Filed under: GAMING | Tags: Computer, Gamer, Games, Keibi Technologies, NPD Group, The New York Times Company, Video game, Wall Street
Sales of video games, game hardware and accessories tumbled in March 17%, 18% and 15%, respectively, according to a study by NPD Group. The report connected the poor performances to the sluggish economy and the dearth of hot, new releases last month. 
ClipSyndicate/Bloomberg (4/17) , The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (4/17) , Reuters (4/17)
There are, or will be soon, more than 200 virtual worlds designed with the young computer user in mind up and running, according to industry leaders, which has prompted several companies to develop monitoring software to keep these gamers safe while online. Crisp Thinking, Keibi Technologies and eModeration are among the companies making inroads in this space. The New York Times (4/18)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Advanced Digital Broadcast, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon.com, Christmas and holiday season, Computer, Sony, TechCrunch
TECHNOLOGY
Amazon’s Kindle 2 was scheduled
to be released in October in time for this holiday season, but Bezos himself reportedly pulled the plug for last minute changes to the software. Techcrunch’s sources now say it’s tentatively scheduled to go on sale in “early next quarter.” (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/25/amazon-kindle-2-slated-for-early-q1 11/25)
Sony, according to this report, appears to be the mysterious TV maker that will distribute a set-back box developed by Advanced Digital Broadcast that incorporates tru2way technology, a device that Sony could use with its Bravia line of TVs. ADB confirmed earlier this month that it had started shipping the unit to a consumer-electronics company that it declined to name. Light Reading (11/24)
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Filed under: Feature | Tags: Apple, Comparison, Computer, MacBook Air, Sony Vaio TZ, TECHNOLOGY
MACBOOK AIR, MEET THE SONY VAIO TZ
Last week at MacWorld, Steve Jobs unveiled the thinnest computer in the world, aptly named the MacBook Air. In his keynote, he compared the newest MacBook addition to the previous thin record holder, the Sony TZ series. I thought this comparison deserved a closer look. Let’s check out the features to see who the real winner is in this tête a tête. (Note: In comparison, I compared both standard models for the MacBook Air and Sony Vaio TZ)
Thinness: MacBook Air
At .76” at its thickest section, the MacBook is thinner than the Sony Vaio at 1.17” at its thickest section.
Weight: Sony Vaio TZ
The MacBook Air may be thinner but it’s a wee bit heavier than the Sony Vaio TZ.
Screen: MacBook Air
The screen on the MacBook Air is the same viewable screen as the MacBook at 13.3”. The Sony in comparison is a bit small at 11.1”. That said, the resolution on the Sony is slightly better than the Macbook Air.
Price: MacBook Air
The Sony is listed as $2099 on the Sony Style website but available for $1849 on the B&H site. Click on the Sony image at the bottom for the B&H site. Still, the MacBook Air is cheaper.
Hard Drive: Sony Vaio
Both are 4200-rpm PATA drives. Sony’s has 100GB to Macbook Air’s 80GB.
RAM: MacBook Air
Apple’s comes with 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM. Sony’s comes with 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM.
Speed: MacBook Air
Both have Intel Core 2 Duo processors. The MacBook Air’s runs at 1.6GHz while the Sony’s runs at 1.06GHz.
Connecting on the Go: Sony Vaio
Being the sometimes proud owner of an Apple iPhone, I have become overly in tune with the Wi-Fi hotspots in NYC. Based on this hyper awareness, I understand the catastrophe that would occur if someone clipped the wings on my Edge network. It may not be 3G, but it’s a Wi-Fi replacement when I need one. In addition, it works quite well in the standard Google search realm. The MacBook Air offers wireless and Bluetooth connections. The Sony Vaio offers wireless, Bluetooth, Sprint EDVO, Ethernet, and a modem (OK, a little overkill on that last one.) The Sprint EDVO, available by monthly subscription, offers a nice mobile replacement when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
Battery: Sony Vaio
The Sony offers 4.5 to 7 hours of run-time and as an extra incentive, the battery is replaceable. The MacBook Air offers 5 hours and, as is generally the case with Apple, cannot be replaced.
Keyboard: MacBook Air
Apple offers a full keyboard as compared to Sony’s mini me. In addition, the Apple keyboard is backlit in low lighting situations as typically found on overnight flights and in dark conference rooms.
Optical Drive: Sony Vaio
The long and short. The Sony has a DVD drive. The Apple doesn’t. Apple claims the sacrifice on optical drive is satisfied by a remote drive feature. I say: That doesn’t help me on a NYC to LA flight. I want my DVD drive yo.
THE LOW DOWN:
At least in this comparison, MacBook has a slight lead with 6 leading features as compared to 5. That said, even though I don’t dig the mini me keyboard, I’d rather have a built in DVD drive than extra dependence on a Wi-Fi network or another box to carry around. The MacBook is sexier by far but a bit impractical. I’d have to go with the Sony Vaio. Either that, or could you just put the DVD drive back in Apple? A girl has to have her Peep Show on the plane.
