planet

Able Planet headset goes easy on the ears

Here's something we haven't seen before: a headset designed to lessen the damaging effect loud music and gaming can potentially have on the ears. Able Planet introduced the PS500MM gaming headset back in December of 2008, claiming that the device's onboard "Link Audio" technology will soften the blow to your eardrums.

Basically the technology is supposed to prevent the user from having to raise the volume in order to drown out background noise. Interestingly enough, it was first developed for those with mild to severe hearing loss. AblePlanet claims it's patented Link Audio technology … Read more

Sources: Heavy layoffs at PlanetOut

Everyone knows that many media organizations are struggling, and now the latest evidence comes from PlanetOut, where as many as a third of the staff were laid off this week.

The first word of the reductions at the popular lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender news and entertainment network came Monday via the prolific The Media is Dying Twitter feed, which aggregates reports of layoffs and staff moves across the media industry.

"PlanetOut has axed 50 percent of the work force--includes sales and editorial," The Media is Dying wrote.

In response to a request for comment, PlanetOut spokesperson Angelina … Read more

How Google searches lead to our destruction

Every day that we eke out our survival we know that there is some actuary or scientist working out whether it's worth us ever trying.

Professor Alex Wissner-Gross, a physicist from Harvard, punched in a few numbers, posited a couple of suppositions, and declared that two Google searches generate as much CO2 as boiling a kettle.

You would, I hope, not expect me to spout the numbers at you, but apparently the fact that Google transmits every search inquiry to more than one server doesn't help. And, worse, even though Google believes it is the most efficient of … Read more

MindArk creates 'Entropia Universe' planet as independent company

LAS VEGAS--MindArk, the developer of the science fiction-based virtual world, Entropia Universe, has announced that it is spinning off the functional game side of its business into a separate company.

Known as First Planet Company, the new entity will be a stand-alone company that will run the actual virtual world, which it is calling Planet Calypso. MindArk will continue to operate the platform side of its business, focusing on tools that it can make available to partners looking for a custom virtual world.

In recent months, MindArk has put a lot of its energy in developing relationships with outside entities … Read more

Daily Tidbits: Beatles songs now available for free

Beatles fans can now download the Fab Four's tracks legally for free. But there's one catch: they can only do it by subscribing to, and downloading, a podcast from Norwegian Broadcasting. According to a deal inked by the organization late last year, Norwegian Broadcasting can offer podcasts containing music as long as no more than 70 percent of the entire duration of the show contains music. Using that to its advantage, the organization has started offering daily podcast episodes that feature a three-minute discussion about an individual Beatles track and the actual recording of that track subsequent to … Read more

Able Planet's new gaming headphones

Able Planet, known for developing headphones for those with mild to severe hearing loss, recently unveiled a new high-fidelity multimedia headset for PC gamers--the PS500MM.

Able Planet's chairman and CEO, Kevin Semcken, said:

"We designed this innovative new headset specifically with PC gamers in mind. Gamers tend to spend significant periods of time playing online games and such extended play of rich multimedia sounds puts a cumulative strain on the ears this can cause hearing loss and fatigue. Our technology minimizes this risk so that users no longer have to turn up the volume just to be able … Read more

The 404 224: Where we don't have time for Wilson's asinine stories

We start today's show a little late today, mostly because Wilson chooses the worst time to launch into a personal anecdote. We love you, Tilson Wang. Anyway, we'd like to congratulate Christina and Rolf for winning our LittleBigPlanet/Motorstorm box art contest! They don't have Photoshop so they got creative with Paint and made an awesome collage of 404 inside jokes! See if you can spot them all in the picture. Thanks again, guys! E-mail your address to the404{at}cnet{dot}com and let us know which game you want! Later on in the show, we get into a discussion about our country's depreciating credit, the best way to finance a new laptop, Circuit sh*tty closing its doors, our president-elect's views on the importance of parenting gamers, and talk a ton of trash on Heroes and Mr. Freeze from Batman and Robin. ICE TO MEET YOU.

Episode 224 Download today's podcast … Read more

More Web 2.0 in video games: The 'LittleBigPlanet' workshop

For a little over a week now PlayStation 3 owners have been creating thousand of levels in LittleBigPlanet, a platformer where creativity is both encouraged and rewarded using an ever-expanding level making tool set. The only problem is that these tools are relegated to the game, meaning if you're away from your console there's nothing more than a pen and paper for you to design your next masterpiece.

Media Molecule, the creators of LBP are attempting to change that, with new online tools that let you get your creative juices flowing right in the browser. Using simple drag … Read more

Able Planet Clear Harmony NC200 headphones offer noise canceling on a budget

Flying the friendly skies has sure gotten a lot more enjoyable with the advent of portable media players, but frequent fliers realize it takes more than a decent MP3 player to deal with nuisance-ridden travel. A good pair of sound-isolating earbuds or noise-cancelling headphones can do wonders when it comes to escaping into your own world of personal entertainment.

Of course, active noise-canceling sets can cost a pretty penny, which is where the Able Planet Clear Harmony NC200 headphones come in. The pair is sold on Amazon.com for around $60--a palatable price if we ever saw one. You'll … Read more