Does the New PSP (NGP) Pose Any Threat to the iPod Touch?
Sony's main competitor for the PSP2 is the Nintendo 3DS but then you go onto think, the iPod Touch has a pretty large gaming presence with heaps of support from developers who are willing to create new and innovative games for the iPod Touch. The PSP2 is actually very similar to the iPod Touch in terms of things which it is supposed to do. No doubt it will be able to play music and video as well as awesome games but is pure power enough to beat both Nintendo and Apple? Based on the previous generation, the Nintendo DS sales far surpassed that of the PSP yet it was technologically inferior. Sure it has a touch screen but it wasn't amazing. The same thing could happen with the iPod Touch vs PSP2.
Obviously, Apple has the whole logo thing guaranteeing popularity for the product but the PSP2 boasts graphical power comparable to the PS3 and touchpads on the back and the front basically adding a whole new dimension to gaming. Having not really seen the interface of the new PSP, I can't comment on whther or not it is better than iOS but the familiarity of iOS will give it the upperhand. As more console games such as FIFA are released on iPod Touch, it has become more and more orientated towards gaming.
An iPod is something most people carry with them all the time. If you could fit games with good graphics and length on it then clearly there is a huge potential to use it as a handheld gaming device. Rumour has it that Apple could upgrade the already decent A4 processor with a dual core A5 processor making it an even more capable gaming machine. So how can the PSP2 compete with a device with so much exposure already?
The PSP2 and other handheld gaming devices hold several advantages over the iPod Touch. Firstly, there is the fact that it actually has physical buttons which makes a game so much more playable. Touch games are incredibly playable with the iPod Touch, often using innovative interfaces but when it comes to first person shooters and sports games, you need to have physical buttons. Personally, I cannot play those sorts of games on the iPod Touch even though others can manage.
Secondly, the iPod Touch doesn't really have the support of hardcore gamers and PlayStation exclusive games. The PlayStation has been around for a long time and over this time it has built a huge base of supporters and game series which everyone likes. Some games which will come out on the PSP2 include Resistance, Little Big Planet and Call of Duty which are games that will probably never come to iPod Touch.
Finally, the PSP2 outdoes the iPod Touch in specifications. The 5 inch OLED touch screen looks amazing, the physical buttons and dual analog sticks add so much more control to the game. As well as this, current PSP games and PS1 classics will be able to be played on the device. Add connectivity to social networks and you have a pretty good looking gaming device.
There is the matter that people will not want to carry a million devices in their pockets. If a phone can replace a handheld gaming device and an mp3 player well, people will take it. So the PSP2 has to be something pretty awesome to convince people to use it.
Playstation Move First Impressions
I had a go at the new Playstation Move today and I must say I wasn't really sure what to expect. I have a lot of friends who have a Nintendo Wii and when visiting them, I thought it was really cool but they said it gets incredibly boring after a little while. The main problem being that the games are for little kids. The Playstation move has a pretty good selection of games out right now and I played both Sports Champions and Start the Party. Sports Champions seems like such a rip off of Wii Sports but after playing it, I noticed it was so much better. Firstly, the graphics are very impressive and it really immerses you in the game as opposed too Wii's cartoonish, childish graphics. Secondly, as many of you know, the Move controller is supposed to be more accurate than the Wii's. This accuracy makes a huge difference to the game experience, for example when playing table tennis, your movements exactly match that of playing the real game. Tilting your hand slightly will allow you to put more spin on it etc. A large problem with the Wii controller was the fact that you could easily cheat with it. You can just randomly wiggle your wrist and you will get a good score. The accuracy of the Move means you cannot do this anymore. As well as this, the vibration of the Move controller adds another aspect of depth to the gameplay. When hitting a ball, you can actually feel the ball hitting your racket making the game seem very realistic.
Overall, the Move is an excellent system and offers considerable advantages over the Wii controller, which it is quite obviously trying to compete with. However, I don't think that people will be switching from Wii to Playstation but rather, Playstation owners will have motion controls added to games to add more gameplay features for existing owners. The starter pack is also a great deal, including everything you need. Unfortunately the game included in the starter pack is merely a collection of demos rather than full games so don't get confused by the term starter disc. You still need to buy a game!
New iPods!!!!
Apple has just released their newest line of iPods right on time. Obviously, like every other blog out there I have to get my point of view across.
Firstly, there's the new iPod Nano which is actually nano this time around. Unfortunately they have replaced the click wheel with a multi-touch screen which can fit four icons on it. In my opinion it seems kind of gimmicky but I am sure Apple will prove me wrong with this being the next must have gift. The new Ipod Touch, as predicted will include all the new features of the iPhone 4 except for the phone, making it just an "i". As well this there is a new iPod shuffle which has the same button arrangement as the first gen shuffle but it is in the shape of a square. I guess they realised that a buttonless design was just plain stupid.
UPDATE: You may notice the bad photoshop job when you look at the apple logo in the reflection of the iPod Touch
How Apple’s iPad Fits into the Office
Sure, the iPad is a great device for Web surfing, book reading, and movie watching. But it's also getting a lot of interest in corporations as a possible business device for field forces, nurses and doctors in hospitals, and knowledge workers in the office and on the go.
That interest is obvious from the top iPad downloads from the Apple App Store, where Citrix Receiver, an app that makes the iPad a portal to server-based apps such as Microsoft Office and SharePoint, has stayed in the top five almost every day. Also in that top-downloads list are Apple's iWork productivity trio (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) and two Microsoft Office-compatible productivity apps (Quickoffice Mobile Connect Suite and DataViz Documents to Go Premium).
I decided to see how well the iPad could fit into a business environment. The short answer: awkwardly, but with lots of promise. (Note that all the apps mentioned here are available through InfoWorld's "no-junk business iPhone and iPad app finder" Web page.)
The iPad is very portable and has long battery life (six to eight hours in my experience, although the more networking you do via Wi-Fi, 3G, or Bluetooth, the less time you get). So it is very appealing as a laptop replacement, at least for short trips. For many users, it can indeed replace a laptop. Which users? Certainly those whose lives revolve around email, Web access, and basic office productivity work. For other users, it depends greatly on the software availability for your work tasks.
Here's what you can do, and what could get in your way.
The Fascination of Apple
One of the largest technology companies on this planet is Apple. They are the creators of many of the products we use in our everyday lives such as the iPod and the iPhone. Whenever Apple releases a new product, they have a lot of market hype. Every technology blog, including this one, has to report on Apple's latest product. They were the ones who made having a lowercase "i" in front of a product name cool. On top of this, I notice a large traffic increase whenever a new Apple product has been released. Apple's Macs are far from the worlds most popular computers, this title goes to Dell. But for some reason, every time a new Apple product is released there is more hype surrounding it than any other product. People wait in nerve wracking anticipation when Steve Jobs hosts another keynote and journalists from around the world wait to be one of the first to hear about Apple's latest product. Whenever Apple does release a new product, you want to buy it. often it has its limitations but you still want to buy it. It just looks so cool. You merely have to a take a trip to your local Apple store to experience this feeling. But what is the reason for people's fascination with Apple, so much so that no matter what product Apple releases, you can guarantee a line will stretch for miles and it will be sold out in every store within a couple of days.
Review: Playstation Network Movies
Introduction
Recently, Sony released a movies store on their Playstation 3 where you can buy or rent the latest and not so latest movies. I was able to test this service out just recently and here is my review of it.
Pros
- Easy, inexpensive delivery service
- Integrated into the PSN store without an additional download
- Has both HD and SD movies for people with not enough download limit
- Movie rental service is convenient
- Decent video and sound quality
Cons
- 5.1 channel surround sound is not activated by default
- HD movies are not 1080p
Review
I rented three movies, Surrogates, Invictus and 2012. I found the delivery method was easy but on my 2Mbps connection, the movie took about 8 hours to download which is a bit of a pain. This means you have to plan ahead of time. Conveniently, Sony does give you an option to play the movie while it is downloading but the download is so slow that it will keep pausing the movie.
iPhone 4 Impressions
Sorry about not updating the blog in ages. I have been extremely busy. So, I thought what better time to make a new post than on the introduction of a new Apple product. Quite frankly, I thought the iPad was a bit of a disappointment to me personally and I have to say that i was expecting big things of the iPhone 4. However, I believe this new product is just trying to play catchup with its Android counterparts for this generation. Yes, Apple has added over 100 new features to iOS 4 but none of them are truly revolutionary.
Take this quote for example of Apple's website:
"People have been dreaming about video calling for decades"
My first reaction to seeing this on Apple's website was to burst out laughing. You have to have been living under a rock for the last 6 years to not have noticed that most new phones have video calling capabilities. As well as this, FaceTime can only be used on WiFi between two iPhone 4s. The chances of the person you want to call being on a WiFi network with an iPhone 4 is astronomically low. Why wouldn't you just use Skype?
Review: Denon ASD-11R iPod dock
Introduction:
Denon has recently released an iPod dock for all of their products including radios and receivers. This iPod dock not only allows you to listen to music from your iPod but also allows you to view videos and photos. Your iPod can even be controlled with the remote control included with your receiver.
Pros:
-Easy to set up
-Lots of features
-Can watch videos and photos from your iPod
-Can control iPod with Denon remote
-Available in black and white to suit your iPod
-Works with iPhone
Cons:
-Menu system can be difficult to navigate
-Can only listen to music with iPhone
-Expensive
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Review: Denon AVR-1909 Receiver
Pros
- Great Sound
- Upscales video to 1080p
- Lots of inputs
Cons
- Flimsy, hard to use remote
- Difficult set up
- Auto calibration microphone didn't work
- Generates lots of heat
Overview
The Denon AVR-1909 or 786 as it also known is an excellent receiver. Once you get it running it performs really well.
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Review: Sony KDL-46XBR45 (KDL-46XBR8)
Overview:
The Sony Bravia XBR45 range is one of the best TVs on the market. Despite its high price tag, it offers black levels better than any other LCD TV on the market and even better than some plasmas'.
Pros:
- Excellent black levels
- Brilliant feature set
- Attractive design
- Lots of inputs
- LED backlighting
- Made in Japan
- Powerful speakers
Cons:
- High price
- Remote is too long to use comfortably
- Sony logo backlight can be distracting (can be turned off)
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