DS 3D graphics: looking nice.

(Credit: Activision)

Did you think Modern Warfare 2 was all about 360 and PS3 headset smack-talking in front of a massive HD display and booming surround sound? No, there is another. With the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 came the less-heralded Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Mobilized, for the Nintendo DS.

Come on, admit you're curious. Want to know how it is?

First of all, this is obviously not a port of the MW2 game. It's not even close, and it doesn't try to be, either. Its name, Modern Warfare Mobilized, suggests it's a spinoff, and the storyline parallels different events and a different single-player campaign. Now, the good news: this isn't a simple licensing rip-off. Under the hood of MW Mobilized is a real 3D FPS, which should be familiar to anyone who's played the previous Call of Duty: World at War DS game. Visually and aurally, this just might be the pinnacle of Nintendo DS 3D gaming. That's not a huge compliment, but levels involve interiors, courtyards, overhead helicopters launching air strikes, at a distinctly slower and more linear pace than the console game, but with a decent level of production polish provided your expectations remain severely curbed.

Enemies emerge two or three at a time, and their death cries and animations bring to mind Doom more than Call of Duty, but the storyline is cinematically told and decent fun with headphones. Unfortunately, however, FPS control for the DS is a jerry-rigged nightmare. Using an all-too-familiar control scheme adopted by Metroid Prime Hunters and others, the D-pad controls basic movement and strafing, while the left shoulder button fires. Stylus movement on the lower screen replaces the right analog stick moves, and while it technically works, the setup leaves one's hands cramped and carpal-tunneled after just ten minutes.

Air attacks look great.

(Credit: Activision)

Multiplayer, both locally and even online over Wi-Fi, matches six players up in a few scenarios. We didn't play these modes as much because it was tough to find anyone playing, and local play requires each DS user to have a copy of Modern Warfare Mobilized. Needless to say, fellow colleagues hadn't even heard of the DS game, much less owned a copy. This problem doesn't occur when playing MW2 on Xbox Live, needless to say. But having multiplayer at all--with maps and different game modes as well, no less--is a huge coup for the DS. Not releasing this game for the PSP is somewhat of a surprise--Modern Combat Mobilized is a DS exclusive--especially since the PSP crowd seem like a better fit for this type of game. Still, the DS' larger market share speaks for itself, and it's debatable whether the PSP, or any other handheld, is any better for FPS controls.

While the DS' chief advantage over the iPhone is its set of physical buttons, those buttons fail utterly for FPS titles. It's a shame, because the Nintendo DS's biggest limitation isn't its graphics, but its lack of analog. The PSP isn't much better with only one analog stick and a four-way D-pad. If anything, Modern Warfare Mobilized made us realize how much we're looking forward to truly next-gen handhelds that are better capable to tackle online shooters. Sony and Nintendo (and Apple), we await that day eagerly.

Modern Warfare: Mobilized is available now for $29.99.

This "Eleven Commandments" bible mod came as something of a surprise--we always assumed God was an iMac user, given that he's such a creative chap. Click on the photo for more extreme case mods.

(Credit: Freezefreeks.de)

Before laptops, World War II, and dinosaurs, desktop PCs ruled the Earth. And they were dull. And they were beige. And nobody liked them.

Unsurprisingly, many users attempted to modify their desktop PCs in increasingly extreme ways. Some added stickers, others added flashing lights, while some--jobless students, mostly--pimped their rigs until they were utterly unrecognizable as PCs.

Today, we pay homage to those men and women of the modding scene by presenting to you the 20 most pimped-out case transmogrifications ever conceived. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will wonder why some of these people even bothered.

Above all, however, you will be thankful you bought a laptop.

Read more of "The 20 most extreme case mods of all time" at Crave UK.

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

When most shoppers think of "GPS" their minds immediately rush to TomTom and Garmin Nuvi, but there are other brands and models that also deserve a closer look, for example Magellan's RoadMate 1470.

Despite having a larger-than-average 4.7-inch color touch screen, the RoadMate 1470's slim profile makes it quite easy to fit into a pocket. After powering the unit on, we were pleased to find that the 1470 offers snappy performance and a well-designed interface that gives users a good deal of flexibility over their routing when they need it, yet still remains simple when they don't. Also, the RoadMate's capability to calculate multiple routes simultaneously makes it a great PND for map geeks and driving enthusiasts looking for the road less traveled.

However, our experiences with the RoadMate 1470 weren't all sunshine and lollipops; we ran into a few snags with both the onscreen keyboard and the poorly thought-out car cradle.

So how does the Magellan RoadMate stack up against the competition? Check out our full review to find out.

In the race for mobile phone profits, Apple has overtaken Nokia, according to figures for the latest quarter.

Apple earned $1.6 billion in the third quarter from the iPhone, outpacing Nokia's $1.1 billion cell phone profit to grab the top spot among all mobile phone vendors, said research firm Strategy Analytics on Wednesday.

(Credit: Strategy Analytics)

This is the first quarter that Strategy Analytics has seen Apple surge past Nokia in mobile phone profits, according to Alex Spektor, the author of the research, who spoke with CNET News.

The contest between Apple and Nokia for top phone profits has been tight in recent months. ... Read more

(Credit: 900Global)

I suck at bowling, and the only time I'll play this game is on the Wii in the comfort of my home without the guy in the next lane snickering at me. But it seems I can soon conquer my local bowling joint with this remote-controlled bowling ball from 900 Global.

The RC900 has an adjustable weight mechanism built within and it can shift around to swing the ball back to the right direction, and in my case, away from the gutter. But make sure you color the ball with some opaque paint, or else everyone will know what your magic is.

Does $1,500 justify the price? Well, if your dignity hangs on the last strike, go for it, champ. Just don't get caught with the controller in your hand.

(Source: Crave Asia via Newlaunches)

Martin Cooper, inventor of the mobile phone.

(Credit: LetsGo Mobile)

We've been accused (and mostly guilty) of saying a lot of heinous things on The 404, but we refuse to just rest on our laurels and accept these recent allegations of AGEISM. The accusation actually comes at a good time for the show, since the majority of the episodes this week have dealt with censorship, video game ratings, parental responsibility, and childhood development--why not throw ageism into the mix?

We intercepted a Call-From-The-Public from a 50-year-old man who jokingly accused us of being ageist, and we're not! The fact that Wilson appears to be 48 but is actually only 25 should be enough, right? I guess it doesn't help that the first story of the day is about Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone, who thinks that modern handsets are just "too complicated."

Cooper is a former Motorola engineer who's credited with inventing the handheld cellphone back in 1973. He isn't too happy about the current state of mobile handsets and actually imagines a future with "a number of specialist devices that focus on one thing that will improve our lives." Um, Mr. Cooper--we understand that it's been awhile since you were in the mix, but certain things have come to light...maybe we should start here.

iPhones Gone Wild

(Credit: Noupe)

After giving a brief rundown of each of our cell phone histories, we segue into the latest iPhone app to hit the streets, and big surprise, it's based on the wildly popular Girls Gone Wild series.

The GGW iPhone game is basically just a photo library of the starlets you see on the GGW TV show, but the game is a "test of resistance." In other words, the app asks you random trivia questions while attempting to distract you with 80 pictures of beautiful women in "warm weather clothing." Since this is the iPhone App Store, don't download the game expecting to see nudity, although it has been given a 17+ rating for suggestive themes.

Plenty more stories to get to, including a very awkward voice mail in Calls From the Public, and more details about Tony Hawk's appearance Monday, November 16. Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Video coming soon, check back later today!

Tokyoflash's latest series of slick designer wristwatches features lightweight aluminum construction, LED lights, and maddeningly confusing time displays.

(Credit: Tokyoflash)

The Kisai series inherits the qualities of previous incomprehensible Tokyoflash timepieces such as the Fire and the Pleasure Seeker, namely that users must spend hours deciphering their alien time-reckoning systems.

They certainly put one's brain to work. The Sensai model (right), which weighs 2.5 ounces and sells for about $233, tells the time after a button on its right side is pushed. The button first initiates a circular animation of colored LEDs.

When the animation stops, the hour is shown according to the number of red LEDs. So far, so good. When it comes to minutes, things get tricky.

Eleven green LEDs represent five-minute groups and four yellow LEDs represent single minutes. So, three green, two red, and two yellow equals 3:12. Clear as mud? There's a demo here.

To watch an explanation of how another Kisai model works, click the vid below (the speaker calls the watch a "friend maker").

Now if only Tokyoflash could come up with an impenetrable Mayan Apocalypse Watch, they'd corner the market for the 2012 doomsday set.

Two Pixar classics on Blu-ray for just $11. How can you go wrong?

Here's an interesting deal for anyone who has:

1. Children
2. A Blu-ray player
3. A nearby Target store
4. A love of Pixar films

With a little coupon magic, you can score the "Monsters, Inc." and "Up" Blu-ray combo packs for $10.98 (plus sales tax).

Each bundle has four discs: two Blu-ray Discs (one with the movie, one with extras), one DVD of the movie (bonus!), and one disc containing a DisneyFile Digital Copy (for viewing on, say, a laptop or iPhone).

Start by printing this $8 off "Monsters, Inc." coupon. You'll need to install a small app called Coupon Printer, but it appears to be harmless.

Next, print this $10 off "Up" coupon. It also requires Coupon Printer.

Finally, head to this Hot Coupon World post, scroll down to the Expiring November 25, 2009, section, and enter a '1' in the field next to "Blu-ray movies: "Up AND Monsters, Inc. together." Then scroll all the way down, click "Get Coupons," and print the coupon.

Now hop in the car and drive to your local Target. I'm not 100 percent sure they'll take all three coupons, but a blogger over at Frugal Find (source of this nifty deal) reported they had success using it.

As someone who has children, a Blu-ray player, a nearby Target store, and a love of Pixar films (particularly these two), you had better believe I'm looking for my car keys. How about you?

T-Mobile Tap

(Credit: T-Mobile)

T-Mobile is making good on its promise to release its new phones from the fall CTIA show by November. Last week, the carrier put the Nokia 3711 on sale, and Wednesday it offers the T-Mobile Tap.

The Tap is the first Huawei phone for T-Mobile. Its touch-screen design resembles a fair number of other T-Mobile phones, including the Samsung Highlight. Features include support for T-Mobile's 3G network, a 2-megapixel camera with video, a music player, a Web browser, GPS with TeleNav, stereo Bluetooth, messaging and e-mail, a speakerphone, and a personal organizer.

The Tap is available starting November 11 for $79 with a contract or $179 without a contract. You can get it in two colors: berry and midnight blue.