Brazilians finally get *official* access to Playstation2

Here in the states we have the top pickins of some of the finest examples of gaming technology in the world. With the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 as prime examples of console gaming and of course any tricked out gaming rig taking the PC gaming spot. But there are places that aren’t quite as lucky. Take for instance Brazil which just three days ago (November 18th, 2009) received official means to sell the Playstation 2. Yes, that’s a 2 and not a 3. If you don’t remember, the Playstation 2 was released almost a decade ago back in the year 2000. It really isn’t that long ago yet in tech years it’s practically the time of the dinosaurs. While it’s fun to joke, it’s at least nice that Brazilians now have legal means to pick up Sony’s crowing beauty of the early millennium. The only thing that is a tad sour in this deal is the price: R$799. Equated to US dollars, it tips the scales at $460.56. Ouch! Considering that can now get you a PS3 and some games plus the fact that many Brazilians have gone around the law (I don’t blame them) and picked up a PS2 many years back means this new deal isn’t exactly a floodgate opener. Any Brazilians ready to pounce?

Computer and Videogames

YouTube getting all pissy — yanking API rights from 3rd party hardware/services.

Just when you thought YouTube was becoming this all knowing all loving *now HD* online video giant, they go and pull some stupid crap like revoking the rights of countless 3rd party hardware and service partners by making their API’s off limits. Specifically, the new YouTube ToS prohibit anyone from using YouTube API’s if they are “created for use on television set top boxes, television game consoles, or video screens packaged and marketed as television sets”. Wow, asshole move there isn’t it? There are a ton of 3rd parties who use YouTube’s API’s and will therefore be hurt by this newfound douchery.

Mind you, not all 3rd parties are being excluded from using the API as there are a few exceptions. So far the “few exceptions” appear to be the likes of Sony’s Playstation 3, Nintendo’s Wii, TiVo, Panasonic, Samsung, and several other licensed partners are safe. So in the end it’s all about the money again. Unfortunately that leaves many start ups and innovative services such as the now YouTube-less “Popcorn Hour” (YouTube denial pictured above) out of luck and less one highly sought after feature.

So we have to ask, is this something related to a Google-based decision, or is it because of they’re new buddy buddy relationship with the various assholes in suits big recording labels?

Engadget

T-Mobile USA looking for a new bunkmate?

Coming last place can get old after awhile. Perhaps that’s what’s fueling T-Mobile’s motivations to actively search for a new U.S. partner if reports from Reuters are to be believed. Currently ranked 4th out of the “Big 4″ US cellular providers (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile), T-Mobile has for some time now been trying to recoup lost ground and push itself ahead of it’s rivals. Part of pushing ahead is expanding the carriers rather weak coverage nationally speaking. Such adventures aren’t cheap mind you as the actual physical motions of adding towers and backhaul capacity are the most expensive upgrades carriers can make. If you’re thinking T-Mobile is looking to purchase another carrier and add to their coverage that quickly, you’ll be disappointed to know that’s not quite how it’s going down. They’re actually looking for another carrier to invest in their network with returns on investments the shining jewel of the partnership. So if T-Mobile really is trying to make new friends, where would they go?

A few possible options include AT&T (as they’re another GSM provider meaning minimal cross network issues), MetroPCS, and ClearWire. Chances of an AT&T partnership while easiest on paper are rather slim. The two largest GSM carriers collaborating has “anti-trust lawsuit” written all over it. Clearwire is…well…Clearwire. It’s pretty neutral. MetroPCS on the other hand while surprising because of their current adoption of CDMA technology isn’t that far from a T-Mo partnership. I mean, they use the 1700MHz band just like T-Mo uses for their 3G network. It is possible. But don’t forget, this isn’t exactly a “take over” partnership that T-Mobile seeks. They merely want someone else to finance a large sum of money now to rapidly build out their network.

Don’t expect anything to happen overnight though. Two unnamed Reuters sources who are familiar with the matter said that while they are anxious to expand the carriers coverage and form new partnerships, there isn’t a big rush and that they are “weighing all of their options”. Overnight success it is not. But further on down the road, T-Mobile could become quite the market dominator. Seem plausible?

Electronista > Reuters

Philips and the “LED Pro” TV

Being a tech guru isn’t for the faint of heart. Many will call us lazy, good for nothing, society sapping individuals because all we care about is personal gratification. To some extent, they’re true. But we lovers of the gadget are so much deeper than that. I mean, we’re not dumb by any stretch. A perfect example is captured in all of the cryptic phrases and labels manufacturers conjur up. Things such as 1080p, WUXGA, HDMI, etc. mean absolutely nothing to the normal human. But as technology progresses these terms and analogies will only grow. The latest on the list of things to write a mental sticky-note for comes by way of Phillips and their “LED Pro” TVs.

LED Pro 9704 TV sets to be exact. The reason for lustful thoughts for these bad boys centers around the whole idea of independent lighting of the LED’s thanks to 224 individual LED segments. Those 224 segments allow the 9704′s to get all contrasty — up to 5,000,000 : 1. Pretty damn good for an LCD don’t you think? Of course, with the LCD/LED duo, power consumption is down 50% over traditional LCD’s without the LED goodness. Rounding out the feature set is the 200Hz “Clear LCD Technology”, Ambilight Spectra 3, 1ms response time, and two 15W audio channels split across 4 speakers.

Pricing isn’t too bad with the 40″ and 46″ sets going for $1,799 and $2,499 respectively. Anyone looking to splurge on their Christmas gift a little early…?

Pocket-Lint

Motorola Motus specs revealed!

The Motorola Motus, leaked in all of it’s glory. We talked earlier about Motorola falling into a “Razr Rut” in regards to getting stuck on one design and beating it long past it’s expiration date. With that said, the first interesting feature of the Motus is that it’s not a “traditional slider” but instead features a unique flip open action. Excited? The rest of the specs…

• Quad-band: GSM/GPRS/EDGE — Tri-band: 7.2Mbps HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100MHz)

• 3.1? capacitive 480×320 display

• Qualcomm MSM 7201A CPU

• 256MB RAM

• Wi-Fi/aGPS/Bluetooth 2.0

• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash

• MOTOBLUR

• 1400mAh battery

So whataya think? It’s not a Droid replacement at all as the specs point to another mid-range Android device. But hey, more Android is a good thing. Would you buy it?

BGR

Android gaming hitting a setback? Developers investing less in platform?

As much as I love Android, I will admit that it’s far from perfect. There are some lag issues on even top notch hardware like the Droid and the bread and butter of the mobile world, the app scene, just isn’t as matured as it is on the iPhone. At a an investor conference, Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort stated that Gameloft has significantly scaled back their Android development (as have other devs) due to one main issue — money, highlighting the fact that the iPhone platform has seen over 400 times more games sales than Android and that the Android platform as a whole just isn’t as lucrative. So what’s the hold up?

Does the Motorola Motus show Moto returning to their “Razr Rut”? 2-4 years of Cliq/Droid/Motus-like copies ahead?

It’s been two weeks now since the Droid was released. A week ago I gave my impressions after several days with the device. While the Droid had a form factor similar to the Cliq — a more teenage/younger generation target audience — the overall improvements in internals and external hardware as well as more advanced software pegged the Droid higher up on the food chain. So two big phones for Motorola after years of epic failure after epic failure. And now, a third device from Motorola has been caught on camera, the Motorola Motus (shown above). Can you recognize anything? Three big devices featuring the same basic design. Can anyone say Razr Rut II? With that said, is Motorola setting themselves up for another 2-4 year failure?