Gadgety News

Virtual world Habbo polled 5,450 UK 11-18 year olds and discovered that the majority of them have placed a games console at the top of their Christmas list this year, with the Xbox 360 coming tops.

They also found that 39% had asked for a console or computer from Santa. This is quite a significant lead over mobile phones, coming in second with 14% and clothes and accessories in third with 13%.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was the most desired with 20% of the votes followed by Nintendo’s Wii and PlayStation 3 winning 19% and 15% of the vote respectively.

Considering the news that Nintendo DS broke the sales record for hardware in the UK last week, it is rather surprising to see handhelds not coming out as more popular with young people, with only 2% wanting a DS and 1% wanting a PSP.

But, if those teens have been less than perfect they’ll have to figure out how to get used to the AR interactiveness of a lump of coal and a satsuma!

AMD and NVIDIA are still thrashing out who is the bestest in the video card business.

NVIDIA is making a strong stand with its latest move.

Nope, it isn’t based on more frames per second.  This time NVIDIA are concentrating on getting friends in high places.

EA and 2K Games (creators of Bioshock) have both agreed to use NVIDIA’s PhysX technology to drive their physics engines in upcoming games.

I know what you’re thinking:  “So, what? A couple of big hitters have licensed somebody or others tech. How does that touch me?”

Well, if you’re loving your PC gaming then it might make sense to get some GeForce under the hood if you haven’t already!

Take into account that there’s been some pretty spanky performance incresases and the fact that AMD needed a bit of a tax break recently it would be smart to go the GeForce way.

We all like leaves moving when we brush past them in gaming worlds such as Crysis and physics simulation is becoming a must have feature in games so developers are going to be relying more on hybrid technology like PhysX in order to make sure that their games are running nice and smooooooth.

I think it’s safe to say that both ‘Bioshock 2′ and the ‘Crysis’ follow-up are going to run best on a GeForce-based system.

So. You know what you need

CrunchGear

Marketing is not really known for being up front in its way of making you part with your hard earned.

Market research is generally carried out via focus groups, analysing market trends and those people that pounce on you in the street with their clipboards at the ready.

It is the 21st century and research firm Nielson and California-based NeuroFocus have launched a service in Japan that scans the brain waves of potential customers to help companies improve marketing.

Not quite brain washing……

They say that they can measure how much certain ads grab the attention and tug at the emotional heartstrings of the people they’re targeting. 

This could do away with those 10 page research forms and multiple choice questionnaires.

lnstead of relying on someone ticking the box for “needs more naked flesh” the operators will be able to check the graphs and by looking at how your brain spasms they’ll be able to tell just how much nudity is required, when it appears and how blatent it needs to be for a guy to by an 8 bladed razor.

Japan Today

Pic Cred

Hello lovely people!

Please excuse me whilst I test out the TwitPress plugin that I’ve just added to this fabby chunk of gadgety goodness!

What am I doing? Well, if you haven’t subscribed to my RSS Feed or email notifications praps you are on the micro-blogging site that is Twitter?

I am on Twitter<– click this link and add me and through the wonder of technology each time I update this gadget news blog there’ll be a notificational Tweet appear

Hope this works….although probably with a lag…..

J

Update: TwitPress is working wonderfully

Yup, those know-it-alls at Wired are going to open their fourth annual store from November 21 until December 28 in New Yoik.

There will be more than 150 items including the latest electronics, toys and transportation, which can also be purchased online from November 20.

The Wired Store will also recognise four different charities, and is set to feature a brand new green section created by Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer of Reconcile Productions as well.

Is Christmas coming or something?

Wired

Yup - me reviewing a book!

I was as amazed as the rest of you when Liz from publishers Dorling Kindersley sent me this particular tome to read and review for this site!

But once I got it in my hands all became clear.

Cool Stuff Exploded sounds a tad dangerous and pretty much bad news for the likes of the iPhone, top end Swiss Watches and Free Play radios - but it’s all ok my fellow gadget lovers!

This colourful tech book “explodes” everyday objects in the same way as those Haynes manuals do but through fantastically photographed spreads.

The pics show a piece-by-piece breakdown of Robots, mobile phones, computers, digital pens and gives details about how each part works and how they all fit together.

Even though I get the feeling it’s aimed at a younger market I found it great to flick through and also learned a few things which is never a bad thing - and if the you feel that the pics are a tad flat then the CD-ROM that it comes with will please you as it contains animations of the “exploded” views featured in the book.

A cool book for all ages I reckon

The cover price is £19.99 and is available now.

New Launches - Star Trek for real

There’s a rather fabby article (click the link above) about the Star Trek technology that has actually happened.

Most Trekkies/Trekers know how the series has predicted future tech.  So, have a gander at these little beauties :0) 

• Communicator
• Medical Tricorder
• Translator
• QUIDS
• GPS
• Engineering Tricorder
• Ultrasound Surgery
• Transparent Armour (force field)
• Military Phasr
• Life Detectors - “but not as we know it”

So, where will the not-too-distant future take us according to the many stands at the CES?  Are we going to get those long awaited flying cars, transporters and jet-packs?

Not yet - but there are a few quite evident trends that I’ve noticed and here is my top 5:

1. Blu-Ray

With more major studios (as well as some more ‘adult’ biased ones) opting for BluRay it looks like HD-DVD may be kicked aside.

2. Networked Homes

More than one remote is going to be a thing of the past and everything will be run from a central hub - this is what CES seems to be pointing at. All this tech will be wireless of course!

3. Green Women!

I remember when it was the ‘Pink Pound’ that companies were making a b-line for - now it seems tech and gadget companies are waving the Green flag as well as getting the laydeeez onboard with more female-centric gadgets and that host of pink and pastel coloured tech that we’re seeing more-and-more of.

4. Thin TVs

In a world where bigger is better it certainly looks like thin will be king.

5. An Easier Tablet to Swallow?

Although tablet PCs have hardly made a splash in the market companies still think that Slim, efficient, pocket-sized Tablet PCs called Mobile Internet Devices are the way forward.  Think the iPod Touch or Nokia’s Internet Tablet, but about twice the size.

Overall…….. 

One thing that has been most evident to me is that tech is style, a lifestyle for the upper end of the spending demographic.  More top-end designers are getting involved and more bling makeovers (gold phones, diamond encrusted headphones, and even a gold Voodoo desktop) are being produced.