Discovery Channel gets its own iPhone app

For the closet scientists out in iPhone land, the App Store can now be called your official home. If you spend hours each week glued to the Discovery Channel taking in all that it has to offer, you will be ecstatic to know that you can now take all of that geeky love on the go via your iPhone. The app will bring you copious amounts of video clips, quizzes, photo galleries, program schedules, as well as updates from Discovery news. Naturally, you’re bound to find something interesting at some point. No worries, said content can be easily shared via an email link generated from within the app. Sweet! Most of the video clips are just that — clips, though the app includes iTunes links to download the full episodes via the iTMS. Still, clip or full episode, this free Discovery Channel app is by far a geek’s best friend. Can you tell I’m excited!?

After spending a mere 30 minutes with it, I can tell you that even over AT&T’s craptactic 3G network, the app is extremely fast with hardly any lag in sight. Flipping through the various shows’ list of videos results in thumbnails that are either already there or appear within a second or two. Definitely a well coded app! It is worth noting that the initial loading time when first firing up the app is roughly 20 seconds long. Hey, if it helps overall navigation through the app itself and keeps slowdowns and freezes from cropping up. Overall, I’m extremely excited about this app. Don’t take my word for it. Give it a try!

Source: Tech Crunch

BlackBerry App World now viewable on desktop computers

One of the most requested features for BlackBerry App World, a desktop version to more easily and quickly view BlackBerry apps is finally here. A thoughtful feature no less is the fact that you can enter your email address into the web version of apps you have your eye on in order to send an app to your phone that will open app world on your device and take you straight to said app. Not a major feature but certainly one that cuts down on clicking, thumb twiddling, and more clicking. Other user friendly features include the ability to sort by paid, free, and new apps each with their own respective categories broken down by app type. Finally, when writing articles or reviews on apps that are only available in App World, one can now link to the app in question as to give readers/users a certain and direct route.

While a desktop version should have been available at the original launch of App World, I won’t fault RIM too much since they at least got it done. Heck, the desktop version actually looks pretty slick to boot. Did App World just become a little more relevant to you oh loyal CrackBerry user?

Check out BlackBerry App World Web Store

Source: BerryReview

Braille concept phone brings text messaging to the visually impaired

I for one hardly ever talk on the phone. In fact, I hate talking on the phone. Call me impersonal and too caught up in the fast paced lane of life but I prefer texting, email, and IM’ing to talking any day. For me its a convenience thing. For some however, they may not have a choice. The things we do with our cellphones everyday we often take for granted. The visually impaired often have trouble doing even the most basic things on cellphones because cellphones simply weren’t designed for them. That was until the Braille concept phone was thought up. The phone uses a special “screen” that will “display” raised bumps that those who can read Braille can read and respond to just like those without sight problems. The benefit of having such a device for those who can’t see is monumental. They can finally text like us ocular rockers! Step inside for several slides breaking down the phone as well as the conversion of normal texts and messages into the Braille form.

Arkeg brings two of life’s greatest joys into one fun filled cabinet — Beer and 104 classic games

No doubt one of the best ways to escape your current trials and tribulations in your day to day lives is to sit back and play a good video game. Another approach to the same mind relaxing goal can be had by means of alcohol. What if you put the two together? Obviously many a night have been spent with games and alcohol in the company of good friends. Such events make life worth living and all the more enjoyable. Anyone can have some consoles and a big screen with a fridge full of beer. But if you want to really impress your friends, you need to invest in the Arkeg. All great things take time and money. The Arkeg at $4,000 is no different. But what you get is well worth it — an old style arcade game with a kegerator stuffed inside the cabinet.

The Arkeg comes with a 5 gallon keg, (depending on your drinking habits, mileage may vary) and a PC pre-loaded with 104 classic games. I can already see it now. This thing would be great in my bar/garage. Why would I have to ever go into the house again? Weekly tournaments on the 24″ screen accompanied by 2.1 surround sound with a powered sub will without a doubt make your house the house to be at for parties. I’ll take two please!

[Product Page]

Source: Slippery Brick, Dvice

Sony removes head from sand/ass finally reducing PS3 cost, giving us the PS3 slim? [Updated]

The Sony PS3 is long overdue for a price cut and a diet. As their competitors have lowered prices to cope with sagging sales in this economy, Sony has remained steadfast in their pricing time and time again denouncing rumors of price cuts and a slimmer more energy efficient PS3. However, a lucky FYE worker has managed to hit the mother load. The Kotaku reader apparently received some promotional flyers for his store that included two very juicy bits of information.

The first bit of good news states: “New Low Price” with the tag teaming second sentence reading: “New and Exciting PS3″. So, the 80GB and 120GB PS3 are presumably getting price cuts from $399 -> $299 and $499 ->$399 respectively. The “New and Exciting PS3″ wording potentially reveals that the PS3 slim rumored about for what seems years now may finally be getting its grand revealing. Further backing up these claims is a front page ad by Kmart with the exact same claims of low price and a new exciting PS3. Sony is supposed to make press announcement of some sort at the Cologne Gamescon Expo that starts at 12 noon (EST) today. Could this be the day we’ve all been waiting for?

**UpdateKmart now has a PS3 slim model available for pre-order as does Sears. The rumors seem to be coming true. So ya think Sony is going to announce it today?

**Update 2Cat’s outta’ the bag. Sony has just announced the PS3 Slim which will consumer 34% power and take up 32% less space. Yippee!

[Kmart ad]
[FYE Poster]

Source: Engadget

Xbox 360 attained a 54% failure rate…..ZOMG!!!

If you wanted a slap in the face to rocket you back into the sad sick little world that *used* to be the Xbox 360, a non-scientific poll (paper only) conducted by Game Informer revealed that the failure rate on Xbox 360′s (presumably pre-die shrink to the smaller more efficient processors) was 54%! I don’t care who you are or what company you run, a 54% failure rate is beyond god awful. Of course, such claims can’t be verified by Redmond themselves as such data is locked away in some secret vault guarded by fire breathing dragons and a mean sea turtle who won’t hold anything back. It’s no secret no matter how much Microsoft wants to deny that the 360 was rushed to market. Soon after release RRoD (Red Rings of Death) issues were popping up left and right. It was so bad if you remember, that Microsoft had to end up spending several billion dollars extending warranties for RRoD victims. So far, my Xbox 360 has had RRoD syndrome twice. Adding insult to injury, Microsoft also managed to snatch up the award for worst customer service and longest service times with replacement/refurbished 360′s taking over a month to return home.

Since undergoing the die shrink which brought smaller, more efficient, less heat radiating processors, the RRoD problems seems to have been greatly diminished. Still, having a product that had a failure rate claimed to be so high is certainly not a consumer confidence builder. By the way, just to compare, the PS3′s failure rate is/was around 11% with the Wii bringing up the rear at a much more dependable 7%. Of course, a percentage point or two could be attributed to the 360′s generally longer playing times. But that’s a huge stretch to say the least and certainly doesn’t account for mountain of trouble that not so long ago plagued the system.

So we all know I’ve been at deaths door twice. Have you see RRoD on your 360? If so is it a return appearance or is it your first?

Source: CrunchGear, Consumerist

Need some juice? Dino-dock here to save the day!

While novelty flash drives are pretty hot right now, iPhone/iPod docks have their own faithful following. Anything big enough to stuff in a few charging internals for a charging Apple dock is taking over do-it-yourselfers and other tinkers. The latest in the land of creata-a-gadgets comes in the form of a dinosaur iPhone dock. The mod is quite simple actually — an unsuspecting dinosaur gets his back excavated to in order to accommodate the required charging components. The dino-dock probably won’t win you any more friends, but what friends you do have should at least be mildly impressed. Ready to make your own?

Source: Geeky-Gadgets, Gear Fuse, iPhone Savior