The world of video games has long seen a split between the consoles and the PC. And despite the rumors that PC gaming is dead, it is very much alive and well. The rumors have been greatly exaggerated, especially as the PC will soon get a boost from the Microsoft Kinect. This is really no surprise as Microsoft entered the gaming arena as a PC software developer and publisher, as well as creating a variety of hardware for the PC.
There are already devices that we’ve covered that allow a PC to be used with a bike trainer, golf simulator or other devices, but where the PC has lagged behind in recent years is with motion control that makes gaming fitness possible. Now Microsoft is offering a true game changer as the Kinect will arrive on the PC next year.
Personal expression. We do it through the clothes we wear, the style of our hair, the trinkets on our desk. In just about every part of our lives we are expressing who we are. Now, for about 40 bucks, you can show a little more personal expression through the bicycle you ride – just as long as it is a ‘clean’ expression.
There are things that are done simply because someone can do it. That is sort of what resulted in the iShred, a snowboard that has an iPad embedded in it. Created by the crew at Signal during one of their Every Third Thursday events, this is the latest of some wacky combinations – previously they put a boom box in a board, as well as an electric guitar.
The U.K. will get a limited edition of the Android-based Motorola Defy+ with a rugged shell from construction and demolition company JCB. The added layer, or armor, on the phone will keep your phone protected, regardless of your extreme activities. If it takes a fall, you won’t have to worry so much. The built-in case improves the phone’s shock resistance capabilities.
Camping is typically done in the woods (albeit many kids probably do “camp” in the backyard), but now a German adventure mountain is offering campers the chance to actually spend the night hanging off the tree tops! Waldseilgarten in Pfronten, Bavaria hosts adventure nights out during the summer months, where guests can sleep in a portaledge that hangs off a cliff or from a tree. The hanging tent system si the same that is used by rock climbers on multiple day climbs and features a fabric-covered platform supported by a metal frame and is suspended from a secured single point. Guests can only ascend or descend with rope assistance, so planning ahead for nature’s call should be considered.
The iPhone can be a great cycling computer, but this means exposing the expensive smartphone to the elements. For those who go off road there is the StormCruiser from Joy Factory, a bicycle mount designed to tackle spills and the elements. The StormCruiser is designed for the iPhone 4/4S, and the scratch resistant case offers protection from water, dust and grease. It can be mounted on the body frame, between the handle bar, or on the top tube.
It seems like the term “high definition” is used quite liberally in marketing these days. What’s normally associated with television and imaging is used loosely with everything from 
This week Trimble announced the release of its suite of apps for outdoor enthusiasts. The apps are designed for users to plan trips and navigate the outdoors. The first app, Trimble Outdoors MyTopo Maps, is a mapping and trip planning app for the Apple iPad to organize outdoor adventures, while the second app, Trimble Outdoors Navigator, offers in-the-field GPS navigation and mapping for the iPhone and Android devices, and be used on trails and in remote backcountry areas.
A majority of bike shop are owned and staffed by knowledgeable and honest people, but have you ever walked into a bike shop and felt that you were being steered towards a particular bike or size that didn’t seem to fit right? Were you told that a certain model was not available in another color? If you have run into this before at a bike shop, the best option is to either walk out or find another sales person, but what do you do if that shop is the only one in town that is an authorized dealer for the brand of bike that you want? Another option is to arm yourself with knowledge, and Felt Bicycles is helping you do that – at least for its brand.
Airbags save lives. This is generally true in automobiles, but airbags could be making the way from the car to the slopes. Last winter we noted that 
Much has been made about the fact that smartphones pretty much give everyone a camera for everywhere they go. And with many smartphones including built-in HD video cameras does anyone need a pocket camcorder these days? Well, apparently Philips thinks so, and its new ESee pocket video camera could fill the void left by the now-discontinued Cisco Systems Flip camcorder.