Gadgets Future

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 8:06AM
Our first thought when we heard the news that there was an NES emulator in the works for the Sidekick series of text machines was one of pure, unabashed elation. The classic Hiptop form factor is pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered for effective old-skool gaming, after all — and let’s be honest, any time Nintendo playtime comes to a new platform is cause for immediate and overindulgent celebration. Our second thought was, “wait, what?” It’s pretty unclear how the emulator would be loaded with legally-obtained ROMs and we have our doubts that Nintendo signed away the rights to any binaries, so we’re a little confused about the word that this would be officially offered through the Danger’s Software Catalog. Let’s all cross our fingers, continue to pay our T-Mobile bills on time, and hope that tomorrow might bring countless hours of Skate or Die while we’re… you know, actually skating or something.

Update: While not technically fake, it turns out that this 80s-vintage action is going to remain a pipe dream (and no, we’re not talking about the NES game Pipe Dream, either). Danger’s developer tools allow arbitrary Java to be loaded into the Hiptop emulator — not just approved stuff, obviously — so odds are that someone loaded an NES emulator (like, say, vNes) and went to town with the screen shots. Official offering through the Catalog, though? Not so much. Thanks, Jim!

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Filed under: cellphones, Gaming

According to a report by MTV (and supported by a pitifully sparse sketch, see below), Microsoft is developing a Motion Controller for the Xbox, which will compete with the Wii for the affection of gaming grandmas everywhere. Game developer Rare (which is owned by Microsoft) has apparently been working on the device for a few months and might release it by the end of this year. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a challenger to the Wii-mote – the Motus Corporation has also promised to bring a motion controller to the Xbox and the PS3.

Obviously, this rumor has some meat because Microsoft loves to take other people’s ideas and adapt them in their own vision. Plus, its recent turnaround record with the entertainment division has been impressive (see: Zune 2, and even the Xbox 360, developed and released in the shortest time ever for a major gaming console).

So if the report is true, it will be clear Microsoft is hoping to take away the juice from the Wii’s popularity, even as its spokespeople have belittled its graphics quality since its launch in 2006.  But everyone knows that it’s the games that matter. Many game developers working on Nintendo’s Wii games have had a major head start integrating their designs to the scheme (with many headaches), and making good games for a pastiche control scheme could be hard.

According to the ‘insider’ in the story, Rare is also developing different versions of the Mii Avatar concept, with more detailed design options. What do you think they’ll call them? The Mii Toos? Biills? Viistas?

Source: MTV

Photo: Microsoft/Nintendo

Earlier this week, we brought you the majesty of Will Foster’s engineering masterpiece: the diesel-powered Panzer paintball tank. But if you’re looking to round out your paint balling arsenal with some defensive units (and you have $2,000 to blow) we here at the Lab recommend the remote-controlled EMT Wireless Paintball Sentry Turret.

These bad boys will fortify any stronghold and offer the added benefit of remote operation, so you can take out enemies, neighbors, squirrels, whatever, all from the comfort of your living room. The base price of $1,959 will get you one turret (including a tripod base), a color CCD camera with video transmitter and a wireless remote, and rechargeable batteries and CO2 tanks — and of course the ability to unleash a barrage of 400 paints balls on those foolish enough to wander into your yard unannounced.

Should you require a high-resolution camera, it too can be added to the package for $300. You can also plunk down an additional $430 for virtual big-screen goggles or $190 for the added fire power of a 1000-ball hopper. Sure, the EMT turret is meant primarily for scenario-based paintball enthusiasts, but sometimes that ADT sign on your lawn just isn’t enough.

[Evolution Model Technology via Technabob]

Major League Baseball 2K8 is an excellent sim, and when I heard Take Two was going to use the MLB license to make a wacky game with a crazy arcade feel I was immediately interested. Rob Hawkey, Game Director for Deep Fried Entertainment, explains what it took to make Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars, what it’s going to be like, and when you can pick it up.

It’s somewhat hard to tell from the trailers, but is there much difference to how players look?

Yes, there is a lot of difference. Some players appear tall and lanky while others are bulky and thick. We tried to play around with the way players really looked and had fun exaggerating their features, making big guys like David Ortiz seem larger than life.

It doesn’t look like real baseball players are in the game, though the teams are real. Why’s that?
We wanted to have visual variety and wackiness in our game. Most sport games are made based on realistic stadiums, but for us the style came along with the wacky and cartoony approach we decided on. Having a table top or stomach for a stadium creates an unusual atmosphere in itself. Since we wanted the look to be unique and different for every stadium, we had different artists work on different stadiums, so that each artist could bring his/her unique approach to each stadium. With the characters, we did a bit of cel-shading, so that they stand out from the backgrounds. Once again, we wanted them to be fun in all aspects, fun shapes, a bit of classic and humorous animation and some fun silly props to add to the overall fantasy and wacky visual approach.

Since this is such a fantasy-oriented title, was there a reason you kept the series name MLB 2K8, which seems to more resemble the simulation titles?

Having the official MLB license (and therefore real players and teams) was very important. If you want to create a game that will appeal to a broad market, as well as to Baseball fans you need to work alongside the people that know these fans best. Having the MLB license is your ticket in the door, but it’s still important to make a game that stands on its own otherwise you lose the rest of your potential market. The license can help people feel confident in buying our game, but in the end it’s our job to make a great game they’ll be happy they purchased.

This game’s style seems very different than The Bigs. That game wanted to celebrate baseball in arcade form with over the top action. Is there any concern that this game would be almost too arcade-y?

When we first started talking with Take 2 about a baseball game on the DS, we emphasized our opinion that a simulation focused sports game would not be as successful as a sports game that focused on a “fun first” mentality. We feel that the gameplay in our games should not suffer the limitations of realism. When you look at the most successful titles on the DS, they tend to be titles that have experimented with new ways of engaging the user, rather than titles that rely solely on the strength of a license or established form of gameplay. For MLB Fantasy All Stars, we knew that we needed to make use of the stylus and touchpad to implement pitching and batting in a new way that would evoke the curiosity of the average DS player. We believe that DS owners are more interested in these new mechanics than just seeing the latest port of their favorite brand from other consoles. We were fortunate enough to be given the freedom to experiment and take our ideas as far as we wanted not only by our publisher but also by the MLB association and MLBPA.

We have already seen the reaction of traditional baseball game fans on forums when they have seen only screenshots of our game with no description of our gameplay mechanics, and some of those reactions have been negative. However, looking at the review scores and sales for other simulation sports games on the DS, we knew that by not just porting the other console versions we have the chance to take advantage of the ability of the DS to represent new ways of gaming that appeal to the mass market, rather than a narrow section of hardcore sports fans. Like it or not, this is the direction that games are moving, and we believe that even the hardcore fans will join in once they see the fun they are missing out on. This doesn’t mean we have to fully abandon the facets of realism that appeal to hardcore sports fans. We see the value of incorporating real players and their real stats in the game, as well as using all of the MLB teams and trying to get the player’s uniforms to look like the actual team’s uniform. We have just attempted to represent these players and teams in a new way that will appeal to all kinds of gamers.

Was it tough to have fun with the physics for a wild style, but then be reined in by the real mechanics of baseball?

For us, the biggest challenge was constantly ensuring that we were making a fun game. We spent many days tuning and playing the game to make sure as best we could that the game was accessible to everyone, yet also had enough shelf life to have value to serious gamers. We tried to stick with the “easy to learn, difficult to master” mantra that came out of some game designer’s speech at a GDC or E3 a while back. This was difficult for us, as we were also inventing a new interface to pitching and batting that nobody has done before. So, we didn’t have any sort of metrics to compare our gameplay to.

Talk about the control scheme and how the stylus is used for hitting, pitching, and fielding.

We didn’t have any sort of metrics to compare our gameplay to. Both pitching and batting will utilize the touch screen to control the gameplay, with the batter dragging the stylus in a semi circle arc across the touch pad in time with the pitch, and with the pitcher drawing various lines toward the plate to deliver specific pitches. It’s an all-new system that we think players are really going to love.

What team is developing the title? What other games might we recognize the name from?

This game is being developed by Deep Fried Entertainment based out of Vancouver. Deep Fried Entertainment recently finished Full Auto 2: Battlelines (PSP), and many of the current staffers originally worked on such titles as Need for Speed: Underground.

When does it ship?

It’s shipping April 14th, and should be on store shelves April 15th.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

We support head to head multiplayer over both Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and DS wireless (local network). Online you will be able to join matches against a random player, or against friends. You can make friendships either by playing a DS wireless match with an opponent and trading friend codes after the game, or by sharing your friend code with someone manually.

In all of the multiplayer modes, you can play with any of the MLB teams, and in any of the stadiums you have unlocked in offline play modes. You’ll also be able to go into game sporting any unlocked equipment rewards you’ve earned to make your opponent jealous.

I’m not much of a photographer, so I’m not sure I’d want to use up/ruin a whole wall with any picture I’ve taken, but I can definitely see My Foto Wall doing well. This new site allows users to upload a favorite picture, which will then be turned into wallpaper. Not virtual wallpaper - the real thing.

A typical wall will cost £295 ($586) to decorate, so you may not be covering all your walls this way, but for a unique design, I can’t think of better way to customise a room. You can crop and cut your your chosen photo to scale, and if you put in your wall/room measurements, you’ll get an exact quote.

I think a nature shot would work best, but if you want that Demi Moore-inspired pregnant pose on your living room wall, go right ahead: it’ll be a talking point, at least.

(Oh, and I feel I should apologise for the unnecessary apostrophe in the picture above: it makes my heart ache, but I’m trying to overlook it).

Via Geekbrief TV.

According to the bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec (.pdf), identity thieves aren’t getting nearly as rich off of your stolen or “misplaced” data as they used to. As the AP reports, the sheer glut of personal information being pilfered these days, combined with a falling U.S. dollar and fierce competition among identity hawkers, has driven the prices for such stolen data down to “bargain-basement levels.”

Researchers say that internet fraudsters are therefore doing what any self-respecting salesman would do: offering volume discounts. Currently, some stolen credit-card numbers are begin sold in batches of 500 for as low as $200. That’s 40 cents for each number, less than half the price observed during the first half of 2007, according to the report.

What’s more, “full identity” packages, which include a working credit card number, a Social Security number and a person’s name, address and DOB, are going for as little as $100 for 50, or $2 apiece. Now that’s a bargain.

Because of the falling U.S. dollar, and (I’m guessing) a population racked with debt, European identities also tend to be worth a lot more than the American equivalent.

[AP via Techdirt] Photo: Flickr/y_ordan

Charlie’s post this morning calling for simplicity in gadgets reminded me of a great book I read a few months back by Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert called Stumbling on Happiness. Gilbert devotes a portion of his book to how our brains perceive value — specifically the numerous types of comparisons (present, past and imagined future) our brains make when we’re off hunting for new toys — and how our faulty perceptions inevitably lead us to misjudge what we really need and want.

His argument with regard to gadgetry is as follows: Both retailers and manufacturers know that cramming electronic devices full of “features” wreaks havoc on our ability to decide what we need and, indeed, what will make us happy. Because “the three-pound meatloaf between our ears” is naturally inclined to compare one feature against other, we start considering all sorts of crap we normally wouldn’t when confronted with, say, super steady shot image stabilization, or dynamic range optimization, or even touch-screen control systems. In other words, feature glut leads us to pay attention to any attribute, not just the ones that are important.

Here’s a telling anecdote from Gilbert’s book:

I’ve probably spent some of the unhappiest hours of my life in stores that I meant to visit for fifteen minutes. I stop at the mall on the way to the picnic, park the car, dash in, and expect to reemerge a few minutes later with a nifty little digital camera in my pocket. But when I get to Wacky Bob’s Giant Mega Super Really Big World of Cameras, I am confronted by a bewildering panoply of nifty little digital cameras that differ on many attributes. Some of these are attributes that I would have considered even if there had been only one camera in the display case (”This is light enough to fit in my shirt pocket so I can take it anywhere”), and some are attributes I would never have thought about had the difference between cameras not been called to my attention (”The Olympus has flash output compensation, but the Nikon doesn’t”). Because side-by-side comparisons cause me to consider all the attributes on which the cameras differ, I end up considering attributes that I don’t really care about but that just so happen to distinguish one camera from another.

Now a lot of comments in Charlie’s post mention convergence, how it can be a good thing insofar as the devices that blend features in an appealing, sensible way tend to survive. Those that don’t, simply disappear. I won’t argue there’s isn’t a certain allure to devices that combine functions in an intelligent way. but more often than not, convergence is just an excuse for the very thing Gilbert complains about. Look at David Pogue’s review of the Flip video camera again. He specifically talks about happiness. How often do you read gadget reviews where that specific word is employed? In the end, it’s not rocket science: Something that’s simple, that does one thing particularly well (and that doesn’t make us feel like we need to go out and get an additional degree to use it) is pleasing. But simple devices also happen to be much easier to select (or eliminate) based on that one thing they do so well. And for that very reason, we’ll probably never see widespread adoption of the ‘keep it simple’ ethos. After all, retailers don’t want gadget selection to be an easy process. gadgets are complicated amalgams of transistors and integrated circuits. Furthermore, one has to consider the high-end gadgets, the low-end gadgets, and everything in between. Which do you need? It’s confusing and you’ll probably want to see them all side-by-side and try them out and have someone walk you through the whole process. Just ignore the fact that he or she is probably working on commission.

If you haven’t picked it up, Gilbert’s book is well worth the read. In my humble opinion, it should be mandatory for all tech journalists.

Here’s a link to Gilbert’s 2006 TED talk, in which he highlights many of the ideas that later appear in his book.

The FCC has adopted a plan which will allow consumers with cell phones and other mobile devices to receive text messages during disasters and other emergencies. The plan released by the FCC is in response to the Warning, Alerts and Response Network Act (WARN Act). The technical requirements of the plan, as outlined by the FCC, come from recommendations made by the Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee.

The Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) will be an optional system wireless carriers will be able to subscribe to. Though the system will initially only offer text messages, it is envisioned that the system could be enhanced to include audio and video alerts as well. For mobile phone users with disabilities, wireless carriers will be required to transmit CMAS messages with a vibration cadence and an audio signal.

Three type of messages will be offered. This includes Presidential Alerts, Imminent Threat Alerts and Child Abduction/AMBER Alerts. Many people are already familiar with AMBER Alerts and there are already programs for many mobile phone users to subscribe to them. Presidential Alerts will preempt other pending alerts and will be delivered to the American public. Imminent Threat Alerts will include information on emergencies which pose an imminent risk to lives or the well-being of individuals. After a Federal agency has been designated to collect and transmit alerts to wireless carriers, participating carriers will have 10 months to comply with the rules adopted by the FCC.

Read more from the FCC press release (.doc).

Brian’s Opinion

This is a system whose creation is simply common sense. We’ve moved beyond television and radio in the ability for government agencies to communicate with the public–we can now utilize mobile phones to alert the public to emergencies as well.

The great thing about a mobile phone is nearly everyone has one. It is also something that is always carried on the person. That means no matter where they are, people will be able to be notified about a local or national emergency.

I would imagine all of the major wireless carriers will participate in CMAS. It wouldn’t be in a wireless carrier’s interest not to. There is just too much competition out there to attract and retain subscribers.

Gizmodo dropped a major bomb on notebook users yesterday–they somehow got their hands on details about the entire upcoming Lenovo line. They did break the news of the X300 launch back in January, though this does not appear to be from the same source. Everything is still unconfirmed, but a lot of the details make sense so it’s worth looking into.

Gizmodo does not have pictures or spec sheets this time, but there is still lot of great information (supposing most of it is true). The first big point is that we will see an expansion of the X series, specifically models based on the X300 notebook. The post states that the design behind the 13.3-inch X300 will be used in a 12-, 14-, and 15-inch models, which would give high-end consumers all the options they are looking for. The Xx00 models will get both HSDPA and EVDO and a 25 percent boost in battery life.

ThinkPad X300

The post goes on to cover refreshes of the T and R series. The entry-level R models will possibly arrive in a R400 (5.1lbs) and R500 (6.4lbs), probably 14-inch and 15-inch models as soon as July. The T will get refreshed video (256 or 512MB ATI HD3650) and start shipping in early June.

Another major part of the rumor is that we will see a new W line, which will replace the T as the workstation replacement series and possibly arrive in a 17-inch model some time in the future.

Gizmodo wraps up the post with what looks like a ThinkPad owner’s wish list, but is actually the potential standard features for the upcoming line. The list includes: a Blu-ray option, LED backlighting (not on the R models), 9-cell batteries (same size as a 6-cell but with 25 percent extended life), a solid state option (on all non W models), and a lot more.

We spoke to Lenovo representatives, but they had no official comments at this time.

Read more at Gizmodo

Sal’s Opinion 

All this is totally unconfirmed at this point, but parts of it seem spot on. We do know that the T/R series are ready for a few upgrades and that the technologies that Lenovo first rolled out on the ThinkPad X300 (for instance LED backlighting, SSDs, and a slimmer form factor) are going to be trickled down to new models. Plus we have already heard rumors about an X200, so that is not the biggest surprise.

It is a bit hard to swallow that Lenovo would go through the trouble of producing the X300 clones in three new sizes. They made a big deal about the 13.3-inch model being the perfect size for both portability and usability so for them to come out with a 14-inch and 15-inch model is less likely. We see the T and R models in 14- and 15-inches but why have a super-light notebook in both sizes, especially the larger one? The 12-inch model (potentially the X200) is easier to believe given that the X300 outshines the X61s in almost every aspect.

As for the rest, the changes to the R and T are believable, and while both lines are aging well, they could use things like solid state options, Blu-ray, and LED backlighting. The W would potentially be a desktop replacement, as the T has been doing a great job as the ThinkPad’s mobile workstation, which is probably why we see a rumor about that 17-inch model. It’s not clear how a 15-inch W900 would differ from the same model in the T series (what would be the T61p today).

All told, it’s huge news and there are certainly grains of truth in there. It’s not clear that everything is accurate, but based on the success of the X300 and the inevitable changes to the R/T lines people might want to hold off on any ThinkPad purchases for a little while.

First the bad news. The number of unique viruses will reach 1,000,000 (1 million) by the end of the year. More bad news. About 25% have been generated in the last 6 months out of all generated in the past 20 years. Ugh.

The good news is that the number of viruses/malware making it through to user inboxes is down to 1 in 1000. Five (5) years ago, it was 1 in 40. Naturally, we need to get that down even more. So would you please stop adding your name to those weird mailing lists and yell at your friends for putting you on those mass forwarded e-mails!

via Webb Alert and PC Guide.

Posted in Computers, Networking & Internet