asteroid

LAS VEGAS--Parrot is best known for its Bluetooth hands-free products. But if the AR.Drone is any indicator, this isn't a company that's afraid to come out of left field with a seemingly random product. Enter the Parrot Asteroid, a car audio receiver powered by Android OS. Yep, you read that correctly.

The Asteroid is a single-DIN receiver with a two-part faceplate that is split between a physical control panel that is detachable for security and a large, fixed 3.2-inch LCD. The unit features three USB ports it can use to connect to digital audio sources or … Read more

Space Miner Blast is a slimmed-down arcade version of one of our favorite games on the iPhone called Space Miner: Space Ore Bust. The original game included a storyline in which you tried to keep your uncle's space-mining company afloat by mining various sectors of space and using the ore to make money so you could upgrade your ship. Though we still recommend the original as a more involved and unique game, Space Miner Blast takes the basic gameplay mechanic (flying around and shooting asteroids) and makes it into a fun challenge on its own.

Space Miner Blast tasks … Read more

Hey, iPhone gamers, I received a press release just yesterday that plenty will be excited about: Real Racing 2 is coming soon for the iPhone. As one of my favorite games for 2009, the original Real Racing might be the best in its class for graphics, gameplay, and realism (as the name suggests) among auto-racing games on the iPhone.

Though there is no information beyond the announcement (here is Firemint's cryptic info page), I'm personally hoping for new tracks, new cars, and maybe even an accelerometer-based motorcycle racing mode. I admit that last wish is probably far-fetched, but it never hurts to dream, right? It almost seems impossible to improve upon the original, so I'm excited to see what Firemint will add in the sequel.

Though I can only guess at a release date, the timing of this press release seems to suggest that we could have this product on our iPhones in time for the gift-giving season. I'm crossing my fingers!

This week's apps are both arcade games: an advanced Astroids-like title and a game where you play as a man-eating giant worm.… Read more

Scientists have recovered part of a Japanese space probe that returned to Earth after landing on an asteroid to collect samples, and they're preparing to open it. At least The Andromeda Strain inspired them to wear helmets and body armor.

The sample container from the Hayabusa probe parachuted to a soft landing in the Australian Outback on Sunday. The fridge-size probe burned up in spectacular fashion on reentry (see the NASA video below).

There was no damage to the mushroom-shaped container, and the probe's heat shield was also found, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Hayabusa … Read more

Five years after touching down on a distant asteroid, Japan's Hayabusa space probe returned to Earth on Sunday, landing in the Australian Outback after a spectacular fireball.

Officials at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aren't sure whether the probe managed to collect samples from asteroid Itokawa after its three-month rendezvous with the small space rock in 2005. They would be the first samples returned from the surface of an asteroid.

The probe burned up on reentry, streaking through the night sky (see pic here), and Hayabusa's heat-resistant container landed with the aid of a parachute in … Read more

Astronomers discovered the asteroid 90377 Sedna in 2003, and astrologers discovered it not long after, incorporating its motions into their complex formulas for reading signs in the heavens. MysticBoard specializes in mystic and astrological utilities; its Sedna Astrology describes the newly discovered body's placement in users' birth charts. Based on the precepts of classical Western Astrology, it tracks the subtle influence that's always been exerted by Sedna's orbit but that astrologers have been unable to account for in their calculations.

Like MB's other wares, Sedna Astrology is free to download and use but includes a registration … Read more

Space Miner: Space Ore Bust takes the old arcade classic Asteroids and mixes in some RPG elements and a sense of humor to create a truly entertaining game. Most of your time is spent mining different sectors of open space, using an onscreen joystick to turn and buttons for thrust and fire. By itself, blowing away the asteroids is pretty fun, but there's much more to Space Miner than a simple arcade shooter. Your base camp is your Uncle Jeb's mining facility, which also has a store to buy new ships and ship components and your apartment where … Read more

Macworld Expo 2010 started on Tuesday here in San Francisco, and will continue through tomorrow (Saturday) at the Moscone Center. I had a chance to walk the expo floor on Thursday and though there weren't nearly as many vendors as in years past, I was able to talk to a few iPhone developers about their products and all seemed excited about showing off their latest projects.

Even though Apple is no longer in attendance at Macworld, Moscone North was crowded with throngs of Mac and iPhone fans, looking at the latest software, peripherals, and gear. While the big Apple … Read more

AsteroidRush is a basic arcade-style game in which users must destroy asteroids and other objects that threaten their spaceship. It's not very interesting, yet we found it somehow addicting in a totally mindless kind of way.

The program's interface is very simple. The player's spaceship is located in the middle of the screen and can spin around but not move from its spot. The spaceship is bombarded by asteroids (which look a lot like meatballs) and other unidentified objects from all directions. Users shoot at these threatening objects to protect themselves and earn points. Some objects confer … Read more