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Archive for the 'Technology' Category

UPDATE: Nintendo DSi forced to grow up quickly

October 29th, 2009, 8:30 am by Jayson Peters

dsiIs the new Nintendo DSi already about to get a makeover? (UPDATE: Yes it is.)

If rumors in the Japanese press are true (UPDATE: And they are), a version with a 4-inch display will debut in that market this year, in response to demand from older users who find the portable gaming system’s 3.25-inch screen too small. (It’s actually going to be 4.2 inches, according to Kotaku. Plus, Nintendo tells the Gawker network gaming site that the device, known as DSi LL in Japan, will come to the West as the DSi XL early next year.)

And the kids who use them play their music too loud and don’t respect their elders these days — but I’m sure Nintendo is working on that, too.

Original post: Oct. 27; updated Oct. 29

Netflix streaming announced for PlayStation 3

October 26th, 2009, 8:28 am by Jayson Peters

ps-3Starting next month, PlayStation 3 owners with Netflix subscriptions will be able to stream movies right to their consoles, according to Sony.

To make it work, you’ll need a free, Netflix-issued Blu-ray disc that you can order here.

Via The Associated Press and Kotaku

Microsoft store coverage: Windows into media’s Apple bias?

October 23rd, 2009, 3:48 pm by Jayson Peters
surface

(Paul Connors, AP)

Yesterday’s grand opening of Microsoft’s first retail store at Scottsdale Fashion Square, and the accompanying release of the new operating system Windows 7 — generated a lot of media buzz. And, I’m afraid, some media bias.

I considered joining the hundreds of people who waited in line, some as long as 12 hours, to get their first look at the software giant’s first retail operation.

Then I realized that would mean standing in line with hundreds of people. Or at least dealing with corporate PR types on their Big Day.

But lo and behold, I found a way to blog about it anyway.

On the drive home Thursday, listening to National Public Radio’s All Things Considered like the loyal liberal media elite-type that I am, I was surprised at just how harshly host Melissa Block was grilling Microsoft representative Mika Krammer. Today I was wondering whether I imagined it, so I asked some colleagues. One of them had heard the same report and was also left with the impression that it went too far. Read the rest of this entry »

Kindle unbound: Amazon announces PC e-reader software

October 22nd, 2009, 2:04 pm by Jayson Peters

Amazon Kindle for PC Windows 7Amazon announced today that it will release a free software application for Windows PCs that will read the same e-books as its $259 Kindle device.

The application, which was announced the same day Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system debuted at the company’s first retail store in Scottsdale, will be available in November, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Read the rest of this entry »

Alltel’s Chadvertising falls in Verizon’s revenge of the nerds

October 19th, 2009, 9:38 pm by Jayson Peters

medium_springChad, we hardly knew you.

As Tribune reporter Ed Taylor writes today, Verizon Wireless has completed its assimilation of Alltel’s stores and billing systems in the Valley.

While this of course means Alltel customers will now be served by Verizon personnel, perhaps more visibly for consumers it will literally change the face of mobile phone advertising.

No more will we be subjected to calls to “join the Circle” or be entertained by the four wily nerds’ attempts to outwit the perfectly coiffed Alltel pitchman known as “Chad.”

The cruelly well-adjusted slick talker, who had the gall to let slip that he didn’t know Dungeon Masters don’t have levels (dork!), will fade from out TV screens, just as the bumbling Sales Guy characters, each of whom represented one of Alltel’s competitors, have been phased out since Verizon began its acquisition of Alltel this year.

Amazon cuts Kindle price, goes global (not so fast, Canada …)

October 8th, 2009, 1:08 am by Jayson Peters

amazonkindledxAmazon has lowered the price of its Kindle e-book reader to $259 and unveiled an international model, according to PC World … but Canada is still Kindle-less due to a lack of wireless distribution agreements for the device’s bookish content, reports the Globe & Mail.

If you’re reading this, O Canada, here’s some of the fun you’ve been missing:

Nobel Prize in physics comes down to Earth

October 6th, 2009, 9:48 pm by Jayson Peters

20060528105901fibreopticNeutrinos … quarks … giant magnetoresistance. The Nobel Prize in physics is often awarded — rightfully so — for work that few of us can actually understand.

But this year is different. This year, three Americans are sharing the prize for their roles in creating things that most of us use every day without giving them a second thought: high-speed Internet and digital photography. Read the rest of this entry »

PS3 owners sue Sony over crippling firmware update

October 5th, 2009, 10:14 pm by Jayson Peters

ps-3PlayStation 3 owners say a mandatory firmware update has ruined their systems, and they’ve launched a class-action lawsuit seeking compensation and restitution.

According to Courthouse News Service, the upgrade promised new features and improved navigation, but caused the gaming console to crash and rendered controllers inoperable. A subsequent update reportedly failed to solve the problem and caused the system’s Blu-ray player to malfunction.

And let’s face it, that Blu-ray player is the only real reason to own a PS3, right?

One plaintiff said Sony wanted $150 to fix the problem. Sony has stated it’s not a firmware issue, and that repair costs are the responsibility of consumers.

The suit is seeking declaratory relief, compensation and restitution for breach of implied warranty, negligence and unjust enrichment.

C-3PO tweets as ‘Star Wars in Concert’ begins U.S. tour

October 1st, 2009, 10:50 pm by Jayson Peters

o2__ad_head_Anthony Daniels, who was the voice of C-3PO in all six Star Wars films and is now traveling the country with “Star Wars in Concert,” has added Twitter to his famed 6 million forms of communication. The British actor, who narrates the musical tribute to the saga at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, uses the handle ADaniels3PO.

His first words to online followers: “Today my first tweet and tonight my first performance with Star Wars In Concert in the U.S.!”

He then went on to tweet during dress rehearsal, intermission and immediately after his Thursday’s performance at Anaheim’s Honda Center, the start of a whirlwind U.S. tour that doesn’t let up until December.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Daniels last month when he stopped in the Valley to promote the event and to check out Jobing.com Arena’s facilities. He’s very generous with his time — a 25-minute interview with four reporters turned into 45 minutes before we knew it, and I got the impression he could have gone on — and he has truly come to appreciate what his character means to generations of fans worldwide.

You can read my full interview with Anthony Daniels here and, in part, in Friday’s Take2 section of the Tribune.

Tech Bytes

September 12th, 2009, 12:39 am by Jayson Peters

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