Category: Technology

I was just checking some Sony PSP game reviews on IGN and Gamespot and was happy to see that most of the launch games scored pretty decent and high scores. When the Nintendo DS and Ngage released the first batch of games, most of the games scored terribly low. Actually, if you take the average score of the PSP launch games which is 7.7 on IGN (7.8 on Gamespot) and compare it to the DS which has an average score of 6.4 on IGN, you will see Nintendo isn’t doing that well at all. The DS has even been out for awhile now and very little games have been released. Even the upcoming games for the DS aren’t that exciting at all. With the PSP on the other hand they have a pretty decent launch lineup with RidgeRacer, Wipeout, Tony Hawk, Need for Speed Underground: Rivals and Lumines. Plus there are some cool upcoming games coming up like Metal Gear Acid, Colin McRae Rally 2005, Grand Theft Auto and Grand Turismo. I am glad Sony decided to release a handheld system. I hate monopolies and Nintendo hasn’t been very innovative recently. It took them what, more then 10 years to come up with a backlit screen for the gameboy? Come on..

I just did a search for Podbrix on ebay and I got 13 results. Current bidding on a Keynote podbrix is $60 with 2 days to go. Original price was $17. tshirts which went on sale and finished today are currently at $76 for a medium with 5 days left for bidding. Original price, $29.

Click here for the ebay podbrix search

The first PodBrix apparel item goes on sale tonight (3/21/05). The Brixwear 1000 is a signed limited edition of 300 units. It features an integrated patent-pending magnetic clasp system to secure your iPod shuffle to the front of the shirt.

No modification is needed to your iPod shuffle. Simply place it over the clasp area of the shirt and it locks into place. The shuffle stays firmly attached even with vigorous activity. A quick pull easily removes it from the shirt.

The Brixwear 1000 is available in medium, large or x-large sizes. There are 300 units in total; 60 medium, 120 large and 120 x-large.

Each Brixwear 1000 shirt will sell for $28.99. It does NOT include the iPod shuffle. More details and product photos will be available on the PodBrix.com site at 9:00pm.

Click here for a large picture of BrixWear

Update: As expected it got sold out the same time they went on sale

This is “ASIMO” Internet Office.
Thank you for your inquiry.

Unfortunately, I am very sorry to inform you that we do not
rent ASIMO out to overseas for its technical differences
such as power supply, radio wave, and security maintenance.

We appreciate your understanding.

Best regards,
——————
“ASIMO” Internet office [asimo [email protected]]

Do you know who originally created the iPod? If you guessed Steve Jobs then you are absolutely wrong. The father of the ipod is an engineer called Tony Fadell. Another interesting fact is that Tony Fadell is a Lebanese citizen. I contacted Tony Fadell last year and I had a nice chat with him via email. He turned out to be a very cool guy. I asked him if I could send him my iPod mini so that he could autograph it for me. He told me I didn’t need to and then fedexed me an autographed blue ipod mini skeleton. So anyway thought I would showoff share a picture of my autographed blue mini with you.

I can’t believe my luck. Around a month ago, a guy took some lego people, painted them black, gave them tiny ipods and then put them on a bright green background and sold these displays for 17$. He was copying the iPod ads and it came out really good. He only made 300 so by the time I got to the site they were sold out. No problem, he said I could sign up to his mailing list and once he makes some new ones he will send out and email and I can buy them. So I just woke up and I am checking my mail and I find one from podbrix. So I go to the website and this times theme is Steve Jobs giving a Keynote speech. Most of you won’t know what this is but basically Steve Jobs (the top guy at Apple) gives speeches and introduces new Apple products at these Keynotes during Apple Expos. So this time the guy is mimicking Steve Jobs giving a speech. So I click on buy now and turns out the guy already sold out all 300 pieces! Now I have to wait for his next version. Sucks.

Thanks to BusyNow for the heads up. Amazon.com is now allowing you to preorder your Sony PSP value pack for a price of $250 (KD73). The value pack includes a 32MB Memory Stick Duo, headphones with a remote control, a battery pack, and a movie/music/video game sample UMD. Sony is also tossing in a special UMD-version of the film Spider-Man 2 with the first one million PSP Value Packs sold. So preorder your PSP now, this is the link.

This is my order:
1 of Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) Value Pack
Sony Computer Entertainment; @ $249.99 each

1 of PSP Ridge Racer
Namco; @ $39.99 each

——-
Item(s) Subtotal: $289.98
Shipping & Handling: $5.48
Total Before Tax: $295.46
Tax: $25.48

TOTAL: $320.94

Update: Amazon has stopped the preordering. It seems the first batch of PSPs on Amazon have already been preordered.

How could I forget to post about this. Apple announced new iPods today as expected. The new iPods include:

iPod Mini
– New 6GB Model. $249
– 4GB Model. $199
– Up to 18hrs Battery Life
– 4 Colors. No more gold, and the pink, blue and green are still there but they are now more vibrant. Silver still the same.

iPod Photo
– 30GB. $349
– 60GB. $449

20GB iPods ($299) remain. The 40GB iPod appears to have been discontinued.

So sadly, no extremely new colors for the ipod mini, and no color screen also. For more details visit Apple.com.

I passed by Mac & More today in Galleria 2000. The place was closed but the storefront is all glass so I could see what was inside. A couple of things grabbed my attention. First, the store has a large sign-age outside saying “Apple Center”. Then on the far right of that sign in small it says “Mac & More”. So ummm.. if the store is called Mac & More shouldn’t that be the largest and highlighted? Secondly the place does not match the official Apple Stores design. Thirdly they are using a red colored apple logo..?! Finally the place is tiny! Like ultra small. My pakistani barbershop is bigger.. and i am not being sarcastic here! I looked inside I could see 1 G5 powermac with an Apple display, 2 imacs, and a bunch of ipods on the shelves. I wasn’t able to see any powerbooks or ibooks nor any shuffles and mac mini’s. They seemed to have some accessories like the itrips and some skinz, but other then that nothing special. I was expecting “more” and didn’t get to see that. I am not a businessman or anything, but I personally think the store is gonna fail. It isn’t offering anything that the other retailers aren’t. If the store opened last year maybe it would have been better, but now that Apple products are being sold at Eureka and Virgin.. I don’t see how this store is gonna do any good. I have some pictures below which I quickly took from outside without the security catching me.

Mac & More 1
Mac & More 2
Mac & More 3

Rami (Tivo Guy) got his Mac Mini yesterday. He ordered it the day they got released but since he customized his, he had to wait a lot longer to get it. He promised me he will take pictures of his Mac Mini to share with us all. As soon as he puts them up I will link to them.

I will be out of the office all day today I think. At 11AM I have an appointment with a photographer. He is supposed to shoot 46 KDD icecream buckets I need to be there when he does that. 46 buckets and 4 angles for each shot.. its gonna take forever!

Update: Here are his pictures of the Mac Mini!!

According to some rumor sites, tomorrow new iPods will be released. So far the rumors point to the following:

iPod mini
– color screen
– new 6GB model
– six new colors
– 4GB model for $199
– 6GB model for $249

iPod (regular)
– two new iPods
– both priced at $349 and $449

Microsoft’s Bill Gates discussed iPods at Microsoft with news anchor Peter Jennings of ABC News.

From the transcript:

JENNINGS: On the subject of music, I read somewhere that about 80 percent of Microsoft employees who have a music playing instrument or a music playing device use an iPod.

GATES: Well, I doubt that’s the case. Certainly, the iPod’s a great success.

JENNINGS: Do you have one?

GATES: No, I’m not an iPod user. I use the Creative Zen which is a fantastic product. That’s another space where, even what we have today, whether it’s iPod or the other things are only the start of what we’re gonna have in a few years. People are gonna want choices. These things are going to be smaller or better, cheaper. So, music has changed. The age of the CD is really coming to an end.

JENNINGS: The public likes this tension between you and the others as I’m sure you know. So people want to know do you have an iPod. You say you don’t have. Did iPod beat you in this issue?

GATES: Oh the iPod did a great job, but what Apple’s done there is typically what they do. It’s their, only their one music store, only their device. What we’re doing is providing choices. So it’s like the Apple computer versus the PC. With the PC you can buy from many companies so you get cheaper prices, you get more variety and here with music devices we’re coming in with the same. But they’re a strong leader in the space and I think as we gain share, people will be surprised.

Taken from Cult of Mac

I have been checking Amazon.com daily for the Sony PSP so I can preorder one for me. Today I just checked and their now is a listing for the Sony PSP on Amazon but you can’t preorder! I dont know if this will change or not, at the moment I have the Amazon PSP page as my browsers startup page so I will know once they start accepting preorders.

For those interested, this is the link.

Just got word that an Apple store opened at Galleria 2000 called Mac and More. The store belongs to IOC, the same guys who put the Apple stuff at Eureka and Virgin. They are supposingly getting the Mac Mini next week. Tivo Guy who now has a blog gets it tomorrow. I am sure he will take many pictures for us fans 🙂

Update: The store it seems does NOT belong to IOC. Check this

OK I hope this is not true because I would be really jealous if it happened!

ThinkSecret is reporting that the next update to the iPod mini will include a 5 or 6GB hard drive and full-color screens. The price will remain the same, at $250. Expect an announcement within the next two weeks, they say.

Urgh! Just when I was starting to get comfortable with my blue ipod mini they will be releasing new ones with colored screens! SUCKS!