2010 September | Gadgets & Technology

Japanese Resort Caters To Men With Virtual Girlfriends

loveplus 300x171 Japanese Resort Caters To Men With Virtual Girlfriends I totally understand that the Internet has changed modern courtship in the real world but this is taking dating really out there. Virtual girlfriends are now enjoying the kind of real-life wooing (romantic dinners and weekend getaways) that’s typically reserved for um, non-virtual women, thanks to a summertime promotional campaign in Japan catering to nubile video game characters and the real men who love them.

But this virtual love has been sweeping Japanese men off their feet ever for years, in the form of a dating-simulation game called LovePlus. Described as a “communication game”, the latest version for Nintendo DS has players courting an array of high school girl characters while trying to maintain a steady relationship with one of them. Players can use a number of commands like holding hands or sending a flirty text. Basic voice recognition software allows players to fulfill their “boyfriend duties” — like saying “I love you” 100 times into the DS’ built-in microphone. Should all go well, players can go in for a kiss by literally, uh, kissing the screen on the console.

In LovePlus+, digital couples enjoy virtual “field trips” at resorts like Atami but game makers are taking it one step further by teaming up with the real city of Atami to attract players who want to re-enact their virtual romance in the real world. Japan hopes this unique campaign will help boost tourism and increase interest in the once-bustling beach town that’s seen a steady decline since the 1990s.

MORE on GLOSS: Bro, Pass the Midol – a Japanese Menstruation Simulator for Men

But it looks like the highly unusual plan has paid off. During the two month-long campaign (which ended in August), more than 2,000 men flocked to Atami to enjoy a real-life romantic getaway full of virtual lovin’. Fortunately for everyone involved, locals happily played along: hotels provided rooms for the ‘couples’ and restaurants offered Love Plus+ specials. The girl may not be real, but the weekend outing most certainly is and according to the Wall Street Journal, it can get expensive.

love plus atami 300x199 Japanese Resort Caters To Men With Virtual Girlfriends To add to the experience, digital lovers could also have their photos taken in 13 different “romantic” spots set up around town. An augmented reality iPhone app inserts virtual girlfriends into each snapshot and scans the 2D barcodes at each location that allowed players to see their sweethearts in different outfits. (A hotel even put barcodes in each room, so players could see their sweethearts wearing summer kimonos in a more ‘private’ setting.)

Think recreating a virtual weekend trip is odd? Last December, a guy actually married his LovePlus+ girlfriend in a ceremony officiated by an actual priest and of course, both real and virtual guests were in attendance. The reception included a DJ, toasts from friends and family, a slideshow presentation, and even a bridal bouquet.

“I love this character, not a machine,” the groom said, who understands “100 percent” that LovePlus+ is a game. The wedding, while not legally binding, was his way of expressing his devotion to virtual his love. And even though he knows a legal marriage to Nene will never be an option, he maintains that she is still better than a human girlfriend. “She doesn’t get angry if I’m late in replying to her. Well, she gets angry, but she forgives me quickly.” Playa, play on.

Japanese Resort Caters To Men With Virtual Girlfriends

The groom, known as Sal9000, tied the knot with Nene in a ceremony he streamed live online.

Is it just me or is this all a bit “Lars and the Real Girl” but without that crucial Ryan Gosling factor? What do you think about LovePlus+ and Atami’s unique campaign?

Photo: (Top Left) An augmented reality iPhone app, inserts users’ virtual lady into photos taken at more than a dozen “romantic” spots set up around the town of Atami. Credit: AOL

geek gloss logo1 Japanese Resort Caters To Men With Virtual Girlfriends geekGLOSS’ Jennifer Latkiewicz is an 10th Level Procrastinator who is always on the lookout for new, creative ways to waste time. Send your favorite websites, games, apps and other online or smartphone distractions to her via e-mail at geekgloss@mygloss.com or on Twitter at @gloss and @geekgloss! If your suggestion is featured, you’ll get a sweet prize!

Gloss Find: Geeky ‘Stay Puft’ Caffeinated Marshmallows

Gloss Find: Geeky Stay Puft Caffeinated Marshmallows Ah, coffee. Rarely does a geek start the day without the brewed nectar of the geek gods but thankfully, an IV drip courtesy of Starbucks is no longer required to achieve maximum ‘awake-ti-tude’ each morning. Now that caffeine is available in a wide array of products ranging from chewing gum and breath mints to chocolate cookies and brownie mix, geeks can still load up on their favorite xanthine alkaloid without any of the stains or spills. My personal favorite: Stay Puft Caffeinated Gourmet Marshmallows, a sugary tribute to that 100-foot tall marshmallow monster with the jaunty sailor hat that terrorized New York City in the 1984 geek flick “Ghostbusters.”

MORE on GLOSS: Gadget Review – The Nescafé Dolce Gusto Espresso Machine

Squishy, sugary, silly and supercharged, these (Gozer-free!) treats are the geeky solution to beating that late afternoon slump at the office, thanks to a dose of caffeine injected into every mallow. Susan at fitGLOSS may recommend healthier options like fruit, but what these marshmallows lack in fiber, minerals or vitamins, they make up for with caffeinated nostalgia. A single Stay Puft Caffeinated Marshmallow has 40 calories – about 15 more than the traditional Jet-Puffed version but those won’t help you “relive the ’80s, stay awake forever, and satiate the need for sugary revenge.” Tasty, indeed.

Stay Puft Caffeinated Gourmet Marshmallows (24 ct), $20 at ThinkGeek.com

Yes, Your Print Newspaper Just Talked To You: VW’s New Audio Ads

volkswagen speaker1 300x225 Yes, Your Print Newspaper Just Talked To You: VWs New Audio Ads Volkswagen: First that annoying “Da Da Da” commercial and now this? This morning, the German automaker treated readers of The Times of India to quite the surprise: a talking newspaper! (For. Reals.) A fully voiced, audio Volkswagen ad was activated when readers unfolded their morning paper, thanks to a chip embedded in the pages (pictured), reports tech blog Digital Inspiration. Powered by a photo detector that converts light into voltage, the audio chip is designed to play on a continuous loop until the paper is closed.

People have been predicting for years that newspapers will one day be entirely digital – LG even unveiled a flexible newspaper-like eBook earlier this January – but is VW’s new audio ad taking the idea of “modern media” too far?

I’m fine with talking tablet computers and eBook readers but something about a talking print newspaper just creeps me out. Actually, I’m a little surprised that this news story wasn’t immediately followed up by reports from Mumbai of a VW revolt or the skyrocketing number of shock-induced heart attacks or Prozac prescriptions. I can only imagine how weirded out I’d be to be settling into a cup of coffee and opening my morning paper only to hear it talk! The only voice I want to hear delivering my morning news is Matt Lauer and it had better be coming from the TV.

Check out the video below to see for yourself. What’s your take – cutting edge cool or “I see dead people” creepy? Or do you see it as just another way to be annoyed by ads? Sound off in the comments section – we want to hear what you think!

Digital Inspiration, via DVICE

When she’s not being kept awake from nightmares of talking newspapers, phonebooks and take-out menus, geekGLOSS’ Jennifer Latkiewicz is on a neverending quest to perfect the Rickroll. But when she’s not doing that, she’s exploring the farthest reaches of the Internet to find the newest and coolest in tech. Want to share your favorite gadget or recent online discovery? Send suggestions, ideas and questions to her via e-mail at geekgloss@mygloss.com or on Twitter at @gloss and @geekgloss!

Giveaway: USB Mixtape and Old-School MP3 Player Boombox

Cardboard iPod Boom Box by Suck UK 300x269 Giveaway: USB Mixtape and Old School MP3 Player Boombox UPDATED: Music lovers, kick it old school (but not too old school) with this giveaway – a Cardboard Classic iPod Boom Box and Mixtape USB Drive from seltzerstudios.com, a $60 value.

You don’t have to be a Luddite or Lloyd Dobler fan to miss the time when playing music meant cassette tapes and a stockpile of D batteries. But if you don’t like the idea of giving up your iPod for a bunch of crappy-sounding analog audiotapes, enter to win:

Cardboard Boombox Speakers by Suck UK Crafty, DIY cardboard boombox complete with amplified speaker for your mp3 player. And yes, it really works. Some assembly required. 4AA batteries included.

USB Mixtape 128MB Memory Stick Store files or your own carefully crafted playlist on this PC/Mac-compatible USB stick that’s packaged to look like an old analog audio cassette tape — it even includes room to scrawl out your tracklist!

A picture may say a thousand words but there’s no better snapshot in time than the Mixtape. Even the techiest of geeks still miss those days of analog audiotapes – an art that served as both a reflection of your true feelings for someone you cared about, and you as a person during that brief moment in time. To enter, leave a comment with the three songs you’d put on a mixtape for the teenage you. Ah, memories. Ends Monday, September 13 at 11:59PM PST. Good luck!

UPDATE: Now you have a second chance to win this awesome ’80s-inspired prize pack! After receiving word that a few people weren’t able to leave comments, we are extending this giveaway until next Monday, September 27, 11:59PM EST. “Cool beans” right?

Check out more of Seltzer Studio’s stylish, sophisticated gifts and housewares at seltzerstudios.com.

Original Post Date: September 8, 2010

How Much Of Your Time Is Wasted Due To Blogger Remorse?

full bleed 1284747395 300x168 How Much Of Your Time Is Wasted Due To Blogger Remorse? I haven’t posted anything for a few days but thanks to the magic of antibiotics, I’m up and at it again! After catching up on the “breaking news” I missed while I was gone (Paris Hilton detained in Tokyo?), I came across a new video that has me rethink my afore-planned “sorry I haven’t updated in a while” message. Not that I’m not, er, sorry – because I totally am! But according to Urlesque’s Cole Stryker, the average web browser will likely spend three full days of their lifetime listening to similar “sorry” messages from online writers, bloggers and vloggers… and the last thing I want to do is waste your time on something so lame! (Especially when you could be wasting time doing something awesome, like playing ‘Robot Unicorn’ online.)

MORE on GLOSS: Our New Online Distraction – Actors Who Turned Down Hit Movie Roles

Okay… so that 3-day figure didn’t exactly come from the Pew Research Center. Nor did Stryker’s reported statistic that 75% of vlogs begin with some variant of “It’s been a long time since I’ve posted,” or “I’ve been really busy,” but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be somewhat true. Posted yesterday, Stryker’s two-minute video makes a compelling argument that “Sorry I haven’t updated in a while” may, in fact, be one of the most-used phrases in all of vlogdom.”

That said, check the video out below! I’ll just let this slew of YouTube users do the ‘polizing for me.

Are there any other phrases that you think have been used and abused in the blogosphere? Let’s start the healing process – share your pain the comment section. (It’ll be cathartic!)

Photo: Even if Urlesque’s ‘Sorry I haven’t updated in a while’ supercut is comprised of clips from videos deemed to be wastes of time, the supercut video itself, like ‘Robot Unicorn‘, is arguably a more entertaining waste of time. Credit: Urlesque.com

geekGLOSS’ Jennifer Latkiewicz is an 10th Level Procrastinator who is always on the lookout for new, creative ways to waste time. Send your favorite websites, games, apps and other online or smartphone distractions to her via e-mail at geekgloss@mygloss.com or on Twitter at @gloss and @geekgloss! If your suggestion is featured, you’ll get a sweet prize!

Rumor Mill: Apple To Release ‘Mini’ iPad in Early 2011

ipad mini 300x300 Rumor Mill: Apple To Release Mini iPad in Early 2011 Is the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen size a bit too large for your liking? A smaller 7-inch version may be on the horizon, according to an industry analyst, citing conversations with Apple’s suppliers.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment but if the rumors are true, the new ‘mini’ iPad will be equipped with a front-facing camera to support Apple’s FaceTime video conferencing feature, and hopefully, a smaller price tag to match the smaller screen size. The current 9.7-inch models start at $499.

According to the analyst, the new iPad may be an effort to fend off competition from smaller-sized tablets and could roll out as soon as the first quarter of 2011.

The report comes less than a week after Samsung unveiled their 7-inch Galaxy Tab. The Android-based tablet will be supported on all four major U.S. carriers – Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint- and is set to hit stores this holiday season.

The tablet that started the tablet trend, Apple’s iPad has sold over 3.3 million units since its release in April 2010.

Website of the Day: Actors Who Turned Down Hit Movie Roles

molly 300x274 Website of the Day: Actors Who Turned Down Hit Movie Roles There are just some films that we simply cannot imagine any other actor or actress starring in, but for every iconic role, box office hit or award-winning performance, there’s probably at least one or two actors or actresses who turned it down first. As a pop culture junkie and expert-level procrastinator, I can’t help but spend hours poring over NotStarring.com, a highly-addictive website dedicated entirely to the famous roles that actors turned down.

The site is a fascinating, seemingly neverending archive of unwise choices, lucky breaks, close calls and “wtf” decisions so regrettable that it must weigh on their minds to this very day… film buff or not – chances are you’ll still find NotStarring.com plenty interesting.

Screen shot 2010 09 11 at 2.47.43 PM 300x80 Website of the Day: Actors Who Turned Down Hit Movie Roles Not only can you find out the other actors who auditioned for the same role or who turned it down first, but who was “considered” for the role at one point or another. To read some of the completely bonkers casting choices thrown out there by the studios is akin to finding out your grandma is dating a 20-something underwear model. Sylvester Stallone as Han Solo?! Epic, epic wrongness.

Check out the rest of Hollywood’s ‘wacky’ casting at NotStarring.com but here are a few of the choices that left me really scratching my head:

1. Big mistake. Big. Huge. Molly Ringwald was offered the lead in Pretty Woman but turned it down. Julia Roberts went on to nab the role, an Oscar nomination and a spot on the A-list.

2. O.J. Simpson was one of director James Cameron’s frontrunners for Terminator (Yes, that Terminator!) but lost the role to Arnold Schwarzenegger because Cameron was convinced “people wouldn’t have believed a nice guy like O.J. playing the part of a ruthless killer.” For. Reals.

3. Tim Burton wanted his childhood hero Sammy Davis Jr. for the starring role in Beetlejuice but studio execs shot him down.

4. Over 1000 actors were considered for the part of Star Wars’ Han Solo before going to Harrison Ford. Jack Nicholson declined while Christopher Walken was also considered.

5. Will Smith in The Matrix - In an interview with Wired, Smith admitted, “I would have absolutely messed up The Matrix. At that point I wasn’t smart enough as an actor to let the movie be — whereas Keanu was.”

6. Before the role of sai-wielding Daredevil assassin Elektra went to Jennifer Garner, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet (??) were both considered while Jessica Alba auditioned.

7. Before Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu were secured to star in Charlie’s Angels, a revolving door of actresses came and went including Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jodie Foster, Milla Jovavich and Uma Thurman. Both Angelina Jolie and Nia Long were offered a role but declined.

8. Denzel Washington turned down the lead role in Seven because he thought the film was too dark, so it went to Brad Pitt, making him into a bona fide movie star. “When I saw the movie I was like, ‘Oh shoot,’ ” Washington later said in an interview.

9. Last week, tough guy actor and director Clint Eastwood revealed that he turned down offers to portray two of pop culture’s most iconic characters: James Bond and Superman, when directors first approached him years ago. Dirty Harry in Superman tights, ordering a martini that’s shaken, not stirred? Talk about dodging a bullet (or two)!

10. Sean Connery was offered the part of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy but declined because he didn’t understand the story, saying bye-bye to an estimated $400 million payday. D’ooooh.

Photo: Molly Ringwald said ‘no’ to the role as a hooker with a heart of gold. Credit: NY Daily News

Rest In Peace: Microsoft’s Mock Funeral For iPhone, BlackBerry

Microsoft holds a mock funeral for the iPhone and BlackBerry 300x183 Rest In Peace: Microsofts Mock Funeral For iPhone, BlackBerry Has Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 managed to bury the competition already?

With the help of a motorcycle-riding Darth Vader and some “Thriller” zombies, a group of Microsoft employees gave the big kiss-off to the iPhone and BlackBerry on Friday as part of a mock funeral – complete with pallbearers, hearse and bagpiper – planned in anticipation of Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows Phone 7.

Other than inspiring employee optimism and theatricality, the mobile reboot and newly improved OS will hopefully help Microsoft catch up with the more advanced Android and iPhone platforms its been lagging behind. Microsoft will reportedly have a formal unveiling as well as showcase a number of other Windows 7-ready smartphones at a New York press event scheduled for October 11.

While reviews so far have been positive, some argue that the WP7′s success may still be an uphill battle. Despite a more simplistic easy-to-use design and wide array of features including a virtual keyboard, connections to XBox Live and a built-in Zune player, an early CNET review notes that a few essential features such as a copy-and-paste function and decent battery life, are missing.

An exact release date has yet to be announced but if the rumors are true, we’ll have to wait another month to see if Microsoft’s new phone really has what it takes to send the Android and iPhone to an early grave.

via DVICE