Category Archives: Technology

Nintendo 3DS launch details: coming March 27 for $249

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Today Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime took the stage in New York City to discuss the Nintendo 3DS launch details we’ve been waiting for.  The 3D-enabled DS handheld will release on March 27 in the US for $249.99.  It will come in two color variants: Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue.  Ninty promises that over 30 3DS games will be available during the launch window (that is, between the March 27 and the E3 Expo in early June).  These include a mix of first and third party games.  Though Nintendo did not specify a solid list of launch titles, the press release mentions the following games: Pilotwings Resort, which has players soaring acrobatically over iconic Wuhu Island; nintendogs + cats, a new version of the Nintendo DS classic with a feline enhancement; and Steel Diver, a side-scrolling submarine adventure that gives the illusion that the player is peering into an aquarium.  The ones you really want to play like the 3D versions of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Paper Mario, plus the return of fan favorite Kid Icarus in Kid Icarus: Uprising are simply “in the works” with no release dates attached just yet.  Some third party games mentioned at the event include Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (Capcom), Madden NFL Football (EA), and LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (LucasArts), but again no release dates were specified.

So that pretty much does it for launch details.  However, in addition to announcing price, release date, and games support, Fils-Aime took time to talk about the 3DS’ hardware and expand upon the some of the pre-installed software.  Like its DS predessors, the 3DS packs two screens; the bottom one’s touch-sensitive and the top one’s 3D-enabled (no pesky glasses required).  A 3D Depth Slider can be used to manipulate the 3D effect during gameplay; the slider can turn off the 3D effect entirely and all 3DS games can be played in traditional 2D.  In addition to the D-Pad, a new Circle Pad provides a full 360 degrees of direction and allows for a higher level of precision during gameplay.  The 3DS also packs built-in motion and gyro sensors, so it can react to the motion and tilt of the system.  You’ll also find three camera built into this thing; one on the inside (facing you during gameplay) and two on the outside.  Combined the latter two can capture 3D pictures and you can view them on the top 3D display.  Other hardware notables: the 3DS comes bundled with an adjustable stylus (for use on the bottom touch-sensitive display), a 2GB SD memory card, and a charging cradle.

The Home Menu is where all your apps live.  Mii Maker is just what it sounds like and works similarly to how Miis are created on the Wii.  The difference here is that the Mii Maker will ask you to take a photo of yourself and the software will try its best to convert your real-life features into a Mii avatar.  If the conversion doesn’t sit well with you, manual customization options are available to fiddle with to make things right.  You also have the ability to import your Mii avatar from your Wii console by way of SD card transfer.  The augmented reality-based game Face Raiders lets you take pictures of your friends and turn them into shooting targets.  It’s a simple game that highlights the built-in gyro sensor since it requires you to physically lean and turn to search around for the targets and aim high and low to hit them.  AR Games works similarly, but they take advantage of the pack of AR cards that come bundled with the system.  All you have to do is place one of the AR cards onto a flat surface, point the outward facing 3DS camera at it, and targets come to life.  Animations are superimposed into the scene; so for example if you place a card on your kitchen table the backdrop for the targets will be the kitchen table (that’s augmented reality gaming in a nutshell).  The Activity Log tracks both your gameplay activity, much like the Wii Calender does automatically.  It notes which games you’ve played and how long you’ve played them, as well as your physical activity, counting every step you take while carrying your Nintendo 3DS.  Even when the system’s in sleep mode, it acts as a pedometer and tracks the distances you travel; the more you walk the more Play Coins you will earn.  These coins can then be used to purchase in-game bonus content, if the game’s developer decides to support it.  The Nintendo eShop offers access to downloadable games.  In addition to DSiWare games, Virtual Console games pulled from the Game Boy and Game Boy Color catalogs will be available to download.  Game videos, screenshots, demos, and ratings will also be browsable here.  Titles can be purchased with either a credit card or prepaid cards.  Other software notables: StreetPass Mii Plaza (more on this below), Internet Browser, Camera app (capture and view 3D pictures), Video app (watch 3D content), Sound app (listen to music in MP3 or AAC format from the SD card, plus record and play with sounds using the 3DS’ built-in mic); oh, and the 3DS is backwards compatible with all Nintendo DS games.

Fils-Aime mentioned that the 3DS is Nintendo’s most connected video games console ever made, and he’s not lying.  First let’s get this awesome update out of the way: friend codes are no longer specific to each game you buy, there is only one code and it’s attached to your 3DS.  Once you swap friend codes with someone, they will remain on your friend list and you can always check their online status no matter what game you’ve got running.  Now to some fun new features: StreetPass and SpotPass.  StreetPass is capable of exchanging game information with other Nintendo 3DS systems as owners pass one another.  An example of StreetPass functionality is the aptly titled StreetPass Mii Plaza.  Much like its Wii counterpart, the 3DS’ Mii Plaza will congregate your Mii avatar with all the other 3DS owners you happen to pass by, say, on the street (and your avatar will jump onto the 3DS of the person you pass).  In addition to sharing your avatar, other information can be exchanged over StreetPass including maps for games, high scores, and custom character data for different games.  This might be obvious but it’s worth pointing out–if you don’t want any information to exchange on the fly (because all this can happen while the 3DS is in sleep mode tucked away in your pocket) you can disable the StreetPass function.  Next up is SpotPass and this essentially connects to 3DS up to public or private at-home WiFi hotspots.  Once connected, the system can receive new content and updates even when it’s in sleep mode or charging.

Peer in the gallery below to get a closer look at the 3DS hardware, and look after the break to watch the 3DS virtual tour and catch a sneak peek at the software launch lineup.  Also, don’t forget to check out my hands-on preview of the 3DS from E3.

[Via Nintendo]

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Apple reports 2011 Q1 earnings: $6b profit, Macs up 23%, iPhones up 86%, iPods down 7%, iPad…

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Apple’s first quarter financial results are in!  And it’s another record-breaking quarter for Jobs & co.  Number crunching time.  Apple posted a $6 billion profit on $26.74 billion in revenue.  Compare this to one year ago, that’s up from a profit of $3.38 billion on $15.68 billion in revenue.  Says CEO Steve Jobs: “We had a phenomenal holiday quarter with record Mac, iPhone and iPad sales. We are firing on all cylinders and we’ve got some exciting things in the pipeline for this year including iPhone 4 on Verizon which customers can’t wait to get their hands on.”

Now let’s break it down by product category.  Apple sold 4.13 million Macs during the quarter (representing a 23 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter); 16.24 million iPhones (representing a 86 percent unit growth); and 19.45 million iPods (representing an 7 percent unit decline).  This is the second quarter that includes iPad sales, and how did they do?  7.33 million iPads were sold and that’s way up from the total sold last quarter (3.27 million, in case you’re wondering).

Looking ahead to the second quarter, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue of about $22 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $4.90.

Unfortunately the earnings call administered by Oppenheimer and COO Tim Cook did not shed light on the health of Steve Jobs who decided to take a medical leave of absence from the company yesterday.  However, the call did bring to light an interesting news bite.  Cook spilled that Apple has invested a ton of money to secure a “very strategic” component for its products.  Though he failed to mention the mystery component, most sources are pinpointing it on the development of extremely high-resolution displays for future iterations of the iPhone and iPad.

Also during the call, Cook commented on iPad’s competitors.  “If you look at what’s out there today, there’s not much,” said Cook. “There’s the ones that use Windows, they’re generally big and heavy and expensive. They have weak battery life, they require a keyboard or a stylus as an input device, customers are frankly just not interested in them. Then you have Android tablets, and the varieties that are out shipping today, their operating system wasn’t designed for tablets. Google has said this, this isn’t just Apple saying this. That means you have the size of a tablet that just isn’t reasonable for what we call a ‘real tablet experience.’ That’s just a scaled-up smartphone, which is a bizarre product category. If you do a side-by-side with an iPad, you’ll pick an iPad.”  He went on to uphold Job’s stance on Android from last quarter’s call: “We firmly believe that our integrated approach is better than the fragmented approach.”

[Via Apple; Engadget, here & here]

Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple

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For the second time this year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave from the company.  Jobs will remain CEO, and again he has called upon COO Tim Cook to take over Apple’s day to day operations while he’s gone.  Here’s the letter Jobs sent to his employees on Monday:

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve

Details surrounding his leave have not surfaced, and Jobs hopes it remains that way.  Get better soon Steve!

[Via Engadget]

The History of Gaming told through a first-person perspective

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A gang of game design students hailing from Munich shot this “History of Gaming” piece.  The first-person perspective takes us on a journey spanning from 1958’s Tennis for Two (played on an oscilloscope) through 1996’s Super Mario 64, and up to 2008’s Rock Band.  Although it doesn’t include every video game console invented it does cover the wide gamut.  And as much as this is a tour of video games it also reveals the steady progression of television screen technology (ranging from the old CRTs to the modern LCD flatscreens).  Click the Vimeo source link to learn more about the making of this video.

[Via Kotaku; Vimeo]

FireHero–it’s what it sounds like

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A fellow by the name of Chris Marion modified a Guitar Hero controller to interface with valves attached to a propane tank.  In his words:

I thought of using a microcontroller to sync the fire to the beat of music – now that would be pretty cool, and the patterns would always be different, so it wouldn’t get as boring as fast. Then I thought of the game Guitar Hero, which uses five frets, and I had my idea! Simply interface a Guitar Hero controller to a microcontroller that would power some relays which would in turn fire off solenoid valves on five individual fire poofers! Now this could be cool; a large fire “sculpture” that is playable by anybody.

Head over to Chris’ website to follow his instructions if you suddenly feel the urge to construct your own FireHero.  For Version 2 he’s planning to introduce color-changing flames, Star Power (“which would boost flame height or fire off additional fireballs”), and play “Through the Fire and Flames.”  But for now, enjoy his inventiveness in the video above.  After listening to AC/DC on fire, hop after the break to watch Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart” in action.

[Via Gizmodo; ChrisMarion] Continue reading FireHero–it’s what it sounds like →

Man invents the glasses-free 3D solution?

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French filmmaker and artist Francois Vogel believes he has discovered the long sought after solution to experience 3D without the annoying and up until now requisite glasses.  In the bizarre demonstration above, Vogel simulates the 3D active shutter process by attaching two modules to the temples on either side of his head.  After being “turned on” by two remote controls, the modules in some way force his eyes to blink at a rapid rate that reproduces the active shutter effect.

I’ve got a few gripes I need to share here.  This demonstration is freaky to say the least, and I’m not really buying into it.  For something so technically natured you’d think that Vogel would back up his invention with some science behind it.  Besides uploading this single video to YouTube (his channel only includes this video), he also created a website that is noticeably absent of anything remotely helpful to his cause.  Besides stating on his YouTube page that the tech requires 120Hz monitor displays to work, he fails to provide any other information regarding how the modules work.  And what about those remote controls that “turn on” said modules?  It just doesn’t sit well with me.  But that could be because the demonstration is downright disturbing.  Whether or not Vogel’s 3D glasses-free solution is fair game is left up in the air until he comes out with more evidence supporting it.

[Via Engadget]

Windows OS in a LittleBigPlanet world

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LittleBigPlanet 2 hasn’t released yet but this here video just amped up my excitement for its impending January 18 drop date.  A group of LBP2 beta testers managed to recreate the Windows OS inside the game using the provided in-game tools.  How ingenious!  The desktop, icons, start menu, a cursor, and even the BBOD are included for good measure.  LBP isn’t just about playing the addicting levels packaged with the game–that’s only half the fun.  Creating levels and sharing them over the Internet with other gamers makes for a unique gaming experience.  And after seeing this faux Windows OS and all its flashy accoutrements I cannot wait to get my hands on the game and brainstorm my own ideas for sharable environments.

[Via Kotaku]

IBM’s Watson supercomputer vs. humans in a game of Jeopardy

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On February 14, 15, and 16 two Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter will face off against each other and a supercomputer named Watson.  Named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, the supercomputer is comprised of 10 racks full of IBM Power 750 servers, with 15 terabytes of RAM and 2,880 processors operating at a collective 80 teraflops.  To say this machine is powerful is a grand understatement.  With Watson, IBM’s goal was to “build a computing system that rivals a human’s ability to answer questions posed in natural language with speed, accuracy and confidence.”  And that it does.  As you can see the in the video above, Watson performed extremely well at last week’s practice round of Jeopardy before the February main event.  IBM has created a terrifyingly smart machine in Watson; not only does it simply answer questions but it also intuitively understands the questions being asked, buzzes in, and speaks in human-ish voice (not unlike 2001‘s Hal).  In essence, when a question is asked Watson uses algorithms (brain power?) backed up by vast databases of learned knowledge to formulate a response.  Watson is not controlled by outside forces (i.e. humans) and it is not connected to the Internet, so technically it’s not cheating.

During its development period engineers threw thousands of questions at it and so now they believe it’s ready for prime time. “After four years, our scientific team believes that Watson is ready for this challenge based on its ability to rapidly comprehend what the Jeopardy! clue is asking, analyze the information it has access to, come up with precise answers, and develop an accurate confidence in its response,” said Dr. David Ferrucci, the scientist leading the IBM Research team behind Watson. “Beyond our excitement for the match itself, our team is very motivated by the possibilities that Watson’s breakthrough computing capabilities hold for building a smarter planet and helping people in their business tasks and personal lives.”

Or it will end up creating its own army of supercomputers and kill us all.  Wondering how Watson did at the completion of the practice round?  Watson: $4400. Jennings: $3400. Rutter: $1200.  Watch Watson dominate this February and prepare for J-Day.

[Via Engadget, here & here; IBM]

iPhone comes to Verizon at long last

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The most frequently asked tech question since 2007: When will the iPhone come to Verizon? Four years and four device iterations later, Verizon and Apple have finally announced that the best smartphone has landed on the nation’s most reliable network.  The iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon Wireless.  The facts: On February 10 the iPhone 4 will be available for Verizon; $199.99 for the 16GB model, $299.99 for the 32GB variant, new two-year contract required.  It will be available to purchase VZW Stores, Apple Stores, online at their respective websites, and at Apple Authorized Resellers.  Qualified Verizon Wireless customers will have the exclusive opportunity to preorder the iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability; if you’re currently a VZW customer check your pricing eligibility here.

The iPhone 4 and iOS 4 coming to Verizon is essentially the exact same hardware and software that’s been available on AT&T.  Here are the four differences: (1) The external antenna array has been slightly altered so that the device can properly run on Verizon’s CDMA network (as opposed to AT&T’s GSM network).  The only aesthetic change is one extra black notch located above the silent switch; note that this notch pushes down the silent switch and volume buttons just a bit, so new cases will have to be manufactured to properly fit that.  It’s too early to tell if the death grip issue has been totally resolved in the new device, but Apple’s Tim Cook is confident that “it’s going to work great.”  (2) The VZW iPhone 4 will act as a mobile WiFi hotspot for up to five devices.  Inside Settings users will have the option to switch on Personal Hotspot to share the phone’s Internet connection with other WiFi enabled devices including laptops and tablets.  This new functionality is built into iOS 4.2.5, so there is a possibility it might carry over to AT&T’s version of the phone at some point.  (3) Simultaneous voice and data is not supported on Verizon’s CDMA network, so new iPhone owners will not be able to access the Internet while making a call (or vice-versa); +1 for AT&T’s network which can simultaneously hold a voice/data connection.  (4) No global roaming support; again, advantage AT&T.  Full PR after the break.

And there you have it.  The Verizon iPhone has finally made it to fruition.  Now what should you do?  If your current contract is up and you’re due for a new phone, I advise not to purchase the VZW iPhone 4 this February. What am I crazy?  No, actually, not really.  Here’s the deal.  Every summer since 2007 Apple has shipped a new iPhone device, so you can expect iPhone 5 to be revealed in the coming months with a late June or July release. Since Apple decided to stay conservative with today’s announcement, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that the next iteration of iPhone will pack support for Verizon’s super fast 4G LTE network, among other hardware updates. You’ve waited this long for iPhone to hit Verizon; what’s another five months?  Think about it.

[Via Apple; Verizon] Continue reading iPhone comes to Verizon at long last →

Motorola invites Bionic into the Droid family

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The Droid Bionic from Motorola is one helluva smartphone.  It’s super fast, both in processing and network speeds.  It’s one of the first mobile phones to pack a dual-core processor, with each core running at 1GHz, delivering up to 2GHz of processing power, and it’s Moto’s very first 4G LTE enabled phone.  More specs: 4.3-inch qHD display, 512 MB of RAM, rear-facing 8-megapixel camera, front-facing VGA camera, HDMI out.  It will ship with Android 2.2 (Froyo) on board.  Moto’s also pushing Mirror Mode, a function that enables simultaneous streaming of video to the TV and on the device.  All in all, this is a pretty solid device.  2011 is going to see a big push towards faster phones with larger, higher quality displays and right now the Bionic is the clear leader of the pack.  Precise price point and release date have not been specified yet, but you can expect it the Bionic to land on Verizon Wireless in Q2 2011.

At CES 2011 Verizon kept reiterating the blazing speeds of 4G LTE.  They claim the next-gen cell service is up to 10 times faster than current 3G speeds and they used a fun example on stage at their press event to show how these incredible speeds can be utilized.  They invited Electronic Arts to show off Rock Band Mobile‘s multiplayer capabilities.  Owners of select 4G LTE devices will be able to “jam together” with up to four friends over the network.  Verizon is hopeful Android apps will take advantage of 4G LTE’s fast speeds with wireless connectivity functionality as featured in the upcoming Rock Band game.  Look after the break for the PR which lists the 20 songs in the game; there you’ll also find a video demonstration.  If you didn’t know, Verizon plans to expand its 4G network to blanket its entire 3G coverage area within the next three years.

[Via Engadget, here & here]

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