resort

With Airbnb for Android, you can easily search for unique accommodations while on the go. If you have an account already set up, you can edit your profile, add favorite properties, and, of course, book a room. If you don't have an Airbnb account, you can still search through listings.

If you're not familiar with Airbnb, it's a marketplace where people can list and book unique accommodations around the world. Think vacant Manhattan apartment while its owner is away, or quirky London flat while it's not in use. In short, Airbnb is all about offering and … Read more

Amazon and Vudu both launch full-featured Web apps for Apple's iPad to avoid the "Apple tax" and, in Amazon's case, so that they can actually have a link to their store in their mobile experience. Is Apple accidentally driving people toward a device-agnostic tech future? I hope so! Also, Nokia is out of North America, we're planning our visit to the Star Trek resort, and more Bronies than expected listen to BOL!

The Wrath of Khan is soon to be offset by the joy of Jordan. Perhaps the world's richest Trekkie, King Abdullah II of Jordan, has given the green light and some cash from one of his namesake funds to build a $1.5 billion dollar Star Trek-themed resort in his Kingdom. King Abdullah is a well-known Trek fanatic who once appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager."

The resort is part of a larger development, the Red Sea Astrarium at the port of Aqaba, which will take up a reported 184 acres. The Developer, Rubicon Group Holding, announced a licensing deal with CBS to include a Star Trek center in the resort, one of at least a dozen other themed sections (disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET). The entire development is also expected to be eco-friendly, a theme that complements the Trek ethic as well as the corporate messaging.… Read more

If you were following along with our live blog this morning, you know the big news: the Nintendo 3DS is coming March 27 for $250. But what about the games? A dozen or so titles were ready for some hands-on action this afternoon, and we got a chance to play the majority of them. Nintendo also showed us some of the built-in software that'll be on every 3DS, including the Mii Maker and AR Games.

The following titles will see launch-day or launch-window releases, between March 27 and E3 2011, according to Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime.

Mii Maker Miis are coming to the 3DS, and the Mii Maker app is preinstalled to allow for their creation. Better yet, the front-facing camera can be used in tandem to help make the process a bit more accurate. When we tried it out, the resulting Mii was a bit insulting, but after a few minor tweaks it actually did resemble our photo. Creating Miis from scratch is just like the Wii experience we're all used to.

AR Games AR Games (augmented reality games) will use a Nintendo playing card to manipulate the world through the 3DS' cameras. We had some time with a simple target-shooting game, and the effect is pretty impressive. Even better, the game requires the player to move around the virtual play space as well, adding a whole new dimension to the experience.

Steel Diver Once a tech demo, Steel Diver is getting the full game treatment at launch on the 3DS. Players control a submarine by using touch sliders that control height and acceleration. Torpedos can also be fired at oncoming obstacles, but the section of the game we played focused more on avoiding colliding with the ocean floor.

Kid Icarus Uprising After about 10 minutes with Kid Icarus Uprising--the very game Nintendo debuted the 3DS with at E3 2010--we're anticipating that the control scheme might be this title's biggest hurdle. We played two parts, one that felt like an on-rails shooter, the other a sort of modified third-person action segment.… Read more

A few months before its five ski resorts open for the season, the Colorado-based Vail Resorts has unveiled a preview of something called Epic Mix, a set of Web and mobile apps based on skiers' activity as logged by radio frequency (RF) readers around its resorts.

It'll go live when the first of Vail's resorts, Keystone, opens for the season in early November. Vail Resorts' season passes and lift tickets are already RF-enabled, but with Epic Mix, interested skiers can unlock "pins" in the manner of Foursquare badges, get ranked on a vertical-feet leaderboard, post all manner of ski-related updates to Facebook and Twitter, and--via a mobile app--see their friends' activity on the slopes in real time so that it gets way easier to meet up for beers at the lodge. There's also a kid-oriented site for children under 13, which limits sharing to the kids' parents and has its own set of kid-friendly pins.

A skier can turn off RF functionality entirely if he or she so chooses, the company explained.

Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a New York press event Monday that the company had ruled out partnerships with existing "check-in" companies, or an emulation of those services, because of the fact that he said they did not want to require any additional behavior to participate--"We don't think that works while you're on vacation," he said.

… Read more

What can a game company facing outdated hardware, aggressive and innovating competitors, and game-changing newcomers do to stay afloat in the video game business?

Well, how about getting official American Heart Association branding?

While it may come as a surprise to no one, Nintendo on Monday announced that it has formally partnered with the American Heart Association to promote active play through its Wii and Wii Fit gaming hardware.

What does that mean, exactly? In the long run, Nintendo is promising an upcoming summit with medical, self-help, and other industry professionals to help tackle issues of physical activity in children … Read more

If you haven't yet pulled the trigger on a Nintendo Wii system, you should pat yourself on the back for waiting.

Originally $249, the Wii is currently on sale at Wal-Mart for $179. (Sales tax will run you a few bucks more, of course, and shipping adds around $7 unless you take advantage of free site-to-store shipping.)

The console normally sells for $199, so right off the bat you're saving $20. But wait, there's more: This deal includes a free game. And not some crummy bargain-bin title, but your choice of 13 top sellers.

To my thinking, … Read more

Nintendo is dangling a new incentive for Wii purchases.

Starting May 9, the company will include its Wii Sports Resort game and MotionPlus controller with new consoles--with no price increase.

The Sports Resort and MotionPlus bundle sells separately for $49.99.

The Wii, which will continue to sell in the U.S. at its current price of $199, will also be offered with a new black finish. The black version will be bundled with black controllers.

Each Wii package--whether black or traditional white--will still also include the Wii remote control, a Nunchuk controller, and the Wii Sports title.

Sports Resort … Read more

A photo of a leaked GameStop circular hints at a brand-new black Wii bundle coming in May. Apparently an employee of the game retailer tipped off Kotaku saying the advertisement came along with instructions to hold the information until May 4.

Nintendo has told us the company refuses to comment on rumor or speculation, but it does seem a bit ridiculous that someone would go out of his way to forge an ad detailing the black console. Fanning the flames even more comes word that a subsequent corporate e-mail was sent out warning GameSpot employees to keep information about products … Read more