Highlights from the Hood

iPhone 3GS Augmented Reality from Chris Hughes on Vimeo.

YAKUZA

I supposedly have a wii in the mail, holla D!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways haven't played a Game since San Andreas on PS2. This one right here tho' got me kind of thirsty.

Why I wait to cop my tech stuff

Never wanted the iphone.......yeah I know crazy right. Well my man Smallz works for Apple and told me last year that if he didnt get his free(a perk they give employees) that he'd have probably waited on copping. I have a macbook an ipod and a crackberry curve. I have wanted to upgrade to an ipod touch for more music storage and free wifi and now i saw this.


2nd Generation iPod Touch Faster than iPhone

While we had generally considered the iPhone and iPod Touch to be one cohesive platform, as games have started to push the boundaries of these devices, it has become apparent that there are differences in performance between the different models.

Handheld Games Corp’s CEO Thomas Fessler has reported to Touch Arcade that performance of their 3D TouchSports Tennis game [App Store, $4.99] is noticeably different across models. TouchSports Tennis delivers some impressive 3D rendering (video) and required optimization specifically to run consistently on every device.

Our first step to increase fps performance was to introduce hardware dependent levels of detail. Where we can easily display two 1500 polygon tennis players with 32 bones each on the iPod touch 2G and maintain fast and fluid game play, the original iPod touch just chokes, and in some instances so do the iPhones. To speed up the touch, we reduced the players to 800 polygons in farther away moments of gameplay, and are now using 1000 polygon models for close ups, bringing the original iPod touch game play performance level close to that of the iPhone 3G. We’ve taken this approach across the board with great results.

The most clear difference is that fact that the iPod Touch’s processor was quietly boosted to 532MHz (up from 412MHz) with the 2nd generation model introduced in September. Meanwhile, the iPhone 3G, Original iPhone and 1st Generation iPod Touch continue to run at the original 412MHz. Though not the intended purpose, this video from Handheld Games Corp shows that the app load time of the 2nd Generation iPod Touch is notably faster than the 1st Generation model.
It seems that there are additional factors, however, as there are performance differences even found between the models that run at the same speed. The models rank in the following order (fastest to slowest) for 3D rendering, with the 2nd Generation iPod Touch being the fastest “by far”.

#1. iPod Touch 2nd Generation
#2. iPhone 3G
#3. iPhone (original)
#4. iPod Touch 1st Generation

Due to the heavy 3D nature of his game, Fessler speculates the GPU speeds could have been tweaked as well, but there is no hard evidence of this at this time. Due to these findings, Fessler even says he would not recommend anyone interested in gaming to buy a used 1st generation iPod Touch.

Heres a link to an in depth article:

here

SONY ROLL uP

I have a PS2, trusty ol school PS2. What can I say,I haven't been able to sit and play it for a gooooood long minute. I turned down a Nintendo Wii from my brother last Christmas just cuz I told him I would never play it. I almost copped an XBOX360 just because of some game from last year I can't even remember. When I'm on the run on flights or just in a line waiting for something I get my blackberry arcade on. I've got PacMan,DigDug,Brickbreaker,and a couple other joints,but I would contemplate this...................

SONY PSP roll up.

FUTURE Communicado

Yeah, I know I know, what kind of lifestyle cat do I think I am without the iphone? Well I'm a blackberry owner who just can't make that transition.....I multitask with the berry too much. All in the course of having a phone call, I'll check my gmail,text wifey,mms text Lex a pic of something I just clipped and do it all with ease................plus I got a friend who works for Apple and he said if he didn't get the iphone for free he wouldn't have gotten it. That compounded with the fact that he keeps telling me the new things that they're planning to do with the "next" generation and it will pay to wait.....Shoot, dealing with cingular I wait anyway on giving over my cash. They're nothing more than just a necessary evil anyways,but if I could get something lightweight and sleek like this with all the things my blackberry does, I might make the jump.....

The EDGE PHONE.

Technology...gotta love it..

Right now you can literally move with the world in the palm of your hand.....Wait til' they implant the chip into you and you'll literally have the world in your palm. Iphone, naw, next it will be the youphone.

That Jesus Juice

As some of you probably heard Apple is about to unveil a new laptop. I'm here with my Macbook now and have no need, but trust me.............if I wasn't I'd be clicking my heels right now......Mirrored keyboard, wha!!!!$$?!!








Tuesday's announcement of new and updated MacBook laptops from Apple could never have lived up to the hype of the past several weeks.
After endless predictions about tablets, touch screens, and cheaper (some would say recession-friendly) products, from an $800 MacBook to an Apple Netbook, the end result was instead a solid list of upgrades and improvements, with a few noteworthy innovations and a few interesting developments that may get lost in the "Where are the $800 MacBooks?" shuffle. Here's our take on what the new developments mean for you.

The new "brick" body construction.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News)
The most obvious of these is the so-called brick manufacturing process, whereby instead of building a frame and overlaying the chassis, Apple is taking the process used in the making the MacBook Air and expanding it to other MacBooks. The brick comes from a 2.5-pound piece of aluminum (in the case of the Air), which is literally whittled down to 0.5 pounds, meaning the internal frame is part of the same piece of metal as the chassis.
We were impressed with the build quality of the MacBook Air, and hearing that it's made of few individual pieces than other laptops makes sense. But the 13- and 15-inch systems always seemed plenty sturdy to us, so we're not sure if this will be a big selling point for casual consumers.
While switching to Intel CPUs a couple of years ago was a huge breakthrough in terms of mainstream appeal for Macs, Apple is moving away from Intel motherboard chipsets in favor of a new one from Nvidia.
The GeForce 9400 M combines a chipset and GPU, which will hopefully be a big improvement over the Intel integrated graphics found in most MacBooks today. It certainly won't match dedicated gaming laptops (and Mac gaming is still in a sorry state), but we've long decried the sad state of integrated graphics, and in fact, have long given up on finding a decent 3D gaming test to run on systems with integrated graphics. (Note that a dedicated 9600M GT graphics card--with either 256MB or 512MB of graphics memory--will be available in the MacBook Pro.)

The revamped MacBook Pro will come in 15- and 17-inch sizes.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News)
Multitouch gestures aren't exactly new--we've seen them on the MacBook Air, and they were added to the last round of MacBook Pro upgrades. But one of the biggest physical changes to the new Apple laptops is the inclusion of what is being called a "multitouch glass trackpad."
We got quite used to using gestures on the Air (as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch), and the idea of a bigger (reportedly 39 percent) touchpad is always a good idea--too many PC makers include tiny touchpads that require several swipes to get your cursor across the screen. The big questions are: Will software makers take advantage of it? And will users get used to not having a physical button to click?
Manufacturing process aside, the actual silhouettes of the systems aren't changing much--some observers were hoping for a more radial re-imagining. The MacBook Pro, for example, looks substantially similar, with minor changes to the ports (Mini DisplayPort) and other features (battery meter on the side, easier-to-access hard drive bay).
The MacBook Air likewise looks physically the same, but adds a 128GB SSD option (Sony's got an ultraportable Vaio with a 256GB SSD and an optical drive), and a Mini DisplayPort. We had hoped Apple would take this opportunity to really revamp the Air, which is a product people love conceptually, but are less fond of in real-world applications.

The new aluminum 13-inch MacBook looks just like a shrunken-down MacBook Pro and costs $1,299 or $1,599.
(Credit: Apple)
It may not be $800, but reducing the entry-level price for the regular 13-inch MacBook to $999 is a smart move, and crosses an important psychological barrier. But we can't imagine too many people will want the old white plastic design (couldn't they have at least made the $999 model black?) after they see the sleek new metallic version--which looks just like a shrunken-down MacBook Pro (and costs $1,299 or $1,599). Note that the $999 model also lacks the new Nvidia chipset, the glass trackpad, and the edge-to-edge glass-covered display seen on the new Pros and more expensive 13-inch models.
Also interesting to note is that 128GB SSD drives will be available in both the 15-inch and the aluminum 13-inch models, although they'll likely have a hefty premium.
The final word goes to CNET laptop editor Matt Elliott, who says, "They'll sell a lot more MacBooks and fewer Pros."
We'll be bringing you new reviews, videos, benchmarks, and hands-on impressions of the new MacBooks later this week, so stay tuned.- courtesy Dan Ackerman

The wish List

I WILL HAVE ALL of THESE Things in the NEAR Future..........As a Winner that's the way we think. NEVER Sense defeat.

Couple flavors I have an eye on.



I could step the Curve up for this Blackberry STORM..........Can't front on that Google phone tho'



The SSUR fitted. My fitted cap obsession started in the early 90's.............................................Needless to say I've had my hands on flavors for damn near 20 yrs. This will be getting added to the collection.



Another MUST Have, that I WILL POSESS. The Notorious BIG action figure. The detail is crisp.