NEW GAME WORLD NEWS CHANNEL
What's hot, hot, hot for summer!
There are some products that, right out of the box, are going to deliver on their promise. Whether it’s Panasonic or some little pisher of a company that just strung its new patent around a miniscule launching budget, maybe the Best Buys and Circuit Citys and large regional retailers will pick the product up for the back- to- work, back-to-school and eventually holiday shopping season… and maybe they won’t. Everybody has a fair chance. Little guys take note: big guys like Sony, Toshiba, Samsung Dell, LG sometimes get turned down on a particular model in which they’ve invested millions.
Wires get me in trouble. Ask my wife the one thing about all the electronic products in our home or car that makes her stark raving mad, and it’s the wires. They’re all over the place and they drive her absolutely, completely insane. So, I dedicate this Bluetooth column to her, with no strings attached.
As we write this, it’s finally hot, hot and humid. Thundershowers are in the air. The flip flops and summer clothes are finally out of the closet...
Not for Gamers Only!
With the resurgence of video game play, your grandma is just as likely to be flinging a numb chuck as your toddler is learning her first mathematics through a challenging round of Leap Frog learning software. According to noted video game and technology analyst Len Wanger, approximately 70% of the U.S/North American population played video games last year, up from 60 % in 2006.
The Consumer Tech Column
No matter what you purchased or didn't purchase last holiday, here's a rundown on what's in for this Spring shopping season and maybe seasons to come in the video gaming, toy, consumer electronics, personal computer and multimedia product categories.
The 41st annual circus of circuits, AKA the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is about to begin, but the buzz already created in Las Vegas has commenced in full throttle. Even before the show began, most journalists predicted the quick demise of the HD-DVD.format, coming off the heels of the recent announcement of Warner Home Video's plans to release their DVDs in Blu-Ray. During the CES Press Day on Sunday, representatives from Toshiba, who support the HD-DVD format, stressed they would continue to back what they thought was the best format for the consumer. "We've been declared dead before," said Jodi Salley of Toshiba, "and in the end, it is a rich environment that matters." This environment incorporates a dual density compression format that promises an immersive experience with more intense exciting colors and animation.
While the biggest buzz from Day One of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was Hitachi's announcement of the availability of world's thinnest (1.5 inch) LCD screen launching this quarter, several smaller and less known CE companies offered noteworthy (and less expensive) items for the average folk...
Music Music Music meant $$$ to the video game industry in 2007 and, while the general consumer electronics market had a so-so holiday season, the video game industry used music - as in Guitar Hero 2-3, Rock Band and related hardware and software - and reversed a three year trend to experience its biggest market growth in years, say many industry analysts.
While the video game industry often evokes comparisons to the movie business, these two types of entertainment are quite different. Movies draw mass crowds to the cinemas (at least that is the business model), while games are often devised as experiences for the individual or small groups. More importantly, while movies are big business during the holiday season and then taper off, new releases of top caliber games don't dry up the same way in the winter months. Electronic entertainment remains an all year business, and while some of the biggest games may have been released in the last few months -– notably Halo 3 for the Xbox 360, as well as Rock Band for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - 2008 will see the release of many highly anticipated titles.
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VP of News and Content: Richard M. Sherwin
Executive Editor: Susan Davis
Senior Editors:
Lee Danuff
Video Editor: Monica V. Gonzalez
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