Man Transforms car into a robot

Xbox Travel Case

Have Xbox 360, will travel? Why yes, and while that particular console isn't one I usually associate with the jet-set crowd, this GAEMS suitcase allows one to do just that. Now, about that power brick...

As in, where the heck does it go? There's no way its massive bulk is fitting in that case alongside the Xbox 360 and the 720p LCD screen and speakers, so does that mean you have to buy a second GAEMS power brick suitcase too? And how does the screen get its juice? It can't be magic, can it? I mean, Steve Jobs patented that power source when he spontaneously created the iPad from the ether.

Then there are the ever-important the controllers. Perhaps there's a GAEMS controller fanny pack forthcoming that we just don't know about yet. Perhaps.

In any event, the suitcase arrives later this year for $250. Yes, that is correct. A suitcase that's only big enough to carry the console and not the controller or power source that drives it is as, or nearly expensive as, the console it contains. Bon voyage!

Toshiba Libretto W100

The Libretto has the specs of a halfway decent ultraportable: a 1.2 GHz Pentium U5400 processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 62GB SSD, a USB port and a microSD slot. But that body isn't really like anything else, unfolding to reveal two 7-inch multitouch displays. The screens can either be used together or independently meaning one web page can span the whole device, or be sequestered on top while the bottom is filled with email, documents, or an on-screen keyboard.

Speaking of which: the Libretto has fully six different keyboard options to choose from, including a split solution that looks far more comfortable to use than what's we've seen so far in tablets.

Toshiba Portege R700 Laptop

All those ultraportables using Intel's ULV Core processors just got taken to school: Toshiba's Portégé R700 is as light as a MacBook Air, nearly as powerful as a MacBook Pro, and measures an inch thick with a DVD drive. Standard.

Putting a full voltage processor in such a thin and light frame really is a neat trick, one that Toshiba accomplished in part with something they're calling Airflow Cooling Technology. And while most companies are stripping ultraportable notebooks of their DVD drives—usually citing space and weight issues—Toshiba's managed to keep theirs in a laptop that starts at three pounds.

Wi-Fi Available for 150 Bucks !

Good news all around for those of you considering a nook. An all-white, Wi-Fi only version, which leaked a bit early, goes on sale today for $150. That sounded pretty exciting...before the 3G version simultaneously dropped by $60.

That's right, the classic nook is now $200. From what we can tell, the only three differences between the $150 Wi-Fi nook and the $200 3G nook are:

• connectivity (Wi-Fi vs 3G, duh!) and
• cosmetic (the Wi-Fi has a white back, the 3G has a grey back)
• imperceptible weight (Wi-Fi runs 11.6 ounces while the nook 3G is 12.1 ounces)

To me, the $50 premium would be worth ensuring that I have perpetual, free access from anywhere, though a $100 nook Wi-Fi would be the eBook reader to really sell me...if such a thing is possible in the rising era of tablets.

Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds AG-AF1000 Camcorder

When we first got wind of Panasonic's AG-AF100 micro four thirds camcorder back in April, it sounded more like the rough sketch of a good idea. Now that Panasonic's filled in some of the blanks, you can color me excited.

Specifically, the AG-AF100 will shoot AVCHD at 1080p and 720p at frame rates of 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25 or 23.9p and have two SDXC card slots on which you can record up to 12 hours of footage. It'll also come equipped with XLR and HD-SDI sockets standard.

The best news of all may be that you can also use any of Panasonic's G series micro four thirds still lenses with the AG-AF100. That gives you a huge range of lenses to choose from on a relatively—we're talking about $6,000—affordable rig. Even though it's targeted for professional use, it looks like a treat for those semi-professionals with some money to burn

The Force Unleashed II

May the Fourth be with you, and I couldn't imagine a better time for LucasArts to nail down a late October release date for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.

While I'm sure most of you would have preferred celebrating unofficial Star Wars Day by playing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, at least now fans of Starkiller's covert operations have a date to focus their Force-powered anticipation upon. October 26 is when Darth Vader's secret apprentice takes his next romp through the Star Wars universe, participating in massive, story-changing encounters in such a ways as to not ruin continuity in the original trilogy.

I mean, any more than it's already been ruined.

The news comes by way of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Facebook page, though if it helps you can imagine it was delivered via shimmering hologram projected from from an R2 unit.

The game will be available October 26 for the Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, and PSP. We expect to see a lot more of The Force Unleashed II come E3 2010 next month.

Air Force's Falcon Hypersonic Glide is LOST

The Air Force's Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2—designed to attack global targets at Mach 20—has disappeared nine minutes into its first test flight, just after separating from its booster. Contact was lost, and it hasn't been found yet.

The Falcon was supposed to splash down in the Pacific Ocean after a 30-minute, 4,100-nautical-mile test flight. Not to be confused with the unmanned X-37B space shuttle—which launched on April 22—the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 blasted off last week from the Vandenberg Air Force Base on a Minotaur IV rocket.

Instead of completing its flight, however, the Air Force lost all contact with the aircraft. According to DARPA's Johanna Spangenberg Jones:

Preliminary review of data indicates the HTV-2 achieved controlled flight within the atmosphere at over Mach 20. Then contact with HTV-2 was lost. This was our first flight (all others were done in wind tunnels and simulations) so although of course we would like to have everything go perfectly, we still gathered data and can use findings for the next flight, scheduled currently for early 2011.

Just that: The telemetry data signal vanished, and the aircraft is nowhere to be found. Being a semi-secret project, nothing else has been disclosed. The only logical explanations are 1) a massive structural failure, 2) Nazi UFOs or 3) somebody lost it in a beer garden. I will pick number two for the time being.

The hypersonic glider is built by Lockheed Martin under a DARPA program. It's designed to launch conventional weapons against any target in the planet in just one hour. This capability makes it a perfect substitute for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Unlike ICBMs loaded with conventional heads, the plane can't be mistaken with a nuclear missile, so it won't make other nuclear powers to hit the red button.


Ok, you can lose a pair of car keys, you can even lose your phone, but how does someone ljavascript:void(0)ose track of a gigantic jet. I hope some random person did not come across it and wants to take it for a joy ride.

China's 21 Foot Tall Baby

This is just strange and creepy. This was made by the people who made Alien vs Predator.

Ever Wanted to Know What Are Some The Android Aps Are?

Well here they are. Brought to you by Gizmodo.





http://gizmodo.com/tag/androidappsdirectory

Eh Parental Control, the folder art is amazing

This ad for Latinworks' Parental Control Bar urges parents to protect their kids from the seedier sides of the internet. But if you're going to organize your folders like that, what the hell do you expect?

I dont know about the Parental Control Bar but that picture took some serious skill. haha

Ice Discovered On An Asteroid, Suggests That Earth's Ocean May of Come From Space

Water ice and organic molecules have been discovered on an asteroid's surface for the first time. Researchers glimpsed the ice on 24 Themis, a frosty rock that could be the key to understanding how Earth became the blue planet.

"What we've found suggests that an asteroid like this one may have hit Earth and brought our planet its water," said astronomer Humberto Campins of the University of Central Florida, the lead of one of the two separate teams that reported similar findings April 28 in Nature.

While there is plenty of debate around how Earth got its oceans, this new evidence suggests some of the water came from extraterrestrial sources. Here's how it may have happened: More than four billion years ago, after a massive collision between Earth and another large object created the moon, our planet was completely dessicated. Then, during the Late Heavy Bombardment period that followed, during which lots of asteroids hit Earth, the ice that the objects carried became our store of water.

"The more we find in our asteroid belt objects that do have water, the more convinced we are that that was a possible process to rehydrate the earth," said NASA astrobiologist Mary Voytek.

The ice on Themis 24 could be a sort of time capsule from the early solar system and could be similar to the ice that may have arrived on Earth from asteroids during the Heavy Bombardment.

"The ice that we see there, right now, is sort of related to the ice that could have come from the main asteroid belt that hit us about 4 billion years ago," astronomer Henry Hsieh of Queen's University Belfast told NPR. "It gives us a way to kind of probe the cousins of the asteroids that hit us and probably gave us water in the early stages of the Earth's formation." Hsieh wrote a commentary that accompanied the stories in Nature.

The presence of ice and organic molecules on the surface of an asteroid is the latest in a string of discoveries that collectively indicate water ice is a more common substance than we might have thought. In just the past few years, scientists have confirmed the presence of ice at the moon's north pole as well as beneath the surface of Mars.

That is crazy stuff. Imagine if we actually found out how the world started.

Ever Wanted to Know What Would happen If You Brought The Iphone to 9gs?

What happens when you take an iPhone up in an F16 fighter jet for a few dog fights, bringing it up to speeds of 9Gs? The pixels start to melt off the screen. Badass.

Microsoft Courier is No More

According to sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft has cancelled Courier, the folding, two-screen prototype tablet that was first uncovered by Gizmodo.

We're told that on Wednesday, Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer Microsoft execs informed the internal team that had been working on the tablet device that the project would no longer be supported. Courier had never been publicly announced or acknowledged as a Microsoft product.

It appeared from the leaked information last year that a Courier prototype was probably near to completion. The combination of both touch- and pen-based computing was compelling. Perhaps the strong launch of Apple's iPad, currently the only available "mobile tablet" from a major vendor, caused Ballmer to reassess the commitment of Microsoft in a soon-to-be-crowded market.

We contacted Microsoft, who confirmed that Courier will not go into production. Microsoft Corporate VP of Communications Frank Shaw told us:

At any given time, we're looking at new ideas, investigating, testing, incubating them. It's in our DNA to develop new form factors and natural user interfaces to foster productivity and creativity. The Courier project is an example of this type of effort. It will be evaluated for use in future offerings, but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.

It is a pity. Courier was one of the most innovative concepts out of Redmond in quite some time. But what we loved about Courier was the interface and the thinking behind it—not necessarily its custom operating system.

In fact, it makes sense for Microsoft to continue to trim away splinter versions of its core operating systems and focus on Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 unity across all its devices. Hopefully some of the smart thinking we have seen in Courier will find its way into Microsoft's tablets, whether they're powered by Windows 7 or Windows Phone 7.

If we hear anything more, we'll let you know. As always, feel free to contact me if you have additional details.

Japanese Scientists invent Elastic Water

This is "elastic water," a substance researchers have created in Japan that's 95% water yet retains a jelly-like texture that's perfect for sticking tissues together.

The stuff is made by adding two grams of clay and "a small quantity of some organic matter" to regular old water. And if they're able to figure out how to increase its density, it could produce eco-friendly plastic materials. Also, I bet it feels real weird when you squeeze it.

I wonder how it keeps its shape from such a small amount of the clay they are adding. It is still awesome.

Desktop Microwave Concept

This is an awesome concept. You would be able to eat anywhere, it would make people more hefty from eating so much though.

Next Mars Rover to Include 3D Camera thanks to James Cameron

The new camera will sit on top of Curiosity's mast filming at ten frames per second in high definition 3D video. It will share space with the Mastcam 100, a fixed 100-millimeter camera (above) and the Mastcam 34, which offers a wider angle at a fixed 34-millimeter (below). The 3D eyes were originally scrapped from the project because of budget cuts. Cameron talked with Bolden and made the perfect case: It will make the public connect better with the mission. Cameron is right. NASA should do a better work at marketing their science to normal people. High definition three-dimensional video could be perfect to transmit the magnificent desolation of Mars' surface. The best thing next to actually going there.

This is awesome, there will be new perspective of looking at Mars.

A Tripod That Levels it Self

Four years in the making, the Acadalus tripod head uses motors and an inclinometer to relieve you of fiddling and make sure your shots are absolutely, positively straight. Of course, that perspectival perfection comes at a price: $5000.

Not everyone needs instant leveling at the touch of a button. But for those who do, Acadalus CPS-H1 will do the trick. PDN Gear Guide verifies that the Acadalus, which is made in Switzerland and modeled after flight simulators, levels shots perfectly at the touch of a button, as promised.

In addition to the $5000 Acadalus studio kit, the 2800 mAH 18.5 V lithium ion battery will run you $500, a worthy investment if you want to use its self-leveling powers when you're shooting with your tripod on uneven ground. And compared to the rest of your setup, that's probably pocket change anyway. [Acadalus via Wired via Crunchgear]


Pretty cool idea, I like the fact it levels it self out so you can get some fast camera shots.

Just Cause looks like a Fail

I will give it a 5/10

COOL GUNDAM STATUE!

When residents of Shizuoka were trying to figure out how to top last summer's Gundam statue, they did the obvious. Look for the new, lightsaber version this summer (OK, technically "beam saber"—but we know the truth)

AWESOME NEW GAME COMING THIS FALL!

This is pretty cool.

CELL PHONE RADIATION INCREASING!

Cell phone radiation. Some consider it a heath-hazard of paramount importance. Others couldn't care less. Whichever camp you're in, there's some perverse satisfaction in clicking through CNET's countdown to see which is the most mind-melting gadget on the market.

PILLS FOR MEMORY!

Researchers have discovered that increasing production of a protein called RGS-14 could significantly boost visual memory. They are currently investigating the exact effects on humans, but all I can think is: Photographic memory in pill form.

Sure, we don't really know how the human brain would be affected, but there are certainly great results with mice already:

Mice with the RGS-14 boost could remember objects they had seen for up to two months. Ordinarily the same mice would only be able to remember these objects for about an hour.

The only trouble if similar effects occur in humans and if the magic memory pill of my dreams could be created is that there would have to be a counterpart for forgetting. Because sometimes there are things you really don't want to remember all too well or all too long.

I wonder if their are side affects to taking too many. But it is a pretty cool pill.

GOOGLE MAY STOP CENSORSHIP

Google and China's dirty laundry has been airing in public since mid-January when Google refused to continue censoring search results in the country. A resolution could be nearing though, with Google rumored to be pulling censorship this month.

Their clash of values has been well-publicized, with Google halting the release of certain Android phones and even canceling a developer event over there. Eric Schmidt from Google warned that "something will happen soon," with the Wall Street Journal claiming sources have tipped them off that they may stop censoring search results this month.

Li Yizhong, a Minister of Industry and Information Technology in China, responded with "if you don't respect Chinese laws, you are unfriendly and irresponsible, and the consequences will be on you" when asked about how China will retaliate if Google stayed true to its word.

However, the rather boring (for spectators, at least) conclusion might just be for Google to work with individual agencies and sectors within China, censoring and un-censoring as they see fit. [WSJ via Reuters]


NO CENSORSHIP!!! YAY!

TABLE WITH FOLDABLE KEYBOARD!

This may be a concept, but I want someone to actually make it for any present or future tablet out there: An optional foldable keyboard that acts as phone handset. This is how the it works:
The keyboard is physically independent from the tablet itself, just a peripheral device that you can carry around folded in your pocket. However, it doesn't have any independent functionality. It can only work while connected wirelessly to the tablet. And that's the beauty of it: I can imagine myself carrying the iPad 3G on my backpack, ready to receive calls, and then this cellphone-keyboard in my pocket. In fact, if you add a full screen to its outer shell, it could even act as a secondary display for the tablet.
THIS IS AWESOME!

Click here to find out more! New York, 4:01 PM Wed Mar 10 52 posts in the last 24 hours FR | IT | DE | SP | JP | AU | BR | PL GIZMODO TEAM Tip Your

I spoke to Imagination Technologies—maker of the PowerVR chip that powers smartphones like the iPhone, Droid and many others—and they said, definitively, that you'll have graphics comparable to the PlayStation 3 in 3 years.

They know this because these are the chips they're designing right now. The way the development process works for phones is that Imagination comes up with a chip, which they license, and that works its way through development cycles and people like Apple or HTC, which then incorporate them into their phones, which they in turn have to productize and bring to market. The whole thing takes three years. But in three years, says Imagination, you're going to have a PS3 in your pocket. And that's not just running at the 480x340 resolution that most phones have now, that's PS3-esque graphics on 720p output via HDMI to a TV. Hell, some phones in three years will have a 720p display native.

But there are going to be some interesting things between now and then. Imagination is still working on support for the products out now—the chips in the iPhones and the Droids and the Nokias that use PowerVR. The two most interesting things are Flash acceleration in hardware and OpenCL support, which enables GPGPU computing.

I love the graphic concepts.

NEW MOTION ARC CONTROLLER FROM PLAYSTATION

While PlayStation still hasn't confirmed whether its motion controller will be called the Arc, the rumor mill has gone one step further this week with a forum-poster claiming it'll work alongside a Wii-like nunchuk.

GDC is kicking off over in San Francisco this week, so if ever there was a venue to announce a new add-on—or even confirmation of the name—that would be it.

The forum-poster at NeoGAF, by the name of Ichinisan, reckons the pictures he saw of the nunchuk included an analog stick, plus X and O buttons, along with L1 and L2 buttons under the D-Pad. The wand-shaped Arc meanwhile apparently has "one very big button on top" (no word if s/he meant the big glowing globe, or something else), and X, O, triangle and square buttons. The trigger is the 'T' command, according to this mysterious poster—who could very well be full of shit, as he's just a junior member of the forums. He does comment that "it's actually long, not like the Wii Nunchuk"—which measures 22.9 x 17.8 x 5.7cm. [NeoGAF via VG247 via TechRadar]

Send an email to Kat Hannaford, the author of this post, at

CEILING PAINTED BY LIGHTS!

At the moment, our choice of lighting is fairly committal. We drill holes in our ceilings for permanent placements of bulbs. But LEDs open all sorts of other possibilities. It's not hard to imagine a ceiling covered in RGB LEDs, like Seo Dong-Hun's Draw the Lights concept. Equipped with a few sensors, a laser (or IR) pen could "paint" an array of light, allowing you to customize your entire living space in a manner not unlike a Philips LivingColors lamp...only a lot more immersive. [Red Dot via Yanko Design]

NOT ANOTHER CALL OF DUTY!

Publisher Activision announced today new "strategic plans" for the Call of Duty franchise, announcing a new developer for the shooter franchise and confirming the departure of key Infinity Ward staffers.

Activision announced it will form a "dedicated [Call of Duty] business unit that will bring together its various new brand initiatives with focused, dedicated resources around the world." It plans to expand the Call of Duty brand "with the same focus seen in its Blizzard Entertainment business unit" placing a focus on "high-margin digital online content and further the brand as the leading action entertainment franchise in new geographies, new genres and with new digital business models."

As previously announced, Activision will release a new Call of Duty game from series co-developer Treyarch, responsible for Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World At War, this fall. Developer Infinity Ward is still scheduled to release two downloadable map packs for Modern Warfare 2 this year.

In 2011, Activision will release another new game in the Call of Duty series from an unspecified developer. It also announced plans for another Call of Duty-based title from developer Sledgehammer Games, the recently formed studio lead by Dead Space creative leads Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey. The Sledgehammer-helmed title will "extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre."

The previously mentioned Call of Duty business unit will be led by Philip Earl, who currently runs Activision Publishing's Asia Pacific region. Activision Publishing's Steve Pearce, chief technology officer, and Steve Ackrich, head of production, will lead Infinity Ward on an interim basis. Former studios heads Jason West and Vince Zampella are no longer with Infinity Ward, officially.

"Activision doesn't comment on HR matters related to its studios," said reps when asked for comment about the departures and allegations of insubordination. The two former Infinity Ward heads are said to have butted heads with their publisher creatively over the direction of the Call of Duty franchise.

Activision Publishing also announced that the company is "in discussions with a select number of partners to bring the franchise to Asia, one of the fastest growing regions for online multiplayer games in the world."

THE ONLY INDOOR BIKE THAT IS COOL AND DANGEROUS!

you want some cycling practice but you're worried about all of the reckless drivers out there. You don't want to resort to one of those lame stationary bikes, either. The solution? Free motion bicycle rollers. Updated: More danger!

I would love to bike more often, but the thought of cycling here in New York City is utterly daunting. This alternative, however, seems even more terrifying.

If you want to brave your unfinished basement on two wheels, a free motion set up only costs about $35 in parts and can be assembled by following this Instructable. Just don't say I didn't warn you. [Make and Instructables]

This is pretty cool and dangerous !

What people think of Sony

Gizmodo Asks
by wjang

IN MY OPINION SONY IS AMAZING, FAST, RELIABLE (Unlike Microsoft), and GOOD PRICES!

THE SAPPHIRE RADEON HD 5970 IS AMAZING!

The new Sapphire Radeon HD 5970—based upon the acclaimed ATI HD 5970 chipset—is the new world's fastest graphics card. Its 3DMark Vantage score is an insane 22,000.

The overclocked ATI GPU runs at 850MHz, which is supported by 4GB of DDR3 RAM (itself, clocked at 1,200MHz). And all this hardware necessitates three fans an a massive heatsink, making it thicker than your average video card. Outputs include two dual-link DVIs and one mini DisplayPort. Weird that there's no HDMI on here, like the 5870 has.

AMD expects that we'll see the HD 5970 from a variety of different manufactures, which is good because while we have no idea what the thing costs, it won't be cheap.

THIS THING IS POWERFUL AND AMAZING!!!

FLASH ATTACKS!

You're probably relatively confident in your various machines' integrity against hackers. Repeat Pwn2Own hacking competition victor Charlie Miller would like you to know that you're wrong.

In an interview with OneITSecurity, Miller picks off questions about hacking and security with just enough ease and nonchalance to make me queasy. Like, you know how Mac OS exploits are supposed to be tougher to root out than Windows exploits? Not quite! And they're both vulnerable:

Windows 7 is slightly more difficult because it has full ASLR (address space layout randomization) and a smaller attack surface (for example, no Java or Flash by default). Windows used to be much harder because it had full ASLR and DEP (data execution prevention). But recently, a talk at Black Hat DC showed how to get around these protections in a browser in Windows.

And obviously, Linux is fortress, right? Again:

No, Linux is no harder, in fact probably easier, although some of this is dependent on the particular flavor of Linux you're talking about. The organizers don't choose to use Linux because not that many people use it on the desktop. The other thing is, the vulnerabilities are in the browsers, and mostly, the same browsers that run on Linux, run on Windows.

And within a given operating system, surely you can ensure immunity from exploits by choosing a secure browser like Firefox. Surely. No? GUUUGHHH.

[The safest browser is] Chrome or IE8 on Windows 7 with no Flash installed. There probably isn't enough difference between the browsers to get worked up about. The main thing is not to install Flash!

So the guy who consistently prevails Pwn2Own, a competition where hackers demonstrate exploits for sport, says that Flash, which is installed on about 98% of computers on the internet, unifies all browsers in insecurity. The slightly better news is, despite inherent insecurities that he doesn't bother to elaborate on, mobile smartphone platforms are relatively secure as compared to their desktop counterparts. So there's that.

The full interview is definitely worth a read, even for the tech disinclined—it's a good reminder that you (and you!) can never completely avoid online security threats. So, stay on your toes, and look out for... something? [OneITSecurity viaCrunchgear]

COMPETE FOR THE GRAND PRIZE!

During the Winter Olympics, we've seen more than our share of athletic action sequences—complex motions broken into stills. For this week's Shooting Challenge, you'll be recreating the effect in the real world (or anywhere else you like).

The Challenge

Shoot an action sequence of any sort.

The Method

You'll want to set your camera on a tripod and shoot in burst mode with a minimum of 3-5FPS. Then you'll combine these images in photo editing software.

The Rules

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the "challenge" part.)
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com.
5. Include 800px wide image AND 2560x1600 sized in email. (The 800px image is the one judged, so feel free to crop/alter the image for wallpaper-sized dimensions.)

Send your best entries by Sunday, February 28th at 11PM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with "Action Sequence" in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs, and use a FirstnameLastnameAction.jpg (800px) and FirstnameLastnameActionWALLPAPER.jpg (2560px) naming conventions. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email.

WARHAMMER SUCKS AGAINST WORLD OF WARCRAFT!

February 24, 2010 - THQ isn't looking to take down Blizzard's mighty World of Warcraft with its upcoming Warhammer 40K MMO. During yesterday's Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell said he believes there's room for another major title in the crowded, massively multiplayer gaming space.

"World of Warcraft is a great game, but as you know in entertainment, there's always the juggernaut and that means there's opportunities out there for the right MMO, said Farrell. " What we love about the Warhammer 40K MMO is that it's different in that it's a sci-fi, futuristic-based world. We're not competing directly in the orcs and elves fantasy environment that World of Warcraft is in. We can differentiate ourselves."

"We have an experienced team building it. On the PC alone, the Warhammer 40K series has sold over five million units, so there's an audience there that likes that universe," he added. "We think there's always competition in every market, but you got to have an x-factor, a point of differentiation, and we think we've got that."

Farrell also revealed the 40K project will have different pricing structures depending on which part of the globe the game is played.

"The way we're building the 40K MMO, and we think it's the right way, is with a flexible business model in mind. We think the subscription model still works in North American and Europe, It's more challenging in Asia, so we're building it in a way that we can either use time-based sessions or microtransactions as the business model in different markets," Farrell said.

"I think going forward in the MMO market you're going to have to be flexible in business models based on geography, and that's how we're building the 40K project."

THQ revealed during its last fiscal quarter conference call the publisher is set to reveal the Warhammer 40K MMO at this year's E3 in June. "Take a look at E3 and I think people will like what they see," Farrell added.

EUROPEAN VACUUM!

Roomba has ruled the roost when it comes to domestic chores for a long time -- too long. It's getting some serious competition from Samsung, which is finally going to unleash one of its robovacs onto the rest of the world. Well, to Europe anyway. The Navibot is set to spread its wings across the EU in March, having been apparently warmly received in limited Italian tests last year. The bot captures 30fps video of your abode, documenting your feng shui and charting the most efficient course around your coffee table and the display case that houses your TMNT collection. It's even sophisticated enough to pick up where it left off should it run out of juice mid-stride, after returning home for a recharge, but that kind of smarts will cost you: €399 for the basic model with a single virtual wall, and €499 for a slightly posher version with touch-sensitive buttons and a second virtual wall. There's no word on an American release just yet, meaning Roomba's home turf is safe -- for now.

Ctrl Z Apology Card

Haha this a great and funny card!

SCHOOL SPIES ON ITS STUDENTS!

High School students have sued the Lower Merion School District in Philadelphia for spying on them using their laptops' built-in cameras. School administrator activated the webcams remotely and recorded students' activities at home. Way to go, KGB-wannabe assclowns. Updated

The situation was discovered by the Robbins, when their kid was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home." How could that be possible? The Vice Principal showed a photo as the evidence. A photo taken with the school-provided laptop webcam.

That school is so weird. Why violate laws like that? They are just dumb thinking they were never going to get caught or something.

VACUUMM SPIDERMAN!

We've all got at least one vacuum cleaner lying around the house (gathering dust, in some cases), but hopefully no-one will be inspired by BBC presenter Jem Stansfield who scales buildings using sucking force from the machines.

I don't want to be receiving any photos of your bruises after you fall flat on your face 2ft up the side of your garage, but this is how Stansfield cobbled together his "Spiderman gloves," which he's used to climb up to 120ft previously.

THIS I WANNA BE THE NEXT SPIDERMAN

ROBOTLAND!!!

COOL CONCEPT THEME PARK ! ROBOTLAND !

Microsoft refuses to sell to the military WOW

The military currently trains its soldiers using PCs, but they were interested in switching to the Xbox 360 for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, Microsoft was not too interested in helping them out.

According to Danger Room, Microsoft refused to sell consoles to Roger Smith, chief technology officer for PEO STRI, the Army command responsible for purchasing training equipment. Why wouldn't Microsoft sell them consoles? Well, according to Smith, three reasons:

* Microsoft was afraid that the military would buy up lots of Xbox 360s, but would buy only one game for each of them, so MS wouldn't make much money off of the games.
* that a big military purchase would create a shortage of Xbox 360s.
* that if the Xbox became an Army training device, it would taint its reputation. Microsoft was concerned that "do we want the Xbox 360 to be seen as having the flavor of a weapon? Do we want Mom and Dad knowing that their kid is buying the same game console as the military trains the SEALs and Rangers on?" Smith told me during an interview for Training & Simulation Journal.

Microsoft are the greediest people ever in my opinion. They don't want to sell it to them because they will only buy about thousands of the same game. That is so dumb.