cameraphone

NEWS: Sony patents everyday objects as game controllers

Jul 3

Natal-like plans see any 3D item scanned for use in-game
Sony patents everyday object as game controllers 0

A Sony patent could point to more motion controlled gaming than just the wand-based system the company has currently demoed.

Sharing a fair bit in common with Microsoft’s Project Natal motion control system, the recently-revealed patent sees Sony gamers using ordinary, everyday objects as in-game game controllers.

The patent describes a way in which a camera can dynamically map any real-word object for use in a video game.

The patent blurb refers to “items such as coffee mugs, drinking glasses, books, bottles, etc”, but in theory would see any three dimensional object able to be used.

Players would “show” the object to the cameras, rotate it, and save a profile of it for use in a game.

This description seems very similar to how Microsoft’s Project Natal system appeared to scan and save a skateboard in the company’s official promo video.

We will keep you posted with Sony motion control and Microsoft Project Natal news as we have it.

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NEWS: "I love my BlackBerry more than my girlfriend" badge launches

Jul 3

Laptop News

Are you geek enough to admit it?

Do you love your BlackBerry more than your girlfriend? More importantly, do you want the whole world to know?

If yes, then one of Alice Wang’s “Commodity Love” badges, just gone up for sale through Generate Design, is just what you need to spread the word via stainless steel cut-out lettering.

There’s no “I love my BlackBerry more than my boyfriend” option, but ladies can opt for the “I love chocolate more than sex” to keep the stereotype alive.

The badges are available now for $29 with free shipping in North America.

REVIEWS: Bosch Tassimo TAS8520GB coffee machine

Jul 3

Laptops

A perfect blend?
Bosch Tassimo TAS8520GB 0

Bosch and Tassimo promise freshly brewed hot drinks – from Twinings green tea and Milka hot chocolate to Starbucks filter and Kenco cappuccinos – but can this table top vending machine deliver designer drinks tastier than the office canteen?

At 20cm wide the Bosch is mercifully compact and nestled nicely on our worktop. It’s also a handsome devil, with just enough tech detailing – LCD screen, bright LEDs – to keep us interested without looking like a hi-fi. It’s also superbly built – the rear mounted water tank is robust and features a BRITA filter, the buttons are solid and the lid mechanism closes with a satisfying thud.

Turn it on and the LCD display lights up and helps you through the options. Once the 1.8ltr water tank is full you’ll be prompted to insert a T-Disc (T stands for Tassimo), stick a cup under the spout and push the big green button. Thanks to a pump and heating element inside there’s no waiting, it’s ready to go instantly.

The T-Discs sit neatly in the slot and a built-in reader scans the disc’s bar code to discover what flavour drink it is and adjusts the amount of water/pressure to suit.

The Bosch is a simple, well designed machine and takes no effort at all to use. The big button does all the work, the indicator symbols are clear and the LCD screen shows how long before drinks are ready and even offers top-ups. It’s just a shame they’ve wasted a great machine on such a disappointing drinks system.

As a basic coffee maker the Tassimo does an OK job; it has the big brands – Starbucks, Kenco, Carte Noire – and can knock out an acceptable espresso or filter coffee in just 20 seconds. But if you want a cappuccino you have to use a concentrated milk disc to provide the froth. It’s convenient, but the results make an in-flight coffee taste somewhat sophisticated.

But Tassimo isn’t just about coffee; they also offer a variety of tea and hot chocolate delights. The chocolate actually scored points for being thick, creamy and super sweet, but the tea was nothing more than vending machine fodder.

Our other big bugbear with Tassimo is all the waste. After making two cappuccinos and two hot chocolates we were left with eight landfill clogging plastic discs. We might live in a disposable society, but the amount of plastic used with the T-Discs just seems unnecessary.

As for pricing, a box of 16 discs cost £1.99 to £3.49 from the Tassimo website. They are also available in supermarkets and discounts are pretty common. In total we counted 37 different drinks, so you’re spoilt for choice. If you like that sort of thing.

Tags:
HomeAndKitchen Coffee machines Bosch

Bosch Tassimo TAS8520GB coffee machine originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:00:00 +0100

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NEWS: TweetCraft puts Twitter in World of Warcraft

Jul 3

Laptop News

@illidian you r not prepared lol #lichking

You might think combining the hyper-social Twitter with the (arguably) antisocial World of Wacraft would be a bad idea, but someone’s gone and done it anyway.

TweetCraft is an add-on for World of Warcraft that will let you use Twitterr from within the game. Once installed, it sits alongside your game and then uses a script to read and write tweets to the outside world. As per Blizzard’s rules, y’see, addons aren’t allowed to interact with the internet.

Be careful, too, because the default settings mean that the app will auto-tweet when you do all kinds of stuff – like changing zones or getting achievements. If you don’t want it to do that, you’ll need to poke around a bit in the config files.

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