Both practical and not-so-practical applications for the Wiimote have been around since Nintendo’s console launched, but this latest hack is quite possibly the oddest thus far. Ken Moore, tinkerer extraordinaire, has inexplicably converted the controller into a new-fangled theremin. By coupling IR-infused gloves with a JV-1080 synth and the Wiimote’s built-in Bluetooth, he’s been able get his PC to recognize the left hand position as volume, and the right hand position as pitch. Once the IR camera in the Wiimote sends the positioning info back to the PC, MIDI sends it to the synthesizer to create sound. Now, you could just pick up a copy of Guitar Hero or Rock Band if you wanted to casually riff on some classics, but if you’ve got an intrinsic urge to perform a rendition of the original Star Trek theme, this might be your speed. Peep the setup in video action after the break.
[Via Joystiq]
Continue reading Wiimote repurposed into theremin, Vincent Price’s ghost perks up
Filed under: Gaming
Wiimote repurposed into theremin, Vincent Price’s ghost perks up originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If this thing were coming from any source other than the legendary Eldar Murtazin of mobile-review, we’d go ahead and assume this was a knockoff nabbed off eBay for a few bucks — but amazingly, we think it’s the real deal. The dead-on-arrival burgundy slider with gold accents looks like it could’ve been part of a reinvigorated l’Amour series (or something along those lines), clearly putting styling at or near the top of its priorities — but it also steals the 6260 slide’s totally capable guts, which means it features a 5-megapixel camera, tri-band 3G, and a 480 x 320 display. If they had to choose between this and the 6260, the right model came out on top — but we gotta admit, it’s so far outside Nokia’s styling comfort zone that we find it tolerable in a really sick, twisted way.
[Via Daily Mobile]
Filed under: Cellphones
Canceled 5-megapixel Nokia slider almost looks like a fake originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Don’t be crazy alright? Just get your comment in below, because if you win this one, you’re walking away with a totally boss Zune 120 plus a sweet pair of those premium earbuds. You’d have to be crazy, stupid, or some lethal combination of both not to jump at this one. Now here’s how it’s done.
We’ll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we’re moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don’t forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.)
- Leave a comment below. That’s it! Who loves you, baby.
- You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You can enter different giveaways in today’s Black Friday giveaways, but you can only enter this one once.
- If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
- Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers or US contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly.
- Entries can be submitted until the next contest goes up. After that we’re all done. Good luck!
- Full rules can be found here.
Last round’s winner: hammerhead_12! (Remember, winners are selected at random.)
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Black Friday Giveaways (part 6): Zune 120 and premium earbuds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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As far as PMPs off the beaten path go,
Energy Sistem’s always seem to be a slight cut above the rest, and it’s new 4040 Touch looks to be no exception, with it packing some reasonably high-end features into a bargain-priced but not too cheap-looking package. That includes a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot for further expansion, a built-in microphone, an FM tuner, support for most of the usual audio and video formats, and even support for Microsoft’s
PlayFX, all for a fairly reasonable €120, or about $150. If that’s more than you need, the company apparently also recently rolled out its 5020 and 5021 models, which drop the touchscreen and cut the storage down to 4GB, and the price down to €85, or just over $100. Just don’t be too surprised if they wind up looking slightly less polished that Energy Sistem’s photos.
[Via PMP Today]
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Energy Sistem rolls out 4040 Touch PMP originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Now come on, this is some seriously sweet stuff. The multi-function Archos 5 (now with updated firmware which the company says addresses a handful of issues we had) is a choice deal unto itself, but toss in that DVR Station, and we think it’s clear just how serious we are about holiday cheer. If you don’t throw your hat in the ring for this one, you may just be faking a love of gadgets. Want to make this happen? Here’s how it works.
We’ll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we’re moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don’t forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.)
- Leave a comment below. That’s it! Who loves you, baby.
- You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You can enter different giveaways in today’s Black Friday giveaways, but you can only enter this one once.
- If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
- Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers or US contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly.
- Entries can be submitted until the next contest goes up. After that we’re all done. Good luck!
- Full rules can be found here.
Last round’s winner: Curt! (Remember, winners are selected at random.)
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Black Friday Giveaways (part 4): Archos 5 and DVR Station originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mmm, the Archos 7. Seven full inches of touchscreen loveliness, just waiting to be caressed as you slide over your favorite artists one by one. Poor attempts at seduction aside, this magnificent piece of PMP has been spotted in the wild over at ArchosLounge, and the lucky soul who managed to acquire it even took the time to spill his impressions… in French. From what we could gather via the wonders of Google Translator, the Archos 7 wasn’t actually a surefire upgrade for those with the 5, particularly not at the listed price. Still, the unit brought a lot of smiles to the face of the owner, and we’re pretty sure it’ll do the same for you. Click the read link for a few more looks.
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Archos 7 acquired in the wild, critiqued in French originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Over at the Engadget household today, we staffers have gathered around a cornucopia of good eats, good gadgets, and most importantly, good times. When it came time to list all the things we were thankful for, our readers were undoubtedly the top choice. And with Ask Engadget questions like this one, can you really blame us?
“I’ve been listening to your podcast since the day you reintroduced it and I really like it, but I have a hard time understanding what you’re saying when I’m in the subway. So I’d like to know what are the best noise-suppressing headphones I could get for around $150. Either that, or you could just ask Nilay to speak louder… thanks a lot!”
We’ll be sure to pass the word to Nilay (he’s a bit busy with the pumpkin pie at the moment), but for all of you overstuffed individuals out there, how’s about giving Gabriel an answer he’ll appreciate? Afterwards, send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.
Filed under: Portable Audio
Ask Engadget: Best noise-canceling headphones? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The biggest problem with a new scheme — particularly one involving you, technology and the TSA — is the very real fear that introducing something fresh into a traditional system will create more havoc than good. As Grant Martin of sister blog Gadling discovered, there’s a reason that belief exists. Upon realizing that he could utilize a mobile boarding pass on his flight from Detroit to New York, he excitedly pulled up a one-time use QR code on his iPhone and shuffled through to security. Upon reaching the checkpoint, he was greeted by a less-than-enthusiastic boarding pass checker who seemed to take entirely too long to send him onward; at the next step, the agent seemed miffed and discomposed by the fact that the passenger couldn’t simultaneously rid himself of all electronics and keep his boarding pass on his person while passing through the metal detector. In the end, Mr. Martin concluded that the system holds a lot of promise, but it’s still going to take some time before everyone else working at the airport adjusts to the year 2008.
Filed under: Transportation
Cellphone boarding pass gets tested, experience gets journaled originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple’s Black Friday sales have appeared on their Australian site, giving us a little insight into the ‘deals’ we in the US can possibly expect tomorrow. It looks like the biggest cut will be on the new MacBooks and iMacs — up to $100 off, with some smaller discounts on iPods and the Apple TV. Everything else falls pretty much in line with what we’ve seen in
previous years. It’s nothing terribly exciting or unexpected for sure, so if you were thinking about busting down the doors in search of a $7 iPhone tomorrow morning, you might want to cuddle in for a few extra winks instead.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Portable Audio
Apple’s completely unsurprising Black Friday deals appear on Australian site originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Oh boy, it’s almost here (we think). If we’re reading the machine translated text correctly, then Cowon’s S9 Curve, first revealed in August, is expected to land in the US mid-December. No price was listed for the 8GB / 16GB audio and video player with a 3.3-inch, 480 x 272 pixel AMOLED display and Bluetooth. Cowon is, however, pushing the player’s BBE technology (like that found in the A2) meant to doctor the sound quality. Nothing official on the rather pathetic Cowon America website, but we’ll let you know just as soon as something pops.
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Cowon S9 Curve launching in the US mid-December with balls to spare originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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