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- Bose VideoWave first impressions review and photos
- Bose VideoWave: ClickPad bundles your controls into one remote
- Bose VideoWave: making home cinema speaker systems obsolete
- Tron: Legacy light cycle video, designer reveals its secrets!
- Want a free iPhone? Study medicine at Leeds Uni
- PlayStation Move accessories: 5 guns you can order today
- BlackBerry 6 for BlackBerry Bold 9700 demoed: Video
- Donkey Kong Country Returns dated for the UK!
- Mini Scooter E concept uses smartphone for a brain
- Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation Move review
| Bose VideoWave first impressions review and photos Posted: 28 Sep 2010 11:23 AM PDT  The Bose VideoWave was presented in a small room, dotted with what appeared to be a speaker system, mounted on the walls around the room, plus a sub on the floor, each unit covered in a black veil. The music started up, the band began to play, and with the crash of a cymbal and the boom of a bass drum, spotlights flashed on each speaker, and the veils dropped to the floor one by one, leaving empty spaces, and bare walls, save for a rather large Bose branded TV screen.
 The sound from the Bose VideoWave was full, with gorgeously plump middle tones, rumbling bass and crisp top notes. At the first demonstration, everyone in the room spent the proceeding five minutes looking around to find out where the sound was coming from. It’s startlingly wide, with clear surround, considering it's coming from the back of the TV. The Bose VideoWave has a seven-element speaker array mounted inside, which is within another new Bose invention, called a PhaseGuide, to direct sound discrete sound is aimed and heard where there are no speakers. This means that the sound comes from all around you, despite being pumped from in front of you. The bass is pumped through six woofers, which are mounted together to deflect the vibrations from one another and prevent any vibrations reaching the screen. Each one is about the size of a small tumbler, but weighs a lot more. The Bose ClickPad remote has a pleasing touch sensitive surface, which you give a haptic click when selecting something. It's precise, and easy to use, without needing a plethora of clicks to get where you want. The interface is in a frame around the edge of the screen, which looks like a grey home cinema Monopoly board. This displays what is available in terms of sources, plus all the standard controls: play, stop, skip etc. The Bose VideoWave has been in development around ten years, and Bose has developed new technologies specifically for this system. It weighs 44kg, and is 15cm thick, which is heavy, and quite deep for an LCD screen, but with what you can shrug off by buying an all in one system like this, it's little price to pay. However, what you lose in weight and faff, the Bose VideoWave gains in price tag. The biggest downside to the Bose VideoWave is the price – it'll set you back a whopping £6,000, which is a lot to spend on your home cinema system no matter how much of an audiophile you are. This price reflects the fact that it is a bundle – a 46" screen plus a full Bose home cinema speaker system, crunched down into a screen and head unit. This system, although expensive, sees Bose doing what it promised – to make things easier for people. Unsurprisingly, Bose found that not everyone wants to wire up and mount a whole bunch of speakers around their living room, and also unsurprisingly, that they don't know how to calibrate the sound, and want fewer remotes. It's followed through on giving consumers what they want, but while the VideoWave does a lot for simplicity, it won't do much for your wallet. The basic setup gives you the 46" Bose VideoWave screen, plus a head unit that can take up to five HD sources, an iPod dock and a ClickPad remote. Related posts:
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| Bose VideoWave: ClickPad bundles your controls into one remote Posted: 28 Sep 2010 11:12 AM PDT 
Alongside the Bose VideoWave, Bose has added remote control, which is part of the VideoWave package. While this may not sound quite as exciting as a massive telly with subwoofer and Bose sound built in, it's actually a very functional addition to the Bose line up.
The Bose ClickPad touch sensitive area brings up an interface one the screen, which frames whatever's playing, and mirrors the shape of the touch sensitive part of the remote. It displays controls, such as play, pause, skip etc, plus sources, menus and guides, but only what is available, not anything you don't have plugged in. Scroll around the edge of the screen and it's a haptic click to select. Unfortunately, the Bose ClickPad remote will only be available with the Bose VideoWave system, although for Bose, it looks as though the ClickPad remote will be the standard remote for future Bose products. What do you think of the Bose ClickPad? Want one? Drop us a line in the comments! Related posts:
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| Bose VideoWave: making home cinema speaker systems obsolete Posted: 28 Sep 2010 11:01 AM PDT 
Bose is making home cinema speaker systems obsolete with the Bose VideoWave, and while this might seem like shooting itself in the foot, Bose is opening up a new area of the market to itself in producing a home cinema speaker system integrated into a large LCD screen in the Bose VideoWave.
The Bose VideoWave has a slightly deeper back than is standard in a new screen of that size, which houses the full cinema audio sound, including woofers and seven-element speaker array. It's also packing the Bose AdaptiQ software, which analyses the room you set up the Bose VideoWave in, and adjusts the sound accordingly, so that you get the best sound you can, plus a spiffy new remote control, which bundles all your sources into one remote and one clever dashboard on the Bose VideoWave interface. Marc Jourlait, Vice President and General Manager of Bose Europe, said at the start of the day, obviously alluding to the Bose VideoWave we were about to see: "We're taking something and making it better… All of the products that are out there add to the complexity of enjoying sound in the home." Stay tuned for a full hands on review and photo gallery of the Bose VideoWave! Related posts:
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| Tron: Legacy light cycle video, designer reveals its secrets! Posted: 28 Sep 2010 10:22 AM PDT 
Daniel Simon is currently working on vehicle designs for the upcoming Captain America film and Ridley Scott's Alien prequel but he took some time out to reveal the thinking behind the new Tron: Legacy light cycle. For the original Tron, designer Sid Mead wanted the light cycles to show an exposed rider but the limitations of graphics technology in 1982 meant the design had to be compromised. For Tron: Legacy, Simon was able to realise Mead's original vision as well as introducing his own innovations. The Tron: Legacy light cycle you see in the video above was created to be shown at Comic Con. The original vehicle designs were sketched entirely in 3D but Simon and his team also created a version of the light cycle with plumbing parts to test the riding position and visualise other elements. That mad riding stance comes directly from Mead's original take on the light cycle but the new Tron: Legacy design incorporates a new exposed engine and front wheel mechanism. Simon explains that those elements come from director Joe Kazinski's desire for the Tron: Legacy vehicles to be "based in the physical world and show movement." Watch Daniel Simon explain the secrets of the Tron: Legacy light cycle in the video above and stayed tuned to Electricpig for more secrets of the grid soon. If you haven’t had your fill of futuristic bikes, take a look at the Honda 3R-C Tron Trike video. Out December 17 | £varies | Tron: Legacy Related posts:
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| Want a free iPhone? Study medicine at Leeds Uni Posted: 28 Sep 2010 09:03 AM PDT 
Hankering after a free iPhone but can’t get one through your mobile network? You should consider a dose of higher education: 500 medical students at the University of Leeds have been kitted out with free iPhones so they can tap into textbooks online. According to the BBC, the students are using Apple’s smartphone to dive into “reference material and prescription guidelines” and definitely not Angry Birds. Upon graduating, students will have to return their free iPhone, and to get one you’ll need to hang in there until the fourth and fifth years of medical school. It’s not clear how students will access reference books on the iPhone or whether they’re being given the very latest model of iPhone 4, but reports suggest bespoke applications will be used, pre-installed on the phone to provide “key medical text books” on the move. Students will also be contactable by the phone, letting tutors keep tabs on them. According to Leeds University’s figures, the iPhone and its associated data tariffs will cost £380 per student. That’s “a fraction of the £50,000 per year which it says it costs to train a doctor” so those crying fowl should hush up. Speaking to the BBC, Professor David Cottrell, dean of the Leeds University medical school, says a free iPhone puts “a whole suite of training tools and educational resources in the palm of [a student's] hand” and, obviously, makes them look cooler on campus too. Out now | £TBC | Via BBC Related posts:
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| PlayStation Move accessories: 5 guns you can order today Posted: 28 Sep 2010 08:24 AM PDT 
PlayStation Move: Everything you need to know
Check out our Best PS3 Move games Top 5 now
and one that’s not available to order just yet…
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| BlackBerry 6 for BlackBerry Bold 9700 demoed: Video Posted: 28 Sep 2010 07:29 AM PDT 
In case you missed it, RIM is holding its BlackBerry Developer Conference in the US this week, but the slick new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet isn’t the only thing on show. CrackBerry also got a good look at the new BlackBerry 6 OS running on the BlackBerry Bold 9700, and as we said in our review of the BlackBerry Torch 9800, it’s looking really nice. Read our BlackBerry Torch review now As you can see in the video below, navigation is snappy, and the excellent Universal Search feature whittles down your options as you type with eery precision. The revised WebKit browser is in place too, and best of all, the Bold’s sharp screen makes it pleasant to look at, unlike the out of date display on the Torch. Check out the BlackBerry 6 running on a BlackBerry Bold 9700 below – looks good, no? We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as the first builds for UK BlackBerrys inevitably leak out. (Via CrackBerry) Related posts:
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| Donkey Kong Country Returns dated for the UK! Posted: 28 Sep 2010 06:34 AM PDT 
Honestly, we’ve not been as excited about a Wii game since Super Mario Galaxy 2, and you can bet we’ll be bringing you a full review in due course. Are you waiting on this game to dust off your Wii? Let us know in the comments! Related posts:
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| Mini Scooter E concept uses smartphone for a brain Posted: 28 Sep 2010 05:37 AM PDT 
The two seat Mini Scooter E follows on from concept Electric Mini cars, and uses a smartphone as a digital dash, tapping into its GPS and compass as well as 3G connections. BMW is even working on a Bluet00th helmet to let riders listen to music and take phone calls on the move. Check out the video below and let us know, is this the best Mini ever, or a cheap attempt at hanging on to retro chic? Related posts:
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| Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation Move review Posted: 28 Sep 2010 04:55 AM PDT  Capcom’s Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition is arguably one of the most notable games developers have rushed to patch in order to bolt on "waggle" control in the wake of the launch of Sony’s PlayStation Move controller. Does the inclusion of motion control enrich the survival horror experience, or is it scary for other less welcome reasons? Read our Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation Move review to find out.
Read our full PlayStation Move review Resident Evil 5 was one of the stand-out games of 2009, offering the first true HD instalment of Capcom’s famous zombie-slaying franchise. It’s also one of the oldest games to be retro-fitted with PlayStation Move support, and to be brutally honest it shows. Capcom has affixed compatibility for Sony’s new peripheral onto the game in rather the same way an optimistic boy racer sticks a spoiler onto his clapped-out Vauxhall Nova in the hope that it will somehow overcome the car’s crippling shortage of speed.
Resident Evil 5’s PlayStation Move controls mimic the interface seen in Capcom’s other notable patch-up job, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. Simply speaking, you use the PlayStation Move Navigation Controller (or Dual Shock 3) to move your character around and the PlayStation Move wand to aim. Aiming your weapon (and thereby moving around the third person camera's viewpoint) is activated by pressing the T trigger on the Move wand, and as has been the case with Resident Evil games since time immemorial, you cannot walk and shoot simultaneously. Check out our Best PS3 Move games Top 5 here Because Resident Evil 5's Move setup uses this awkward combination, it consequently becomes more difficult to react to attacks from the side or behind. Picture the scene – you're stalking through a shanty town, anticipating an impending ambush by deranged enemies. You move with the Navigation Controller's stick, but to glance around you need to press the T trigger on the PlayStation Move wand to engage your aiming mode and then gesture at the screen in order to scope out the surroundings. The problem is, when your crosshair hits the edge of the screen, it just stops dead. You then have to revert to the Navigation Controller's controls to shift your character's field of vision. Because Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation Move is essentially attempting to replicate the tried-and-tested twin-stick configuration of the original game, things feel disappointingly uncomfortable. The increased aiming accuracy bestowed by the Move controller is negated by the more convoluted camera control.
It doesn't help that Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation Move's interface is confusingly counter-intuitive, either. Because the T trigger is used to activate the weapon aiming mode, it can't be used to actually discharge your firearm. Instead, you'll need to use the "Move" button on the wand to shoot. Instinct tells you that the T trigger should really be the fire button – after all, it's in the exact same position that a trigger would be on a proper gun – but Capcom obviously thinks otherwise. PlayStation Move: Everything you need to know It's a shame that these issues exist, because there are moments when Resident Evil 5 for PlayStation Move really soars. Aiming with the Wand is fantastic, offering the kind of pinpoint precision that is normally associated with light gun titles like Time Crisis and Virtua Cop. It's also tremendous fun to use the PlayStation Move controller to hack at enemies with your knife. The inclusion of PlayStation Move support therefore comes as a mixed blessing for Resident Evil 5. On one hand, the increased accuracy allows you to dispatch enemies with clinical precision – popping craniums has rarely been this easy. The problem is that by removing the second analogue stick from the equation, controlling the camera is made much harder. It's a trade-off that hardcore fans will most likely learn to live with, but in our opinion the retro-fitting of Move controls onto Resident Evil 5's already competent interface just doesn't work as well as it should. It's worth noting that PlayStation Move support is granted to Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition via a downloadable patch. Owners of the non-Gold original version sadly cannot access this software – but to be honest, you're missing out on very little. Read our full PlayStation Move review Related posts:
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UPDATE: Free iPhone hunters, you might want to re-consider your medical career. It turns out Leeds medical students won’t get a sparkly free iPhone 4, but instead a comparatively dowdy free iPhone 3GS. (Thanks to Natasha at 
Official Sony PlayStation Move Gun Attachment
The Mini Scooter E concept might not be real just yet, but we’re hoping BMW’s boffins bring it to light sooner rather than later. This electric two-wheeler plugs into the mains to recharge, and uses a smartphone as its ignition key, satnav and even recognises other Mini Scooter E bikes on the road.
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