Archive for the ‘General’ Category
So you thought Amazon Kindle was the best device around that can deliver clear, crisp, text-like ebooks on an portable device? Guess again. Aside from the e-book readers that Amazon and Sony have developed, a German based startup is developing an e-book reader called Txtr. They claim that Txtr will deliver a better quality product with more features than the Amazon Kindle.
The Txtr uses the new electronic ink (eInk) display technology, that works by aligning black and white pigment particles in an electromagnetic field. These pigments reflect the light of the environment very naturally - like the pages of a book or a newspaper would look, making it easier to read in any lighting condition. (more…)
It was in 1976 when Mattel first introduced a handheld gaming console with Auto Race. However, it was in 1989 that this device reached mainstream popularity with Nintendo’s release of the Game Boy. Since then, manufacturers have released a wide variety of handheld game consoles which have captured the attention of gamers and the interest of non-gamers.
Twenty Five years ago, Tetris was finished by Alexey Pajitnov. A widely-respected and adored game that is also credited to have had catapulted the popularity of handheld game consoles. With this celebration, let us take a comprehensive look at handheld game consoles since they were first release.
- Mattel Auto Race, Football
Mattel Electronics released the Auto Race in 1976. It is credited as the first handheld game manufactured and made available to the public. The console used about 512 bytes in memory. A smaller version for this console was also manufactured later. This was followed by Mattel Football, which was a huge success in the market and thus thought of by the public as the first Mattel game. Mattel Auto Race and Football are now sought after by gaming enthusiasts and are considered as collectors’ items.
- Epoch Game Pocket Computer
This handheld game console was released in Japan by Epoch in 1984. Epoch has released a total of 5 games for its Game Pocket Computer: Astro Bomber, Block Maze, Mahjong, Reversi and Store Keepers. It also has a puzzle game and a paint program built into the system. It had a 75 x 64 resolution for its LCD screen and powered by 4 AA batteries. The screen’s brightness could be dimmed and adjusted accordingly by the user. But Epoch Game Pocket Computer was not a success in Japan and due to this failure, it was never released for the North America market. Also, no other successors were release afterwards.
- Milton Bradley Microvision
Introduced in 1979 by Milton Bradley Company, Microvision included cartridge interchangeability into handheld game consoles. It was designed by Jay Smith who later will design the Vectrex gaming console. It has enjoyed moderate success in its first year, with sales grossing $8 million in the first year of release. However, poor support for the handheld console by the manufacturer has rendered this a not so successful game as no more successors were manufactured. Microvison met its demise in 1981.
- Atari Lynx, Lynx II
The world’s first handheld game console to have color LCD! Atari Lynx was originally design by engineers at Epyx in 1987 with the name Handy. But Epyx had some financial trouble at that time and had to find a manufacturing partner. Nintendo did not accept the invitation (they were busy with the manufacturing of another handheld console….) from Epyx while Atari hopped on into the wagon. In 1989, at the Summer CES, Portable Color Entertainment System, or what would later be called Atari Lynx.
Sold for $199, Lynx also enjoyed some moderate success in its release, with Atari manufacturing it in limited quantities. Later, Atari Lynx was relaunched with an aggressive marketing campaign, redesigned console, and improved packaging. This release is referred to as Lynx II. Atari also dropped the price for the new package, without accessories, to $99.
Specifications:
- Processor: two 16-bit custom CMOS chips running at 16MHz
- Memory: 64K RAM
- Sound: 4 channel sound 8-bit DAC for each channel
- Color: 4096 color palette, 16 simultaneous colors from palette per scan line
- Resolution: 160 x 102 (16,320 addressable pixels)
- Screen Size: 3.5″ diagonal (approximately 3.25″ x 1.88″)
- Battery holder (six AA) ~4-5 hours
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In the the quest for netbook relevancy and superiority, Acer has always been in the tech news talking about the integration of Android to run on netbooks. Actually, the whole netbook manufacturing industry is showing good interest with using Android.
Now, the first netbook maker to break news about the use of Android into its netbooks is Acer. (more…)
The first portable Blu-ray player is available from Panasonic. With a suggested retail price of $799.95, the DMP-B15 features an 8.9-inch WSVGA LCD screen, 2.5 hour rechargeable battery, and SD Memory Card slot. An optional headrest mounting bracket can be used for in-car viewing.
Panasonic’s stand-alone Blu-ray technology is used in the portable player, giving it the highest level of image quality. Also, included is BD-Live access available via Panasonic’s version of WebTV, VIERA CAST
Since the DMP-B15 includes VIERA CAST with BD-Live functionality, additional Blu-ray content can be accessed via the built in LAN port. With the ability to access select web sites such as Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, and Google’s Picasa Web Album, the player can turn any TV into an IPTV.
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During Microsoft’s 2009 E3 Press Conference event in Los Angeles, Microsoft revealed their brand new take on interactive video game controllers. Rather than match Nintendo’s Wii Motion Controller or try to retro-fit the Xbox 360 pad with an accelerometer like Sony’s PS3 Dualshock Sixaxis, Microsoft has decide to go a step forward with Project Natal.
Whether Project Natal is a glorified camera system or a brand new way to play video games is still hard to say, but if the Xbox 360 demonstration of games like Ricochet (a simple dodge ball like game) or Paint Party (a simplified version of MSPaint that uses your movements to paint a picture) are any indication, it is indeed a contender to knock down Nintendo Wii’s console as the casual gaming console. (more…)
Nintendo has finally annouced the release date for the much anticipated Wii Motion Plus. The device, when attached to your exisiting Wiimote, will provide “1:1 motion response on screen”. But will this $20 dollar accessory really change your Wii experience?
Unfortunately for most Wii owners who already have a library of games, the answer is No. The are currently no plans for any sort of backwards compatibility so Mario Kart, Zelda, Wii Sports, and any other game released before June will rule out the need for Wii owners to upgrade their controllers.
Nintendo plans to bundle these devices with Tiger Woods 2010 and Wii Sports 2. (more…)
Imagine being able to watch TV on the one screen while you are working on a sales report on another screen. Until now this would only be possible with an external secondary screen. However, Lenovo has changed all this.
The Lenovo w700ds looks like a standard laptop until the user pulls out the secondary 10.6″ WXGA side screen. The primary purpose of this second screen is to give photographers the ability to have a full screen of their photo while their photo editing tools are on the second screen. Although this laptop is geared toward professional photographers looking to have a laptop for their work without sacrificing desktop functionality, I believe that in the future it will become a standard in higher-end laptops/mobile-desktops. (more…)
Zune fans have a reason to rejoice! Coming soon to a retailer near you, or at least in your mailbox if you order it online, the new Zune HD is set to debut this fall. It might not be an iPod, but the specs on these babies are nothing to scoff at.
How about a 3.3″ 480 by 272 OLED capacitive touchscreen display? Not impressed? How about built in HD radio and the capability of outputting HD? (more…)
The PSP Go is here! Last week, we saw a leaked video footage released in the internet and it confirmed speculations of gadget lovers all world round. Today, because of a premature showing from Qore video’s June 2009 online magazine, we can finally view PSP Go’s clear publicity shots. (more…)
Last week, Verizon released the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, which is a hotspot that you can take with you anywhere. Basically, it picks up Verizon’s 3G Broadband service and distributes it to a WiFi device of your choice, just like a standard modem and router would. (more…)
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