Are you reading?

We’ve been hearing for months now that both Android and the T-Mobile G1 hardware have some magical, top secret low-level support for multi-touch, but unless we can… you know, do something with it, it really isn’t doing anyone any favors. That’s where the lovely people in the ever-industrious dev community come into play, throwing together demos on their way to a full release that you — yes, you — can finally install on a G1 of your very own. It’s still in the proof-of-concept phase, but the load does include a multi-touch version of Android’s excellent browser, probably the single app that could use two fingertips more than any other. Needless to say, you should be installing this jazz at your own risk — but considering the number of hoops you need to jump through to get it up and running (hint: you need to start by gaining root access), the whole process should be enough of a deterrent for the casual types who can’t take a hiccup here and there. Video of the included multi-touch map browser app (among others) in action after the break.

[Thanks, Ryan G.]
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Gamers have largely gotten a bad rep for being lazy, slothful people who spend their hours mindlessly pressing buttons. The Wii changed that a bit by getting kids (and their parents… and their parents) up off the couch, but what about giving their brains a workout too? For your family’s little mind freak to-be Mattel is introducing the Mind Flex, a brain-powered game that relies on your mental activity to control the height of a ball suspended in a column of air. Don the headset then start concentrating to make the purple orb rise; relax and it lowers. There are six total game types but all entail getting a ball over, under, and through a variety of hoops and the like, sometimes against a clock so that you can challenge your friends. Sadly you have to actually reach up and turn the dial to move the ball around the course, but in our heads on trial we found the thing to be impressively responsive, gently sinking down when we thought about getting some sleep — then shooting back up again when we pondered the number of posts left to write tonight. It was challenging for sure, and definitely turned a lot of heads, but we’re a little concerned that extended sessions could be headache inducing. Its $80 price tag might cause some temple pain too when the thing releases this fall, but we’ve certainly spent more money on things that were less fun — and mentally stimulating. Video of floaty balls and squinting players below.

Gallery: Mattel Mind Flex

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Add one more contender to the list of mind control games vying for our attention this year alongside NeuroSky and Emotiv. Set to debut this week at CES, Mattel’s Mind Flex requires players to concentrate really hard in order to power a fan that’ll float a ball through the hoops. Sure, it’s not nearly as complex as what the other two are proposing, but we could totally see ourselves wearing this headset all day while we work — just to find out how much brain power we’re really using. It’s expected to hit US retail channels later this year for $80, and if we may be so candid, our only wish is that the headset was small enough to hide under a hat. You know, so we could fool our family members into thinking we had superpowers.

Via Gadget Review; Thanks, Christen]
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By Andrew Liszewski

So far Hammacher Schlemmer has managed to avoid the unfortunate demise of The Sharper Image by keeping their catalog stocked with unique items that don’t immediately make you think “crap!” But it’s items like this that make me wonder if the road to SharperImageTown isn’t just a few short turns away. The Fish Agility Training Set will apparently allow you to teach your ‘pet’ fish a series of underwater activities like swimming through hoops, pushing a soccer ball or navigating a slalom course. Instead of their usual routine of eat, swim, eat, swim, eat, swim, die.

The set comes with all the paraphernalia you’ll need to provide training and positive enforcement like a feeding wand you can use to lead them around. And if your fish tank happens to include certain varieties like Parrotfish or Cichlids, you can even teach them to play fetch thanks to their natural tendencies to move gravel around with their mouths. Thrilling!

Checking the calendar again it’s definitely not April 1st, so you can actually buy this set from Hammacher Schlemmer for $39.95. Oh I get it! There’s the real trick!

[ The Fish Agility Training Set ]

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