Archives for February 2008
Hasbro reveals details about Nerf Wii blaster, even more Nerf overkill
Will Greenwald | Feb 19, 2008
The Nerf Wii blaster is officially called the Switch Shot EX-3, and is part of the Nerf N-Strike line of blasters. The Switch Shot EX-3 functions both as a Wii remote Zapper-like gun peripheral and a Nerf dart blaster, thanks to a removable dart module that clicks into the remote slot. The lower half of the barrel stores two additional Nerf darts, and holds a Nerf N-Strike accessory rail.
While it doesn't come with any accessories, the Switch Shot's N-strike rail makes it compatible with the Nerf Recon blaster's red dot sight or the separately sold N-Strike tactical light. The Nerf Switch Shot EX-3 is scheduled to ship in fall 2008, and will retail for around US$13-$15. The blaster will also be shipped with the upcoming Nerf N-Strike game for the Wii, although Hasbro hasn't announced final pricing or packaging yet. EA and Hasbro are also developing a Nerf N-strike game for the Nintendo DS, though it's not yet known if it will ship with the Switch Shot blaster.
Hasbro also showed off the Nerf Vulcan EBF-25. While it doesn't double as a Wii accessory, the Vulcan stood out as one of the most extreme examples of Nerf warfare yet. The Vulcan is a tripod-mounted, motorized Nerf machine gun that uses an ammo belt and storage box to fire up to 25 Nerf darts without reloading. It runs on six D batteries, and also features an N-strike clip for using additional tactical lights, scopes or sights. The Vulcan already seems like a fearsome Nerf gun, but its motorized system and pivoting tripod practically beg for some enterprising toy modder to drill, cut, and solder on some servo motors and make their very own Nerf sentry turret. The Nerf Vulcan EBF-25 ships in fall 2008, with a retail price of US$40.
Via Crave CNET
HSDPA ThinkPad X61 hits Singapore
Darius Chang | Feb 19, 2008
In a small island state where it takes only 2 hours to travel from end to end and where wireless hotspots abound, Singaporeans are still not satisfied if they cannot be perpetually hooked onto the Net. So, in conjunction with service provider SingTel, Lenovo has started retailing HSDPA-enabled ThinkPad X61 laptops.
One of the few ultraportables running on a full-power Core 2 Duo processor without compromising on weight or battery life, the ThinkPad X61 is the laptop of choice for traveling business executives. As such, don't expect this unit to come cheap. Retailing for S$3,099 (US$2,038.82) and above, these models do not come with fingerprint sensors or external optical drives. What they do offer is Lenovo's three-year next business day onsite warranty. Hence your investment is well-protected. You can check out more details about this deal here.
Nerf Wii Blaster holds Wiimotes, launches darts
Will Greenwald | Feb 19, 2008
Thanks to the new partnership between Electronic Arts and Hasbro, those two are about to collide. Kotaku and Shacknews have reported that EA Hasbro has revealed Nerf N-Strike for the Nintendo Wii and DS systems, along with a Wiimote-based Nerf blaster.
Wii Zapper clones aren't exactly new. Nyko's Perfect Shot offers a satisfyingly gun-shaped alternative to the Zapper, and CTA Digital's torrent of inexplicable gun grips give even more choices. Nerf's Wii blaster puts a new spin on the Zapper by making it double as a functional Nerf dart gun. The Wiimote can pop into the Nerf-themed gun grip to function as a game controller, or you can pop in a Nerf blaster module to fire foam darts at your friends and enemies.
The Nerf N-Strike games and blaster are scheduled to ship in fall 2008.
Via Crave CNET
A Blu-ray addon for Xbox 360?
Philip Wong | Feb 19, 2008
Though Microsoft has been maintaining an Xbox 360 addon approach for the benefits of user choice, this may well be part of its foresight for a quick exit in the event that the format war goes either way. Take the S$299 external HD-DVD drive. The Redmond company could easily strike it off its inventory overnight without the burden of a costly console write-off. To further thicken the plot, it has never official denied the possibility of a Blu-ray equivalent, which is probably in the pipeline anyway with the current hostility against its partners' HD-DVD format.
Could it have been a drastically different picture if Microsoft had implemented full HD audio and video support for the addon drive? Think onboard Dolby TrueHD decoding for example. We reckon not only will the console have won the hearts of both gamers and home theater enthusiasts, this might even have given HD-DVD a much-needed boost similar to the advantage that PlayStation 3 has contributed for Blu-ray.
Have a different opinion? Air your sentiments via our talkback function.
Atlas Kinetic phone forces you to move in order to work
Damian Koh | Feb 19, 2008
Remember the Bang & Olufsen Serene which looks like a modern art showpiece that deserves a place in the museum more than in our pockets? Well, designer Ricardo Baiao's Atlas Kinetic concept cell phone takes that bizarre design to a whole new level, while at the same time increases your affinity with the device. It's like one of those Seiko Kinetic watches that make use of oscillating weight to power a mainspring, except that this one provides basic phone features and allows you to make calls and send text messages. There's no danger of self-destructing Lithium cells, so perhaps Nokia may want to snap up one of these as part of its Eco Sensor concept. It just needs to do something to that wacky keypad layout.
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Via Yanko Design
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