It's a Wiipidemic

Engadget has been reporting all of the Wiimote related incidents, and the latest is some overly zealous user throwing her controller through a window.

I have also been following along the accidents, posting a link on Garbage Water after my own friend Race over at Level 99 Comics threw her Wiimote through a TV too.

So the question to ask is if people are doing this on purpose. I know there's at least two incidents that are genuine: The first wiimote destroyed TV, and also Race's TV. Both incidents happened exactly the same way, with a butterfingered grip on a Wiimote, but with wrist strap securely where it should be. Both users had broken wrist straps.

But what about the rest? Obviously there may be some jokesters out there copying the incident just to create some kind of goofy Wii-based destruction, but surely there are more cases of broken wrist straps and weak-fingered users out there.

Will Nintendo answer for this? It would seem to me that Nintendo did not thoroughly test their product. It seems to me that this kind of flaw, a easy to break wrist strap, would be found rather quickly if they would have just set 10 drunk college kids in a room for an hour.

I for one am not buying a Wii until I can be sure that the only thing keeping the 62" widescreen tv in my house safe is not just a flimsy wrist strap.

PSP firmware 3.0 -- future requests

According to Joystiq, the new 3.0 firmware for PSP has the follow notable features:

• PLAYSTATION Network titles are now supported under [Game].
• [Remote Play] has been added as a feature under [Network].
• [Online Instruction Manuals] has been added as a feature under [Network].
• Timed recording has been added as a feature under [RSS Channel].
• A visual player has been added as a feature under [Music] (see PSP Fanboy's video).
  
• 3-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature under [Music].
• [Camera] has been added as a feature under [Photo].
• [UMD Auto-Start] has been added as a feature in [System Settings] under [Settings].

My favorite on the list is the new 3-speed fast forwarding feature for music files. I listen to talk radio and podcasts, so if I have a 4 hour long file and accidentally switch to a new track in the middle of it, I could be fast forwarding for a couple minutes before I find my spot.

On a similar note, though I do appreciate this new feature immensely, i'd like to see another feature implemented. I'm not sure if it's possible within the firmware/hardware limitations, but I'd like to be able to listen to my music/podcasts while playing a game.

I'm sure some games already provide this feature in the game, but usualy when you load a new game or switch zones, it cuts it off. I'd like it to work independantly of the game.

Perhaps I'm just too used to having a computer (or two) where I can listen to my podcasts and play games at the same time (and IM and check mail and surf the web).

Just a suggestion. Looking forward to future firmware updates.

Zune broadcast, voyeurs rejoice

Well Zune, you could really shine.

When I heard the Zune had the ability to beam music, I was wondering how that would work. A limited license for 3 listens within 3 days is a pretty short license. I think I have to listen to a song a few more times than that before I wanted to buy it.

I was wondering why Microsoft didn't take it a step further and set up some kind of broadcast mode, where a user could set his Zune to some kind of open public setting so that any other Zune user around him could lock into his Zune and listen to what he's listening to.

Zune Broadcast.

It's a really good idea.

Well, it's not a built in feature of the Zune, and that's really disapointing, but it can potentially be done anyway.

Zune has a feature that allows other users to see what song you're listening to or what you're doing on the player. Zune also has a built in FM Radio.

If someone was smart enough to rig up an FM modulator to a Zune, you could broadcast your music to every other Zune user.

Now, I don't know what the FCC rules are for doing something like this, but you figure people have been voyeuring in on people's I-pod FM modulators for years on the highway.

With a little support from Microsoft, a small software update could allow the Zune to also display what FM band you're broadcasting on. Add in the ability to flag songs that you've heard over the broadcast, and presto, instant new trend.

So the lay it all out:

A zune user could find another zune user on a subway, look at his zune, find out what he's listening to and what FM band he's broadcasting on, and listen to his songs with him. If he enjoys the song, he can hit a button to flag the title, allowing him to download the song for himself later that day.


Microsoft, if you steal my idea, at least hire me to lead the project.

Go Zune go!

For all the non-nerds who already own i-pods, did you know the Zune came out today? Don't all gasp at once. Your i-pods are safe from microsoft for the time being.

Microsoft boasts that it's Zune can do all that an i-Pod can do and it's relatively priced. In addiction, it has a wonderful ad-hoc networking feature that allows a user to beam a song they're listening to at the moment to another user in the area. He then has a limited license to the song which when expires will be asked if he wants to download from Microsoft's version of the i-Tunes, the Zune Marketplace.

Zune's other advantages over an i-Pod are it's bigger screen size and a built-in FM radio, something I wondered why the i-Pod hasn't done yet.

Will the Zune succeed? I can't say for sure. The main point that distinguishes it from an i-pod is also the feature that requires a large supply of users. If everyone had a Zune, then sharing music would be fun and trendy. If not, then you end up being the stupid guy with a Zune trying to beam your song to an i-Pod.

Microsoft should take advantage of it's position as a gaming console maker. Why not have the Zune interact with an Xbox 360 more? I've read some stuff that says the Zune can play games from the MarketPlace arcade, but will it really be any good?

I know plenty of people who have refused to get an i-Pod (myself being one), so there are plenty of consumers out there ready for something as good as Apple's music player, but will it be the Zune?

Wee Wee Wii!

I usually don't care when new consoles come out. I bought my PlayStation 1, Playstation 2 and Xbox used. I never understood the hype of getting a new system. And usually, games don't take advantage of a console's hardware for a while, usually just in time to pick up a system used.

The Wii though, feels like it will be amazing.

I had a dream last night where I was having a sword fight. In my dream, it was a computer game. I couldn't describe the exact details of the game, since it was all in my mind, but the feeling of exhilaration was undescriable. Can the Wii produce a sword fighting game like that? Well, it's the only system that has the potential.

If you don't know what a Wii is by now, it's Nintendo's new system that uses motion sensor controllers. I'm sure you can find a tech article out there that really describe how it works in detail, but I'm here just to talk about potential.

Sword fighting, gun shooting, punching, throwing, paddling, skiing, paraparaparadise. Anything that requires hand motions really.

Coming soon.

E-book hardware? I'm behind the curve.

Aerundel has brought to my attention that i'm late with my genius idea.



Apparently Sony has already come out with the wonderful Sony Reader that does pretty much what I described in my last blog. Engadget did a wonderful article on this device back in January, so i'm way behind on this revolution. Hopefully my readers are as dumb as I am, and appreciate the fact that I'm relaying this info to them.

My only complaint is that this device doesn't fully capture the scope of what I was talking about. Sure, it seems like a great device for reading books. Hell, I dare say that I'm going to pick one up. Physical books are hard to read on the subway. It's hard to keep a book in mint condition when it has to be shoved in a pocket or a backpack. The prices of the books are also 20-25% cheaper than their physical retail versions, something that I often very avid about for any product that has an online equivalent.

What the Sony Reader doesn't capture is the spirit of newspapers and magazines. Are there any plans for a screen twice the size, one that could be used to view newspaper articles or magazine articles in their full layout?

Imagine the possibility. Pay a nominal subscription fee to The Wall Street Journal, sync your newspaper reader in the morning. Get all the articles and blurbs and even advertisements, just like you would if you were reading a phsyical newspaper. The fee would be to pay for the service, while the advertisements would help this e-newspaper market grow the same way it does in regular physical newspapers and magazines.

And then we can expand to Atom/RSS feed syncing, and sync all of our favorite blogs in the morning, reading them on our way into work or throughout the day (if for some reason you can't get your blogs at work).

So there is still room for this market to grow. The Sony Reader might do for books what the i-pod did for music, but growth is possible. We need a device for blogs to match with podcasts and a device for newspapers and magazines.

In the spirit of competition though: come on Apple, where's the i-Reader?

More Portable Madness

Apple has released Intel Core 2 Duo versions of their non-pro Macbooks. What does this mean for you? Possibly the best budget laptop if you're willing to learn how to use Apple's OSX instead of sloshing around in Windows for the rest of your life. At a little over 1,000 dollars, it can pretty much do everything you want. Choose from fancy Apple white or get a black one to match your ipod.

I was at a keynote address by Kevin Ryan (CEO, ShopWiki among others) this morning for Ad-Tech. The presentation itself was about the differences to the internet in the last ten years (1996 compared to 2006). Though there were alot of interesting points, the one of relevance to this post is the portable device market.

He mentions that newspapers and magazines, though losing alot of readership to the internet still exist because of one main factor: portability. It's much easier to carry around a newspaper while your on the subway or waiting for your morning cup of coffee than it is to keep your laptop open. A palm pilot, though useful, doesn't have the physical area to make it an enjoyable read.

We're missing the proper hardware. I've always had the idea to create an electronic tablet. It would simply work with PDF files, just s small 11x8 screen with a memory card (0r usb with built in memory) to load PDF files into this device. You could simply page through the PDF. This device would be lightweight, it's only functionality would be to display newspaper, book, or magazine articles. Revolutionize media! Save paper!

I have no idea how to start this idea, but I feel like it would be rather simple to create a large lightweight screen with one functionality. Thought it wouldn't be a device that you could store in your pocket, in theory it would be no more annoying than carrying around a cumbersome newspaper or a heavy magazine.

So buy a Macbook and feel free to steal my electronic book idea. Just let me know if you invent it so I can be first in line to get one.

Not Your Average Laptops

There are desktop replacements and tablet PCs. Then there are multimedia laptops, gaming laptops, business laptops, and just plain old laptops.

Recently, I've seen commercials for the Panasonic Toughbook which is an interesting (and proper) direction for laptops. To me, the idea of a laptop does not mean replacing my home computer set up. My home computer set up is perfect, the idea of a laptop is to have a computer that I can't have anywhere else or to have it conveniently around where a desktop computer wouldn't be reasonable.

So the Toughbook is a good idea. A rugged made computer build for going places sensitive electronic equipment can't. Another good idea is Sony's new 1.9 pound ultra lightweight model, named the Type G.

The Mac Book Pro at close to 6 pounds, though relatively light itself, can feel heavy, especially if being lugged 24 city blocks in Manhattan. It's time for a 2 pound computer. From the articles though, it sounds like it won't have an optical drive, though I couldn't say if one would be needed for the type of consumer that would be using a 2 pound computer.

On a relative note, whatever happen to Tablet PCs? They were unique and interesting, an idea that make sense for doing presentations or for filling electronic forms for multiple people (for example, filling out a survey on the street, or petitioning for signatures).

Fancy laptops for fancy people. I like the fact that laptops can fill these supplimental roles instead of just being a boring desktop replacement.

Like this Mac Book Pro that I'm ironically typing my blog out on.