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Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Star Wars Blu-ray hands-on
Footage seen in UK for first time
Rarely have we been so excited about three 30-second video clips as we were at the Digital Entertainment Group Europe event held in Disney's offices last night. For the first time on UK soil, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment played actual footage of the forthcoming Blu-ray editions of the Star Wars movies.
Admittedly, we didn't see much. And because of its exclusivity and sensitivity, we weren't allowed to take photographs or video footage of the screen itself (just wide shots). But what we did see was enough to get us as excited as a 7-year-old given his first Darth Vader costume on Christmas morning.
The first two clips we saw were from?Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (featuring Yoda and some clone troopers flying over the battlefield during the Battle of Geonosis), and the Obi-Wan Kenobi / Anakin Skywalker final fight in?Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Obviously, as both movies were filmed and stored digitally, they look absolutely perfect - taking full advantage of the crispness afforded by the 1080p resolution of Blu-ray. It depends on the TV's calibration, but on the new Panasonic plasma at the DEGE event the colourfields of both scenes offered, perhaps, the greatest initial impact.
Whatever your thoughts on the content of the prequel trilogy, it is unlikely that you will ever have seen them look more vibrant (and we include HD runs on TV and, even, a majority of cinema presentations).
The pi?ce de r?sistance, however, came with the clip from?Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Taken from the opening sequence of the Special Edition version of the movie (where the Star Destroyer engulfs Princess Leia's starship), the moment when you first see C3PO in full 1080p is stunning. His golden shell gleams with such fine detail and shine that you'd swear the movie was made this year rather than 1977.
In short, from our fleeting but much welcomed previews, Lucasfilm has done an awesome job with the Blu-ray transfer. 12 September is rapidly becoming a landmark date.
We'll bring you more on the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray as its release day approaches.
Tags: Star Wars Home Cinema Blu-ray 20th Century Fox George Lucas
Star Wars Blu-ray hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:47:00 +0100
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Monday, July 18, 2011
Fox: Apple will adopt Ultraviolet cloud movie format
EXCLUSIVE: Disney too
Ultraviolet, the cloud movie format championed by nigh-on all of the major studios, is "very close" to making its consumer bow. It will undoubtedly be of massive benefit to film fans as it will offer cloud-stored versions of a movie they have bought on Blu-ray for streaming to multiple devices whenever they want. And, even better, the license to do so will be included in the price of the initial disc.
That means that major releases in the near future will include a Blu-ray (3D or 2D) disc, most likely a DVD copy, and instead of a time-limited digital copy to download and play on a portable device (the present system), a digital version of the film that is stored in the cloud enduringly, ready to be downloaded or streamed on up to 12 registered Ultraviolet devices - from TVs and Blu-ray players to smartphones and tablets.
There are also plans to introduce a pay model for those not wanting to buy a physical copy, just the rights to the Ultraviolet version. It is the movie industry's unified cloud solution and has the backing of just about every major studio and consumer electronics firm, including 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Universal, and Samsung.
Everyone, that is, except for Apple and Disney.
So, as things stand, you won't be able to view UV content natively on an iOS device, or, indeed, be able to watch Disney classics or Pixar movies using the service. However, according to Ultraviolet major player 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, it's only a matter of time before those two tech and film giants will have to get involved.
Speaking to Pocket-lint in an exclusive briefing, Danny Kaye, executive vice president of Global Research & Technology Strategy at Fox, explained that both Disney and Apple will eventually sign up to the Ultraviolet consortium:
"All but one [of the major studios] have signed on... And that doesn't mean that they won't," he said, hinting that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will ultimately offer UV versions of its catalogue.
How about Apple though, so far the Cupertino company has resisted the allure of Ultraviolet in favour, presumably, of its own cloud video plans? "That also doesn't mean they won't," said Kaye. "From my perspective, when you're well established you sometimes take a 'wait and see'."
But he doesn't expect the tech giant to wait long. Its rivals may get a massive and telling head start if Apple's the only one not supporting the new cloud format:
"If you just take smartphones as an example, Android now enjoys quite a market advantage," Kaye told us. "And the same thing's going to happen in tablets. We also have all the other hardware that's a part of this ecosystem - the majority of hardware and software companies will create very strong competition, just like it has with Blu-ray. And we'll see what happens as we go forward.
"[Ultraviolet is supported by] all but one of the studios, just about every major consumer electronics manufacturer, several major retailers already, and over 70 other technology companies," said Kaye. "It's one of the largest consortia ever, especially across industries. And when that happens, you succeed."
Tags: Home Cinema Blu-ray 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Apple Disney UltraViolet
Fox: Apple will adopt Ultraviolet cloud movie format originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:06:00 +0100
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Griffin Helo TC iPhone powered chopper flies in
AppPowered range takes off
Griffin's AppPowered range has really taken off now...literally, with the launch of the Helo TC infra-red controlled helicopter.
The chopper is designed for indoor use, but where it differs from the ubiquitous array of indoor RC helicopters that you've seen before is that it is controlled using your iPhone.
It uses an app and a flight deck module to turn your iPhone into the control panel for the 'copter, giving you two control methods: using multitouch to guide your vehicle with the virtual throttle and flight controlled joystick dubbed "the cyclic", or you can make use of your device's accelerometer for the "Tilt-to-Fly" setup.
It charges via USB and you should get around an 8-minute flight on a full charge. It comes packed with replaceable main and tail rotor systems for when you inevitably crash and burn, and it can store three flight plans for a quick demo of your skills.
It's not the first time that we've seen an iOS controlled flying toy - the Parrot AR.Drone has been wowing geeks for a while now - but at ?34.99, it is a much more affordable option.
The Griffin Helo TC will be hitting shops just in time for Christmas.
Tags: Helicopters Griffin AppPowered Griffin Helo TC iPhone accessories Toys
Griffin Helo TC iPhone powered chopper flies in originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:37:00 +0100
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Nasty Lawsuit Between Radar Networks And A Very Upset Investor
There's a nasty, and very personal, lawsuit in progress between Radar Networks and a jilted investor, Kate Paley (daughter of CBS icon William Paley). The defendants include founder Nova Spivack, the company that eventually acquired Radar Networks (Evri) as well as investors Steve Hall, Ross Levinsohn and Baris Kardogan. The company, known by most through it's product Twine, was once doing quite well from an outsider's perspective, but the reality, according to the lawsuit, is that the company was scrambling for ways to stay in business by 2008. The way that the company raised new money, and the details around its eventual sale to Evri, are a warning to any startup - sometimes it's better to just shut down a failed company and move on.
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Sony PS4: specs and features wishlist
Improvements for the next generation
Web rumours suggest that the PS4 will go into production by the end of 2011 and that it will launch in 2012.?However, with announcements made at the 2011 E3 show in LA limited to the PS Vita, it seems unlikely that?the PS4 will be here this year or next. It seems more likely that the PS4 will be announced at E3 2012 with?a launch date pencilled in for 2013. Whatever happens, we've been wracking our brains to come up with a?spec wishlist for the PS4 - whenever it arrives. Read on to find out what we want to see from Sony's?next-gen console.
More motion sensors
Word on the street is that the PS4 will be getting built-in Xbox Kinect-style motion sensing technology that?enables you to become the controller. It seems a bit strange that, having ploughed so much?money and effort into its Move controller, Sony would be moving to a completely new type of motion?sensor technology so soon, but it's always good to have another option on board.
It's also a good feature?to have for family gameplay time so that you can all partake in silly dancing-based games that require?you to jump around like a fool. Once the kids are safely tucked up in bed you can revert to your controller?for the far more serious business of stealing cars and shooting pimps in GTA IV. Or you can do it for real and let the PS4 motion sense you.
Improved processor
While it's always nice to see the power ramped up with a new console, the PS3 packs a considerable?punch already. The consensus of opinion is that the PS4 will carry on using the same 3.2GHz CELL?processor that made its debut in the PS3. Using the same processor means that Sony should be able to keep production costs down - something that was a major issue when the PS3 launched. This would also be good news for developers as it means that?they won't have to get used to a different processor when it comes to designing their games. We would be surprised if the CELL chip doesn't see at least a couple of minor tweaks before the next-gen console. Unless someone invents a super-CELL processor in the meantime, then we're content to see the impressive CELL working it's magic once again.
Better controller
While the current PS controller is perfectly functional, we'd like to see a little more from the new version. In the past, each new controller design has really just shown a few minor improvements rather than any real innovations. Top of the list is comfort. We want the controller to be weightier so that is sits more comfortably in the hands, with a little extra grip. It would also be nice to include control sticks that don't wear the skin off your thumbs during a lengthy gaming session. Is that too much to ask? A few extra treats, such as a built-in accelorometer or even some sort of touchpad control, as found on the PS Vita might be an idea, too.
Improved GPU
There isn't much news on the GPU front so far, despite a few rumours, which have since been quashed by?Sony. The manufacturer developed the PS3's RSX chip in colloboration with Nvidia, but the internet?rumourmill suggested that Sony would be dumping Nvidia and jumping into bed with Intel with the PS4. Not?true, countered Sony.
Whatever the case, naturally we'd like to see some sort of step up in graphics processing. As the on-board CELL processor is capable of taking some of the graphics work itself, the PS4 can get away with a reasonably mid-range GPU (anything too high-end would push the price up too much). Web rumours suggest the Nvidia GTX560 chip as the most likely GPU for the PS4, but seeing as the PS3 uses a proprietary chip that was developed specifically for the task in hand, we're not sure that Sony would switch to generic graphics card. We'll just have to wait and see.?
1TB hard drive
On the PS3, the maximum built-in memory capacity available is 320GB so we'd like to see some?improvement in this respect. In fact, what we want to see is a massive 1TB of hard drive memory. As?technology moves on and games become more complicated, we need more memory available, not only to?store downloaded titles, but also to store our gameplay as we go along as we don't want to have to?worry about it getting full up and interrupting our hectic gameplay schedule (we don't have an actual?schedule. Well, most of us don't). We also need plenty of room for our HD videos and we reckon that 1TB would do nicely.
Better design
While we'd like to see a flatter design, rather than the convex bubble-shaped chassis of the PS3, we're?aware that this particular design feature comes to down to keeping things cool. More space is needed within?the cabinet for airflow as the advanced processors used today are much more likely to overheat than those?used on older models. We know we're not supposed to pile things on top of our games consoles anymore,?in order to keep the airflow going, but we would like to be able stand the PS4 on its side so that it takes up?less room. While we can already do that with the PS3 if we want, Sony advises that it's best to lie it flat.?Spoilsports.
PS Vita/tablet integration
We've already talked about some improvements that we'd like to see on the current PS3 controller, but how about going the whole hog and making use of a Wii U style touchscreen-based controller? Integrating the recently announced PS Vita would seem like the obvious option. We've also heard rumours about some sort of Google partnership which could pave the way for some integrated Android features. It's also possible that this could point to some sort of dedicated Android tablet that could be used with the PS4 either as a controller for games, or as a sort of remote control for home cinema functions.
Backwards compatibility
This may be a slightly crazy idea, but how about backwards compatibility - not just with the PS3, but with?ALL previous PlayStations. Although novel, this concept is something of a double-edged sword. You might have a shed load of old games that you cling too as if your life depended on it, but will you ever?really play them again? Once you've started playing more recent games with better graphics on a massive?TV, you soon realise that your old games will be not only painfully to look at, but also unbearably tedious.?Still, it would nice to have access to a few old cult classic from the PS2 whenever we feel the urge...
Better Blu-ray audio processor
The inclusion of a built-in Blu-ray player on the PS3 was a masterstroke by Sony and was a key element in?its victory over HD DVD in the high-def format war. Now that objective has been accomplished and Blu-ray is the standard HD disc format, it's debatable whether the PS4 will actually include Blu-ray capability at all - if it doesn't, it would certainly keep the price down. However, if it does then we'd like to see a better audio processor to cope with the Blu-ray soundtracks using high-def audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.?
MKV playback support
Video file format support in the PS3 is generally pretty good - with MPEG-4, AVI, AVCHD, DivX and WMV all being catered for. However, the PS3 doesn't support MKV file playback. Although there are ways to watch your MKV files on your PS3 by using convertor software, this can be a time-consuming process so we'd like to see native MKV support built into the PS4 from the off. It's possible that Sony may be reluctant to include MKV support due to its popularity among illegal downloaders, but we'll wait and see what happens.
Built-in DVR
The PS already features a Blu-ray player as well as LoveFilm streaming, but there have been suggestions that Sony might push the home cinema offering even further with the inclusion of a built-in DVR for recording programmes straight from the TV (or set-top box). However, this is?something that would?inevitably?push the price up so Sony may decide to stick to gaming capabilities to make?the PS4 as affordable as possible. The same goes for the Blu-ray player.?
More USB ports
It's likely that any USB ports on the PS4 will support the latest 3.0 standard rather than the USB 2.0 ports rocked by the PS3. This should result in a speedier connection - handy for backing up your data more quickly. It would also be nice to have more USB ports, to inprove the paltry two connections offered by the PS3 - four would be nice.
?
Launch titles
As with any major console launch, the speed at which the public buy into the new technology on offer is likely to come down to launch titles (although this probably won't make as much difference to the die-hard fans who are prepared to queue overnight to get their hands on the kit first). As there isn't even a confirmed launch date for the console yet, obviously we don't know much about the games that will be available. But we can tell you what we'd like to see. Driving games are high up on our list, so Gran Turismo and GTA V would be nice and maybe a spot of footie from FIFA 13. Metal Gear Solid 3D (complete with a wireless 3D visor) and new versions of Fallout, Wipeout and COD would also be great to see, as would Infamous 3 (or maybe even 4). We'd be very surprised if Sony didn't have LittleBigPlanet 3 lined up for the launch.
Related links:
Tags: Gaming Sony Sony PS4 PS4 PS3 Sony PS3 Features Android PS Vita Wii U E32011
Sony PS4: specs and features wishlist originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:20:00 +0100
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EA buying PopCap today for up to $1.3 billion
Seattle's PopCap Games was acquired by Electronic Arts for up to $1.3 billion, including $650 million cash up front.
PopCap's breakout hit "Bejeweled" established the modern casual games industry that's centered in Seattle starting in 2000. The studio went on to produce a series of blockbuster games that have been played by more than 1 billion people, making it one of the most successful and respected studios in the games industry.
Executives at the companies said Redwood City, Calif.-based Electronic Arts will continue to invest in PopCap and grow the company, which now employs 500 people, mostly in Belltown.
"Quite frankly they are the Pixar of the space," said Barry Cottle, executive vice president of EA Interactive.
"Our goal right here is they keep doing what they do, that they do so extremely well, and there's just some natural synergies we can bring to the table that we can expand and make these guys bigger and stronger and more powerful."
The deal gives EA an especially strong presence on Facebook, where the combined company trails only Zynga, and on Apple platforms where EA and PopCap accounted for six of the top 10 selling games last year.
PopCap was considering going public this fall but employees and founders were wary of how that would change the company's culture, said John Vechey, one of three developers who started the company in 2000.
"The IPO was fraught with risk, it was scary, people were going to start thinking about the stock price all the time. Most employees were worried about that internally," he said.
"Now, instead of getting a couple hundred million in the bank for us to spend, we get world-class publishing" on platforms including mobile devices and social networks, he said.
"I think for us it accelerates what we were going to do by many years - we're going to be seven years faster to achieving world gameplay domination," he said.
Vechey said the deal was "a highly competitive process" with multiple companies interested in PopCap.
EA is paying $650 million in cash plus $100 million in common stock that's going to the PopCap founders and its chief executive, Dave Roberts.
Additional payouts of up to $550 million will be made if PopCap achieves profit goals over the next two years, although the maximum payout would require the company to increase its profits by ten times over the next two years.
PopCap sales cross $100 million last year and it netted about $15 million. (Its growth is shown on the chart below, presented by EA.) To start getting bonus payouts from EA, it needs to grow profits to at least $110 million. To get the full $550 million, it needs to increase earnings before taxes and interest to $343 million over the next two years.
EA expects the deal to add at least 10 cents per share to its fiscal 2013 results, boosting its overall earnings per share by more than 10 percent, according to Chief Financial Officer Eric Brown.
Last year EA's digital business had $833 million in sales, while PopCap did just over $100 million, 80 pecent of which was digital content.
"It adds 10 percent to our digital business right off the bat," Brown said.
EA stock fell about 3 percent to $23.40 in after-hours trading, after the deal was announced at 1 p.m.
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Concerns About GNU and the FSF
Corporations like Google and IBM should do more to keep the FSF strong
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ZDNet UK: Is the Affair With Microsoft Over?
"Windows 7" is no longer a top-level section in ZDNet UK and we raise questions about the role of advertisers in news sites
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n-queens
I wake up these days and I complain about the mattress. My lower back hurts and my spine feels scrunched somehow. Twenty-odd years of being hunched over a keyboard or a book or a sandwich has taken its toll on the natural angle of my shoulders. At 29, I’m not old, but I certainly don’t feel young anymore. The signs of aging are noticeable on my skin and in my energy level and by the age of the contestants on reality TV shows. (Remember when any woman over 30 on The Bachelor just seemed desperate?)
For the first time, I’m aware that I’m still living in Body 1.0 as we approach Web 3.0. And it’s not just my body – it’s my Brain 1.0. It gets tired when it doesn’t sleep, and then it can’t sleep because it’s too tired, and then it misses the exit onto the 405 and has to drive four miles out of its way to get home. It picks fights with my boyfriend when he triggers an insecurity, it honestly thought it sent you that file last week, and it has no freakin’ idea which necklace goes with this dress, despite decades of exposure to fashion magazines.
None of the startups I work with today would, in good conscience, release me, even as a minimum viable product. I mean, I’m perfectly likely to die forever, taking all my data down with me, because of a minor miscalculation by an entirely separate person. I’m basically Windows Vista.
So I’ve plunged myself into the semi-escapist world of futurism, of reading everything I can get my hands on about how our bodies and brains won’t be stuck in 1.0 forever. I think about how computing power can and will solve problems much bigger than we can – problems we don’t see, or we can’t imagine have solutions, and we certainly can’t imagine have simple solutions sitting right in front of us.
I think about n-queens.
The n-queens problem is one that most computer science students will be faced with at some point in their undergraduate careers. The problem is this: Given an n-by-n chessboard, how many ways can you place n queens so that none is in a position to attack any other?
My introduction to this problem came my sophomore year of college. The professor handed us two sheets of paper. On one was written the n-queens problem, and the other was a photocopy of an 8-by-8 chessboard.
“Your project,” he said, “is to bring that board back marked with the position of those eight queens.”
The obvious question: “We don’t have to submit any code?”
He shook his head. “No.”
The brilliant teenage minds in the class were confused. “So … can we just figure out how to do it, and mark the board?”
The professor, known for his handlebar mustache and the old-fashioned pipe attached just beneath it, grinned. “I don’t care how you arrive at a solution. But it must be your own work. If you care to figure it out in your head, you are welcome to do so.”
We made eyes at each other around the room. The old man’s lost it, we figured. Oh well. Easy project. More time for beer.
Several days later, I sat down to mark my 8 queens on my chessboard. None could be in the same row or the same column, obviously, so that should narrow it down considerably. After that, it should be …
It was impossible. Hours later, I’d determined with great certainty that it was impossible. I had moved eight pennies around that chessboard ad nauseum. I’d drawn charts and graphs and scribbled out heuristics and lessons learned. Nothing got me any closer. This was a trick question. I’d applied the absolute extent of my intellectual capacity to what should have been a straightforward problem, and I couldn’t solve it. I called in some friends from around my dorm. They applied their own great intellects to the photocopied board, the corners now dog-eared and the page streaked by the pennies, and agreed that it was impossible.
To make sure I’d covered all my bases, I finally sat down to write the code. The computer, I knew, would confirm my findings, but I didn’t want to waver when the handlebar mustache peered over me and asked “Are you certain of that, Ms. Pasulka?”
It turned out to be a simple program, a quick recursive function that, at a value of n=8, can use brute force to arrive at every single one of the 92 solutions.
There are 92 solutions at n=8, from twelve unique patterns that can be rotated or reflected.
If you want a grasp of how un-freakin’-believable that is, sit down and try to find a single one by yourself.
There are over 4.4 billion ways to put 8 queens on an 8-by-8 chess board (that’s 64 choose 8, for anyone doing the math). If you know the queens can’t share a row or a column, congratulations – you’ve eliminated 16.7 million (8^8) of those. In other words – you’re still totally screwed. Even after applying a variety of more complex heuristics, you’re left with an unwieldy number of options, most of which won’t work. The odds of you coming across a solution are dismal.
A computer program of only a few lines can find all 92 solutions in seconds.
Most of college is a blur, but this moment for me is crystal clear, alone in the tiny computer lab in the first floor of my dorm, staring at the output on the screen as the code churned out one solution, then another, and then another. Checking these solutions. Checking each one and then checking it again.
This computer. It was a simple problem and I had been absolutely certain that it had no solution. This computer had solved it. And not just solved it – had found 92 equally viable solutions. I was awestruck.
It’s important for me to remember moments like that, to remember the string of moments where the capacity of these machines left me speechless: the first time my Prolog code solved a problem I didn’t think I’d taught it how to solve yet; watching a stream of data fly across the screen as distributed nodes chose a goal that surprised the team that developed them; even a simple hacked-together operating system I wrote for class, saving files and then, against all odds, reopening those files with the data intact. (Take that, Vista.)
As Body and Brain 1.0 move farther from lower back health and instead log the experience I need to hold strategic and C-level jobs, to move into the world of funding and personnel and spreadsheets and PowerPoint, they also move farther from being a person who knows what a recursive function is, much less writes one.
I need to be reminded that this is why I always come back to the world of software: because of what I felt when that computer solved n-queens. Because the things we can build – the things we do build – with these computers has changed everything and does change everything and will continue to change everything. Because we can teach these computers to make the impossible possible.
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Sunday, July 17, 2011
You need great UX because your product sucks!
If you work at a company, big or small, creating a technology product, you know User Experience (UX) is the *it* thing of the moment. It’s all about great UX, great visualizations, great design, innovative data input, design-driven development, “just like Apple” and the likes. We are all enamored with the endless possibilities of UI / UX that have been neglected for a couple of decades, but now the pendulum has passed that mid-point and it’s on an upswing to the other side, where we put too much focus on UX and design.
Honestly, I should be the last person talking about great user experience. My first startup V1 product was a God awful user experience. Only when we created the V2 of the product it went from awful to awesome. It was a “cultural” shock for me, but at the end I got “it”.
Now, what I see is a lot of startups, investors and entrepreneurs putting excessive emphasis in User Experience. That phrase might not even make sense. How’s it possible to have a UX that is “too good”? Well, it is! Actually, it’s not the problem with a UX that’s too good, but it’s the other variable that is being neglected: value added.
The shittier your product value, the better UX you must have for people to sign up and stick around!
Let’s be clear, I’m not saying there is a trade-off between value and user experience, they go hand in hand, but the lower the incremental value of your product, the better the UX must be to offset it.
To make things even more complicated, “value” is not an absolute variable. It’s a relative variable to every other competitor, substitute, and alternative and for the need of the customers themselves. The jackpot is to find a product where no matter how bad the UX will be, customers will flock to your product and happily (or unhappily) pay for it. Think about how many forms, how many answers, how many hours and how much money you have to pay to get a heart transplant. No one in the history of heart transplants will say, “I won’t do it because I have to fill an 11-page long questionnaire”.
On the flip-side, imagine an industry that has dozens of competitors, each one trying to outdo the next one. If you think about B2C, the only way for you to enter the game is by delivering a kick-ass sign up experience and a kick-ass first time experience, because the tolerance consumers will have to deal with your product is very low. They will balk at the fact the sign up button was too small, or that you asked for their zip code.
I would actually make a case that if you can’t convince a person to go through some hurdles to get to your product, you didn’t create enough value yet, or that you might be attracting the wrong kind of customers.
Now, let’s not get carried away and purposeful deliver a bad user experience, or even involuntarily deliver a bad user experience (the ship for awful UX has left and it isn’t coming back). You must deliver a GAUX (Generally Acceptable User Experience) to even enter the market, unless you have some giant moat (like an exclusive distribution deal with the US Army or a patent on the letter M).
We should spend more time focusing on delivering significant value to end users (the "destination"), where UX is part of that value, instead of building an awesome UX to nowhere.
(picture by mrjoro)
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Sony Sports Walkman NWZ-W260 goes for gold
UPDATED: Exclusive pics
Who said that the Sony Walkman was dead eh? Well, we did actually, but the legendary brand keeps a coming. The Sony Sports Walkman NWZ-W260 has just been announced - a sporty little number designed with fitness fanatics in mind.
The W260 is wire free (the player is built into the 'phones) and is water resistant - so it can handle a run in the rain, or a heavy session with a sweaty-Betty. You can even give them a wash after a strenuous work-out and they'll still be good to go.
They are drag and drop compatible but you can also sync your music from iTunes if you'd prefer. They also boast Sony's Zappin tech - which helps you to find exactly the tune you're after to get you motivated (Eye of the Tiger, obviously).
With a fully charged playback time of 8 hours, they are suitable for even the slowest of marathon runners and a 3-minute charge should get you through a 60-minute workout, no problem.
To celebrate the launch of the Walkman W260, Sony has teamed up with Olympic hopeful Marlon Devonish, who's either super keen on the new design, or is contractually obliged to say he is (or both).
"The Sports Walkman keeps me going through all of my workouts in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games," he said . "The sound is amazingly clear and helps get me 'in the zone' when I'm training, and I love that it's both wireless and water-resistant?so I never interrupt a training session."
The Sony Sports Walkman NWZ-W260 will be out at the end of July - no word on pricing (or how many GBs are on board either).
Tags: Sony Walkman NWZ-W260 Olympics London 2012 Audio MP3 players Sony sony walkman
Sony Sports Walkman NWZ-W260 goes for gold originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:59:00 +0100
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WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Cats4Gold
Get some cat action, before the smart money cleans up the litter tray
We like to think that we’re a pretty astute bunch here at Pocket-lint, so when we see a cast-iron, guaranteed, future-proof investment idea, we jump on with both hands.
This is about as good as it gets. Forget cash, forget commodities, forget bonds - the smart money is in felines.
Yep, that’s right - cats is where it’s at.
Here you simply send in your gold and they’ll work out how much cat you can get for it. Voila - an adorable kitty arrives for you to keep. As they say “swap your shabby tat for a tabby cat”.
The testimonials speak volumes about the amazing value you get from cats, and it’s an investment that’s guaranteed to last. As long as the cat, anyway.
Get in on the action before it’s too late at www.cats4gold.com
Genius.
You can insert your own pussy joke in here if you like too…
Tags: Websites Software Online WebsiteOfTheDay
WEBSITE OF THE DAY - Cats4Gold originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:00:00 +0100
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