iGamer “For fuck’s sake, Mum. I asked for the appBlaster; not the fucking appWheel. You’ve totally fucked Christmas. No wonder dad’s shacked up with that 26-year-old stunner. I fucking hate you!”
I can picture it now. Christmas morning 2011 – surly, ungrateful teenager versus distraught, nonplussed mum. Not that I’ve even tried the appBlaster, but a cursory glance at manufacturer apptoyz’ website, and it appears the more promising of its two iOS gaming peripherals.
I’ve never had much truck with gyroscopic controls for iOS first-person shooters – extending both arms out and moving around real space looks and feels weird. But I imagine circling around my living room – I don’t do this sort of thing in public, you understand – with the iPhone seated as an iron sight could actually enhance the experience.
The appBlaster also implements a nifty physical double-triggers-to-touchscreen function, which might do the trick for those FPSs with adjustable button schemes, such as N.O.V.A 2. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Robot vacuum cleaners are becoming increasingly popular, with a few companies joining Roomba in the market over the last couple of years. Neato is the latest to offer a product in the UK, with the XV-15 which boasts laser mapping, and a powerful vacuum – some of the other models are careful to describe themselves as cleaners rather than vacuums, but Neato’s not so reticent.
Neato Robotics XV-15 vacuum cleaner
While the other models tend to be more or less circular, the XV-15 is squared off at one end – the front – and there’s a small raised section at the back, which houses the laser-based guidance system. Just to the right of that, there’s a small LCD display, with four buttons next to it, and a large start button. The buttons allow you to select cleaning mode, and schedule automatic cleaning. Read the rest of this entry »
Geek Treat of the Week Leaving your gadgets plugged in and charging has two drawbacks. One, you continue to draw juice when you don’t need it, to the general detriment of life on Earth. Second, it hardly helps with battery life.
As an HTC Desire HD owner, it’s the latter I worry about. Even with a perfectly healthy battery, the time between charges is alarmingly brief.
Enter the Green Zero MushRoom USB mains charger, complete with biodegradable recycled tubular card packaging. The idea behind this literally green gadget is simple: plug it in and it charges until your device is sated, then it cuts off the juice. Read the rest of this entry »
Accessory of the Week If you have an Apple iPad, the chances are you’ll have some kind of accessory to protect it. While a Jiffy bag would do, you’ll probably be inclined to consider something more enduring. Typing on a piece of glass has a few shortcomings too – not only the lack of tactile responsiveness but the fact that the virtual keyboard covers half the screen. iLuv‘s combination of keyboard and cover is an accessory that provides a stylish approach to these issues and has been revamped for the iPad 2.
The iLuv ICK826 fits the iPad 2 by simply sliding it into a leather frame that forms the inside of half of the book-style cover and then tucking in a tongue behind it. Strategically placed gaps and holes in the leather allow for the docking connector and Camera to be used in situ. Read the rest of this entry »
Accessory of the Week No question, the Octovo Solis is the snazziest clip-on e-book reader light I’ve seen, and possibly the one that’s the most practical to use too.
Strike a light
All it is is an oblong unit cut from aluminium with a plastic doobry on the bottom so it will sti neatly atop your reader. There’s a rubber pad inside the clip to ensure a snug fit, but it’s not spring loaded. Read the rest of this entry »
