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New technology extends lithium-ion battery life

Posted: 04 Feb 2010 12:22 AM PST

A Japanese company called Eamex claims it has found a way [JP] to increase the life of high-capacity lithium-ion batteries (that can be used in electric vehicles). Eamex says the new batteries can be charged and discharged over 10,000 times. Apparently, they can last about 20 years, too.

The main idea is to stabilize the electrodes and prevent the deterioration of tin, making the batteries withstand repeated charges. The batteries have a negative electrode that incorporates a tin-coated resin and accumulates lithium ions coming from the positive electrode. The positive electrode is made of silicon and tin and swells while generating the ions.

As a result, the repeated charging and discharging causes the binding between particles in the tin to weaken, but Eamex’s technology helps to effectively maintain the bonding among those particles.

The company says it plans to introduce a lithium-ion battery with a power density of 10,000 W/kg by the end of this year. The battery could be used to power electric scooters, for example. Eamex also claims batteries based on their technology have “extremely positive” cost effects (without giving specific details), which isn’t hard to believe given their lifespan.

Via The Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]

Daily Crunch: Stop or My Comb Will Shoot Edition

Posted: 04 Feb 2010 12:00 AM PST

Zero Punctuation: Dark Void

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 11:29 PM PST

It’s amazing. I agree 100% with this episode of Zero Punctuation. “And that’s Dark Void. It’s down, it’s up, and then down again.”

Aliens vs Predator (2010) demo now available on Steam

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 10:28 PM PST


There have been more than a dozen and a half AVP games over the last three decades and a new one is prepped to launch on February 16, 2010 on the 360, PS3, and Windows. That’s awesome. But the truth is that while I’m going to advice you to fire up Steam and download the demo, I didn’t even know there was a new AVP game in development until I saw the news.

But I feel confident enough in the series to tell you that it’s likely worth your time to at least download the free demo. I know I spent nearly as much time playing AVP as I did the original Half-Life. If this new title doesn’t work out, I’ll probably just end up playing the updated version of that release: Aliens versus Predator Classic 2000. Either way, I’m killing me some Aliens.

Leica M7 Hermès edition, unboxed and lovely

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 09:20 PM PST


Ahhh, Leica special editions. How you love to come out, and cost lots of money. The Hermès edition is no exception, though, as expected, the design is still 99.9% the same as the other Leicas. But this one has a delicious special-process orange leather grip, plus a special 35mm f/1.4 Summilux lens made using a new process that makes it as light as the black alloy lenses, but chromed like the heavier brass ones.

The owner says he’s going to take a lot of crap from other Leica people because he intends to never use the camera. Well, yeah, and here’s some right now! These things are meant to be used! I collect beautiful, expensive old books, and then when someone says “why are you reading that, you’re going to ruin it,” I tell them “it’s a freaking book!” It wants to be read.

Similarly, this is a camera. A rangefinder to be precise, but it needs to be touched and clicked and whacked against things on accident. That’s what cameras do. Ah well.

Your next home might be insulated with aerogel, really

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 08:55 PM PST

Areogel, the 90% air material previously used in such space platforms as the Mars Pathfinder Rover, is actually dropping in price. So much so that’s actually being used as insulation in some commercial applications. In fact the prices are dropping so much that it might soon be a standard option for residential homes.

Aerogels are made by removing the liquid from gels, resulting in a material that is more than 90 percent air. The porous structure of the nanomaterial makes it difficult for heat to pass through. As a result, aerogels make very good and light-weight insulators.

Aspen Aerogels says that its aerogel blankets have two to four times the insulating value per inch compared to fiberglass or foam. It's also relatively easy to work with, allows water vapor to pass through and is fire resistant.

You really should hit up this link and watch the embedded video. These blankets don’t seem that revolutionary, but I guess that’s the point. Besides, it’s blue. Pink insulation was so 20th century.

Buzz Aldrin: this “new direction” for space programs sounds great

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 08:23 PM PST


When it was announced that this administration was redefining space-related goals (and, many seemed not to notice, increasing NASA funding by $6bn) there were mixed reactions. We’d already spent a bundle on moon mission stuff, but it was over budget and behind schedule. Nobody wants to abandon the moon, but man, we’ve got people floating in space right now who need funding, fuel, upgrades, and all that.

Well, someone thinks the funding plan is a good idea. You might have heard him talk before — you know, when he was walking on the moon.

Here is Buzz Aldrin’s full statement on the topic. I don’t put it here to be political — I put it here because this guy went the moon, and if I had my way his word would be law.

Today I wish to endorse strongly the President's new direction for NASA. As an Apollo astronaut, I know the importance of always pushing new frontiers as we explore space.

The truth is that we have already been to the Moon—some 40 years ago.
A near-term focus on lowering the cost of access to space and on developing key, cutting-edge technologies to take us further, faster, is just what our Nation needs to maintain its position as the leader in space exploration for the rest of this century.
We need to be in this for the long haul, and this program will allow us to again be pushing the boundaries to achieve new and challenging things beyond Earth.

I hope NASA will embrace this new direction as much as I do, and help us all continue to use space exploration to drive prosperity and innovation right here on Earth.

I also believe the steps we will be taking following the President's direction will best position NASA and other space agencies to send humans to Mars and other exciting destinations as quickly as possible.

To do that, we will need to support many types of game-changing technologies NASA and its partners will be developing. Mars is the next frontier for humankind, and NASA will be leading the way there if we aggressively support the President's plans.

Finally, I am excited to think that the development of commercial capabilities to send humans into low-Earth orbit will likely result in so many more Earthlings being able to experience the transformative power of spaceflight.

I can personally attest to the fact that the experience results in a different perspective on life on Earth, and on our future as a species. I applaud the President for working to make this dream a reality.

Buzz Aldrin

There you have it. Besides, we’ll get back to the moon in good time. We’ve got freaking RC robots rolling around on Mars. You think we can’t go to the moon when we feel it’s convenient? Come on!

The new MSi Classic Series CX520 and CR620 notebooks rock Core i5 or i3 CPUs

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 08:23 PM PST


Intel’s Core i5 and i3 CPUs have found a new home in MSi’s latest notebook offerings. The CX520 and CR20 Classic Series combine otherwise standard specs and a 15.6-inch 16:9 screen with the powerful cores. Both seem like solid rigs although you’ll likely pass over them in favor of something a bit more flashy.


Along with either the aforementioned CPUs, the systems both utilize the Intel HM55 chipset, up to 8GB of DDR3 800/1066 memory, and either a 250GB, 320GB, or 500GB SATA hard drive. The CX520 however is graced with the ATi Mobility Radeon HD5470 GPU with 1GB of memory, while the CR620 is slumming with an Intel HD Graphic chip. Both have the same 15.6-inch, LED-backlit display with an integrated 1.3MP camera topside along with an HDMI port and 802.11 b/g/n.

No word on pricing or availablity just yet though. Good thing there are plenty of nearly identical other systems available for your buying pleasure.

Pleasant Modeling with Outstanding Efficiency -
MSI Classic Series CX620 and CR620
MSI’s new generation classic models of large-size CX620 and CR620 come with the New 2010 Intel® core™ processor. CX620, embedded with the ATi Radeon HD5470 discrete graphics card (1GB DDR3 VRAM included), provides the new-generation video/audio performance and processing efficiency.

[Taipei] MSI has announced the 15.6″ models CX620 and CR620. CX620 equipped with a discrete graphics card, for its Classic Series notebook computers. Clad with MSI exclusive Color Film Print coating, along with an independent Chiclet keyboard and a seamless touchpad, these laptops were modeled in pleasant simplicity and full quality. The feature of lower power consumption offered by the latest Intel® Core™ processor achieves even greater efficiency.

Sam Chern, MSI Notebook Marketing Director, claimed that the latest models of MSI Classic Series come equipped with the New 2010 Intel® core™ processor. CX620 is embedded with the ATi Radeon HD5470 discrete graphics card including 1GB DDR3 display memory. Via MSI exclusive GPU Boost and ECO power saving technologies, users can switch among different display modes and various scenes as necessary, which enables high-quality video/audio, processing efficiency and long battery life at the same time!”

Extraordinary Efficiency and Video/Audio Performance
Brand-New Intel® Core™ Processor: CX620 and CR620 come with the latest Arrandale platform, carrying the New 2010 Intel® core™ processor and HM55 chipset to utilize Hyper-Threading Technology and integrate the graphics core into the processor. The lower power consumption, as compared to that of the last-generation processor platform, will extend the battery life by 15%. Moreover, the substantial boost in efficiency of graphics core provides outstanding video/audio and processing performance.

Embedded ATi Radeon HD 5470 discrete graphics card (1 GB DDR3 VRAM included): The ATi Radeon HD 5470 discrete graphics card including 1GB DDR3 display memory, CX620 can present the unparalleled display performance, crisp images, and bright colors.

Cinema-class 16:9 ratio LED backlit display: CX620 and CR620 utilize 15.6″ LED screens with cinema-class 16:9 ratio and high resolution to provide perfect and eye-catching visual displays with most details and the brightest colors.

Pleasant Modeling with Exquisite Technics
Elegant cross-hatch color film print: The cover and palm rest area of CX620 and CR620 are clad with MSI exclusive Color Film Print coating with cross-hatch design, which not only prevents scratching and wear of the laptops, but also reveals the stylish elegance of the products with smooth and shiny luster. Combining with the 45-degree beveled edges, the device, weighing no more than 2.5KG, is light and portable for perfect mobile entertainment.

MSI’s unique chiclet keyboard: The CX620 and CR620 come equipped with the latest chiclet keyboards which offer that perfect touch to keep you from hitting the wrong keys. The lustrous cross-hatch color film print coating on the cover and palm rest areas is unassuming and tasteful.

Classic cross-hatch seamless touch-pad: CX620 and CR620, modeled in fashionable simplicity, adopt MSI’s unique seamless touch-pads with full-quality cross-hatch Color Film Print coating, which not only enables more comfortable, smooth usage, but also makes these laptops the most classical and technological works through the ideal combination with the palm rest area.

Unique High-performance Power Saving Technology
Exclusive GPU Boost Technology: Utilizing MSI exclusive GPU Boost technology, CX620 helps you obtain the perfect balance between video/audio efficiency and battery life! When executing applications requiring high efficiency of image processing, press the button to enable the high-efficiency discrete display mode to provide optimal video/audio performance. If the long battery life is required, press the Battery icon key to switch the system to the integrated chip display mode to substantially extend the battery life.

Exclusive ECO Engine Power Saving Technology: The CX620 and CR 620 come equipped with MSI's own ECO Engine Power Saving Technology which allows you to select from among five power management levels—Video Game, Film, Presentation, Word Processing, and Turbo Battery, for the image brightness you need when you need it. They also adjust shutdown, standby, and processor performance settings to give you more or less power, depending on your current needs, thereby extending battery life.

CX620 Spec
OS Windows 7 Home Premium
CPU Intel® core™ processor
Chipset Intel HM55
Graphic ATi Radeon HD5470 with 1GB VRAM
Memory DDRIII 1066/800 MHz、SO-DIMM slot x 2 (up to 4GB)
LCD 15.6″ 1366×768 HD,( 16:9 )
HDD 2.5″ 250/ 320/ 500GB SATA
Card reader 4 in 1 ( XD MS SD MMC)
I/O HDMI, D-sub, USB 2.0*3, Mic-in, Headphone out, RJ-45, Kensington lock port
Battery 6 cells battery
Wireless 802.11 b/g/ draft N, Bluetooth V2.1
Webcam 1.3M Webcam
Sound 2 Speakers
Dimension 247.5*374*35mm
Weight <2.5 KG

CR620 Spec
OS Windows 7 Home Premium
CPU Intel® core™ processor
Chipset Intel HM55
Graphic Intel GMA HD
Memory DDRIII 1066/800 MHz、SO-DIMM slot x 2 (up to 4GB)
LCD 15.6" 1366x768 HD,( 16:9 )
HDD 2.5" 250/ 320/ 500GB SATA
Card reader 4 in 1 ( XD MS SD MMC)
I/O HDMI, D-sub, USB 2.0*3, Mic-in, Headphone out, RJ-45, Kensington lock port.
Battery 6 cells battery
Wireless 802.11 b/g/ draft N, Bluetooth V2.1
Webcam 1.3M Webcam
Sound 2 Speakers
Dimension 247.5*374*35mm
Weight <2.5 KG

Samsung may actually make some of them transparent laptops

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 07:30 PM PST


Just because something is cool doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Transparent displays, for instance: we’ve all seen them in movies. Of course, the reason they’re transparent in movies is because A: it looks cool and B: it lets the camera see the operator’s face. It’s not because the set designer for “Minority Report” knew something Samsung doesn’t.

So while the idea of a laptop or tablet with a transparent screen sounds good at first, you soon realized just how useless it is. When was the last time you wished you could look through your display to the wall or table behind it?

The only reason a screen should be transparent is to allow you to interact with what’s behind it. But a transparent display can’t do that, since you can’t accommodate multiple viewpoints. A camera on the back of a device may let you interact with the world around you, but not something see-through. I mean, on a windscreen, maybe, but a laptop?

Anyway, if they do make it, it’s probably just for kicks. Not sure why I feel the need to rub their face in the impracticality of it. Go for it, Samsung. Be awesome.

THQ CEO says Sony’s motion controller is actually named Arc, not Gem

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 06:45 PM PST

Last time we heard, Sony’s motion controller was named Gem. That was according to EA’s CEO, John Riccitiello, back in early December. But THQ’s head man said today in an investor call that it’s named Arc. Either way it still seems like a novelty Wii Remote controller knock-off to us. Pass. (unless there’s a killer game and then we’ll jump on the bandwagon head first)

Spawn Labs ships gaming console hub

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 06:15 PM PST

Spawn Labs (remember them from TC50?) just started shipping their HD-720 gaming hub. The device allows for two way communication between the player and their console, enabling them to play remotely via a computer, assuming you have a broadband connection.

The device only works with Windows and has some pretty stringent requirements for bandwidth. You must have at minimum 500Kbps for every player, and HD gaming will require at least 2Mbps in order to function. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out ahead in this, Onlive or Spawn Labs. Onlive is currently in beta testing of course, but bandwidth is a problem for them as well.

The HD-720 has an MSRP of $200, and adapters are required for each console connected.

[via Electronista]

What are you playing?

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 06:00 PM PST


There is a virtual cornucopia, so to speak, of games out there right now, readers. From Mass Effect 2 and Borderlands to Bayonetta and Dark Void, to the constant stream of demos, freeware, and indie games — it’s a good time to be a gamer. We chat about games throughout the day, but we’d like to hear from you guys. Got any recommendations? Think something’s overrated? Looking forward to anything? What are you playing?

Here’s us, to get the ball rolling:

Devin: This week has been a week of smaller indie games, since I was disappointed by the latest Borderlands expansion, Dragon Age is getting boring, and I’m afraid of jumping back into Team Fortress even though I’m awesome at it. I’ve been playing Iji, a Flashback-esque sidescroller, CrimzonClover, an insane shoot-em-up, and Dungeons of Fayte, an incredibly frustrating yet somehow compelling little action RPG. I’m also trying to set new records in SNES Super Mario Kart.

Matt: I’m totally caught up in the Command & Conquer 4 beta right now. I maxed out the NOD class and just started playing as GDI. The game is totally different than the last 47 C&C games, but it’s also great fun so I’m alright with it. I still haven’t gotten around to installing and playing Mass Effect 2, but I expect that I’ll be bored with the four-map beta by week’s end. That’s next.

Dave: It’s all about Halo:ODST. Really enjoying the improved HUD and the new storyline. Add to that some World of Warcraft and Crysis, and you get the idea. Mainly playing ODST though.

Jimin: This baby is a Jupiter 593GL Deluxe. Plays like a dream. If dreams were saxophones. And could play a low A. Oh, you said what games we’re playing. I’ve started a new character on Fallout 3 emulating Han Solo. Give him the Lady Killer feat, max out his Speech skill, pretend Fawkes is a wookie, arm him with Smuggler’s End, and he’ll be sweet-talking his way through the Capitol Wasteland in no time.

John: I’ve been playing Burnout Paradise – but in 3D. It really adds a lot to the game to see your car crash into gates that then swing away from you wildly and seem to spring back in your face.

Greg: I’m hooked on the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo to the point that I’m worried for my health. It’s a very no-nonsense game; the guns are accurate enough that I never feel that bad luck made me miss a shot, and there’s none of those wonky perks that make Modern Warfare 2 feel like Mario Kart. If the full game is as good as the demo, you should probably expect me to disappear for a few days come March 2nd.

Doug: I’ve been splitting time between NBA 2K10 on the PC and Mario Kart Wii, with the scales being tipped ever so slightly in Nintendo’s direction as far as pure playing time goes. Online play is highly addictive but I’m having fun trying to unlock all the goodies in single player mode, too. I never got the hang of using the Wii remote’s accelerometer for steering so I opted to use the classic controller instead. Now, however, I’m using the Wii remote + Nunchuck combo with the best results.

Gun comb: because you just don’t get arrested enough already

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 05:30 PM PST


We all want to get arrested more. It’s just a fact of life. Who doesn’t enjoy the beatings, the filthy back seat of the cop car, all the different varieties of holding cell? But doing real crimes results in lots of boring court time. So how to earn that trip to the station? Well, say goodbye to costly real guns, and say hello to the next generation of cop-baiting: the gun comb.

This versatile accessory guarantees the roughest handling: if they think it’s a real gun, you get shot or tackled. If they recognize that it’s just a gun-shaped object, you’ll be harassed and eventually arrested for some vague violation. It’s win-win!

Nice, right?! Get your gun comb here.

[via Stilsucht, Noquedanblogs, and LikeCool]

Ricoh CX3: 10 megapixels, with back-illuminated sensor

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST


I’m just wrapping my head around CMOS and you spring this on me? This Ricoh CX3 is a 10-megapixel shooter with 720p video recording and “Pets” scene mode. But what the heck is a back illuminated sensor?

DPreviewHas the full release but you’re basically looking at better low-light performance with the back-lit CMOS. I honestly don’t quite get how it works, but it seems to improve low-light performance greatly by reducing the distance light has to travel to the sensor.

* The back-illuminated 10 megapixel CMOS sensor significantly increases shooting performance in low-light scenes.
* The CX3 uses the noise reduction algorithm introduced on the GR DIGITAL III. Performing noise reduction processing on the signal immediately after it is output by the CMOS sensor makes it possible to reduce noise while maintaining resolution, tone characteristics, and saturation.
* The noise reduction level can be specified as Off, Auto, Weak, Strong, or MAX. By specifying MAX, it is possible to do sophisticated variance-estimation type noise reduction processing in which the sensor image data’s noise variance is analyzed and the optimum processing is done for each region.

Here’s a bunch of info on back-lit/illuminated sensors if you’re interested. It seems to move the sensor closer to the lens rather than making it pass through a screen of wires.

A true AFOL would carry one of these LEGO wallets

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 04:30 PM PST


Tip: Do not show your chiropractor your fancy new LEGO wallet. He’ll likely kill you. $24-$32. via OhGizmo

Samson announces 2 new portable speaker systems

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 04:00 PM PST

The gap between consumer audio and professional audio can be rather daunting. Large speakers require large amplifiers and large mixing desks and all sorts of convoluted patching bays. Another inescapable side effect of these professional systems is that they also require large, sweaty men to haul everything around, and some know-it-all engineer to make it all work. Not quite what you want at your backyard barbecue. Samson Audio’s Expedition series are all-in-one, inclusive sound systems aimed at bridging that gap, and this year brings in two new contestants.

The specs for the XP40iw and XP510i are in the very nice chart below. But the large changes are that the XP40iw contains an integrated wireless microphone system, and the XP510i actually breaks apart into dual 2-way speaker cabinets and a 10-channel mixer. All three units have iPod docks built right in.

Now from the schematics below, I’ve determined that the naming scheme for these, while a bit unimaginative, is the number of watts the system can handle + the size of the woofer. So the XP510i can pump out 500 watts out of a 10-in speaker. But the case doesn’t hold true for the XP40iw. Strange.

You’ll be able to find the two new units out in the wild come April.

Beginner’s guide to barefoot running

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 03:30 PM PST


Beginners Guide to Five Fingers –

The good lads over at BirthdayShoes.com put together an interesting presentation on VFFs and barefoot running. It’s fairly concise and nicely designed so I’ll excuse the fact that “free ebooks” are pretty dumb generally.

The [beginner's guide] is a twenty page e-book aimed at V5F “newbies” because let’s face it, foot gloves aren’t your typical footwear (1) and (2) any shoe that requires measuring the length of your foot from heel to longest-toe on your longest foot and then using that measurement to determine your shoe size by matching it on a grid by model and gender — well yeah, VFFs kinda need a guide!

You can grab a PDF here or just read it above.

Proximity sensing shirts light up within ten feet of each other

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 03:00 PM PST

If you've grown bored of using any number of your human senses to tell when someone's within ten feet of you, then it's probably time to start trying to convince everyone around you to buy one of these $20 proximity sensing shirts.

Powered by three AAA batteries stuffed into a hidden pocket inside the shirt, the large decal will emit radar-like waves when nobody's nearby and then lock on and start flashing when someone else wearing the same shirt gets to within about ten feet.

You may ask yourself why someone would buy something like this. And maybe I'd ask that too. And then people would probably buy it anyway. Close-quarters hide and seek? Wow factor? Extra $20 that needs to be spent? Proximity-based frequency detection enthusiasts? The possibilities are endless.

Locked ON – Proximity Sensing Shirt [ThinkGeek.com]

Oh enough already with this pre-order video game bonus content nonsense

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 02:30 PM PST

Angry Internet Man here with a chip on his shoulder and a shoot promo to cut. This pre-order “bonus” video game content bullshit has to stop. Lives are at stake.

The latest example of this chicanery is BioShock 2. If you pre-order the game from GameStop, den of sin and other bad stuff, you get two exclusive multi-player characters. Well, pardon me for being a jerk and buying the game from Steam (where the pre-order bonus is a free copy of the orignial BioShock, as if I didn’t already have that—twice). Now I have to envy all the other neighborhood kids who get said characters? You know, I always hated those kids.

Granted, the odds of me playing BioShock 2’s multi-player mode are right around zero, so it’s not a huge deal, but there is a certain principle at stake here: why the heck should I have to buy—and pre-order, no less!—the game from GameStop to get access to the entire game? Why punish people who choose to shop at a different location?

And this is a benign pre-order bonus, extra multi-player skins. Who cares? Let’s look at something far more malignant: EA’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Did you know that unless you pre-order the game from, yes, GameStop, you won’t be able to play a certain multi-player mode for an entire month? Let’s say Wal-Mart is the only store in town; you couldn’t shop at GameStop if you wanted to. So you go over there, ask the nice cashier for a copy, come home, plop it into your PS3, and find out, oh, hey, I can’t play a mode that I paid for for four weeks. Awesome! Thanks, EA and GameStop!

(I don’t even understand how that’s legal, buying ostensibly the same product from one store but getting a hell of a lot more with your purchase than the guy who bought the same thing next door. Imagine buying a car from one dealership that included working high beams, but buying it from another store you get jack-shit for lights.)

Dragon Age: Origins had some pre-order nonsense, too. Basically, you had to buy the game 18 different times to unlock every single piece of “extra” content. What?

Mass Effect 2 rewarded armor and weapons—not superfluous multi-player skins, then—to people who pre-ordered the game from GameStop. Again, tough cookies, kid who bought the game from Target. You should have done the decent thing and driven an hour and a half out of your way to pre-order the game from almighty GameStop.

Let’s be fair: sometimes all this “extra” stuff is made available to everyone via Xbox Live or PSN after a certain amount of time. In SmackDown vs. Raw 2010, which came out last October, for example, Stone Cold Steve Austin was a GameStop pre-order exclusive (notice a pattern?) for a while, but now he can be purchased for 80 Microsoft Points. The stupidity of having to pay for something that’s already on the disc (or that could just as easily be included on the disc) aside, I do applaud THQ for at least making him available. Well, “applaud,” more like kick up dirt and say, “Gee, you guys shouldn’t have, really.”

What’s the purpose of this exclusive content stuff anyway? So GameStop can send a press release to Kotaku and JoyStiq and Techland a few days after a game’s release touting how many copies it sold? See, investors, people still buy their games from us! Yeah, of course, because you’re strong-arming publishers to incorporate extra content deals lest you devote precious shelf space to some other game whose publisher played ball with us. (I have zero information to that effect, it’s just what it feels like.)

When I buy a game, I want to know that I’ve bought the game. I don’t want to find out on CrunchGear of all places that I screwed up because I didn’t buy it at Store A, and thus lose out on armor or weapons or whatever the hell else. Why is this so hard to understand?

So you have a choice, gamers: participate in this charade by genuflecting at the shrine of GameStop (and others), thus perpetuating the garbage of “exclusive” content, or take your money elsewhere. That’s the only way it’s going to stop, too: refusing to shop at these stores that offer “exclusive” content, which only serves to harm your fellow gamers.

To arms and so forth!

Amazon snaps up touchscreen company – Kindle Touch coming soon?

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 02:20 PM PST

One of the major points the iPad, nook, and other e-book readers have on the Kindle is their touchability. Sure, you don’t need it to read books, but it’s nice if you like interacting with things. Well, Amazon seems to have figured this out, and has purchased a touchscreen company called Touchco (Touchco, really?) that owns a nice, transparent, resistive touchscreen tech that could easily be implemented into a Kindle — even a color one.

The technical details aren’t really that interesting — I mean, it’s pretty much just a touchscreen. But it’s a little troubling that Amazon is just buying them up now. Even if Amazon were to release a new device today, they’d still be behind the times. Let’s hope they get a move on.

[via Gizmodo]
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