TechBulletin

While many groups have criticised the video gaming industry for the damage caused to the eyes and lives of children in particular, a recent study has found out that there may be benefits to “moderate” use of video games.  How can this be?

A study by researchers in the US has identified a number of benefits to playing video games, not least the stimulation to both the eyes and the brain.  It seems that action video games in particular change the way in which our brains process visual information, making the brain more alert to surrounding visuals and able to process changes quicker.

The researchers took a group of graduate students and gave them eye tests prior to the study.  The group was then split into two and one group was exposed to a degree of video game playing, with the other left to lead normal lives.  After a pre-determined time period the groups then returned to under go another round of eye tests.  Remarkably the group who had been exposed to video gaming scored higher in the second eye test, while the other group showed no change compared to the initial tests.

Researchers are now speculating that it may be possible to use video games to assist and correct a number of eye conditions, increasing alertness and responsiveness along the way.  Let the games begin….

While the rush to pre-order PS3’s in the UK continues to build, retail outlet HMV seem to be taking advantage of the long awaited launch.

While it is now standard to take pre-orders for new games consoles, HMV have stated that customers must buy a PSP system as well as a PS3 if they wish to pre-order.  The full value of the whole package is a whopping £675, and you are not even guaranteed a PS3 at launch!

Even though the games console market has taken on a new lease of life over recent months, with added online functionality and improved graphics / sound, there is some concern at the price of the new system - which is ultimately aimed at the younger end of the market.  Even though this new development from HMV has nothing to do with Sony, there are fears that they will feel a backlash from a consumer already questioning the pricing structure for recent releases.

If the UK release of the PS3 were to hit any more problems there is a chance that customer loyalty to the Sony console may suffer.  Sony are already under financial pressure from the launch delays, as well as increased research and development costs.  Are Sony in the last chance saloon? Time will tell.

At a time when the games console market is on its knees with launch delays, bugs and sky high pricing, who in their right mind would be looking to join the crowd? If you believe the recent comments attributed to both companies, and intense speculation on the internet, it seems that both Dell and Nokia are looking at high profile gaming launches this year.

While the current big three in the market, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all had their problems of late, there is no doubt that they have a major strangle hold on the market. The reason for the possible new entrants to the market may lie in the fact that the Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 have all ventured outside of their traditional gaming environment into a more multi-media based area of industry.  This is what may have prompted the response from Dell and Nokia, as they look to put down a marker for the future and protect their area of the market.

While you would not normally expect new entrants to the gaming market to have a major impact, the likes of Dell and Nokia already have a loyal customer base and a high reputation in their specialist fields.  While many market observers have been surprised by the cost of recent gaming products such as the Playstation 3, etc, we may see some price deflation if their market positions were to be put under threat.

BenQ unveiled three new monitors, two of which already received the Works with Windows Vista logo.The two LCD flat-panel monitors - FP93GX+ and FP93GS - are the first in the industry to receive the logo, which means they passed a test for reliability, stability, security and proper installation with the upcoming Windows Vista operating system, according to a release from BenQ.  more….

Got a huge stack of wax warping in the attic? Albums that never saw the inside of a CD? With some effort, time, and money, you can convert that vinyl into digital tunes suitable for playing on your iPod.   View the Entire Article

Buying a used cell phone from an internet site like Ebay or perhaps from a garage sale can get you more then you bargained for.  The new concept in cell phones, much like personal computers that are sold, is the erasing of personal information from the phone.  Well the strides that are being made in this area are falling short to say the least and some of the companies are getting the suits slapped on them for the fall out.  There is nothing more dangerous than having your personal information privy to a complete stranger and the many used cell phones that are being sold are telling all to whoever wants to hear it.

The problem is that the systems in place to erase all information off of a cell phone when it changes hands are shoddy at best.  They erase the data from normal view, like attempting to pull up a text message that was deleted, but they do not erase it for the skilled persons out there that have the right software program.  That is where the problem comes in.  Cell phones work much like a computer, with a chip that stores all the information that is saved on the phone to be recalled later.  Well the erasing of that chips sounds simple enough, normally removing it from the power source for a pre-determined amount of time.  The owner of the phone is satisfied that the information is gone forever.

2005 was a bit of a disappointment to many fans of stand alone video game consoles.  The expected release of the Sony platform Playstation 3 was cancelled, Nintendo was not even in the running and the Xbox 360 was tainted with a whole host of problems, from supply not meeting demand to the system not performing due to glitches.  This year looks to be the exact opposite.  With Microsoft moving forward with their personal music division and leaving the 360 to hold its own, there are only two major competitors in the market for the 2006 holiday season, Sony and Nintendo, both of whom will release their new systems within days of each other.

The second week of November will see the much anticipated release of the Sony Playstation 3 game console after many delays.  The company is confident that they have skirted all the possible problems that came with the 360 and plan to ship about one million of the new platforms by the end of the year.  Pre orders are being taken through most retailers but the supply will most likely dry up before the holidays arrive.  The secondary market will boom with this release as prices are expected to skyrocket within a week of the release.  The same concept held true for the 360 that was selling through many internet sites for as much as two thousand dollars.

At the Intel Developer Forum trade show in San Francisco last week, Intel CEO Paul Otellini said the company will ship quad-core processors for servers and gaming PCs, beginning in November.  View the Entire Article

HD DVD drive for Xbox 360 coming to U.S., Europe in November.   View the Entire Article

South Korea’s LG Philips LCD unveiled what it claims to be the world’s thinnest liquid crystal display (LCD) for use in mobile phones. View the Entire Article

IBM has asked a federal judge to dismiss what remains of a longstanding lawsuit filed by the SCO Group.   View the Entire Article

Intel Corp. plans to begin shipping microprocessors that have four computing engines on a single chip — products that analysts say will help it win back market share from rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. View the Entire Article