I believe I will now have to eat my hat. Phantom, the aptly-named gaming console which has been vaporware for going on six years now, has actually launched a game store kind of like what they said they were planning so very long ago. Although it’s not as slick as Steam or as friendly as Good Old Games, it does appear to have quite a large selection of games to choose from (looks like about 2400), including brand new ones like GTA4 and Fallout 3, and prices seem similar. Not only this, but they’re also announcing that they’ll have a new version of their lapboard coming out some time soon. Did someone give these people money or something? The fools! [via Kotaku] → Read More
http://www.slideflickr.com/slide/5X9M4z5M Some men spend their lives tending to the lame and halt. Some men run businesses that span the globe. Other men, namely me, follow Phantom Labs with the intensity of a twelve-year-old girl following the Jonas Brothers. For those of you too young to remember, Infinium Labs promised an Internet enabled console in the days of the PS2 and XBox. People almost wet themselves: it would be a mini-PC with downloadable content, no disks to buy, and it would also wax your car and cause fish to jump into you boat when on Rice Lake. It was going to kick ass. Well, the company was basically a pump and dump scheme, someone bailed them out, and they designed a keyboard called the Lapboard. It was supposed to sit on your lap, Alienware was supposed to sell it, and I saw it long ago, just before the Jurassic period. Apparently there is another one available and Maximum PC played with it and called it fairly cool except for the gimpy mouse. How far the barely mighty have fallen. → Read More
The ghost of Ponzi schemes past. I was doing a bit of research for the NYT on the Phantom Lapboard and I remembered that Alienware was supposed to carry it online. After trying to pry a photo out of Phantom itself, I emailed Alienware to ask if they had a photo. Their reply was fairly curt: Alienware does not carry the Phantom lapboard. There were plans a couple months ago, but from what I was told, Phantom couldn’t meet our unit/delivery needs. I saw the Lapboard last year and if it had come from Logitech or Belkin or any of the peripheral guys, it would have been a fairly good product. However, given Phantom’s track record of shady dealings, I wonder just what’s going on. Has anyone ordered and received the Lapboard yet? → Read More
The Phantom console has been a sort of running vaporware joke for years now, as many of you must know. So how weird is it that they’re actually putting out a product that looks kind of cool? Actually, to be honest, I’m not sure how it’s supposed to work – I can’t see myself typing with the keys at a 22-degree angle, but the device itself looks pretty solid, and it even works with OSX (but not Vista). Kind of expensive, though. The console, the subject of Penny Arcade’s ridicule not just once but twice over the years, seems to have metamorphosed into a “service” which sounds suspiciously similar to Valve’s popular Steam platform. Well, if it ever sees the light of day, you’ll hear about it here. Oh, and the store’s got a kind of outdated security thing going on, but I think it still works. Phantom Lapboard product page → Read More
Phantom leg buzzing syndrome attacks millions of Americans every day and for just 56 cents a day — the price of a cup of coffee, you can make a difference. Meh. Not really, but you know know what it is — that odd feeling that your phone or Blackberry is going off when you know it isn’t. If your hipbone is connected to your BlackBerry or your thighbone is connected to your cell phone, those vibrations you’re feeling in the car, in your pajamas, in the shower, may be coming from your headbone. Ha! Essentially, the story is all about phantom buzzing even when your phone is quietly charging elsewhere in the house. Interestingly enough, this feeling stems from our feelings of insecurity. It seems that the brain revels in receiving emails and phone calls and would rather “trick” you into thinking you’ve gotten a bit of social interaction than risk missing a call. In some cases it’s also a matter of “anticipatory vibrations,” which sounds kind of dopey as well. Generally, your brain loves email so much that it’s willing to freak you out for most of the day just to get that rush of I’ve-got-a-friend endorphins. Our brains are mean. Is that your phone or your imagination? [AP] → Read More
I was lucky enough to attend the unveiling of the new Gillette Fusion Power Phantom a couple weeks back in NYC and it was hot. Katherine McPhee from American Idol was there and I finally got to play the PS3 (what a letdown). Oh. And they have razors. Five blades and micro-pulses are the only way to shave. Now, wrapped in black. What we won’t do to look at young women with razors. Product Page → Read More
Just when things looked like they might be perking up slightly for vapor-friendly Phantom, it went and announced that shipping of its much touted lapboard has been delayed. You’ll remember the lapboard as the one component to emerge from Phantom’s ill-fated gaming system. Biggs actually had the opportunity to check out the lapboard late last month. He seemed cautiously optimistic about it, so I guess there is actually a product there. Perhaps the problem is less with the product and more with its grossly incompetent management. In the end though, tale of vapor woe. Remember that in its six years of existence, Phantom Entertainment (formerly Infinium Labs) has yet to manufacture and sell one product. We know the lapboard is real, but who knows if we’ll ever actually see it. Phantom Announces Another ‘Delay’ [Techdirt] → Read More
A CG fan Matt tipped me off to his interesting new work set-up consisting of a phat Alienware Entertainment Center – surround sound out, digital video, and a little glowing alien head included – along with the Phantom Lapboard. → Read More
via a download-and-play model. Needless to say, I’m fairly skeptical of anything that comes out of this chip shop. So what do we have now? They’re releasing some sort of “lap board” for playing games while you sit on the couch. So, let’s recap: from earth-shattering super console that could cure cancer in puppies and allow you to play Halo IV in the original Japanese to talking on a panel at DigitalLife at the amazing value of peripherals. While we applaud them for trying to launch product next week, we will believe it when we see it and even then remain skeptical. Product Page [Phantom] → Read More
