Mobile Convergence

First, I want to apologize for not updating for the last 10 days. Work, families, alignment of the stars. You get it.

Mobile Convergence. Is the time here yet? What do I mean by it?

As a kid about eleven or so, I was really caught up in technology. In the 80s, there wasn’t really much to speak up in that respect. The kind I'm talking about are ones that did not exist at that time. Some still do not exist. Yet.

We're still stuck on Earth. We don't have flying cars or moon bases. We've not yet terraformed Mars or mined the asteroid belt yet. People spoke of colonies on the Moon and Mars by 2010. Riiiight...

What technology was I basing the future on during my pre-teen years? I had calculators (solar-powered...wow), Walkmans, and some pretty cool digital watches from Casio and to be honest, the term "computer" was thrown around quite a bit but I really did not have any idea what a real world computer is at that time. I was given boxes of punch cards used by computers but I had no idea what they were.

We had Apple IIs, Commodores, and others from Texas Instruments. But nothing mobile.

So a lot of what computers and handhelds that I thought are suppose to be like came from television shows and cartoons. While we had some pretty cool gadgets from Star Trek and other sci-fi shows, it was anime that really got a hold of my imagination.



The laptop-like devices and handhelds that do it all are pretty much staples in sci-fi anime. Today, we have computing power in our laptops and smartphones only science fiction writers of yesterday dare dream of. Gadgets that are pretty close to those I've seen in anime.

So, is mobility where we are content or is there still a long way to way? I think what we have today is only a glimpse of what is possible in the next few years. The ultra-mobile PCs and Apple's multi-touch platform will make our iPhones or Thinkpads look ancient compared to what is coming out in the next 3-5 years. Or 10 years.

My only grip is the lack of breakthrough in battery technology. The failure of UMPCs to catch on thus far can be blamed on the anemic battery life of such devices. The focus these days seems to be chip, screen, and component efficiencies.

Just as before, I dare to dream and continue to do so and believe that each of us will one day carry with us a mobile platform that allow us to do it all. No matter where you are on the planet.

Now, what you would like to see in mobile devices (of any type) 5 years from now? How about 10 years from now?

Wii Fit Pre-Orders Have Started Arriving

Orders for the Norte Americano version of Wii Fit has started arriving from Amazon.com, and just in time for the holiday weekend in the United States!

The balance board is a bit sturdier than I remembered, which is a good sign.

I’ll post more photos (videos if possible. I think I’m coming down with a sore throat) of the opening in a few hours. In the mean time, this is what the box looks like (pictures taken with my iPhone).

Be sure to come back later to check out more pictures!

UPDATE (May 26, 2008): MORE UNBOXING PICS HERE (http://esrb.blogspot.com)

UPDATE 2 (May 26, 2008): For explanation on the "Not Legal For Trade" sticker at the bottom of the balanace board, see Some Life's explanation. Thanks for the information.

Watching movies - the Netflix way

Tired of waiting for your Netflix DVDs in the mail? The wait is over. Netflix has the new "Watch Instantly" feature now that allows you to watch unlimited hours of movies and TV series on the Netflix website. This feature is basically free, since anyone with a Netflix account can use it, regardless of the type of plan the user has. Just this past weekend, I watched the whole first season of "The Office" using my dad’s Netflix account.

Below is a laundry list of all the things I like and dislike about the new Netflix streaming feature:

The Good

Unlimited viewing time online, which is good for watching TV series episodes or previewing movies.

The embedded Windows Media Player in browser is pretty neat, can also go to full-screen mode if needed.

Quality is decent if you have good internet connection, but isn’t so great on slower connections. For example, I use Yahoo! Basic DSL service at home, and I can only get one bar on Netflix’s network connection quality indicator.

You can pause a movie in the middle and Netflix will remember the position, so the next time you watch the same movie again, it will start from where you left off.

Decent collection of movies and TV episodes for you to choose, and this collection is growing everyday.

The Bad

Currently, you can only watch stream the movies if you have a Windows XP or Vista PC. I guess Mac users are left out of this one.

Not all the movies can be watched online, but Netflix is adding new titles constantly and hopefully soon all of the Netflix library will be watchable online.

Of course the quality of online viewing is not comparable to watching on your 50" HDTV. If movie quality of utmost importance to you, then you will likely be disappointed.

Netflix Player

This set-top box will cost you $99, and it works similar to the Apple TV. You can stream the Netflix library directly to this box and hook it up to your big-screen TV. For more detail this player, visit their website. Apple TV will cost you money for each movie you want to rent or buy, Netflix Player let’s you watch all the movies free of charge.

Conclusion

A thumb’s up for Netflix "Watch Instantly". Online movie watching will be the norm in a few years, and its good to see that the people at Netflix understand this, and is putting their resources on this great new technology.

Batman: Gotham Knight (Anime DVD) - July 8, 2008 Release

The different artistic styles between Japanese and American animation, to put it mildly, is like day and night. Anime offers a realism one typically finds in movies. And often, the storylines are geared towards a more matured audience. It’s not to say that American cartoons don’t have an audience. Just ask Pixar and Disney. In recent years, the two styles have been much closer.

How about comic book characters and their cartoon incarnations? The mileage on the depth of the stories and character developments has varied over time. So what about this “bat-man” character?

Enter the Protector of Gotham City – anime-tized!

On July 8, 2008, Warner Brothers will release Batman: Gotham Knight, an anime-styled DVD with six stories to take place between the last Batman movie, Batman Begins and this summer’s new bat movie, The Dark Knight.

The DVD set can pre-ordered from Amazon for $20.99, a 30% saving over the retail price.

Come back for an exciting review on July 8^th! Meanwhile, let your eyes salivate a bit with the trailers:

Java One 2008: “Java + You”

You might have already known this, Java is omni-present in an average person’s life, from desktop, web, mobile devices, to a simple pen. This trend seems to be accelerating due to the rise of Web 2.0, and people’s appetite to be connected to each other 24/7. The web is moving closer and closer into our lives, and Java is the technology that enables this. Innovation becomes easy when using Java, because developers only have to write code once, and this code will run on any of the existing platforms supported by Java, no extra effort required. The same code can be run on Windows, Linux, web browser, or a mobile phone. There are also tons of Java libraries and frameworks out there, most of them free of charge and open source.

The key theme of this year’s Java One is "Java + You", and by "you", it represents how Java affects your daily life. Let’s see some key examples below:

JavaFX and JavaFX on Mobile

Sun’s new highly productive, statically typed scripting language for rich multi-media content. The JavaFX demo showed at Java One involves a Facebook photo-sharing application written in JavaFX script language, and the app runs on both desktop and mobile device. Need to mention that the demo application did crash twice in front of thousands of Java One attendees, and they have to quickly switch the big screens away from the demo to something else, otherwise, it did look pretty good. There are also a lot of technical sessions related to JavaFX technology, and they all drew high attendances and interests. It will be interesting to see how JavaFX will compete against Adobe Flex and the likes in the future. If I am a betting man, however, I wouldn’t put my money on JavaFX.

Amazon Kindle

Amazon demoed its popular Kindle reader at Java One. Did you know that Kindle has Java embedded in it? Me neither. It was a short demo, but at least its high-profile.

Java and Blu-ray

Neil Young likes Java. His is going to release all the music from his entire career on Blu-ray discs, and with the help of Blu-ray Java technology, user can easily browse through the contents on each disc.

Livescribe Smart Pen

It’s a pen. It’s a computer. It’s a Livescribe Smart Pen. This pen allows you to write some words on a piece of paper, and it will record the voice associated with these words, so later when you look back at your notes, you can just tap the pen on the words you wrote, and the pen will playback the voice recording from that moment. This is perfect for college students taking notes at lectures, the students can use the pen to playback parts of the lecture that correspond to the notes taken.

Real-time Java

One drawback in the past for Java is the unpredictability of its execution time; you cannot say for sure that when a trigger event happened, your program is able to generate a response within 5 milliseconds, for example. This is due the design of garbage-collection in Java, since garbage-collection can run at anytime and take any length of time, thus the unpredictability. With real-time Java, however, this problem is solved and as a result Java can be used in things such as robotics, mission control, etc.

CERN

Quantum physics, relativity, Big Bang. That’s right, Java can be a part of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)’s daily operation too. Java is used everywhere in CERN, including business process in various departments within CERN, and also analysis of petabytes of data from particle collisions conducted by the research team at CERN.

There are many other things happening at Java One, and there is no way to mention all of them here. Topics such as REST, Ruby, SOA, Web 2.0, and Spring are all very popular. If you are interested to find out more about Java One visit the links below, there are many webcasts and session material posted online.

Links

http://java.sun.com/javaone/sf/index.jsp
http://www.sun.com/software/javafx/index.jsp
Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
http://www.livescribe.com
http://www.cern.ch

Mobility Tip: Listen to NBA Games On the Road

Don’t want to miss an NBA game on the road? No problem.

You can sign up for a free account with NBA.com’s All Access account which will give you the NBA Audio League Pass. With it, you can listen to all the current playoff games left.

Just in time for the playoffs. I recently switched programming on my Dish Network and lost TNT (trying to save a few bucks. I didn’t know that was going to happen). So I had to revert to listen to the games on an old Sony Walkman. And in certain parts of my house, the AM reception was just awful so I decided to sign up for an account with NBA.com thinking that I’d have to pay.



To my surprise, I didn’t! Woohoo! All you have to do is sign up for an account. It said it’s free for the 2007-08 season. No word for the 2008-09 season though.

And after the game, if you want to check out the highlights, they’ve got that too, http://www.nba.com/video. To my knowledge, there isn’t a way to watch it online for free.

Having said that, if you have AT&T DSL in your hotel or wherever you’re staying at has AT&T as the broadband provider, you can access ESPN 360 to watch a lot of sports games. So far I’ve managed to watch a few of the NBA games since I lost TNT.

I’m also interested in NHL and MLB games so if anyone else has tips for that on the road, let me know.

The Wii Fit is finally here

In general, Wii Fit was not granted the initial "wow" factor afforded Wii Sports based on the initial reviews and hands-on experiences. Nonetheless, the reviews are still very good.

Here are some main points to know about Wii Fit before making the $90 plunge:

• It comes with the wireless balance board. Batteries included (don't hear that too often).
• Games including an exercise program that tracks the user's development.
• Ability to track weight, body mass index.
• Allow for aerobics, strength training, and yoga.
• Games for the little ones.
• POTENTIAL USES for the balance board to be paired with future games - UNLIMITED.

There are more specifics about Wii Fit but those are what's important to know.

PERFORMANCE

Essentially, Wii Fit isn't going to turn the user into an Olympic-class athlete (unless he or she already is one). What it is is a fun stay-at-home fitness program with a lot of entertaining elements thrown into it for the family.

From the demos and official Nintendo videos, there is a little of everything for everyone. Balance games, exercise games, hula hoops, body toning, and even jogging. There is supposedly more than 40 different activities. Not bad really. Like Wii Sports, Fit is a fitting game to introduce what the balance board is capable of.

It's just that Fit does leave you wishing for a bit more flexibility. For example, it doesn't allow you to create your own exercise regiment. The game play and user interface is simple and doesn't get in the way of the user. Overall, it works well enough for a majority of the casual gamers and people who want to use Wii Fit to start a fitness schedule without having to go to the gym.

But it doesn't replace having to go to the gym or leaving the house. Sorry, guys. No six-pack solution provided.

BALANCE BOARD

What's more interesting is the balance board. There is not a lot about what forthcoming games will take advantage of it nor was there a lot written about the board itself. However, the wireless board worked as advertised. The technical magic Nintendo put in there to work with the Wii is simply a great leap from using merely the hands to control the game play. Already, Nintendo's legendary Wii Nunchuks broke from the simple hand controllers and the balance board with the nunchuks has take the game to the next level.

REVIEWS

Here are the game reviews available online so far:

• Gamespot: http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/wiifit/review.html?sid=619054 (7 of 10)
• IGN: http://wii.ign.com/articles/869/869467p1.html (8 of 10, but more critical than Gamespot)
• Wired: http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/03/me-and-wii-fit.html (hands-on, one month later, a bit of a review)
• CNET: http://reviews.cnet.com/wii-games/wii-fit-wii/4505-9993_7-32513029.html (7 of 10)
• N4G: http://www.n4g.com/wii/News-90139.aspx (85 of 100)

The potential for Wii Fit lies in the peripheral, the balance board, and the games that coming out for it. Fear not, Wii Fit is only a demonstration of what the balance board is capable of. There are sure to be more exciting and flexible games.

Just like more sophisticated tennis games than the one in Wii Sports came out, for those who are looking to use the board for more strenuously exercise, there are likely more sophisticated workout programs in development.

Now, the question is: Is the balance board with the Fit games worth the admission price of $90? You bet. What you're getting is an excellent exercise program with Nintendo-approved fun added. Beyond that, the user is buying potential. Forthcoming games. Multiplayer features. Downloadable materials.

Some developers have announced their plans for the balance board. More details from Nintendo surely come very soon. And it's a given that Nintendo has games ready to come out in support of their exciting new peripheral and their games are usually among the best of the lot. Expect Mario and Company to make appearances for the board.

Update

Great news! Wii Fit is hours away from being released into the wild. But only for those quick and fortunate enough to have pre-ordered. Even better news. If you don't already have a Wii, you don't have to worry about the Wii Fit because you can't find the Wii anywhere. How's that for a twist?

That't right, folks. Wii is still in short supply, will be in short supply, and will only be available from time to time as bundles.

Also look for retailers to start bundling Wii and Wii Fit together in the near future. You just know that it't going to happen. That stimulus check from the government that't going out to certain people will now come in quite handy.

And if you really want, some of the big retailers do have Fit or Fit accessories pages up. It’ll give you a feel for what Nintendo has planned for the balance board.

Note: Ebay has it (standalone with no bundle) available for "Buy It" at $200. Bidding has reached $157.50 with 6.5 hours to go. Let us know if you've got a winning bid.



May 21, 2008 Wii Fit Update:

Early morning recon has show that Amazon is very optimistic about fulfilling it¢s promises of getting out all the Wii Fit its customers have pre-ordered. Below is a direct quote from Amazon¢s Wii Fit product page:

Attention "Wii Fit" Pre-order Customer: Please note that we are in the process of receiving all "Wii Fit" product from Nintendo and are working to ship out your orders. We anticipate that all orders will ship on or before May 21. As we begin to ship products, your delivery estimates will be updated. Check your order status for the most up-to-date information. Also, please note that Nintendo officially changed the release date of "Wii Fit" to May 21 a few weeks back. For those who have been unable to order "Wii Fit," we are actively seeking more of this product from suppliers. Please, check back soon to see if more are available.

Best Buy and CircuitCity (and Walmart, Kmart, & Target) are both sold out online but it is possible the Fit was provided with a placeholder page and has not been available for online ordering. A cursory check with different California zip codes as of 8:30am PST showed that Circuity City has the Wii Fit in stock in store only.

Supplies are likely to be limited so maybe it¢s a good idea to go out take that coffee break around 10am when most stores open.

Here are the numbers to call:

Best Buy1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289)

Circuit City1-800-843-2489

Walmart1-800-WALMART (1-800-925-6278)

Target1-800.591.3869

Kmart1-866-KMART-4U

Gamestop 1-800-883-8895

Toys 'R Us1-800-ToysRUs

KB Toys1-877-5KBTOYS

Another option is to go to the websites and find a local store and give them a call.

If you know of any other places where the Fit is available, drop us a line. Your input on the best way to get the Wii Fit is greatly appreciated so that we may share this information with other readers. Remember, sharing is care!

Gamers - One Mind, One Body

Since Pong and the early days of the Atari 2600, gaming has changed dramatically. What hasn't changed is the hours millions spent sitting in front of the tube (or plasma or LCD) each day trying to get to the next level or to simply trying to get a drop on your enemies before they blow you into pieces.

So, how is this good for the body and mind? A majority of the gamers are boys or young men who really can spend more time doing physical activities or even dating. Well, we can't help with the dating part but we can point out a few things that you can do make playing console or computer games healthier.

Look for our in depth article on healthy gaming while even stay a step ahead of your opponents. Stamina is important but so is being able to stay sharp after hours of driving, trekking across various realms and space, or playing hide-and-seek with zombies and alien bloodsuckers. If you're playing against AI elements, they don't get tired but if you're playing against your roommate or some punk half way around the world, you need all the help you can get.



Also, sitting around playing games isn't all that different from the throng of company warriors who man their cubicles every day for eight hours or more Monday through Friday.

We'll go through some topics that will help you get started on your way to dominating those puny Orcs! Stay tuned!

Not Another iPhone Review

This is not just another iPhone review. I want to go over the usability of the iPhone so you can have a better idea if the iPhone is right for you. And I want to help you determine if this is the right time to get it.

I got the 16GB model a month ago. I'm glad I didn't wait.

And I know that a new iPhone is just around the corner but when you need it, you need it. Plus, I am in the middle of my two-year T-Mobile contract.

Why did I need it? My dad was recently admitted to a hospital and had to be there for a few days. I was there quite a lot and while the hospital did offer guest access to the Internet, it was spotting, slow, and had an overactive filter in place. Just like my immune system in the spring. I needed access and I wanted the iPhone. It was the perfect opportunity.

So, how do I like it? If you're reading this, you already know about the specs and probably have seen it. So I won't go into it. This is a review of the iPhone's usability.

TYPING:

Let me get the most important thing out of the way. Typing on the iPhone is no where near as difficult as critics make it out to be. In fact, I prefer it much more than the Blackberry or the Treo. Its an issue of preference and what the user is more accustomed to.

Generally, the "predictive typing" function of the keyboard allows me to type faster than when I'm using other devices. I simply glide my thumbs over the letters I want and the iPhone gives me the word I need.

Now, it does take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you're are off flying. Apple made sure that this function works for the everyday person. Me.

Plus, not having a physical keyboard is the deal-breaker. I find that I only use the keyboard about 10-15% of the time, and as far as the rest of the time, having a large screen for video, surfing the web, or reading ebooks is a great asset.

So again, big screen from the iPhone.

MAKING A PHONE CALL (OR RECEIVING ONE):

It's a phone. Simple as that. And it's AT&T. Or if you unlocked your iPhone like I did, it's T-Mobile. What do you expect? Reception depends on where you live.

The iPhone fits comfortably in the hand. I'm not wild about the headset that came with it though.

Please note that I'm making a lot of references to the US digital phone market. If you're somewhere else in the world, your choice of provider and reception will be very different from mine.

I don't use a lot of text messaging. So, I don't have too many complaints about it. Do note that Apple not only likes to "think different", but from time to time, it also likes to "do different". I have heard some quirky things happen with SMS. I don't claim to know a lot about it. Not sure if it's Apple’s or AT&T's doing here.

Visual voicemail was a big deal that Steve Jobs made at Macworld 2007. I don't have this functionality because I've got an unlocked iPhone, and T-Mobile doesn't provide this "visual voicemail" functionality. I'm sure it is useful to have but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker for me. Probably isn't for you, either.

I can't say it's the best or worst phone out there. My guess it's probably somewhere in the middle. It makes calls. Great.

INTERNET ACCESS:

WiFi. I don't understand why more phones don't have this one simple function. When you're on the WiFi access, it's very fast. Nothing more to say. You don't need me to glorify something that's a given.

EDGE access. That's another story. Coming from someone who is used to use GSRP on my Palm V, I can tell you EDGE is plenty fast for e-mailing, updating MeBlog on Cirqo or on Twitter, checking stocks and weather, and using the location function on the map to reassure myself that I'm still within a 3/4 mile-radius of where my actual location is.

If you want to complain about the lack of 3G speed and it's so important that you get it, the iPhone isn't for you. If you're fine with decent speed, go for it.

E-MAILING:

Adequate. Nothing to see here. Move on.

Okay, it's got a regular e-mail program that's simple to use.

Now, it doesn't have "push mail". This and certain business-friendly features that are more appropriate for corporate use will be released, free of charge, in June when the software for the iPhone, iPhone 2.0, is released.

For now, the other smart phones got the iPhone beat as far as corporate usage is concerned.

WEB-SURFING:

There isn't a close second here to the iPhone. Heck, there isn't even a close third. Maybe a distance sixth? A full-featured Safari web browser with multi-touch is just perfect. You don't have to limit how you see the information from the Internet just because you've got a smaller screen than a full size LCD screen from a laptop or desktop.

It doesn't support Flash or Java. Other phones may but imperfectly.

I don't know nor do I care why Apple doesn't support these two standards. I can do without Flash-based ads.

Now, Opera's mobile implementation is decent. If you're able to download it and give it a try, do so. Then try the Safari on the iPhone. Chances are, you'll decide that the surfing the Web with Safari is more efficient and provides a richer user experience.

THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE:

"Jail-breaking" your iPhone. It's the only way to get un-authorized applications onto the iPhone. Otherwise, Apple had pushed web-based applications. I generally find the web-based apps insufficient substitutes for traditional apps. And if you're in a place where reception is poor, you're not going to be able to connect to the web sites hosting the webapps. We're simply not there yet.

In this respect, Windows Mobile and Palm are more obvious choices for you when it comes to third party software selection.

Apple has announced the availability of iPhone 2.0 in June. A plethora of third party software will be available for installation through iTunes.

Until then, the other platforms will have a two months advantage over the iPhone.

There is also the issue of requiring iTunes. As a typical user, having iTunes serve as the intermediary between you and other software providers is a good reason to get the iPhones. Why? Because Apple has pledge to go through with a fine tooth comb over every application that is made available for download. You don't have to worry about incompatibilities or malware.

For those of you who like to ticker, you probably can still jailbreak the iPhone and install third-party software that way, same as what I'm doing now. And if you want even greater flexibility to ticker around, the iPhone will never do for you.

For ease and peace of mind, go with the iPhone.

WHY I THINK IT'S FINE TO GET IT NOW?

Isn't a new iPhone due to come out in a few months? Yes and no. Conventional wisdom says that the iPhone is due for a refresh. Everyone agrees on that point. As far as when that'll happen, it's a good bet to say between June through the end of July. A good bet but not a sure bet. If you're new to the Apple scene, you should know this: Apple likes its secrets and it doesn't let the cat out of the bag until it feels its the right time. And it always happens when you least expect it.

Here's the biggest thing about the next iPhone: 3G access. Faster browsing (no one knows how much faster). Faster downloads (download what? Apple will like limit what you can download in the name of protecting you from unfriendly elements on the Internet). However, there is the possibility that 3G phones may cost more. There is also the possibility that 3G access will cost more than EDGE access. AT&T just spent a chunck of money to upgrade or install 3G access. They'll want that investment back and then some. You can bet you'll be paying for it.

What about for people who want to use the iPhone on T-Mobile? I don't know too much about T-Mobile's 3G plans but I've heard almost nothing about it. It's why I went ahead and got the 16GB iPhone. I've got another year on my contract and I might as well go through with a great phone. And once my contract is up, I can decide in a year what I want to do. Plus with T-Zone at $5.99 a month, it's a bargain.

For those of you in the middle of wireless contract with T-Mobile or even AT&T, you're in a great position. For example, I'll be skipping the upcoming version. By that time, the third version of the iPhone could be out. Lots can change in a year. More memory. Faster access. Longer battery life.

So, if you need it now, get it. It's a great phone. You won't be disappointed.

On a personal note, I started monitoring how I use the iPhone. So, what have I used it for?

1. Surfing the web.
2. E-mail.
3. Make Calls.
4. Watching The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
5. Listen to audiobooks.
6. Use it as an ebook reader.
7. Play games.
8. Writing notes, blogs, & manifestos. I only take my Powerbook with me when I absolutely need it.
9. Trying to impress women with it (so far, no luck).
10. Taking pictures.
11. Companion research assistant.

Hope this usability review helps you to determine if you should get the iPhone and, if you decide to, when to get it. Love to hear how it goes for you.

Starcraft II: New Video Footages

Here is an excellent piece of Starcraft 2 video review on IGN: http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/850126/starcraft-2/videos/starcraft2preview.html. It has about 5 minutes worth of actual gameplay that showcases the new units and unit-abilities in the upcoming blockbuster game from Blizzard Entertainment.



I am really looking forward to this game, it is going suck up all my free time and sleeping time when it is finally released. Starcraft 2 still doesn't have an exact release date yet, but it is rumored to come out during this year's holiday season. Meanwhile, back to gold-farming in World of Warcraft. Peace !!!

Kenny Smith vs. Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant can really jump! I mean, REALLY jump! Check out the video below:



But can Kenny Smith from TNT do this as well? Find out:

Apple: Always Think A Few Moves Ahead

Apple has bought out chipmaker, PA Semi, for $278 million. It’s all over the news. Any move Steve Jobs and Apple make these days is breaking news. It’s analyzed, parsed, and feeds dozens if not hundreds of sites dedicated to the Cupertino-based company, not to mention mainstream news outlets just trolling for hits.

Well, we’re no different. But we like to offer something more concrete for this piece of raw red meat.

This is a potential game changer. No one has any idea what Apple will do with it for now. Conventional wisdom says that Apple will be planning on using its brand new chips in their upcoming products. Look for Macworld 2009 but we don’t mind being surprised by the developer conference in June. C’mon, Steve. One more thing … please.

Until this buyout took place, Atom from Intel was the designated chip that Apple is supposedly going to use in their upcoming mobile devices. So, leave it to Cupertino to take the fun out of conventional wisdom and go into a totally different direction.



I’m not a chip expert so I won’t go into any idea and regurgitate stuff you can already find on the web yourself (assuming you know only the basics about mobile chips like I do). So, I’m surmising that this new PowerPC chip is beyond anything Intel’s Atom can do in terms of performance and power usage and an outright buyout of PA Semi is a way so Apple can keep the chips off the hands of its competitors.

Apple has done its homework. Pa Semi’s chips work as advertised and it’s what Jobs wants. Of course, it could also be a shot at Intel to remind them who wears the pants in their relationships. Assuming that’s what Jobs also intend to do with this buyout.

But we all know Steve’s not like that at all.

Puzzle Game to Kill Time at Work

For all of you bored at work, here is a little puzzle I came across today on the Internet. Supposedly its a Mensa puzzle game for really smart people to test their intelligence. Want to see how smart you really are, and how your IQ score measure against others? Take the test below to find out. First question is done for you as an example. If you can answer 23 or more, then you are at "Genius" level according to some sites.

Congratulations, your current IQ score is the same as an Ant

Puzzles	Answers	Status
0. 24 H in a D	24 Hours in a Day	Correct
1. 26 L of the A
2. 7 D of the W
3. 7 W of the W
4. 12 S of the Z
5. 66 B of the B
6. 52 C in a P (W Js)
7. 13 S in the U S F
8. 18 H on a G C
9. 39 B of the O T
10. 5 T on a F
11. 90 D in a R A
12. 3 B M (S H T R)
13. 32 is the T in D F at which W F
14. 15 P in a R T
15. 3 W on a T
16. 100 C in a D
17. 11 P in a F (S) T
18. 12 M in a Y
19. 13 is U F S
20. 8 T on an O
21. 29 D in F in a L Y
22. 27 B in the N T
23. 365 D in a Y
24. 13 L in a B D
25. 52 W in a Y
26. 9 L of a C
27. 60 M in an H
28. 23 P of C in the H B
29. 64 S on a C B
30. 9 P in S A
31. 6 B to an O in C
32. 1000 Y in a M
33. 15 M on a D M C

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (to the REAL thing)

So how many of you have bought a Playstation 3 just to play Gran Turismo? I admit I am one of these people. The full version of Gran Turismo 5 won’t be ready for another year or longer, but Polyphony is giving us an early preview of what GT5 looks like. Thus we have the Gran Turismo 5: Prologue version. It is released in the US on April 15th, 2008, you can get it here from Amazon store.

Although it will cost you $40 to purchase the Prologue, it is well worth the money and wait, since the game has enough contents to be a stand-alone game. GT5: Prologue contains over 70 different cars, and 6 race tracks. And for the first time in Gran Turismo history you can play this game online, pit your racing skill against other players, and move up (or down for some) the ranking ladder.



If your racing skill isn’t quite top-notch yet, you can also get enjoyment from GT5 simply by sit back and watch it on your HD 1080p television. Every detail of the game, from the race track, to the crowd, to the car itself is rendered to perfection on the screen. Sound effects are also just stunning, for example, you can tell the difference of each car’s horse power by the vibration coming from the engines.

If you like cars, or racing, or just the need for speed, then try this game. It’s a must have for PS3 owners. Sorry Xbox and Wii owners, you are just not cool enough to play this game yet.

Call of Duty gets a Modern Make-over

I just recently upgraded my desktop, and it has all the hardware necessary to play the latest PC games. Here is my system spec: AMD phenom Quad-Core 2.3 GHz, 4 GB of RAM (of course Windows XP can only access 3 GB of it, but that’s for another story), 512 MB Nvidia 8500GT, 500 GB SATA HD. Total cost? $550 including case, power-supply, etc. Not a top-of-line system, but enough to get by and able to play most of the graphic-intensive FPS games running at decent frame-rate.

Anyway, I am a huge Call of Duty fan. I played since CoD 1, then the expansion, and CoD 2. Never played Call of Duty 3 though, because I only play FPS games on PCs and Call of Duty 3 does NOT have a PC version. I was just so fascinated by the whole WWII setting in Call of Duty franchise, but I am also ready to move on to the next stage in world conflict, so the first thing I did after I got my new system is to install Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I was really looking forward to play it. After installation complete, I dived right into the single-player campaign, and started playing as the British special-op, code-named "SOAP". Cool name, eh?

As the name suggests, this game takes place in a setting similar to what the world is currently going through: middle-east conflict, renegade Russian general armed with nuclear warheads, and all these good stuff. As either a British agent or US Marine, you will go on various missions such as assassination, search-n-rescue, and my favorite mission is playing air-support for ground troops from a high-flying aircraft. I especially enjoy the sarcastic comments from the co-pilot as I set the little dots (enemy personals) on the ground in seas of flames, KAAABOOOM ....



As for performance of the game, I have all the video settings at moderate levels, and I see no lag what-so-ever at all, I guess I was been too conservative, and when I play this game again, which is soon, I will try to crank up the settings to see how my system handles it under the pressure.

Overall, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is one of the best first-person shooter out there right now. Especially if you are a CoD fan, some of the cool things you can do in the game are just mind-boggling, but I don’t want to spoil too much of that for you right now, go try it out for yourself. Only negative thing I can say about this game is that the single-player mode ended too fast, I think I finished the easiest mode in less than 4 hours, I wish it was longer and I can’t wait for the next expansion of this game.