Miscellaneous

By Graham Hiscott

A battle between two of the biggest names in computer gaming will open on a new front this week. Japanese giant Nintendo is preparing to launch its newest handheld games console in the UK on Friday. The DS promises a host of hi-tech features for those who like playing video games on-the-go. It has two screens, including one controllable by touch, plus technology to enable players to compete against up to 16 other DS owners situated close by or send text messages and drawings.

But Nintendo will be nervously awaiting the arrival of another handheld console – Sony’s PlayStation Portable, or PSP for short. The pocket version of Sony’s best-selling video games console has already been voted the hottest gadget of the year – even before its launch. It will almost certainly be more expensive than the Nintendo DS but comes equipped with technology to play movies, eventually available on tiny discs, and download music. The PSP has the facility for wireless connection which, like the DS, allows players to go head-to-head.

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Video Game Handhelds To Go Head to HeadRead More »

At the big-guns industry show known as Toy Fair, which came to New York City in late February, the next generation of toys — due out in the spring and fall — was a little overwhelming for adults. But apparently, today’s children won’t be fazed. “Kids live in a technological world, where the car and the microwave talk to them,” said independent toy consultant Chris Byrne, who calls himself “The Toy Guy.” “It’s their reality … it’s just made the toy box bigger. It hasn’t changed the role of play in children’s lives.” Currently about 75 percent of all toys and 80 percent of all preschool toys contain some kind of computer chip in them, according to Byrne.

Read on for some brief reviews of what may be coming around the corner.

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Upcoming Tech Kids Toys for 2005Read More »

Anna Sui, known for her unorthodox translation of fashion, lends her vision to the Anna Sui Mobile by Samsung, a modern woman’s most fundamental fashion accessory. A businesswoman, technology lover and trend-setting fashion designer, Anna Sui recognizes that women are empowered by high-fashion and high-technology. Beginning February 22, on the heels of New York’s Spring Fashion Week, Samsung and Vogue will debut Anna Sui Mobile by Samsung, a limited edition couture phone. With trends indicating that women outspend men in the gadget department, Samsung knows that women desire multimedia phones in eye-catching and compact “fit in my evening purse” designs.

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Samsung’s Mobile tech meets high fashionRead More »

By Heather Newman, Free Press Columnist

Remember that we recently featured the new magazine-book from O’Reilly called Make that is truly a geek’s dream mag? Well, here’s a 3rd-party write-up on it. Here’s an excerpt:

“There has been a flood of magazines on the market lately that emphasize tech gadgets you can buy (led by Conde Nast’s successful Cargo). But another new entry focuses on gadgets you can build. O’Reilly Media, publishers of the popular series of Hacks instructional trade paperbacks, is introducing Make, a quarterly magazine that walks you through complex home-electronics projects with photos and step-by-step instructions. The premiere issue, for example, teaches you how to build a magnetic card reader, a video camera stabilizer (for $14) and a kite rig so you can take aerial photographs. If you think of the magazine as an even geekier version of Popular Mechanics how-to features, you’d be close. For starters, all the instructions come with O’Reilly’s standard high-quality text and illustrations.”

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MAKE: The new tech gadget guide howto magazineRead More »

By Annalee Newitz

As the FCC and the entertainment biz get ready to end home recording as we know it, a bunch of radical geeks are working on a solution or two. There is a new breed of protester and they’re expressing their discontent with the U.S. government by building a television. A new Federal Communications Commission regulation called the “Broadcast Flag” promises to to stop people from putting high-quality recordings of TV shows on popular file-sharing networks like BitTorrent. In reality, it will give the government an unprecedented amount of control over what we do in our own homes with recordings of HDTV. The flag is supposed to stop mass copying and infringement, but it will also stop most consumers from perfectly legal activities like saving HD copies of shows for personal use.

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Build your own TV!Read More »

By Lorane Poersch

There are 1.3 billion cellphone handsets worldwide, a number expected to grow to three billion by 2008. The market for mobile data services, of which entertainment plays a significant part, is expected to grow to more than $100-billion by 2008. It’s more than just talk – a cultural paradigm shift is upon us.

For example, recent studies show that an increasing number of people are relying on their cellphone clock while abandoning their conventional wristwatch. Until recently, there were two items that most individuals would not leave home without: keys and money. The cellphone has entered this elite club and the cultural impact of that is staggering. In time, like the proverbial Pacman, it may even eat the other two up, as cellphones provide ways to pay for goods and control devices over wireless networks.

We are entering the “all mobile” era.

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Cellphones: Welcome to the Next LevelRead More »

By Jonathan Sidener, Union-Tribune Staff Writer

One of the popular theories of consumer electronics holds that performance always goes up, while prices always come down. As a result, last year’s computer becomes next year’s doorstop. The once-pricey DVD player now costs little more than a single movie disk. While generally true, there are exceptions to the rule. For some electronics, time and the Internet have shifted the forces of supply and demand. Now, once-worthless gadgets can sometimes command staggering prices.

One of the clearest examples of the rising value of retro tech came in 2000, during the tech-boom years, when a rare Apple-I computer sold for $25,000. Originally priced at $666, the first Apple Computer model was produced in limited quantity. Then many of those were apparently destroyed after they were returned to the company as part of an upgrade offer to Apple-II computers. In particular, eBay has amplified demand for all sorts of collectibles, making it easier for enthusiasts and sellers to connect.

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Internet boosts market for rare computer systemsRead More »

Sony is launching a new lineup of cheaper Walkman portable music players in another attempt to grab back share from market leader Apple Computer and its popular iPod device. Sony invented the Walkman cassette player 26 years ago and dominated the personal audio market for two decades. But it has watched that lead slip away because of the runaway success of the iPod and growing competition from Asian manufacturers.

Sony’s new flash memory players are equipped with chips capable of storing 256MB, 512MB or 1GB of data. The most expensive model, which offers 1GB of storage, will go for about about $200 with the FM radio and will be able to store the equivalent of 45 compact discs.

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New Sony Flash Walkmans take on iPodRead More »

BY HEATHER NEWMAN
Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT) – There has been a flood of magazines on the market lately that emphasize tech gadgets you can buy (led by Conde Nast’s successful Cargo ). But another new entry focuses on gadgets you can build.

O’Reilly Media, publishers of the popular series of Hacks instructional trade paperbacks, is introducing Make, a quarterly magazine that walks you through complex home-electronics projects with photos and step-by-step instructions.

The premiere issue, for example, teaches you how to build a magnetic card reader, a video camera stabilizer (for $14) and a kite rig so you can take aerial photographs.

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New tech gadget guide puts plans in your handsRead More »