Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth Headset Save: $40.15

Innovative Bluetooth headset allows you to use just your voice to answer or reject a call;voice Guidance feature tells you name of incoming caller, Bluetooth connection status, and battery level.

The next generation of the hugely successful Jabra STONE, the Jabra STONE2 allows for truly hands-free communication while building on the success of its predecessor and featuring the same revolutionary design. The Jabra STONE2 is the first Bluetooth headset that allows users to take calls further and easier. Innovative new features allow for easy, hands-free communication. Jabra STONE2 also puts extra power in the palm of your hand with a portable charger that enables you to charge 4 times on the go, providing up to 2 hours in the headset and an additional 8 hours of wireless talk time in the charging stone. For clear conversations, an advanced sound system with Noise Blackout Extreme and dual microphone system eliminates background noise and maintains the natural sound of your voice. The lightness of the headset, its curved shape and 4 personalized ergo-eargels, makes every conversation a pleasure.

List Price: $129.99
Price: $89.84
You Save: $40.15 (31%)

 
Jabra STONE2 Bluetooth Headset

Google and LG working on a “Nexus Tablet”

We’ve had Google Android phones since late 2007 and the first Google phone came from working with HTC on the Google Nexus One which launched last year. This year the Google Nexus S arrived from Google and Samsung. So they like to partner up. The latest rumor is that Google is working on its first Nexus-branded tablet with another friend.

According to Mobile Review, Google is working with LG on a Google Nexus Tablet. Of course this tablet will run Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb and it might launch as early as this summer or early in the fall. It is likely that Google would make sure that the tablet would get software updates earlier than third party tablets.

That’s about all we know right now. It may be nothing or it may be completely accurate. We will see.

[liliputing]

Pioneer SE-NC31C-K noise cancelling earbud headphones

Earphones used to be just that – a device, or rather, peripheral that transferred audio tracks from a music device to your ears. It didn’t matter if you could still hear the roar of the engine on the outside, or your wife’s incessant nagging – the point is, you never had been able to experience something like this before, where whatever music you’re listening to never sounded so close to you before!

Boy, how far has technology come that these days, having noise cancellation technology in your pair of stereo headphones should be the norm rather than the exception, and Pioneer has delved into this particular category with their latest release known as the Pioneer SE-NC31C-K noise cancelling earbud stereo headphones.

As its name suggests, this model was specially designed for noise cancellation of up to 90% (measured at 300hz), allowing you to hear more of what you’re supposed to listen to. The SE-NC31C-K is capable of actively monitoring the nearby sound environment and electronically canceling low frequency ambient noise that can interfere with normal audio listening.

Apart from that, the earbuds will also boast large 14.2 mm drivers and various connection adapters in order to make this more or less the perfect accessory for music enjoyment on the go. With portable music players being a staple device for most people these days, it goes without saying that owning a good pair of headphones is more of an investment than frivolous spending.

Also, this pair of headphones from Pioneer make music listening more enjoyable as there is no need to raise the volume level from the audio source. The earbuds themselves will make use of the microphones which are located in each ear piece in order to measure unwanted low-frequency noise. These components will then follow that up by inserting an equal amplitude, which is the opposite phase signal of the unwanted noise, in order to cancel it before it your ears can catch hold of it.

The SE-NC31C-K can be yours for $99 a pop.

Press Release

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Review

The Force is strong with “LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.”

The popular series of LEGO games, which stumbled its way recently through the overly complicated “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4,” has restored its former glory by returning to the franchise that started it all.

Improved graphics and animation show that Traveller’s Tales has learned to refine their efforts. The game play is also greatly enhanced, and the co-op is given new life by taking full advantage of the split-screen interaction.

It has been two years since the last “LEGO Star Wars” game, and that was really just an enhanced version of the two previous releases from years past. So it was great fun to be back in the galaxy far, far away.

The LEGO games have become much more elaborate since those first few games. Traveller’s Tales hit its stride with “LEGO Batman,” but seemed to be trying too hard to add too much by the time it got to “LEGO Indiana Jones 2.”

“LEGO Harry Potter” took the controls even further, adding layers to the character’s abilities which felt like it was weighing the game down more than enhancing it.

“LEGO Star Wars III,” however, appears to have struck a balance that eluded those previous games.

The approach to the different levels harkens back to the simplicity found in the original LEGO games, with a more central hub that allows players to explore a little but not get bogged down in minor objectives or treasure hunts.

The missions follow the first two seasons of the excellent “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated series. The characters have been slightly redesigned to fit the show’s stylistic look, and the game introduces a few new moves, such as lightsaber throw, which works similar to the batarang in “LEGO Batman.”

While this outing is generally focused on “The Clone Wars,” players can reenact several battles from the original films, a new feature in the LEGO games that allows players to control whole armies and view sweeping battlefields.

Boss battles have also been made more elaborate, with characters being given the chance to make more elaborate moves. Defeating these enemies is also more complicated, thus giving the game a complexity the previous LEGO Star Wars games often lacked.

But where “LEGO Star Wars III” really shines is in its co-op. Teams can not only work together, but also complete different aspects of the missions and be in separate areas all together. One player may be slicing-and-dicing his way through a horde of battle droids, while another is flying a star fighter against Separatist ships.

Not all is perfect. The flight sequences are fairly limited, and while the nonsensical cut scenes with mumbling characters were once quite funny, these bits of humor have begun to wear thin and try to expound too much story. Let them talk, already!

Still, the LEGO games haven’t felt this fun and refreshing in years.

Amazon’s Appstore for Android

Amazon has opened the Appstore for Android, providing another option for app shopping to U.S. users of smartphones with Google’s operating system.

Amazon is trying to lure users away from Google’s Market by offering users a free paid app every day. The first such application is Angry Birds Rio, which usually costs US$0.99, and is an exclusive for Android users via Amazon’s store. Users can also test applications with a feature called “Test Drive,” which runs applications on a simulated smartphone.

Amazon will also have an approval process for applications submitted to its store. The company will be testing apps to verify that they work as outlined in the product description and to make sure hat they don’t impair the functionality of the smartphone or put customer data at risk once installed.

In many ways Amazon’s Appstore for Android works in the same way as the rest of its store. Users can view app recommendations based on past purchases from Amazon and pay in the same way as if they were buying a book. Applications can be purchased from a computer, a smartphone or a tablet.

At about 1:30 p.m. Central European Time on Tuesday, the top five paid applications were Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, Fruit Ninja and Shazam Encore. The top five free apps were ZombieBooth, Angry Birds Seasons Free, Angry Birds Free, Amazon Mobile and Paper Toss.

Amazon has been trying to attract developers for some time. In January, the company launched a portal where developers can submit applications.

The app store is available to users in the U.S., excluding AT&T subscribers. However, AT&T is working to change that, and users can sign up at a website to be notified when the operator has finalized its plan, it said.

Amazon’s use of the name Appstore hasn’t gone unnoticed by Apple. On Friday, it sued Amazon, claiming rights to the name App Store.

HTC Thunderbolt now available

We knew it was coming and yesterday we had word that “tomorrow,” was the day, which means today it is here. Verizon Wireless is now taking online orders for HTC’s 4.3-inch Thunderbolt. The price is $250 on a two-year contract.

The handset comes with Android 2.2 as the OS underlying HTC Sense 2.0 UI, an 8 megapixel camera with HD video recording, 768MB of RAM, and a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 chip. If Verizon’s price seems high, the Thunderbolt has been seen as low as $180 at Amazon, although they have it on back order right now.

MLB 11: The Show Review

PROS: Home Run Derby is fantastic, online play and Road to the Show both see subtle but good improvements, already-good visuals have gotten a once-over.

CONS: Many of the differences are hardly noticeable, new analog controls don’t stand out.

The most groundbreaking change to this year’s edition of Sony’s acclaimed “MLB: The Show” series lies in one of the game’s ancillary modes, the Home Run Derby. You can now use the Move to play through a hyper-realistic derby, smacking homers as easily as Albert Pujols in a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

It’s a slight shame that you can only use the Move in the Derby, but that’s the one downfall of “MLB 11: The Show.” As always, Sony’s PlayStation-exclusive baseball videogame is a fine experience, but for a second straight year, it plays things safe. It still slides home with a fine effort, but the folks at SCEA San Diego could have taken a few more risks.

That’s not to say that this game is a mere roster update, because “The Show” fine tunes most of last year’s weaknesses and tweaks a couple other things. Online play is no longer plagued by the slight lag that affected last year’s game, and you can now team up with a friend in co-op play. Last year’s ultra-tough AI has been turned down slightly be default, making games a bit fairer and more realistic.

Those two adjustments make the simple joys of “MLB 11″ that much easier to appreciate. The visuals, always a strength of the series, are now that much more realistic. The stadiums dazzle, and player faces look tremendously realistic. All the top guys – and even some of the lesser lights – are instantly recognizable, although you still get the occasional generic player here and there.

Franchise mode and Road to the Show are both back, too, and Road to the Show is as fun as it’s ever been. As usual, you’ll take a player from the start of his minor league career to Major League stardom, but there’s now a pronounced talent difference at each level. Single-A pitchers are far easier to hit than Triple-A hurlers, and Major Leaguers pitch far more intricately. It’s a subtle changeup that brings far more realism to an already solid mode.

Another subtle change in Road to the Show: Player progression is more nuanced. No longer are you scored for either hitting – or not hitting – the ball in training mode. Suddenly, good outs can now earn you points in drills, and simply having the patience to work counts is now worth something.

Once you hit the field, controls are as tight as ever. Hitting and pitching both follow the same templates as they always have, but now, you can also select analog controls. The pitching interface feels good, but the hitting interface, which involves pushing down on the stick to step into a pitch and pushing up to hit it, seems a bit simplistic and fails to replicate the drama of an actual at-bat. Essentially, it’s “The Show’s” take on the “MLB 2k” series’ hitting formula, but it pales in comparison to the in-depth, nuanced button-pressing mode that “The Show” does so well. It’s a good thing you can still stick with the default controls.

Really, it’s a bit of a letdown that Move interactivity from the Home Run Derby isn’t integrated into the main game, because this is where SCEA San Diego’s work really stands out. Hitting is perfectly replicated in this mode, and the Move does an excellent sense of tracking when and how you are swinging. It feels natural and fun, and you’ll find yourself gravitating to the Derby – once a secondary afterthought of a mode – far more often this year. “MLB 11″ took a chance here, and it really pays off.

Maybe they’ll take a few more next year, too.

MLB 2k11 Review

Major League Baseball 2K11 Review: Most people love hitting homeruns, cranking out that runner-advancing single, making incredible plays in the field and every other aspect of baseball in video games more than they enjoy pitching. Yes, you have to do it, and you have to learn to do it well, but it is just … blah! And I know I speak for the majority of sports gamers when I say that. That is why I was amazed that MLB 2K11, also going by the names Major League Baseball 2K11, Major League Baseball 2011, and 2K Sports Major League Baseball 2011, actually had me dying to pitch because of the unique pitching mechanics that are involved in this new game.

Pitching just hasn’t changed very much the last few years. Game developers know that the vast majority of gamers much prefer offense to defense, so they make pitching easier to hit, and ramp up players’ offensive prowess. But serious game developers like Visual Concepts believe in providing reality to the games they make. Yes, 500 foot homers are nice, but 5 a game is really stretching it. Enter MLB 2K11, due to hit the street on March 8.

Usually, all baseball games have three elements in pitching. You choose the type of pitch, the target area, and then press a button when the pitching gauge gets where you want it. That’s it, and that is so unrealistic it is a joke. It is amazing it has taken so many developers and so many years to come up with a new pitching system, but Visual Concepts was brave enough to do just that.

What you do to pitch in MLB 2K11 is use your control stick to enact a windup motion and pitch just like a real baseball player would. It helps if you have ever played baseball before, but if not, the system still feels natural and you pick it up quickly. Throwing a heater? Pull straight back, and then thrust forward quickly and you are slinging a fastball. Want to follow that up with a baffling curve? You perform a swinging move around the bottom of an onscreen circle (circle, curve, get it?), and you want to try and time your delivery as soon as the circle, which fills as you go through your windup, fills completely.

Don’t get me wrong, this game is not all pitching. There is plenty of offense, and play-making galore, but the pitching feature is truly enjoyable. Does this feature all by itself convince you to enjoy pitching more and set this baseball game apart from the competition? Actually, it does, and come March 8th, you can see for yourself.

Regardless of which gaming system gets your blood pumping, you’ll be able to enjoy Major League Baseball 2K11, which is available for the PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and your PC.

Apple iOS 4.3 Arrives Today

Sources close to Apple have been in contact with BGR to advise that Apple’s newest iOS version, iOS 4.3 may be available today at 10 AM PT. If this does turn out to be correct, it will be ahead of schedule because originally, this software update was expected to be available on March 11th which is the day that the new Apple iPad 2 becomes available.

Like past revisions, this new version of the Apple mobile operating system will bring with it some new features including iTunes Home Sharing which will enable Apple users to stream files from their iTunes library across a variety of supported Apple devices.

Another feature to roll-out with iOS 4.3 is personal Hotspots, but according to the source, this feature will be slightly different then originally reported because users will not be limited to just 3 devices as was originally believed. Rather, this decision may be left up to the mobile carrier, so if the carrier wants to offer expanded service to support 5 devices, this will now be a possibility. By default however, the limit will be three, but again, mobile carriers will have the final say on this.