Bears like it so why not humans? This bamboo inspired stereo looks good (ignore the pink) and thru the natural acoustics of cylindrical objects, sounds good too. But it�??s not just nature-ry, it also has every accoutrement a technophile would want. Think wifi enabled, wireless speakers, integrated LED screen, MP3 line in, remote desktop syncing, radio, and yes - cd player.

There are 3 parts to the whole system. You have you right/left channel wireless speakers, a base station that houses the subwoofer, and a control ring. Now you could attach everything and use it as a standalone stereo or connect the speakers together with the control ring. A single charge should give you 12 hours. The control ring between them contains the basic music controls. The base station can also wirelessly sync music with your computer, should you be the anti-cd type.

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Apple has released a press release stating that the Airbook is offically shipping now.

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Well, I guess it sounded like a good idea at the time that just didn’t work out.  Your friendly neighborhood Dell kiosks will be closing down as Dell goes back to their internet sales roots.  Dell kiosks came into fuition about 3 years ago with less than stellar results.  Dell wii continue to focus on their on-line sales and big house giants such as Best Buy.

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The Wii version of Guitar Hero III had a little problem: the game only supported mono sound. For a music game, that just doesn’t cut the mustard. Activision finally began offering the pre-registration for replacement discs at the beginning of January, and now the e-mails are starting to be sent out to update people on the status of the discs. Of course, Activision still hasn’t mastered the use of the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) function of its e-mail system.

The e-mails went out in big batches, by letter. Opposable Thumbs reader Brandon sent in a copy of the e-mail he received, with the mammoth list of recipients included. Then of course, people started to hit reply to all: 

Hello fellow Guitar Hero III owners with names that begin “m,”

Is anyone else a little peeved that Activision was so colossally dumb as
to give out all of our emails to each other by not using the “Bcc”
function?

To which came this reply: 

Yes.  But then again, this is the company that messed up the audio on a music game and then took months to fix. 

That’s logic that’s hard to argue with. A few people were angry because they had handed over their real e-mail addresses instead of their spam-magnets, assuming they could trust Activision. Now they fear they will have to give up their good addresses, and we know what kind of a pain in the butt that can be.

Activision deserves a spanking, and remember: never assume any level of competence from large companies when it comes to communication.  

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Originally released on the Dreamcast in Japan and then on the PS2 in the U.S. in 2002, the original version of Rez was one of the most critically acclaimed games of the time that no one actually played — mainly because it was impossible to find (Sega only trusted it with a criminally small run here), but also because it was so unwelcome in the market then. Just as the PS2 was really beginning to come into its own with titles like Metal Gear Solid 2, GTA: Vice City, and Final Fantasy X, the last thing anyone cared about was an experimental on-rails music-based shooter from Japan.

Fine.

Five years later, Rez has been rereleased as a downloadable title in full HD, and it’s time for all of us to set things right. In every sense, the original Rez was a game that was ahead of its time — this version unequivocally proves it. Rez should have been released in HD. It should have been a downloadable game. And it should have come out in 2008. Not to disparage the efforts of those involved with producing the original, but in retrospect, Rez HD is absolutely the game that should have been released all along.

With its minimalist wire frame and vector graphics now free of any jagged edges, Rez HD looks spectacular — with not even a hint of date or flaw. Because of its Tron-style appearance, its visuals are seemingly timeless — you’d never peg it as a five-year-old game. And the audio, remixed in 5.1 surround sound, has never been better. But forget even the HD visuals or the 5.1 audio; Rez is a game that has gotten better with time. Perhaps it’s that people are more acclimated to music game experiences now, or perhaps the style of the music tracks is more familiar, or perhaps it’s just that, within the context of today’s games, a title like Rez seems all the more special. Whatever the case, Rez is one of the most important games of the last decade and this is by far the best way to experience it.

At its core, yes, Rez is an on-rails shooter where the extent of the gameplay involves moving your cursor and firing at objects. But viewing it as such would be absolutely missing the point. Rez is an experience — a journey of the senses — one that, to this day, has yet to be matched elsewhere. It pushes the boundaries of gaming as an art form, but more importantly represents the sheer possibility of this interactive entertainment medium.

Its designers’ objective was to simulate synaesthesia — which is essentially the union of senses and the stimulation of one sense by another (for example, hearing sound through seeing or imagining color through hearing). Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, who was affected by this phenomenon and related the act of painting to creating music, served as one of the key inspirations (which is why the game was originally known as K-Project before it was ultimately named Rez).

Rez sets out to immerse you in every way it can — through a brilliant light show onscreen, booming sound from your speakers, and vibration through the controller (you can even add additional controllers for more) — and then pulls you in further by adding the ultimate layer to its gameplay: music. In Rez, it’s the act of gaming that creates the music. By shooting objects onscreen, you supplement the background audio with a pageant of sound that generates fantastic electronic music. It’s a game design principle that’s been replicated or emulated in other titles and genres since, including Q Entertainment’s own Lumines and Every Extend Extra, but it’s never been as effective or stimulating as it is here. Every beam you shoot, every enemy you hit — everything you do — generates some sort of sound effect in the game. One would assume a resulting collage of noise, and yet somehow it just works brilliantly throughout.

But it’s the way the game builds that’s also so impressive. As you progress through each level, layers are added to the soundtrack — through beats, melodies, and other ambient sounds — not only granting a rewarding feeling of progression, but generating euphoria as you reach the boss at the end of each. In his early inspirations for Rez, game director Tetsuya Mizuguchi cites being at a rave and the way people would move to the music. The influence is clear: Just as a great DJ holds his audience captive and builds intensity through the dynamics of sound, each level of Rez takes you on a wild ride. But it’s a ride that also builds up to its fifth and final stage. Set to Adam Freeland’s “Mind Killer,” level five is where the entire game comes together. What’s perhaps most profound is that the version of “Mind Killer” that you create in the game is actually the best version of the song available — I know, because I have them all. And it’s slightly different each time you play.

The thing about Rez HD is that outside of the upgraded audio and visuals, everything I’ve raved about here has likely been said before at one point or another. But what’s uniquely different now are the price and delivery method. Rez couldn’t make any more sense on Xbox Live Arcade. Not only does the 800-point price (approximately $10) make it less of a risky proposition for gamers unsure of the concept or the limited number of levels, but the fact that it’s available for download means there won’t be any shortages this time around. Also, as a game, there’s very little barrier to entry; it’s pretty easy for anyone to pick up and play. Sure, a predilection for electronic music doesn’t hurt, but it’s certainly not required. And anyone worried about replay value needn’t since, well, Rez has already proven it has plenty to offer the first time around (it’s a game I’ve played time and time again over the years).

So, is Rez HD even worth it even if you already have the original? Absolutely. The way the game just comes together in this version can’t be stressed enough. In HD, true synaesthesia has been achieved. Rez HD is one of the best games ever made, it costs around $10, and you don’t even need to leave the house to get it. In over a decade of critiquing games I’ve never felt the need to say these words in a review until now: Just buy it.

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Facebook announced Friday a new JavaScript client library that will allow Facebook apps to be displayed on any website.

The client library allows users to make Facebook API calls from any web site and create Ajax Facebook applications on that website.

Wei Zhu from Facebook explains the benefits:

Since the library does not require any server-side code on your server, you can now create a Facebook application that can be hosted on any web site that serves static HTML. An application that uses this client library should be registered as an iframe type. This applies to either iframe Facebook apps that users access through the Facebook web site or apps that users access directly on the app�??s own web sites. Almost all Facebook APIs are supported.

Nick O�??Neill at All Facebook writes:

Want to build your own social gaming platform that resides on your own website but leverages the power of users�?? Facebook relationships? Now you can! There had previously been applications that could leverage the Facebook API prior to the launch of the platform but there are some significant differences now versus before. The first significant difference is the broader access to Facebook�??s core features that the platform provides.

I�??m not sure anyone saw this move coming, but Facebook may have just changed the game again by essentially becoming an application host. It�??s a clever move by Facebook in a year its competitors will get more serious about offering platforms themselves.

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New Hungry Snake game now available for the iPhone.

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This one sure hasn’t generated much, if any, fanfare, but it looks like those that take their Rock Band wailing (a little too) seriously can now get their hands on a new and improved (and official) microphone. According to the appropriately-named Rocker74 of the ScoreHero forums, you’ll have to drop a hefty $50 to your hands on it, but for that you’ll apparently get a microphone that is heavier and “definitely” higher quality than the standard issue mic. There still doesn’t seem to be any official word on the microphone, however, so availability might be hit and miss for a while yet.

Update: As some of you have pointed out, it appears that the microphone’s packaging says its for PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360, which would certainly be an interesting development, given that we still haven’t heard anything official about Rock Band for the Wii. More on that as we get it.

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Straight from CES 2008, comes one of the most exciting portable audio products at iRiver�??s stand.

The most exciting of the South Korean company�??s new line of products, for us, is the iAMOLED. You�??re likely to guess why this PMP is so-called. Yes, the iAMOLED features a 104mm (4.1-inch) AMOLED (active-matrix OLED) screen �?? it�??s exceptionally bright and double-plus crisp, making it ideal for watching full movies on. To help store those movies, the player comes with either an 80GB or 160GB 1.8-inch hard disk.

Our first impressions are really positive. Not only does it support heaps of media formats, such as DivX, Xvid, H.264 MPEG-4, WMV, MP3, OGG and AC3, it also bundles a DAB radio, support for raw photo formats (along with JPEG et al), flash games and it�??s all to be managed with simple drag-and-drop technology within Windows or Mac OS X. What it doesn�??t have is a Web browser, meaning it�??s not directly competing with the Archos 605 WiFi, a player it shares many features with.

Instead of a touch-sensitive screen, the iAMOLED uses iRiver�??s new �??Spinn�?? controls, which are essentially little wheels and knobs. How this will feel in day-to-day use remains to be seen.

iRiver wouldn�??t give us any definitive availability dates or prices, as the �??market research is still being undertaken�??. Rest assured we�??ll be getting our hands on a unit for review as soon as it hits the UK, probably within the second or third quarter of 2008. We�??ll have more from iRiver�??s CES stand lickety-split.

Source: iRiverAmerica.info

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1. The processor. Intel is late on their delivery of their ultra-low power 45nm laptop chips. Clearly, the MacBook Air is the exact computer that these types of chips belong in. So Apple and Intel spun it as going out of their way to do something special. That something special was jimmy-ing a 65nm chip onto a board that was made for a 45nm one. The 45 nm chips will be arriving by mid-year and will likely be put in rev 2 of the MacBook Air. They will use less power per CPU cycle and that five hour battery life could easily turn into six - and with the reduced power consumption, they might be able to crank the processor speed up to and beyond 2 Ghz or maybe even fit in some more wireless options..
2. Wireless. I am not talking about Wifi which the Air has the best money can buy, I am talking about 3G/WiMAX here. It isn’t built in. For the road warriors that this device is made for, having 3G Internet access is almost a prerequisite. Of course you can get a decidedly unsexy USB 3G “dongle”, but Apple is going to eventually have to cave to pressure and start including these things in its products. Dell, HP and others have included this functionality for years! Apple could even partner with their iPhone buddies, AT&T on this and offer a seamless package. Or how about WiMAX with Intel? Intel is building WiMAX into its next round of CPUs. Again. Rev 2
3. As much as I hate to say it about Apple - or any company - Rev 1 parts are glitchy - especially the first ones off of the assembly line. I pre-ordered/picked up one of the first MacBook Pros out of the factory a few years ago. Over the course of that first year, nearly every part on it had to be replaced (Motherboard, HD, battery, etc). It is almost a whole new machine after all of the part swaps. That doesn’t mean Apple wasn’t quick and happy to replace everything - and it is still a solid machine: I am typing on it now as a matter of fact. However, it was a pain to lose it for a few days at a time and my early impressions of it shot my confidence in its quality. These MacBook Airs are going to be going to the people who don’t really have that much patience and desire to send it back to Apple for a few days while they swap defective parts - especially at the price premiums.
4. Option 1: 80Gb Hard Drive. I’ve booted my MacBook Pro from an iPod before. It isn’t fast - I wouldn’t want to have to do this on a regular basis - especially on a brand new, expensive machine. Apple may have added a few tricks, but the bottom line is that the 80Gb hard drive is still a 1.8 inch 4200 rpm iPod hard drive - which is not only significantly slower than 2.5 inch drives at 7200RPM but also more prone to damage from shock. Apparently there is not enough room in there for the 160Gb iPod hard drive either - it isn’t an option. That is tight! The next round of 1.8 inch drives will be faster, smaller and store more information. Me? I don’t want to be using an iPod drive on my laptop - which leads to…
5. Option 2: That $1000 64Gb SSD drive. It is the top of the line, fastest 1.8 inch form factor solid state drive out there. But this is an area that is growing by leaps and bounds. Soon there will be 128Gb (or 96GB - there is a 48Gb SSD drive afterall) sized drives available for this thing. By midyear or earlier they should be hitting the same price points at the current 64Gb SSDs. Meanwhile the 64Gb drives will cost about half of what they do now. Those price points seem a lot more digestable to me.
6. Docks. Right now there isn’t much in the way of docking stations for this thing. With the exception of Kensington’s USB dock not much comes close. This is definitely a problem in need of a solution. I’d like to see something that plugs into the MicroDVI port as well - and include a superdrive in a sexy package - these laptops aren’t going to the aesthetically challenged.
7. Overall speed. The specs of the MacBook Air pretty much line up with a last generation (Rev B) Mac Mini or 1st generation Rev A MacBooks. Some specs are lower, some are higher. So you’d expect a similar experience from this machine. For the high-end target market to which this is obviously aimed, that speed may not sit well.
8. Expandability. Everyone has been talking about the lack of expandability of the MacBook Air - which overall I think is unfair, concessions had to be made. However, some things do stick out. RAM. It doesn’t take up much space and I want as much as possible. Apple, make a 4 GB option! Street prices say this should be $300 more (Rev 2?) but Apple charges 2-5 times more than street costs. Realistically, pricing details this small won’t matter to high end users. Battery. There have to be more options. I am sure someone will make a MagSafe adaptable external battery/crank/solar charger - but until then, once you use your 4-5 hours, you are SOL until an AC/DC outlet avails itself. Think ten hour overseas flights without power - believe me, they exist.
9. Size. “Thin! thin! thin!” If Apple had its way, that is all you’d hear about. Well that isn’t the only dimension that matters. The truth is that this is hardly an utraportable. It has roughly the same footprint as a MacBook - with the same wasted space around the edges of the screen and keyboard. As such, it won’t fit in a standard purse like a Sony TZ and won’t open as comfortably on a tight airplane ride as a true ultra-portable. Think about it as a MacBook sliced in half. Perhaps Apple will offer a 14 inch screen in Rev 2 that actually goes to the edges of the device or shrink the footprint to the edges of the screen/keyboard. Here is the MacBook Air compared to a full sized MacBook Pro.

10.  Price drops. As this is an Apple/early adopter device, the price will drop significantly for the next round. We saw this in the iPhone and we see it every time Apple astounds us with new products. It isn’t just component costs - which will be significant - it’s also the ramp up of production numbers which will bring prices way down. This could easily be late 2008 or 2009’s MacBook.

But for a lot of people, these things - or anything else - don’t matter..You know who I am talking about. The person who:

• saw the machine and said “I have to have it” without needing to hear any of the details
• has virtually unlimited discretionary spending money
• cares much less about the specs and more about aesthetics
• is spending most of his/her time on the web and email - who needs more of something to show off than a real workhorse.

1. Not to mention that these people will probably be the first ones to get the Rev 2’s anyway.
2. Truthfully, there are a lot of legitimate reasons to snap up one of these beauties - and as they said in the earnings call last week, Apple is getting lots of orders for these things. But they obviously are only for the select few who can justify its unique characteristics.
3. For the rest of us, it might take some consideration, even if we lust for it like crazy at first glance.

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So you pulled that cramped old 40GB hard drive out of your notebook and replaced it with 160GB of storage goodness. Ever wonder what you should do with the leftover drive? Simple: stick it in an enclosure and use it as a portable USB hard drive.

You supply the drive; Meritline.com has an enclosure for just $10.99 shipped (after entering coupon code HW1971413OFF, which expires 1/25). It’s compatible with all 2.5-inch IDE and SATA drives, and it includes both IDE and SATA external interfaces (cables, too). You also get a carrying case and a little screwdriver for opening and closing the enclosure. The drive itself gets powered by the interface, so there’s no need for an AC adapter.

For 11 bucks you can get yourself a terrific little portable hard drive for transferring files, on-the-fly backups, and so on. Sweet.

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Well known consumer electronics manufacturer, Hitachi, is set to cease sales of consumer electronics in Australia on the 29th of February, following record Christmas sales of products heavily discounted for the end-of-year festive season.

A report from retail industry publication �??Current�?? has noted that Japanese electronics manufacturer Hitachi is set to close down its consumer electronics business in Australia.

The report quotes a letter distributed to Australian retailers from Hitachi Australia MD Yutaka Sugihara, who is quoted to have said: “As you [are] no doubt now aware, Hitachi has decided to withdraw from the Australian consumer electronics market. This decision is part of a refocusing of Hitachi’s sales strategy for consumer electronic products throughout the world�??.

The letter continued that: “As a result, Hitachi Australia Pty Ltd (HAUL) will cease sale of consumer electronics products in Australia by 29 February 2008. HAUL’s rebate and trading term agreements with you company and all of corporate group/trading group members will terminate with effect from this date�??.

Hitachi will hold a press conference on Tuesday the 22nd of January to further explain why Hitachi has decided to close the Australian office, although the Current report notes that Hitachi Australia staff were informed of the decision last Friday.

Hitachi are well known for their DVD, Blu-ray and hard disk camcorders, flat panel screens, GPS navigation devices, air conditioners, power tools, industrial equipment and more.

The loss of Hitachi�??s consumer electronics in the Australian marketplace is certainly a blow to local competition and choice.

However it does appear that Hitachi is only closing down Hitachi Australia and not its other Australian companies, meaning the Hitachi brand will not disappear from Australia.

These companies include Clyde Babcock-Hitachi Australia Pty Ltd, Hitachi Construction Machinery Australia Pty Ltd, Hitachi Data Systems and Hitachi Power Tools Australia Pty Ltd.

More news on Hitachi Australia will be forthcoming as it comes to hand.

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Philips CD455

• Brand: Philips
• Subject: Wireless
• Category: DECT phones

Posted by: Dennis Hissink Tuesday 15th, January 2008

The Philips DECT (Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephone) SE658 phone was showcased at the CES 2008 show. The Philips SE658 phone is designed to provide consumers with an enhanced level of crystal-clear sound and reduced noise interference for calling friends, colleagues or loved ones. The Philips SE658 phone boasts ultra-secure digital encryption and far superior call clarity through greater distances than traditional analog cordless phones. In addition, all Philips DECT 6.0 phones provide outstanding battery life with up to 100% greater life than most 2.4 or 5.8 GHz models. This equals up to 12 hours of talk time. Price: 89.99 and is available in May 2008.

Philips CD450 cordless phone

• Brand: Philips
• Subject: Wireless
• Category: DECT phones

Posted by: Dennis Hissink Tuesday 15th, January 2008

The Philips Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephone (DECT) CD450 was showcased at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. The Philips CD450 phone is designed to provide consumers with an enhanced level of crystal-clear sound and reduced noise interference for calling friends, colleagues or loved ones. The Philips CD450 DECT phone boasts ultra-secure digital encryption and far superior call clarity through greater distances than traditional analog cordless phones. In addition, all Philips DECT 6.0 phones provide outstanding battery life with up to 100% greater life than most 2.4 or 5.8 GHz models. This equals up to 12 hours of talk time. Prices: $69.99 (single) or $99.99 (multi-pack) and available in March.

Philips CD155 phone

• Brand: Philips
• Subject: Wireless
• Category: DECT phones

Posted by: Ilse Jurrien Tuesday 15th, January 2008

The Philips Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephone (DECT) CD155 was showcased at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Philips CD155 phone is designed to provide consumers with an enhanced level of crystal-clear sound and reduced noise interference for calling friends, colleagues or loved ones. The Philips CD155 DECT phone boasts ultra-secure digital encryption and far superior call clarity through greater distances than traditional analog cordless phones. In addition, all Philips DECT 6.0 phones provide outstanding battery life with up to 100% greater life than most 2.4 or 5.8 GHz models. This equals up to 12 hours of talk time. Prices: $49.99 (single) or $99.99 (multi-pack) and available in March.

Philips CD150 DECT phone

• Brand: Philips
• Subject: Wireless
• Category: DECT phones

Posted by: Nic Rossmüller Tuesday 15th, January 2008

The Philips Digitally Enhanced Cordless Telephone (DECT) CD150 was showcased at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Philips CD150 phone is designed to provide consumers with an enhanced level of crystal-clear sound and reduced noise interference for calling friends, colleagues or loved ones. The Philips CD150 DECT phone boasts ultra-secure digital encryption and far superior call clarity through greater distances than traditional analog cordless phones. In addition, all Philips DECT 6.0 phones provide outstanding battery life with up to 100% greater life than most 2.4 or 5.8 GHz models. This equals up to 12 hours of talk time. Prices:$39.99 (single) or $89.99 (multi-pack) and available in March.

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Verizon Wireless has announced that the new pink BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone will be available this Friday, in time for Valentine’s Day gift shopping. It’s priced at $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement, and an additional $100 credit toward the purchase of the BlackBerry Pearl 8130 in pink is available for customers who sign up for qualifying voice and data plans at the time of purchase. Verizon Wireless’ Nationwide E-mail and Web for BlackBerry customers includes unlimited data for an additional $29.99 per month on top of a voice plan.  In the famous world of Paris Hilton, “That’s Hot”!

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Ubergizmo has a photo look at Google’s new user interface for Gmail . Google has updated interface with ajax code to avoid page refreshes.

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It�??s the small iPod with one very big idea: Video. Now the world�??s most popular music player lets you enjoy TV shows, movies, video podcasts, and more. The larger, brighter display means amazing picture quality.

In five eye-catching colors, iPod nano is stunning all around. And with 4GB and 8GB Watch up to 5 hours of TV shows, music videos, movies, and podcasts.

Brighter Display

iPod nano sports a larger, 320-by-240-resolution display that�??s 65 percent brighter than before.

Enhanced Interface

Browse your music by album artwork with Cover Flow. View everything on your iPod nano in a whole new way.

Newly Redesigned

In anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel, iPod nano is now 6.5 mm thin and even more beautiful.

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Intel has pulled out of a project to put cheap laptops in the hands of children in the developing world.Citing “philosophical” differences, Intel has withdrawn its funding and technical help from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project.

OLPC aimed to boost learning in poorer nations via a custom-built laptop intended to cost no more than $100.

Intel’s withdrawal is a blow to OLPC which has found few nations willing to buy large numbers of laptops.

Machine code

Intel joined the OLPC in July 2007 and was widely expected to work on a version of the project’s laptop that used an Intel chip. Many expected this machine to be unveiled at the CES technology fair which opens in Las Vegas on 5 January.

The first versions of the OLPC or XO laptop were powered by a chip made by Intel’s arch-rival AMD.

OLPC was always going to face an uphill battle when confronted with a mighty corporation like IntelThe green and white XO machine was designed specifically for children, was made rugged to cope with conditions in developing nations and could be kept powered using a hand crank.

Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said it had taken the decision to resign from the OLPC board and end its involvement because the organisation had asked it to stop backing rival low-cost laptops.

On the OLPC board with Intel are 11 other companies including Google and Red Hat.

The chip maker has been promoting its own cheap laptop, the Classmate, in many of the same places as the OLPC.

“OLPC had asked Intel to end our support for non-OLPC platforms, including the Classmate PC, and to focus on the OLPC platform exclusively,” said Mr Mulloy . “At the end of the day, we decided we couldn’t accommodate that request.”

He added that the use of AMD chips in the first XO laptops had not influenced its decision.
Cost breakdown of OLPC laptop”Commenting on the split an OLPC spokeswoman said: “We at OLPC have been disappointed that Intel could not deliver on any of the promises they made when they joined OLPC; while we were hopeful for a positive, collaborative relationship, it never materialised.”

She added: “The benefit to the departure of Intel from the OLPC board is a renewed clarity in purpose and the marketplace.”

Prior to Intel’s involvement, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte criticised the chip firm for what he called its attempts to undermine the project’s work.

He said Intel was selling its Classmate at a loss to make the XO laptop less attractive.

While Dr Negroponte’s initial aim was for a laptop costing only $100, the final versions that have been trialled in Nigeria and Uruguay cost $188 (£95).

Costs were supposed to be kept low by governments ordering the XO laptop in shipments of one million, but large orders for the XO laptop have, so far, not materialised.

In a bid to boost the numbers of laptops available, OLPC ran a “Give One, Get One” programme in the US from 12 November to 31 December.

This allowed members of the public to buy two XO machines - one for themselves and one for a OLPC project elsewhere.

OLPC said the success of this had helped it to launch programmes in Haiti, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Afghanistan.

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Manufacturers of automobiles, electrical parts and related items are getting very serious about competing in the China market. It’s not surprising when you consider that 7,216,000 cars sold there in 2006, surging past Japan to become the world’s second-largest market (Fig 1). The annual growth rate in 2006 was also a healthy 25%. Sales for the first eight months of 2007 have already hit 5,685,300 units, up 25% from the previous year, making it quite possible that sales for 2007 could top nine million units.

The question for manufacturers in the automotive industry, whether Japanese, American or European, is how to succeed in the intensely competitive Chinese market. Two key international automotive conferences were held simultaneously, the 14th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in China, October 9-13, 2007, and the 13th International Conference Electronic Systems for Vehicles in Germany, October 10-11, 2007, giving major Japanese and European manufacturers a chance to reveal their strategies in detail. Japanese automobile manufacturers are approaching the market from a core of information provision, while European electrical parts manufacturers are leveraging their product lines with low cost.

Information Services
At the World Congress on ITS held in Beijing, Japanese automobile manufacturers indicated that they plan to use information provision services - in other words, telematics - to make themselves stand out from European, Chinese or other competitors. Nissan Motor Co Ltd of Japan, for example, exhibited the experimental vehicle being used to road test its “STAR WINGS” traffic information provision system in Beijing, offering test drives.

Nissan Motor appears to be pushing STAR WINGS hard, such as by featuring it in a presentation in the Executive Session by executive vice president, Mitsuhiko Yamashita. The company hopes to go commercial in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Toyota Motor Corp of Japan is reaching for a piece of the pie, too. It held a press conference for local mass media reps. Executive director Takashi Shigematsu, who heads the firm’s electronics arm, announced that the company would begin offering its G-BOOK vehicular information provision service in China in early 2009. This would be the first deployment of G-BOOK outside Japan, and its selection of China for the first step points up the company’s keen interest in the market.

Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor both provide traffic information in real time, and seem to have positioned the ability to avoid traffic jams as a key selling point. In Japan as well, the Vehicle Information & Communication System (VICS) already provides such traffic information, stimulating widespread adoption of car navigation systems. The crucial point here is that it is possible for a state-of-the-art traffic information system to be launched almost out of thin air in China. And as China is rapidly upgrading its roadway network and already boasts the world’s highest mobile phone subscriber count, among other things, many people in the industry have pointed out that China’s system could end up totally different from Japan’s VICS. 

In VICS, vehicle sensors are placed along roadways, with data collected by prefectural police for general roadways and by management organizations for expressways, toll roads and the like, and then passed to the VICS Center. The collected information is then distributed via frequency modulation (FM) multiplex broadcasting, radio or optical beacons, or other means.

In China, however, it is likely that instead of installing roadside equipment, the mobile phone network will be used to collect speed and other data from vehicles in motion - what is called “probe” information. This type of system is cutting-edge, and is only beginning to come online in Japan, fielded by firms such as Honda Motor Co Ltd of Japan, Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor. China may adopt this state-of-the-art service from the very outset.

Densest Probe Data
Experiments are already under way to utilize FM multiplexing and other means to collect probe data from taxis. When the Olympics come to Beijing in 2008, this data will be centralized at the Beijing Traffic Information Center (BTIC), as shown in Fig 2.

Taxis in Beijing are obligated to install onboard equipment to send probe data to BTIC, giving the city the highest probe data density in the world, according to people in the field. At present, about 67,000 taxis roam the Beijing streets, of which about 40,000 are fitted with probe data transmitters. Taxi licenses are renewed every four years, which means that essentially all taxis will be fitted with the probe data systems by the time the Olympics begin.

Even though traffic information based on probe data is being transmitted experimentally by Beijing radio stations using FM multiplexing, Nissan Motor, Toyota Motor and other companies have plans to distribute traffic information using mobile phones. The reason is that different cities in China, like Beijing and Shanghai, are still evaluating what type of distribution system to use for traffic information.

In Japan, the distribution of traffic information via FM multiplexing is implemented with the data radio channel (DARC) method, supported by VICS. One objective is to make sure that equipment capable of receiving these signals can also achieve widespread adoption in China. European manufacturers, on the other hand, hope to see their own radio data system (RDS) adopted instead. It remains very unclear just what will happen in the end. In the worst-case scenario each city could adopt its own approach, making it necessary to provide receivers for both.

If manufacturers waited for the dust to settle, they would have to put off commercial rollout for a considerable period, which is why companies like Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor are working on proprietary designs utilizing the mobile phone network.

Nissan in Beijing
Even though problems remain with the distribution method to be used, there is no doubt that a system utilizing probe data to collect real-time traffic information will be established in Beijing. Beijing is working hard to increase the number of equipped vehicles in time for the 2008 Olympics, and Nissan Motor is working just as hard to develop the technology. In response to a request from the Beijing Transportation Committee, which operates BTIC, Nissan Motor managed to bring STAR WINGS to the road trials stage in only one year (Fig 3).

Nissan Motor is assisting in improving the quality of the real-time traffic information acquired, and has installed a server at Cennavi Technologies Co Ltd of China, which actually handles data collection and processing for BTIC.

The server uses the collected real-time traffic information and references statistical records of past traffic information to provide estimates of current traffic for regions where data is unavailable in real time. The system is said to boost coverage in Beijing from about 75% to 85%. The prediction technology itself was developed by Hitachi Ltd of Japan, and uses the same algorithms for route search as used in the CAR WINGS automotive information service offered by Nissan Motor in Japan.

The higher coverage also improves result precision for optimal route searches. Actual trial runs from January 2007 using probe information from about 10,000 cars in Beijing confirmed that the system provided a mean reduction in travel time of about 20%.

Nissan Motor hopes to complete its own practical car navigation system in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Because the new navigation system may only be installed into new cars, for example, it is also considering a simple car navigation system (personal navigation devices, or PND). In fact, it showed the PND from TomTom NV of the Netherlands at its booth at the World Congress on ITS. A source at Nissan Motor commented, “We haven’t made any formal agreements to cooperate with TomTom on this; we just want to show how earnest we are about getting a practical information service up and running.”

If Nissan Motor succeeds in Beijing for the Olympics, it has grand plans to expand the information provision service throughout China, starting with the Shanghai Exposition in 2010, then onto Guangzhou and other coastal cities.

Same as Japan’s Service
Toyota Motor intends to provide not only traffic information, but the entire range of information handled by the firm’s G-BOOK service in Japan, including emergency information, stolen car tracking and more. Car navigation systems with the same internal data communication module (DCM) used in Japan will be mounted in new cars sold in China from early 2009. The company is currently engaged in negotiations with the Chinese government, Chinese communications carriers who would be contracting for the DCM, and other involved parties.

A video booth at the World Congress was set up to inform Chinese consumers of the details of the information provision service, along with car navigation system demonstrations, show cars and more (Fig 4). In the demo, a human operator used the mobile phone network to remotely set the destination and process emergency information, for example, while general information like news and weather were verbalized automatically by the system.

German Makers Eye China
At the “Electronic strategies for global markets” session of Electronic Systems for Vehicles, held in Baden-Baden, Germany, representatives from three major German automotive electrical parts manufacturers - Siemens VDO, Robert Bosch, and Continental Automotive Systems (CAS) - took the podium one after another. One of them commented that the audience might be surprised to hear yet another presentation on China, but pointed out that China was a key market and deserved the attention. 

While the session was on global markets, all three firms listed China as the major market to watch, and their presentations concentrated on technologies capable of lowering product costs to match its needs. As with digital household electronics and other product categories, participants realized that costs would have to come down in the automotive electronics field, too.

Module Standardization
Siemens VDO outlined the characteristics of the automotive markets in Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC nations). The speaker set market demand prices for cars in China, for example, at low- to mid-level, for options at low- to high-level, and for safety systems at low- to mid-level (Fig 5).

As an example of cost reduction, the speaker offered the electronics module consisting of the instrument panel, the body control unit (BCU), engine management system (EMS), and Controller Area Network (CAN)-compliant local area network (LAN) interconnecting them all. The key point in reducing cost was to make common the electronics modules for both low-cost cars and high-end cars.

The firm made it possible to swap instrument panels for different models, and standardized the rest of the system. For a high-end car, for example, a high-end instrument panel is installed, and the harness from the BCU connected to light-emitting diodes (LED) and other systems found in the expensive models. For a cheaper car, the harness is connected to a cheaper instrument panel. 

In the development of systems for the China market, key factors listed were to retain all functions related to safety enhancement, not to compromise on quality, and create local teams intimately familiar with market needs. In fact, the use of Chinese suppliers, along with other initiatives, will make it possible for the firm to release a car navigation system in fall 2007 at a cost about 63% lower. The cost of the instrument panels for low-end cars will be 35% less.

Source

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T-Mobile USA Inc. is back for second helpings of user-generated ad spots from the contributors at Current.com.

The mobile-network operator posted its program Jan. 7 on Current.com to help promote its two Sidekick handset products, the LX and the Slide, which were launched back last September.

“The Sidekick audience is incredibly tapped in, very socially engaged people and users,” said Melinda McCrocklin, marketing manager at T-Mobile. “So we wanted to reach out to those outlets [MySpace and Current], and give them the opportunity to tell us how Sidekick is part of their lives.”

Back for more

T-Mobile wouldn’t have come back for seconds on Current.com had it not enjoyed the experience so much the first time, when it used the Web site to generate an ad for its MySpace service. Though this is only T-Mobile’s second ad, Toyota has done four ads, L’Oreal five and Sony is on its sixth with Current.com, which does not accept banner ads.

“Our first [time] was really an exploration, and [the submissions of viewer-created ad messages, or VCAMs] were really great,” McCrocklin said. “We received lots of amazing ads out of it and thought this time would be another opportunity because we had such success with last year’s program [and] because Current’s demographic is the same as our Sidekick users. Knowing that they are the prime target audience, we are very interested to see what kind of insights they’d come back with.”

That knowledge of its demographic has also allowed T-Mobile to do integrated deals with networks such as MTV for the debut of the Sidekick ad, plus others that are in the works, McCrocklin said.

From Septmber 2006 to September 2007, Current reported 151,000 unique visits, according to ComScore. But that number has increased three-fold since then, said Current spokeswoman Shannon McPhee. An overwhelming majority of the Web site’s visitors (9-to-1) say they prefer watching VCAMs to regular ads, added Jodi Lipe, VP-marketing, Current TV.

Responsive to VCAMs

“People have been so responsive in the marketplace [to the VCAM model],” she said. “This is our darling product; it differentiates and separates us, and results in a benefit that is substantial. It’s a significant hook to securing advertisers. And we’re playing with A-level, charter brands.

“We’re asking our community of users to participate in this brand, and build that brand in a way that nobody else can,” she added.

And the ads aren’t just limited to video use. Current allows its partners to use the ads across multiple mediums, whether in print, online or as a trailer. L’Oreal already has taken advantage of that, and McCrocklin said that in T-Mobile’s instance, the target demographic necessitates multiplatform exposure.

“As we evaluate all of [the ads], we do look for multiplatform extensions,” McCrocklin said. “With the Sidekick brand, those users are online, so we’re going to look to expand with our online media, even posting it on our own website. It’s just finding the right opportunities for them to be placed and put out there.”

With the launch of the Web site, Current had hoped to carve out a niche among 18- to 34-year-olds by using technology to discuss social and political issues, including Facebook and mobile applications. The site’s new Facebook widget is up, but Lipe could not speak to the readiness of the mobile application.

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So I have no doubt you have all heard that Apple has announced their 3rd upgrade for the iPhone in less than a year. We at Mobile Gadget News know that the Windows Mobile platform has so much more to offer… right? The Windows Mobile OS is designed for over the air updates, right? Making things SO much easier for Microsoft and handset manufacturers to provide quality updates to what are usually pretty expensive handsets.

So why is it the HTC TyTN II as an example has not seen a single update since it was released? Is it that perfect? Far from it. Just look for a minute or two over at XDA Developers and you will see threads like this one, where owners are pooling money together to bribe someone to write a usable video driver for the platform. Why are users having to hack the platform to get BASIC functionality?

So what do you guys think? Personally I think Apple is beating the pants off Microsoft and handset manufacturers/wireless providers. Lets hear what you think!

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According to the latest NPD group report, during the month of December Blu-ray players held 60 percent of the HD media player market — despite the fact that HD DVD players were considerably cheaper. While that might’ve helped Warner in its decision to go Blu, the move has definitely had a dramatic effect on player sales since. According to the same study the week after the announcement, Blu-ray players were able to grab 93 percent of the market, which puts the year to date (short, we know) share for Blu-ray players at 70 percent. Granted, it’s hard to put too much stock in just a week or two of data, but if this and the recent media sales numbers (85 percent) becomes a trend, maybe this won’t be such a slow death for HD DVD after all.

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Like many things that are advertised for free these days these days, this one, too, is misleading. I couldn�??t help but pass on the initial dismay I had when clicking through to the Business Week article. So what is actually free? Well, not much actually. HBO will begin to offer, in two locations only (Green Bay, Wis., and Milwaukee) - starting January 21st (yesterday) - all HBO movies and shows on demand via HBO Broadband (not sure on the actual website but assuming via Time Warner). You�??ll have to subscribe to Time Warner�??s Broadband service and the HBO subscription. In the end of it all you�??ll drop over $50/month, but if you�??re already paying for it then it�??s purely a �??value add�??. Netflix, if you recall, began to offer 6000 movies streaming if you already subscribed to their service (not applicable to all plans, though). A much more attractive proposition if you ask me considering you�??re not limited to what HBO has licensed. Time Warner is the only cable operator signed on currently, but HBO says they have plans to roll it out to Comcast and Verizon in the near future. What seems to be missing from the service is the ability to access this �??HBO Demand�?? via your set top box. Good news is that you can access it from multiple locations, but don�??t think you can give out the password to all your friend and fam. They�??ll allow you to �??register�?? 5 devices (like Napster) - I can only hope that is changeable per month.

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MacBook Air Unboxed, Compared to Sony VAIO
 Here you have the first MacBook Air unboxing: iPhone-styled tiny packaging, minimalist and all smooth black. What’s even more important, you’ll see it compared to a Windows laptop: a Sony VAIO (fight!). Akiko Wada, a Japanese blogger, got invited to a special event hosted by Apple Japan, and she very kindly let us use her photos in Gizmodo. Her thoughts, complete mega-gallery, video and the Air vs. VAIO side-by-side after the jump.

MacBook Air Unboxing

Update: Akiko has shared with us her opinions about the Air, from the perspective of a thin PC user from Japan.

Obviously, they allowed it because this particular model of VAIO is thick enough to make the MacBook Air look as thin as paper. The event was celebrated by Apple Japan on the 19th. Akiko, who is a PC notebook user, have shared her particular perspective on the MacBook Air:

Jesus Díaz: What do you think about the MacBook Air, from a point of view of someone used to thin and tiny PC laptops?
Akiko Wada: Wonderful! To tell you the truth, I was a little skeptical before the event. “Thin” is very important for a laptop and many Japanese people are looking for the smallest and thinnest and lightest laptop all the time.

But at the same time, the toughness is important for me. I thought: “The MacBook Air is thin, but may be not tough.”

I was wrong. At the event, I felt the MacBook Air is tough enough.

Now I use three computers, Sony VAIO Type R master, MacBook, and Pansonic Let’s Note R3. The Let’s Note Series is a very popular mobile laptop in Japan.

I am a Windows user and I love my [Panasonic] Let’s Note, but I have to say that I love the MacBook Air. It completely charmed me.

JD: So what do you think will be the reaction to this in Japan, a country obsessed with light and thin in consumer electronics?
AW: My guess is that many Japanese people will switch to Mac this year. Before, the Mac’s laptops didn’t appear in the popularity ranking. But now… I am very surprised. I think that many Japanese will accept it just the same as iPod.

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