Bravo to Aliph's marketing team for finding a unique way to market their Jawbone Bluetooth headset. Given the fact that many states are now passing laws to prevent drivers from using their cellphones, Aliph decided to offer a $20 discount on a new Jawbone to the unfortunate souls who were recently busted for breaking the Hands-free Law. They have even set up a website that is tied in to the public ticketing records to verify the infractions. The Jawbone is still $100 after the discount, but hey—it's cheaper than getting another ticket. [Jawbone via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Congrats on being a lawbreaker! Why? Because it will earn you a $20 discount on a new Jawbone Bluetooth headset thanks to a new promotion Aliph is running on their product website. Not a fan of the Jawbone? No worries—Headsets.com is giving away a free Plantronics Discovery 925 (a $149.95) headset to the first 734 applicants who have been busted by the long arm of the law. Apparently crime does pay! [Jawbone via Boing Boing Gadgets and Headsets.com]

It looks like not everyone in AT&T land loves the iPhone. When reader Dennis' mom went to the AT&T stand in the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to ask about iPhone insurance, they laughed in her face. They then handed her a bunch of articles written arguing for the Blackberry over the iPhone, printed from places like Crackberry.com and Pocket PC Magazine. At the end, there was the name and number of an AT&T regional manager.

Nice. I called the manager who's name is listed at the bottom of the documents, and he told me that he had emailed the articles to his employees but in no way intended for them to copy them and hand them out to customers. Instead, they were meant to be used as talking points for getting sales in stores where the iPhone wasn't available.

It's understandable for a retail operation to try to get sales when what the customer came in for isn't available. What's less understandable is laughing at customers and handing this kind of thing out to try to discourage them from buying their carrier's flagship phone.

If there's anything that we can learn from this, it's this: AT&T won't ever have the unified face that Apple store employees do. Also, don't buy phones from stands in malls in New Jersey.

A normal game demo features a kiosk, maybe a couch, and it's all a pretty ho hum experience save for the fact that you're usually playing a game that won't be released for anywhere from a several months to a few years. But when testing out Rock Band 2, it's set up on a stage with professional lights, mixing boards and speakers. And, of course, their add-on fog machine. It all reminded me how freaking expensive this whole music game madness has become, but also just how far it had come.

Seeing the full-sized Fender/Squire branded Rock Band guitar/base is kind of a trip, too. At first I thought the display case was just showing off their touted new guitar alongside a full sized guitar. Nope. Those full-sized, true wood instruments had subtly incorporated buttons. And Harmonix's new guitar looked like the same thing made for a kid (even if a closer inspection reveals the wood is, of course, veneer).

Playing on the new guitar wasn't quite as different as I'd expected it. The fret buttons feel identical to the current Rock Band guitar. But a difference can be felt in the strum bar, a magnet-based system redesigned to be tougher and more accurate. It just felt right, with double strum timing that was right on.

The biggest improvement, however, was one I could have never seen with my own eyes. An integrated light sensor and mic allow automatic timing calibration with any television. So you always know that it's you, not the game, that is screwing up. (I'm a bit obsessive about my calibration, manually tweaking it to death).

As for the drums...

The new $299 Ion drum kit looks fantastic, but I didn't get a chance to play it or the new stock drum kit. What I like about the Ion is that it's not another fake instrument. It's a midi drum kit that has been retrofitted with an adapter to work on the 360. (Which is, if you think about it, similar to what Rock Band did with their original drum kit but in a more discreet manner.)

But even with all the promised improvements to all the instruments, I'm not sure that even I can justify the repurchase. Those starting anew, however, will be scoring some nice gear.

This week's ridiculous I Survived... challenge ran contestants through a relatively simple obstacle course. The catch? They've been dressed as babies, dizzied on a playground carousel and given two cups of milk to take along with them. The objective is to fill the team baby bottle at the end of the course.

If this challenge is a metaphor, I'm a little lost. Even more lost, though, are the contestants, who apparently don't fully grasp that they are on a show called I Survived and Japanese Game Show, asking questions like "Where do they come up with this shit?" Stay tuned for more game show gadgetry next week. [ABC]

Playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band might make the average Joe feel more like a rock star—but the fact that you are playing on a tiny plastic guitar kind of ruins the fantasy. That's where the StarPex comes in. It is the first full-sized wooden guitar for the PS2/PS3 and it features a 10 button design with solo-buttons and an Overdrive / Star Power button, chrome plated tuning pegs, a wired/wireless connectivity option and a modular design that will allow users to trick out their guitar. The StarPex will be available in late August for $179.95.

Peak Products Unleashes Starpex™, the First-Ever Full-Size, Wood, Playstation®2 and Playstation 3 Guitar Controller with the Authentic Look and Feel of a Real Guitar

For those about to rock…Peak salutes you!

Boston, MA– July 16th, 2008 - Peak Products, a gaming peripheral company dedicated to providing the best in instrument quality gaming controllers, announces Starpex, the first-ever full-size, wood, PS2™ / PS3™ Guitar controller with the look and feel of an actual guitar. Starpex boasts an instrument-quality, high-gloss lacquered finish with a hardwood body, neck, and headstock handcrafted by a leading guitar manufacturer giving the authentic guitar experience that Guitar Hero™ and Rock Band™ enthusiasts crave. Other unique features include…

* Full Guitar Hero and Rockband Functionality for PS2 and PS3 – Starpex is compatible with both PS2 and PS3, and allows users to experience the full list of game play features in both Guitar Hero and Rockband, including toggle effects switch and solo button functionality.

* Unique Speed Star Power / Overdrive Button provides the fastest and most accurate access to Star Power and Overdrive. Additionally, built in tilt sensor technology allows users to access Star Power and Overdrive in a more traditional way.

* Optimized Whammy Bar maximizes comfort, provides better feel, reduces fatigue and provides a higher level of durability.

* High Quality Ten Fret Button Design features optimal button travel for enhanced feel, reduced fatigue, and higher score potential. Ten fret buttons means that players have the option of using traditionally positioned fret buttons, or rock out with solo buttons high up on the neck which also provide critical soloing capabilities in Rockband.

* Enhanced Strum Bar gives the perfect balance of tactile and audible feedback to maximize enjoyment and scoring.

* Connectivity Options – Dual wired / wireless capabilities allow players to use a 15’ wired cable or a 2.4 Ghz wireless connection (both included).

* Forward - Thinking Compatibility – Starpex’s modular design allows users to easily separate the electronic components from the body of the guitar which will allow for further customization including new guitar bodies, pick guards, and more.

“With well over 11 million copies of Guitar Hero/Rock Band sold on the PlayStation consoles, we see a tremendous opportunity in bringing Starpex to market” says Jamie Leece, Vice President for Peak Products. “Never before have Guitar Hero/Rock Band enthusiasts been able to shred with a hardwood, handcrafted authentic guitar controller that’s built with the look and feel of a real guitar. This will change the way the games are played.”

The Starpex will be available in Circuit City and various retailers with an MSRP of $179.95 in late August. For more information on Peak Products, please visit www.Go-Peak.com coming on line in August

About Peak Products
Peak Products is a gaming peripheral company dedicated to providing gamers of the music genre with the very best in instrument quality gaming controllers. Evolving out of a passion for both music and gaming, Peak Products understands the level of precision and quality that both musicians and gamers demand from their equipment. By fusing together the style and craftsmanship of professional grade musical instruments with the comfort and performance of gaming controllers, Peak Products is able to provide the user with an enhanced musical gaming experience. Designed by leading engineers and tested by gamers, Peak Products delivers the look of authentic musical equipment, the feel expected out of any precision instrument, and the score demanded by any serious gamer. Peak Products: Look. Feel. Score.™

We have seen a lot of UAV news come down the pipeline in recent years, mostly because the military realizes that they can be a safe, effective and cost efficient way to kill, spy, and kill some more. But is the US military ready to shell out around $2 million for a flying knife that can stab the enemy from great distances?

Well, given the fact that the Airknife design is actually a parody of a UAV dubbed the AirSniper, I think not. That drone was discovered by a Wired editor in an ad placed in a recent issue of Unmanned Systems magazine. Apparently, the AirSniper is an unmanned quadcopter that doubles as an assault rifle—and it is being developed by a suspiciously mysterious company named AUS International.

It may be a joke, but I get the feeling that a gigantic flying bowie knife would be even more intimidating than a UAV loaded with missiles or guns. Talk about a surgical strike! [Danger Room]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.The Mars Phoenix Lander shut its robotic arm down over the weekend, refusing to follow NASA directions after "realizing" those actions would have damaged its wrist. NASA programmers had to send new code to bring the arm back to life, and are now augmenting the original code to try and get the task done. Seemingly pleased with the Phoenix's refusal to conform to The Man's rules, NASA representatives described the process as "pretty neat." I think this whole "machines thinking for themselves" thing is only neat until they decide all humans are off their collective asses, and leave them floating in space with no suit. [PC World via Slashdot]

While you might think you have a pretty sizable subwoofer, when it's compared to this crazy Italian man's subwoofer, it's downright pathetic. That's because he essentially converted his entire basement into one ridiculously large subwoofer.

The "Real Total Horn" consists of two cavities, each three feet deep and 31 feet long, functioning as horns and driven by eight 18-inch woofers each. It releases more than 110 dB/1W/1 meter sensitivity starting from below 10 Hz aimed at the listening position. Let me tell you, there's not a better suited sound system in existence for producing an effective brown note.

And really, frequencies that low are barely audible, but I have no doubt that this thing will make action movies shake his living room way more than any other sub out there. I'm not sure I'd want to do this to my own home, but I'd certainly give it a test run. [Royal Device via DVICE]

While you might think you have a pretty sizable subwoofer, when it's compared to this crazy Italian man's subwoofer, it's downright pathetic. That's because he essentially converted his entire basement into one ridiculously large subwoofer.Update: OK, so this is a few years old (circa 2000), but I'd never seen it and it seems like many of you haven't either. So I'm leaving it up, but if you are offended by things that were made a few years ago you've been warned.

The "Real Total Horn" consists of two cavities, each three feet deep and 31 feet long, functioning as horns and driven by eight 18-inch woofers each. It releases more than 110 dB/1W/1 meter sensitivity starting from below 10 Hz aimed at the listening position. Let me tell you, there's not a better suited sound system in existence for producing an effective brown note.

And really, frequencies that low are barely audible, but I have no doubt that this thing will make action movies shake his living room way more than any other sub out there. I'm not sure I'd want to do this to my own home, but I'd certainly give it a test run. [Royal Device via DVICE]