debbiefromtoronto from the chat room joins The 404 today all the way from Canada. Of course, she brings her special Canadian goodies, like ketchup potato chips and Smarties, on to the show. Justin falls in love with her when he finds out that she has a bachelor's degree in printing! And she reveals that she was the one who actually coined the phrase "ear douching."
Why doesn't Wilson ever smile?
(Credit: Wilson G. Tang/CNET)On today's show, we touch on the iPhone OS 3.0 news. Mostly, Jeff takes credit for the shake-to-shuffle feature. While Wilson flips out over the new dock input/output features. We also speculate on the new iPhone revision this summer. Also, a really bad Chinese iPhone joke: Ping Guo i-Dian Hua San-Ge. Ask your Chinese friends what that means.
In other phone news, we get a little excited over Google Voice. Wilson was previously a Grand Central user, but may pick it back up now that Google Voice forwards SMS messages as well. Justin thinks about signing up for an account to call Debbie when she goes home to Canada.
Finally, a man gets shot while wearing a Joker costume. He was holding a shotgun. He wasn't shot for his lack of creativity. And in other shooting-related news, Sega breaks the record for most f-bombs in a video game for House of the Dead: Overkill. Apparently there are a 189 f-bombs.
EPISODE 301
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It's been quite some time since the glory days of the arcade light-gun shooter. One of the franchises that rested comfortably atop the seemingly endless list of such games was House of the Dead by Sega.
Surely anyone who has spent any time at an arcade is familiar with the name, including the various sequels that followed after the 1996 original. Since then, House of the Dead has found its way onto the home console, debuting in 1998 on the Sega Saturn.
Thanks to the unique control style of the Nintendo Wii, Sega has found a new home for the franchise. While House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return allowed for Wii owners to get a taste of classic arcade action, House of the Dead: Overkill looks to reinvent the series with a stylistic makeover.
The latest title has been built from the ground up, and along with developer Headstrong Games, we're now treated to a sort of grindhouse take on the series. We sat down with House of the Dead Overkill producer Omar Woodley to find out what other new directions Overkill has in store.
House of the Dead Overkill is available now exclusively for the Wii.
Nerf Vulcan EBF-25, the Maxim Gun of foam dart warfare.
Hasbro showed off its entire upcoming Nerf line at Toy Fair, including more about the fabled Nerf Wii blaster revealed last week. No longer just a photo and some passing speculation, the Nerf-branded Wii peripheral now has a name and even more details.
The Nerf Wii blaster is officially called the Switch Shot EX-3, and is part of the Nerf N-Strike line of blasters. The Switch Shot EX-3 functions both as a Wii remote Zapper-like gun peripheral and a Nerf dart blaster, thanks to a removable dart module that clicks into the remote slot. The lower half of the barrel stores two additional Nerf darts, and holds a Nerf N-Strike accessory rail. While it doesn't come with any accessories, the Switch Shot's N-strike rail makes it compatible with the Nerf Recon blaster's red dot sight or the separately sold N-Strike tactical light. The Nerf Switch Shot EX-3 is scheduled to ship in Fall 2008, and will retail for about $13 to $15. The blaster will also be shipped with the upcoming Nerf N-Strike game for the Wii, although Hasbro hasn't announced final pricing or packaging yet. EA and Hasbro are also developing a Nerf N-strike game for the Nintendo DS, though it's not yet known if it will ship with the Switch Shot blaster.
Hasbro also showed off the Nerf Vulcan EBF-25. While it doesn't double as a Wii accessory, the Vulcan stood out as one of the most extreme examples of Nerf warfare yet. The Vulcan is a tripod-mounted, motorized Nerf machine gun that uses an ammo belt and storage box to fire up to 25 Nerf darts without reloading. It runs off of 6 'D' batteries, and it also features an N-strike clip for using additional tactical lights, scopes, or sights. The Vulcan already seems like a fearsome Nerf gun, but its motorized system and pivoting tripod practically beg for some enterprising toy modder to drill, cut, and solder on some servo motors and make their very own Nerf sentry turret. The Nerf Vulcan EBF-25 ships in Fall 2008, with a retail price of $40.
(Credit:
Technabob)
As much as those indecipherable LED watches make us want to poke out our eyes, we're not sure this one is much better.
Timberland's HT2 looks like a watch that Picasso might have painted after an evening of debauchery, minus a misplaced eyeball or two. Then again, we're not exactly what you'd call outdoors enthusiasts, so our appreciation is somewhat diluted.
This steroidal sports watch has any number of functions that we'd never use, including an altimeter, thermometer, barometer, chronometer, tachymeter, and digital magnetic compasses (analog and digital), according to Technabob. And you can keep track of four time zones simultaneously while diving up to 100 feet under water. Just what everyone needs.
(Credit:
Sanrio)
You might've thought the World of Warcraft credit card was pushing it, but really, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
Upon encountering the Hello Kitty Platinum Plus Visa on ThisNext, I initially thought it had to be a joke. But, no, a quick amount of Googling revealed that it's legitimate. Sanrio really does offer a Hello Kitty credit card, so that you can hop around the world in search of all things pink and shiny. Now, not only will the ubiquitous cat be telling you that you're fat or making you toast, but she'll also be helping you run your finances into the ground!
Luckily, the rewards point system is refreshingly normal--you get Visa's usual WorldPoints, not any kind of wacky frequent flier miles on the Hello Kitty Jet or discounts toward a Hello Kitty robot of your very own. That'd be pushing it.
Act now, and you'll get a free Hello Kitty sequined change purse! (What, no Swarovski crystals?)
(Credit:
Sybarites)
In the hypercompetitive phone market, Nokia has apparently decided to take an Uzi-style approach and shoot at any design that moves. In the last few days alone, we've seen a "Powder Pink" model with a rotating display, a "Diamond Edition" in 24k gold and, now, a limited-run Lamborghini handset.
Like many other special editions, the stainless steel version of Nokia's 8800 Sirocco involves little change from the standard line other than some cosmetic effects, such as special Lamborghini ring tones. But Nokia does make one original claim, according to luxury blog Sybarites: "This phone features special Lamborghini made ball bearings in the slider mechanism." We'll take their word for it.
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