Ramblings from the Marginalized

One of the biggest hits of Christmas '07 has to be Guitar Hero III. Today the battle persists between the Guitar Hero franchise and the newcomer Rockband. Guitar Hero just got a leg up in the battle because toy maker Basic Fun will be launching a handheld version of the game at the International Toy Fair, February 17th – 20th at the Javits Center, New York, NY.

Basic Fun’s Guitar Hero Carabiner features a playable and portable take on the original Guitar Hero with a few noticeable differences. The first is the size – the Guitar Hero Carabiner, at about 75% the size of the original, measures 7 ¾” X 3”. The second is the price. Basic Fun’s Guitar Hero Carabiner retails for a suggested $14.99.

“Basic Fun has worked with Activision and Red Octane, the game’s original developer, to bring the Guitar Hero experience to this unique, pocket sized format,” said Basic Fun President Alan Dorfman.

I don't know about you but I have never been a fan of these handheld LCD games. I remember playing the sports ones as a kid but I never liked them much. It might have been because my brother always kicked my ass on the football game we had.

No word on song selections but don't expect stereo sound or MP3 riffs coming out of this thing.

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Starting on February 10, 2008 you will be able to buy the new Cobalt Blue/Black DS Lite. Cobalt Blue/Black marks the seventh color in the Nintendo DS Lite palette. It joins Polar White, Coral Pink, Onyx, Crimson/Black and the limited-edition Gold and Metallic Rose. Now there's a Nintendo DS color to complement any outfit.

So, anyone willing to place their bets on when the Wii gets a color makeover?

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At CES this year Shuttle showed off a number of new PCs. The one that caught everyone's eye was the new KPC line of computers.

These new machines come with Linux pre-loaded for $199 or in a bare bones configuration for $99.

Preliminary Specifications:
• Intel 945GC Chipset
• Intel Celeron 420 Processor
• GMA 950 Graphics
• 80GB Hard Drive
• 512MB DDR2 Memory
• 4 USB Ports
• Ethernet Port
• 5.1 Channel Audio
• Linux OS with Shuttle Theme

Shuttle has not released any information on internal drive bays and/or PCI slots but you could easily add a USB based optical drive to the machine. The Celeron CPU runs at 1.60 GHz with a Front Side Bus speed of 800MHz and 512KB of L2 Cache.

These machines are also smaller than their XPC line of computers so there may not even be enough room in the case for an optical drive.

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From the Press Release:

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Playing video games online often limits avid gamers to one television or computer in the home with a poor connection not optimized for serious online gaming. For gamers looking for a solution to their connection troubles, Corinex introduces GameNet, the latest in online console gaming connectivity solutions.

For $169.99 and with a simple two minute installation, consumers can connect their gaming consoles to the Internet from any room in the home and experience the ultimate gaming adventure.

GameNet creates a secure, faster than Wireless, 200 Mbps connection with mobile plug-in adapters which utilize the existing electrical wiring in the home to create the fastest, most stable connection between the Internet and any Ethernet-enabled gaming console. GameNet can even connect multiple game consoles together for large gaming events.

After reading this far I was impressed. I thought GameNet was some new form of broadband. 200 Mbps connections, that just sounds awesome! then i got to thinking.

If this thing connects to your own broadband connection what is the point of having 200Mbps in your home? You still have the bottleneck that is your DSL/Cable ISP service. Why would anyone pay $169.99 just to have 200Mbps in their house? My Wi-Fi router does 54Mbps wireless and 100Mbps wired, which is good enough for me.

So, can anyone out there tell me why I might want to buy one of these?

GameNet is designed for use with XBOX™, XBOX™ 360, Wii™, PS®2, and PS®3.

By connecting one of the GameNet adapters to a broadband modem or computer and plugging it into a nearby power outlet, gamers can plug the second adapter into the Ethernet port of their game console in any room of their home. The adapters automatically configure to provide consumers with a secure and fast Internet connection. As rooms are rearranged, the adapters can be moved without harming the online connection.

GameNet is available starting today for $169.99. For more information and to purchase GameNet, visit Corinex at www.corinex.com/retail.

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Saitek Industries Ltd. (www.saitekusa.com) announced today that it will be showcasing the new 2008 product lineup in its off-site CES suite at the Bellagio Hotel. Highlights include new products for Saitek’s Cyborg line, including a Cyborg keyboard, mouse, headset and über-cool color and style coordinated SOHO PC peripherals.

Cyborg Keyboard

Most notable of the line is the Cyborg Keyboard, which features Saitek’s signature feature, TruVu, tri-color illumination (red, green and amber) and is fully adjustable. The Cyborg Keyboard’s 12 programmable keys, media keys and durable key surfaces make it the perfect choice for gamers.

Cyborg Mouse

The Cyborg Mouse is 3200 dpi, fully adjustable and features adjustable weight and a programmable low-profile 4-way hat switch. The fully programmable Cyborg Mouse also features blue lighting.

Cyborg Headset

The Cyborg Headset features true 5.1 surround-sound with three drivers per ear and is compatible with USB or 3.5 mm jack.

Flight Instrument Panels

The new Saitek Flight Instrument Panel – a color LCD screen designed to replicate the instruments used in real aircraft cockpits – will be available in early 2008. One or multiple Pro Flight Instrument Panels can be mounted on the Pro Flight Yoke System to display cockpit instrument panels from Flight Simulator X, including Altimeter, Attitude Indicator, Airspeed Indicator, Navigation Indicator etc. A supplied Software Development Kit will also allow programmers to develop further interactions with other games.

R660GT Force Wheel

The new R660GT racing wheel features an innovative stability mechanism which allows the user unique control whether the wheel is used on the lap or mounted to a fixed surface. A separate pedal unit features a pivoted gas and brake pedals—as the pedals are in a real car. The R660 features Immersion’s patented force feedback technology.

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MARINA DEL REY, Calif. & LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CinemaNow, a digital entertainment innovator delivering high-quality Hollywood movies and TV shows across multiple platforms, today announced a partnership with TAVI to offer consumers a customized CinemaNow video service developed to work seamlessly with TAVI’s 030 Portable IPTV Media Player. The new service will enable TAVI IPTV Media Player users to directly download and playback CinemaNow’s extensive library of Hollywood and independent video content on-the-go. Users will also be able to utilize the device to watch their CinemaNow content on television.

CinemaNow will offer the largest selection of movies, TV shows and music videos available on the Web through its embedded store within the TAVI 030 IPTV Media Player and manage content licensing and delivery for consumers. Priced from $1.99 to $19.99, CinemaNow’s offerings will include major movie and television releases from Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. In addition, CinemaNow will offer TAVI 030 users music videos and concerts from EMI and Sony BMG, along with various programming from the Sundance Channel, A&E, the History Channel, Egami and many other creators.

“CinemaNow is evolving in the digital entertainment landscape by continuously cultivating new ways to deliver high-quality movies and TV shows across multiple platforms,” said David Cook, COO of CinemaNow. “The partnership with an innovative company such as TAVI extends CinemaNow’s ongoing initiative of developing customized digital entertainment technologies for various consumer electronics devices.”

Users will be able to watch their CinemaNow videos on the TAVI 030’s interactive touch screen, which supports high-definition picture qualities and 5:1 channel surround sound. The TAVI 030 is also equipped with the TAVI Media Bus, a management service platform that connects the device to the home media network to allow users to watch their content on PCs and television sets. Additionally, the TAVI 030 is capable of storing up to 60 hours of high quality video or 15,000 hours of music, offering users plenty of space to store their CinemaNow content.

“TAVI is dedicated to setting a new standard in multimedia viewing experience by delivering powerful and robust streaming IPTV technology for consumers,” said Chong-Ho Choi, CEO of TAVI. “We are confident that working with CinemaNow to provide a rich multimedia experience will create an elevated digital entertainment experience for consumers.”

“The pairing of TAVI’s unique video playback capabilities with CinemaNow’s industry-leading content library promises to elevate the mobile video experience to a new level of quality and convenience,” said Dan Hsieh, TAVI Advisory Board member and former Disney strategy SVP. “By creating a secure platform that allows consumers to easily access and enjoy their content in any location on any screen, TAVI and CinemaNow have created a win-win proposition that will appeal to consumers and content providers alike.”

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MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today announced Cruzer® Titanium Plus, a USB flash drive that offers automatic online backup for every file copied to the drive, giving users true peace of mind. Cruzer Titanium Plus will be featured at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show from Jan. 7 to 10, where SanDisk will be demonstrating products at Booth #30768, South Hall 3, in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Cruzer Titanium Plus, with a capacity of four gigabytes (GB)¹, is the first flash memory product from SanDisk to offer online backup. Users get the best of both worlds, with access online and offline: Data is always available when Cruzer Titanium Plus is plugged into any computer. Users also get quick access to their backed-up files through any computer connected to the Internet, should they forget to bring the drive with them, or if the drive is lost or stolen.

Getting started with Cruzer Titanium Plus is fast and simple, and the drive comes with six months of free online backup service. After quickly opening a personal password-protected online account, any files copied to the drive – such as documents, photos, digital music, spreadsheets, digital video or work presentations – are automatically backed up online. If the computer isn’t online when files are copied to the drive, the backup will take place automatically the next time there is an Internet connection.

Cruzer Titanium Plus even helps protect the user against accidentally deleting important files. Files deleted from the drive can be easily recovered by signing into the online backup account.²

“This is true ‘set it and forget it’ data protection. Many users have told us they worry about losing their data, and now SanDisk is reducing that anxiety through an innovative new form of online backup,” said Hezy Rotman, vice president and general manager of SanDisk’s USB Division. “We believe Cruzer Titanium Plus will encourage people to use flash drives for storing important data, not just transferring files from one computer to another.”

Beyond online backup, Cruzer Titanium Plus offers several additional data protection features:

• A rugged, crush-resistant metal case, reducing the risk of physical damage.
• Optional security by turning on password protection – with AES hardware data encryption – for all files stored on the drive, preventing other people from accessing user data if the drive is lost or stolen.
• Two years of free lost-and-found service from BoomerangItâ„¢, to increase the chances users will get the drive back if it’s misplaced. Cruzer Titanium Plus comes with a BoomerangIt sticker to put on the drive; if the drive is recovered, the owner typically pays shipping costs and provides a small reward.

The online backup service for Cruzer Titanium Plus is powered by BeInSync, a leader in data backup, synchronization, access and sharing. Storage for BeInSync online backup is provided by Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of Amazon.com that gives businesses access to in-the-cloud web services they can use to enable virtually any type of application. Amazon has spent over 12 years and billions of dollars building the infrastructure, technical knowledge, and operational excellence to operate a world class web-scale computing platform, which means Cruzer Titanium Plus user data is stored with the same technology that Amazon.com utilizes for its retail business. BeInSync further protects users by encrypting all files during transmission from Cruzer Titanium Plus to Amazon’s servers.

“The goal of Amazon Web Services is to enable companies of all sizes to develop innovative new products and services for their customers, without having to worry about the hassle and expense of maintaining a massive web-scale infrastructure on the back end. SanDisk’s online backup service for Cruzer Titanium Plus is an excellent example of how this is working today,” said Adam Selipsky, Vice President of Product Management and Developer Relations for Amazon Web Services. “Additionally, by using Amazon Web Services, SanDisk and BeInSync can extend the security and reliability of Amazon’s technology infrastructure to their own customers.”

“SanDisk is offering an appealing package for consumers by marrying both online and offline storage into one easy and intuitive device, letting users take their files everywhere with less worry about data loss,” said Motti Vaknin, CEO of BeInSync. “SanDisk is the largest supplier of flash storage devices worldwide, so its selection of BeInSync as its online backup provider greatly validates our approach, as well as extending our software and services to a vast new customer base.”

Pricing and Availability

Cruzer Titanium Plus is expected to be available in the United States in March, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail prices of $59.99. The online backup service requires Windows 2000 (SP4), Windows XP or Windows Vista. After six months of free service, online backup costs $29.99 per year (credit card required).

SanDisk Corporation, the inventor and world’s largest supplier of flash storage cards, is a global leader in flash memory – from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk’s product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk (www.sandisk.com/corporate) is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.

¹ 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes.

² Files deleted from the drive will be kept online for 30 days, as long as the total of backed up files from the device and deleted files do not exceed available online backup capacity. Available online backup capacity matches the physical capacity of the drive.

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REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Microvision (NASDAQ:MVIS), developer of light-scanning technologies for display and imaging products, will unveil at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week an advanced prototype of the first handheld, battery-powered, ‘plug-and-play’ projector based on the company’s single micro-mirror laser scanning display technology.

Code-named SHOW™, Microvision’s stand-alone pico projector intended for mobile device applications, is powered by the company’s proprietary ultra-miniature PicoP™ display engine. Microvision will preview the PDA-sized, fully self-contained, battery operated, full-color laser projector to select global OEMs, mobile carriers, content providers, development partners and members of the media.

SHOW connects directly to laptops, mobile phones, portable media players (PMPs), digital cameras and other mobile devices to project large, high-resolution images and video onto any surface. The images projected can range anywhere from 12 inches (30 cm) to 100 inches (2.5 m) in size depending upon the projection distance and are always in focus. The production version of the device is expected to offer approximately 2.5 hours of continuous battery life, sufficient to watch a full-length movie without a need for recharging.

Microvision says that SHOW can project a widescreen, WVGA (848 X 480 pixels), DVD quality image — offering a very different experience from the tiny 2-inch display solutions available today on various portable devices. Designed for viewing high-quality projected images in a variety of controlled lighting environments, SHOW offers more than five times the resolution compared with competing miniature projectors that typically only offer QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels).

At the heart of SHOW is Microvision’s PicoP display engine, measuring close to 5 cc in volume and approximately 7 mm thick (approximately the size of a thin mint chocolate candy). Microvision envisions the PicoP display engine being used not only in stand-alone accessory products like SHOW, but also embedded directly into mobile consumer products.

“Consumers want better display solutions that will enrich their experience in watching TV, videos and movies, in playing games, and in browsing the web from their cell phones and other mobile devices,” points out Alexander Tokman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Microvision. “While mobile multi-media subscription services are on the rise, handset manufacturers, content providers and service providers view tiny cell phone displays as a barrier to stronger consumer adoption of their products and services. With Microvision’s SHOW you could view and share everything ranging from YouTube videos, MSN newscasts, and Google search results to PowerPoint presentations, feature-length films, and family photos in a large, full-color, hi-resolution format instead of a 2-inch, QVGA display.”

“SHOW is a significant milestone for Microvision and is proof that our technology is maturing according to plan and is close to being market-ready. Microvision’s low-profile and low-power design, supported by leading supply chain partners, is very attractive to numerous mobile handset device manufactures, carriers and content providers. We believe that this milestone is meaningful not only for our company but for the industry at large,” concluded Tokman.

Microvision’s advanced prototypes of SHOW will be available in limited quantities to select OEM and carrier partners for customer feedback and applications development in the first half of 2008. The release of a commercial product is targeted for the end of 2008. Demonstrations of SHOW will be held during CES 2008, and again at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona in February 2008.

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