Archive for the 'Wireless' Category

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E3: So here is the PS3 Controller

Published on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 in Gaming, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

There was a lot of controversy when Sony initially debuted their idea for the boomerang controller at last year’s E3. So what did they do from then until now; not much. They used the PS2′s DualShock 2 controller and adapted it. They have added bluetooth support so that it is wireless and, the big feature, X-Y-Z, pitch, roll, yaw and lateral motion detection like that on the Wii. However, there is no vibration! That will annoy a lot of fans, because that is one feature that is in every current and next gen console. They say that they couldn’t include it because it interfere’s with the system:

Pursuant to the introduction of this new six-axis sensing system, the vibration feature that is currently available on DUALSHOCK and DUALSHOCK 2 controllers for PlayStation and PlayStation 2, will be removed from the new PS3 controller as vibration itself interferes with information detected by the sensor.

This will be a missed feature, but will the virtual control be worth it? It seems that Sony has ripped off Nintendo and just stole their idea, not giving their console anything truly special (apart from the Cell).

UPDATE: It looks like that Sony didn’t steal their idea from Nintendo, but from MS and Logitech who made the technology in 1999! [link]

PS3 controller re-design today at E3? (again)

Published on Monday, May 8, 2006 in Gaming, Technology and Wireless. Closed

UK Technology Magazine T3 gave news yesterday that the PS3 controller might be re-designed this monday (today) at E3.

T3 will be attending Sony’s pre-E3 conference on Monday where, amongst other juicy PS3-related titbits, we’ll get our first sighting of the new joypad.
The controller will certainly be wireless, and we’ve heard one or two murmurs that suggest some kind of motion sensitivity might find its way in – a nod to Nintendo and its radical, revolutionary Wii controller, perhaps?

But, as of 7:43PM GMT, no news has been posted by T3, and no-one has yet reported of such a thing. Could this be a rumour once again that T3 latched onto, or is this the real deal. Because the UK’s time is far ahead of US time, it could still happen. I’ll be posting the latest E3 news as it arrives.

UPDATE: You can watch the live stream of Sony’s E3 press conference at 4PM PT (11PM GMT) for free (thanks to Gamespot). So indeed this appears to be true, let’s see what Sony unveils! [link]

DS Lite coming in June to the US for $129

Published on Monday, May 8, 2006 in Gaming, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

Nintendo have officially announced the release date and the price for the DS Lite. The DS Lite will be released in the US on June 11 and could be priced as low as $129, which could mean that bundles could be available. In the press release some key details were added to show the main advantages of the DS Lite over the DS.

It’s less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter.
Its two bright screens can be adjusted to four levels to adapt to different lighting conditions and to extend battery power.
The microphone sits in the center of the unit, and the LED lights are clearly visible whether the unit is open or closed.
The stylus is 1 centimeter longer and 1 millimeter thicker than the stylus of the original, and slides into a side storage slot.
The Start and Select buttons were repositioned for easier access.
A removable cover keeps the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot clear from dust and debris when it’s not in use.

When WiFi meets with SD Memory: Eye-fi

Published on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 in Internet, Noteworthy, PC, Technology and Wireless. Closed

eyefi

This is a really great idea. I wonder why no-one ever thought of it before. The idea is it occupies a standard SD/MMC slot and is the same size. As well as having a 1GB capacity, it also has a 802.11g WiFi chip embedded into it. This means no extra attachements for that Treo or other PDA. I really like the Treo 700w because I prefer Windows Mobile over Palm OS (I find it nicer, and it has more apps), however the no WiFi was a problem. This is a very good, and cheap solution at $100. I would definitely buy something like this if it ever came out (saves the WiFi CF card in my Axim X5). But we probably wouldn’t see it in the UK.
Another use of this is to wirelessly transfer our photos from your digicam to your PC or upload it to a server or service (such as Flickr or TextAmerica). However, I think that would be harder to implement as camera manufacturers would need to already have menus/support for it, which could be a problem.

Stream iTunes to your PSP

Published on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 in Apple, Internet, Podcasting, Shorts, Software, Technology and Wireless. 1 Comment

Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a very popular device and has sold a few million units, but when compared to Apple’s iPod, the PSP lacks storage space. Luckily, the PSP has a built in WiFi card to make up for this disadvantage. With a few simple steps, all of which are included in this tutorial, anyone can stream any non-copyright music from their iTunes library to their PSP.

The 5-Step Setup Procedure:
1) Download iTunes-PSP-Server.exe and save it to your desktop.
2) Disable any firewalls and/or keep port 8080 open.
3) Launch iTunes and then click on the iTunes-PSP-Server after.
4) In IE/Firefox open the page “http://localhost:8080″
5) Setup is complete if an “iTunes RSS Server” page appeared.

Installing a WiFi adapter into the Xbox

Published on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 in Gaming, Microsoft, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

This is a really cool tutorial which explains to you how to install a wifi adapter into your Xbox (1) so that you don’t have to have that extra baggage. All this does is use the power from the Xbox (via a 8-inch power cable splitter) to supply the power to the WiFi adapter, and use an external small CAT5 cable to hook the units up. They use a Netgear WGE-111, because it is small and will fit inside the Xbox. So this will work for other adapters, but it may not fit inside the Xbox as neatly as this does (or at all); Note: The power supplied by the Xbox is 5V so make sure you don’t overpower the circuit inside your adapter. The tutorial is very detailed, showing you what parts to cut off inside the Xbox, and what to connect where. The end result looks quite neat, at least I think so!

You Know You Go to a Tech School When…

Published on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 in Random Stuff, Shorts, Technology and Wireless. Closed

I don’t know what a typical college campus is like. Everything I’ve experienced at Georgia Tech is apparently not normal for a university lacking “tech” in the title. I’ve compiled a few things I’ve noticed around school for your enjoyment on this slow news day. Here we go. You’d be surprised at how much I’m not exaggerating.

This is pretty funny and interesting. We don’t see much of this at our high school, as our tech support is quite unfriendly! We have some evil people there, (and some nice ones too), but they don’t like you sniffing around, even if you know what you’re doing!

Apple Fixing MacBook Pro Issues

Published on Monday, April 3, 2006 in Apple, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

Daily Tech has got some good news for the folk with MacBook Pro’s. Apple has updated the MacBook Pro’s with a newer revision, fixing all the problems people have been complaining about. These include the screen flickering at the lowest setting, MBP being very hot, Airport issues and the whining sound some MBP have been making. Tuan at Daily Tech spoke with Apple at the weekend and was able to comfirm with them some of the problems they’ve been having with the MBPs.

According to Apple, it has begun replacing the mainboard inside its MacBook Pros with a new revision. It calls the udpated product “revision D”, which is identifiable by product serial number.

Serial numbers starting with W8611: revision D

Serial numbers starting with W8610: revision C

Apple said that revision D MacBook Pros have many issues addressed and improvements made, including fixes to the above mentioned issues. We were also able to get a hold of a MacBook Pro that just arrived during the week with a serial number starting with W8612, which did not exhibit any of the above issues.

Apple also said that if your MacBook Pro has any problem you should first check your serial number whether you should be exempt from these problems, and then contact Apple who will fix it for you. If your MBP gets too hot, or hotter than you think and your serial number is the one affected, then Apple said that they will replace your MBP with a newer revision. Finally, Apple have addressed the problem, but I wish that they were more open about it, at least announce that they are investigating the problem so that we know there is hope!

DS Lite is released in Japan! (with photos)

Published on Thursday, March 2, 2006 in Gaming, Shorts, Technology and Wireless. Closed

The Nintendo DS Lite has now officially arrived in Japan. At 8:00 pm Eastern standard time, 10:00 am Japanese time, the upgraded portable gaming device was unleashed upon frenzied Japanese gamers throughout the country.
Those anticipating the arrival of the device were out in full force late last night (early this morning for us) as widespread shortages of Nintendo’s latest product are fully expected. In what has been described as an exceptionally cold night, riddled by freezing, raining conditions. The long lines traditionally associated with the release of a new gaming system started off slow, presumably due to the inhospitable weather conditions present in Japan, however accelerated greatly throughout the night.

Apple Special Event – Feb 22nd 2006, fake?

Published on Sunday, February 5, 2006 in Apple, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

Apple has sent out invitations to select members of the media for an Apple Special Event on February 22^nd 2006. The event will be held in the Moscone Centre in San Francisco. I’ll add updates as more info arrives.
So what is so special? Well the fact that people are still missing the Mac Mini DVR and the Intel iBook. Well the device in the invitation looks like an Aiport Express, could this be an update that will stream video? We’ll have to wait, but rumors will rise once again.

One person, who commented on the digg story, wrote:

February 22nd? Doubt it’ll be much, I think they’ll save the big guns (aka iBook/MacBooks, MacTablet, etc.) for a special event late March or early April for their 30th Anniversary on April 1st that Steve eluded to at MWSF. This may be a new airport express, bluetooth mighty mouse, or other such upgrades on the accessory front. But I wouldn’t expect anything beyond maybe that rumored 1 GB Nano or something to replace/update the very aged (in comparison to other iPod’s) Shuffle line. Not to say that be a bad thing though, I personally would like to see a Bluetooth version of the Mighty Mouse myself. But I doubt this is going to be anything big/huge/etc. I have a feeling this is going to be the pre-show, and the main event (or as Jobs might say, one more thing…) will come closer to their 30th Anniversary on April 1st, probably the tuesday before or after knowing Apple and special events…

I think he is right, it seems a bit early for a huge announcement, and they can have another ‘One more thing’ event later on.

UPDATE: I’ve had some reports that this is fake. The Appleology blog seems to think so too, and points out numerous good reasons why it most likely is a fake. Firstly “Apple wouldn’t use the terms, “Apple Special Event”, more like “One More Thing…”. ” and “Apple wouldn’t use an image of a product that they were planning to release, more like a little hint. The reason why the last Apple Special Event had a curtain in the background, was because of Front Row. They didn’t actually have a picture of a remote, just a curtain to symbolize a theater.“. There are other reasons, and the one I think is most valid is the fact that “The person who submitted the photo has other photos of poor Photoshop jobs and some fake rumors, such as a widescreen iPod.” [link]