Who said hybrids had to be boring, slow and soul less? BMW recently debuted their new 2009 7 Series ActiveHybrid at the 2008 LA Autoshow. With some subtle changes from the 2008 model year the new 7 series ActiveHybrid from BMW is expected to make it’s US arrival for consumers sometime in 2009. BMW is trying to stay on top of the high MPG and low carbon emissions game by releasing other green models in the near future as well, they’re said to still be pushing through with their new diesel technology for US bound models.
A man on Ebay bought an “as is” Macbook Air that upon closer inspection, is believed to be one of the early prototypes of the ultra thin notebook. This progenitor Macbook Air features some noticeable differences from the consumer ready Macbook Airs. The bottom is a dark aluminum and the microphone position near the web cam is off. It is still unknown how this Macbook Air managed to escape from the top secret underground Cupertino lab but rest assured Apple’s fleet of cybernetic “Terminators” is fresh on the trail. Maybe it would be in the owner’s best interest to get rid of the Macbook Air before being slapped with an injunction.
A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council has shown that if you leave your Sony Playstation 3 plugged in all the time, and you play it frequently, you could add about $145 to your electric bill every year. Although the other gaming consoles do take a lot juice to run, except for the Nintendo Wii, there is a solution to this issue. You must always turn off your console (merely putting it in standby mode won’t help) and physically unplugging the device could save you money on your electric bill. There is of course another solution. Start reading books!
In a somewhat high profile move, National Geographic has announced intentions to enter the mainstream video game market. National Geographic intends to publish games across all platforms from consoles to mobile. Analysts are saying that National Geographic’s entry into the video game market is a testament to the mainstream appeal of games. National Geographic’s games will be very family friendly and they have already teamed up with other gaming companies such as Sony. The creative talent behind the team will include a former executive for Bethesda (the makers of the Elder Scroll:Morrowind and Oblivion as well as Fallout 3) who will ensure that this is no half-ass attempt. National Geographic is very serious about this move.
-Derek
Projectors are getting increasingly popular now with the rise of HD. Their screen size and portability compared to TV’s make them ideal for people on the move. Konica Minolta is now currently developing an ultra mini-projector that will be about the size of a thumb drive. We reported before on an existing mini-projector named the MPro110 pocket sized projector but if the reports are to be believed the new mini-projector by Konica Minolta will be at least 5 times smaller than that. The mini-projector will be able to project a 20 inch screen in XGA resolutions from a distance of about 2 ft. Don’t hold your breath just yet though as this mini-projector will not be available for consumers for at least another 2-3 years.
Virgin Atlantic America along with YouTube are having a huge party for Virgin Atlantics Wi-Fi in the sky service. The company is launching their Gogo Inflight Internet service on November 22 during a flight over San Francisco and to show off their new service they will be streaming a live video feed from the flight to those attending a live YouTube concert in San Francisco. The service will be available for travelers to use starting on November 24 and is expecting to have the service available on all their planes by the middle of 2009. Other airline companies such as American Airlines and Delta Airt will be launching in-flight Wi-Fi service as well next year. Prices for this service from Gogo are $9.95 for flight that are three hours or less and $12.95 for flights more than three hours.
Still finding it hard to find a Nintendo Wii? Well it’s going to be even harder to find one this holiday shopping season, and not because of all the sales and long lines. This time around blame it on pirates! Piracy around the east coast of Africa has gotten really bad, so bad that trading ships must by pass the pirate infested waters just to avoid the modern day pirates. Most of this piracy affects the European market as most goods bound for the US sail east through Asia. It is said that about 1,000 Nintendo Wiis as well as other electronic gadgets and gizmos have been stolen by Somali pirates so far.
I’m pretty sure techno geeks everywhere were drooling all over themselves when they first watched the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report. That was because of that supercomputer that Tom Cruise was using to look at police files and what not. Well apparently, that supercomputer is a reality. Oblong Industries has developed G-Speak, a computer that is based on hand-gesture input and real world heads-up displays. John Underkoffler, the founder of Oblong Industries and a science advisor to the Minority Report film, said the following about G-Speak:
“Every graphical and input object in a g-speak environment has real-world spatial identity and position. Anything on-screen can be manipulated directly. For a g-speak user, ‘pointing’ is literal.”
Although I don’t expect to see this supercomputer in homes in the near future, and I’m pretty sure you have to put up your house to put a down payment, it is really cool to know where our technology has gone. It feels great to know that no matter what, technology will always progress. Check out the following video on G-Speak and leave us a comment about what you think.
Lets face it, video games are not really about the story. But with each generation of consoles more powerful than the one before, it was only a matter of time before developers noticed the powerful storytelling tools at their disposal. The production on major games today rival that of blockbuster movies. Trying to appeal to as many people as possible, the game industry has increasingly reached out to those they couldn’t reach with pure game play mechanic alone. Below is a list of my personal favorite storylines for the Xbox 360 console. What is your’s? Feel free to drop a line.
5. Halo 3
The conclusion to an epic story arc that has spawned an entire franchise. Halo 3 is classic video game storytelling at its finest. The Masterchief is the eternal representation of a peerless warrior who goes on a quest to save humanity from the nightmarish covenant and flood. A cast of professional actors doing the sound definitely adds to the believability of the cut scenes. The ultimate message is one of hope for the future of mankind despite all our flaws. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2009 MINI E is finally here, a few of these cute electric powered MINIs have already been seen out and about the Los Angeles area. One of the 500 MINI Es was seen today in Beverly Hills. The 2009 MINI E will make its official debut at the LA Auto Show tomorrow. With the new MINI E and 2010 Toyota Prius on the way it seems the ’09 and ’10 automotive years will be green. Stay tuned for more info on the debut of the 2009 MINI E tomorrow.
