Wireless Tech Chat

Yes, it seems everyone wants to make a game for the iPhone and iPod Touch these days.

After all, Apple’s devices offer gorgeous screens with multi-touch sensitivity, a motion-sensing accelerometer and constant Internet connectivity, all of which makes for some enormously interesting game-playing possibilities.

But equally important is the way Apple has provided software developers both big and small an easy-to-access and affordable method for not only making games for the iPhone but also delivering them directly to consumers.

Apple launched its online store – known as the App Store — in July. And earlier this month they announced that developers had already published some 15,000 applications to the store — everything from games to programs that make farting noises. And consumers are eating it up — the App Store has provided 500 million downloads in the last six months.

“The change in the mobile space isn’t an incremental change,” says Alan Yu, one of the founders of iPhone game company Ngmoco. “We think it’s a sea change in the way mobile games are made.”

That’s hardly hyperbole to indie developers. The software development kit needed to make games for the iPhone can be had for free and it costs only $100 for the registration required to sell games in the App Store. For a guy making a game in his bedroom, it’s like Apple threw open the doors and posted a giant, flashing “Welcome” sign.

Not having an iPhone myself (very satisfied with my Nokia 9500, thank you very much), I cannot attest to the sudden and vast interest in handheld gaming. Hopefully one of my readers will make it ‘big’ with the next, new, hot iPhone game.

And being launched by Britney Spears!

MobileCrunch has lots of photos of the Helio Ocean 2 for Virgin Mobile, which we last saw in a spy shot a few months back. It’s definitely real now.

They don’t have many details, but you can head over to see lots and lots of photos of it in the open and splayed positions.

Superior Technology, Advanced Features, Optimum Usability.
Introducing the most advanced and easy to use golf device of its kind. See the course and the game of golf from a whole new perspective.

From their site:

Highly developed combination of GPS and laser range capabilities
High Resolution Aerial Photography and Satellite Imagery
Stylish, Compact Size
Thousands of Courses Nationwide
No Membership Fee

And press release:

Callaway Golf Company today announced it has acquired uPlay, a Carlsbad, California-based developer and marketer of technically superior consumer electronics devices. The transaction, which was completed on December 31, 2008, is not expected to have a material effect on Callaway Golf Company’s 2009 results. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
In January 2008, uPlay launched the uPro(TM), a distance measuring device that features state-of-the-art technology to make it the most innovative and effective product of its kind.

The House voted Wednesday against a plan to delay a nationwide transition to digital television by four months to June 12.

House Republicans succeeded in scuttling a bill to delay the transition, which is scheduled for Feb. 17, less than two days after the Senate unanimously passed the plan.

The defeat is a setback for the Obama administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who fear too many Americans are not ready for the switchover.

The Nielsen Co. estimates more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog television sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals could see their TV sets go dark next month if the transition is not postponed.

Yet Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va., author of the bill to postpone the switchover, said a delay is the only way to ensure that millions of Americans don’t see their television screens go dark next month.

“The outgoing Bush administration grossly mismanaged the digital television transition and consumers are confused, households are not prepared, and the coupon program for converter boxes is broken,” Rockefeller said in a statement after the House vote.

Gene Kimmelman, vice president for federal policy at the Consumers Union, which has been lobbying for a delay, said he hopes House Democrats will bring the bill up again for a regular floor vote, which would only require majority support to pass.

JK on the RUN posted a great new free program from Microsoft called Microsoft Tag. Here’s a video he posted.

What is it?

Instant information and entertainment.
Microsoft Tag creates unlimited possibilities for making interactive communications an instant, entertaining part of life. They tranform physical media (print advertising, billboards,product packages, information signs, in-store merchandising, or even video images)—into live links for accessing information and entertainment online.

With the Microsoft Tag application, just aim your camera phone at a Tag and instantly access mobile content, videos, music, contact information, maps, social networks, promotions, and more. Nothing to type, no browsers to launch!

What if you could use the camera in your phone as an entry system for long URLs, detailed contact information and more? Wonder no more because you can do just that with Microsoft Tag. It’s a free application in beta for Windows Mobile, J2ME, Symbian S60, BlackBerry and iPhone.

Too bad I have Symbian S80. Although, for those of you out of the stone ages, this looks to be a great little program. If you have downloaded it or use it, let us know how it works fo ryou.

Although my tablet isn’t powerful for Windows 7, this is looking more like the perfect OS for those lower powered computers. And it’s from Microsoft?

Acer files Tablet PC patent.

Long have I wished Compaq/HP extended the Tablet PC line from the ever popular TC1100, what I currently have. It is the perfect form factor for those of us that like the Slate PC with the option of having a keyboard.

From Gotta Be Mobile, Electronic Pulp has gotten their hands on a recent Acer patent showing a “portable electronic device” that resembles a netbook/MID. Little information is known although there is a slide up QWERTY keyboard underneath the screen, it has 3 USB ports, 1 FireWire, Optical Disk Drive, ExpressCard slot, d-pad, Touchpad with left and right buttons, and possible infrared.

My TC1100 has both bluetooth and infrared and Acer’s Tablet PC has at least infrared. No other information has been put forth. So if you know something or have ideas, let us know.

After many leans, innundos and teases, Asus officially launches their 10″ Aspire One.

Anyone who didn’t see this coming just wasn’t paying attention. Acer has officially announced a 10-inch version of the very successful Aspire One Netbook. Other than size there are a couple of interesting new wrinkles.

The new model can be equipped with either an Intel Atom processor with the 945GSE Express chipset or Mobile Intel 820801GBM chipset, although it is unclear if that is a consumer choice or not. It will also be able to be equipped with up to 2GB of RAM.

At a little more than one kilo (1.18 kg), the new 10” Aspire One combines style, great features and a new form factor to provide the best combination of ultra-portability and maximum screen size for navigation and data input.

Designed for an optimal web browsing experience and Internet productivity, the 10” Aspire One includes a 10.1” WSVGA LED backlit display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels that offers a broader vision for more convenient navigation. Integrated on top of the screen is the unique Acer Crystal Eye webcam optimized for poorly lit environments, a tiny window, tastefully encircled by a mirror rim, that keeps you connected to the world though live video streaming, video chats and conferences.

The 10” Aspire One comes with 802.11b/g WiFi and Acer Signal Up technology built-in as standard for easy access to available wireless networks. In addition is equipped with Bluetooth and can also be specified with a choice of embedded WiMAX or 3G wireless technologies for unlimited connectivity.

The 10” Aspire One meets Energy Star 4.0 requirements and can be equipped with a 6-cell Li-ion battery pack. With incredibly low idle power consumption, the 10” Aspire One guarantees up to 7 hours battery life for maximum fun. The battery indicator, placed on the front side is immediately recognizable even when the netbook is folded.

The Lowrance Outback, Safari, and Sierra, these each boast 2.7-inch LCDs, along with a microSD card slot, all the usual outdoor-friendly GPS features, and some nifty additions like a barometric altimeter and 3D electronic compass on the higher end models. Look for them to be available in May for between $230 and $550.

Sierra: Designed for versatility, Sierra provides never before seen expansion capabilities. The device contains 4GB of internal memory and provides a micro SD expansion slot supporting up to an additional 32GB of storage for mapping, pictures and MP3 audio files.

Safari: Fully functional right out of the box, the feature-packed Safari is the ideal all-purpose outdoor handheld GPS. The device includes a large color transflective touch-screen for easy viewing and enhanced functionality. It incorporates a high-performance processor and high-speed memory for quick map redraw and panning; a trip computer that records trails, trip times and distance; pre-loaded mapping content with detailed hill shading,

Outback: Smartly designed for easy, out-of-the-box use, the Outback’s straightforward menu makes navigation simple. Its large color transflective touch-screen allows for easy viewing and operation, and its pre-loaded mapping content with detailed hill shading, topographic contours, primary roads and key Points of Interest (POI) provides accurate and realistic situational awareness. Outback is also easy to customize, including a recording option that saves trails and routes allowing quick recall or sharing, a geocaching application compatible with Geocaching.com

Gizmodo and The Road to Know Where have all the tips, hints and links you could ever want regarding Windows 7.

If you were one of the millions who downloaded Microsoft’s new operating system and are wondering what to do with it, there are some suggestions in the two blue links above.

Gizmodo has Installation advice and a features analysis, such as:

(Note: The beta is free for anyone to download until Saturday, January 24, so hurry!)
• How to Download and Install Windows 7 Beta
• How To Install Win 7 on Macs with Boot Camp
• Understanding the Windows 7 Beta Agreement Fine Print

Windows 7 Feature Analysis:
• Why the Windows 7 Taskbar Beats the Mac OS X Dock
• Why It’s Smart To Go 64-Bit With Windows 7
• Windows 7 Runs Better Than Vista On Netbooks
• Why Windows 7 Will Beat Vista Overall

and many more links and tips.

The Road to Know Where has quite a few Microsoft hints and tips as well:

FREE Windows 7 Beta Test-Drive!
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - Steve Balmer: “I’m thrilled to announce the availability of the Windows 7 beta, which is on track to deliver simplicity and reliability,” Ballmer said. “Windows 7 and Windows Live are part of an incredible pipeline of consumer technology that is making it easier than ever for people to communicate, share and get more done.” (MSDN Recommended: ISO Image Software)
–> Download Windows 7 Beta (unlimited downloads through January 24th)
Release Documents for this Beta Release of Windows 7
“How to” Install Windows 7 Beta with Virtual PC 2007
Installing Windows 7 using a USB Stick
Installing Windows 7 on a Macintosh

Utilities:

Remote Server Administration Tools enables IT administrators to manage roles and features that are installed on computers that are running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008, from a remote computer that is running Windows 7. This feature is comparable in functionality to the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows Vista.
Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) helps install, customize, and deploy the Microsoft Windows 7 beta family of operating systems. (Documentation: Windows AIK Guide)
ZoomIt is screen zoom and annotation tool for technical presentations that include application demonstrations. ZoomIt runs unobtrusively in the tray and activates with customizable hotkeys to zoom in on an area of the screen, move around while zoomed, and draw on the zoomed image.

CNN.com’s LIVE feed with facebook tested the Internet’s ability.

The internet was buzzing and humming along, more or less, with multiple live feeds of one of the worlds most watched events.

The Inauguration’s live feeds didn’t bring the servers and internet crashing down amid computer parts and monitors. Sure, it was slow, jerky and stopped occasionally, but there were millions and millions watching from all around the world.

Comments were pouring in on facebook from places such as Bangladesh, Iran, Mexico, Japan and many more exotic and out of the way places on earth. The whole entire world was waiting for a change in Washington DC, and they got it.

Cell phone service was spotty as well, according to one CNN article on the event.

In anticipation of record-breaking crowds and huge spikes in wireless traffic, carriers added new radio channels to augment existing cell sites, trucked in portable cell-phone towers, boosted wireless capacity at downtown hotels and added staff.

Carriers also have expanded what they call their backhaul systems, which carry wireless traffic from cell phone towers to the land-line network through which those calls are actually routed.

Reports surfaced this week that the U.S. Secret Service might disable or limit cell phone service on Inauguration Day to preserve bandwidth for emergency government users. But a Secret Service spokesman told The Washington Post that the agency has neither the capacity nor the plans to do so.

If you were watching and celebrating and had the opportunity to call, video, send pictures and files, I’d love to hear from you.

Tuesday January 20th
Watch President-elect Barack Obama become the next President of the United States on CNN.com Live. Update your own Facebook status and see status updates from your friends and other Facebook users on CNN.com Live.

Don’t miss out!

Add me on Facebook, Brick ONeil, as we watch this historic day when our Nation Inaugurates our first African American/Black President! What a proud day for the United States, and indeed, the World.

Remember where you were when America’s first chosen African American President was sworn in to bring America back! The entire world waits in eager anticipation, seeing President Elect Obama as the one person who can bring everyone together. What will his first actions, as President, be? How will world leaders welcome him? TIme will tell.

Enjoy history in the making.

From Gizmodo: Michael Arrington’s Minimalist Web Tablet Prototyped, Fulfills (Most) Promises

This is a great idea for students, elderly, people on budgets, or looking for a backup web tablet. Kudos go out to Michael Arrington for thinking of this idea and seeing it through. Not many people would have the courage, let alone the gumption, to develop and start a whole new type of tablet.

It’s not a fully functioning PC, per se, more like a web browsing tablet, if I’m reading correctly. From the article about stats: Behind the screen is a a Via Nano processor, 1GB of RAM and a 4GB flash drive, running a stock Ubuntu install and a custom WebKit browser .

Help make history with President Elect Obama’s whistlestop tour by uploading pictures to Photosynth.

Using techniques from the field of computer vision, Photosynth examines images for similarities to each other and uses that information to estimate the shape of the subject and the vantage point each photo was taken from. With this information, we recreate the space and use it as a canvas to display and navigate through the photos. Photosynth was inspired by the breakthrough research on Photo Tourism from the University of Washington and Microsoft Research. This work pioneered the use of photogrammetry to power a cinematic and immersive experience

System requirements: Personal Computer running WindowsX86 or x64 500-megahertz (MHz) or higher processor with 128-megabytes (MB) of RAM

Mac OS 10.4.8+ (Intel-based)Intel Core Duo 1.83-gigahertz (GHz) or higher processor with 128-MB of RAM

See Silverlight Requirements page for compatible operating systems and browsers

Read more HERE.

Brought to you from the good folks at Engadget, Trispecs introduces their new line of bluetooth sunglasses.

With specifications like:

TriSpecs sunglasses are now available with a variety of features, styles, and colors.
• Power turns on by extending the in-ear speakers
• Voice prompts and voice dialing for easy, hands-free use
• Instant, dynamic volume to compensate for noise changes in the environment
• Retractable standard earbud speakers or upgrade with in-ear barrel speakers
• One-touch activation of phone calls
• MP3 and call control buttons on the arms of the glasses
• Available in black, white, and metallic with optional designs and style elements

More:

Product Specifications
􀁸 Bluetooth Specification Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, backward compatible with 1.2
􀁸 Bluetooth Profiles Handsfree, Stereo Headset, A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP
􀁸 Music Frequency Response 20 Hz – 20000Hz
􀁸 Telephony Frequency Response 00 Hz – 3000Hz
􀁸 Battery Type Integrated rechargeable Li-Ion Polymer
􀁸 Battery life when fully charged Talk Time - 7 hrs
􀁸 Battery life when fully charged Music Playing - 5 hrs
􀁸 Battery life when fully charged Standby Time - 70 hrs
􀁸 Charging Time Fast charge (to 80% capacity) in 1.5 hrs; Full charge in 2.5 hours
􀁸 Connectivity Built in port for USB (Micro) cable connection
􀁸 Additional Feature Firmware upgradeable via USB
􀁸 Radio Frequency 2.4GHz, GFSK
􀁸 Weight 52 g (1.8 oz)
􀁸 Operation / Storage environment -10ºC to 50ºC; 5% to 90% relative humidity
􀁸 Charging environment 0ºC to 45ºC