Archive for the 'Technology' Category
IDC reports that by 2011 laptops will outsell desktops as the demand for big machinery will continue to decrease and smaller portables become more efficient. The laptop market is currently growing 4 times as fast as the desktop market and is said to continue that way for the next 4 years.
The main majority of the desktop gaming community played their games online and I think that is one of the main reason desktop powerhouses were such a seller. With internet gaming becoming more efficient with consoles, I think more and more people will start to buy laptops for work and keep the gaming to the consoles.
Through BBC
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March 22 2007 | Technology | No Comments »
Mad Catz plans to release the first third party Wii controllers, the “wand remote” and “funchuk” in late September, retailing for $49 and $20 respectively. While no official images of the devices have been released, images have surfaced depicting what appears to be a swollen and oddly misshapen wiimote and nunchuk.
At a higher price than first-party wii controllers and made by a third party, this wand and funchuk pair appears to be an epic failure, though it may provide an alternative for any unfortunate individual desperate for a wiimote at a time when their local store is out of first-party controllers.
Through Joystiq
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March 21 2007 | Technology | No Comments »
The “Apple TV” (formerly called iTV) is now shipping. The Apple TV lets you play video files from your computer onto your TV, and comes with a 40gb HDD. Not only does it have a built in hard drive, but also built in wireless and a sleek Apple remote.
This product was created to get people to buy more into iTunes, or to fix the problems with buying movies on iTunes already. People would buy a movie, then the only thing they could watch it on is a 3 inch screen. I think that this product will make things a lot easier when it comes to getting movies from your computer to your television, but at the same time, there are other ways to do it without spending $300.
Through CNN
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March 21 2007 | Technology | No Comments »
Engadget confirms (and other sources) of a new Xbox 360 coming in black color with an added 120gb hard drive and an HDMI port. Unfortunately, it will not have a built in HD-DVD player or integrated wireless.
The upgrade would depend on what complementary products the consumer already owns. I currently own a HDTV that produces 1080i max and for that, I do not (currently) need the HDMI port. I am also not using my full 20gb of HDD space, but if needed there are a few tricks with external hard drives, or, I’m sure they would eventually release a 120gb HDD add on.
Source Engadget
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March 20 2007 | Technology | 4 Comments »
Yes, with MySpace being one of the most trafficked sites in the nation, most of the 2008 Presidential candidates have set up their own profiles. On the candidates profiles you can read their blogs, donate money and of coarse, add a comment. Obama’s profile has more than 67,000 friends, McCain expresses that his favorite television show is 24 and Kucinich’s page has a recording on how to pronounce his name. You can view all of the available candidates profiles at MySpace Impact.
With this many people throwing their hats in the ring this early, I don’t see why they shouldn’t get a head start on cheap campaigning. It allows for easy accessible updates, a more personal feeling, and beautiful user input. Also, only 42 percent of eligible voters 18 to 24 voted in the 2004 elections. The introduction of the candidate profiles may inform the age group and increase participation.
Through CNN
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March 19 2007 | Technology | 2 Comments »
Again, the Wii is the number one selling next-gen console in February. In total the Wii has sold over 335,000 units, followed by the Xbox 360 selling around 228,000 consoles and the PS3 in third selling 127,000 systems (there have been no reports of shortages.) The month of Feburary produced more than half of the Wii’s total sales.
Although the Wii didn’t have the potential to be a great system, it had the potential to be a lot of fun. I think that a lot of the numbers consist of the recreational gamer rather than the underground, since the majority of Nintendo’s sales were in February rather than the month of it’s release. It has been marketed to the people who want a quick dose of fun rather than the people who marvel at the detail of blood on a grown man’s side burn. I would guess that the average hardcore gamer has been disappointed with the Wii, while the board game fanatic has found a fun new toy
Through Earth Times
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March 18 2007 | Technology | No Comments »
An Austrian company has created a “brain-computer interface,” which uses measurements of electrical activity in the brain (electroencephalography) to control computer functions via a cap with electrodes which is worn on the head. The technology is currently slow and limited in application–mostly very slow typing and cursor movements–but could soon have a large variety of uses, especially for those with physical disablities.
While this technology may eventually become a common control method for computers, it will likely be many years before it is efficient enough to surpass a mouse and keyboard, or maybe it never will.
Through Computerworld
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March 18 2007 | Technology | No Comments »
Due to the growing amount of problematic gaming addictions in Korea, a Korean company called Xtive has developed a sound wave which incorporates ten to twenty thousand subliminal messages per second, telling the listener to stop playing games. This sound could be implemented by game developers, being played when the gamer has been playing a game for an excessive amount of time. The president of Xtive, Yun Yun-hae, has stated that this method of making gamers stop playing has distinct advantages over other methods, as the subliminal messages make them quit of their own free will. Tests of the efficacy of this sound have been said to be successful. Xtive plans to soon put their sound on the market, with the assistance of government agencies and game development companies.
While a gaming addiction–if it in fact qualifies as a true addiction–can certainly cause harm, can subliminal messages really cure an individual of such a malady? I remain skeptical on this issue. The ability of messages which transcend the five senses to actually be comprehended by the mind is questionable.
Through The Korea Times
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March 17 2007 | Technology | No Comments »
Frank Simonis of the Blu-ray Association says that the DVD format will be gone in 3 years… and that includes using it as a storage disc. Blu-ray is currently winning the format race against HD-DVD at a 5 to 1 sell ratio. One of the reasons the ratio is so high is because of the Blu-ray offering in the PS3, but then again, 20th Century Fox reports that weekly Blu-ray film sales are three times higher than that of the HD-DVD format.
I think that Blu-ray could possibly win this time because they poked the PS3 into everyones home. When more people start watching high definition films, they will realize that they already own a perfectly good HD-player.
Through Reuters
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March 17 2007 | Technology | 1 Comment »
GrandCentral is a new service that will be offering one phone number for all of your telephony devices. The new company, who’s motto is “One number for life,” is now in it’s final weeks of beta testing.
This is a swell idea for me, because I have no use for more than one phone number. But for say, a small business owner, he constantly decides whether to give a person his cell number, home, business, etc.
Through The New York Times
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March 15 2007 | Technology | No Comments »
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