Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
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Hello, my name is Devin, and I’m a bagaholic. I can’t get enough. Despite getting my hands on such awesome and varied backpacks as the Mamba Shift , the Soyuz , and the Vandal , not to mention those sweet things from Acme Made back in the day, I can’t help but lust after the latest book-and-laptop receptacle. This time, unfortunately, the rascals have made it only available in Japan. Curses! I think what attracts me about this thing is those twin steel buckles. As practical as Velcro is, buckles are awesomer, especially when they’re metallic. I must have some magpie in me, because anything shiny like that just entrances me. In addition to being limited to Japan, this sucker costs a mind-blowing ¥48,825 — over $500 , over at Beauty & Youth.. This is why my handlers don’t let me loose in Tokyo with a credit card. I have to be kept on a leash and given quarters, which I save up to spend on gyudon at Yoshinoya. Shameful, I know — but savory. [via High Snobiety and Doobybrain ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Friday, March 19th, 2010
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Hollywood (the movie studios, the record labels, etc.) sure does have a knack for causing its own problems. You’ll recall that it’s en vogue to call copyright infringers “pirates,” which is an insult to legitimate pirates like William Kidd and Henry Morgan. Just because you can fire up uTorrent doesn’t mean you can take on a Spanish Armada. But, whatever, it’s simply easier for Hollywood and its acolytes to call you kids “pirates” than it is to have an adult discussion about the subject. The word is nothing but trouble. Using it is akin to calling someone “Hitler” or a “Nazi” in a debate: it’s basically an intellectual shortcut to a ready-made conclusion. Those guys? Bad. Us? We’re good. Or in fancier verbiage: To say that X is a pirate is a metaphoric heuristic, intended to persuade a policymaker that the in-depth analysis can be skipped and the desired result immediately attained… Claims of piracy are rhetorical nonsense. Said by “noted copyright scholar” William Patry. Now, had Hollywood, when the likes of Napster and Kazaa first came out, taken the time to explain the difference between wholesale theft and copyright infringement, rather than rushing to sue everybody, throwing around meaningless terms like “piracy” and “stealing,” well, this is the consequence. Show me one 16-year-old who has a problem with downloading Lady Whatshername and I’ll finish this stupid sentence.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Friday, March 19th, 2010
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God almighty do I have a bone to pick with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 , which I bought on release day like a mark. The game is doing quite well for EA, having already sold 2.3 million units (and projected to sell 4 million by the end of the year). So that’s ahead of expectations—it’s a hit, have a party. The thing that annoys me (and Matt, for that matter) is the game’s implementation of checkpoints. There’s not nearly enough of them, and it’s infuriating. I was very close to lighting my monitor on fire last night. First off, why do PC games even have “checkpoints” in the year 2010? I give all the credit in the world to Dice for actually taking the time to create a PC port, but is implementing a “save anytime, anywhere” feature so hard to implement? It’s a PC game: I expect to hit F8 9 million times before I finish it. I don’t want to hear any nonsense about how the inability to hit F8 helps create “tension” and “atmosphere.” No it doesn’t. All it does is make me want to throw my computer out the window, the re-create the scene from Office Space . It wouldn’t be so bad if every single enemy didn’t have an RPG. It’s ridiculous: “hey, you just survived a tank coming out of the middle of nowhere, no we’re going to throw RPG-wielding bad guys at you, hope you can survive.” I can’t survive! And because of the stupid save system, I have to replay the previous 15 minutes all over again! To quote Bill Burr , this is unacceptable. Modern Warfare 2 used a checkpoint system, too, but its checkpoints ticked pretty much every seven seconds. It’s annoying to have to put up with checkpoints on a PC game, but at least Modern Warfare 2 ’s were frequent enough that it wasn’t an issue. So aside from the gigantic pain in the neck, yeah, the game is fun—I figure I’m about halfway through with the single-player campaign (I have no intention of playing multi-player). Checkpoints in PC games should be outlawed. Tack that onto the healthcare bill, please.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
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With a little careful measurement and either some good tools or a lack of concern for aesthetics, you can make a pretty cool freestanding bookcase out of Ikea parts. The idea is that it’s standing on the ground but the poles are telescoping, allowing you to ratchet it up against the ceiling. Boom: instant, stable freestanding bookcase! It’s probably a lot less likely to be knocked down than regular bookcases, although I wouldn’t let my kids sleep in it. The creator of this particular item didn’t like the look of the feet, so he replaced them with others, accounting for a fair piece of the time spent. If you’re not as picky you can probably get this done in a couple afternoons, but the cost is still going to be $400-$500.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Oh thank God for Rockstar . We’re short-staffed today, plus it’s nice outside and I’m very easily distracted by the weather, so what better way to pass the time than by watching fancy trailers? Here we have a brand new trailer for Red Dead Redemption , which I do believe a couple of the Ron and Fez guys will be featured in. There was a pretty big preview of the game in this month’s issue of Edge, so pick that up if you get a chance.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
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Most concept clocks are high on art, and low on functionality. That’s not the case with the Aspiral Clock, designed by Will Aspinall and Neil Lambath. Instead of using the standard hands, this clock uses a small ball to tell the time. As time progresses, the entire clock spins, which causes the ball to move along the spiral. The numbers on the face of the clock is labeled with your standard numbers, and as the spiral turns, the ball moves and indicates the proper time. Interesting concept, no? Best part, these are actually available for sale online and in assorted colors. Now, they aren’t cheap – you’re looking at $526 (plus shipping) to get one of these from the UK. [via Sweet Station ]
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Monday, March 15th, 2010
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This is crap. Pure and simple crap. Modern Warfare 2 ’s upcoming map pack is going to cost $15 freaking dollars. $15! For five maps! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? DLC’s have recently been touted as the future of video games. Developers like them because they can keep adding fresh content to games and the fat cats like them because they bring in more slush money. It’s a win win. It’s even a win for gamers most of the time because they often share the same feelings as the developers. DLC at least in theory increase the replay value of a game. That’s great and normally these packs are available for around $5 or $10 dollars. Borderlands is currently on its third DLC with The Secret Armoy of General Knoxx. For $10 players get the chance to beef up their characters an extra 11 levels to 61, drive more vehicles and collect a host of new guns to conquer the new missions. That’s worth $10. Then there’s the new Modern Warfare 2 map pack. It will costs $15 and comes with five multiplayer maps, two that are recycled from previous games. Of course the fun part here is that online players will likely be forced to purchase the map pack if their favorite game server or buddies upgrade. There might also be new guns, but that’s not the point. A $15 DLC should come with more than just five multiplayer maps. And if Activision only has five new maps available, then the packs should cost less. This is just clearly another example of Activision gouging gamers. Hopefully other game publishers are taking notes, not of Activision’s tactics, but rather of gamer’s reactions.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
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How many e-book readers do you think are out there right now for you to choose from? If you did a little digging, I bet you’d find 50 or so. Maybe 10 really worth checking out. But right now is a bit of a weird period in e-reader history. The Kindle cemented e-readers in the consumer headspace, catapulting them from weirdo alternative technology to mainstream gadget. That’s what the iPad threatens to do with tablets — we’ll see about that. But the Kindle and the iPad are two important forces in the current e-reader wars; the question, upon the answer of which depends the success of many a device, is whether “bonus” features like second screens and weird form factors in e-readers will be enough to differentiate them from the high-profile devices pressing them on both flanks? Take a second to imagine it as a battle between three armies. On one side of the field is the steadfast Kindle Corps, seasoned and numerous. On the other is the glorious Apple Brigade, untried in e-reader combat but veteran of other battles. In between them is a menagerie of Sony, Asus, and miscellaneous independent mercenaries, bristling with foreign and barbaric weapons, gathering together only because they don’t stand a chance by themselves. In real life, they are not gathered at all, but that doesn’t work with the metaphor. Maybe they have a non-aggression pact or something, I don’t know. Regardless, the battle is about to begin. See, the vast majority of e-readers were designed as a response to the Kindle, not to tablet computers , which may or may not obsolete e-readers altogether. It’s a bad situation: the whole time you’re improving your competitor’s product, someone else is skipping your entire device class on the grounds that it will be made ridiculous by their awesome gadget. Some of the special features developed to combat the Kindle will stay, and some won’t live to see their own first birthday. Personally, I think e-readers will stick around next to tablet computers, since it’s just as much of a problem for a device to do too much as it is for it to do too little . You may not want your e-mail and browsing device to be the same as your reading device. And of course the Kindle isn’t the end of all readers: the generation currently being released has among its members a few interesting features… and a few duds. Let’s take a look. The nook is what people think of when this type of e-reader is brought up, and for good reason. It’s a sexy little bugger. Now, compare it to its rivals: the upcoming Spring Design Alex and the Entourage Edge . What do you see? A larger secondary screen. Better, right? Unfortunately, the secondary screen does two things that pretty much sabotage the idea. First, it takes away from the readable area (the main screen); 90% of the time you are using an e-reader, you are reading . That is the device’s stated purpose. When you put in a secondary screen, you are subtracting from the functional part of your device. I think it’s an unstated but obvious goal of design that your device should primarily do what it does . Second, it implies uselessness on the part of the e-ink screen for UI stuff, and suggests to the consumer “If you want to do stuff other than read e-books, you’re better off with a device that’s all secondary screen.” It’s like admitting a strike against your product before the consumer even sees it. Bad idea. Not to mention having a color LCD screen raises the cost of the device considerably. It is for these reasons that I think the secondary screen is a one-generation fluke, not likely to be seen again after 2010. There actually aren’t many that fall under this category, but they are on their way, and I believe this is something that will stick around. Depending on the technology used ( Mirasol , pigment pores ), there may be no downside to having a color screen other than cost. That is to say that reflectivity, weight, responsiveness, contrast, and resolution will remain the same, except now you have color (however washed out in these first devices). As I said, there are practically none of these devices on the market right now. Asus has an OLED-based one it wants to push, but at six inches it’s not very tempting, and of course it’ll be expensive. And it’s more of a tablet anyway, so it gets ignored. But you can bet that Amazon, Sony, and every other company is pushing display R&D like none other trying to get color e-ink to work for a decent price. We’ll probably have a few announcements this year, but no products until next CES. On the other hand, we already have Pixel Qi , which may beg the question of color e-ink before the latter is even viable. On that front, we have the popular Notion Ink Adam, demoed here , which is one of the few devices which genuinely falls under both the e-reader and tablet categories. Personally I’m bullish about it, though I’m afraid it may crumple under the combined pressure of Amazon and Apple, both of which will be gunning for it. At any rate, color is here to stay. Whether it’s an unexploited e-ink technology or a hybrid like Pixel Qi, you better believe that color will huge in the next year. Not only does it open up capability for running some applications, but it also lets the device and creator tap into the huge academic book market, which needs color. Believe me, I wouldn’t have passed my Neuroanatomy classes with a black and white textbook. Are you kidding me? Almost every interactive device in the world is going to be touchable by the end of 2010. Any e-readers that don’t have this feature by the holidays are going to be laughed at long and hard. Touchscreens you can write on are going to be key as well; if your e-reader can replace the “back of the napkin” sketches, diagrams, and calculations you do already, then hell, why not? The Entourage Edge needs another mention here, since it has that book-like format, but as I noted before, that actually ends up being a weakness. You’re splitting your functionality and essentially the user can only use half the device at any given time, and is all the while thinking “Man, I wish the other half of this thing didn’t exist right now.” The Courier , which obviously is not e-reader but tablet, solves this by having both sides active at all times. Not possible for the Edge. Here’s a tough one: the Samsung E6 . Its slider form factor reminds one of their slider phones — this thing in particular. But there are plenty of objections here. You see it and immediately think, “an e-reader with moving parts? No thanks.” I mean really, simplicity is key with a device that’s meant to replace a paperback. And anyone will be able to tell you’re doing something wrong when you need a whole huge sliding mechanism just to reveal a D-pad and a couple buttons that could easily have been put where the Samsung logo is. And the speakers are on it too! What the hell, guys? Well, we can all agree that the E6 is going to sell about three units. I think sliders are out. But what about a sliding QWERTY keyboard? I haven’t seen one of those yet, but I’m afraid it might have the same issues as the E6. Besides, better displays means better on-screen keyboards. These things aren’t meant for typing anyway. Leave it to tablet computers to figure this out. What about ultra-slim? Hey, why not? My favorite e-book reader out there is the Plastic Logic Que , for no other reason than that it’s slim and handsome, just like me. Seriously though, a touchscreen (however primitive) and a thin, refined design will sell against the most robust competitors, and the Que is refined as all hell (though sadly, delayed ). If someone really and truly just wants to read books and magazines on an e-ink screen, they don’t want or need anything else, but they do care whether it looks like they’re reading a gigantic BlackBerry or not. Slim, buttonless designs will stay. You can be sure the next Kindle will have one (though will likely keep its signature side buttons). Flexibility? The Skiff is working at this, and it’s something e-ink and (kind of) OLEDs are uniquely capable of at the moment, but I get the feeling it’s going to end up on the low-end devices. See, as long as a consumer is paying $400 or so for a device like this, I think that for the time being, they are going to want build quality that suggests that. They want glass, metal, rigidity, sturdiness, all that. Until you can actually roll or fold up your e-reader, I don’t see this being a big selling point. But don’t count it out completely; this feature isn’t dead, it’s just sleeping. Another tough one. I don’t have a problem with Android on e-readers — it adds a little credibility somehow, and I’m sure there are going to be a few apps (if there aren’t already) that are meant to run only on e-readers, for customizing this or that, or finding free books. If Android is to be the de facto OS of e-readers, so be it. I feel that Chrome OS will be too much for an e-reader, so it doesn’t pose a threat, nor any of the other mobile or free OSes. They could just as easily run a different Linux-based OS, but Android has name recognition and probably some handy 3G and mobile wi-fi stacks. There is the issue, however, that in some devices Android does more to show what the device is not capable of that what it is. Look at this little thing from Gigabyte. The OS looks completely out of place there, and is a mess to navigate. As for Apps in general, well, I think we’ll see a basic stable of apps develop — things that are applicable to e-ink screens, probably features that the creators should have included. Most e-readers don’t have the kind of displays or usage patterns as other Android devices, so lots of the Marketplace will be pointless. And as for other apps, I guarantee anything worth getting will be integrated into the second generation of the reader as a native function. Color screens and better responsiveness might change this (as would a Pixel Qi rout) but for now I’m saying Apps aren’t going to win any battles. Besides, Apple’s got them licked there. It should be noted that there are plenty of perfectly nice-looking e-book readers out there that are not “special” in any way. Look at this Asus one . Doesn’t it look nice? Yes. But the competition will bury it unless it’s stupid cheap. The Kindle clones will disappear because the vanilla Kindle form factor and feature set will start to show its age to casual consumers this year, especially as alternative and open book stores begin to proliferate (options!) and alternative e-readers penetrate the collective attention bubble. And of course you can expect a totally new device from Amazon this year as well, though they got a bit of a late start . And what will be the effect of the iPad on all this? I don’t want to say much on this, because there’s still a lot to be learned about that device. I said earlier that e-readers will exist alongside tablets for some time, and I stand by that. If people really like to read books on a device of this form factor, I doubt the iPad (or similar devices) will be their only device. Personally, I’m sticking with books , and looking forward to tablets as a way to read newspapers and magazines, which obviously require color and a net connection, neither of which is a guarantee with the current or impending generation of e-readers. I’ll be interested to see how my predictions fare against reality, but I think I’m on solid ground with most of them.