Monthly Archives: January 2009

The Battle of Gaming Consoles

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Gaming Consoles

Image Courtesy of Beetronix.com.au


Call it the battle of the consoles. For years, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have been trying to beat one another as to who can come up with the slicker console and with the better controls that would attract more than its share of game developers. Even to the point of incorporating miscellaneous add-ons that have nothing (well, almost nothing) to do with gaming – like having virtual worlds, supporting Wi-Fi connections, or having the ability to stream movies.

Nintendo Wii is by far the most family-friendly of the three: its games are not all gore and you do not have to wait to have the living room all to yourself to play your favorite shoot-me-up. Also, I find the Wii Remote a great innovaton, getting sedentary gamers off the couch and flailing about in some freaky exercise routine. This console is just great when you play with your family or a group of friends.

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e-Paper: The Next Big Thing!

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ePaper

Image Courtesy of Pressmart.net


Amazon.com has been promoting their Kindle device for 3 weeks now. It boasts of the ability to read e-books anytime, anywhere. Amazon Kindle is one of the new breeds of gadgets that are currently just being introduced. It’s called e-Paper devices.

e-Paper technology allows for a great display of text. Instead of being backlit, these devices uses reflected light to power its displays. So what you get is a very energy efficient device. More than the savings in energy, reading e-books on an e-Paper device makes more sense because you can read it even under direct sunlight. Yup, no more glare and hard to see screens with e-Paper.

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The Reasons Why We Should Switch to Android Phones

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android phone
I love my iPhone. It’s probably one of the greatest inventions of recent years, and it looks nice too. However, ever since Google came out with its own phone late last year, I have been curious if I should switch over to G1.

One of the things challenging the iPhone right now is the myriads of phones using Android OS. The reasons for switching to an Android-based phone like G1 are the same reasons why open source is such a hit today.

Cost-wise, it is literally free. This means that there’s a minimal or absolutely no additional charges passed on to the consumer buying the phone. This also means that the phones are considerably less expensive than the iPhone. Another is that it will be easy-to-spot problems, and to correct them. With the code available for just about anybody’s perusal, a lot of developers would be available to come up with modifications and improvement to the code.

That advantage is further stretched to the fact that having an open code can also lead to more applications and software developed for the OS.

A unique reason why to go for Android-based phones now is a game that Google is developing, called WiFi Army. Early descriptions of the game say that it utilizes Wi-Fi, GPS and maps to make a very exciting game. When you register, you get a list of other registered users within a range of 300 feet. You then select a player or players (you can choose as many as you like!) to play with, then you send out the invitations. Once the other party accepts, each of you will be sent a photograph of the other.

Now how do you win this game? The premise of the game is simple. You try and locate your opponent using GPS and Google maps. Once you find him, you take a picture which is automatically uploaded to Wi2P servers via Wi-Fi. The servers will do a verification of the picture you took, and when it says that you shot the right person, you’re the winner.

How’s that for an ultra modern and updated game of hide-and-seek? No more counting 1… 2… 3… ready or not, here I come!

I’ve never heard of any news of Apple coming out with a similar game.

The Top 6 Coolest Old School Games (continuation)

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This post is a continuation to what I’ve started yesterday about the coolest old school games. The items below, the TOP 3, are my top choices because they matter most. Enjoy!

3.) God of War for Playstation 2
Personal rating: 5/5
After CNN glossed over it by saying it’s the kind of game that reminds you why games are made and played in the first place, “God of War” received so many accolades from critics and gaming enthusiasts alike. And it is easy to see why.

God of War, by far, has one of the best battle system ever made (well, at least, in my opinion). For one, smooth and magnificent animation highlighted each attack you made. Base and primal pleasure came over me when I taught the minotaurs just who the boss is, and what they are in the general scheme of things.

The game also has a lot of mini-games or puzzles for us to solve. This gives you ample time to somehow get over the blood and gore and have a nice burger steak dinner, with ketchup.

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The Top 6 Coolest Old School Games

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Below is the first batch of the coolest and rockiest top 6 old school games. And why 6? Coz we can’t get enough out of 5.

6.) Zone of the Enders for the Playstation 2

Personal rating: 5/5

I admit it. I am a mecha freak. I practically go braindead as I wait for the next episode of Gundam 00 to come out. The thrill of having to fend off scores of enemy mechs while evading hundreds of missiles heading your way while trying to reach the command ship of an armada is every mecha fanboy’s dream. Hideo Kojima-sama has done just that when he gave the world Zone of the Enders for the Playstation 2. Featuring stunning graphics, fast-paced gameplay, and great story telling — this game is a must have. Nuff said.

Zone of the Enders

 

5.) The Suikoden Series for the Playstation

Personal Rating: 4/5

At the time of its release Suikoden was considered to be one of the best RPGs on the Sony PlayStation. It was not groundbreaking in any way, however, the gameplay was very much enjoyable and there was never one moment that I was ever bored. What I loved about it was that the game centered around the political intrigue of this world’s fictional empire and how the struggles of individual people might affect that. This comes with emphasis on how having the right support group can make the difference between (the game boasted of over 90 playable characters) life and imminent bankruptcy. What I found funny was how you were often given choices by some NPCs, only to find out that you are only allowed to make one choice to get the story moving.

The Suikoden Series for the Playstation

 

4.) Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation

Personal Rating: 5/5

There probably isn’t any hardcore gamer in the world that has not played Metal Gear Solid. This stealth action video game directed and written by Hideo Kojima is the third canonical title in the Metal Gear series, and the direct sequel to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (which was for the great Nintendo Entertainment System or Famicom to some of you). Although, looking back, the game did have a copious amount of cinematic cut scenes (which was rendered using the in-game engine and graphics); it was a welcome addition to how plots and sub-plots are weaved into a video game. What’s so good about MGS is that it was the first game of its kind that made the gamer truly feel like he was a part of a big-budget action movie — Think: Mission Impossible, without Tom cruise, with bigger explosions, greater thrills, and a better hero (I did say "without Tom Cruise" right?).

Metal Gear Solid 2

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW…

Hi-tech clothes that can combat virus and call 911

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The Cloth of the Future

Image Courtesy of ABCnews.com


Yes it’s true!!!

University of Michigan researchers have created clothes made of nanotechnology. These clothes can check its wearers’ blood and overall health system. The conjecture is that if someone is wounded or had a heart attack while wearing the “nano cloth”, it will alert someone about the incident. It can also be applied instantly to all 911 offices across the United States. However, the so called “fashion of the future” is not yet fully observed and still needs more studies.

This is like on a sci-fi movie. In the future, we will be all wearing hi-tech clothes made out of yarns with Artificial Intelligence on it. Cool!!!

SaaS Myths

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saas model

Let me start with some  truths.

The truth is, the generally accepted time frame for rolling out new software done in-house is 18 months. That simply is not acceptable in a dynamic and competitive business or industry. What’s more, a recent study has shown that almost a third of all in-house projects fail. Imagine waiting 18 months then getting disappointed by a program that just does not meet your needs or carry out the tasks you want it to, after spending all the money on manpower, new hardware and software, as well as non-tangible things like lost opportunities.

Another truth is that SaaS can address these problems. Speed? Check. Lack of capital investment? Check. Ease of implementation, from deployment to support? Check. Fast and easily identifiable return on investment? Check.

SaaS has been touted as the key difference between whether your business will survive this recession or not. If you’re not going to buy all these Messianic pronouncements about SaaS, then you must concede that it is, at the very least, a VERY big help.

If you’ve been reading on SaaS, chances are, you might have picked up some inaccurate things about it. Here are some of the myths we hope to dispel:

SaaS is good only for customer relations management.
While most SaaS articles trumpet the success of SalesForce.Com and other CRM-based SaaS providers, there are SaaS applications and services that are used for other functions as well, most notably human resources and collaboration. Other areas of an organization also have SaaS applications made for it. As a matter of fact, some SaaS companies are currently looking at the possibility of running a business with no IT departments, relying solely on SaaS applications.

 

saas software

SaaS is perfect only for small and medium scale enterprises.
While only a handful of large corporations are currently employing SaaS applications, the general economy and the combined benefits will make it a more attractive option for even bigger companies. Not only that, a recent survey among large companies had found that only 4% of these companies are not considering SaaS in the future.

As the economy contracts, however, even big businesses are feeling the pinch. Even software giant Microsoft has recently been rumored to be looking at layoffs of up to 17% of its workforce. SaaS is now becoming the cost-effective alternative for any company of any scale. Especially in light of Barack Obama’s win, which indicates that American businesses are looking at less offshore outsourcing opportunities.

What’s more, SaaS is deployable for any sized company. If it has written success stories for small and medium-sized enterprises, it is definitely ready for big business. Another concern that big businesses have is that SaaS will not integrate fully with their existing systems. Either that or the whole integration process will be so time consuming that it would not be worth their while.

For one, SaaS might never need to interface with a big company’s legacy systems. SaaS has a better track record of maintaining application programming interfaces than Sage, Oracle or SAP. Yet for those who do find it necessary to integrate, they will be pleasantly surprised that SaaS not only works well with legacy systems, but can also enhance its usability and adoption.

SaaS may or may not be for your business. As big a fan as I am of SaaS, the only person who can determine its fit into your business plan is you. But do make sure that you have all your facts straight. SaaS might be the one solution you have been looking for to leverage your competitive edge, and allow you to move on and compete better.

Read another useful SaaS article here: http://www.thefinestwriter.com/blog/adopting-saas

Adopting SaaS

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SaaS has enabled companies to quickly put up solutions, features and functions. This is a far cry from having it done in-house. Sure, you IT department may be composed of top-notch programmers, but usually, most companies’ IT departments have their hand already full. Your new project might take months to get ready, and it might not be as you wanted it. You’d spend time fine-tuning, tweaking and basically ironing out all kinks before you’re confident that it would work the way you want it to. Contracting a SaaS company that has relevant expertise in your needs means that you are able to put up what you need in a matter of days, even hours. And you get technical expertise that you may not be able to find within your company.

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Is Hulu surpassing YouTube?

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hulu-vs-youtube 

From how I see it, 2009 will be the year of video advertising, but it may not be YouTube’s year at all.

Recent reports have related about the rise of Hulu, which is significant for two reasons. One is that Hulu seems to be getting better reception nowadays and is said to be getting people off YouTube into its own domain.

They are advertising in YouTube. In fact, YouTube is where most users get introduced to Hulu. They upload short clips of films, TV series and other content on their YouTube channels, and then tell people to go to their site for the full versions.

Two, Hulu seems to have succeeded where YouTube failed: monetizing its videos. This is important because, as big as it is, YouTube have not earned too much from its videos, even when advertising overlord Google assumed its management. Hulu has done what YouTube did not bother looking at: advertising in the videos.

And it is not something that YouTube can easily replicate. Hulu has, from the start, secured the right to advertise in ALL the videos posted on the site. YouTube, on the other hand, is a hosting service that is not supposed to know what its users are posting on its site, much less be licensed to advertise with these videos. Much like how your hosting service is not supposed to see your database of customers, or what is on your Web site. Conversely, your hosting service is not allowed to proofread and edit the contents of your Web pages.

While YouTube will remain as the place to go to when you need a viral video fix, or went you want to watch user-generated videos, even when you need to upload your own videos, Hulu makes money better, and will become the go-to place for paid content like TV shows and movies. In this case, YouTube may not be the only victim, but also companies like NetFlix, that offer paid streaming of movies.

I concede that it will never be a question of Hulu toppling YouTube or vice versa: each serves a different purpose and caters to different needs. At the end of the day, YouTube will still find it more difficult to turn its site visitors into paying customers. Hulu, it seems, is inherently set to make money. In the world of business, it is not the number of people who goes into your store every day that makes a difference; it’s the number of people who buys. With the Hulu showing the way on how to monetize videos, video advertising will soon make sense.

Another Top 5 Tech Things to Watch Out for in 2009

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Netbooks:
Expect more and more of these smaller notebooks this 2009. Consumers apparently place more value to a Netbook’s size and dimensions – which speak of its practical ability to be carried around anywhere – than they would its storage space, computing power and functionality. Typically under 3 pounds and with displays of only up to 10 inches, this device has a built-in Ehternet, Wi-fi, USB ports and memory card slots. It is also perfect for surfing the World Wide Web and checking your emails.

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