Daily Archives: August 3, 2005

Today I spent some time following this forum over at Ars Technica. It’s a very interesting commentary about what appears to be an emerging aspect of the console gaming industry, specifically based on Sony Computer Entertainment CEO/Prez Ken Kutaragi’s comments on how expensive the PS3 is going to be:

“I’m aware that with all these technologies, the PS3 can’t be offered at a price that’s targeted towards households. [as opposed to..?] I think everyone can still buy it if they wanted to…I’m not going to reveal its price today. I’m only going to say that it’ll be expensive.”
[courtesy Ars Technica and CNET]

The entire thread is interesting because of the simple fact that the purported pricing schemes (a ≥$399 PS3!) in home gaming consoles stands diametrically opposed to, say, pricing in the pc industry. The article does point out, to its credit, the fact that all of this talk may just be that…talk. Get people to expect something to sell for over $400 and deliver a system for a good bit less, and they eagerly snap it up. I don’t how much weight can be placed in that theory, but then again, I don’t pretend to be an expert on the gaming industry. Add Kutaragi’s comments about the PS3’s apparent 10 year life cycle to the mix, and it’s more than the fanboys who are left with stuff to talk about.

DefCon is short for Defense Condition. DefCon is also the underground hacker convention, 13 years and going strong. It’s not that underground when it’s the first google hit when I type in “defcon”, but hey, that’s how computer nerds do it. So I have been reading a bit about this vegas geekfest and found that DefCon is a DefGo for me next year. One of these stories is a mix between Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, an interesting DefCon perspective from a female point of view.

The second most interesting DefCon story is about 124.9 miles long! That’s right, a few guys got together and transmitted an unamplified WiFi signal from a mountain top in Utah to the Vegas outskirts. Two donated satellite dishes and some rental vans put these guys in the record books for longest WiFi link. I love how they pointed the dish at Vegas and picked up a broadcasted signal! They were surfing the web!

So Gizmodo and Gadgetizer already hit this up, but I couldn’t resist mentioning it. While I’m not completely certain of the LD policy on writing about inventive ways of getting your drink on, the simple fact that a company designed a cellphone-shaped flask deserves some props. With a 4 0z. capacity, consumption is achieved, according to Gadgetizer, via “pretending to chew” on the antenna-shaped nozzle.

I guess nobody seems to notice (or care) that the “screen” is white and the “buttons” don’t even have any numbers. But it has a case, man! A genuine leather case! Yeesh. Come on, now – who are you fooling?

Creative is updating their MP3 line up in a really big way. Thirty gigabytes in their small Zen, with a large photo screen as an added bonus. This should be a popular player if it works as well as it looks. In the specs, it reportedly supports several video formats. All for a “mere” $400.

According to this BBC article, Indian company HCL Infosystems has launched its first low-close personal computer. A mere 9,990 ruppes (~$225), the machine’s specifications include a VIA or Intel Celeron processor running at 1 GHz, 128 MB DDRAM, a 40 GB hard drive, 15″ monitor and Linux as its OS.

Reading this, I can’t help but think about MIT Medica Lab cofounder Nicholas Negroponte’s $100 laptop project, which strives to provide cheap computers for those in developing countries. As prices for mass-produced computers continues to fall and projects like Negroponte’s continue to push manufacturers to go cheaper and simpler, the potential for rapid growth of the non-wealthy user base is undeniable. According to HCL’s CEO and Chairman, within 15 months of launching a computer priced below 15,000 rupees (~$340), the company’s market share grew more than 10 percent. Granted, the ability of the extreme poor to even afford a machine costing a few hundred dollars is suspect, but lower cost computers will increase access for millions (even billions).

Take a look at these numbers (from 2002, courtesy the CIA World Factbook):

Of a population of nearly 296 million, the US has an estimated 159 million internet users (53.7%).

Of a population of more than 1 billion, India has an estimated 18 million internet users (1.8%).

Look out, world.