Be still, my beating heart

Was the XBOX 2 discovered a bit too soon?

Well according to an article on howstuffworks.com a schematic was discovered which seems to uncover how this next gen console will work.

Read the full story here


Here are some of the plans for the next XBOX:

The proposed plan is to release three versions of the Xbox 2 over the course of a year. The first would be available in the fourth quarter of 2005 and the last a year later, to coincide with the release of Sony's PS3. The three versions break down like this:

• Xbox Next - The Xbox 2, plain and simple. No hard drive, but an optional one can be purchased at the rumored price of $100.
  
• Xbox Next HD - Reports indicate it will include a hard drive and extra functionality. Rumors also point toward an extra-special, crispy incentive: a Halo 2: Directors Cut that will be shipped with the Xbox Next HD. This alleged Halo 2.5 is supposed to function at a higher HD resolution and include extra playable features. Team Xbox was the first to report this. Here's a quote from their source.
  

"Halo 2.5 will be an Xbox 2 launch title and is going to run in HDTV resolution with new, improved textures and graphical effects. All the stuff that people expected from Halo 2 but didn't make the cut will be there ... The technology that powers Halo 2 has been designed from day one to take advantage of the next generation hardware... In Halo 2, the Xbox was pushed to its limits, but now the game will reach new heights with the advanced hardware ... Now, here is the twist: Halo 2.5 will come preloaded with the optional HDD. It'll be one of the two reasons to get the Xbox 2 that comes with a hard drive. The other reason ... well, you'll just have to wait."

• Xbox Next PC - Xbox Next PC is basically an entry-level PC that runs a Windows operating system (perhaps Longhorn?) and can play both Xbox and PC games. It may also include a CD burner, wireless keyboard, mouse and game controller. Users can check e-mail and run standard PC software like Word as well. Unlike other consoles, it will be meant to connect to an HDTV or PC monitor. Think of an Xbox version of a Windows Media Center PC. It's supposed to come out a year after the other two Xbox Nexts, to coincide with the release of Sony's PS3. The theorized price point is in the $600 range.

Look ma' ! No more film !

New technology allows for movies to be played from a remote location, to the most remote locations, without too much of heavy equipment.

Hopefully soon enough, the next big-screen movie you will see will not be film-based and projected from a reel -based machine, but digital; played from a media center pc or similar.

Intel technicians in Hillsboro, Oregon, encrypted Rize (a feature film), which was shot on high-definition digital video. The file was streamed to Salt Lake City, then beamed via microwave to Park City and through a WiMax connection to the top of a 10,000-foot mountain.

Source: Wired News

53-keys New Standard Keyboard

A bold departure indeed, since i hardly believe people would be willing to learn typing on a new keyboard style, The New Standard Keyboard proposes it as an alternative. This article also tells a bit of history of keyboard layouts, which may or may not be entirely accurate.

Tech-Blog.org: Technology News

Interesting search engine facts

I wonder how many lifeless, prideless human souls, Britney Spears & Co. had to pay to rank numero Uno in search queries on Google for 2004, according to a Cnet News.com article:

Google's top query for 2004 was "Britney Spears," while America Online listed "horoscopes" as the most popular keyword. Most Yahoo users searched for "American Idol."

http://news.com.com/2163-1032_3-5547932.html?tag=st.lh

OLED's are right around the corner

Now that CRT monitors are mostly obsolete, it will soon come the time of even LCD displays to be forgotten. OLED technology seems to be the next big thing in displays. Expect to see in the future tiny devices with brilliant OLED displays that will be vastly superior to the ones you see now in cellular phones, mp3 players and other electronic devices.

An OLED is an electronic device made by placing a series of organic
thin films between two conductors. When electrical current is applied, a bright
light is emitted. This process is called electrophosphorescence. Even with the
layered system, these systems are very thin, usually less than 500 nm.

Wave Report OLED
Sanyo, Kodak start commercial OLED production
OLED Displays: An illumination revolution.

AskMen.com - Bad girl

AskMen.com - Bad girl

An interesting article at Askmen.com