GearBits

Mobile Gear: What Features Take Precedence?

I'm fascinated by how consumers categorize their technology. For example, what's the difference between a phone with PDA capabilities and a PDA with phone capabilities? Yet, for some reason, consumers make these distinctions. What's really troubling is that the consultants and pundits (e.g., Gartner) seem to have latched onto certain categories and are pitting one against the other as if it were an illegal dogfight...last one standing wins.

So, let's recap what can be observed out in the marketplace today. What features seem to drive name/image dominance for handheld and mobile devices?

1. Phone -- If a device can be used as a voice phone on a cellular network, it is generally first and foremost considered a phone. Some exceptions to this include the Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, which people generally regard as PDAs, and the Palm Tungsten W, which people generally regarded as a piece of crap. So, the phone feature seems to dominate all other features...generally.

2. Gaming -- Second behind phone is gaming. If a handheld has significant game-playing capabilities, but is not a phone, it will essentially be labeled a gaming device. An example of this is Nokia's n-Gage -- it's a crappy phone and a decent gaming device, yet people still refer to it as a phone. However, consider the Tapwave Zodiac. The Zodiac is considered a gaming handheld despite it having significant PDA capabilities. Were it to have phone functionality, I posit that folks would refer to it as a phone (a la the n-Gage).

3. PDA/PIM -- Personal Digital Assistant or Personal Information Management functionality seems to be third on the influential feature list. If a device has this, but is not a phone or a gaming device, it is generally considered a PDA. There are relatively few exceptions, with the iPod being the most (only?) noteworthy one. The iPod's PIM functionality is crude at best, so perhaps this isn't really even that much of an exception.

4a. Camera -- Camera functionality (both still and video) seems to have no dominance over any other feature. The Sony Clies and the Palm Zires that have cameras are still primarily considered PDAs, and my Treo 600, which has a camera (albeit a lame one), is still considered a phone. Only devices that are strictly cameras (i.e., have no other significant capability) are regarded as cameras. The only exception I've found in this regard is the Panasonic series of multi-function devices (e.g., their D-Snap line) that combine a still camera, video camera, MP3 player, and voice recorder all in one. In that device, the camera dominates the MP3 functionality.

4b. MP3/Media Player -- Being able to play music or video clips is a laudable objective for a handheld. However, it is fairly undistinguishing if this is all a device can do. Most other features (e.g., phone, gaming, and PDA/PIM) overshadow music and video playing if those features are present on the device. Consider (again) the Tapwave Zodiac. It's an excellent multimedia device, yet folks think of it first as a gaming handheld and then as a PDA, with audio and video as an "oh, yeah, it can do this too" feature. Only dedicated devices like the forthcoming Samsung Yepp YH-999 Portable Media Center are known for their audio/video playback capabilities. Were these to have phone functionality or gaming controls or established PDA/PIM functionality, they wouldn't be nearly as lauded for their A/V features. At least that's my guess.

Note that I have Camera and MP3/Video as tied for fourth. It seems there are a lot of examples of cameras that can do the audio/video playback thing and A/V devices with built-in cameras, so I don't see a clear precedence here. Maybe that will emerge as dedicated A/V devices get better and people start considering camera functionality as almost an assumed feature for mid- to upper-level electronics.

OK, I'm interested in hearing what you all think about my theory here. What are the exceptions (gadgets) to my rules that you've seen?

Nokia Re-N-Gages

Nokia has just announced the latest addition to their N-Gage series, the N-Gage QD.

The N-Gage QD improves on the original with a number of new features, including a brighter screen, a better user interface and game controls, a hot-swappable multimedia (MMC) slot, better battery life, and new smartphone features.

The new smartphone features include personal information management, email, and an XHTML browser.

In addition, the microphone and speaker in the QD have been reoriented from the original, making for easier handling as a phone.

A new launcher application simplifies connecting the Nokia's mobile network community via the N-Gage Arena, downloading and playing all available titles, as well as taking part in multiplayer gaming via Bluetooth wireless.

Nokia expects pricing to be in the range of $199 at retail, or $99 with a mobile contract. The N-Gage QD game deck is expected to be available in May-June 2004 worldwide.

D-Day for Sony PSP Game Platform

Sony has announced a release date target of March 2005 for its Playstation Portable (PSP) mobile entertainment platform.

The PSP platform includes a 4.5-inch TFT LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, powered by dual 32-bit MIPS R4000 microprocessors. One processor is dedicated to the graphics codec, with an additional 166MHz 2-MB VRAM core dedicated to 3D rendering.

The PSP boasts 2-MB of eDRAM submemory and 8-MB of accessible memory. The system also supports 60-mm Universal Media Disc (UMD) cartridges, which offer 11-Mbps transfer rates and capacities of 1.8-GB.

The PSP's specifications define the coming battlefield against Nintendo for the next generation of gaming platforms, with early adopters and teens the target audience.

Archos AV500 Mobile Viewer

Archos has just announced the successor to its AV300 series of mobile viewers. The AV500 has a more ergonomic design than the AV320, and is similar in size to a Jornada Pocket PC.

The AV500 comes in 20-GB and 40-GB models. The display screens have a 704x480 resolution, with 30-fps refresh. Also available are an external speaker and microphone.

Dual USB 2.0 ports enable direct camera-to-device transfer of images. Finally, Archos also allows users control of the AV500 via a remote control as a video player and recorder.

The AV500 sports DivX and MPEG4 playback, DRM support for Microsoft's WMA and WMV9 video format, as well as synchronization compatibility with Microsoft Windows Media Player.

The Archos AV500 will be the first PVP/PDA device on the market to support standard PIM applications (including Calendar, E-mail, and Notepad), and will include an integrated Web browser.

Internet connection is still unspecified, but is said to support Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GSM.

Tapwave Releases Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 for Zodiac

Tapwave and Activision have (finally) co-released one of the titles that folks have been most anxiously awaiting for the Zodiac gaming device: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

In the screenshot shown above, which was posted at ZodiacGamer, you can see that the game is a 3/4-view perspective game. You can control over a dozen different (real and made-up) skaters through different terrains, maps, and parks trying to learn different tricks, accomplish various tasks, and win a series of competitions.

The game is surprisingly addictive -- I didn't think I'd enjoy it nearly as much as actually did. With dozens and dozens of different tricks to learn (some requiring mind-boggling sequences of button combinations), the game is perpetually challenging. Plus, as each level has a series of challenges and surprises to discover, the game can be quite entertaining even if your skating abilities aren't that evolved.

Overall, I'd give this game a hearty thumbs-up. It uses the Zodiac hardware to its fullest and the controls are both configurable and easy to get the hang of. Memorizing all the different moves, however, may take quite a while. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 is definitely not your 20-hour-to-beat type game...it should last many, many times that given the variety and flexibility of play. Also, given that you can have multiple players competing in the same level simultaneously (through head-to-head Bluetooth connections), the opportunities for group fun are many.

Redshift's "Legacy" is a Killer Handheld RPG

If you're a fan of role-playing games and you have a Palm OS or Pocket PC handheld, you need to check out Legacy by Redshift.

It's pretty standard RPG turn-based fare, but the execution is excellent. Tons of characters, monsters, spells, objectives, environments, etc. and it's all done in really eye-popping graphics. On my Zodiac, this game just sings.

A review of Legacy can be found at PDArcade and another one here. Also, at under $20, this game is a deal.

GameCube: The Next Generation

Nintendo has announced that it is developing the next-generation GameCube console.

"Our machine will be ready at the same time as the other new consoles," said Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa.

But, he added "We're not sold on developing powerful microprocessors to create graphics that cannot even be viewed on existing televisions."

Minagawa's comments allude to the fact that Sony is developing a superprocessor, codenamed Cell, to power the successor to the latest PlayStation, while Microsoft plans to use three 64-bit IBM microprocessors for the next version of Xbox.

Xbox: The Next Generation

Microsoft is reportedly circulating the specs for the Xbox Next, the follow-up to its Xbox video console.

Microsoft's strategy appears to be controlling the cost of its consoles, and launching before Sony's own PlayStation 3 launch in 2006. Currently, PlayStation outsells the Xbox by a 5 to 1 ratio.

The Xbox Next will launch in fall 2005, and will feature

• Three IBM 64-bit microprocessors, providing Xbox Next with more computing power than most PCs.

• An ATI graphics chip with speeds faster than the upcoming R400 chip for PCs, enabling high-definition TV resolution.

• Since the original Xbox makes use of Intel and Nvidia chips, backward compatibility isn't guaranteed. While this keeps costs down, Sony has always maintained compatibility with older consoles.

• Flash memory to store saved games, unlike the current Xbox which relies on an 8-GB hard drive.

• 256-MB of DRAM, upgradeable to 512-MB depending on PlayStation's specs, compared to 64-MB in the current Xbox.

• Either DVD or Blu-Ray capability will be included. Blu-Ray will hold more data, but may not be ready in time for the launch.

By releasing specs, Microsoft is helping developers begin work on software for the launch, as well as to solicit feedback.

The Lord of the Rings Wireless Games

Wireless software publisher JAMDAT Mobile has announced that it is launching wireless games based on The Lord of the Rings epic. Available through Verizon Wireless' Get it Now service, the games suite include six separate apps:

The Return of the King is an eight-level scrolling adventure game with Aragorn, Frodo, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Pippin and Sam battling Orcs, Uruk-hai, Trolls, the Army of the Dead, Shelob and other foes.

The Lord of the Rings Trivia includes more than 360 trivia questions covering characters, objects and locations and more from all three chapters of the Ring trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings Pinball is a fast two-table pinball game wrapped in a Middle-Earth theme.

Wallpapers offer various Middle-Earth images including characters, locations, scenes, and maps. Finally, The Lord of The Rings Tones Player provides ring tones based on the musical score.

Gamer Sues, Wins Over Virtual Property

In a landmark case on virtual property rights, a court has ordered a web-based game company to return virtual property to a player whose online cache of virtual currency and weapons was stolen.

Li Hongchen, 24, spent the equivalent of $1,210 over two years on his virtual cache for the Chinese game Red Moon, only to find in February that his account had been cyber-burgled via the game's central servers by a hacker.

Hongchen took the game's creators, Arctic Ice Technology Development, to court when they wouldn't help him identify the hacker.

In court, the company stated that Hongchen's property had no real world value, but this December, a District People's Court in Beijing ruled that the company was liable for the player's virtual property because access weaknesses in its servers had allowed the looting to take place.

The result is one of the first legal rulings on virtual property rights, and another example of the blurring line between virtual and real worlds. Some Everquest gamers, for example, already trade game characters and articles for real money through eBay and similar sites.

Intellivision Lives!

When I was 10, I started saving all my allowance for one thing: an Intellivision. Launched in 1979, this was the first 16-bit gaming console. Given its superior graphics, 16-bit architecture, and (ahem) innovative disc controllers, Mattel Electronics thought it would compete favorably with the Atari 2600.

Unfortunately, I don't think it did. While the gaming experience was, IMO, arguably better than most anything on the Atari system, the price for the Intellivision was about double the Atari, with games being generally harder to find and almost always a bit more expensive. You just can't argue with tens of millions of consoles being sold. There's an interesting history of the Intellivision here.

While the merits of the Intellivision's controller design were hotly debated (either you loved 'em or you hated 'em), the Intellivision had some kick-ass games. Some 125 titles were released for the platform. One of my favorites was Sea Battle, which was best played as a head-to-head strategy/action ocean warfare game. Utopia was a really fun and innovative game -- possibly the true grandfather of modern governance simulation games, such as SimCity and Age of Empires.

So why am I writing about the Intellivision? Well, today, while doing some holiday shopping, I saw the Intellivision 25 (pictured) being sold in a Bed, Bath & Beyond (of all places) for the mere price of $19.99. Basically, you plug the Intellivision 25 directly into your TV -- all the electronics and memory for the whole game are contained in the controller! It has 25 games pre-loaded on it.

If you want more information on the Intellivision 25, or on Intellivision in general, check out the www.intellivisionlives.com website. It is chock-a-block full of good info and, if you were among the few, the proud, the Intellivision owners, may bring a tear of reminiscence to your eye. One of the interesting pieces of info on that site about the Intellivision 25 unit says this:

"Unlike the Jakks Pacific Atari 10-in-1 video game that looks like the joystick controller of the Atari 2600, the Intellivision 25 unit bears no resemblance to any part of the original Intellivision. It is based on the Techno Source TV Play Power technology, which means what they are doing is having NES hardware emulate an Intellivision. It really looks like a Dreamcast controller more than anything else. Just as well. I've always thought that the original Intellivision 16-position thumb-pad controller must have been designed by someone with an utter hate and contempt for humanity. The nice thumb stick and D-pad lets me finally enjoy playing some of these great games that the original controller made less than fun."

So, did I pick one up for the low, low price of twenty bucks? Nah, I passed...here's why. First, you can't play against anyone. Second, neither of my two fav games were included. Had it had Sea Battle or Utopia and provided a means for playing against someone, I would have bought two. Reviews over at Amazon.com are generally pretty bad.

Eventually, I hope that somebody sees fit to make an Intellivision emulator for Palm OS so I can enjoy Sea Battle on my Zodiac...now that would rock.

Stuntcar Extreme Tips

I've spent an admittedly large amount of time recently playing Stuntcar Extreme on my Tapwave Zodiac. While doing so, I've come up with a couple of handy tips. But be warned, if you like to figure out things on your own, read no further -- these are spoilers.

Tip 1: Maximizing your Stunt Jump Points

This tip is from a post I made recently to the Tapwave_Users Yahoo! Group. The maximum stunt jump points that one can possibly achieve vary greatly from track to track. For example, Icy Drifts is very low-point track. The highest point track I have found is by far Metropolitan. There are three sources of bonus multipliers on Metropolitan, and it's easiest to get them in a certain sequence. Doing this, my best stunt jump to date is 11,312. Here is how to do it in Metropolitan -- do these things in order:

0. Save your Nitro until you use it in step 4 and do not go over any jumps unless the directions tell you to. If you go over a jump and it says you earned Stunt Jump points, start over.

1. Grab the "S" at the first turn

2. Drive around the first jump (to the left is easier)

3. Grab the "T"

4. Punch your Nitro and sail over the second jump -- you have to do this to get the "U" on top of the trolleycar. This should also get you a Barricade bonus. Do not use Nitro again until step 8 (unless you can earn a new one by then).

5. Jump through the flaming hoops on the next ramp and get the bonus

6. Grab the "N" -- this is tough to get the letter and avoid the junked car, all at speed, but it can be done.

7. Grab the "T" -- you've just completed the third bonus

8. Go over the second flaming hoop jump right at the end of the lap

9. Just before you get to the first big jump (over the tractor trailer loaded with cars) on your second lap, hit the Nitro and sail over the jump. If you clear the truck entirely, this will get you max points.

10. Finish the race.

Let me know if you top 11,000 stunt jump points doing something different or on another track.

Tip 2: Shortcuts

Some of the tracks have shortcuts in them, and some are not so easy to find.
• Grand Canyon Stunt Tour has one right after the first bridge (turn left and follow the railroad tracks, then down the hill, and it will dump you out near the second bridge)
• Rollercoaster has a shortcut at the top of the first hill (turn slightly to the right and go through the cut in the hill)
I'm not sure either shortcut saves you any time, but bonus nitros are sometimes hidden there.

N-Gage Hacked

Nokia has admitted that hackers have cracked its N-Gage copy protection codes, allowing copied games to be traded over the Internet.

While Nokia hopes to sell up to 9 million units by the end of 2004, a key part of revenue comes from games, so this latest setback is critical to Nokia's bid to find a foothold in the mobile gaming market.

Mini-Review: 'Stuntcar Extreme' for Tapwave Zodiac

The only noteworthy app included with the Tapwave Zodiac handheld gaming device is Stuntcar Extreme or SCE. Mini-screenshots (about 1/3 scale) of SCE are shown to the right.

The game is basically just a racing game. It is replete with different racing modes. Quick Race gives you just a single race starting immediately once you select which car and which track you want to use. Tournament allows you to join an online tournament with rankings and what-not -- this feature isn't yet activated because the online portion isn't up.

Championship mode is where you get to compete against virtual opponents for points and prizes. Of course, you can also go head-to-head and race for cars -- if you win, you get access to use your opponent's vehicle in future races.

Finally, there's Multiplayer mode -- this is a Bluetooth-enabled head-to-head one-on-one race mode. Unfortunately, I don't know anybody else locally with a Zodiac, so I haven't been able to try this mode (am dying to though!).

One of the more interesting aspects of SCE is how it integrates into the Palm Desktop application. A conduit sucks down your lap and race times to the desktop each time you Hotsync your device. Then, if you've told it to, it will upload these times/scores to the server automatically -- no extra logging in or website visiting necessary. Very cool.

Playability is important, of course. I've found the game to be very easy to grasp yet a challenge to get really good at -- this isn't a game you're going to master in a few hours. I've only made it to the second Championship level, and the courses there are incredibly difficult (is it even possible to make it all the way through Rollercoaster without tumbling off the track?!?).

The game is not bug-free, however. Even though Vasara Games has made available an update to SCE (get Stuntcar Extreme v1.1 here), I've experienced multiple fatal errors, each requiring a soft reset of the device. Of course, Palm OS is robust enough that no info is lost -- restarting the game takes me right back to where I was in terms of rankings and points. A few other folks have also experienced these fatal errors. I was told by Vasara rep Samuli Syvahuoko that all bug reports for SCE should be submitted directly to Tapwave rather than Vasara.

Anyway, I'm hooked on Stuntcar Extreme (like I need yet another way to spend my time). Good going, guys!

All Work and No Play

Companies usually frown on their employees playing games on their computers. However, the BBC is reporting on a study that suggests that gaming at the office improves job satisfaction and even productivity.

In one of the first serious studies of the effects of game playing in the office, researchers from the University of Utrecht focussed on 60 employees from a Dutch insurance firm.

The employees were split into groups, some allowed to play games like Solitaire and Minesweeper for up to an hour a day, and others denied the chance.

The results, documented via logbooks and other performance metrics, showed that the gamers had higher job satisfaction and productivity ratings than the non-gamers. Researchers noted that the effect was similar to that of a "coffee break," which provides the opportunity for workers to recharge.

The findings were presented at the first ever Digital Games Research Association conference. The research team is carrying out further studies with a larger number of participants, and using more complex games.

Photo of Sony PSP at Gizmodo

Gizmodo has a photo of the forthcoming PSP from Sony, which is rumored to be heading our way sometime late 2004. Gizmodo also has another entry with rumored specs.

The PSP, or Playstation Portable, is a mobile gaming console that uses 2.4-inch, 1.8 GB optical "Universal Media Discs." Oh, goody...yet another new media format from our friends at Sony...just what we need!

It looks very similar to the Tapwave Zodiac, which has a larger screen (480x320 vs 480x272) and is available now (I was up way too late last night playing StuntCar Extreme ;-).

Anywho, the upside to the PSP is that it is made by Sony, which has a lot of marketing and dev muscle. The downsides are that it will require you to buy and haul around proprietary optical discs (ugh) and it appears that your current Playstation titles won't work (the standard-size optical discs are too big). We'll just have to see how it all pans out.

My Tapwave Zodiac Has Arrived

I saw the FedEx truck on my way to work, pulled over, and convinced him to hand over my box. Intriguing how desperate cool new kit makes us, isn't it?

Anyway, I put up a page with some pics of the box and stuff, but it's not charged enough to get an idea of how well the device actually works yet. More as I know it.

Tapwave Zodiac Begins to Ship

News Flash! The first user we know about has received his production Tapwave Zodiac. Tapwave promised that Zodiacs would begin shipping "in late October," and it appears they met that deadline by getting some units out on the very last day of the month.

More info on the Zodiac can be found in these GearBits posts or at the Tapwave website. Recent reviews of the Zodiac have appeared in ExtremeTech and at Shacknews.

Nokia N-Vasion Begins

"There's going to be a lot of tired thumbs tonight!" says Ilkka Raiskinen, Senior VP, Entertainment and Media, for Nokia.

Nokia has just officially launched the highly-anticipated N-Gage, its entry into the mobile gaming arena. Part-phone, part-gaming console, the N-Gage offers multiplayer games using the Symbian OS.

Specs for the $300 device include a 12-bit color, 176 x 208 pixel screen, digital music capability (MP3/AAC), stereo FM radio, built-in Web-browser, MMS and email messaging....and a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 mobile phone.

Nokia also launched its N-Gage Arena community, allowing gamers to share experiences and find other players to play and complete with over the air.

The worldwide blitz is one of the largest marketing campaigns for Nokia, who is seeking growth from gaming to offset the slowing handset market.

Nokia joins Tapwave, which recently released its PalmOS-based Zodiac gaming handheld, in challenging market-leader Nintendo, who says it expects to sell 20 million GameBoy Advance units this coming fiscal year. At E3 earlier this year, Sony also announced the Playstation Portable (PSP), yet another entry in the handheld gaming market.

Nokia says it expects to sell up to 9 million N-Gage units by the end of 2004.

Tapwave Zodiac Goes on Sale

Yes, the Zodiac is finally available...at least for pre-orders. Tapwave has said that orders will be filled starting in October.

The newly updated tapwave.com website also has boatloads of new information on games, accessories, packages, etc.

I've got my pre-order in...what about you?

Tapwave Zodiac Pre-Sales Start Wednesday

For those who just have to have the latest hip kit in their messenger bags, the Tapwave Zodiac will be going on sale (pre-order) Wednesday, September 17th at 7AM PST. Pre-orders can be placed at www.tapwave.com as of that morning.

Avid readers of GearBits will know that I'm particularly excited by the Zodiac. GearBits blog entries about this new Palm OS powered gaming device cum PDA can be found in this list of search results.

The photo to the right came out of the FCC application that Tapwave had to submit for the Zodiac. Tons of additional information, including a user manual, many photos, and lots of active discussion about the Zodiac can be found at the Tapwave_Users Yahoo! Group. But, you have to be a member of that group to access all the downloads, so go sign up today (it's free) and join the 300+ others who are making this the most active place to find out new information on the Zodiac.

Warfare Incorporated for Handhelds

Handmark and Spiffcode are preparing a new game for handhelds: Warfare Incorporated (WFI). WFI is a real-time strategy combat game. As an employee of a mining company, your various missions require you to destroy the forces of a competing mining company and/or an opposing army of independent miners.

The image to the right is a little piece of a screenshot. With the game supporting graphics up to 480x320 (the max resolution currently available on handhelds), there is a lot of detail available on the screen at any one time.

Full-screen demo shots can be found here, and a downloadable movie of actual game action can be found here. It looks as if Handmark will be coming out with both Palm OS and Pocket PC versions of the game.

The game appears to be you-versus-the-computer through a series of scenarios. Head-to-head gaming doesn't currently seem to be an option, but that might be something that appears in version 2 -- who knows for sure. In a nutshell, however, this looks like it will be a really awesome game.

Full disclosure: Craig has a financial relationship with Handmark, although this hasn't kept him from criticizing the company when it screws up and praising it when it comes out with something totally kick-ass (like this game). :-)

Video of Tapwave Zodiac

A new video of the forthcoming Tapwave Zodiac is available at CNET TV:

Watch the Video Now.

Byron Connell, CEO of Tapwave, talks through some of the highlights of the device, including full SDIO compatibility for both expansion slots! Tapwave is also planning on supporting a community-oriented website once the Zodiac is launched.

Believe me, you will want one...you will need one of these things after seeing it in action. Tapwave will start taking pre-orders via its website on September 17th. You all can get in line behind me. Thanks to namorblah for the lead.

Tapwave Zodiac Available Soon

The gaming hardware company Tapwave has announced that it will start making its forthcoming Zodiac device (pictured) available in late September. A preview of the device can be found at GoDoPlay.com.

The Zodiac, formerly called the Helix, is a handheld computing/gaming device powered by Palm OS 5.2 and sporting such tremendous hardware specs as a 480x320, 16-bit color user-rotatable screen, stereo speakers and headphone jack, dual SD expansion slots, user-replaceable rechargeable Li-polymer batteries, Bluetooth (for multi-player gaming) and a fast ARM processor (actual clock speed not yet released).

The unit will ship with 32 or 128 MB of RAM depending on the model purchased, and will cost either $299 or $399 directly from Tapwave's website. The Zodiac will not be sold in retail stores until some time in 2004.

A lot of excitement has been generated about this device, with most reactions claiming that the Zodiac has a definite edge over its rivals, the Nokia n'Gage and the Nintendo Gameboy Advance. Both gamers and PDA users are expressing significant interest in this cross-over device, which may, surprisingly enough, satisfy both user types equally well.

For more information, a dedicated Yahoo! Groups community for Tapwave's products already exists -- check out Tapwave_Users today.

'Second Life' Looks Intriguing

Recently, a new online game/community came into existence: Second Life, which describes itself this way:

"Second Life is an expansive online society, lived in and built by its participants. Join a 3D world full of people, activity, and fun, where you and fellow residents can build a shared reality. You choose your own goals – travel and explore, claim and build on virtual land, make friends and socialize, or vie for status and wealth. Whatever you choose to do, your Second Life starts now."

Wired had an article on the game last month describing how many of the games participants may spend a bit too much time in cyberlife. However, some of the events that have unfolded in the Second Life environment sound pretty cool. For example, a group of WWII recreationists took over a small area of the game and posted warnings that anyone who came within would be killed.

So, has anyone tried this out? If so, what's it like? More importantly, is it worth $15 a month?

Pinball Wizards

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) use fabrication technologies derived from the semiconductor industry to construct components of microscopic size and smaller.

Using MEMS technology, people have made gears nine microns in size, working electrostatic motors, and projectors based on digital micromirrors. Ho hum.

Now comes a true advance: a MEMS scientific team have developed a new micromachining technique and - more importantly - have demonstrated its potential by making a micro pinball machine.

The ball, a 150-micron magnetic bead, is inserted in the 24-mm square pinball table, which is tilted at 20 degrees. The flippers are electromechanical silicon cantilevers which flick the ball at speeds of up to 0.75 km per hour against silicon bumper structures. Movies of the pinball machine in action are awesome.

The team says that the revolution is in replacing traditionally complex MEMS patterning fab steps with a single simple step, and using room temperature plasma bonding. For me, the pinball machine itself is revolution enough. The ultimate in mobile gaming!

Speedcubing: Rubik's Strikes Back

Remember the Rubik's Cube? My best time was just under a minute, which may sound great, but to modern speedcubers, is just pathetic.

If you can do it in less than 16 seconds, or can solve more than 150 cubes in one hour, or do it blindfolded, you've got a fair chance to place in the 2003 World Competition, being held in Toronto, Canada at the end of August. These are the first world championships in over 20 years.

Yes, Rubik's Cubes are back, with record times being set by a new generation of speedcubers, based on intensive permutation algorithms and time-conserving finger moves, on cubes that have been tricked-out so they are literally well-oiled machines.

Me? I'll just sit on the sidelines and watch.

Tapwave Helix Gets New Name: "Zodiac"

According to CNN Money and Brighthand, the forthcoming device from Tapwave is being renamed from "Helix" to "Zodiac." Admittedly, Helix was a development name, but it was what the company used at its launch back in May.

The Bluetooth-equipped Zodiac will supposedly come out in two models: a $299 unit with 32 MB of RAM and a $399 unit with 128 MB of RAM (the most in any Palm OS PDA available). More information on the Zodiac can be found at Tapwave's website. There is also already a Yahoo! Group dedicated to this soon-to-be-released device -- visit the Tapwave_Users website now (requires Yahoo! login).

Follow-up: I just now found out that Popular Mechanics published a story about the Zodiac way back a week ago today on July 22nd. Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?!

Tapwave Helix Gets New Name: "Zodiac"

According to CNN Money and Brighthand, the forthcoming device from Tapwave is being renamed from "Helix" to "Zodiac." Admittedly, Helix was a development name, but it was what the company used at its launch back in May.

The Bluetooth-equipped Zodiac will supposedly come out in two models: a $299 unit with 32 MB of RAM and a $399 unit with 128 MB of RAM (the most in any Palm OS PDA available). More information on the Zodiac can be found at Tapwave's website. There is also already a Yahoo! Group dedicated to this soon-to-be-released device -- visit the Tapwave_Users website now (requires Yahoo! login).

Follow-up: I just now found out that Popular Mechanics published a story about the Zodiac way back a week ago today on July 22nd. Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?!

Tapwave Rocks My World

Save up your pennies, boys and girls, for you will be wanting the forthcoming product from a pretty wicked little startup called Tapwave. This holiday shopping season should see a new handheld gaming device on store shelves, or at least available online.

The specs on the device are mondo impressive, including a super-bright 480x320 (that's half-VGA landscape) screen, ARM processor, a full set of analog and digital gaming controls, sound and graphics acceleration, built-in Bluetooth, dual rechargeable batteries, and much much more. The Bluetooth is there to support multi-player head-to-head gaming (read "fragfest in Physics class"), which should be popular with gamers of all ages. What's more is that, because it is based on Palm OS, it will run all those same PIM apps and stuff that you need to survive each day -- Addressbook, Datebook, etc.

I was lucky enough to be invited to Tapwave's launch party on May 5th, at which I was unlucky enough to get to fondle one of these devices. Why do I say I was unlucky? Well, because now I have to wait 5-6 months until these things get released -- 5-6 MONTHS!! I'm just not that patient for new gear, especially gear as sweet as this. And believe me, it's sooo sweet. [insert Homer drooling sound here]

Well, more as I know about it. If you want to discuss this device in the meantime, check out the Tapwave_Users group over at Yahoo!