Mat recommended
My second day with Let's Yoga taught me two things: forget what the game says! Sure, maybe you don't need any sort of a mat, but it really does make things easier, because carpet is rough (suddenly glad I don't have hardwood), and definitely remember the breathing, because it helps tremendously Overall, day two with the DS yoga trainer was a resounding success. There are still certain poses with which I have some trouble (but hey, it's only day two), but I can already see definite progress, and that's exciting. But let's start with the basics. Lesson two of the Naga class began with an explanation of just what yoga is, and it's useful knowledge that I'll pass on here. According to Let's Yoga, the term "yoga" itself basically means "to bind." This doens't mean it's binding you up; instead, it's about melding -- or binding, if you will -- the mind and body into one strong unit. The poses are known as Asanas, or "positions of the body." I'll typically refer to them here by their English names, because they're easier to remember and also easier to spell. There is one exception, however, though I'll get to that later.%Gallery-6931%
Let's Yoga: We did!
I've always wanted to try yoga. I've bought mats and cubes and even a DVD, and once I went so far as to sign up for a class I never attended. There's just never been time, and these days, I have even fewer moments to spare for something that seemed so esoteric. However, when Konami first announced their yoga trainer for the DS, I got excited. Maybe this time I would be able to put some effort into it; after all, DS training is fun and mostly effective, right? Then I had a baby, and everything changed. I despaired at ever having time to do anything again. Between juggling work and the tiny boy, as well as other hobbies and family obligations (and, hey, gaming), finding ten minutes a day to sleep is a challenge, much less ten minutes to focus on any sort of workout. But with the long-overdue release of Let's Yoga in the U.S., I was determined to try. %Gallery-6931%
Promotional Consideration: DS Style, the Freshmaker
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Square Enix has rolled out no less than seven commercials for its DS Style line of "non-games," one for each of the series' seven casual software titles. They're low-budget productions shot with simple scripts, spartan sets, and a single actress in most of the scenes.Bring your trivial dilemmas past the post break, where we've posted a medley of the 15-second spots past the post break, as well as early 90s commercials for the minty product referenced in this installment's title.
New "Get a Mac" ads: Yoga and Breakthrough
Tonight, Apple premiered two new "Get a Mac" ads: Yoga and Breakthrough. These ads where shown during tonights episode of American Idol. You can look at these and other "Get a Mac" ads on Apple's website.These weren't the only new Apple ads to appear lately, Apple also released some new iPhone ads. Thanks Bob!
Friday Video: Stretch it out
We thought this nice, relaxing yoga video (which showcases Let's Yoga) might be a great way to start off the weekend. After all, it's been a long week. You're probably tired, and maybe a little stressed. Perhaps you're planning to go out this weekend. Maybe there will be some drama, or drinking, or hey, both. Maybe you'll play games until your arm or back cramps (damn you, Metroid Prime Hunters!). Maybe you just need a break. But we have to warn you: if you do any of the moves in this video without buying Let's Yoga, you are officially a yoga pirate. Konami's yoga trainer released last fall in Europe, and 1UP blogger onela has a great writeup here (and is the source of the video as well).
