Nintendo and Imperial Hotels are donning aprons and hitting the kitchen together to create "Cooking Navigator" software for the Nintendo DS. They're designing the software with a voice navigated menu of Western and Chinese recipes, which is good news for chefs who forget recipes after spending a lot of time getting baked baking. Looks like it will only be in Japanese, and exclusively for chefs. Mom! The meatloaf! – Todd Haselton
Cooks Turn To The Nintendo DS For Recipes [CrunchGear]

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

There's probably no small overlap among folks who play fantasy video games and those who while away the hours engrossed in Magic-style card battles, so we're thinking that a new attachment for the Nintendo DS has a real shot at succeeding. Capcom and TakaraTomy will jointly be launching the so-called Wave Scanner in Japan next month, finally bringing the fun of collectible playing cards to the Megaman series of games. The rather bulky scanner works with a number of different Rockman Star Force titles (Rockman is Megaman's original Japanese name), and allows players to swipe special cards for influencing gameplay. We're not really sure why this ¥4,200 ($35) add-on needs to be so big and thus hinder the whole portability thing that the DS has going for it, but who knows, maybe it takes a Cell processor and some serious RAM to process those complicated bar codes. 
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Looks like BBQ the chinchilla touched your geeky little hearts: the chinchilla playing Animal Crossing on Nintendo DS got the most votes in our Fuzzy Wuzzy Modo competition, so the $50 Amazon Gift certificate prize goes to Rob, who will probably be spending it on replacement DS styluses. Thanks to everyone who voted, and if this competition made you go "awww!", the consider sending the animal rescue group behind the competition some cash by clicking on the link after the break.
Solano County Friends of Animals helps homeless cats and dogs in the San Francisco bay area, and runs low-cost spay and neuter clinics to try and stem the tide of unwanted baby animals. The iPhone won't be out for a few months, so you can send them a few bucks and still have time to save up...

Nintendo may have not invented the color white, or the dual-screen technology, but they sure are known for the two with their Nintendo DS. Mitsubishi's latest phone for NTT Docomo (in Japan) shares a shocking resemblance to the Nintendo DS: white, dual-screen and the bottom screen being a touchscreen. Even more coincidental, the name of the phone is the D800iDS. –Travis Hudson
Press Release [Via Kotaku]

Japan's Docomo just showed off several new cellphones, one of which operates like a Nintendo DS and one that includes special scented sheets, almost like Smell-O-Vision. The clamshell D800iDS has two touch-sensitive screens; there's no traditional keypad. Users operate the cellphone with either their fingers or a stylus and can send handwritten notes to other users. This cellphone is schedules to hit Japanese stores in February.
The other noteworthy cellphone, the SO703i, is made by Sony Ericsson makes use of scented sheets. These sheets are supposed to relax users while making calls. Uh, unless you're calling the Pretty Girl From Class for the first time, why would you be nervous making a call? Those wacky Japanese. – Nicholas Deleon
New phones feature touch panel, smell [Reuters]

Japan's top wireless operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. unveiled on Tuesday a mobile phone featuring a touch-sensitive screen, like the popular Nintendo DS portable game console, and another model that gives off a relaxing scent.

D800iDS: NTT DoCoMo launches mobile phones featuring touch panel, smell Japan’s largest mobile service provider NTT DoCoMo has launched a new mobile phone in the market which features a touch-sensitive screen. This touch screen provides similar functionality to the hugely popular Nintendo DS gaming console popular in Japan. The recently unveiled Apple iPhone also features a [...]

My multiple bags were already overflowing after Monday and Tuesday's treasure hunts, but I pressed on. See my handfuls of schwag from today, including gems from Alienware and Samsung, after the jump.
Total Crap: Plush cuteness aside, I can't fathom why anyone would ever use this creation. Then again, I watched a fellow blogger insert his Treo, clip it on his belt loop and wear it all afternoon before asking me if he could keep it...

The QuikPod is every MySpacers dream come true: a telescoping monopod with a swiveling joint on the top. Perfect for obese child molesters who need to find their "photogenic" angle, not so useful for those of us not obsessed with self-portraits.

Woah! Are those replacement Wiimote straps? Hell no, but we thought they were when we grabbed a handful from the Opera booth. Turns out they're just Nintendo DS straps. Crap.


Honorable Mentions: Wrapped and boxed like a valuable oriental treasure...

Filed under: CES, Gaming

If there's one combination that we can all agree is great, it's two hydrogen molecules getting down with one oxygen molecule. H2O-yeah. One combination we're not so down with: H2O and electronics. The war between the two factions is ancient and storied, full of broken dreams (and motherboards). To help prevent such senseless violence, Atlantic is dipping their waterproof toes back into the consumer electronics pool with two new entries to their GameKeeper line: waterproof gameSEAL cases for both the Nintendo DS (Phat and Lite varieties) and the PSP, available now for $39.99. The PSP model can hold the console, 10 UMDs, two Memory Stick Duos, and charger; the DS model holds the console, 12 DS carts, 16 GBA carts, plus charger. GameSEAL, get it? It seals, like a case, but it's waterproof, like a seal. Clever.


Waterproof gameSEAL cases keep your portable consoles dry 
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I've just recently started dabbling into Nintendo DS modding, but this one is pretty damn cool. Similar to the MDA iPod clone we saw a while back, this DS version simply emulates the iPod using the bottom touchscreen. Too bad the speakers on the iPod are pretty weaksauce or you could be impressing all of the hipster indie chicks in no time. Thanks, Marc – Travis Hudson
Information, Download Page [gbadev]