T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Unbox

Today I received the brand-spankin’ new T-Mobile MyTouch 3G with Google by HTC, powered by Android (heck of a name), and I quickly opened it.  I took some photos and decided to put them up for everyone to enjoy.  My usual digital camera has run out of battery juice, so I had to use the next best camera I had on hand: my Nintendo DSi.  So, in advance, I apologize for the quality of the photos (but I don’t think they’re that bad).

The (Good?) Old Days of the Cartridge

This article from Bitmob got me thinking about the old days (ie 1990’s) of gaming.  Remember cartridges?  Those clunky, boxy devices that used to hold entire games?  I do.  Unfortunately, the cartridge format has gotten a bad rep for being small in storage space, expensive to manufacture, and too cumbersome to carry around.  All are valid strikes against it.

But, it has a few pluses over the disc format.

I honestly never had a problem with them.  Meaning, they stood up to some crazy abuse.  Here’s an excerpt from a forum post I left at Bitmob:

Sometime in elementary school (maybe it was 5th grade, too), a friend found a Mortal Kombat SNES cart sitting in his desk. It was probably left there by some kid from a previous class session. Instead of keeping it himself, he decided we should try and mess it up by scratching up the connector piece that protrudes from the space at the bottom. We took pens, pencils, scissors, anything and just ran it along the inside of the cart. A few days later, he grew tired to this and just gave it to me. I took it home, popped it in, and surprisingly it still worked.

Some years later, I did the same thing to a copy of Super Mario Kart 64 another friend had found in his backyard. After attempting to destroy it, I put it in my N64 and that, too, still worked.

In comparison, I recently discovered my copy of Mass Effect was rendered almost unreadable because I left it sitting on my desk, cover-side up, with nothing to protect the disc’s surface from my (supposedly) clean desk surface. It’s a reminder of how fragile the disc medium is.

Yet another friend of mine told me of a time his younger brother attempted to flush a bunch of NES carts down a toilet from some reason.  From what I understand, those games still work.

Discs require special treatment.  I can’t just toss a disc in my bag and take it with me someplace, I need to have a special case to carry it in, lest the readable side gets all scratched up.  Sure, most adult gamers remember blowing into the bottom of cartridges to get them to work sometimes, but from my own experience, that’s all it took.  These days, I’ve had to do the toothpaste method of cleaning scratched discs that got that way by accidentally being slid a few inches across my desk.

The cart itself is your memory card.  You don’t have to worry about running out of memory space to save a game; the cart automatically comes with enough to save your progress.  Yes, I know, there’s a downside to this: you lose the game, you lose your save.  The N64 had a somewhat cumbersome workaround for this which required a secondary memory card in addition to the save capabilities of the game cart itself.  But, for the most part, it worked.

Another thing: when the PlayStation came out, it had slots for memory cards, which were required to do any game saving.  The problem, and I know this is a minor issue, was that if the card was corrupted, chances are all the files will be affected.  I remember playing the original Driver for the PS1 and getting pretty far into it, only to have the save file corrupted somehow.  A day or so later, none of my saves from any of my games on that particular card would load.  Needless to say, I never finished Driver.

Anyone that owned an original PSP, or even the newer models, will attest to some long load times.  Kinda defeats the purpose of a portable gaming system if you have to spend half your commute waiting for the damn thing to load.  Nintendo’s venerable DS/DSi handheld, while technologically inferior to the PSP, has a major advantage in significantly reduced or completely eliminated load times.  I wouldn’t even think of bringing my PSP with me for the 30 minute commute to school (the PSP is actually collecting dust in a drawer somewhere in the house).

Now, I’m not poo pooing all over the disc format (that is an argument reserved for an internet forum back in 1997).  I understand the pros and cons and why the industry has moved toward this medium.  I also don’t think the industry should go back to it (with the exception of handhelds; if portable gaming needs a physical medium before completely jumping to digital distribution, let it be the cartridge).  I just think us gamers should have at least a modicum of respect for the format that brought us some of the greatest gaming experiences ever.

On a side note: I remember overhearing a younger gamer talking about ‘old school gaming’ as being the PS1 era.

*Sigh*

Young people . . .

(images from The Old School Game Vault, Amazon.com, eHow.com)

Review: “EA Sports Active”

Attempting to cash in on the Wii Fit craze, Electronic Arts released its own gym-in-a-game, EA Sports Active, a couple of weeks ago.  Having spent that time with the game, working out about 4 times a week, I feel comfortable enough to give my own opinion. Right off the bat, I can say that if you want to get chiseled biceps and rock-hard abs, this is not the game for you.  In fact, there probably isn’t a game out there, you just need to get your ass to a gym and start lifting weights.  But, if you’re like me and just want to lose a few pounds without having to pay for a monthly gym membership, EA Sports Active might be up your alley.

I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with Wii Fit, so I’m not here to compare the two in all aspects.  What I can say is that, after an hour with Active, I was sweating harder than I did with my few hours of Wii Fit.  It’s due to the amount of cardio exercises built into the game: you run, jump, lunge, play rudimentary versions of popular sports, all within a carefully programmed set of workouts designed to make you ‘have fun’ while getting your heart going and your muscles burning.  The game starts you off by inputing certain information like weight and height, then moves on to select your workout program.  I chose the 30 Day Challenge, which is designed to help you lose weight by following a set of workouts over the course of 30 days, with about  4-5 workouts a week.  To assist you in the challenge, the game comes with a leg strap for the Wii Nunchuck and a resistance band for some light resistance training.

Here’s my where issues come in.  I watches all the introductory videos, and even some other videos online where someone, like a personal trainer, demonstrates how to use the strap.  The very first workout I did, I was already experiencing issues.  The damn strap just wouldn’t stay on!  However, I realized this may have been due to the material my workout shorts were made out of, and since then I haven’t experience nearly the same amount of frustration as I did that first day.  BUT, I have yet to do a workout where the strap wasn’t slowly sliding off my leg at least once.  If you strap it too tight, you cut off circulation to your leg, and too loose, well, then it’ll fall off.  What EA should’ve done was make some kind of leg strap/belt combo that would keep the strap from falling off entirely while still allowing you a pouch to place the Nunchuck for some of the workouts.

Also, and this may be a fault of the hardware more so than the software, but the game has some issues when reading the movements of the controllers with a select few exercises.  For example, my least favorite exercise are the kick-ups, which is like running, by instead you kick you heels back and up towards your butt.  Think of how cheerleaders prance and run around all peppy during a performance.  The game sometimes requires you to do these slowly on a virtual track, which works just fine.  Then  it may speed it up, asking you to move at a faster pace, at which point the game fails to recognize my movements and tells me I’m doing it too slowly.  I’m damn near running by now and the game’s trainer (your choice of a male or female) is telling me I’m moving to slow!  I’ve gotten so fed up with this exercise that every time it comes up, I whole the controllers in my hand and just swing them around while I do the exercise properly.

Now, the Wiimote and Nunchuck already pose a problem: the cord that tethers the two devices together.  Many of the exercises require you to raise the controls near or above your head.  These usually involve me hitting myself in the face with he cord.  I know there are wireless Nunchucks you can by, and I’m tempted to get one just to use with this game, but using the stock controllers causes some annoyance because of that damn cord.

I’ve also heard reports of the resistance band breaking after only a few uses; I can’t attest to this as my band hasn’t broken yet.  The band itself does an admirable job of mimicking weights, but for some you might want to go ahead and get a tighter band, or find some way to use real weights as the pack-in band may not be enough.  Oh, and some of the exercises are really lame, like the dancing.  I also didn’t get a chance to try out the game with the Balance Board, as I don’t own one,  but I’m sure many of the exercises might be improved when used with this peripheral.

Here’s what I do like about the game: you sweat.  Personally, I don’t feel like I’m getting a workout unless I’m sweating profusely, and this game will make you sweat.  Even on the ‘light intensity’ mode you’ll probably workout up a light sweat by the end.  Also, the varied exercises keep things fun, for the most part, until EA releases the just-announced expansion.  The shoulder workouts really work your shoulders and I can tell that by the end fo the 30 days, I’m going to see results.  Not to sound like a press release, but this game really is made for people looking to fit in a quick workout if they can’t get to the gym.  You get a nice, basic workout (minus any ab exercises) that gets your heart rate up and your muscles burning.  Also, the including journal, which helps track your sugar intake, sleep, food, etc. does a decent job at accountability, making sure that you’re getting rest and a decent diet alongside the workouts.

Another thing to keep in mind: the game advertises that you can get a good workout in 30 minutes a day.  The exercises themselves run about 30 minutes or less (you can set them for any time up to an hour), but expect to be running the game for anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour on every session.  This is due to the (optional) videos and short breaks as the game is prepping you for the next exercise.  But, there is a timer that monitors how long you play, and each workout generally runs at about half an hour of actual exercising.

EA Sports Active is another step in the right direction for the burgeoning workout-at-home market of the video game industry.  While many ‘hardcore’ gamers dismiss these games as silly, you have to look at it from the point of view of the game’s target audience: adults with families that may not have time or money to invest in a gym membership.  If that’s the case, this game is for you.  Keep in mind that the game isn’t without its issues, but the workouts, coupled with a healthy diet, should provide results in the end.

7.5/10

“Parks and Recreations” Star Rails Against IMAX

You know, I kind of agree with him. I think it’s bullshit to charge for a full-price IMAX ticket when the screen is significantly smaller than the ‘real’ IMAX screens. And, what’s recently been annoying me are these movies released in IMAX, but don’t take advantage of the big screens.

I recently saw Star Trek twice, once at an IMAX screen, another time at a traditional theatre. I probably would’ve been just as happy watching it at a non-IMAX screen. There are no IMAX-specific scenes, unlike last year’s Dark Knight and this summer’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Yes, the image is bigger, but is it really worth $15-per-ticket when you’re not really seeing anything a traditional movie theatre isn’t showing?

I don’t think so.

clipped from movies.yahoo.com The star of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and Judd Apatow’s upcoming “Funny People,” bought a ticket on Monday for “Star Trek: The IMAX Experience.” Though it cost an extra $5 over a standard admission, he thought it would be worth it at the time. What Trekkie wouldn’t want to see Kirk and Spock on a six-story screen? Instead, Aziz found himself in a theater with a screen only slightly larger than normal. He felt wronged and decided to channel his anger into a furious, obscenity-laced blog post that has spread like wildfire. He has even called for a boycott of the theater chains involved, writing, “REGAL, AMC, AND IMAX – YOU ARE LIARS!” Apparently, IMAX rolled out a digital projection system last year that can be easily installed in a normal movieplex and doesn’t require those huge film reels of a traditional IMAX projector. The downside is that the screens of these “Fake IMAX” theaters — as Aziz calls them — can be as much as a quarter of the size of standard IMAX screen.

Review: Nintendo DSi

Having had about a week to mess around with Nintendo’s DSi handheld, I decided to go ahead and post my thoughts on the system.  However, it’s difficult to give a final verdict on the product, considering it’s a re-design of an existing product.  So, I’ll try and approach it from different perspectives.

The first thing that people may notice are the cameras.  They’re low-resolution (taking cell phone-quality pics at 640×480 res), with one facing you on the inside, and another facing out, on the outer lid.  Do they work?  Yes.  Do they work well?  Usually, no.  Aside from my old Canon A95 digital camera, the only digital still camera I have is the one on my Razr V3 cell phone, which is a terrible phone camera.  The DSi’s cameras are better, but not by much.  They do need a lot of light, and if the only light you have is indoor lighting, you’ll have to take pictures near the light source.  However, outside even in overcast conditions, the cameras work fine.  Once taken, the images can be stored either on the system’s memory, or on an SD card to be used on a computer.  There’s a limited selection of photo editing options on the system, and some are quite fun, but don’t expect Photoshop.  That being said, I’ve used the camera quite a bit, primarily because photos stored onto the system’s memory can be randomly selected and displayed in the system’s start-up menu.  I don’t know why I like this feature, I just do.

Here are some photos I snapped with the DSi:

Using the ‘frames’ option

Using the ‘graffiti’ option

Inside using natural lighting

There’s an audio player and editor, as well.  It can play and edit AAC-formatted music, as well as record 10-second audio clips using the system’s microphone.  I haven’t had a chance to try out the music player, because I don’t feel like formatting some MP3’s to AAC.  But, the audio recorder is kinda fun.  I’ve taken multiple audio clips and messed with them; applying slow-mo, fast-mo, robot, and chipmunk sounds to voice is a fun little distraction.  There are also several other effects that can be applied (12 in all).  Best use of the recorder: I took a recording of my voice to be used on someone’s voicemail, and the effect I applied with the low-synth voice (which sounds creepy).  I called up my girlfriend and left a very disturbing voicemail, which made her laugh because it sounded like I was demanding ransom from her.  Anyway, the recorder and player aren’t great, but they don’t hurt the system any.

The DSiWare store is where it’s at.  So far, there are only a handful of games available, but Nintendo does give 1000 points for free to every DSi owner ($10 worth).  The best use of points that I’ve seen are the games Birds and Beans (200 points) and ArtStyle: Aquia (500 points).  Birds and Beans was originally part of the WarioWare GBA games, now available in a quick, arcade-style game that requires you to catch beans falling from the sky.  Aquia is a Tetris- and Meteos-style game, that is incredibly addicting and well worth the 500 points.  Get those, and still have 300 points left over for more games in the coming weeks.

It’ll take a while for the DSiWare store to catch up to the WiiWare store, or even the App Store for the iPhone/iPod Touch, but I have high hopes for it.  The free web browser is nice, but it’s only good for viewing mobile-enhanced websites and not full-page sites. There’s not enough memory in the DSi to display on the graphics, video, flash, etc on normal websites, so don’t try and have this replace a laptop or something.

There are quite a few shortcomings, though.  The biggest issue I have is the internal memory and SD card.  There’s 256MB of built-in memory, which is half of the Wii’s internal memory, and quite small.  To supplement that, there’s the SD card which can support SD and SDHC cards.  But, and this is a big ‘but’, you can’t load things off of the card.  Just like the Wii’s memory problem (which was finally fixed last month), you can store games to the card, but you can’t load them, meaning they have to be installed onto the DSi in order for you to play the.

What.  The.  Hell.

Sure, the DSiWare games are very small in size, but I don’t want developers to be consigned to developing games with concern for space.  I don’t have an issue buying an SD card in order to store more games, as long as I can load them from the card.  As of now, I have a spare 64mb card that seems to be more than enough space, but I’d like to make full use of it.  C’mon, Nintendo, release a patch, let us use the SD card slot.

In the end, I don’t regret my purchase at all.  I sold my DS Lite the same day I purchased this, and I still have a GBA SP and GBA Micro, so I can still play older Game Boy Advance games.  Plus, in the future, there will be DSi-specific games that won’t work on a DS Lite, and of course, all DS games work with the DSi.  I’d recommend the upgrade specifically for the DSiWare store, as I hope that the library will expand considerably in the next few months.  While I understand why someone would want to keep their Lite over the DSi, I think that the DSi is an upgrade in every single way; it does everything the Lite does and more.  If you still have a DS Phat, get rid of it and grab this.  If you have a DS Lite, consider this just for the online store.

Here’s why: you’re not losing anything with this upgrade.  The only thing you won’t be able to use is the GBA port, which rules out GBA games and DS games that use the GBA port.  Guitar Hero: On Tour and Decades won’t be functional, plus games that use the optional rumble pak like Metroid Prime Hunters and Air Traffic Chaos can still be played, just without the rumble.

Here’s what you get: 99% of the DS library (which is already incredible), DSiWare downloadable games, two cameras, an audio recorder, and music player.  Are the last three great?  Not really, but again, they don’t affect how the system works, and the cameras’ resolution is more than enough for the DSi’s screens.

The Movie Theatre Survival Guide, Part 1

The other day, I was in line at the concessions stand in a movie theatre.  The line wasn’t too bad, but it was moving slow.  I’d have to guess that it was because of the high number of parents herding their children around (Monsters vs. Aliens had just come out, so that was probably why there was a higher attendance of kids than usual).  Behind me, a man was conversing with a friend about their ‘theatre experience’, which was basically complaining about the time they were spending in line.

They mentioned over-priced tickets, over-priced food, and crowds, which led me to think of, “Why the hell are you here, then?”  The movie theatre is such a unique place that it requires learning and adjusting to certain customs, like paying for over-priced food and dealing with lines.  Actually, one of the reasons I enjoy going to movie theatres is because of crowds, specifically for those huge blockbusters that draws in a thousand people per screening.  So, I decided to put my thoughts down on something concrete (like the Internet!) so that others can learn from my experiences.  Or, comment on how much of a loser I am for spending so much time at the movies.

A quick note: I spell the word ‘t-h-e-a-t-r-e’, not ‘t-h-e-a-t-e-r’, only because I’ve been spelling it the Ye Olde English way since I can remember, and it just kinda stuck.

Anyway, off we go . . .

MOVIE THEATRE VS. HOME THEATRE

A lot of people now have a ‘home theatre’, which used to refer to just a really nice home speaker set.  Now, many common home theatres consist of a high-definition television, a DVD player, and at least a 5.1 Dolby Digital-capable speaker system.  If you want to get fancy, toss in an upscaling DVD player (with appropriate HD cables), or even a Blu-ray player, a 7.1. Dolby- and DTS-capable speaker system, a massive (50″ and higher) HDTV, and theatre-style seating.

Many of these home theatres mimic the visual and audio experience you may get when going to a movie theatre.  Sure, they cost a pretty penny, but for cinema buffs, technophiles, and people with money to burn, a home theatre system is a necessity, just like food and clothing.  So why spend $10 for a ticket, $8 for some popcorn, $5 for a drink, not to mention using gas, just to go to a movie theatre?  Well, the first thing I can think of is asking a person who loves paintings, “Why go to an art show when you can sit at home and view the paintings online?”  Or, “Why spend $30+ on a ticket to a play or musical, when there’s probably a home video version of it available for $20 or less?”

Simple.  It’s the experience.

OK, maybe that’s actually a little more complicated than it seems.  There are certain situations where the movie theatre experience outshines the home theatre experience.  You have to take into account what you will be watching and the mood you will be watching it in.  For example, generally big-budget Hollywood summer-action-spectacular-extravaganza-apocalypses should be seen on massive screens to assault your eyes, and with tens of thousands of watts of audio power to destroy your ears.  That is, if you’re interested in those kinds of movies.

Then you have your smaller-scale movies.  Generally, your comedies, dramas, and most other films that don’t have budgets higher than $100 million.  A Wes Anderson-directed film probably won’t have any scenes that will shake the floor so hard you’d think the San Andreas Fault was splitting.  But, on the other hand, a Michael Bay-helmed picture is nothing but ridiculous explosions.  If you love action movies, then you’d most likely be better off watching an action movie in a movie theatre.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “But I have a home theatre system.  I spent a bazillion dollars on it, what am I going to use it for?” There are plenty uses for a home theatre system.  Movies that you love should be watched in an environment that supports the watching of movies.  For example, you love Wes Anderson, you think The Royal Tenenbaums is the greatest piece of cinema ever put to celluloid.  Personally, you’d be doing that movie a disservice if you’re watching it on some rinky-dink 19″ cathode-ray-dinosaur.  The cinematography is gorgeous in that film, and deserves to be seen in the highest possible resolution, with the best color clarity you can get.  Or maybe you love Saving Private Ryan; you should be able to hear every bullet whizzing past the camera, every explosion rocking the scenery, every casing dropping to the ground.  That’s where a great speaker system comes in.

What I’m getting at is this: the home theatre experience is a personal experience.  It’s for you, and anyone you choose to share that experience with.  A home theatre allows you the freedom of examining every frame of your favorite film, and appreciate the skill in which those frames were put together, all in the comfort of your own home.  The movie theatre experience is, to me, something a little more social.  I love being there, with hundreds of other people who enjoy what I enjoy.  There’s also something about watching a really kick-ass movie, then at the end listening to, and feeling, the audience’s applause ripple through the theatre.

A recent experience I had was when I watched The Dark Knight last summer.  It was a midnight showing, with about 500 others sitting in the IMAX theatre.  Now, that was a movie that should be seen with a crowd.  Listening to the audience ‘Ooohh’ and ‘Aaahh!’ at all the right parts just adds something to the experience.  Also, when I saw the re-release of Star Wars back in ‘97, every member of the audience I saw it with gave it a nearly 2-minute standing ovation when the final credits started rolling.  That is something you just can’t replicate with a home theatre.

Coming up on The Movie Theatre Survival Guide: On Timeliness, Preparedness and Food(iness).

(images found using Google Image Search)

Nintendo DSi Pre-orders Available

Earlier this week, Nintendo upgrade to the immensely popular DS handheld went on sale. Definitely picking one up, as I am a Nintendo fanboy and I don’t have a choice.

Wii Leads Pack, Everyone Catches Up

Last week, NGai Croal, one of the Internet Generation’s more prolific tech writers and columnists, said that publishers and developers should start leading with the Wii, then porting over to the PS3 and 360:

…rather than continue to lead development on 360, PS3 and high-end PC, developers and publishers should lead on Wii, PS2 and mid-to-low-end-PCs, then up-port those games to their HD counterparts.

This, of course, lead to some debate on various message boards regarding Croal’s statement.  For the most part, gamers seem to be against this idea:

The tech is already there to make games on 360/PS3 first and foremost. He wants publishers to throw all that way and start over this far into the gen to start on Wii/PS2? I guess he wants them to waste even more money.   -MrBob, NeoGaf forums

It would make sense, though, for developers to consider bringing more of their ‘A-game’ to the Wii.  It’s been talked about ever since 2007, when the industry realized that Nintendo’s odd, underpowered console was trouncing the competition, surpassing Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in terms of install base by the end of that year.  2008 came and went, and every month saw the Wii as the best selling console, even seeing a record-breaking holiday season.  With the Wii’s worlwide install base closing around 45 million (and counting), it should be a publisher and developer’s dream come true: a system that not only core gamers have, but casual players own as well.

So what’s the problem?

The most obvious problem is the Wii’s underpowered graphics processor and CPU.  Most publishers and developers that creat multi-platform games port to the Wii mostly as an afterthought.  This leads to some pretty sloppy ports, as it is more difficult to scale back a game rather than scale up.  What Mr. Croal suggests is a compromise that not only makes good business sense, but could potentially please everyone.

For example, they create a Grand Theft Auto game on the Wii, similar to GTA: San Andreas that was released a few years back.  That game was made with PS2-era specs and could, theoretically, be easy to make on the Wii.  The game could then be upscaled with better textures and resolutions to look better on the HD consoles.  But, there lies another problem.  As others have already pointed out, doing it this way would mean not taking full advantage of the other consoles’ capabilities.  A game like Grand Theft Auto IV would work best on the 360 and PS3, but if it started out as a Wii game, it could’ve potentially been a more limited product in terms of scope and features.

Then there’s the issue of the controller.  To me, it’s just not that much of an issue as I think most developers are too lazy to really figure out how to use the thing.  Sure, the Wiimote and Nunchuck aren’t great for fighting games, but force the players to use the Wii’s classic controller, and there shouldn’t be a problem.  I know there are plenty of ways to make any of the Wii’s controller types work with any game genre, it’s just a matter of figuring it out.

So what is the industry going to do?  Well, it’s obvious they won’t lead every project with the Wii.  The best thing to hope for is that developers and publishers craft unique experiences just for the Wii, much like what they’ve been doing with the DS since 2004.  And stop with the minigames already.  With the worldwide economy the way it is, it only makes sense for publishers to have as many people as possible buy their games, and that means more Wii games.  But not just more games, more advertising.  If casual players don’t know Madden is on the Wii, they most likely won’t buy it on that console.

I also think some blame is to fall on consumers.  There are plenty of gamers, like myself, who keep abreast of the goings-on in the videogame industry.  When a promising new Wii game comes out that isn’t targeted toward casual players, it’s exciting news, but when we don’t support the game (especially when it’s a good game), it sends the wrong signal.  Wii owners want an experience like Devil May Cry or Gears of War, despite what the sales of Carnival Games say.

Who knows if the Wii’s momentum can continue throughout 2009.  The only major casual game release on the horizon is Wii Sports Resort, which comes with the new Wii Motion Plus controller add-on.  For the hardcore, there isn’t much, save for a few notable exceptions, like the black-and-white MadWorld, the sci-fi FPS The Conduit, and the delayed-but-promising survival-horror game Winter.  As long as the games are good, we should support them.  If we don’t, then we’ll see more shovelware, mini-game collections, and bad ports on the system.

Google’s Chrome now my default browser

I’vee been messing around with Google’s new browser, Chrome, which was just released this week.  So far, I like it.  I like the simple, clean look.  No toolbars dangling underneath the address bar, internet status updates taking up the bottom. It’s nice.

You can add a bookmarks toolbar near the top, but it only appears in the Recently Visited Websites page, which opens when you click the plus sign in the Tabs area.  A ‘Home’ button can also be added (which I did) next to the address bar.

It may not be faster than Firefox 3, which I also love, but it’s just as fast.  On my desktop, I’m still using Firefox, only because it scales websites better to fit my larger LCD TV/Monitor.  With Chrome, website font is a little too small.  Even changing the font size in the ‘Options’ menu doesn’t help too much.  The ‘Incognito’ mode is nice, but I suspect I won’t be using it that much, only because I’m not too concerned with someone finding out what websites I frequent.  There’s also the option to make certain web applications, like websites, turn into something like a  shortcut on your desktop.  Useful if there is a website that you visit often and don’t want to bother opening the browser, arriving at the homepage, and then finding the bookmark.  I, however, like keeping my desktop as clean as possible, so I won’t be cluttering it with glorified shortcuts.

Overall, it’s great.  Chrome is the only browser I actually prefer running in a ‘minimized’ state, one that doesn’t take up the entire screen, because I feel that I’m given enough space without having to maximize the window.  The only major downside is that, right now, there isn’t supported for my favorite plug-ins like Clip-it and ScribeFire (both I use for blogging).

Blu-ray too small? Toshiba down but not out?

All I can say is…wow.

On the downside, how fast can those discs spin? To be able to read all those layers, I can’t see these discs reading very fast.

And on a different, but related note, Toshiba is planning on releasing standard DVD players with new upscaling technology.  Current decks can upscale as high as 1080p, but Toshiba claims their tech can make standard-def DVD’s look as good as a true 1080p HD image.  Already, upscaling DVD’s look nice; I remember being wowed at the picture quality of Wedding Crashers (of all movies), the colors and image sharpness in some scenes was amazing.  The article can be read here.

clipped from tech.yahoo.com PCMagazine reported that Pioneer, the Japanese electronics manufacturer, has created a new, 16-layer disc capable of holding 400GBs of data. The disc, which looks the same as a traditional disc, is backwards compatible with Blu-ray technology, meaning that current Blu-ray drives may be able to read these massive discs in the future. What does “16-layer” mean? Think of it like colored, transparent sheets. A typical Blu-ray disc is just one red sheet. Now neatly stack 15 different colored sheets on top. To the untrained eye, it’s just a brown-black mess, but with the right set of glasses, you can see the red color just like you did before. Or you can change it to blue, green, or any other color sheet you stacked on top, without any of the other sheets distorting your view.