CrunchGear |  |
- Hikari iFrame: Japan gets Android-powered, inexpensive tablet PC
- Daily Crunch: Let’s Go Shopping Edition
- A DVD that lasts 1000 years (but is it scratch resistant?)
- Dell Black Friday ad
- Office Depot Black Friday ad
- The Nintendo DSi Studio Kit takes it a little too far
- DTV coupon time is over! Many of you didn’t care, apparently
- Should Nintendo fear the Apple juggernaut?
- Show your true colors with this crossbones decal
- Review: BFG Deimos
- Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight gets a launch date
- The American Library Association declares this Saturday, Nov. 14, to be National Game Day
- Vitamin D turns your webcam into a virtual doorman
- Ford’s using wheat straw in a 2010 Flex component
- Kicker to make the ZK500 Zune HD compatible
- Twitter, Facebook come to Xbox 360 on Nov. 17
- Microsoft wins 1 billion Achievement Points for releasing Windows 7
- Video: Some random, but amazing, 3D modeling demo
- Quick Look: Chumby One
- An asteroid almost smashed into Earth, and we only knew about it 15 hours before it happened
| Hikari iFrame: Japan gets Android-powered, inexpensive tablet PC Posted: 13 Nov 2009 01:00 AM PST
NTT, Japan’s biggest telecommunications company (its subsidiary NTT East, to be more exact) has unveiled the Hikari iFrame [JP] yesterday, an Android-powered tablet PC that’s supposed to be extra-easy to use and doubles as a digital picture frame. NTT East has already set up a dedicated product web site [JP] for the iFrame, marketing it as a lifestyle product of sorts. The device features a 7-inch touch-panel display, an internal battery, a speaker, an alarm clock, a USB port and an SD memory card slot. And yes, it can be used to access the web via Wi-Fi. In an attempt to appeal to casual web users, NTT East says it will make heavy use of widgets that just need to be tapped to display various content like the weather, recipes, or the latest news.
The Hikari iFrame will be released in Japan only (initially, at least) in the first half of fiscal 2010, which under the Japanese system means sometime between April and September next year. It will cost between $220 and $330, with NTT East saying the use of Android as the OS resulted in reducing costs by 20-30% per unit. The company is currently looking for test users residing in Japan, mainly targeting women in their 20s. This video shows the tablet in action: Via TechCrunch Japan [JP]
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| Daily Crunch: Let’s Go Shopping Edition Posted: 13 Nov 2009 12:00 AM PST |
| A DVD that lasts 1000 years (but is it scratch resistant?) Posted: 12 Nov 2009 11:30 PM PST
Seriously though, I can see this as being a good thing at the corporate level. The DiamonDisc is a standard capacity DVD that can be read with a normal drive. Where it gets interesting is that the disc is resistant to heat (up to 176 degrees), UV, and normal material degradation. No word on if it will survive being microwaved though. Don’t expect the technology to be cheap though. The discs will cost you $35 each, but the price does go down for larger quantities. You have to send your information to Cranberry to be written to the disc, and then they ship the discs to you. It is possible to buy one of the special burners required to write to the discs yourself, but that drive will set you back a cool $4995. [via Computerworld]
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| Posted: 12 Nov 2009 11:21 PM PST
Computer Accessories Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 USB Keyboard – $19.99 Computers Dell 10.1″ Inspiron Mini 10V Netbook w/Atom 1.6Ghz Processor N270 – $249.00 Dell 14″ Inspiron 14 Notebook w/Intel T4300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive – $599.00 Dell 14″ Studio XPS 13 Notebook w/Intel P7450 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive – $999.00 Dell 15.6″ Inspiron 15 Notebook w/Intel T4300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive – $549.00 Dell 15.6″ Studio 15 Notebook w/Intel T6600 Processor, 4GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive – $699.00 Dell 16″ Studio XPS 16 Notebook w/Intel P7450 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive – $999.00 Dell 17″ Studio 17 Notebook w/Intel T4300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive – $749.00 Dell 20″ Studio XPS 8000 Notebook w/Intel i5-750 CPU, 6GB RAM, 750GB Hard Drive – $899.00 Dell Inspiron 537s Desktop w/Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive – $349.00 Dell Inspiron 537s w/Intel E5300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, w/20″ LCD Monitor – $499.00 Dell Inspiron w/Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor, 3GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive – $499.00 Dell Studio Desktop w/Intel E7500 Processor, 6GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, w/18.5″ LCD Monitor – $699.00 Dell Studio Desktop w/Intel Q8300 Processor, 6GB RAM, 640GB Hard Drive, w/20″ LCD Monitor – $749.00 Dell Studio Slim Desktop w/Intel E5400, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, w/18.5″ LCD Monitor – $599.00 Digital Cameras Fujifilm FinePix A170 10.2 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera (Silver) – $59.99 Kodak EasyShare C180 10.2 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera w/Kodak P820 8″ Digital Picture Frame – $99.99 DVD Players Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc Player – $149.99 GPS Navigation Systems Garmin Nuvi 255W Portable GPS Navigation System – $129.99 Hard Drives Dell 8x DVD+/-RW External USB Drive – $59.99 Monitors Dell S2209W 21.5″ Full HD Widescreen Monitor – $144.00 Dell SP2309W 23″ Full HD Widescreen Monitor w/Webcam – $219.00 MP3 Players Microsoft Zune 120GB MP3 Player – $199.99 Television Sharp 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV (Model # LC42SB45UT) – $599.00 Sony Bravia 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV (Model # KDL40V5100) – $989.00 Vizio 55″ LCD HDTV w/Blu-ray Player Bundle – $1649.99
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| Posted: 12 Nov 2009 11:18 PM PST
CD/DVD Drives Gear Head 8x Slim External DVD -/+RW Lightscribe Drive – $49.99 Cell Phones Ed Hardy iPhone Faceplates – $24.99 XtremeMac InCharge Auto Charger for iPhone – $13.99 XtremeMac Tuffsheild Three Pack Screen Protectors For iPod Or iPhone – $10.49 XtremeMac Tuffwrap iPhone Case – $13.99 Computer Accessories All Case Logic Laptop Sleeves – 50% Off APC 550VA Battery Backup – $24.99 Height-Adjustable Mobile Laptop Cart – $17.99 iHome Wired Optical Mouse – $6.99 Logitech LX6 Cordless Optical Mouse – $7.99 Microsoft Digital Media Keyboard 6000 – $12.99 Moble IT Retractable USB Hub – $4.99 USB Web Cam – $9.99 Computers Acer Aspire 15.6″ Widescreen Notebook Computer w/AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processor L310, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive – $379.99 Acer Netbook 10.1″ Computer w/Intel 1.6GHz Atom Processor N270 – $199.99 Compaq CQ4010F Desktop Computer w/AMD Sempron LE-1300 Processor, 2GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive – $229.99 Compaq Presario AMD LE-1300 Desktop w/18.5″ Monitor – $329.99 Free Software w/Purchase of Computer – Free HP Notebook Computer G60-508US w/Intel Celeron Processor 900 – $299.99 HP Notebook Computer G71-343US With Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 – $449.99 HP Pavilion Desktop P6229PG w/20″ Widescreen LCD Monitor – $499.99 HP Pavillion Slimeline Intel E5300 Desktop w/20″ Monitor – $519.99 HP Pavillion Slimline s5220f Desktop Computer w/Intel Pentium Processor E5300, 4GB RAM, 640GB Hard Drive – $369.99 Toshiba 15.6″ Widescreen Notebook w/AMD Turion II Dual-Core Processor M500, 3GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive – $469.99 Toshiba 17″ Notebook w/AMD Turion II M500, 3GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive – $499.99 Digital Cameras Ativa Digital 1080p HD Video Camcorder 4x Optical Zoom – $89.99 Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera – $149.99 Canon PowerShot SD780 IS 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera – $179.99 Kodak EasyShare CD80 Digital Camera Bundle – $79.99 Kodak EasyShare M381 Digital Camera w/Case & Tripod – $169.99 Kodak EasyShare Z915 Digital Camera w/Case & Charger – $199.99 Nikon Coolpix S570 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Black) – $149.99 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W220 Digital Camera – $129.99 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 Digital Camera w/Case & Charger – $229.99 Vivitar Digital Camera Bundle – $49.99 Digital Media Cards SanDisk 4GB Ultra II SDHC Memory Card – $12.99 SanDisk 8GB Memory Cards – $14.99 SanDisk 8GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Memory Card – $24.99 SanDisk 8GB Ultra II CompactFlash Memory Card – $19.99 Electronics 1.5″ Digital Photo Frames – $7.99 Ativa 8″ Digital Photo Frame – $49.99 Brother P-Touch PT-1290 Electronic Labeler – $9.99 Panasonic DECT 6.0 Digital Cordless KX-TG9332T Phone Answering System (After Rebate) – $29.99 Plantronics Explorer Bluetooth Mobile Headset 220 – $14.99 Sony Earbuds – $7.99 GPS Navigation Systems Garmin Nuvi 1200 GPS Navigation System – $119.99 Garmin Nuvi 1300 GPS Navigation System – $149.99 TomTom GO 630 GPS Navigation System – $169.99 TomTom ONE 130 GPS Navigation System – $77.99 TomTom XL 330 GPS Navigation System – $97.99 Hard Drives Seagate 1.5TB Expansion External Hard Drive – $99.99 Seagate 2TB FreeAgent External Hard Drive – $179.99 Seagate 320GB Expansion External Portable Hard Drive – $59.99 Seagate 640GB FreeAgent Go External Portable Hard Drive – $119.99 Seagate 750GB Free Agent Go External Portable Hard Drive – $149.99 Verbatim 1TB External Hard Drive – $79.99 Home Theater Ativa Home Theater System 5.1 – $39.99 Memory Kingston 1GB PC 5300 DDR2 Memory Upgrade – $17.99 Miscellaneous All Cross Gift Pens – 50% Off Monitors Ativa 21.6″ HD LCD Monitor – $119.99 Movies Over 50 Sony DVD Movies – B1G1 MP3 Players Ativa 2GB MP3 Player With Video And FM Radio – $17.99 Ativa Speaker Dock For iPod PF112 – $19.99 Memorex Docking Clock Radio For iPod – $34.99 Sony Speaker Dock Clock Radio For iPod Or iPhone – $79.99 Networking & Wireless D-Link Basic N Wireless Adapter – $19.99 D-Link Basic N Wireless Router – $19.99 Linksys Wireless-N Rangeplus Adapter – $39.99 Linksys Wireless-N Rangeplus Router Or Adapter – $39.99 Office Ativa 6-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder (After Rebate) – $14.99 Brother FAX 575 Fax/Phone/Copier – $9.99 CL Shore Mini-Solution Desk w/Hutch – $99.99 Limval L-Shaped Desk – $49.99 Office Depot Brand Premium Glossy Photo Paper – B1G2 Realspace Merrick High-Back Boded Leather Chair – $79.99 Realspace Soho Harrington High-Back Chair – $99.99 Realspace Soho Magellan Corner Desk w/Hutch – $139.99 RS To Go Alvy Task Chair – $34.99 RS To Go Ruvia Mid-Back Chair – $39.99 True Innovations High-Back Bonded Leather Chair – $79.99 Photos Ativa 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $29.99 Portable USB Storage Ativa 4GB USB Flash Drive – $7.99 Lexar 32GB TwistTurn USB Drive – $59.99 SanDisk 16GB Curzer USB Flash Drive – $27.99 SanDisk 8GB Cruzer USB Flash Drive – $14.99 Printers Brother MFC-295cn All-In-One Printer – $59.99 Brother MFC-7340 Laser All-In-One Printer – $99.99 Brother Wireless MFC-490cw All-In-One Printer – $79.99 Canon 100 LIDE Scanner – $29.99 Canon PIXMA MP490 Photo All-In-One Printer, Copier, Scanner – $29.99 Free HP Printer D4360 With Any PC Purchase – $0.00 HP 6000 Officejet Wireless Printer – $59.99 HP 8500 Officejet All-In-One Printer – $149.99 HP CP1518ni Color Laser Printer – $199.99 HP D5460 Photosmart Printer – $29.99 HP J4680 Wireless All-In-One Printer – $64.99 HP LaserJet P1005 Monochrome Laser Printer – $49.99 HP P1006 Mono Laser Printer – $89.99 HP Plus Photosmart Wireless Printer – $74.99 HP Premium Photosmart All-In-One Printer – $99.99 Lexmark S605 Wireless All-In-One Printer – $119.99 Lexmark X7675 Wireless All-In-One Printer – $99.99 Samsung CLP-315 Color Laser Printer – $79.99 Wireless All In One Printer – $39.99 Software $30 Off Rosetta Stone Software – $30 Off Interior Design (After Rebate) – $0.00 Microsft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade – $119.90 Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 – $79.99 Norton 360 Premier 3.0 Security Software – $9.99 Photo Explosion (After Rebate) – $0.00 Print Master (After Rebate) – $0.00 Scrapbook Factory (After Rebate) – $0.00 Television Digital Prism 7″ Portable LCD TV ATSC710 – $84.99 Samsung 19″ 933HD Widescreen LCD HDTV – $199.99 Samsung 23″ 2333HD Widescreen LCD HDTV – $249.99 Samsung 26″ T260HD Widescreen LCD HDTV – $299.99
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| The Nintendo DSi Studio Kit takes it a little too far Posted: 12 Nov 2009 07:38 PM PST
This post is for the few people out there that actually use the DSi’s camera. Sure, many probably snapped a few pics when they first got the device, but it’s more of a novelty feature and probably not something you would use everyday. But if you do, this $20 kit from Thrustmaster is for you. The kit includes just about every camera accessory you could ever want: macro lens, telephoto lens, wide angle lens, removable flash, color filters, and a handy storage bag. It’s only $20, which means this kit could totally be a Christmas gift to a younger child. Just be prepared for it to end up in a junk drawer before the end of the year. [Thrustmaster via ubergizmo]
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| DTV coupon time is over! Many of you didn’t care, apparently Posted: 12 Nov 2009 07:20 PM PST
If you’re looking for more info at the coupon website, good luck. It’s dead for me.
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| Should Nintendo fear the Apple juggernaut? Posted: 12 Nov 2009 03:31 PM PST
It already has, in fact. But Apple has come kicking and screaming the whole way. The iPhone, you understand, was not meant to be a gaming device, and in Cupertino, Apple’s intentions are paramount. Apple could never accidentally create a platform for gaming; if it wasn’t meant for gaming (or enterprise, or medical use, or reading e-books, etc.) from the beginning, Apple doesn’t want it happening at all. Because if Apple didn’t intend it, it’s outside of the bounds they set into the platform (regardless of how well it works, much like tethering) — it breaks the mold and, ironically, that’s the last thing Apple wants.
But this is all getting rather vague. There are more substantial objections to an Apple expansion into gaming than my half-baked theories on their corporate philosophy. I’ll just enumerate them here in list form. I’m using the iPhone as the basis for these, but the points apply to the tablet without serious modification.  Hardware
Developers Pricing Brand Content
There you have it. Of course, with my luck, Apple will probably announce a huge gaming initiative tomorrow. All that said, Apple does have an increasing presence in gaming. It owes this in no small part to Nintendo, which has popularized casual and mobile gaming to a huge extent with the Wii and DS. The iPhone may take a bite out of the more casual games coming out for the DS, but beyond that I don’t see a major effect. And as long as it’s enough for Apple to make a few bills, they’re not going to try too hard to change that.
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| Show your true colors with this crossbones decal Posted: 12 Nov 2009 03:00 PM PST |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2009 02:30 PM PST
Cons:
Price as reviewed: $4,423 While BFG is new to selling complete computer systems, they aren’t new to high performance gaming. BFG has been producing performance PC hardware for many years, and just this year got into building their own systems. The Deimos was launched at the end of October, and is intended to compete with other gaming laptop lines, such as Alienware’s M17x. Does it compete? In a word, yes. In some ways, the Deimos surpasses the M17x. For example, when I reviewed the M17x, I had some issues with the biometric security system. Using your laptop’s webcam as a security device is a clever concept — if only it worked consistently. On the Deimos, however, everything worked perfectly out of the box. Performance is comparable. Battery life is about the same. What’s gone is the obvious “I spent $4500 on this computer!” factor that you get with the little alien head on the lid. Let’s get down to it. Here are the specs on the system I reviewed: Monitor: 18.4 inch, 1920×1080 resolution Performance: As you can expect from this configuration, the machine is fast. I ran some benchmarks using Far Cry 2, which averaged a framerate of 54.26 at 1920×1080, Direct3D 10, and Overall Quality set to “Ultra High.” 3DMark Vantage reported 11,799, which is a very close comparison to the M17x at 11,904. Of course, if you’ve read my reviews before, you’ll know I’m not huge on reporting numbers; I prefer to talk about the feel of the system. And basically, the Deimos is a great computer. I’m very much into the gaming, and that’s what’s important to me when I’m using a system. The Deimos is fast, plays games really really well (42 FPS in Dalaran, settings maxed, for you World of Warcraft people) and is surprisingly light for the amount of hardware that’s jammed in there. The system has DVI and HDMI out, and a total of four USB ports (two on the left, two on the right). The back is reserved for cooling vents and the power cord. One thing to be aware of: don’t expect to be able to overclock this machine using the BIOS. The BIOS on this system is functional, yet bare bones. There are no options for overclocking at all.
The trackpad (centered, and highlighted with LED light) works as expected, with no major issues. The left and right button (there’s only one, and you click on either side) responds well, and doesn’t feel mushy or too stiff. There is a fingerprint reader centered in the button, which provides biometric login options.
Appearance: Aesthetically, it’s a little bright. Where it’s nowhere near as gaudy as an Alienware system, it does have a touch sensitive strip across the top, and all the icons are lit from beneath with LEDs.The touch activated icons turn on the webcam, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth hardware. You can also control the volume, or activate your web browser or media player. The LEDs in the case (shining out the front and back) and the lid can change color, however the process is less than intuitive. The case is also extremely shiny, and regrettably shows fingerprints incredibly well. BFG is aware of this, even to the point of including a large microfiber cloth for wiping it down. Overall, compared to the Alienware, the Deimos is almost tasteful.
Final thoughts: I wholeheartedly recommend the BFG Deimos. It’s a fine machine, and doesn’t try to be more then that. I’ve found it to be more then sufficient as a desktop replacement, both for work and play. Yes, the price is high, but if you are buying a performance laptop, you have the budget for it and you probably don’t really care about how much it costs; you want the best. I will admit that I’m not a huge fan of the keyboard, but it was a simple thing to plug an external keyboard in when I was sitting at my desk. The keyboard was just fine for casual use, but perhaps it’s not for the business user.
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| Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight gets a launch date Posted: 12 Nov 2009 02:10 PM PST Forget Modern Warfare 2, the real action is coming out on March 16 when C&C 4 is released. Teasers and trailers have been slowly filtering out over the last few months but EA finally let released the launch date. I’m already making my construction paper chain to count down the days. Oh, and there’s good news if you’re going to pre-order the game. Those that are willing to pay for the game before it’s released will be invited to the multiplayer beta, and given a bonus mission and the game’s official soundtrack. How cool is that? I mean, you’re going to buy the game anyway so you may as well score some extras. All the details are here.
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| The American Library Association declares this Saturday, Nov. 14, to be National Game Day Posted: 12 Nov 2009 01:38 PM PST
Man alive, there’s been a lot of gaming news these past few days. Continuing the trend: this Saturday, November 14, is to be hereby referred to as National Gaming Day. Thus decided the American Library Association. The day has been created in order to promote the idea that video games can be used to sharpen one’s reading ability, and to promote critical thinking. The original Reuters report lists World War II video games as something that may be used to introduce young people to important historical subjects. Obviously, no one is saying that you should learn all about D-Day via Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, but that, if you find the subject matter interesting, maybe you look into it a little more academically? There’s plenty of games that I can think of that, in a way, promote literacy. Vagrant Story for the PS1 might as well have been a novel, and certainly requires a reading comprehension level that could translate to schoolwork. BioShock, while not filled with text boxes, actually manages to be a shooter with an interesting and well-executed storyline. Final Fantasy XII is another one, but I never really got into the battle system. Maybe I’ll give it another shot, one year after my previous attempt to play it. Devin says Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 is another such game to look out for. So there’s plenty of literary games out there for you to choose from. Not every game is mindless shoot everything that moves with no redeeming qualities behind it. via Kotaku
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| Vitamin D turns your webcam into a virtual doorman Posted: 12 Nov 2009 12:35 PM PST When I bought a webcam for my front door – mine is the Linksys WVC54GCA – I was faced with a predicament. The built-in motion detection software bombarded my email inbox with images of an empty frame. It was set off by the motion of a leaf or a reflection, rendering one of the most important aspects – notification of trespass – ineffective. At an impasse, I decided to build a cyberbiomimetic AI using a cockroach brain and a vat of amino acids. The resulting system, while effective at spotting intruders, eventually threatened to become self-aware and so I had to shut it down. Finally, I tried Vitamin D. Problem, as they say, solved. Vitamin D is a three-step piece of software. You point it at a webcam on your network (it’s compatible with a few models right now) and tell it what to do when it sees evil people encroaching on your turf. Be they the UPS guy or brain-eating zombies, the system will record a clip of their activity and can even notify you via email and an audible chime when it senses movement. In short, it allows you to create a very powerful security system in a few minutes. You can add multiple cameras and the system grabs only the most important parts of the day, ensuring you don’t miss a single entry or exit. Because it’s compatible a number of webcams, including webcams over a network. I was able to connect my webcam and start recording in less than a minute. It’s a great feeling to know that the webcam has suddenly become more than a way to watch your front step. Sadly, you need a PC or Mac running the Vitamin D software to record 24/7 video but if you set this up on an always attended-to system it makes for an interesting and valuable upgrade. It’s free right now and you can download the beta here. A subscription version will be sold in early 2010. Note: My webcam is sideways because that’s how I mounted it in my window. Long story.
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| Ford’s using wheat straw in a 2010 Flex component Posted: 12 Nov 2009 12:30 PM PST
Here’s a little known fact: Henry Ford used natural material like hemp and stray to reinforce plastic components in his cars. Now, Ford is at it again with a small quarter trim bin found in the third row of the Ford Flex made out of wheat straw bio-filled polypropylene. Wheat straw! Sure, it’s just one small part in one vehicle, but according to the numbers, the impact on the environment sounds at least significant.
This so-called wheat straw is the byproduct of wheat harvesting and isn’t exactly useful. Chances are that if this trial works out on this one part, Ford, and the rest of the industry, will look into ways to further incorporate green materials into their vehicles. I, for one, look forward to the day that my steering wheel is made from corn and I can spreed a little butter and salt on it to enjoy a nice snack while driving down I-75.
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| Kicker to make the ZK500 Zune HD compatible Posted: 12 Nov 2009 12:00 PM PST
Here’s the thing: you have to ship the system to company to have the firmware installed. But if you bought the ZK500 after the Zune HD was released, you’re good. The company will pay the necessary shipping cost to have the update completed. However if you bought it before, you’re going to have to pay $40 to have the firmware installed. Ridiculous? Yeah, it kind of is. Either way though, the system will not output high-def from the Zune HD because of the older dock connector used. But I guess if you spent the cash on the new Zune HD, you may as well spend another $40 to make your older speaker dock compatible.
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| Twitter, Facebook come to Xbox 360 on Nov. 17 Posted: 12 Nov 2009 11:32 AM PST
As of next Tuesday, November 17, you’ll be able to access Twitter and Facebook on your Xbox 360. The software update is free, like previous updates, and also includes Last.fm and Zune video compatibility. "What are you doing?" "Losing to 12-year-olds in Modern Warfare 2 over and over again! Not fun."
The idea, I guess, is that you’ll be able let your friends know just how much fun you’re having while playing the latest game, or streaming the latest Netflix release, without having to go through the trouble of whipping out your phone or walking over to your computer. I see it as a convenience and nothing more. It may also mean that there’s nothing you can to do stop Twitter’s worldwide dominance. This is what the Twitter interface looks like in motion: Note that the Xbox 360 isn’t the only video game console whence you can tweet or alter your Facebook status. The PS3 and Wii come with a built-in Web browser, and a stand-alone Facebook interface for the PS3 was leaked just yesterday. And while the Twitter and Facebook support will get the most attention, I think it’s the Zune HD support that’s most interesting. Say what you will about the Zune HD—Devin liked it, and I went out and bought it I was so impressed—but the idea of an instant-on, HD, 5.1 surround system movie service certainly intrigues me. Of course, its success now depends on what type of movies are released for it.
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| Microsoft wins 1 billion Achievement Points for releasing Windows 7 Posted: 12 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST |
| Video: Some random, but amazing, 3D modeling demo Posted: 12 Nov 2009 10:30 AM PST You look like you could use a break. Go grab your lunch and something to drink and then come back and watch this sweet 3D modeling demo. You just wish you had these skills. [via Autoblog]
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| Posted: 12 Nov 2009 10:11 AM PST Ladies and germs: the Chumby One. Hot on the heels of its soft, leathery older brother, the Chumby One goes for a more non-nonsense aesthetic with hard edges and a more clock-radio feel. As you recall, the device costs $99.95 and allows you to play back little widgets on a tiny touchscreen. It is at once banal in its simplicity and amazingly unfettered in the amount of content you can stream to the device. Our Chumby One came pre-installed with a few widgets including our own news feed and Twitter, which lets you view your Tweets whenever the widget rolls around. I’m going to place this thing on my desk and treat it like a third screen in order to really test the value of this wee fellow. More soon. Special note: the battery is not included and is an optional part available from Chumby.
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| An asteroid almost smashed into Earth, and we only knew about it 15 hours before it happened Posted: 12 Nov 2009 10:00 AM PST
Did you hear the news? An asteroid passed within 8,700 miles of the planet on Friday. The craziest thing is that scientists only knew about it 15 hours before it flew by. So if you have any confidence that this planet is safe from giant space objects smashing into the surface, possibly destroying all life in the process, well, think again. This particular asteroid wasn’t so big, measuring at around 23 feet across, that it would have caused mass destruction, but it just goes to show you: maybe one day, when the big one arrives, we’ll have a hot 20 hours to figure out what to do. Can you even imagine what would happen? Scientists spot a gigantic asteroid that would surely cause planet-wide destruction, but they only discover it a few hours before it hits the planet. How would people react? How would society function when faced with mass carnage, if not certain doom? Now you can see why asteroids represent my favorite sci-fi scenario: how does humanity react when it faces such a cataclysm? Do we band together in the interest of survival? Do we take the opportunity to invade Country A in order to secure resources that we could use? Oh my God, how would Twitter react? It should be noted that objects enter the Earth’s atmosphere all the time, and that relatively big ones pass by the planet about two times per year. Done right, a doomsday scenario movie, unlike that hunk of junk 2012, could be really interesting. None of this, "pull the plane into the air even though we haven’t reached the speed necessary to generate enough lift to pull us upward to begin with," but a serious look at how people would react. Which is to say the movie could never be made by Hollywood, lest some American Joe Blow somehow save the day.
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New kid on the block Cranberry claims that their new DVD will last 1,000 years. Of course no one will be around to dispute that claim, and by then we’ll be using some kind of organic memory light data cell, but hey! Who knows, maybe future generations will want to see those vacation photos you took of Grandma Rhoda and Aunt Suzy.
The good news is, with this one you don’t even need to get dressed. You can probably hit these “door busters” in your pajamas. Dell spent quite a bit of time on their full color ad, it’d be a shame not to
Get that “Easy Button” ready. Office Depot’s Black Friday ad dropped today, and it’s looking pretty juicy. Of course everyone has a netbook on sale this year, but there’s a few other things on sale that look good. 
It’s no secret that the Apple ecosystem is a gilded cage. It’s a nice cage, and large, and yes indeed that gilding is very attractive by Jove, but all the doors are shut until Apple opens them. If you think otherwise, you’re probably already scrawling some crude flame in the comment section below. Thank you for your insight. Really, though: Macs are a carefully-tended walled garden of semi-delights (to mix several metaphors), and that’s part of why they’re so good at what they do. Attempts at expanding the garden have been made in fits by Apple, with varying success. Serious music production has never really caught on, nor scientific or medical applications, and any real expansions (personal media, mobile, and video primarily) have been engineered by Apple and not third parties. Why should it be any different for gaming? If Apple doesn’t do it, no one will. And Apple’s not going to do it.
Battery
They don’t want to
Short Version: The Deimos is the latest addition to BFG’s new line of computers. Intended as specialist gaming machine, the Deimos is big, beautiful, and very fast. Heat, bulk, and short battery life are to be expected from a gaming laptop, and aside from those it provides an excellent experience.
Controls: The keyboard took some getting used to; the keys aren’t exactly a style that I’d normally prefer, coming from the netbook school rather then a standard keyboard. And the numeric keypad is a hot mess. It’s pretty much impossible to touch type using the number pad because everything is jammed together with the arrow keys and the standard keyboard. There’s more then enough room that they could have provided a little space between the two and made it a bit more user-friendly. There is also a series of “G-keys” down the left side. These are customizable macro keys are much like what is used on the Logitech G-Series keyboards. These too, work as intended, however they do take up quite a bit of real estate on the left side of the keyboard area.
It is interesting to note that the Deimos is a re-branded Sager notebook. Further research showed that were you to go online and order a system with the same configuration, you’d save yourself $100. Despite this fact, I’d still purchase this computer from BFG, due to their excellent record on customer service. From a value standpoint, compared to the Alienware M17x, I’d still choose the BFG Deimos. For around the same price (the M17x, configured the same costs $4,399, $24 less), the Alienware laptop has a smaller screen, weighs twice as much, and a profile that screams “steal me!”. That’s not to say the Deimos is the ideal commuter laptop — it is quite large. But it lacks the ostentatious nature of the M17x.
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