skateboards

Microsoft may be working on its own version of the Wiimote but, until it surfaces (so to speak), another wireless controller is heading for the Xbox 360. The only difference is you use your feet, not your hands.

Qmotions has cut a deal to develop versions of its skateboard controller for Microsoft's game console, according to I4U News. The company, which also makes controllers for golf, baseball, and other games, plans to release its "Big Air" full-size board for the Xbox in the second half of this year, possibly following up with other Microsoft-endorsed products.

As for … Read more

Danny Keith of Skateboards.com joins us to make fun of Blockbuster's proposed buyout of Circuit City. Then we'll talk about how Botox goes to the brain, and how a guy does the one thing you can't do in rugby. Plus, Jeff tells us about Comedy Central's Night of Too Many Stars.

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A new kid on the block named Vestalife is set to roll out a new iPod speaker dock at CES named Ladybug. Realizing that no self-respecting man will ever buy something called a Ladybug, Vestalife is partnering with Element Skateboards to create a limited edition version, clad in black, chrome, and skulls.

The Vestalife Ladybug includes two 1.5-inch tweeters that fold over the face of your iPod, making a tiny sonic cocoon for your precious MP3 player. The back of the Ladybug houses a single 3-inch sub, along with an auxiliary input, USB port, AV output, and an external … Read more

Now this is the kind of application that makes Bluetooth worthwhile.

We've observed the trend toward motorized skateboards with a combination of curiosity and dread, envisioning massive injuries caused by jet-fueled skater boys--especially those who get tangled in the wires connecting their remotes to the boards. But "GroundSurf" is a new three-wheeled model that's controlled by a "touchsreen Bluetooth mobile phone device" or, if you're really adventurous, by sensor pads embedded directly onto the board. ("You lean forward to accelerate, backward to slow down or brake," its Web page says.) The … Read more

Speak of the devil-board. Just as we were speaking of the hot competition in electric motorized skateboards, along comes another one from a U.K. company called Rok It Science.

The "Boom Borda" has specs comparable to such competitors as the "Metroboard" and the "E-Glide Powerboard," with a 400-watt motor and the ability to go 15 miles per charge, though it comes in slightly less than the others at $463.

But the real advantage, if it has one, is its graffiti-inspired design as seen on Gizmag. After all, when everything else is stripped away, … Read more

Don't look now, but some of the hottest competition in personal transportation may be coming from motorized skateboards. (On second thought, you probably should look now, for your own safety.)

Not long ago we featured the "E-Glide Powerboard," thinking it was a novelty item for oldsters like us trying to relive their reckless youth but without the same physical durability. But apparently the demand is more than just a whim if you ask the guys behind the "Metroboard," the latest to enter the market.

On paper, the Metroboard--made by a small start-up in Portland, Ore.… Read more

We've never been big on skateboards, but it probably has something to do with our age bracket. When we last tried riding them, they were made of split logs and stone wheels.

We might have given it more of a chance if we had one of these: the "E-Glide Powerboard," an electric skateboard. That's right, surfers aren't the only ones who deserve motorized boards; T3 says landlubbers can cruise in power-driven style with a plank of their own with a 400-watt motor.

It's a more than a little pricey at $514, but something tells … Read more

Almost as if on cue, just after we complained about robots of dubious value, we find two toys that we especially like. First was the iPod Transformer. (OK, so it's not a real robot, but we still want one.) Second is the "Plen," a Japanese invention that can actually skate around your desk and even do skateboard tricks on any flat surface, according to Popgadget. And before you choke on the price--$2,000--be sure to check out the YouTube clip. You might just change your mind.

A patent filing shows Sony may have its eye on building the younger, hipper version of the Segway scooter.

In November the company filed a patent for a skateboard, "which can travel in the front and back direction and which can turn by right and left wheels rotated when a rider riding on a step-board moves the position of rider's balance from the center of a vehicle base."

Like the Segway, Sony's futuristic skateboard would be steered by riders shifting their weight. The patent also says the board's electric motors would turn off automatically when … Read more