retro

AC/DC Pinball, for those about to rock

Have you ever tried buying an AC/DC album on iTunes? Don't bother. It's not there. Unlike those sellouts, The Beatles, AC/DC is too cool for that crap.

So what better way to honor the world's most tenaciously old-school rock gods than to give them their own pinball machine? I mean, it's about time someone showed The Who, that serious pinball geeks deserve a more rocking anthem than "Pinball Wizard."

The AC/DC Pro, currently in production by Stern Pinball, weighs in at a whopping 250 pounds, and can be yours for around $… Read more

Photo editing powerhouse

Photogene2 is the successor of a favorite photo-editing app of ours on iOS, and this completely rebuilt version is definitely worth checking out. To start off, a redesigned interface offers intuitive controls for exploring Photogene2's many editing options.

Photogene has a bunch of editing tools and effects you can use with your images. Either take a snapshot with your iPhone camera or grab an image from your photo library to get started. From there, the app features a radial menu on the bottom that divides up Photogene's main functions, including crop, rotate, color adjust, effects presets, and retouching … Read more

Crave 74: Chaotic neutral (podcast)

This week, our Crave team talks about treats for tweets, geeky furniture, intelligent bullets, and a way to strap your phone to your face. In Geek News, we have a new "Avengers" trailer, a discussion on good and evil, and the gamification of our lives.

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Great results if you work at it

Paper Camera offers up a unique photography experience using a cute interface to produce simulated hand-drawn results, but you'll need to select your shots carefully. The interface looks like a camera made from paper (appropriately), with hand-drawn arrow buttons for switching effects; controls for contrast, brightness, and line weight on the right side; and a save button in the lower right. You have the choice of taking shots directly with your iPhone camera (showing the effect in real time) or selecting an image from your photo library.

Paper Camera is a neat concept, but in addition to requiring you … Read more

Crave 73: Let's not turn this into a Warcraft thing (podcast)

This week, we have a giant NES controller perfect for Donald's purely hypothetical furry party. Plus, the creepiest robot baby yet, a turntable that plays trees, and a uncut "Star Wars" along with a cut-worthy Stormtrooper cake. In Geek news, Eric confesses that Star Wars: The Old Republic may be his new World of Warcraft.

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Crave 72: Laser sharks in 3D (podcast)

Fresh from CES 2012, Eric, Donald, and Bonnie wrap up all the best CES tech they missed during their week in Vegas. On deck is a touch-screen window, an R2-worthy 3D projector, Kinect-controlled skateboards, toilet tech, zombie tech, and of course, Geek News.

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Easy video effects apps for iOS

There are a ton of image-editing apps that add effects to your images, but what about video?

Anyone who uses an iPhone 4 or 4S knows the smartphone takes great-looking video, but your options are limited with the Apple app when it comes to adding effects. Don't underestimate the value of adding effects, either: a good effect can turn a mundane subject into a great video.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about adding effects to your videos. The first two have social components that let you share your completed videos and follow other users. The last is more specifically for adding effects, but is lacking when it comes to social components (and that may be exactly what you're after).… Read more

Crave 71: Princess Leia's dirty secret (podcast)

"Star Wars" is great, but "Star Wars" on your head is much better. The Crave team discusses this idea in depth in this first episode of 2012, along with Jell-O dispensers for grown-ups, StarCraft in Legos, and harmonizing hobbits.

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Crave 70: Buying back the '80s (podcast)

For our last Crave of 2011, Bonnie and Donald revisit the '80s with a retro Walkman case, bad Apple fashions, and a look at Crave photo submissions that have been Instagrammed into blurry, oversaturated works of art.

And whether it's by ground or by sea, Crave has the latest high-tech methods for risking your life in pursuit of fun. In Geek News, Lego goes LOTR, and Batman goes Lego.

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Retro rings: Sonic CD hits iOS in perfect form

Forgive my excitement, but Sonic CD just hit the iPhone--and it's only $1.99.

Sega has done some questionable things--to say the least--with the Sonic franchise, but Sonic CD isn't one of them. Sonic CD, despite the misleading title, isn't a soundtrack or a music game. It's one of the biggest, and best, side-scrolling old-school Sonic games ever made, but it was only available for the short-lived Sega CD, a CD-ROM add-on for the Sega Genesis (it also saw brief life in a 2005 Sonic compilation game for the GameCube and PS2). I actually owned a Sega CD, and Sonic CD was its best game by far--though technically that wasn't saying much.… Read more