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The Psyclone TouchCharge is wireless in the same way that track lighting is wireless–which is to say that it reallly isn’t. The contact-based charging device is available for Xbox ($69.99), Wii ($59.99), and PS3 ($49.99) controllers, with attachments for the BlackBerry Curve and Pearl, and Motorola RAZR V3 offered as well for an additional $34.99 each.

With attachments for charging two controllers, the TouchCharge cuts cable clutter in half, requiring only one AC adapter in place of two USB charging cables for a PlayStation 3. The PS3 version is compatible with the built-in rechargeable batteries included with each controller, though Xbox and Wii users will have to shell out some extra cash for rechargeable batteries (included in the elevated price of respective TouchCharge units).

To receive power from the TouchCharge, controllers and cell phones can be in contact with any section of the charging pad, so with some fancy maneuvering, you could in theory charge more than two devices simultaneously.

Starting at $49.99, the TouchCharge is not a huge investment, but until it can charge my devices completely wirelessly without the need for attachments, I’m going to stick to the included power cables. Psyclone TouchCharge models for gaming controllers are available at Best Buy, while cell phone charging pads and attachments can be purchased through WildCharge.

Original post by Zach Honig

If you are, ever have been, or even know any cheerleaders, you know that cheerleaders eat, sleep and breathe anything cheer-related. I was the captain of my high school cheer squad for two years, and I jumped (no pun intended) at the chance to try out THQ’s All Star Cheer Squad for Wii. Along with Nicole Price Fasig, another PC Mag ex-cheerleader, we went back to the days of “Bring it On” and totally had a cheer-off.

More about All Star Cheer Squad and a cheer-tastic video, after the jump.

All Star Cheer Squad follows a year in the life of a cheerleader hoping to make the squad and eventually become the squad’s captain. The player can participate in practice, learn new cheers, and create his or her own routines. Like Dance Dance Revolution, you have to complete the moves as the arrows scroll over the target.

Just as playing Guitar Hero is in no way similar to playing a real guitar, All Star Cheer Squad is very different from actual cheering. The biggest problem we encountered was that the cable between the Wii controller and the Nunchuk, was too short, making it very difficult to complete the moves. The Wii Balance Board can also be used to get the player’s entire body involved.

Oh, and the game’s chief consultant is world-renowned cheerleading choreographer Tony G from “Bring it On.” That will excite any cheer fan. Make sure to keep an eye out for Nicole Price Fasig’s detailed review of All Star Cheer Squad on PCMag.com.

Original post by Jennifer Bergen

It’s finally Friday. Time to start your weekend out right with these deals:

1. Overstock.com is having an electronics liquidation sale. You can get a ton of great electronics for not a lot of money. For example, a refurbished Fuji FinePix A805 8.3MP Digital Camera is only $117.99, and it comes with a bonus kit. The camera usually runs at $332.94, so this is a steal. The bonus kit comes with a plethora of accessories, like a 2GB SD memory card, a camera case, a compact travel charger, a memory card wallet, a camera strap, cleaning cloth and fluid, a neck strap, and a mini-tripod, to name a few things.

2. If you have a Nintendo Wii and like to use it in multiple locations without having to unplug everything each time, then you’ll be happy to hear that the Wii Ultimate Gaming Accessory Bundle by Cables Unlimited is on sale for $24.99. Originally $114.95, the bundle is marked down to $44.99 an has a $24.99 rebate. From Buy.com, the bundle comes with a a docking charge kit, an infrared ray inductor bar, AV cables, and hi-def cables.

3. From Amazon’s Friday Sale: Philips’ 6.5-Inch Digital Photo Frame is only $86.99 down from $149.99. It comes with 16MB of memory and holds about 30 photos, but has multiple memory card slots.

Original post by Jennifer Bergen

Filed under: Peripherals

We always knew those electromagnetic emanations would amount to no good, and now here they go ruining any shred of privacy we once thought to possess. Some folks from the Security and Cryptography Lab at Switzerland’s EPFL have managed to eavesdrop on the electromagnetic radiation shot off by shoddy wired keyboards with every keystroke. They’ve found four different ways to listen in, including one previously-published general vulnerability, on eleven keyboard models ranging from 2001 to 2008, with PS/2, USB and laptop keyboards all falling to at least one of the four attacks. The attack works through walls, as far as 65 feet away, and analyzes a wide swath of electromagnetic spectrum to get its results. With wireless keyboards already feeling the sting of hackers, it’s probably fair to say that no one is safe, and that cave bunkers far, far away from civilization are pretty much our only hope now. Videos of the attacks are after the break.

[Thanks, Dave]

Continue reading Keyboard “eavesdropping” just got way easier, thanks to electromagnetic emanations

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Cellphones

Worried about long lines for the iPhone 3G come this holiday season? Already breaking into cold sweats at the thought of standing knee-deep in snow for three hours so that your loved ones won’t be filled with contempt for you? Take heart, consumers — Apple has you covered. The company has just launched an online tool to take you through the process of purchasing an iPhone 3G, allowing you to just pop into your local Apple Store for retrieval and activation. Sure, this still doesn’t let you just order a phone for delivery like a normal person, and it’s a day late and a dollar short for the people who’ve already wasted precious time waiting for this thing, but it’s nice to know it’s there if you need it.

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Portable Audio, Portable Video

There it is, Sony Ericsson just went live with its new G705 powerhouse, 3G slider. Just as we heard, it sports a 2.4-inch display with automatic screen rotation courtesy of an accelerometer, WiFi, aGPS with Google Maps for Mobile, 1GB included M2 memory, built-in FM radio, RSS reader, and full HTML browser. It also features a 3.2 megapixel cam that can capture video and then upload directly to YouTube under a new partnership with Google. Also announced in a UMA variant (G705u) — an SE first — built exclusive for Orange to bridge GSM and WiFi networks. Headed to the US in ̫ 2009.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

We tried to take OCZ’s Neural Impulse Actuator seriously, we really did. But unable to suppress those recurring images of Geordi La Forge, we simply couldn’t help ourselves from having a laugh at this thing’s expense. Nevertheless, the way-more-solemn dudes and dudettes over at HotHardware managed to give this brain-computer interface a fair shake, and overall, it was pretty impressed. Still, the bottom line is this: “the NIA is a very unique input device and possibly the first true brain-computer interface to hit the retail market,” but it’s not “a replacement for traditional input methods.” Granted, critics did point out that it would supplement current devices quite well, but only after “slogging through” hours upon hours of training. The hardcore among us may be willing to put in the time necessary to really get a lot out of this; for everyone else, just continue to point and laugh while masking your ignorance.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops

We’ve heard lots of racket about Intel’s hot new Atom chip courtesy of all those subnote manufacturers who plan on using it, but Tranquil PC has noted that the first Mini-ITX motherboard to get powered by said processor is now available for ordering. The Intel D945GCLF comes loaded with a 1.6GHz Atom 230 CPU and support for high-definition audio, 10/100 LAN, PCI, SATA II, GMA 950 graphics and DDR 2 533 / 667 (just to name a few highlights). The board can be ordered up as we speak for £52.90 ($103), and shipments are expected to make their way out during the first week of June.

[Via Tranquil PC’s Weblog, thanks David]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

Here’s your heartwarming story for the day. Microsoft has teamed up with Companions in Courage in order to bring “hundreds” of Xbox 360 kiosks to children’s hospitals across the nation, and the gaming stations have already been installed at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, Children’s Hospital & Regional Medical Center of Seattle and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, California. The customized units are “hospital-friendly” and come pre-loaded with a variety of E and E10+ rated games, Y-rated television programs, G-rated movies and the Xbox Live headset / Vision camera in order for gamers to play online. Speaking of, each kiosk is wired to a private Live network which “allows hospitalized children across the country to play games and chat” with each other. There’s no word on where the stations are slated to arrive outside of the three venues already mentioned, but those interested in broadening the reach of the endeavor can feel free to donate to the cause.

[Via OhGizmo]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Yeah, this one’s been slithering around the alleyways of the web for a tick, but it’s just too hard to ignore a vicious looking viper created entirely from unwanted keyboards (okay, so glue and a faux tongue were involved, too). Still, the best part isn’t the unquestionably amazing use of the dreaded Caps Lock key, it’s the crowd of mice this thing is getting ready to feast on. Better check yo’self before you wreck yo’self, kids.

[Via MAKE]

 

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Desktops, Displays

While we wait for those Microsoftees to pull it together and get real with a shippable version of Surface, we can enjoy the valiant efforts of modders like Xylomn. This guy built his very own touchable coffee table PC with a 24-inch display and a ceiling-mounted camera for tracking hand motions. Since it’s part of his dissertation for his software engineering degree, Xylomn also worked up some custom software which allows users to beam media to the PC via Bluetooth, and then geotag it on a touchable map. The table allows for multiple users at once, and the interface part of the software rotates automatically towards whoever is grubbing up the display at that point.

[Via Geeky Gadgets]

 

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Cellphones, Features

Our up-close experiences with mobile wizardry at Mobile World Congress this year have ranged from the mild to the wild, and today, we’ve got the whole range. Any guesses which are which in this particular batch, hmm?

Read - Motorola’s bargain basement MWC offerings
Read - Nokia’s S60 touch UI at MWC
Read - Polymer Vision’s e-ink Readius
Read - Nokia’s high-rolling Ộ

 

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones, Features, Handhelds

Move along, nothing too new and thrilling here. We hunted down Nokia’s touch demo and were completely un-thrilled by the whole package. Sure, it’s still early days for the interface, but it’s a case of same old same old as it’s sporting the same UI, same OS, but now instead of using the d-pad, you’re able to poke about with your finger. The demo was running on a small tablet in software only, no hardware yet, though, as we’ve already mentioned, devices should start arriving in the second half of the year. Hopefully Nokia will see the error — in our opinion — of its ways and drop some glitz — feel free to pop on over and visit NVIDIA for some inspiration, Nokia — down on this fairly glitz-free bit of wizardry. Hit the link to see the full gallery!

 

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Original post by Sean Cooper

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds

The long wait is over, the Polymer Vision Readius has finally made an appearance and from our quick — and loving — glance, it’s the stuff. Featuring Bluetooth, dual-band HSDPA, tri-band GSM / EDGE, expandability via microSD, and it’ll also SMS — albeit, without a keyboard, it’ll be tough — and can make calls. The cellular calling and messaging features are likely an afterthought since connectivity to get at the content via the Readius portal was the goal. The site will push content to your device based on choices made there for feeds, newspapers, mags, audio books, and whatever else Polymer Vision sees fit to add. The device will support books in HTML, text files, and PDFs, though, we expect as they gain ground with partners the list may expand. Hit the gallery at Engadget Mobile for a pile of pics of it in action.

 

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Original post by Sean Cooper

Filed under: Cellphones, Features, Handhelds

The Nokia N96 is here and while it certainly doesn’t blow the doors off the current N95 in all its many varieties, it does refresh the form, add beauty, and the TV ain’t all that bad to boot. What definitely stands out on the N96 is build quality, the material choices here are not as cheap as they were on its older siblings, it actually looks and feels like a high end device. We also were able to get some TV time in courtesy of some neighbor or another, we’ve enjoyed SlingPlayer Mobile on our devices for a while now, but there is just no comparing them, the DVB-H looks first rate. Peep the huge gallery over at Engadget Mobile.

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Original post by Sean Cooper