Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 149 of 168)

      Can Natal Support 5 years of “Maxed Out” Development?

      June 9, 2009 /

      In a recent interview with Official Xbox Magazine, Electronic Arts Senior VP Patrick Soderlund said his company has “maxed out the 360.” As a major developer for the 360 platform, EA hitting the development ceiling could be an issue, particularly considering Microsoft’s 10-year plan for the 360.

      The news isn’t all bad for Microsoft. Soderlund said he’s been very impressed with the 360, but that he would have a headache if he were running Sony. It’s unclear exactly what that means, though he’s probably referring to developer support for both platforms. Plenty of folks have mentioned the ass-chapping support coming from Sony. Soderlund told OXM that EA has yet to max out the PS3.

      If the 360 is already getting maxed by developers, what’s in store for the next 5 years? Obviously we have Natal to look forward to in 2010, but can motion control keep the console alive into 2015? Obviously Natal has the potential to win a non-gaming consumer base, but what about the Halo demographic? What of the competitive gamers? Will they be looking at the same graphics 5 years from now? If so, is that all bad?

      Several genres have relied heavily on graphical improvements to keep people interested (FPS comes immediately to mind). Graphical stasis could give developers a chance to focus more energy on gameplay, which is a great thing for gamers in any genre.

      Gaming, microsoft

      OS 3.0: The Big News of WWDC?

      June 8, 2009 /

      Find My iPhoneWith all the excitement surrounding the new iPhone release it’s difficult not to notice the absence of a certain, rumored to be healthy CEO. Apple restructured their laptop line, announced two OS updates, and announced the newest iPhone, all without their captain at the helm. Hopefully Jobs will soon be well enough to return to his handicapped parking space.

      We’ve talked Macbooks, we’ve talked iPhone, but Apple spent most of the keynote on OS 3.0 and the new options it yields for developers. All of this stuff was really old hat – landscape keyboard, copy and paste, tethering, MMS. The big disappointment so far is that tethering and MMS are both unsupported by AT&T at this time, with support apparently coming at the end of the summer. Why AT&T can’t get it together when 20 other carriers can baffles me.

      One cool feature coming to OS 3.0 on the 17th is “Find My iPhone.” The service, which is only available to MobileMe customers, allows you to locate your phone on a map using a web browser. Using the service you can also send alerts to the phone, including a message stating, “This phone is lost. If found, please call me at [number you specify].” (You can actually input any message, this is just the one Apple demoed.) You can do this from a distance, allowing you, hopefully, to get your phone back. Find My iPhone also includes a sort of kill pill, allowing you to remote wipe the phone. It would be really nice if it could disable the phone, rendering it useless to whomever snags it should they not acquiesce with your return requests. The remote wipe is really there to ensure your privacy, though, allowing you to restore the phone to factory settings from a distance. I smell some nasty pranks coming with this one. Don’t leave your MobileMe password where your friends can find it.

      Apple relinquished the stage late in their 3.0 presentation, allowing developers to showcase new functions like GPS navigation and in-game purchases. The developer presentations dragged on, plagued twice by technical difficulties and eating up precious minutes. By the 100 minute mark I would bet few people were hoping for an iPhone update. It came, though, fitting the remaining time slot well as more of an evolution than a revolution.

      Apple, GPS, iPhone, Mobile

      Say Hello To The iPhone 3G[S]

      June 8, 2009 /

      The iPhone 3GS!We’ve all been waiting for it. We’ve all seen the rumors. Some of us have even spent loads of time in photoshop doing some mythbusting. Plenty of us have held off on buying a new phone for just this announcement. Well wait no more, fanboys and girls; the new iPhone is here!

      Set to be available on June 19th (just two days after 3.0 drops), the 3GS matches up to many speculations we’ve seen over the past few months. For starters, adding the S to the nomenclature stands for speed, because it’s the fastest iPhone ever made at an average of 2X the power (they didn’t release hardware specs). There is, of course, the much needed camera upgrade, lifting your picture-snapping from an abysmal 2 megapixels to an improved 3MP with autofocus and autoexposure. It won’t be replacing your point and shoot anytime soon, but the hardware upgrade was a must, and autoexposure is a great feature for a mobile phone. Simply tap the area on the photo you want exposed and the software adjusts accordingly.

      Doesn't matter if you're black or white.

      Also included in the update is the much rumored (and nearly confirmed a while back) magnetometer, turning your iPhone into an accurate compass. This one should be a nice little boon for those GPS software developers, giving more accurate turning information. What else will developers do with a compass? At least one mindless “point to this direction” game I’m sure.

      As for the things we didn’t fully expect, the 3GS will support 7.2 HSDPA, which is great news as more carriers (including AT&T) update their networks. There is also Nike+ support and voice control for added accessibility and hands-free operation. They’ve also added VoiceOver support that will read what you touch on screen.

      Also, instead of releasing multiple new phones, the iPhone 3GS comes in black or white, both at the 16GB ($199) and 32GB ($299) levels, adding up to the 4 phones that were predicted. That rumored $99 device? That’s the new price for the iPhone 3G.

      Did they do enough to bring the iPhone up to “real smartphone” speeds? Let us know in the comments.

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile

      Apple Updates Their Notebook Line

      June 8, 2009 /

      Macbook Pro 15-inch.Phil Schiller’s Keynote address is happening as I write this, and he’s just unveiled the new 15-inch Macbook Pro. It looks like Apple is rethinking the Macbook/Macbook Pro strategy, going to a more diverse product lineup for the Macbook Pro. All of the unibody Macbooks now sport the Macbook Pro brand, starting at 13 inches.

      So Apple has officially dropped the Macbook tag down to just one white, polycarbonate spec which got a much quieter update than the keynote Macbook Pro update today. In terms of price, Apple’s new lineup looks like this.

      White Macbook – $999
      13-inch Macbook Pro – $1199
      15-inch Macbook Pro – $1699
      17-inch Macbook Pro – $2499
      Macbook Air – $1499/$1799 ($700 price cut on second-tier)

      Obviously upgrades are going to cost you, but the update looks to streamline Apple’s approach to the notebook market. Apple has also lifted the ceiling on upgrades to their notebooks, allowing you to get up to 8GB of RAM and a 3.06 Dual Core 6MB L2 Cache. Other upgrades are storage size, including the option for a 256GM SSD instead of a 500GB HD.

      Apple has also added an SD slot to all of the Macbook Pros, making them more digital camera friendly. This does mean exclusion of the ExpressCard slot, which is now only available on the 17-incher.

      Almost forgot – Firewire 800 is back. The new Macbook Pros will be available today, as soon as the Apple Store is back up and running.

      Check back for more from Apple’s Keynote later today.

      Apple, Computers

      Pre Sells 50,000 Units In First Weekend

      June 8, 2009 /

      Palm Pre and accessories.There were all sorts of doubts surrounding Palm’s Pre Launch. Whether it was a shortage of hardware, a lackluster phone, or the short-term Sprint exclusivity, plenty folks had their reasons for thinking the phone would flop.

      According to early reports out of the Wall Street Journal, the Pre was a bigger hit than many expected. According to the WSJ, the Pre sold 50,000 units over the weekend, marking the launch a success, at least for now. By comparison, the iPhone sold 146,000 units at launch, but as we know, the Pre isn’t the iPhone, and 50,000 units is nothing to scoff at. Still, I have to wonder, will today’s WWDC Keynote have an effect on upcoming sales?

      And what of inventory? Many stores report being sold out of the phone. Some go so far as to claim the device is sold out nationwide. If a new iPhone announcement doesn’t kill the Pre, how long will consumers have to wait for the next shipment?

      A JP Morgan analyst says they’re coming this week. I hope so, for Palm’s sake.

      Source: ZDNet

      iPhone, Mobile

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