Items tagged with endo
Our eyes got all misty dreaming about the future portended by the Phonebloks modular smartphone design when we heard about it in September, but thanks to Google-owned Motorola (as well as Dave Hakkens, the Phonebloks designer), that future could be coming astonishingly fast. Motorola announced that it’s actively working on modular smartphone designs via its Project Ara. It’s a project of the Motorola Advanced Technology and Projects group, and the very words Paul Eremenko uses to describe it in a blog post are a breath of fresh air: “We want to do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers...
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The Wii Fit is all the rage these days. Selling like hotcakes, it was only a matter of time before another company tried their hand at virtual fitness. The first up to the plate is video game giant Electronic Arts. EA has unveiled its take on fitness. Unlike the "eastern" oriented Wii Fit, which focuses on balance and stretching, this "western" styled fitness game takes a more cardiovascular approach to fitness. EA Sports President Peter Moore has geared the game towards women, especially mothers, and aims to give people a more strenuous workout by distracting them with the fun of video games, yet still get them to sweat. "It can't feel like a workout," he said, "the team has to figure...
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On Thursday, Nintendo announced a new Nintendo DS "platform" as it called it, the Nintendo DSi. Similar in look to the DS Lite, it has some evolutionary changes. Nothing revolutionary, though. And the company will continue to ship the DS Lite.For example, the screens are slightly larger, at 3.25". The device is slimmer, about 12%, due to the dropping of the GBA slot. It will, however, include an SD slot. Additionally, it gains an external 3 megapixel camera and an internal 0.3 megapixel camera, and music playback capability. It also features a built-in web browser, all the better to use the new DSi Shop, similar to the Wii Ship, and using Nintendo Points...
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WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGY LEADERS LAUNCH INDUSTRY CONSORTIUM TO ADVANCE PC GAMING PLATFORM, PC GAMING EXPERIENCESUnited industry effort will accelerate innovation, spur PC gaming developmentGlobal leaders of the PC gaming industry announced today the formation of the PC Gaming Alliance, a non-profit organization that unites hardware and software creators, game developers and publishers, and others committed to the PC gaming market with the common purpose of advancing the PC as a worldwide gaming platform. Together, PCGA and its member companies will work to accelerate innovation, improve the gaming experience for consumers and serve as a collective source of market information and expertise on PC...
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Could anything else possibly fit the word "ironic" better than this?Part of security software vendor CA's Web site was hacked earlier this week and was redirecting visitors to a malicious Web site hosted in China.Although the problem now appears to have been corrected, cached versions of some pages in the press section of CA.com show that earlier this week the site had been redirecting visitors to the uc8010.com domain, which has been serving malicious software since late December, according to Marcus Sachs, director of the SANS Internet Storm Center.No comment from CA in the story, so it's unknown if they were using their own products to protect the site or not....
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If you've been on the hunt for a Nintendo Wii system this holiday season, along with what seems to be the entire free world, but have given up your quest due to lack of availability, perhaps this will give you some additional motivation. Without any hands-on experience with the system, you may have more easily dismissed the Wii as just another game console with an innovative controller twist that has merely become a fad of sorts. Johnny Chung Lee, on the other hand, will show you just how innovative Wiimote technology really is and why millions have flocked to the hot new Nintendo game console. In reality, you'll see why the Wii console and more importantly,...
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Nintendo announced that the Wii Shop Channel's Gifting Feature, which allows you to give a game to someone you've traded Friend Codes with, will go live later today.Later in the day on Monday, Nintendo will make your holiday shopping just a little bit easier. If some people on your gift list have visions of classic video games dancing in their heads, you're in luck. Starting this week, Wii Shop Channel patrons can use a new Gifting feature to send games to other Wii owners with whom they've traded Friend Codes. It's an easy and inexpensive way to give your fellow Nintendo buffs the gift of a classic game?no wrapping paper required. And don't worry about duplication. If your friend already has...
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There is a fine line between protecting the products and future markets of a company, and stepping on the feet of global commerce. That fine line is currently being treaded by Apple, who is threatening Asian retailers in Singapore who are reselling iPhones they legally purchased, imported and unlocked to work with local carriers.“According to retailers, Apple threatened in an e-mail to go after them for illegally 'unlocking' parallel imported iPhones. The phones are unlocked by hacking into their software so that local SIM cards can be used. Sim Lim Square retailers and even some online local sellers have stopped selling the gadget. A retailer in Sim Lim Square said shops there, including...
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All good things must come to an end, and that includes the NES. Nintendo has announced it will end support for the NES after 24 years.Nintendo has reportedly decided to stop all repairs of the original Nintendo after 24 years of support, Agence France Presse reported on Friday. A spokesperson said that the company has decided to end support due to increasingly short supplies of replacement parts. The iconic game system was sold as the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US and Europe, and as the Famicom in Japan.The NES launched in Japan in 1983, and in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia in 1985....
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Today Sandisk filed a lawsuit against 25 other flash memory vendors, aiming to erase some of their profits.The roll call of the companies is a long one, but here goes: ACP-EP Memory, A-Data, Apacer, Behavior Computer, Buffalo, Chipsbank, Corsair Memory, Dane-Elec, Edge, Imation/Memorex, Interactive Media, Kaser, Kingston, LG Electronics, Phison Electronics, PNY, PQI, Silicon Motion, Skymedi, Transcend, TSR, USBest, Verbatim, Welldone Company and Zotek/Zodata. SanDisk says it's just enforcing its patents to be "fair" to the companies that already license its technology for flash storage devices.Quite a few of those names are well-known, such as Apacer, Buffalo, PNY, PQI and Corsair. SanDisk...
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Nintendo has had to face the unusual problem of thrown (accidentally, for the most part) remotes with its Wii system. Straps have been previously redesigned, but now Nintendo is adding a layer of cushion to the remote with the Nintendo Wii Jacket. It will begin shipping with hardware immediately, and will likely be on shelves in two weeks.The Wii Remote Jacket provides cushioning for the Wii Remote for people who might accidentally throw or drop their Wii Remotes while playing games. Use of the Wii Remote Jacket is meant to supplement, not replace, the basic game-play instructions: keep a firm grip, don’t let go of the controller, use the wrist strap and make sure your play area is free...
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A U.S. patent application has recently been uncovered that may give us a clue on Nintendo’s next move in the gaming industry. Though the patent was originally filed on March 30, 2007, it was just updated this week. The patent application describes a handheld device that functions in some ways similar to the Wii in that it can detect 3D motion (along x, y, z axes), in addition to “acceleration and degree of virtual impact.” “A game system includes a housing to be held by a player. The housing incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in an X-axis and Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction. These sensor and switch...
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Intel Endorses Industry Specification to Simplify Blade Server Design SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 30, 2007 – Intel Corporation joined more than 40 server technology providers today in support of the new Server Systems Infrastructure (SSI) industry specification for modular server platforms. The Modular Server Specifications simplify and lower the cost of product development by providing design guidance that enables server builders to develop compliant and interoperable building blocks at the blade, chassis and manageability software level. The Modular...
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ZDNet is reporting that PC makers are finally getting the message that putting too much crapware (i.e. toolbars, trial products, etc.) on PCs puts return business at risk: "While adding software, setting default search engines and including toolbars can all put money in PC makers pockets, the practice has also alienated some consumers who say all such "crapware" is clogging their hard drives and bogging down their systems. For the moment, computer makers appear to be trying to walk a fine line, tweaking their approaches slightly but hoping not to have to slay a cash cow. Gateway, for example, offers only one program in each category, while Dell has added an option for some models that allow...
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Nintendo's new console has been a blast for the lucky few folks who were able to get their hands on one of them, however the new technology isn't without a few teething problems. The strap that is supposed to secure the controller to your wrist has been having some problems, and of course, someone has decided to try and sue Nintendo over it. The suit claims that Nintendo's inability to provide a controller free of defects is against their own product warranty. "On December 6th, Green Welling LLP, of San Francisco, California along with Siebken & Siegele of Austin, Texas and Short, Cressman & Burgess of Seattle, Washington, filed...
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People have been breaking Nintendo controllers for years now, though now it isn't always out of anger. The Wii's wireless remote-style controller can be as much of a hazard as it is fun, slipping out of hands and into just about anything in the area. TVs, laptops, and even a few faces have all found themselves victims of flying Wiimotes. Nintendo has recently given some Wii safety advice, such as using small hands movements, instead of flailing your arms around, and always keep your hands dry. "There is even one site, Wiihaveaproblem.com, dedicated to chronicling tales of Wii-related carnage. On Wednesday, the site's damage toll included...
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The New Yorker has in interesting examination of how Nintendo is winning the console wars by ignoring the fight for living room supremacy, and concentrating on making money. How? By simply delivering clever, fun games on an inexpensive, easy to use platform, and not worrying about beating their competitors at any cost: Sony and Microsoft's quest to "control the living room" has locked them in a classic arms race; they have invested billions of dollars in an attempt to surpass each other technologically, building ever-bigger, ever-better, and ever-more-expensive machines. Nintendo has dropped out of this race. The Wii has few bells and whistles and much less processing power than its "competitors,"...
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AMD Congratulates Nintendo on the Launch of Wii, a Revolution in Gaming -AMD's Hollywood Graphics Processor delivers the next-generation gaming experience for innovative new video game console- SUNNYVALE, CALIF -- November 21, 2006 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) today congratulates Nintendo on the successful launch of the revolutionary WiiTM video gaming console. The AMD "Hollywood" graphics processor resulted in Nintendo delivering a brand new level of immersive gameplay and interaction for consumers in North America. "Nintendo's vision is to do something radically new and different with Wii - the technology hidden in the system allows us to deliver an intuitive and fun gaming experience in a silent and...
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Disney has announced that it's going to develop its own games for the Nintendo's Wii console gaming platform. Why not just license their characters to other developers? There's money in them there pixels, and Disney wants to mine it all. Disney CEO Robert Iger said last September that the company can earn more by developing its own games rather than licensing characters and content to other developers. The company wants to make 80 percent of its games internally, and have 80 percent of these titles based on Disney movies, TV shows, or other content. The company has been buying out other game development studios, such as Avalanche...
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While we mostly like to focus around computer related news, Nintendo's handheld DS system is a popular little device I'm sure many of you are fond of. Nintendo has recently released a redesigned version of the DS, dubbed the DS Lite, which retails for around $130. While there's nothing that would make current DS owners want to guy out and buy the Lite version, it'll probably be the hot unit for those looking into getting a DS. "rom tangible weight and size reductions to a new button layout, sharper visual performance and repositioned stylus holder, it's a welcome addition to the Japanese giant's celebrated family of portable...
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"You'd do better in a volcano with a nitroglycerine towel." That's a quote from our E3 shuttle bus driver sans non-family friendly commentary. Welcome To E3 Here I am back for my 10th E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) - unfortunately, I missed out on the very first one in 1995. Hopefully, never again. E3 is many things to many people, but at the end of the day, it's about the games that are coming to market in the upcoming year(s). Some folks think E3 is just one monstrous arcade and to some degree it is. After all, attendees can see and usually play the majority of games launching across PC, console and handheld platforms in the coming year (and often beyond). But...
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Yesterday we posted some info on what sony has to offer at this years E3, and tonight we have some information about Nintendo's Press Conference. BFR Provides some decent shots of a few upcoming games for Nintendo's Wii, and has a little more information concerning how the system will tie into the next Zelda title. "After Sony's appearance at E3 last night, it's Nintendo's turn at the mic. Stayed tuned to this page because we will be continuously updating it with all of the latest information released at Nintendo's press conference. Be the first to know the Wii's official launch price and date as well as any other big surprises...
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