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Kyobo eReader with Mirasol display gets video walkthrough, does things E Ink can't
Qualcomm's Mirasol display technology was supposedly inspired by butterfly wings, and its progress over the past year has been appropriately erratic. It was happening, then it wasn't, then it was again -- but only in the Korea-confined Kyobo e-Reader. Despite all the flitting about, however, some consistent promises have been made: a 'converged' screen that's like E Ink because it requires no backlight and lasts for "weeks" on a single charge, and like LCD in its ability to refresh quickly and handle color video. Thanks to Netbook News, we now have some eyes-on of the 5.7-inch, 1024 x 768 Kyobo in action, powered by a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon S2 and Android 2.3, and it's yours for the glimpsing right after the break. There's room for improvement, especially with color saturation, viewing angles and reflectiveness, but we're not quibbling -- this ₩349,000 ($310) device evidently lives up to its central claim.
Singing Sunflower companion pet voiced by Laura Shigihara
If you're a Plants vs. Zombies fan, you are quite familiar with Laura Shigihara, the composer for the PopCap Games plant-a-thon. She is also the voice behind the Plants vs. Zombies theme song. On her blog today, Shigihara confirmed that her voice will be used for the companion pet, the Singing Sunflower, which players receive after completing the Peacebloom versus Ghouls minigame in Hillsbrad. How awesome is that? Besides being fun and kind of novel if you're into PvZ, you get a pretty cool reward for finishing the quest: a "singing sunflower" pet! I actually had no idea this information was public until Hashimoto linked me to TotalHalibut's video earlier tonight... incidentally, I was right in the middle of recording the sunflower's voice when I watched it. ^_^ I am so excited about voicing a WoW-pet because what can I say ... I'm a big nerd. Peacebloom versus Ghouls is a minigame/quest in Hillsbrad that puts the player in charge of Brazie the Botanist's garden of ghoul-destroying plants. If you've played Plants vs. Zombies, you'll feel right at home. Defeat wave after wave of ghouls and you will claim your very own Singing Sunflower companion. These new facts continue to illustrate the intimate and awesome relationship between Blizzard and PopCap, bringing good tidings to gamers who are fans of both excellent companies. Hopefully, more collaborations like this are in store for the future.
This robotic sunflower's LED seeds will cure you of that spitting habit in no time
We've performed some very careful, scientific research on the movement of sunflowers that one time on lunch break where we stared at a sunflower for four or five minutes, and let us tell you: it's pretty boring. Mix in robotics, however, and things start to get a bit more interesting -- no roasting required. Himawari the robotic sunflower, developed at Kyushu University in Japan, is a bit of interactive art which can track people with an IR camera, point itself in their direction and blink on its LED lights if they wave hello. Not exactly at the forefront of robot research, but it is pretty dang cute. An adorable video is after the break.
Anno coming to US on Wii and DS as Dawn of Discovery
Ubisoft is bringing the Anno series of historical strategy games to Wii and DS in North America under the title Dawn of Discovery this summer. It's also coming to PC -- but another strategy game on PC isn't really that big a deal. Dawn of Discovery features city-building gameplay in a simulated 1404 AD. According to the game's premise, King George's sons William and Edward are sent out to settle new territories in order to gather resources for a drought-ridden homeland. As you build your society, you will gain access to new developments from neighboring cultures through developing trade routes around the world. The Wii version, which marks the first Wii release for the series, even features 2-player cooperative play. All three versions are due out this summer. %Gallery-45958% %Gallery-45959%
Sunflower Broadband subs say goodbye to Kansas City's KMBC-ABC and KCWE-CW
Time Warner Cable subscribers managed to avert a crisis early this morning, but it seems that Sunflower Broadband customers aren't so lucky. As it stands, KMBC-ABC and KCWE-CW -- both owned by Kansas City's Hearst-Argyle Television -- are being dropped from the provider. Both channels were being transmitted to customers in SD and HD, and until an agreement can be worked out, Sunflower has arranged to retransmit ABC Topeka affiliate KTKA in SD / HD so that customers can at least view ABC material. The good (or better, we should say) news? The carrier has vowed to "work around the clock with Hearst-Argyle to restore KMBC and KCWE under terms that are fair to its customers." And now, we wait.
Macrovision to scrutinize Sunflower Broadband in-guide advertising
With Disney creating a dedicated lair for biometric testing of advertisements and Backchannelmedia pushing its own TV-to-internet ad platform, we aren't too surprised to see Macrovision teaming up with Sunflower Broadband to gauge the effectiveness of yet another advertising alternative. As part of the collaborative effort, EPG usage patterns of an "anonymous sample of Sunflower customers" will be collected and scrutinized in order to "gain insight into how consumers use i-Guide and interact with their DVR, on-demand services and in-guide advertising." In essence, the data will be used to "develop more effective consumer marketing tactics" and understand how subscribers "engage with interactive guide advertising." In-guide advertising? We hate to even think it, but really, what's next?
