A game currently in development by Mattel will let you play Angry Birds in real life.

The iPhone and iPad game has been near or at the top of the Apple App Store’s “most popular” list for months, and has been downloaded more than 50 million times. It’s been praised for its realistic physics engine, which lets you fling virtual birds at wooden and glass fortresses containing little green pigs. And it’s ridiculously addictive.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that Rovio, the makers of the game, is partnering with Mattel to make a game that lets you do all this in real life. It’ll be available in May, 2011 for $15.

Game play is simple: You pick a card and build the structure shown on it. Then your opponent uses a little catapult to fling little plastic birds at the structure, scoring points for knocking it down.

What could be easier? I like the way this game takes a classic kids’ activity — knocking down your sister’s tower of blocks — and turns it into a constructive group game. I only wish the blocks, birds and catapult were a little bit bigger. As it is, the plastic pieces are too small and lightweight. In my house, they’ll probably get batted under the couch by the cat or swallowed by the dog in no time.

Until then, though, this game promises to be just as fun as, and less socially isolating than, the iPhone version.

Originally published on Wired.com.

LAS VEGAS — This year’s Consumer Electronics Show is more about incremental upgrades than massive breakthroughs. And, of course, there are the tablets.

Check out this video for a quick, two-minute overview of the highlights.

Full story: Video: What’s Hot at CES | Gadget Lab | Wired.com.

LAS VEGAS — Put this tubular object in your backpack, and you can generate juice for your cellphone — just by walking around.

The nPower PEG (short for “personal energy generator”) contains a weight, a spring, some inductive coils and a battery. Put it in your pocket or your backpack, and it wiggles around with your body’s natural movements. As the internal weight moves, it generates electricity in the coils, which gradually charges up the battery. You can then transfer that power to your phone or iPod via a mini USB port and an adapter cable.

It’s a brilliant idea, and anyone who has ever watched their battery indicator dwindle to nothing will surely love the idea of getting energy from nothing more than walking and fidgeting. However, for power-hungry smartphones, you’ll only get about a minute of talk time for every 15 to 30 minutes of walking, the company says. That’s hardly enough to keep your phone alive all day.

Full story: Turn Your Body’s Motion Into Power for Your Phone | Gadget Lab | Wired.com.

Sure, you can check the time, but that’s hardly the point with this attractive piece of wrist jewelry. Its unisex design goes equally well with a man’s suit, a lady’s sweater or a jogging outfit.

One downside: It doesn’t come with a watchband, so you’ll need to get your own. Fortunately, the clip on the back lets you easily attach it to the strap of your choice.

Unlike almost every other watch we’ve tested, Apple’s Nano has a touch-sensitive, high-resolution LCD display. The interface is a little counterintuitive at first, but it’s no more difficult than anything from Tokyo Flash. As a bonus, you can rotate its face with a twisty two-finger gesture, making it work for you in any orientation.

With its Apple heritage, the Nano is a perfectly usable music player. Available in 8-GB ($150) or 16-GB ($170) models, it has plenty of capacity for storing thousands of songs, and its touchscreen provides a simple, if cramped, interface for selecting tracks. (Tip: Use iTunes to organize playlists before syncing. It’ll make it easier to find the music you want.)

Sound quality is excellent, though the generic white earbuds Apple includes are nothing to shout about. There’s a built-in FM radio player for getting your Ira fix (Flatow and Glass) when podcasts are unavailable.

Sadly, the Nano doesn’t support wireless or Bluetooth headphones, so you’ll need to route a headphone cable from your wrist to your ears. I recommend running it through your sleeve and under your shirt. This is dorky, but practical. And it kind of makes you feel like you’re an extra on The Wire.

The built-in pedometer function sums your steps throughout the day, posting them, if you choose, to Nike’s social site for walkers and general fitness, Nike+ Active.

As a timepiece, it’s comparable to digital watches circa 1978: The screen is usually in a black, juice-conserving state, so to check the time you need to press the power button. If you haven’t set it to “show time on wake,” you’ll also need to swipe left or right a few screens to find the clock face.

Battery life can also be a problem. Apple says it’s rated for 24 hours of music playback. But I left it on a nightstand overnight, only to find it was depleted in the morning. That doesn’t happen with other watches.

And yes, I know it’s really an iPod. I just really like using it as a wristwatch, despite its drawbacks.

Originally published in Wired, September 17, 2010
With a short video review by me (embedded above).