Microsoft's Kinect vs. Sony's PlayStation Move: Video Game Showdown

E3, the mega-conference where next year's video games are unveiled for the press, has concluded. Microsoft and Sony are both turning to Wii-like motion controllers as a way to extend the life of video game consoles, and each revealed new games and hardware. Now that the dust has settled from the showdown, which platform came out the winner from the game extravaganza?

Sony Games’ presentation hyped Move, a more precise and ergonomic version of the Wii-mote controls. On display was a mix was of “hardcore” genres (Socom, Sorcery), more mainstream (Tiger Woods), and casual titles (EyePet). Unfortunately, there just wasn't a wide enough assortment of games to fully demonstrate the power of the new technology.

Microsoft Games on the other hand, went right for the mainstream with its motion-control system, Kinect. They showed off minigame titles (Kinect Adventures), fitness games (Your Shape), and casual experiences (Kinectimals). Kinect feels unique, unlike anything else on the market--even if it uses a camera similar to the PlayStation Eye. Your Shape really captures yoga and analyzes the angles of your limbs as you bend and stretch. And while there is a tiny delay in the games’ reactions to your movement, good game design should effectively make up for it.

In the end, it is a tie when it came to games: Sony’s precision and mix of titles stood toe-to-toe against Microsoft’s more casual, but unique approach. Ben Feder, CEO of game publisher Take-Two said, “Move is exciting for us because its really got a fine motor control that we can utilize, especially in basketball. Kinect is exciting because no controller required--the dance game they have out, the exercise games they have out, are awesome. From a third-party perspective, it’s all complementary. It’s not one versus the other--it's all opportunity for us.” Electronic Arts, true to their roots as a platform agnostic publisher, dipped its toe into both systems, with Tiger Woods for Move and EA Sports Active for Kinect.

But an informal survey of games being demonstrated by third-party publishers, indicated there are many more Kinect games in development. From Konami (Dance Masters, Adrenalin Misfits), to Sega (Sonic AirRiders), to WB (Game Party in Motion), to Ubisoft (Your Shape, Sports Motion) all seemed to favor Microsoft's technology. Perhaps Kinect’s interface wins publishers' hearts. As I controlled the Xbox through gestures and voice, it felt like the future. And video chat in the living room could be a game changer. I believe Microsoft is edging out Sony so far. Of course, without a confirmed price for Kinect, a possibly high price may shift interest.

Of course, E3 wasn’t just about motion controls. Sony’s embrace of gaming on 3-D televisions (Killzone and Gran Turismo) was a step forward for the industry. And despite the wealth of great games on offer, the game industry gets particularly revved-up over new hardware, in which case maybe both companies lost out entirely to the Nintendo 3DS.

Sony Video Games Accessories
Microsoft Video Games Accessories

Source of the blog: fastcompany

Vodafone UK details iPhone 4 plans a little early, we keep the screenshots

By Vladislav Savov



We don't know what shenanigans are going on over in Vodafone HQ, but the UK carrier gave the world a quick glimpse of its iPhone 4 pricing today, before promptly removing the data sheets from the ether. Thankfully, a fast-witted reader by the name of Liam Gladdy captured the incriminating data for us, and we can now sit and ruminate on what Voda has in store. As you might surmise from above, the vast majority of users won't be getting the handset for free, though that doesn't necessarily preclude the contracts from representing good value. We note with glee that Vodafone keeps its data limit at a robust 1GB, unlike a certain other network, and the £30 ($44) a month two-year contract is looking decent from where we're sitting. Prices over 18 months just jump by £5 in monthly outlay with handset costs remaining the same. Click past the break for the full breakdown, including details for the 32GB variety.


The original post: mobile.engadget.com

The phone goes with the cool iphone accessoreis

iPhone 4.0: What we got

We listed the key things to watch in Steve Jobs' announcement last night, and Charles Arthur covered the full monty. Here's how it panned out:

• It does looks like this, though this isn't an official press photo. It's a commissioned artwork entitled 'A saviour is born'. Rather eerie.
Apple's iPhone 4

• It's called iPhone 4, not iPhone HD.

• It's slimmer; 24% thinner than the 3GS at 9.3mm.

• Improved display. Though the screen is slightly smaller, quality is four times better. Analyst Michael Gartenberg explains: "At 326 pixels per inch, Apple has now hit the magic threshold above 300 where the retina simply can't see the individual pixels anymore. This is now the new benchmark for all devices to follow."

• Faster A4 processor.

• Improved battery life.

• A gyroscope has been added to the accelerometer in the phone, which will be great for games developers.

• Improved camera with 5 megapixel camera, LED flash and 5x zoom. Video has been updated and an official iMovie app for $4.99 allows editing, transitions and themes. Plus a front-facing camera is designed for video chat.

• iBooks now runs on iPhone.

• The iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad operating system is now called iOS and is approaching 100m downloads.

Watch the full presentation if you missed it.

The verdict

Gartenberg could hardly contain himself: "Apple has raised the bar for the phone market once again. With a combination of new hardware and software features, iPhone sets the standard for what the state of the art smartphone experience is."

John Paczkowski on AllThingsD pointed out iPhone 4 could be a problem for Flip: "it was hard to watch Apple's demo of the device's HD video camera working in concert with iMovie Monday and not think that it's going to eat the Flip Video camcorder and Kodak's Zi8 alive as soon as it arrives at market. And things don't look much better for Google's Android 'superphones', though obviously, there's a much bigger battle to be fought there. Certainly, the company and its hardware partners have some serious work to do in the months ahead."

Fast Company said it feels like a winner, "It's eye-catchingly thin, stylish and modern, and hardware upgrades like the screen and processor give the makeover some heft. You'll want one. Everyone will want one."

Wired said it will have you drooling, but then published a comparison of iPhone 4 and the HTC Evo 4G, which has a better camera, larger screen and runs on a better network for US users.

For ZDNet, the sleek design of iPhone 4 still isn't enough to better the Evo, which also has unlimited multitasking, support for Google Voice, and free navigation. And JC News Network reminds us that this isn't a 4G phone: "This new iPhone 4 doesn't mean it is a 4G phone. The only 4G phone as of the moment is the HTC EVO 4G. It is being powered by Sprint mobile that uses WiMax, the only network provider that offers 4G."

The original post:guardian


The useful accessories for this cool iphone:
Iphone accessories

Google Earth hits Apple iPad

You can now experience the glory of the earth on your “magical” Apple tablet, as Google has just released Google Earth for the iPad.

While it has been available since the launch of the iPad, that was just the iPhone version scaled up. The latest version has been optimized for the tablet and it should perform much better, Google said in its Lat Long blog.

Google Earth for iPad is one of the best ways yet to experience Google Earth. With the combination of an intuitive touch interface, a large screen, and the snappy A4 processor, you a great new way to explore the globe and share your adventures with your friends.

The iPad version features full-resolution imagery of multiple locations, and there’s a toolbar on top that can open up various viewing “balloons” without having to hop out of the 3D view. Of course, there’s full touch support as you’ll be able to rotate the globe with your fingers and you can double tap to zoom in. Multitouch is also included and you can use a two-finger double tap to zoom out.

Because it’s a Google product, there’s an integrated search feature that can pinpoint businesses and geographical features. You can also view various data layers on top of the earth, including Wikipedia articles, photos, roads and various other information.

Read on after the jump for a few more beautiful screen shots.

appstorebadge Oprah Mobile Available on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and webOS – Download Google Earth for iPad (free) [iTunes Link]


Google earth ipad1 536x714 Google Earth hits Apple iPad
A good accessory of Ipad to build a tablet computer as Ipad, the touch screen
Original post:intomoble.com

Make an Ipad Yourself

DIY 13.4" Carbon Fiber Touchscreen Tablet PC

One of the main reasons for building this tablet was that I wanted a touchscreen that could play and stream HD content in an HD resolution. The 13.4" screen has a resolution of 1366 x 768 and is able to playback 720p content and stream most 720p Flash content. Almost all netbooks and the iPad have screen resolutions less than 720p (1280 x 720) so they cannot truly playback HD video in an HD resolution.

I chose the Atom Z530 with the GMA 500 because of its very low power usage and ability to play HD content if tuned properly. With the correct drivers and applications this chipset can handle HD and Flash. You do not need a power hungry Nvidia Ion to be able to enjoy video on a tablet or netbook.

Click to visit Youtube video Carbon Tablet Demo

Stat of the tablet PC

- Windows 7
- Intel Atom Z530 Processor (1.6GHz) - GMA 500
- 2GB Ram
- 40GB SSD Hard Drive
- 13.4" HD Widescreen LED LCD (1366 x 768)
- Resistive Touch Screen
- Wireless 802.11 g/b/n
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- Ports: 2 USB, Headphone Jack, Mic Input, Power
- Carbon Fiber Casing
- Accelerometer
- Built-In Speakers
- Dimensions 14.125" x 8.875" x .75"
- Weight 3.2lbs

Parts List

Many of you want to know about the parts I used to build this. Here they are with prices (not including shipping). The total build price is $652. This doesn't include the new battery pack I am building which cost about $65 and should double the battery life.

1. Motherboard and screen from MSI X320 - $333

2. Resistive Touch Screen - $65

3. Intel 40GB SSD - $99

4. 4 Port USB Hub - $3.99

5. Accelerometer (ActionXL Wired Controller) - $20

6. USB Wireless Adapter - $30

7. USB Bluetooth Adapter - $5.99

8. Carbon Fiber Kit - $89

How to put them together:

1) Guide - I am not going to make a step by step guide on how to make something like this. That would take way too long to do because this was a very involved and time consuming project. But I am happy to answer specific questions you have.

2) Pictures - Yes, I will take pictures of the inside so you can see how it all came together. I think that alone will answer most of the questions about how I built this.

3) USB WiFi/Bluetooth - I had to use USB WiFi and Bluetooth adapters because the native adapters are meant to be used with a keyboard. For those of you with a laptop you probably know that there is a hotkey (Fn button plus one of the F buttons) or physical button to turn WiFi/Bluetooth on and off. So when you ditch the keyboard or your case you lose the ability to turn WiFi/Bluetooth on and off. That means that if for some reason your WiFi gets turned off, like if you reinstall Windows, then it is stuck off. Using USB WiFi/Bluetooth allowed my to bypass this issue as I can now turn them on and off without a keyboard. And no, the virtual keyboard cannot be used for the hotkey.

4) Webcam - There is no webcam because I did not have a use for one. In retrospect it would have been relatively easy to put one in, I just never thought about it since I would have no use for it.

5) 15" Touch Screen - I used a 15" touch screen (even though the LCD is 13.4") because it was the only screen I could find that was truly 16:9 and was at least 13.4" in diameter. Most of the widescreen touch screens are 16:10, not 16:9. It does not hurt to have the touch screen larger than the LCD.

6) Mutli-Touch (Capacitive vs Resistive) - I searched for well over a month for a capacitive (multi-touch) screen that was 16:9 and was at least 13.4" in diameter and was not able to find one. That is the only reason that I used a resistive screen. The capacitive screens are more expensive, but I probably would have paid the extra money. That being said, resistive does have the benefit of being able to use a stylus where you usually can't do that with capacitive. Also, with Windows 7 you wouldn't have been able to tell much of a difference with multi-touch as it's uses are very limited. They still need to work on making Windows fully touch capable like a phone OS.

7) Power Button - On the back of the case there is a recessed Macbook Pro power button used to turn it on/off and put it to sleep. At the end of the YouTube video you should be able to see it.

Source of the article

It is the good stuff

IT IS VERY COOL STUFF, YOU CAN SEARCH GOOGLE PRODUCT ON YOUR OWN SITE

Timeline of Computer Evolution: The Acient Time

To commemorate the 50th year of modern computing and the ComputerSociety, the timeline on the followingpages traces the evolution of computingand computer technology.

Timeline research by Bob Carlson, Angela Burgess,and Christine Miller.Timeline design and production by Larry Bauer.We thank our reviewers: Ted Biggerstaff, GeorgeCybenko, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Alan Davis,Dan O’Leary, Edward Parrish, and Michael Williams.

4000-1200 B.C.
Inhabitants ofthe first knowncivilization inSumer keeprecords ofcommercialtransactions onclay tablets.

250-230 B.C.
The Sieve ofEratosthenes is used to determineprime numbers.

About 79 A.D.
The “AntikytheraDevice,” when set correctlyaccording to latitude and day ofthe week, gives alternating29- and 30-day lunar months.

About 1300
The more familiar wireand-bead abacus replaces the Chinesecalculating rods.

1612-1614
John Napier uses the printeddecimal point, devises logarithms, anduses numbered sticks, or Napiers Bones,for calculating.

1623
William (Wilhelm)Schickard designs a“calculating clock” witha gear-driven carrymechanism to aid inmultiplication of multidigitnumbers.

1666
InEngland,SamuelMorlandproduces amechanicalcalculatorthat can addand subtract.

1674
Gottfried Leibniz builds the“Stepped Reckoner,” a calculator usinga stepped cylindrical gear.

1774
Philipp-Matthaus Hahn builds andsells a small number of calculatingmachines precise to 12 digits.

1777
The third Earl of Stanhopeinvents a multiplying caculator

1801
A linked sequence of punchedcards controls the weaving of patternsin Joseph-Marie Jacquard’s loom.

1820
The ThomasArithmometer, basedon Leibniz’ steppeddrumprinciple, isdemonstrated to theFrench Academy ofScience. It becomes thefirst mass-producedcalculator and sells formany years.

1838
In JanuarySamuel Morseand Alfred Vaildemonstrateelements of thetelegraph system.

1842-43
Augusta Ada,Countess of Lovelace,translates LuigiMenabrea’s pamphleton the AnalyticalEngine, adding herown commentary.

1847-49
Babbage completes 21 drawings forthe second version of the Difference Enginebut does not complete construction.1844 SamuelMorse sends atelegraphmessage fromWashington toBaltimore.

1876-1878
BaronKelvin builds aharmonic analyzerand tide predictor.1876 AlexanderGraham Bellinvents andpatents thetelephone.

1882
William S. Burroughsleaves his bank clerk’s jobdetermined to invent anadding machine.

1915
Use of microchips is foreshadowed asphysicist Manson Benedicks discovers thatthe germanium crystal can be used toconvert alternating current to direct current.

1919
Eccles and Jordan, US physicists,invent the flip-flop electronic switchingcircuit critical to high-speed electronic counting system.

1920-1921
The word “robot” (derived fromthe Czech word for compulsory labor) is firstused by Karel Câpek in his play RUR (Rossum’sUniversal Robots).

1924
T.J. Watsonrenames CTRto IBM andpopularizes the“Think” slogan hecoined at NationalCash Register.

1934
In Germany, KonradZuse seeks to build a bettercalculating machine thanthose currently available.

1931
Reynold B. Johnson,a high school teacher inMichigan, devises a way toscore multiple-choice testsby sensing conductivepencil marks on answersheets. IBM later buys thetechnology.

1935
IBM introduces notonly the 601 multiplyingpunch-card machine butalso an electric typewriter, known as one of the early computer accessories.

1936

Konrad Zuse realizesthat programs composedof bit combinations canbe stored, and he files apatent application inGermany for theautomatic execution ofcalculations, including a“combination memory.”

1937
Claude Shannonpublishes the principles for anelectric adder to the base two.

1937
George Stibitz developsa binary circuit based onBoolean algebra.

(to be continued)

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