My Gadget, Game & Gizmo Obsession

Slacker announced months ago, that with an update coming in 2010 there would be new features and stations added to the streaming radio service. One of those, was the unique addition of ABC News audio feeds.

Months have gone by, and all the new mentioned features have come true; like new clients for BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android with wireless syncing. The ABC News feature has gone unanswered…

…until today.

I opened up my favorite streaming music application in Firefox, to see an advertisement on screen for “ABC NEWS ON SLACKER RADIO!” I clicked the link, and am currently listening away to ABC News feeds. This is definitely a nice addition to the 100+ canned music stations, plus the unlimited number of custom stations, like our own custom Rock Band station.

Later on, I will experiment with trying the new station on my BlackBerry Slacker app. Plus, I will try to make a custom station with both music and news feeds.  Should be interesting.

I’ve seen satellite radio articles bashing the new offering by Slacker. Though, I’m going to give this a solid test drive and report back before making any judgment.

You can check out Slacker Radio in your web browser or smartphone by visiting www.slacker.com.

A recent tweet from Cena (authority on most things Rock Band related) was noteworthy:

To clarify for all. The Ion Drum Rocker does work with RB3. if you have the 3 cymbals you Are set for pro mode. #cenaE3

If you’re like me and just have the standard ION with two-cymbals, then you are probably looking ahead to upgrading.  If you want to get in on PRO-mode drumming, there are three components that you should consider.

• 3rd cymbal.  This can either be the ION variety, or something else entirely as the kit is highly expandable and compatible with other e-cymbals on the market.
• 2nd bass-pedal.  The stock ION pedal is garbage, I purchased the Rock Pedal and could not be happier.
• Bass-pedal coupler.  The ION ‘brain’ does not have a second input for the bass pedal.

It’s likely that ION will announce an upgrade package that has all of the above.  There are a few bass-pedals that have the coupler built in, so that could potentially cut down on the cost and certainly the cabling.  I’ve been in touch with Jordan from Rock Pedal, and he will be offering just such a package in time for Rock Band 3.  However I will probably look to get a better quality and brand of high-hat than another ION cymbal (and I’m not complaining about the ION cymbals, they are great).

What are your plans for upgrading your e-drum kit?

Short video showing off the sleek new look, via Gametrailers.

Exactly as Shawn posted earlier in the week, Microsoft has confirmed the existence of the XBOX Slim, featuring a smaller casing, optimized internals, and a ton of extra features, the least of which is  a surprising ‘fix’ to the infamous Red-Ring-Of-Death problem.  From the spec sheets:

Old 360 vs New 360

(image via Joystiq)

There are quite a few bonuses in the Slim.  Aesthetically, it takes up less space on your desk or tv stand so it is easier to hide.  If you prefer to show off your nerd factor, it’s nice on the eyes too – only available in glossy black with chrome accenting. There are 2 additional USB ports, which is nice because those are always in short supply during Rock Band parties.  A 250 GB standard internal hard drive, 1080p HD, 802.11-N internal wi-fi, and lower power consumption all are welcomed new features.  Additional new features are a Kinect port and let’s not forget about TOSLINK.

A minor concern of mine is that there is no memory unit slot, however, it’s possible that the recent USB-hard drive enhancements to the console have eliminated the need for a MU.   Moving your profile from XBOX to XBOX is far easier with the MU in my experience.  I suspect that they have done this to try to eliminate Gamerscore cheating and hacking, as the MUs are notoriously known for.

Finally they have eliminated the Red-Ring-Of-Death completely from the console! Actually they have only removed the red LEDs from the rings, which is in itself probably one of the greatest fixes of all time. Can’t exactly call it the RROD any more can we?

The Slim is available any minute now at Amazon.

If you read my earlier post, you already know that I picked up the Rock Band Stage Kit on a whim (and on the cheap). Now, based on popular demand, it’s time to let you in on my first and thorough impressions of this add-on for Xbox 360 and Rock Band.

Yes, it works with Lego Rock Band!

WHAT IS IT:

The Rock Band Stage Kit is an add-on light and fog system for Xbox 360 and Rock Band games. It’s made by PDP, a peripheral manufacturer for video games and other toys. As far as Rock Band goes, you know PDP as the makers of drum silencers, pedals, and other gear. The RB Stage Kit was released in the holiday season of 2008, with some excitement from the die hard RB community, but little external marketing.

What it does, is shines colored LED lights (red, blue, yellow, red, orange, and green) in specific patterns to the music of Rock Band songs.  The actual “authoring” (as the cool kids call it) of a song in a Rock Band venue determines which lights and which pattern will display during a song. On top of the LED’s, there is also a strobe light/fog machine, which is also activated by the venue authoring of a Rock Band song.

This thing works automatically.  As a user, you plug the Fog Machine into an AC outlet, add some fog juice (more on that later), connect the fog machine to the LED/controller via an included cable, and plug the LED/controller to your Xbox 360 with a permanently connected USB cable. Other than turning on the two power buttons on the back of the fog machine (one for light power, one for fog power), that’s all you have to do to use this system. Setup is a breeze.

From there, play Rock Band like you’d normally play, and enjoy what I like to call a 3-Dimensional Rock Band Experience. Fog, strobe lights, colored patterns of lights really gives the illusion that you are on the stage in the game.

WHAT COMES IN THE BOX:

• Fog Machine (water based) / Strobe Light, with built in AC power cord.
• Fog Juice (1 quart, small bottle)
• LED/Xbox 360 Controller
• Connector cable
• Funnel for Fog Juice
• Manual

WHERE TO BUY IT (on the cheap):

This was released during the 2008 holiday season for $99.99. I do not believe it was a huge seller, due to lack of marketing, it basically being a peripheral with no actual added-value to the game, and the price being too high.  Now, the Stage Kit is being discontinued by some retailers, while others are still stocking it.  I have seen price ranges from $99.99  to as low as $19.99.

GameStop – $19.99, discontinued but still available in some stores. Call and check before you go. Not available online.
BestBuy – $24.99, discontinued but I saw many in the BestBuy I visited this weekend. Call and check before you go. Not available online.
Amazon – $79.99, free shipping. In stock online.
WalMart – $97.63, In stock online.

You can get extra 3rd party fog juice at Guitar Center, which the Rock Band forums are saying is cheaper and gets even better results. I haven’t tried it yet, but will soon, for $24.99.

WHAT GAMES DOES IT WORK WITH:

This works with most, but not all Rock Band games. It does not work with any Guitar Hero or Lips games.  I’ve confirmed that it works with Rock Band 1, Rock Band 2, Rock Band AC/DC Track Pack, and Lego: Rock Band.  It does not work with The Beatles: Rock Band and does not work with the demo of Green Day: Rock Band.

WHAT IS MY TAKE ON IT:

I would have never bought it for the retail price of $99.99.  But at the sub-$30 mark, it pays for itself at your first party.  The LED light are bright and do a great patterned effect on your walls and ceilings. The strobe light, surprisingly comes on at only the perfect spots. The smoke machine is awesome.  Though, the fog juice that comes with the Stage Kit will fog up your room in less than one song, to the point where you won’t be able to see the TV after 3 songs.  People have watered down the fog to get a lesser effect. Others, like me, just turn the fog off after 2 songs, while leaving the lights on.

One thing to note, if you have four players, the light controller must act as one of your Xbox 360 controllers.  This means the singer will have to use the light controller to make their selections.  This is only true if you have 4 players.  If you have 3 or less, the singer can user a standard Xbox 360 controller, as you’d expect.

Now that I have it, every time I fire up Rock Band 2 or Lego: Rock Band, I always turn on the Stage Kit (excluding the fogger). I save the fog juice for parties, but use the lights daily.  It truly makes for an immersive experience. I do hope thay Harmonix continues to support this for Rock Band 3, as it would be a shame to end support for this great 3rd party add-on.

Check out the new commercial / BEP video demonstrating the updated BlackBerry OS 6, coming soon.  Lot’s of touch capabilities, swiping, and more.  The UI is familiar but fresh looking, and shows off multimedia as much as it does communication. (Thanks @Crackberry for the tip)

Hey, Guitar Hero (WT, 5, Metallica, Smash Hits, Band Hero, VH) drummers, how about you get a new drum kit that blows the stock GHWT and Band Hero controllers out of the water? Logitech has made the competitor to Ion’s Drum Rocker. Though Logitech is focused at the Guitar Hero drummer, and the Ion is focused at the Rock Band drummer. At 60% off the regular prices, this drum kit is a must have if you are still using the stock Guitar Hero drum kit.

This kit comes with three adjustable pads, two cymbal pads, and a kick pedal. Plus all the cables needed, and the built-in Xbox 360 controls.

Here’s everything else you will find in the box:

Package Contents

It even folds up nicely (unlike the Ion) for easy and quick storage.

Just like the Ion Drum Rocker, it is fully compatible with all Guitar Hero and Rock Band games.  Yes, this will work with all Rock Band games on Xbox 360, including Lego: Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and Green Day: Rock Band.

As a Rock Band drummer myself, who has played many hours with Guitar Hero drum controllers, I can tell you the important differences.  The yellow pad for Guitar Hero games is always used as a cymbal (hi-hat, ride, crash, etc), whereas in Rock Band games, the yellow pad may be a cymbal or a tom. For Rock Band drummers, there will be a learning curve to get used to hitting a cymbal for toms, but it is doable.  I played this way exclusively for several months.  The orange pad is only used in Guitar Hero games.  This is a huge win for Guitar Hero drummers.  Having the orange pad gives you more authenticity of playing a real drum kit, due the the dedicated orange/cymbal pad.  For Rock Band drummers, the orange pad is not used.  There is no learning curve for the orange pad, since Rock Band just ingnores the orange pad, and Guitar Hero games display an orange lane.

The reviews are mixed, though generally positive.  Most of the mediocre reviews are comparing it to the Ion Drum Rocker, and the fact that the two are so close in price.  But, at this current price of $91 with FREE shipping, this blows the Drum Rocker pricing out of the water.  Take a look at the Amazon deal for the Logitech Xbox 360 Wireless Drum Controller and see if this is for you.

Harmonix has announced next week’s DLC tracks on schedule.  One of Australia’s biggest rock acts in the last two decades, Silverchair, is coming to Rock Band on Tuesday, as well as a follow up track from Flyleaf and the debut of brit-poppers Busted.

• Busted – “Thunderbirds Are Go!”
• Flyleaf – “Again”
• Silverchair – “Tomorrow”

“Tomorrow” was Silverchairs debut hit in the early 90′s, rocketing them to fame in the 1992 post-Seattle grunge era.  They continued for many years to be one of the top acts in Australia and are currently recording a new album.   Silverchair has not received much attention outside of Australia since the 90′s, but perhaps we will see more of their music in the game one day.  Flyleaf was one of the original bands from the Rock Band 1 disc, with their song “I’m So Sick”, and if you enjoyed that song then “Again” should likewise please your ears.

I’m a bit surprised with the third track next week.   Busted (now defunct) was a fairly boilerplate Brit-pop band that had incredible success with their first album, but quickly faded to insignificance within two years.  At their peak, they recieved the top music industry accolades (album of the year in 2003) but could not recapture their success with their second album.  “Thunderbirds are Go!” was not released on any of their major British or even their North American records, in fact this song was one of four bonus tracks with the Japanese release of their second album, for their short-lived tour of that country.  So rather than getting one of their handful of songs that people actually liked, we instead are given this B-side to their forgotten japanese import.   This is aside from the fact that the song is the theme to a show about marionettes in space.  Sorry Harmonix, but this track is just way too obscure to be believed.  I just cannot picture this track being popular in Rock Band.

This might seem like a very short release list, indeed it is a rare occasion that a Tuesday only has three tracks to add to the Rock Band catalogue.  Harmonix has ackowledged this in their press release and have informed the public that they’ve ‘got loads of content in the pipeline’.   Remember there is a major title release (Green Day) in just over a month, development is presumably ongoing for Rock Band 3, and the stream of tracks appearing on the Rock Band Network seems to have hit its stride, with 5-15 new songs per week.

Enjoy the new songs.  Next Week’s Predictions:  The Deftones, RATT and Hole.  Courtney’s not currently pissed off with Harmonix right?

So, the iPad is here, we know that.  Some are calling it a revolutionary device. I won’t get into my opinion of the iPad right now.  Though, I will get into what is possibly soon to come.

There’s most likely a BlackBerry touchscreen phone coming out this year (looking like the Palm Pre). See my earlier post on this.

I got wind today from TechTremor, that Research In Motion (aka RIM, the makers of BlackBerry) are readying a combatant to the iPad.  If there is any credence to this early rumor, we may be seeing a BlackBerry tablet computer in the near future.

Source: TechTremor

If your tired of tablets already then you’re in for a tough year I’m afraid. Research In Motion, the creator of Blackberry, were caught buying up 8.9 inch screens and later ordering tablets from Foxconn, the largest electronic assembly plant in the world. Again, more rumors, but this would slate the tablet for an attainable late summer early fall launch. It looks like tablets are going to be the new Christmas crazy come 4th quarter.

So, what say you BlackBerry users? Does a BlackBerry tablet interest you? For me, I am begging RIM to make a touchscreen BlackBerry. Though, not sure yet what I think about a BlackBerry tablet.

UPDATE: In this weeks CrackBerry podcast, we have a confirmation that engineering of a BlackBerry tablet is in the works. Listen to Kevin Michaluk at 31:40 into the podcast. He had to change topics because he is obviously under an NDA not to talk about it.
Get the podcast here or just listen below.

Yes, it works with Lego Rock Band!

A couple co-workers dragged me kicking and screaming to Newbury Comics and Gamestop today at lunch.  One of them showed me the Rock Band Stage Kit for Xbox 360 with a sticker price of just $19.99. It’s original price was $99.99, which is still priced at Walmart. Amazon currently has it for $79.99.  So, I needed to inquire with a Gamestop employee.

They said the price was slashed because it hadn’t sold well.  The clerk checked and this was the last one this store had in stock.  They also looked it up and found the Stage Kit had been discontinued company wide.  So, if you have any thoughts on picking up the Rock Band Stage Kit, and haven’t done so yet….hurry before they are all gone.  It’s dirt cheap. There are none left on Gamestop.com, so you will need to get off your butt and head to the store. (Call first, to see if they have any left).

On a similar side note, I know the kit is compatible with Rock Band and Rock Band 2 (as stated on the box).  Though, I know there was sadness when people learned the Stage Kit was not compatible with Beatles: Rock Band.  For me, my current game of choice is Lego: Rock Band, so I’m most interested in the Stage Kit working with that.

According to this thread by Juniorpop on the Rock Band Forums, yes it is compatible with Lego: Rock Band!

Just got popped in L:RB and happy to see that the stage kit works!
Now just make it work for Beatles. ( Fat Chance)
Out of (my) 340 DLC, 166 work in Lego.
Also pretty nice surprise, 22 of the RB1 tracks transferred as well.

I will be trying this kit out over the weekend and reporting back my thoughts.