Life & Technology

 

 

Spoke with Karl about some of the cool announcements at the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles. Top of the list is the Xbox 360 Kinect application. This is awesome and brings a new meaning to the word wireless controller.

In fact, I would go so far as to say it is also controller-free – in the traditional sense. You will no longer need a controller for some games as you arms and legs become the means by which you play the game.

Microsoft has kept pretty quiet about this device, and why wouldn’t they? It’s a beauty and really is the next generation of gaming control – the next step up from the Wiimote, and the soon-to-be released Move from Sony.

It will also get kids off the couch and into exercise, which has long been a point of contention with gaming critics

There will be 15 games available immediately when the technology is released near Christmas.

Nintendo also announced the new 3DS portable console, which will supercede its DS and DSi range of units. It uses three cameras to give you the 3D effect, which means you will not have to invest in any 3D glasses to see the effect.

They have made it so it will be backwards compatible with most games already on the market, so you will not have to go out and reinvest in products you already have.

Spoke with Karl this morning about the fourth generation iPhone that is about to come out in July. Karl asked one of the big questions on the lips of an iPhone aficionado “will the battery last longer?” Yes it will! But I guess it had to, because if there were any complaints about previous versions of the unit, then that was a major sticking point.

What else will it offer? Higher resolution video, plus the ability to have video calls to other iPhones, iPod and Mac computers. All great stuff.

However, from a business perspective, I doubt I will be getting one soon. Even though I like the iPhone from a functionality perspective, I still can’t use it in the US due to iPhones locking out access AT&T prepaid SIM cards. I use one of these when I am there to save on call and data costs. I know I can roam on my Australian plan, but who wants to pay the extra cost of doing that? Especially when I can use an unlocked Android based HTC or Samsung, and I have no problems.

 

No doubt it will sell bucketloads – full a more comprehensive look at the phone check out this article.

I took a 3G-enabled iPad into 2UE to show Steve. He was suitably impressed, but did also mention that there are a lot of units coming out of Taiwan that are very similar to the iPad. Do they have the functionality of the iPad? Hard to say as I haven’t had a play with one, but they do seem to have a lower price point than normal.

Christine wanted to know why her ADSL line kept on dropping out. She has spent over $23,000 on connection fees – with broadband and three mobile phones – and feels like Optus isn’t doing right by her. It sounds like a complicated issue – there are several reasons why it might not be working – from a faulty cable through to being too far from a hub.

Jenny is a mystery shopper and wanted to know a good way to keep her receipts online, but in a portable manner. I suggest she buy a iPhon and download an app called Receipt, which, as the name suggests, will take care of all your receipts!

Sarah wanted to know about a Kindle and if they are available here. They are, but you have to buy them online from Amazon.

Peter was asking about voice recognition software and if it was any good. I have tried a few including one called Dragon. What you do need it patience. It takes time to ‘train’ the software to your voice – about two weeks – but once that happens it is a very useful tool.

Jan was a regular caller who still can’t bluetooth her iPhone to the car. Car manufacturers will blame Apple, and Apple will blame the car manufacturers. It’s s bit of a hit and miss proposition, with my father-in-law having to trade in is Samsung mobile for a Nokia, because the Samsung wouldn’t bluetooth to his car. Pays to check it out before you buy your car or phone.

Lee wanted to know what laptop to get her daughter for school. For between $800-$100 you gets something pretty good from Acer, HP or Toshiba. Make sure it has a decent processor and warranty.