coasters

Haunted 3D Rollercoaster Rush Free is a free three-level preview of Haunted 3D Rollercoaster Rush, a Halloween-themed, 3D follow-up to the 2D arcade game Rollercoaster Rush. Like its predecessor, Haunted 3D Rollercoaster Rush has you controlling roller coaster cars on a series of architecturally outrageous tracks, over jumps, curves, loop-the-loops, and increasingly vertiginous drops.

The interface gives you two options for controlling your cars: you can tilt your device right or left to accelerate or brake, or you can use a touch slider to meter your speed. In each level's Play Track mode, you earn from one to three … Read more

The iPhone 3GS is already wooing game developers with its faster, more powerful platform, but don't expect a ton of games fully taking advantage of it to flood the App Store--yet.

Though 1 million iPhone 3GSs sold in one weekend, the latest Apple mobile device is essentially still a niche product, compared to the 40 million original iPhones, iPhone 3Gs, and both iPod Touch models already sold. And those won't be able to run games with the same efficiency and speed as the new iPhone 3GS.

In short, it's still too early to declare the era of iPhone 3GS games officially arrived. Some game makers are waiting, or not creating games to take advantage of the device at all. Some say it's "not wise" to play specifically to what is still a small slice of the audience combing Apple's App Store for the latest downloads. For example, Pop Cap, the company behind Peggle and Bejeweled for the iPhone, said its games are benefiting from the faster load times the 3GS offers, but it has no plans to create games that are iPhone 3GS-specific.

This wait-and-see approach may be contrary to what some expected. The iPhone 3GS was essentially an update to the iPhone 3G. The "S," we were told, stands for "speed." Indeed, there's a faster processor, a PowerVR SGX graphics chip that can handle 3D rendering, and support for OpenGL ES 2.0, a standard use for creating 2D and 3D graphics. It also has a magnetometer and a video camera, unlike other Apple mobile devices.

… Read more

Rollercoaster Rush Free is a free seven-level preview of Rollercoaster Rush, a fast-paced arcade game in which you pilot roller-coaster cars on a series of precipitous tracks through jumps, loop-the-loops, and other obstacles. The game lets you brake, accelerate, or (by doing neither) let the cars roll on their own, and the interface gives you two choices for control: either pressing the left or right side of the screen to brake or accelerate, or using your iPhone or iPod Touch's accelerometer for right and left tilt controls. Your brave passengers like a fast ride, which earns you smiley-face "… Read more

When you've got your good glasses out, you can't exactly label them to remember who's been drinking out of which glass. But what if you could label your coasters? That idea is one of the things that makes the Blackboard Magnetic Coasters a particularly useful place to set your drink. The coasters have cork backs, but the fronts have a special UV-coated vinyl covering that you can write on with regular chalk--and then wipe off with a damp cloth for the next time you want to use them. The "magnetic" in the coasters' name comes … Read more

Few coasters will go so far to protect your table tops as the Splat Stan Coaster. Nicknamed the kamikaze coaster, Splat Stan has caught so many coffee cups that he's now flat. He'll do whatever it takes to protect your desk or table from drink stains. The coaster was designed by Suck UK, a gift and accessory design company specializing in unusual items. Suck UK took the typical, plain coaster and turned it into a conversation starter. While most coasters are designed to blend into the background, the Splat Stan Coaster makes a point of being visible.

The … Read more

You may not need help determining if the beverage you are drinking is hot or cold, but some people might. Luckily, these coasters will tell you just what you need to know: red for hot, blue for cold. A light encapsulated inside the coaster changes to the appropriate color depending on the temperature of your drink.

Empirical evidence shows that there is a great need for temperature awareness in today's modern world. For example, we have specially designed beer packaging that tells us when the beer is cold (hint: it's when the mountains turn blue). And of course, … Read more

This really takes the stupidity cake. Looking at the first few pictures, I thought the "Skycycle" in Okayama, Japan, was a sort of bike-ride-meets-skyway. You know, something that you could pedal around on at a nice, leisurely pace to get a birds' eye view of sights on the ground. But, no. It's a roller coaster. You get on it, and you pedal, and you go wheeeeeee.

This is scary for a number of reasons. Okay, so it might be eco-friendly because it's all done by manpower. But personally, I like my roller coasters to be automated. … Read more

We have no problem with shredding pulp documents, but it's always felt wrong to break CDs and DVDs. For one thing, we've never been sure how to do it exactly. Do you use tools? If so, what kind? Breaking discs with your bare hands seems like an unnecessary risk of personal injury.

So it makes perfect sense that something like Elcom's "media crusher" would come along. Fareastgizmos reports that the crusher, which is powered by a USB connection, "takes only 5 seconds to permanently destroy" CDs and DVDs.

The device doesn't literally … Read more