The Daily Slash: April 9th 2010

It's Friday night, and you're probably out doing something else right now. Then again, if you're reading this, maybe not. Unless you've got one of those fancy things that gives you the Internet in the palm of your hand. Then hopefully you've been taking SlashGear all over the place with you. In any case, welcome to the Daily Slash, where we bring you the best of the 'net. First up, in the Best of R3 section, we've got the HTC Hero getting a new leak; the iPad feels a sizeable Quake; and AT&T is trying to change a few things. And then in the net, we pull up a good old story that just won't die about Halo; a Chinese chess set perfectly placed in the digital age; bad news for England; and finally, a litter box of the future.The Best of R3 MediaHTC Hero Gets Android 2.1 Leaked: So, people aren't patient. We get that. Then again, when companies like HTC are slow to push out updates, the patience is hard to come by. And, despite the fact the latest rumor of Android 2.1 going the official route is April 9th, why should you wait any longer? A brand new leak for the HTC Hero has hit the Interwebs, but this is isn't like all the other ones. This is a test ROM, officially from Sprint, for their branded Hero. It's already rooted, and it's not for the faint of heart. Don't even try this unless you know what you're doing. It's not worth bricking your phone. [via Android Community]The iPad Runs Quake at 70fps. 'Nough Said: Quake is one of those ports that seems to be making the rounds quite well. In fact, we might even consider it the right of passage for some of the best portable gaming devices on the market. So, seeing it on the iPad isn't that alien to us. Sure enough, it took a strong-willed developer less than 24 hours with his very own iPad to compile the game onto the tablet, and run it at a beautiful 70fps thanks to that A4 processor and PowerVR SGX GPU. There's no control scheme right now, and he hasn't made it public yet. But hey, at least you know it exists. [via Everything iPad]AT&T Wants You to "Rethink Possible": AT&T doesn't have the best reputation on the block. In fact, it might be one of the least liked carriers out there. Or, perhaps the dissenter's voices are just the loudest. Whatever the case, AT&T is hearing it, because they're changing their ways. Starting to change their ways, anyway. They're moving away from a monster wireless carrier, and trying to make people see them as a progressive lifestyle change. Interesting, to say the least. The change will take several months, and we're wondering how this is going to go over with the customers. [via SlashPhone]The Dredge NetThe Halo Movie Still Exists: If you're a gamer, and if you've played any games within the Halo franchise, then you've probably heard (at least once) that there was a movie being passed around the high executives in Hollywood for quite some time. In fact, a few high ranking names were even tagged to direct and produce the film (who subsequently went to produce and direct another alien-based flick, District 9), but it all went down the drain when no one could agree on money. In fact, Microsoft even said the project was dead entirely. But, Frank O'Connor of the Redmond-based company and of Bungie Studios fame says the project is, in fact, still alive. They're just biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to launch it to the world. Consider our patience waning. [via Tom's Guide]LED Chinese Chess Board of the Future Makes You Want to Learn How to Play: Playing board games is probably on the way out, especially considering tablets seem to be making it a lot easier, and more convenient, to play all of them. But, that's not stopping other people from creating new ways to play chess. Take this LED Chinese chess game, for example. Based on a silica gel chessboard, you can roll it up for easy access when you're travelling. You can push LED lights down, and they will activate based on the side that you're sitting. There's even a computer on board, just in case you can't get someone to play with you futuristic Chinese chess set. [via Yanko Design]England Isn't Participating in Any 3D World Cup Matches: So, 3D is a huge part of the technology industry lately. And it's probably not going anywhere any time soon. The World Cup is one of, if not the biggest sports events on the entire planet, and so FIFA (and everyone else even remotely tied to the football experience) is trying to make 3D games a possibility. They've made it happen before, and they've even got a huge list of matches that will be played in 3D. England isn't included in any of the matches, though. Which is a huge crying shame, to be honest. [via CNET UK]Litter Box Isn't Much of a Box: If you're a fan of cats, then you know that you don't just get a cute, fluffy animal. You also get a smelly, large box to hold all the stuff they don't want in their bodies anymore. Hey, it's a part owning a cat. But, scooping is a hassle, especially when you have to sit over the box and smell all those fumes while you scoop the clustered mess. So, get ready to smack down $97 for this fancy litter box, where an air purifier will help you get rid of those terrible scents. Well worth the money, right? [via DVICE]