Slashdot Mirror

• Drive bys with BB guns in Kentucky.
• A riot for spots in line in Burbank.
• Read - 10 to 12 people robbed in PS3 line (dubious, but possible). [Via Digg]
• Read - Sheriffs shut down another California store for rowdy behavior.
• Read - Police break up NY SonyStyle store fight.
• Read - Brawl breaks out at another Wally when manager plays musical PlayStation chairs. Seriously, what an idiot. [Thanks Kyle D.]
• Read - Shots were apparently fired at a Texas Wally. Pics here and here of the 5-0. [Thanks, Jason]
• Read - Two armed, masked robbers overtook a customer in Springfield. [Thanks, Jason]
• Watch - North Fresno / Merced had stampede-riot insanity. [Thanks, Jonathan]

• Drive bys with BB guns in Kentucky.
• A riot for spots in line in Burbank.
• Read - 10 to 12 people robbed in PS3 line (dubious, but possible). [Via Digg]
• Read - Sheriffs shut down another California store for rowdy behavior.
• Read - Police break up NY SonyStyle store fight.
• Read - Brawl breaks out at another Wally when manager plays musical PlayStation chairs. Seriously, what an idiot. [Thanks Kyle D.]
• Read - Shots were apparently fired at a Texas Wally. Pics here and here of the 5-0. [Thanks, Jason]
• Read - Two armed, masked robbers overtook a customer in Springfield. [Thanks, Jason]
• Watch - North Fresno / Merced had stampede-riot insanity. [Thanks, Jonathan]

• Drive bys with BB guns in Kentucky.
• A riot for spots in line in Burbank.
• Read - 10 to 12 people robbed in PS3 line (dubious, but possible). [Via Digg]
• Read - Sheriffs shut down another California store for rowdy behavior.
• Read - Police break up NY SonyStyle store fight.
• Read - Brawl breaks out at another Wally when manager plays musical PlayStation chairs. Seriously, what an idiot. [Thanks Kyle D.]
• Read - Shots were apparently fired at a Texas Wally. Pics here and here of the 5-0. [Thanks, Jason]
• Read - Two armed, masked robbers overtook a customer in Springfield. [Thanks, Jason]
• Watch - North Fresno / Merced had stampede-riot insanity. [Thanks, Jonathan]

Not true. Sony doesn't charge the store 600 bucks for the PS3, and Nintendo doesn't charge 250. No one's sure of the exact numbers, but one article I read estimated that the margins are narrow for the Wii and PS3, but they're there. A store should make about $15 per PS3 sold and about $12 per Wii sold. Here's an article that claims to source a CompUSA markup sheet for Wii products: http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/07/wii-retail-deta ils-markup-and-endcaps/ But of course the stores want to bundle. A Wii and 5 games is as good as selling 4 Wiis.

From the engadget article:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/13/installing-the- zune-sucked/

A few pics down... http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/med ia/2006/11/zune_software_03.jpg

wtf?

A sig changing moment.

-b.

Yeah, you can make fun of Sony for Memory Stick and Betamax

And memory stick pro.
And minidisc.
And netmd.
And their non-mp3 player ipod wannabe.
And the "walkman bean".
And UMD.
And suing Lik-sang out of business.
And possible RAM price fixing.
And who can forget their exploding batteries!
Oh yeah and what about the criminal investigations for installing rootkits on you PC?


Yet they shipped the PS2 with standard ports (USB, IEEE1394)

It doesn't matter because you could not use them with standard hardware.
Who cares is a game console has USB if you can't hook up anything but sony-approved USB devices? The interface is then proprietary, regardless of the connector used.

Yeah, you can make fun of Sony for Memory Stick and Betamax

And memory stick pro.
And minidisc.
And netmd.
And their non-mp3 player ipod wannabe.
And the "walkman bean".
And UMD.
And suing Lik-sang out of business.
And possible RAM price fixing.
And who can forget their exploding batteries!
Oh yeah and what about the criminal investigations for installing rootkits on you PC?


Yet they shipped the PS2 with standard ports (USB, IEEE1394)

It doesn't matter because you could not use them with standard hardware.
Who cares is a game console has USB if you can't hook up anything but sony-approved USB devices? The interface is then proprietary, regardless of the connector used.

Well, its a bit delayed but NEC has one comming out this year for 120$.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/29/snag-an-nec-hd- dvd-drive-for-just-120/

That's one huge cooling fan!

A larger fan rotates slower and is therefore more quiet. Engadget says After plenty of gameplay the console is cool -- or at worst warm -- to the touch on every surface. In a side by side test with the Xbox 360, the console is comparably virtually silent, and the Blu-ray drive is significantly quieter than the 360's DVD drive.

Why did they use a Seagate drive, when Seagate is known for sucking more power than just about anybody else?

Really? This Seagate 60GB drive eats .8 watt idle, 2 watts active. That is nothing compared to the cell chip and gpu.

The ATI RSX has its video memory on the module, but not in-core.

Just as Sony said months ago, the framebuffer memory will be moved on-die in a later rev.

According to posts on various Japanese sites... the unit gets hot. Very hot.

That hearsay does not jibe with engadget's rather credible sounding report above.

Apparently one of the campers called in sick (for two weeks?), and had to postpone his engagement to divert the ring fund to a PlayStation 3, while another guy quit his job altogether.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/10/ps3-hopefuls-pa rt-ii/

Err, while the Wii is relatively miniscule, the PS3 is actually much larger than the 360.

I think that the Data center will eventually go the way of the dodo, or at least these massive data centers. We have all heard of Google's, and I think it is Sun who are trying to create, or have created portable data centers. How long is it before there is one in every town. Just like Starbucks or McDonald's. They are going to be able to serve up anything, tv, applications super quick because the latency is so slow. Also they aren't economical, they require tons of energy, cooling, personnel. One of these portable data centers probably will need one guy to check on it, maybe not even that, through remote diagnostics and redundancy built into the system, they might be able to afford to just have a couple guys service hundreds of them. I won't need to clog the pipes to search for something or read my email because it is in Washington, rather it is just going to be a short hop or two away from me. Increasing speed, decreasing overall bandwidth use and being good for the consumer. http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/18/suns-project-bl ackbox-datacenter-in-a-container/

From an engadget interview 2006/09/14 with an MS Corporate vice-president (whatever that is) :

Engadget : When PlaysForSure was introduced, the premise was, we make it simple so that you don't have to worry about whether your player works with the music you're purchasing...

MS: That continues to be the premise for devices that are branded in that category, and we think that we've clearly done a lot in that program, where there's a lot of devices out there, there are a lot of services out there, there are a lot of partners, and there are a lot of satisfied customers. We like that program. We've also found that there's a category of customers that say, "Give me a brand experience, advertise it to me on television; I want to be part of the digital music revolution, and that solution [PlaysForSure] doesn't work for me." So they're two complementary solutions -- not everyones gonna want Zune and not everyone's gonna want PlaysForSure. They're different paths there, and we're okay with both of them.

The popularity of the iPod is not due to iTS lock-in, on the contrary, it's in spite of iTS lock-in. As usual MS are copying the wrong thing - 'Give me a brand experience' - pah

That's because it's old news. See this post that I posted above, this /. article from September, and this interview with J Allard, Microsoft Corporate Vice President.

It probably didn't say it because it's old news. It was covered in Slashdot back in September. The earliest I can find for Microsoft actually making this clear is in this interview with J Allard. Actually they don't make it all that clear; the interviewee does his best to avoid giving any sound-bites. Excerpt:

And I think that's how these two strategies complement each other. The PlaysForSure is still a program we're going to invest in, we still have a lot of partners there, and for a class of consumers who that want to have a hand-crafted media media experience and maximize their choice, we have an answer. There's another class of consumers that just want to get digital media, and they just want to be able to go to one store and have it all just plain, dead simple, and don't want to know what a codec is.

Wasn't that the point of PlaysForSure?

Well, it's like asking a question about Windows -- and the point of Windows was to bring personal computing to the world -- some people are going to pick their PCs, they're going to pick their monitor, they're going to pick their printer, they're going to pick their graphics card, and combine the things that they've chosen. Other people just a want a system that's end-to-end ...

When PlaysForSure was introduced, the premise was, we make it simple so that you don't have to worry about whether your player works with the music you're purchasing...

That continues to be the premise for devices that are branded in that category.

I fail to see anything the article says being backed up by anything Microsoft said.

It says the Zune marketplace content is not Plays For Sure content. It does NOT say that the Zune is not Plays For Sure compatible.

Yes, the article's submitter lacks reading comprehension, but other articles have made it pretty clear that Microsoft's Zune player will not play PlaysForSure content. Your comment isn't explicitly claiming that Zune players will play PlaysForSure content, but some readers might think it's possible. It's almost certainly not. Zune has been hyped by MS for some time now and will launch in just 8 days. Don't you think PlaysForSure (content) playback would be a great big feature that MS would hype for its Zune player? I'm hoping MS comes to it's senses and adds PlaysForSure compatibility to Zune players at a later date.

Anyhoo, here's part of an Engadget interview with J Allard, MS Corporate Vice President, that discusses the Zune player's compatibility with PlaysForSure content. To me, Allard's answers seem like evasive bullshit mixed with promotional bullshit, but it's pretty clear the Zune player will not (initially) play PlaysForSure content:

===================

So up until this point Microsoft's digital music strategy has been largely to create an ecosystem and be a supplier of a DRM platform to manufacturers and online music stores. PlaysForSure was the thrust of Microsoft's strategy until the announcement of the Zune. How does PlaysForSure fit into Microsoft's strategy going forward? It doesn't appear that the Zune will be compatible with any PlaysForSure retailers. How does that affect Microsoft's current partners who rely on PlaysForSure?

I think there's two answers to the question. First answer is, this whole digital music revolution is really just starting. There's still a lot to be figured. We certainly don't think we have it all figured out, and we think there will be change. The second thing is that specifically when it comes to PlaysForSure, think about you might buy a Windows PC versus how my mother might buy a Windows PC. My mom calls up Dell and says, "I have seven hundred bucks, get me a computer. What's the best thing I can get?" She doesn't specify the keyboard, the monitor, the memory configuration. The conversation might get as specific as, "Do you think you want to burn DVDs?" Then she gets a product that shows up and it's all pre-installed.

There are other people that go to Fry's Electronics and hand pick the graphics card, the case for their computer, they build a Windows-based PC from the ground up. We have a solution for both of those things. We at Microsoft have a platform that is Windows, we have a solution for the crowd of consumers that are very deliberate about how they build their PC solution, and we also have a solution for people who just want turnkey. And I think that's how these two strategies complement each other. The PlaysForSure is still a program we're going to invest in, we still have a lot of partners there, and for a class of consumers who that want to have a hand-crafted media media experience and maximize their choice, we have an answer. There's another class of consumers that just want to get digital media, and they just want to be able to go to one store and have it all just plain, dead simple, and don't want to know what a codec is.

Wasn't that the point of PlaysForSure?

Well, it's like asking a question about Windows -- and the point of Windows was to bring personal computing to the world -- some people are going to pick their PCs, they're going to pick their monitor, they're going to pick their printer, they're going to pick their graphics card, and combine the things that they've chosen. Other people just a want a system that's end-to-end -- all compatible out of the gate -- and that's what Zune

Other people tried it and got different results. Of course, some people found mixed results. I guess you could, I don't know, try it and see if it helps?

Haven't read a single report where replacing the thermal paste didn't lower the temperature - only some (including your link) where the temperature didn't drop by much.

I think it was back in July Apple acknowledged this. As others have said it is, I am led to believe, usually not the fan (although it sounds like it is) but related to the motherboard, with possibly more than one specific cause - it was reported here, in case you missed it. Manufacturing problems might account for the overheating too, they seem to have had more than one issue with the first batch (I remember having a few problems with my first PowerBook G4).

What doesn't seem to have been mentioned yet is that you can get it repaired by Apple for free if you get in touch with them via Apple Care (even if you haven't explicitly purchased extended Apple Care). I would really recommend getting Apple Care, I've found them to be superb at fixing problems (including ones that were at least partly caused by user behaviour) very quickly with no fuss at all. I would definately get it sorted it out sooner rather than later, soemthing like the thermal paste issue could be effecting your performance (and potentially application stability) too.

"Sooner or later we'll see players that cope with both standards. At that point the dominant one will win simply based on its market share."

Actually, a drive that reads both formats was already developed by Ricoh. Apparently, Sony then said they wouldn't allow anyone to license BR for a device that read both types of drive.

Although, according to this article, there seems to be some hope after all...
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/pioneer-plannin g-hd-dvd-blu-ray-combo-drive-the-bdr-103/

"I have a personal message from Steve Jobs. Just relax that brain for a while. Let's let the Mac users experience compatibility problems. Tend to your compost pile, your poetry, your art. You can help out on Vista, we can use your help there. Whatever else you've been working on, you can stop now. We went to the Big Island together, lots of karaoke."

One-third of Americans will use voting machines next week that have never before served in a general election.

Not to worry! I hear that the machines help you pick the right candidate, if you have trouble. Diebold actually licensed the clippy AI from Microsoft for that one.

from what I hear hacking the machines doesn't really take much thinking. . . (unless you hack it to play chess http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/06/dutch-voting-ma chines-hacked-to-play-chess/)

i don't think anyone has pointed this out yet in this thread.

http://www.google.com/search?q=motofone

#1 http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/motofone/

#2 http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details/0 ,,164,00.html

#3 http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/25/motorolas-9mm-m otofone/

#4 http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/motofone -f3-handson-sexy-cheap-192107.php

Doesn't work with Verizon (or Sprint, or any other standard carriers, apparently).

Probably doesn't have dialtone, or generate DTMF through the speaker when dialing. It's a very simple software solution - make it work like a standard landline phone.

Also appears to be too small - even the "large buttons" are small.

This one doesn't look bad:
http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/26/kyoceras-cellph one-for-the-elderly/
But who knows who has service in the US?

This is a HUGE market, and keeps getting bigger every day. There are some hardware solutions, but. The Verizon store has somewhere around 20 phones on the shelf - all nearly the same thing - same interface, same buttons with no tactile response, (except the Treo, which I have and love). Nothing that's remotely acceptable for a non-technical elderly person.

They should be displaying these in the store. While we were there two other people came in looking for the exact same thing.

I was surprised to read that the FBI broke the window in his front door to get in. Doesn't the FBI know about lock bumping? http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/24/the-lockdown-lo cked-but-not-secure-part-i/

In law enforcement, you don't destroy private property unless (1) lives are at risk or (2) a violent criminal is liable to escape. Nobody was even home. Nobody was in danger. There was no crime in the act of being committed when the arrived. Thus, the agents should have taken a moment to enter the house professionally.

Sounds like the guy who posted the hack can get the gui to work (and so can you), but it's not on by default for legal reasons.

A whole new batch of devices and stores support FLAC: for portables there are the iAUDIO T2 and iAUDIO F2, TrekStor's Vibez, the Onda VX737, and the AP3000 from Green Apple. For the home stereo, Slim Devices' Transporter and Ziova's CS510 and CS505. For music in FLAC format check out digital-tunes for electronic and underground, or FestivaLink.net for live shows.

Bluedot's BMP-1430 portable supports FLAC.

AudioReQuest's new S.Series music servers support FLAC.

Cowon's A2 now supports FLAC with the latest firmware, and Olive's new Opus both plays and records to FLAC.

The new Iwod G10 portable supports FLAC.

Want some FLAC with your Volvo? Volvo's Digital Jukebox, developed with PhatNoise, is fully integrated with the car's audio system and available for the S60, V70, XC70, and S80. PhatNoise's PhatBox in 2002 was the first device to support FLAC natively and has gained a loyal following.

What are you talking about? Bush invented the iPod! He must be one smart guy.

You saw it on engadget http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/04/virtual-newscas ter-hosts-news-at-seven/

Fingerprint scanners are trivial to spoof, using a variety of techniques. It's not all that hard to covertly get someone to handle a hard, smooth object (like a glass), and collect their fingerprint. A little scanning, some photo-etching plates and a little make-up quality latex, and it would probably pass even a cursory visual exam by a live security guard.

Plus, as I recall, Mythbusters fooled one of the more expensive, brand new design, "never been cracked" fingerprint scanne with a xerox of a fingerprint. http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/22/digital-fingerp rint-door-lock-defeated-by-photocopied-print/

Tokyo train station gets facial scan payment systems
http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/27/tokyo-train-sta tion-gets-facial-scan-payment-systems/ [engadget.com]

Your face could soon become just another 'bar code'
  SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS AT STATIONS
http://www.infowars.com/articles/bb/biometrics_you r_face_could_be_barcode.htm

Tokyo's Kasumigaseki Station
http://www.smartmobs.com/archive/2006/04/26/tokyos _kasumig.html

Speaking of past and future predictions, how about we all step back in time a bit down digital memory lane...

Tokyo train station gets facial scan payment systems

http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/27/tokyo-train-sta tion-gets-facial-scan-payment-systems/

----

RFID subway pass? Sure, New York says
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6033364.html

----

Radio-Frequenci ID: Asian Impediments
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct 2006/tc20061009_971601.htm

(page was ALL jacked up in my Konqueror browser....)

----

Suica

http://www.answers.com/topic/suica

Suica stands for "Super Urban Intelligent CArd"

"a rechargeable contactless smart card used as a fare card on train lines in Japan. Launched in November 2001,..."

"Technology
The card incorporates contactless radio frequency identification RFID technology developed by Sony, called FeliCa. The same technology is also deployed in the Edy electronic cash cards used in Japan, the Octopus card in Hong Kong, and the ezlink Card in Singapore."

----

RFID in Japan

http://ubiks.net/local/blog/jmt/archives3/2005/02/ index.php?page=all

----

RFID Cards Big in Tokyo

http://www.smartmobs.com/archive/2003/03/15/rfid_c ards_big_....html

"Pockets in Japan, however, are getting lighter with the growing use of integrated-circuit smart cards. The size of a credit card, they are packed with thin antennas and an encrypted integrated chip that can be used thousands of times to pay for train fares, meals at restaurants and snacks at convenience stores. In less than two years, nearly seven million people in Japan have started using one of two types of cards, both based on technology developed by Sony.

So far, the main client for the cards is JR East, the largest railway company in Japan. Nearly six million train and bus commuters have started using the first of the two types, known as Suica cards, since they were introduced 18 months ago."

For those interested in similar devices (well, actually key fob) in the US, read 5-Peter Davidson's post about "Speedpass"

BUT, be sure to read # 7- "SUICA IS NOT RFID"

http://www.eurotechnology.com/store/suica/

----

heheh, slash image word: "rescuing"...

Do they realize they're copying this video from a month ago?

Make the array bigger and put Tetris on that thing, kind of like these guys or even these guys.

Not to mention the fact that 4th gen iPod weighed 5.6 oz. and Zune weighs 5.6 oz. Miraculously, Zune is lighter.

Inductive Charging?
http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/20/splashpower-rea dy-to-solve-the-charging-issue/

It was revealed earlier this week that the Xbox 360 HD DVD external drive will work via USB on any PC. Since Toshiba really makes these drives, it is only a matter of time before drivers will show up.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/17/xbox-hd-dvd-dri ve-to-connect-to-pcs-via-usb/

I have recently switched to a steam powered laptop.

Oh, was that you? : http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/13/steampunk-lapto p-comes-complete-with-morse-key/

I would really like it if I could see an image of this controller. If you are like me here is an image of the ps3 controller:
http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/05/ps3-controll er-final.jpg

Correct me if this is out of date, it looks like it's from May. Same style/feel of the PS2 dual shock.

1. The price. $250 is entirely too much for the reader. Time will make it cheaper, though. When it hits the $99 mark I'll be interested.
   
   
2. The screen size is too small. TFA mentions Acrobat documents being shrunk down and becoming unreadable. Obviously because most PDFs are formatted to U.S. Letter or A4 size. Make the screen larger and you have a worthwhile device for this.
   
   
3. Screen refresh is too long. This is something else I expect to be improved in time.
   
   
4. More color. This thing will do much better in the market once it hits thousands of colors. Hearing the description of "black on light grey paper" as a comparison to the display brought to mind one thing - newspapers. The biggest single-use, cheap, printed material. Imagine downloading your daily news to your ePaper (a larger, two-sided version perhaps?) and reading it on the subway. Take it home and refresh it the next morning.
   
   
5. More resolution. I don't know what the device has now but I'm sure it's not enough to duplicate a printed page. Small fonts are easier to read in paper than on a computer screen, so maybe when we hit 150 or 300 dpi we'll have our ePaper.
   
   
6. Wireless. Doesn't need to be WiFi, high bandwidth bluetooth style is fine. Imagine a board meeting and the presenter sends the report to everyone's tablet for them to read instead of passing out a dozen Kinko's-bound copies. Also, of course wireless syncing of the library at home and daily news downloading.
   
   
7. The interface sucks according to TFA, how about searching - with handwriting recognition (but this would require adding touch sensitivity which might add weight/thickness, also screen refresh time will be a problem.

Or... a much better idea, the Ion Cooler.

For example, a Feb-16 article in Engadget...

The US has never claimed that Lenovo has put "spying chips" in ThinkPads. You're the one spreading FUD, pal.

Let me start by saying that I am definitely an iPod guy. I have owned several iPods (3G, 4G, Photo, Video, Shuffle). I develop iPod compatible software and have been heavily involved in reverse engineering the iTunes database formats.

That said, the e200R and Rhapsody 4.0 actually appear to be a decent alternative to an iPod/iTMS, not to mention Microsoft's Zune. I know, I know - BestBuy and Real (along with Microsoft WMA) sound like a match made in hell, but the features posted on Wired actually sound interesting - especially "My Rhapsody Channel" (sort of like Pandora for portable music players) and "Dynamic Playlists" (same idea, but featuring new releases).

Regardless of what you think of Real, you can't argue that they are doing some innovative things here (we'll have to see on how well it is executed). And while I haven't even touched a Sansa, they are the 2nd most popular MP3 player and do get decent reviews.

I'm thinking that for people who are interested in renting music, as opposed to the $0.99 per-track iTunes model, this sounds a lot more compelling than any of the PlaysForSure alternatives. If they would just subsidize the player and sell it cheap ($99 or less) with a 1 or 2 year service commitment, I think they could do very well.

I have not seen any mention of the fact that this is a rebadged WNC GW1 and that you can already import it as the Qtopia twin for around $250 unlocked.

...just to have it explode in her face? No thanks!

ah but I jest!

...deserve great software. I hope it's not been locked down too tightly so that we'll be able to replace the firmware.

What do we know about the Zune? Well, the first generation at least is apparently a rebadged Toshiba Gigabeat media player.
The rumors are that it runs Windows Mobile on a 400MHz DSP processor. This isn't strictly true because Windows Mobile doesn't run on DSP's - it only runs on ARM / XScale CPU's. However the Zune is likely to be similar to its close cousin the Gigabeat S. This uses the Freescale i.MX31 CPU. This is a 533MHz ARM11. It's not a huge leap of the imagination to think they'll use the same cpu or at least very close. If MS chose Toshiba as a partner for this its more than likely its because of their existing working product is a good starting point.

Given that, it's at least plausible you'll be able to run linux on the CPU. The only problem is hinted at in the FCC pics with the yellow sticker on the PCB stating "Fuse Blown". If you look at the it appears to have an eFuse on board making it as much a pain to re-flash as the Xbox. We'll see what happens I guess...

~Pev

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Plane

pic

Man, will they be pissed when they see this.