by The Editors on April 8, 2009
In the hunt to find a reason to pay for Surline’s “premium subscription” the wave forecasting site is rolling out a new “HD surf-cam experience” for those who just aren’t getting enough wave detail on the free cams.
Surfline’s founder Sean Collins says, “In March 2009, Surfline introduced the very first live HD Surf Cam from Surfline headquarters in Huntington Beach. Using a 16:9 format and high-resolution detail, the video streaming quality is excellent, and viewing the online camera is as if you are actually on location and watching the waves from our office.”
Sure, eventually all surf cams (and cameras in general) will be high definition, but are we really going to pay to see Newps in HD? Nope. But if we were already paying it would be a nice upgrade.
[Link: Surfline]
by The Editors on April 8, 2009
Looks like Sony Australia is turning to Billabong to give the ailing electronics manufacturer a little help with the iPod driven cool kids (specifically with Joel Parkinson), according to a story on Current.com.au.
In his new role Parkinson will represent and endorse the Sony brand, Sony sub-brands and products with media, consumers and retail partners. . . “2009 is shaping up as a big year for me and it’s pretty cool that the partnership with Sony allows me to keep my fans up to date with what’s going on both on and off the world tour. Family, friends and supporters are important to me so documenting my year with products such as Sony’s Cyber-shot cameras, Handycam camcorders and VAIO notebooks will help me share my experiences and, hopefully, triumphs,” said Parkinson.
The video cameras are great, but we hope the money is good because not having an iPod can be almost debilitating.
[Link: Current.com.au]
by The Editors on March 31, 2009
TEC, the Ketchum, Idaho based producer of the ScotteVest has sued 32 jacket manufacturers including: Bonfire, Burton, Helly Hansen, Nike, Nikita, Quiksilver, and V.F. Corporation over a patent (US Patent Number RE 40,613) that among other things allegedly protects a pocket design which includes a slot that allows a headphone wire to pass through, according to a story on Sports One Source.
According to the complaint, “each and every defendant named herein makes, uses, sells and/or imports at least one jacket and/or model of jacket that is designed to provide the wearer with wire management capabilities for portable electronic devices, including, for example, cellular telephones, mp3 players, iPods, and the like, that facilitates the management of wires running from the electronic device to the user.”
According to his myspace page TEC owner Scott Jordan, 44, is “a corporate lawyer with no design experience.” This entire lawsuit will probably get more interesting before it goes away. We’ll keep you posted.
[Link: Sports One Source]
by The Editors on March 30, 2009
by The Editors on March 30, 2009
It’s like it’s just not making it in the world anymore unless you appear in a video game. Ken Block has reportedly signed on to be a character in the rally car video game Colin McRae Dirt2, according to a post on Gamers Daily News.
X Games team-mate of the late Colin McRae, Block is at the forefront of a new breed of pro drivers, competing as Subaru Rally Team USA Driver #43 in the Rally America National Championship and the world-famous X Games. He has also gained notoriety for his mind-blowing stunts in his Subaru WRX STI. For Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Block is working with the development team at Codemasters Studios as technical consultant, lending his wealth of knowledge to the game and advising on car handling.
Ken is apparently stepping in as the new face of the game after McRae died in a 2007 helicopter crash with his son and two family friends. Click here to watch Ken’s new promo video for the game.
[Link: Gamers Daily News]
by The Editors on March 26, 2009
Stephen Teran is a 6’5″ shoe salesman from Tucson, Arizona who happens to have Volcom as his Twitter username. He has 60 followers and likes to update with comments like “Taking the trash out. I want to go home already. Supposed to leave 2 hrs ago,” and “buying some sonoran hot dogs.”
Tonight Mr. Teran got the following tweet from the Volcom marketing division’s Willie Marshall: “@volcom yo hit me up, I got a proposition for you.”
We’re guessing that Willie is hoping to obtain Mr. Teran’s username. It will be interesting to see how this little proposition turns out because there are a couple more Twitter brand squatters out there who may be waiting in line for some propositions of their own: Burton, Billabong, Quiksilver, Electric, Roxy, Nixon, Dakine, Hurley, Adio, Rip Curl, Independent, Vans, O’Neill, Etnies, emerica, Gravis, K2 and more.
Looks like Twitter caught the action sports industry by surprise. Why does that not surprise us?
by The Editors on March 23, 2009
O’Neill just launched a new website that they are extremely proud of. It was created by Achtung! “the award-winning digital agency based in Amsterdam.”
We decided to take a quick, web-addled, ADD tour through the site to see if they have improved anything. Follow the jump for a rundown of our user experience with the site and why we probably won’t be visiting this site again:
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on March 12, 2009
We had these Skullcandy Full Metal Jacket Earbuds laying around the office for a couple months thinking they would be a perfect back-up for when our Apple buds took a second tour through the washing machine.
Skullycandy CEO Rick Alden told us they were amazing, but we didn’t really listen. When we finally plugged them a couple weeks ago we immediately felt like complete and total idiots for having waited so long.
These are simply the best earbuds we have ever used on any device. They fit our ears right out of the box, but if they didn’t Skullcandy was nice enough to include four more sets of buds virtually guaranteeing a perfect fit. The design of the 11 mm speaker and bud blocks out just the right amount of annoying outside sounds without making us completely oblivious to oncoming traffic, and the sound stays solid from listening to podcast at night to rocking out on a crowded train.
We recommend doing what we wish we had done months ago: Throw your Apple earbuds directly in the trash and go grab a pair of Full Metal Jackets. They are available online for $69.95 and for those who live by their iPhone or iPod they are worth every penny.
[Link: Skullcandy]
by The Editors on March 11, 2009
We don’t have a Wii and we aren’t planning on getting one anytime soon, but if you do, then the new We Ski and Snowboard might be a good addition to the game collection as it now includes snowboarding, according to a review on Blend Games.
We Ski and Snowboard is a really great way to use that balance board that’s been collecting dust since you realized that Wii Fit isn’t a magic lose-weight machine. It’s a very solid game that has a one-of-a-kind mission structure for a sport game. . . If you’re looking for something low-stress to play on your Wii that’s not a steaming pile of crap like 90% of the games currently being released, We Ski and Snowboard is your best bet.
It’s too bad about the skiing, though.
[Link: Blendgames]
by The Editors on March 10, 2009
In their new book Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time journalists Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton roll out the completely history of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise. Gamasutra has been cool enough to preview the entire THPS section:
What Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, which has now generated $1 billion in sales across the course of the series, added was an extraordinary level of realism to the over-the-top antics that resonated with many players who were turned off by the overly competitive nature of the previous games. By making it about technique over style, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater expanded its audience to far more players than any other game of its type before.
Thanks Gamasutra, we won’t have to buy the book. Click the link for the rest of the five page story.
[Update 2:20 PM: According to a comment from Bill Loguidice the Tony Hawk Pro Skater history isn’t even in the book, it’s a bonus chapter run exclusively on Gamasutra.com Sorry for the mix up, Bill.]
[Link: Gamasutra]
