April 1 - 2:40am EDT   (Updated with pricing information) Sprint and Samsung Mobile on Tuesday evening announced the much-rumored Samsung Instinct s30, a thinner, more streamlined successor to the Samsung Instinct touchscreen phone that debuted last summer. The updated Instinct s30 offers full touchscreen functionality, broadband speeds using Sprint's 3G network, and services such as built-in instant messaging, improved Web-browsing using either the default browser or Opera Mini 4.2, and new games such as “Guitar Hero® – World Tour” and “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” preloaded. The Instinct s30, available in two color options -- Cobalt blue or Copper, also includes quick access to corporate ... [full story]

March 3 - 8:50pm EST   A California court has dismissed Gibson Guitar's lawsuit against Activision over the input devices used in the Guitar Hero game. The gaming company was sued for violating the "'405 Patent" which covers a system for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience, although the claims are geared for using real guitars as input for applications such as in-store demos. The court's strongly worded filing claims that Gibson's arguments "border on the frivolous." [full story]

October 23 - 12:00pm EDT   Logitech on Thursday announced the release of its newest gaming peripheral, the Wireless Guitar Controller Premiere Edition for Guitar Hero for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 gaming consoles. The guitar is designed to replicate a real instrument and sports a wood neck, a rosewood fingerboard, metal frets and a gig bag. It also represents the frist device in an upcoming line-up of premium peripherals for the Guitar Hero game series that are targeted at frequent players or avid musicians who want a similar experience. [full story]

September 12 - 4:45pm EDT   ION on Friday announced the release of the Drum Rocker, a premium drum set for the Rock Band 2 video game. The drum set is fully adjustable and configurable, allowing users to change the set-up of each drum and cymbal in addition to offering accessories. A drum module from third parties will even turn the gaming controller into a professional standalone electronic drum set. [full story]

July 31 - 4:15pm EDT   Software publisher Activision and peripheral maker Logitech today announced a joint venture to make premium controllers shaped like instruments for the next installment in the popular video game franchise, dubbed Guitar Hero World Tour. The game is expected to debut this fall, and will be available for the all the popular gaming consoles, including Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and 3, as well as the Nintendo Wii. [full story]

May 30 - 9:00pm EDT   Rock fans and would-be rock stars can now show their pride with their iPods and other handheld devices. GHskinz.com has released guitar-themed skins that can add some rock-and-roll flavor to the iPod touch and the iPhone as well as the Nintendo DS Lite and the Sony PSP video game systems. The company was built around designing skins for the games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," allowing players to make the game's guitar-shaped controllers sport more than 20 different stylized designs, some inspired by Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zack Wylde. [full story]