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Our good buddy Russ Frushtick of MTV Multiplayer (formerly of UGO) comes onto the show today to talk shop and give us the inside scoop on Project Natal, "Ghostbusters," and the Nintendo Wii Motion Plus.

Russ of MTV Multiplayer

(Credit: CNET/Dan Ackerman)

We're always stoked when Russ Frushtick drops into the studio because he always brings us the best news, and today is no different. Russ recently accepted an offer to work at MTV Multiplayer as the only guy covering video games! Now that he's the head honcho, we feel extra special that he's willing to talk with us about E3. Granted, E3 was awhile ago, but Russ gives us his take on Project Natal and how he thinks it will effect the industry as a whole. Believe it or not, I'm actually kind of psyched to play the handball game despite how weird I'll probably looking flailing my arms around like a maniac in that 3-foot square. Russ also talks about the Milo demo, where you apparently have to establish a relationship and "connect" with a young boy in order to win the game? Maybe they should've called it "Project Wilson Tang."

After the break, we jump right back into more video game talk. We chat about the a game called Scribblenauts for the Nintendo DS. From how Russ described it, it sounds pretty cool: you just wander around and when you encounter a problem, all you have to do is write in what you'd need to get out of it and the object appears onscreen. And the game has 10,000 words you can write in! Listen in for more details about Prototype and a hilarious rant about the Wii MotionPlus.

EPISODE 367

Hollywood brains occasionally act in unintended tandem, producing simultaneous movies about, say, dangerous volcano eruptions, or killer meteors threatening to wipe out mankind. It's all completely unintentional, at least according to the lawyers, so we shouldn't be surprised to see the same seemingly cloned concepts come to game consoles.

Two of the most buzzed about current games are the PS3 exclusive Infamous--an open-city game with a superpowered anti-hero--and Prototype--also an open-city game with a superpowered anti-hero. How deeply do the similarities go? We've created a handy chart to sort it all out. ... Read more

The conceptual rendition of the near-final CrunchPad design.

(Credit: TechCrunch)

TechCrunch's Michael Arrington, who last year boldly proclaimed TechCrunch would break every embargo it agreed to, apparently has broken his own embargo and leaked some news about his little consumer electronics side project, the CrunchPad.

OK, maybe he didn't really break his own embargo, but we wouldn't put it past him. The fact is Arrington says he's "just about nailed down the final design for the device" and that he'll have "first working prototypes" in a few weeks.

Arrington has been posting progress reports on the creation of the CrunchPad, which was originally envisioned as a "dead simple" Web tablet that would cost $200. Arrington is working with Fusion Garage to create the sexy-looking CrunchPad, which will be next talked about publicly "at a special press and user event in July in Silicon Valley." But the good news is you can talk about it privately all you want.

An earlier prototype was making the rounds in April, but this new version will be slimmer (less than an inch) and have an aluminum case, "which is more expensive than plastic but is sturdier and lets us shave a little more off the overall thickness of the device." As it stands, the CrunchPad will run on an Intel Atom chip and is Linux-based.

It's unclear how the new concept will price out. In April, Arrington said the device could be built for around $250 (with packaging) and sold for $300. But we suspect the ultimate, final price tag may be higher. In fact, by the time Arrington gets it finished, there will be plenty of Netbooks with slightly smaller screens that do more or less what the CrunchPad does (except boot up to a browser as quickly), are less fragile, and have a physical keyboard.

Of course, the other possibility is that Apple will come out with its own touch-screen tablet-style Netbook that costs a lot more but everybody wants to buy.

Comments?

(Source: TechCrunch)

Updated on May 4 at 11:10 a.m. PDT with an official response from the site in question.

We've now seen several LED-based computer monitors released, such as the recent Dell G2410 and G2210, and just this week someone asked when I thought we'd be seeing the first consumer OLED computer monitors.

"Not for a while," was my answer and I guess I was right. Megawhat.tv (seriously, could they have come up with a more British sounding name for a tech site?) posted a video of what is, according to them, a 23-inch Samsung OLED prototype computer monitor.

(Update: On Monday, May 4, I received an e-mail from a rep of Megawhat.tv claiming the site was misled and that the monitor in the video is in fact the Samsung P2370L, which is not an OLED monitor. The site claims it received the following quote from Samsung: "It has recently come to our attention that the Samsung P2370L Monitor we have displayed at the Grand Designs Show uses LED BLU rather than OLED technology. Samsung would like to apologise for any confusion caused. This error was caused by an internal miscommunication on our part and all press materials have since been amended to include these details.")

Looking at the video, the form factor seems to be based of on the recently released Samsung P2370, but unlike the P2370, which only includes a DVI connection, the OLED version also includes HDMI. According to the site that is.

OK, after I first posted this earlier this afternoon a colleague of mine pointed me to this site, where it claims that this video is a fake. I was dubious about the video myself mostly because i'd never heard of the site "Megawhat," the display looked way too similar to the P2370 I have sitting right here in my office and the fact that the video gives no real details about what would be a pretty significant display.

According to the Megawhat video (which comes complete with ample '90s MTV-style camera work), the alleged OLED monitor won't be going into production until sometime in 2010.

I'm awaiting an official comment from Samsung on whether this thing actually exists, prototype or not. I'll update this post when I hear back. Until then, check out the video and leave a comment on whether you think it's a fake or not.

Update: Although I haven't receive a response from Samsung, I have received ... Read more

See me, feel me, touch me.

(Credit: Asus)

Spotted at the German CeBit 2009 show was this interesting concept piece from Asus. It's a laptop with two displays, instead of a traditional screen and keyboard. The company calls it "a revolutionary dual-panel concept notebook," and says the design was inspired by "ideas contributed from users from around the world."

Using a Web site called WePC.com, consumers could submit and discuss ideas for innovative laptops, and many of the submitted ideas seem to revolve around multiple displays in a single unit.

These photos represent a stab at bringing one of these crowd-sourced ideas to life, but Asus warns that "the concept is still a work-in-progress which requires continued feedback."

This is how Asus describes the system:

The dual panel offers a flexible working space in which users can adapt to suit their prevailing usage scenarios, for example adjusting the size of the virtual touchpad and keyboard.

Through hand gestures, handwriting recognition, and multitouch, users are presented with a control surface that is both flexible and intuitive. Users can use the dual-panel concept in a myriad of usage scenarios, for example as a conventional notebook with multitouch screens, a virtual keyboard and touchpad; a multimedia hub, in which both dual panels could combine to form a larger display for widescreen entertainment; or an E-book mode in which users can hold the dual panel concept notebook just like they would a conventional book while flipping pages through intuitive gestures or by touch.

These concepts aim to bring convenience to the user through technological innovations and user-centric design.

More pics after the break. ... Read more

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Like a smaller, less-ornate version of the IdeaPad U110: That's my initial impression of Lenovo's new Netbook, which I saw in prototype form at a meeting this week.

What I saw was not quite the same as the IdeaPad S10 that will make it to the States come October--this was the 9-inch version for international markets--and it wasn't yet fully functional. Still, it was enough to get an idea of the look and feel of Lenovo's first Netbook. The glossy case, which will be available in red, black, and white, proved rather prone to fingerprint smudges. The light interior calls to mind past laptops from Apple and Averatec. And the overall size and shape reminds me of the Sony VAIO T350P from several years ago, with one key difference; while the Sony cost $2,300 when it was released, the IdeaPad's price will start at $399. (Now that's progress!)

In fact, I anticipate the primary drawbacks of the IdeaPad will be the same as the VAIO: The compact keyboard and screen are really too small for extended typing and viewing.

About twice as wide as an ink pen.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Then again, the IdeaPad's compact size--about that of a trade paperback--makes it ideal for basic computing while on the move.

When it's released in October, the IdeaPad S10 will include a 10.2-inch LED-backlit display, an Intel Atom processor, and Windows XP. A $399 model will include 512MB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive, and $449 will bump those specifications up to 1GB of memory and a 160GB drive.

(Credit: Fareastgizmos)

SMK has a prototype TV remote that tosses out the batteries, relying on kinetic energy instead to work.

According to the literature, the channels, volume control and On/Off power switch are controlled by working a trigger on the handle. When pulled, an electromagnetic induction coil rotates at high speed by means of gears. This, in turn, generates a current of 20-30mA--sufficient to change the channel via infrared light. Two consecutive pulls will turn the TV on or off, while volume control is activated by pulling the trigger and pushing a button simultaneously.

Of course, don't expect any fancy features on something this simple. It rather reminds me of the battery-less LG remote wand I have at home, which requires a few twists of the knob to operate each time.

So this gets my vote for being energy-efficient and doing its part for the planet. Though hopefully, by the time the commercial unit is out, it'll look less like a flashlight toy and more like something in keeping with the rest of the home A/V gear.

(Source: Crave Asia)

(Credit: eBay)

Eagle-eyed eBay watchers latched onto an auction this morning for a bizarre dual-screen laptop, made by a company called Xentex. According to the eBay page, this is a semifunctional prototype, but this system was actually sold briefly in 2003, as the $5,000 Flip-pad Voyager.

It features two 13-inch screens, side-by-side, and each screen can pivot around individually, like a convertible tablet. The whole thing looks to be about the size of an HP HDX desktop replacement.

(Credit: eBay)

Bidding is up to $405 right now, but the auction runs until May 29, so there's still plenty of time. Of course, you should note this isn't exactly a system that's ready to run out of the box.

The seller says, "This was a prototype and is missing some parts but does turn on so I have no doubt someone can make this work with the right skills...The keyboard is functional and it does type and you can enter the bios but I have not been able to go past that since I do not have a hard-drive cable (which appears to be a custom cable with 1mm pitch) and I do not have a CD-ROM for the unit. I have tried to getting it to boot of an external USB CD-ROM but it would not detect that."

Buyer, as they say, beware.

(Credit: Engadget)

NEC made a splash when it showed off its 42-inch curved display at CES earlier this year, but there are others in the works that make it seem downright puny. Take Shinoda Plasma, for example. The Japanese manufacturer has trotted out a 125-inch prototype that's not only flexible but just 1 millimeter thick and weighing only 8 pounds. It's reminiscent of that wraparound OLED screen we saw from Sony a year ago, though the plasma obviously uses different technology.

Shinoda's prototype falls a bit shy of a 142-inch promise it made last year, as Engadget notes, but the company says it will make up for that in the fall with a 150-inch version.

Our idea of the perfect use for it, if they can eventually improve on the 960 x 360 resolution: The "Motion-Pro II Simulator."