avengers

A Marvel digital-comics sale in January came with an unusual perk: a $5 coupon for a print comic book. As a lead-in to its Avengers versus X-Men story starting in April, Marvel is giving the coupon a second chance to power up both digital and print comics sales via its iOS (download) and Android (download) comics apps.

"The coupon bumped [digital comic] sales about 25 percent," David Gabriel, senior vice-president of sales for Marvel, said in a phone interview yesterday. Peter Phillips, the general manager and senior vice-president of the Marvel Digital Media Group, added that it was &… Read more

This week, the Crave crew uncovers a cupcake-dispensing ATM, hot-tub boats, and a sonic weapon that confounds your enemy into silence. Plus, a concept Xbox controller that massages your thumbs, merit badges for nerdlings, and a DARPA cheetah bot that will be chasing us in our nightmares.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

The trailer promoting Marvel's upcoming superhero flick "The Avengers" has earned the title of most-watched on Apple's iTunes and movie trailers apps.

Marvel Studios today said the trailer, which launched as an exclusive to iTunes on Wednesday, was viewed 13.7 million times in its first 24 hours of availability. That tally doesn't include places where the trailer ended up later, including YouTube where it's passed 5.1 million views since being posted yesterday.

This is actually the second time a trailer for the film has broken an iTunes record. An earlier one from … Read more

This week, old meets new as we drool over a new AC/DC pinball machine, turn our old CDs into works of art, and put your condom's location on the Web. Plus, a skateboard powered by your brain, a shopping cart that stalks and judges you, a DIY Chewbacca tissue box suitable for space travel misadventures, and Bonnie's robot gets a name.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

Eric and Donald run though the latest in desktop haptic devices, including a weather forecaster you can feel, and a USB kissing robot cow.

"Tron"-inspired electroluminescence makes a comeback with some neat shades and an eco-friendly charging cable. And in Geek News, we take a longer look at "The Avengers" and a preview of the upcoming "Amazing Spider-Man."

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

This week, Donald and Eric consider the future of space, the dark side of romance, and the proper way to dispose of AT-AT excrement. Also, the Keyboard Cat toy plays us out, and in Geek News, Eric confesses his deep hatred of Orcs.

… Read more

Our guest today is Robin Yang of Toy Studio, one of Barnes & Noble's premier gaming publishers for the Nook Color tablet. She'll help us out with the rundown that includes stories about the real 53 percent, the long-awaited Facebook app for the iPad, MacBook Air competitor Ultrabooks from Asus, and how to run Android apps on a PC.… Read more

HP ruins the tablet party for everyone else; Stormtroopers ride in style; and Eric weaves in a Geek Pop segment on comic movie news. Plus, some tough love from a listener.

… Read more

The Avenger is a new snap-on accessory for Sony PlayStation 3 controllers. It features a combination of adjustable levers, a stabilizing stand, and even tension straps for users to perform faster moves without taking their fingers off the analog sticks. And it kind of makes your controller look a bit like a robot spider.

Refer to these videos on how the Avenger works (note that the demonstration is using an Xbox 360 controller). The new PS3 version will be available directly from the peripheral maker's online store in November at $48.99, but it's limited to 5,000 units for now.

Will this unique contraption make playing first-person shooter games on a console easier? I seriously doubt it, especially in terms of precision compared with a PC mouse. Still, it could address some of the quirks and steep learning curve of console controllers for FPS titles.

(Source: Crave Asia via Ubergizmo) … Read more