Star Wars: The Force Unleashed sports new tech

For the past few years, video games have been all about the graphics. Now, with high-definition game consoles and ever-increasingly powerful PC video cards, some have started turning their attention to a more subtle aspect of gameplay – physics.

With nVidia’s recent acquisition of AGEIA and ATI’s partnership with Havok, PC games are going to be seeing more emphasis on physics processing in the months to come. With a dedicated physics processor, things like particle effects (good for explosions), collision detection (handy if you don’t want to walk through walls and floors) and the way things physically react when interacted with are no longer being handled by the CPU or GPU. Not only does this give you a performance boost, but you get a much more realistic representation of the physical world around us.

Digital Molecular Matter from Pixelux Entertainment, or DMM, is the physics engine used in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game. Unlike previous physics models, DMM simulates flexible, deforming, and rigid objects all at once. The programmer can set parameters for different materials, such as glass, wood, or steel. One impressive demo I saw involved a wooden beam inside a glass box. As the beam was twisted, you could see here it was being stressed. When it finally broke, it splintered as a real piece of wood should. The splinters ejected outward and shattered the glass, not just anywhere, but where the glass was impacted.

I had the chance to play the PlayStation 3 demo version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and even in the demo’s limited scope there is a chance to see some DMM in action. There is a training room where your character uses the Force to throw some heavy objects though a few glass panels. The glass is tempered, so the entire pane shatters and falls to the floor when you hit it. However, depending on where and how hard you hit it, it will break in countless ways. There are steel beams to bend, doors to break through, wires and conduits hanging from the ceiling and plenty of objects (including droids and stormtroopers) to toss about.

The other new engine in SW:TFU is called Euphoria, by Naturalmotion. Euphoria’s tagline is “unique game moments,” and that is exactly what Naturalmotion intends to create here. Character animation has traditionally been done by a series of preset poses, or information gathered from a motion-capture session. With Euphoria’s Dynamic Motion Synthesis, or DMS, animations are generated on the fly. Every character has not only a skeletal structure, but muscles and a motor system that gives him a range of possible movements rather than a few predetermined poses. This means that although a squad of stormtroopers may all come at you with blasters blazing, some may react differently when knocked down. Some may even be afraid to get back up. Yes, Euphoria’s AI can give the NPCs a sense of self-preservation. I have noticed that some stormtroopers even seem to be afraid of heights!

Since Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be the first game to use both of these exciting physics engines, I’ll be eagerly anticipating the release of the full game on September 16th.

 -Jubal Burkhart

OLED monitors needed to break-in technology

It’s been over eight months since Sony showed off its amazing OLED TVs at CES 2008, including the prototype 27-inch model, yet nothing has been heard about this “breakthrough” technology since that time.

I, for one, was blown away by what I saw (let Wil Wheaton explain it), but have been disappointed by the lack of any further movement. It seems like Sony’s strategy for the OLED screens may be focused in the wrong direction.

The price and size of the first generation OLED TVs is certainly a drawback — $2,500 for an 11-inch screen. It’s also literally impossible to see the vividness of the picture on any normal TV or monitor, so Sony’s decision to sell them only online or in a Sony store means most people would have to actively search one out, or buy sight unseen. Sony should at least put a display model in the home theater departments of electronics chains, just to generate awareness, and so people can see what it looks like.

Sony has also been emphasizing the thinness of the TV screen, even though the large base it sits on renders that feature almost pointless. The real draw (which, again, can only be seen in person) is the million to one contrast and blazing fast refresh speed.

What Sony should be doing is making and marketing OLED screens as monitors, not TVs. Here’s just a few reasons:

Without the TV base, the thin OLED screen could be sit much flatter on top of a much smaller base for a PC connection.

Monitors are a lot smaller than TVs, so an 11-inch screen would be a decent size, and they wouldn’t have to struggle to keep up with TV sizes, just go up a little to 15- and 17-inch models.

Hardcore gamers and PC users are already used to spending thousands of dollars for the latest graphic cards, memory, motherboards, etc. to keep their machines on the cutting edge.  The frame-rate watching, number-spewing crowd would be the perfect market for OLED monitors.

Of course, we are in a bit of a recession right now, so price might still be an issue no matter what. But we won’t see vibrant OLED screens really enter the market until the early adopters start things off, and that’s more the realm of computer enthusiasts than tiny-TV watchers. Granted, I’m sure you can hook an OLED TV up to a computer if you wanted to, but it’s still got the extra TV bulk. The bottom line is that Sony is selling this new technology on the wrong features and to the wrong crowd; many people will never buy one or even see one in person if the marketing isn’t fixed, which means the price will never go down. And I really want to have one.

-Aaron Burkhart

Wireless power continues to inch toward consumers

By Aaron Burkhart

I’ve been trying to keep an eye on upcoming wireless power options (which is like watching grass grow), and it looks like the big wireless power developers are still crawling toward consumer solutions.

In an article I wrote for the April 15 issue of The Northern Light, I examined the different methods of generating wireless power and a few of the companies to watch. Since then, there have been a few new announcements that give me hope the technology isn’t too far from store shelves.

Since then, Fulton Innovation (whose eCoupled technology is one of the most promising wireless power options) has acquired the assets of Splashpower, a competing wireless power developer that ran out of funds some time ago (read the short press release on the aquisition). To buy out a defunct competitor must mean Splashpower had some technology that eCoupled didn’t; that means a likely improvement in Fulton’s already impressively strong eCoupled technology, which uses an inductively coupled power circuit, as did Splashpower.

Also of note is Powercast’s statement that it has come to an agreement with Pure Energy Visions, maker of rechargeable batteries. Unlike the inductive coupling technology mentioned above, Powercast uses radio frequency harvesting to trickle power to its enabled devices. While RF harvesting will never power a running laptop like eCoupled technology can, it can charge small devices from a much greater distance. Rechargeable batteries with this technology could be put in any device and you would never have to replace the batteries or place them in a charger — it would all be done through the airwaves without you doing a thing. This is very promising, although rechargeable batteries in general still haven’t caught on as well as they should have.

Most recently, HoMedics, maker of massaging cushions and other home health products, partnered up with Powermat to create products with wireless power capabilities. The press release doesn’t give much detail, but it won’t be full wireless yet, since any wirelessly powered device would still need a wireless power giver – which, ideally, would be embedded in the floors, walls and furniture. That’s the biggest obstacle to this technology: it’s almost a catch-22 of putting out wireless devices while still needing to plug-in a powermat to give off the wireless power. That is, until enough homes have wireless power-givers already embedded, which nobody will make until they see a market filled with wirelessly powered devices.

Anyway, it’s a step in the right direction, and I’m excited to see where wireless power goes next; the true potential of the technology is barely even tapped.

First wave of Apple iPhone Apps reviews: best freebies

By Aaron Burkhart

Before the reviews, here’s what to expect from the update and the new App Store:
With people having problems updating their iPhones due to overloading of servers (Apple’s and/or AT&T’s), I waited a few days to install the update. Not including download time, the installation of the update took 20 minutes, going through various stages of “backup,” “restoring,” and “verifying.” At several points it looked like it might be stuck, but it would eventually keep going. It’s possible the servers were still being strained. After the update was up and running I headed to the new iTunes App Store to see what new functionality I could finally add to my 16GB iPhone.

The App Store had a total of 790 apps on Monday, July 14. Some random observations:

• While there were plenty of free apps, some cost $50+
• There were at least a dozen tip calculators
• There were seven different apps that turned your iPhone into a “flashlight” by just having a blank screen. Five of them you have to pay for.
• Photo sharing, geotagging, and social networking all had plenty of apps available, for the iPhone user with a thousand friends.
• Some apps were very location specific, like the Berlin Trip Planner.
• Some apps were overpriced: PacMan for $10?! Free Cell for $1.99?
• Basic apps, like note takers and dayplanners, have free versions if you look for them and don’t need all the features.

The Good Apps:
BoxOffice
Finding movies in nearby theaters is so easy with BoxOffice. It automatically locates where you are and lists all nearby theaters and showtimes. Or, if you want to search by movie, it list all the movies currently in theaters along with each movie’s rating from RottonTomatoes.com. Best of all, it’s still fast when using the EDGE network, for us poor folk who couldn’t get a 3G.

Midomi
There have been times when I’ve been out and heard a song playing that I liked but didn’t recognize. Well, Midomi can hear just a snippet of a song and come back with the title, artist, YouTube videos, iTunes Store link, song samples and related or similar songs. You can even hum or sing to Midomi if you have a tune stuck in your head but forget what it’s called (though you have to be somewhat in tune). Then there’s the standard say or type search methods, which aren’t quite as fun but it’s great to have options. Although Midomi didn’t recognize a Russian song, it did great at finding most other types, with some Japanese and Spanish results even showing up. A great little free program; much better than the similar but inferior Shazam.

Graffitio
This one is great in concept: anywhere you are, you can post a virtual note attached to that place that other Graffitio users could see. For example, I go to a little cafe, love thier coffee and leave a quick note using Graffitio. Now when someone else comes in they turn on Graffitio and see my note. They don’t have to search for the name of the cafe, they don’t have to be part of my friends network; the notes are linked to each location, like virtual graffitti, taking the geotagging concept and actually doing something useful with it. It’s a great concept with lots of potential; but for now that’s all it is unless everyone starts using it. I’ll be doing my part!

Some quick and simple free apps:
Scribble: Lets you write on the screen with your hand.
MyLite: The only flashlight app worth looking at; it has color options and strobe modes, without the gall to charge for a blank screen.
Restaurants: Fast-food eaters who want to watch thier Nutrition facts will find this offline index handy.
Mobile News: The AP Wire Service for iPhone. Slow over EDGE network.
Pandora: An internet radio app that does a great job at finding your music tastes, delivering more than just mainstream artists or superficial similarities. Again, not that smooth while using it over EDGE.
Jirbo Games: There are a handful of quick fun games by Jirba, like Concentration and Breakout, but all using cute little animal icons. They’re like what you would expect to come free on any phone, and a pleasent enough way to kill time.
Aurora Feint: A puzzle game with level raising and powerups. Fairly complex for a free game, and addicting too.
TapTap : The iPhone answer to Guitar Hero on Tour, this rythmic tapping game also has you moving the iPhone itself to hit certain beats. Only a few songs are available, but more will supposedly be available latter, though maybe not for free.

A final thing to look out for when shopping the App Store: Some apps are location dependant and won’t work if you’re not in a supported city, even the basic Yellow Pages app didn’t have Anchorage, AK, although most of the other applications had no problem pinpointing my location. It’s important to check though, especially before paying for an app.

Now there’s a shape-changing building

By Aaron Burkhart

This blew my mind. After I recently wrote about the shape-changing concept car from BMW, now I find there’s a shape-changing building in Dubai that’s actually expected to be completed in only around two years. 

David Fisher’s Dynamic Architecture design has a central structure, with pre-fab housing units attached that can move up and around, with each floor spinning independently. But wait, there’s more! The spinning floors will be wind-driven, and the ceiling of each floor will be covered in solar panels, actually creating it’s own electricity — and maybe enough to power nearby buildings as well; it’s not only futuristic, it really has a practical purpose! 

There was an AP video last night that explained how everything would turn and morph, with units even going to the ground floor so residents could park their cars inside before going back up, but today that video seem to be missing UPDATE: found a link to it; make sure to watch the intro movie on the Dynamic stie to see the concept in mind-bending action.

BMW creates shape-shifting concept car

I love new things that are cool for the sake of coolness; practicality doesn’t matter when it’s just a concept, since I won’t be buying a BMW anytime soon regardless. The video is from Road & Track magazine, but they only gave a link – no embedding.

BMW shape-shifting car

Now if it could actually transform between sedan and truck, that would be something useful.

Product Review: Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick (801e)

By Aaron Burkhart

The Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick (801e) is a small TV tuner (about the size of a thumb) that allows TV viewing by plugging into a USB 2.0 port on either a laptop or desktop. It’s pretty versatile, whether you want to watch analog or digital broadcast signals, FM radio, or unencrypted digital cable.

Since the portabilityof the Pro Stick is its main advantage, I tested it out on a laptop; the recommended minimum specs are a Pentium M 1.8 Ghz, with a 64MB graphics card and at least 1GB of RAM for a smooth HD experience. I tested it out on a Toshiba Satellite with an AMD Turion 64×2 1.9 Ghz, with an ATI Radeon X1200 and 2GB RAM (running Vista).

In short, my system made the minimum specs, but not by much.

The first step is to decide what type of connection to use: It comes with an antenna for broadcast reception, an S-Video and stereo audio adapter that plugs into the side of the Pro Stick, or a coaxial cable can be connected to the end of the Pro Stick for unscrambled cable. Since, again, portability was my main focus, I connected the antenna to the Pro Stick and placed it on a nearby windowsill (the cable is about 3 feet).

The set up takes 20 minutes or more, depending on if you want to install the included VideoSpin editing software. If you already have a good editing program it’s probably unnecessary, as VideoSpin doesn’t have any directly integrated features with the Pro Stick software. After installing the main TVCenter Pro software is the step to scan for available channels. BY default it will scan for every available signal, but if you want to save time and know that you won’t be wanting FM radio capabilities or analog broadcasts or whatever signal type, you could just have it scan for the signal type you want. I had it scan for everything, and after five minutes or so it came up with a dozen analog channels, two digital channels, and more radio stations than I knew we had.

Since analog broadcasts are terrible where I live (Anchorage, AK) I wasn’t expecting much from those stations, as huge antenna arrays are needed to get a clear picture on a television set, and the Pro Stick antenna understandably couldn’t get a clear picture. If you have a rooftop antenna setup, you can connect that to the Pro Stick. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to see that the two digital channels came in almost as clear as cable. Since the DTV transition is still pending here, I would only expect that more channels will be picked up once all the stations here switch over.

Of course, the Pinnacle Pro Stick does more than just pick up TV, it also acts as a digital video recorder, allowing live TV to be paused, rewound, saved, etc. for as much as your hard drive can hold. Its output format is also adjustable, so recordings of programs can be scheduled and recorded in PSP or iPod ready formats, and are easily transferred to those devices from a laptop. Even TiVo’s program transfer options can’t compete with the simplicity of the Pro Stick’s functionality.

However, there is a caveat: a system has to have more than minimum specs to use all the features. As it was, just watching a digital broadcast maxed out my system RAM; trying to convert the video at the same time was too much to handle and the picture became garbled, although just capturing a recording in the native MPEG format worked fine. Screen grabs also take just a click , so it’s great for sharing a choice moment from a favorite show on a message board or forum. The TVCenter interface was also less than intuitive, and it took a while to find out how to switch between analog and digital channels, since there’s no way to do it using the incuded remote control.

Just to be complete, I switched the TVCenter to radio and found it to be as clear as it should be and just as easy to record whatever was on, although it didn’t offer a choice of formats, only a Windows Media Player .MPA extension, which I found odd.

Those with cable TV and DVRs, or who watch TV shows over broadband WI-FI won’t likely find the most use out of the Pro Stick, but with a powerful enough system it would still offer some convienences. But anyone still watching TV over rabbit ears or without wireless internet will find a lot of functionality in this little device.

For doing what it says it does, I’d give the Pinnacle Pro Stick (801e) good marks, but the higher-end laptop requirements and interface issues (besides clunkiness, there’s a pay subscription service in order to have on-screen TV listings) leave it with a 7 out of 10 score.

 

SSD already poised to take over traditional hard drives

By Aaron Burkhart

A few months back I wrote about the interest in solid state drives coming out of CES 2008. Before Samsung’s recently announced 256GB SSD, the biggest obstacle to widespread adaption seemed to be storage size, but with this large of a size and multi-level cell architecture, SSD solutions are moving ahead faster than expected. In fact, market forecasts for SSD computers from research firm iSuppli predict very dramatic increases starting next year.

The five-year outlook is now better than it was last year, and why not? Solid state drives have so many benefits compared to traditional hard drives; the switch to SSD might be as quick of a switch as it was from floppies to USB flash drives. 

The new drives are supposed to be out the end of this year, so we’ll see if the price will be reasonable enough so as not to slow the adoption process. 

Product review: Sony bluetooth headphones and transmitter

By Aaron Burkhart

While headphones are mostly used for mobile devices, I’ve sometimes found that I want to watch a movie on the big screen but don’t want to bother the wife napping nearby on the couch. Really nice headphones don’t come with a long enough cord to sit far enough away from the screen, so I decided to pick up Sony’s bluetooth transmitter (TMR-BT10) and stereo headphones (DR-BT22) to see if they would fit my needs.

The transmitter is about the size of a thumb, with an alligator clip and a good length of cord to plug into any standard headphone jack. For my purposes, it plugs right into the stereo system, but would just as easily turn an iPod or even an old boom-box into a wireless audio source.

The headphones are collapsable for easy stowage, but as a result feel less than sturdy at times. They also can twist when putting them on, making it a little awkward if you’re not used headphones doing that, but once on they were snug and lightweight. Pairing the transmitter and headphones was easy (just hold the power button on both until the lights turn blue and they find each other), and the sound quality was pretty good, but not great. A tiny bit of background hum was always present, but not distracting.

When paired with my iPhone, there wasn’t the same hum. An odd note about pairing with an iPhone is it asks for a pin number, which of course it doesn’t do when paired with the transmitter. Turns out the pin is just 0000, which I had to look online for since I didn’t hang on to the manual. Otherwise the headphones work great as a hands-free option, as it picked up my voice easily and was still clear for both parties when I was almost 20 feet away from my actual phone. For whatever reason, though, when I switched the iPhone to iPod mode for music sound would only come out of the iPhone’s speakers and not the headphones. I couldn’t find any option to route the music through bluetooth, but when making a call it switched automatically as long as it was still paired. It just wouldn’t work with music or videos.

When using it with my home theater system and the transmitter, it worked with a similarlly long range of at least 20 feet, even through several walls. However, while my using it with a home theater may not be a standard use, I did find a syncronization problem when using it with a recorded DVR program. On DVDs it synced perfectly and there isn’t a problem with live TV. But when trying to watch a recorded program off the DVR the sound would be lagging behind the picture by as much as two seconds. Pausing and then unpausing would put the sync closer together, but it takes doing that a bunch of times before it gets close enough to sycn as to not be distracting.

Other than the iPhone music and DVR oddities, the headphones work great and have a surprizingly long battery life; I haven’t plugged them in for weeks and have watched around 5 hours of TV with them throughout that time.

Combined with the transmitter (which can be used to bypass the iPhone music gap), this bluetooth headphone set has a lot of possible uses and has been a satisfying purchase, if not flawless.

New camera captures images in 3D

With all the 3D displays, players and applications being shown at CES 2008, it stands to reason that there would be a device to let consumers capture their own 3D images. Well, the 3D VuCAM from StereoVision does just that, capturing images up to 300 feet away and storing a stereo pair of images that can be recombined in various formats for a 3D effect.

The 3D images can be used with special software to allow editing of the images, which can be either viewed on a 3D-ready monitor, or shown as a red/cyan anagylph for 3D viewing with glasses on a regular monitor, TV, or printed onto paper. StereoVision also sells glasses-free 3D displays, but I didn’t see them at CES so I don’t know how they look compared to the other 3D displays that use glasses.

Like many emerging technologies, the 3D VuCAM is geared toward industrial, law enforcement or other specialized applications, since the initial cost of the product ($1,667) is too high for casual consumers to consider worthwhile. It’s sort of a catch-22 of new technology: if 3D monitors find a consumer base, 3D capture devices will have a market, but without 3D content (besides just a handful of movies) there’s little reason to own a 3D monitor.