2008 July | best tech news

Jul 29 2008

Where are the smartphones for seniors?

Posted by: admin in All Tech

A TC/CG reader Teresa asks we, the gadget-nation, a question: where are the good smartphones for seniors? Sure, they’ve ClarityLife and the Jitterbug but neither of those work as real smartphones. Teresa wants something with a tiny power. She writes: I’m one of the 22% of seniors (39 million) that have a laptop, […]

A TC/CG reader Teresa asks we, the gadget-nation, a question: where are the good smartphones for seniors? Sure, they have ClarityLife and the Jitterbug but neither of those work as real smartphones. Teresa wants something with a tiny power. She writes:

I’m one of the 22% of seniors (39 million) that have a laptop, cell phone, etc.
Most seniors are barely on the internet and not often. They still stick steadfastly to offline behaviors-watch TV & read newspapers etc

What I don’t comprehend is why no company is making a product that, as a senior, is adapted to aging, as follows:

1. Simple to use/large print Smartphone that is already loaded with wi fi…with huge letters, screen etc. -everyone over 50 has eye changes and everyone over 65 has some limitation in texting due to arthritis etc.

2. Since Nokia & Android may be joining together to create new Smartphone…this would be a perfect time to design, develop & create one that the Boomers (43-63)-81 million adults and Seniors (65+)-39 million adults=120 million adults could use that does is not difficult to use & adapted to aging population.

3. I have had various cell phones and personal and they always have instructions that are long, arduous and only a geek can understand. As a consumer, shouldn’t I not only be able to comprehend how to operate it, but also have a choice of what I want on it??

4. The smart thing to do, would be to create a Smartphone “shell” , making, numbers, screen everything big enough for groups above to read and use, then give them a choice of what they want with it when they purchase it (ie, text messaging, camera, GPS, etc..). They then are offered choices that can be customized to what they want.

5. It should also include mobile VolP software connectivity without GSM contract & a flate fee plan. Or use dedicated handset for VolP & GSM cards pre-installed. International travel in this package, is essential, many travel frequently. Could adapt the Nokia N95 to above & lower the price.

Before I retired 3 yrs ago I was Nurse Consultant for State of California Preventive Health Care for the Aging and have the scientific, medical expertise to see where the world of techonogy is very unresponsive to a population that’s aging. I’m curious to see if any of those corporations will respond to my request/challenge.

AAA Magazine advertises one with large #’s etc…but it’s features are so limiting, it wouldn’t serve many people’s purpose for one.

What have you guys gotten for the seniors in your life? What would be a good phone for Teresa and her friends?

Jul 27 2008

If you think the Meridian F80 was overpriced take a look at their new iPod dock

Posted by: admin in All Tech

A few months ago, we told you about the $3,000+ radio from Meridian named the F80. One of the features the F80 was missing was an iPod dock. Well, they’re going to fix that problem this August with a $400 iPod dock named the i80. Most audiophiles snub the iPod since it plays compressed audio, […]

A few months ago, we told you about the $3,000+ radio from Meridian named the F80. One of the features the F80 was missing was an iPod dock. Well, they are going to mend that problem this August with a $400 iPod dock named the i80.

Most audiophiles snub the iPod since it plays compressed audio, but Meridian says they can fix that. They say the i80 can process the files from the iPod to reveal more of the recording. This supposedly helps your music sound better.

The i80 will allow you to control the iPod with your F80’s remote or front panel buttons. It will also pull song information and display it on its own OLED screen. Although this $400 dock has a few neat features, I don’t think any of them justify the price.

Jul 27 2008

Both AMD and NVIDIA’s stocks are falling like rocks - buy!

Posted by: admin in All Tech

Pretty soon both of these suckers are going to bottom out, and since there’s really no other players in the consumer video card game, at least one of them is going to bounce back. NVIDIA is at around $11, down from almost $25 a couple months ago, and AMD has been steadily declining for a […]

Pretty soon both of these suckers are going to bottom out, and since there’s really no other players in the consumer video card game, at least one of them is going to bounce back. NVIDIA is at around $11, down from almost $25 a couple months ago, and AMD has been steadily declining for a long time and is on its way to becoming a penny stock. Have a tiny extra cash? There’s nowhere to go but up with these poor guys.

I’d bet on NVIDIA mainly because AMD is also squaring off against Intel, and that David/Goliath thing doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. They do however have NVIDIA on the run with the new Radeon 4870s, so the battle is far from over. [inspired by NVNews.net and Stockpickr]

Jul 27 2008

Zune phone or no?

Posted by: admin in All Tech

Ah rumors. Microsoft might or might not have had a meeting this week about making (or not) a Zune phone. True or not, either way the idea is interesting for sure. What if Microsoft released a 3G phone to directly compete with the iPhone? According to Michael Gartenberg the prospect is not likely. Citing that Windows Mobile […]

Ah rumors. Microsoft might or may not have had a meeting this week about making (or not) a Zune phone. True or not, either way the idea is interesting for sure. What if Microsoft released a 3G phone to directly compete with the iPhone?

According to Michael Gartenberg the prospect isn’t likely.

Citing that Windows Mobile is a core platform and OS, he points out that by releasing a phone, Microsoft would be in direct competition with other makers who had licensed the platform. Currently there are over 20 million WinMo licenses out there.

He goes on to state that the idea is not out of reach, just highly unlikely. Rather, he sees it the other way around with mobile Zune functions ending up in the Windows Mobile platform.

Jul 26 2008

BlackBerry Bold release pushed back to September

Posted by: admin in All Tech

Interest in the BBB is at an all time low. BlackBerry News is reporting that the 3G BlackBerry from RIM is now being pushed back to September 1 or later. I’m not sure about you folks, but I’m over it.

Jul 25 2008

In-game antipiracy measures for Dragon Quest V on DS

Posted by: admin in All Tech

Having some trouble with your copy of Dragon Quest V? Having trouble landing a certain boat, in particular? That might be because you’re a dirty, dirty pirate and Square-Enix knows it. They programmed a glitch into the game wherein a cutscene will never end if you’re using a pirated version of the game — though […]

Having some trouble with your copy of Dragon Quest V? Having trouble landing a certain boat, in particular? That might be because you’re a dirty, dirty pirate and Square-Enix knows it. They programmed a glitch into the game wherein a cutscene will never end if you’re using a pirated version of the game — though they don’t state how they know it’s pirated. Of course, workarounds and patches are already finding their way to the net so in the end it has only been partially successful.

To be honest, this seems like pretty good copy protection. It doesn’t affect users who bought the game, and it’s not malicious or limiting in any way. It probably also prevents the game from being sold at the street markets of the world as well. Although copy protection is, in the end, nearly certain to be cracked, a minor obstacle like this would probably convince most casual pirates to either give up or cough up.

Jul 25 2008

ASCII-based games roundup

Posted by: admin in All Tech

Yes, it’s a slow enough news day that I’m relying on my own strange hobbies to produce posts. I’ve always admired ASCII graphics, mainly due to my predilection towards retro gaming and massive pixels in general. Just as a game like Portal twists your ideas of space and makes you think differently, games with sufficiently […]

Yes, it’s a slow enough news day that I’m relying on my own strange hobbies to produce posts. I’ve always admired ASCII graphics, mainly due to my predilection towards retro gaming and large pixels in general. Just as a game like Portal twists your ideas of space and makes you think differently, games with sufficiently poor graphics stretch your imagination and make you adopt a new visual headspace entirely.

In fact, many games these days in the independent scene deliberately minimize the graphic component while creating gameplay far greater than more visually impressive offerings. I always keep a few around, and here I’ve collected a couple to keep you busy over the weekend.

Warning! Some of these games will resize your screen, causing your icons to move around.

Shoot’Em

For those of you looking for a swift fix, ShootEm is a great shooter game. You’re a turret defending yourself against falling asteroids. It’s really a layer of ASCII over a basic 3D engine, but it’s really fun. Save the bombs for when you really need them, and watch your ammo.

Rect Winder ASCII

A slightly more cerebral shooter can be found in Rect Winder ASCII. Set up barriers to block incoming shots. Resizes your screen for sure. Download link is kinda in the middle of the page.

Privateer: ASCII Sector

Want to stay in space but craving a little deeper action? Fans of Privateer and games like Freelancer or Escape Velocity should check out Privateer: ASCII Sector. One of those insanely deep games with no graphics to speak of. Actually, considering what they set out to do, I think they’ve done quite a good job in depicting space, battles, and planets using only the ASCII character set.

DoomRL

If you’ve already beaten Doom enough times that you don’t care to try again, maybe you should try it in DoomRL, the insane ASCII version set up as a “Roguelike,” after the original ASCII-based adventure/dungeon crawl game and its brethren. While it doesn’t have the atmosphere of the original (which can still scare), it does appear to have the same labyrinthine map structure.

Dwarf Fortress

Lastly, if you’re really looking to throw your life away, it might be time for you to investigate the dauntingly complex and eye-boggling Dwarf Fortress. I completely can’t stress how complicated and addictive this game is. First, it builds an entire planet for you procedurally, building mountains, running rivers from lakes and so on. It adds civilizations which clash, war, leave ruins, and control territories. You then pick a tiny plot of land to build your fortress on and you’re sent there with a few dwarves and a wagon to build a mighty fortress. You have to tunnel into the living rock (of which there are dozens of kinds), harvest food, build rooms and furniture — pretty much each single aspect of life is accounted for in this beast of a sim, and it is presented in the most user-unfriendly interface I’ve ever seen. So why do I suggest it? I really don’t know, just try it and find out.

Jul 24 2008

Homemade total isolation gaming pod, not nerdy at all

Posted by: admin in All Tech

It’s because of awesome things like this that gamers are unfairly slandered as anti-social, solitary, and obsessive. The thing looks to be about 3′x5′x8′ and offers complete isolation from that bothersome outside world (read: the guy’s children). Is it day? Is it night? Who can tell when you’re in your pod? And who cares anyway? I’d […]

It’s because of awesome things like this that gamers are unfairly slandered as anti-social, solitary, and obsessive. The thing looks to be about 3′x5′x8′ and offers complete isolation from that bothersome outside world (read: the guy’s children). Is it day? Is it night? Who can tell when you’re in your pod? And who cares anyway?

I’d need a little more space than this but to be honest it seems kind of cool. Surround sound, no outside light, plenty of room between your legs for snacks — all it needs is a fridge and a chemical toilet and you’d be set for a couple days.