Microsoft Kinect Poised to Change the Way We Play Games

With the release of Microsoft's new Kinect gaming peripheral only a few weeks away, I wonder whether Microsoft has done enough to create hype among the masses and hardcore gamers alike.

Today, Microsoft announced it's line up of games available on the November 4th release date. From titles like Kinect Sports, Kinectimals, and Harry Potter, it's very clear what market Microsoft is trying to attract with this new approach and I don't blame them.Nintendo's Wii has been the clear leader in worldwide console sales totaling almost 75 million. At the time of release the Wii's infrared motion tracking peripheral was a clear evolution in the way users interface with games, but it still wasn't enough to get hardcore console gamers, who value their controllers, joysticks, and state of the art graphics, to jump ship.

Instead, the Wii has attracted a new market and created a new category of gamers that may not have purchased a gaming console before. While Sony's Move system simply copies what the Wii has created while maintaining it's market leading HD graphics, I believe Microsoft's new creation, the Kinect, could be the next big thing in the evolution of gaming.

The key difference between Nintendo and Sony's approach and Microsoft's is the need for a controller. With the Wii and Move, you interface with the console using a "wand" of sorts as a controller, tracking your movements through the manipulation of that object. With Kinect however, the amazing thing is that the only controller is you.

Kinect uses a combination of sensors and cameras to essentially create a virtual 3D map of the room and it's inhabitants. It uses real-time data from these components to track you and your friends as you move and reflects those changes on the screen. You can even cycle through menus in the soon to come Xbox Dashboard update a la Minority Report style. Pretty amazing stuff, really.

It will be interesting to see how the games and developer support changes over time with the aging of the new Kinect peripheral. I would like to see an active attempt to appeal to more hardcore console gamers like myself who value action/adventure and shooter games and have made the Xbox what it is today. Unfortunately, only time will tell.

New Look, New Mission

Hey all!

Long time no post! As the summer has come and almost gone, this blog has fallen to the wayside. Rest assured with the new school year and a completely new tech landscape (Apple vs. Android, Evos, 4G?) I will be updating at least once every week to keep you in the loop.

With that said, with the new look of the site you might also notice the new mission statement. Instead of keeping a studious, opinionated ere to the content, I have decided to provide a more objective perspective (with a few opinions thrown in occasionally) on the tech landscape that will hopefully open your mind as much as it will mine.

I hope that you like the new look, and I'm looking very much forward to providing new content for everyone to enjoy.

Thanks all! Look for updates soon!

Best,

Justin

Travelling Soon? Leave your Netbook and iPad in Your Bag

In some somewhat exciting news for frequent travelers, the TSA has announced on it's blog that any devices "smaller than the average laptop" can be left in your carry-on bag in the X-Ray.

I travel at least a few times a year so this is a huge advantage for anyone who travels with their devices, since you don't have to dig for your laptop and grab another bin to stick your 10 pound laptop in. This certainly creates new value for smaller devices, including any netbooks and of course, the iPad since it would be perfect for flight.

So next time you travel, keep your "smaller than a laptop" device in your bag and let me know how it goes.

Wow, What a Month!

Hey everyone!

 

Photo courtesy of cnet

I know it's been quite a while since I've provided any information on account of Spring Break and a few very, very hectic weeks of school.

Now that those are over, I thought I'd give a quick recap about what's gone on in the past few weeks that could have some major impact on the tech market.

The Apple iPad was released this past weekend (300k devices sold) to generally positive but mixed reviews. A lot of users were puzzled as to what devices they could actually replace with the device, saying that it's size impedes using it as a portable media device but the lack of complex multitasking made it difficult to justify replacing a device such as a laptop or netbook. Ultimately it seems, the device is fulfilling the role I expected to it to: entertainment. I think the hype for the device to "change the media landscape" created unrealistically high expectations for the iPad to be the one and only device a given user would need. While the tablet format may be useful in some applications, as noted by Josh Topolsky in the linked Engadget review above, the input of text and other business like functions fall short and are actually impeded by the device's large size.

There's also been exciting news that the iPhone may be ported to other carriers in late Summer/early Fall of this year. Verizon is said to be getting a different version of the device than AT&T but hey, it'll work for all of the Verizon users foaming at the mouth for an iPhone or AT&T subscribers looking to jump ship and onto the Verizon bandwagon. Gizmodo's Jason Chen was featured on G4's Attack of the Show last week adressing all of the rumors, and with word coming straight from the WSJ, the rumors might be more than just rumors. I'm sure there are many crossing their fingers on this one.

In Apple unrelated news, Sprint announced it's first Android 4G handset, the HTC EVO 4G. It looks to be a pretty exciting device, mimicking the general size of the just-released HD2 running Windows Mobile, but with Android 2.1 and an updated version of HTC's Sense user interface. The thing has an 8 megapixel camera capable of shooting 720p HD video, the same Snapdragon processor as Google's Nexus One running at 1 Ghz, and a full GB of memory for loads of apps. All this with Sprint/CLEAR's 4G network providing broadband speed to the device and this device could be the herald in a new era of mobile computing and devices.

That's all for now! I'm back and in business so look for new updates soon!

Verizon Looking to Take the Next Generation of Mobile/Data Services; Boasts 4G speeds higher than expected

Just a quick update before I head to class, Verizon's test markets for 4G have been going extremely well. It is pursuing Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology which has shown to be good for up to 100 Mbps downstream. Actual speeds are not that high of course, but from what they say, they are seeing mobile download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps which is on par with what most people have for home use to sometimes several devices.

Live videoconferencing and mobile streaming of 1080p video has been tested successfully by Verizon, and our we will soon become even more interconnected in richer media than before. As opposed to being just a phone call or text message away, imagine being a video chat away from your friends, family, and colleagues on your mobile device. The phone call may be completely phased out over time (other than when performing activities like driving) in lieu of mobile video chat. That could mean huge things in terms of the richness of mobile communication.

Apple vs. HTC... FIGHT!

 

So for those who haven't heard, Apple has decided to sue phone maker HTC for 20 separate patent infringements. Apple, who has had some quite ludicrous (at least in my opinion) patents granted over the past few years has "decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs. Yes, the same Steve Jobs who years ago was recorded on video emulating Picasso in that "good artists copy, great artists steal." 

Now my argument isn't that our patent system is broken, as many believe it is. I'll leave that to those who feel the most strongly about it. Mine is in the principle that fundamental interfaces exist that cannot be inherently patented. I call into question a few of the litany of patents that include such gold as "unlocking a device using gestures on an unlock image" and "touch screen device, method and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics."  

Now I understand that there are several methods to unlocking a phone device, but there's one thing that can't be removed from the system, my finger. I feel as though Apple has simply tried to screw the consumer out of the touch screen interface on any other mobile device. Virtually all Android phones use this gesture, in addition to the button like Apple's, to unlock the screen. My problem with Apple being granted this patent is that it is so fundamental to the functionality of the touch screen interface on so many devices that not having this functionality almost defeats the purpose. After all, I had thought the days of butt dialing were over. 

In my mind, I keep drawing an analogy between Apple patenting a device such as the keyboard, or some other commonly accepted user interface for communication and functionality in a device. It would be my argument that unlocking the phone by a touch screen slide is fundamental to the usability of a touchscreen device, and thus should not have been allowed to be patented.  I want a device with those functionalities that isn't an iPhone, and I'm not the only one with that sentiment. If great artists truly steal, I want to see Apple innovate upon what they have currently built. Isn't that what competition is about? Sure there can be a million phones that do exactly what the iPhone does, the challenge for Apple is to make something better. It almost seems as though Apple is burnt out on innovation and wants to cash in on what it has already done. 

Of course, the main problem that Apple has is not with HTC. The main problem Apple has is with Google, who is the main supplier of the OS that HTC installs on the vast majority of their phones and the root of the main issues within the suit as laid out by Apple. Apple was smart not to go after big daddy Google yet, although Google has announced it's support of HTC in the suit. It will be very interesting to see how this turns out. 

Many think it will be simply settled outside of court, which is probably the most likely. However, that still doesn't solve the problem Apple has with Google. In my opinion, Apple knows that they can't win a bout with the tech giant one-on-one, but will they turn on other Android supporters to take down the herd before taking on the main prize? 

No matter what happens, there will only be one true loser from this squabble: the consumer.

Weekend Update for 2/19 through 2/21, 2010

 

Hey all,
This weekend was so-so in tech news comparatively to last weekend since the closing of the Mobile World Congress.

Some (somewhat) exciting news: the Motorola Devour is all set to take it's place among the Droid and Droid Eris on Verizon later this week. The device is the first on Verizon to feature Motorola's MOTOBLUR skin over the top of Android that previously was only available on the Motorola Cliq. The skin is a widget based, social networking heavy UI that is hit or miss among consumers.

My personal take, and those at Engadget agree, is to just bump up and buy the Droid. Both devices will be $99 with a two year contract at Best Buy with no rebate, while Verizon is sticking with the $150 price and a rebate of $100. The Droid features a higher resolution and larger screen, a faster processor, and a newer version of Android (soon to be 2.1 instead of 1.6). I personally prefer the stylish curve and silver casing of the Devour to my Droid's somewhat clunky and rigid black casing, however, the Devour is a tad thicker and heavier than the already hefty Droid. The Devour supposedly improves on the Droid's physical keyboard, which thanks to it's flat and largely non-separated keys took a lot of flak from those who need something to press. I find the virtual keyboard on Android to be superb, but there may be problems with using it due to the Devour's smaller screen size, affording less room to the typing space.

Also in Green tech news, a private company Bloom Energy has announced a product called the BloomBox that is capable of turning oxygen and small amounts of fuel into usable electricity via a fuel cell wirelessly. Little details are known about the implementation for home use, but several businesses including Google (which has used the product for the last 18 months to power a data center) and eBay have already jumped on the bandwagon. I recommend following the link and watching the video from 60 Minutes last night, and keeping an eye and an ear out for more news this coming week.

In an interesting move, Apple has decided to make the entire App Store PG-13, featuring no nudity or partial nudity of any type. I know quite a few iPhone owners that will not be happy with this decision, but I would like to know your personal thoughts. I can understand that the users of these devices has reached into early childhood and even into older generations, but isn't there an easier way to distribute lewd content to those that want it? Say, a censoring capability for the parents of those children?

My Case for the Netbook: A New User's Story

Okay, so netbooks have taken a lot of flak from a variety of users, including myself. "What use are they?", I said. "A single core processor? What good is that?". I have completely changed my mind. After purchasing a netbook of my own, I have found so many uses for it that were very impractical for my desktop replacement PC. As a preface, I own a 16.4" Sony Vaio FW Series from 2009. It weighs about 8.5 lbs and while very powerful, is not very comfortable to bring to class and lug around on a daily basis, especially when my computing needs in those contexts are much less than when I'm gaming at home or watching HD videos from it's Blu-ray player or online.

So after observation of several of my friend's netbooks, I landed on the Asus brand. I bought a 10.1" Asus Eee PC 1005PE from this year featuring the new Intel Pinetrail Atom processors. I walked out of the door with the computer and a snazzy new slip case for it for under $380, not too shabby for all the functionality it has offered me. So here's my arguments and the uses I have found for my new netbook, and reasons why I think everyone should at least give them a chance:

1. Their portability is unmatched. At just under 3 lbs, this thing weighs less than most of my class textbooks. I don't like to carry a backpack around campus, so it is a perfect size for me to carry in place of my standard spiral notebooks I used to lug around everyday. Even if you do carry a backpack, your back will thank you for carrying around 5 (or more since it replaces those spirals) less pounds.

It fits perfectly on the desktop space in every class and thus takes up no room for others so you don't elbow bump with them in lecture classes with cramped seats.

I also travel to friend's and my girlfriend's apartments very often, so if I need to do work or occupy some of my time, I just grab my netbook and go.

2. The battery life is unmatched. My current netbook on a full charge will run for close to 11 hours under normal usage, including web browsing and word processing. For those with a long day, it is the perfect solution to the problem of lugging around a charger and having to sit next to a plug in every class. I can make it from my 9:30 AM class all the way to the end of my classes at 3:30 PM and still have more than half the charge.

3. Multitasking is still a possibility. Contrary to popular belief, multitasking isn't that bad on netbooks. I typically run the Pandora One music application and the web while doing my work, and there is very little lag, if any, when switching back and forth at a normal pace. You can stream Youtube and Hulu videos in the same fidelity and speed as you can with most PC's and while there is a noticeable difference in application load and install times, those things are (typically) done outside of the time you need to work.

4. Never miss another sentence in class again. I can't stress this enough. The ultimate driving factor for my purchase of the netbook, in addition to it's portability, was the fact that I was missing so much during the lecture taking handwritten notes. Since owning the netbook I have missed not one important tidbit, and have improved my retention of the spoken information in class exponentially. If you love to follow along on the instructor's Powerpoint presentations, you can do that as well, as it offers full OS support, which means you can load anything on a netbook you could with any other computer.

5. Again, it has FULL OS support. I have recently had questions directed toward me about whether or not Microsoft Office and other applications will work on a netbook. They will, and even run pretty well. Most new netbooks run a Starter version of Windows 7 that is optimized to run on the netbook platform, meaning that you can run whatever you want within the limitations of the hardware (no video editing, for instance).

6. It opens up new options for notes and documentation. There are several options if you wish to not load Microsoft Office onto your netbook. For some, it is easier to use Google Docs so that your notes can be accessed from any computer at any time. This is particularly helpful if you have another computer that you feel more comfortable reading notes on. Google Docs is free and compatible with most word processing applications.

If you do want to use your netbook as your main computer (as many have according to their needs) but don't want to buy or use Microsoft Office I direct you to Open Office, a fully featured FREE office suite that is compatible with MSFT Office. It is very reminiscent of old MSFT, but has a plethora of new features (like text prediction) that make it extremely user friendly. I personally use it and love it.




I hope I have done the netbook justice, as it has served me well over the past two weeks. There are a variety of options, including some dual-core netbooks (like the Asus 1201N) that can even stream and output HD videos and games at the expense of battery life (around 6 hours). It all depends on your needs.

Weekend Update for 2/12 - 2/14

Hey all,
Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day weekend. Some (potentially) exciting things in the tech world happened this weekend at the Mobile World Congress.

First and foremost, Windows announced their new series of phones literally called Windows Phone 7 Series this weekend. I have to say, they seem to show some promise. For anyone who has played with the relatively new Zune HD, it looks as though the phone has a very similar look and feel; a (very) good thing. The Zune's and new 7 series interface is very slick and intuitive, very unlike previous Windows Mobile offerings. Given the updated demands of the modern consumer, Microsoft opted for customizable "panes" on the home screen that lead to various functions, a fresh and very stylistic take on the standard icons presented in other mobile OS offerings such as Android (without the Sense UI on some HTC phones) and the iPhone OS.

Another good thing? Virtually all carriers available to consumers will feature Windows Phone 7 Series phones, and hardware partners include some of the best in the business including Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, Samsung, and Qualcomm.

Yet another interesting tidbit is that MSFT opted to set standard minimum hardware specs for every phone carrying the 7 Series label, so no laggy performance due to hardware issues. A definite plus if you have ever used older versions of Windows Mobile. Second, they have decided that the OS must be the same across all platforms and carriers as they wanted the same exceptional user experience, very unlike what we see from Google's Android, which is run on various hardware platforms and sometimes has varied user interfaces (like the aforementioned Sense UI from HTC or Blur from Motorola). This can be a very good thing as it doesn't limit the consumer's choice of carrier based on their phone offerings like AT&T and its iPhone exclusivity. However, it does limit the ability for the user to customize the phone, a very strong point of Google's Android.

I will cover more on the 7 Series phones when more info becomes available, but if you want to know more, cruise on over to Engadget where they have live coverage of the MWC and hands on impressions of the phones and the 7 Series interface and functions.

Some other exciting news for everyone but Apple users unfortunately: Adobe has announced that they are porting AIR immediately and Flash 10.1 in the first half of the year to all Android, WebOS (Palm Pre,etc.), Symbian and Blackberry phones. You know what that means? No more limitations as to what content you can view on your phone's web browser! This has been a long time coming for Adobe, as Flash has been in high demand on mobile devices for a few years as the web browsing capabilities of mobile devices has been steadily increasing.

Well that's it for the weekend, now onto Monday.

Sony Vaio Z Series

If anyone is in the market for a ultra portable media machine, has needs that exceed the average user involving intensive video editing, gaming, etc., and don't want a Mac, you should definitely check out the new Z series from Sony. While pricey, the combination of innovation and quality you get with this laptop is unmatched. It has cutting edge hardware, including brand new Core i5 processors and the ability to switch on and off the discrete graphics to save battery power when not in use. It is lightweight thanks to it's carbon fiber chassis (yeah, carbon fiber, the stuff they use to make expensive cars), and it obviously isn't too bad to look at either.

Sony is ranked very highly among PC makers in terms of quality and reliability. I have owned a VAIO for a little less than a year now, and have found it to be a joy to use. It is nowhere near the same caliber of computer as this device, but nonetheless it shares similar characteristics such as overall form factor, the chiclet keyboard that Engadget praises and number and types of connections (HDMI out is very handy for using the computer as a Blu-ray player). For roundabout $2000 it's quite the price for quite the package, but it's worth checking out as an alternative to a MacBook Pro or a hardcore gaming laptop.

Bill Gates hates the iPad... Surprised?

I'm not. Of course he has relinquished his post as CEO of Microsoft, his future still depends on it in stock. Regardless, Mr. Gates does have a good point. It will take a while for mainstream users to ditch their current input methods (e.g., keyboard, pens, etc.). After all, it is the way all of us are accustomed to using our devices.

 I can only imagine how the keyboard on the iPad will operate. I won't dock it until I try it of course, but think about the problems you have with your capacitive touchscreen devices (iPhone/iPod Touch, any Android phone, etc.) today. You will have to keep constantly looking at the keyboard itself, disabling the possibility of looking at what you are typing. This task is less difficult on a smaller screen size because you don't have to look outside of your field of vision, but on a larger display I feel it would be laborious to look back and forth between your content and the (virtual) keyboard you are typing on.

Regardless, I feel like the iPad is trying to tackle too many markets. It's taking a stab at E-readers, netbooks, portable multimedia devices like the iPod and Archos devices, and gaming devices like the PSP and Nintendo DSi all at once. Unfortunately, most of what I have read and my personal feelings are that it is just an over-hyped, over-sized version of the iPod Touch. Literally, the only differences in user experience are the 3G capabilities (through AT&T of course, make your own assumptions) and minute differences in the operating system and some apps.

All this and they want you to pay (in some forms) over $500? I know Apple is no stranger to luxury prices. I also know that regardless of what they produce, Apple fanboys will eat them up and proclaim that Apple has made leaps and bounds in future the future of technology (which, I will admit they did with the iPhone). But I feel as though it's a little too soon to be taking stabs at completely capacitive touch input.

With that said, I side with Bill Gates on this subject in that I would rather have a touch-enabled netbook with a physical keyboard and standard input/output than be bound to Apple connections and deal with a substandard product. Maybe someday when more manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon will I consider a device like the iPad. Your thoughts?

Welcome!

Hey all,

First, if you're reading this, I want to thank you for checking out my page. Clearly, this is my first post, but I plan to update this daily with new information about what I learn from my daily tech perusing and through classes and whatnot. I might share some of my opinions, too. ; )

I will draw from several sources including Engadget, BGR, Gizmodo, Wired, CNet, and Slashgear; I visit those several times a day.

For those who might want to know a little about my background: I am a student at the University of Texas at Austin, studying Corporate Communications with a minor in International Business with a concentration in Japanese (I've only taken 2 years, so I'm not that proficient yet). I have always had a special interest in technology, and thus I chose to pursue communications as a major because a) I believe effective and meaningful communication is the key to success and b) communication is a major focus of current and emerging technologies, and something that can be largely improved by use of technology.  

With that said, I hope I can shed a purposeful light each day's tech news and how it can be applied to daily life at home and/or at work.