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Natal prototype model revealed (it's either adorable or terrifying)
The image above could serve as kind of robotic Rorschach test. What do you see? A cute little tripod help-o-bot, whose head is cocked curiously to the side, as though it's studying its new master to better serve his or her robotic needs? Or is it a three-legged killing machine, who's observing his new master's weaknesses, which it plans to exploit with its now-charging eye lasers? Sadly, the answer's not as provocative as either of those two choices -- its actually a photo of a Project Natal prototype, as nabbed by the Seattle Times. According to the report which includes the photograph, Natal units and iPhones are being produced in the same factory. We're terrified of the thought of these two consumer electronics cross-pollinating -- we're pretty sure that's how SkyNet got started. [Via Siliconera]
A brief history of Ceton and its 6-tuner CableCARD HTPC tuner
The Seattle Times sat down with Ceton, and the entire Hammer family that founded the company, and uncovered some pretty interesting details about the Kirkland, WA startup. Lucky for Windows Media Center fans -- when Gary and Pamela Hammer's son Jeremy graduated from college with a engineering degree, the entire family decided to start a new company, which designed the first multi-stream CableCARD tuner for HTPCs. Without going into all the details here, we did enjoy learning about the origins of the company as well as the fact that a yet to be announced dual tuner version of the quad tuner card should sell for less than $300. We've been excited about this product since CES 2009, but as we get closer and stories like this surface we can hardly contain our anticipation.
SOE bullish on MMOs for the Playstation 3
In an interview with the Seattle Times, John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment has stated that MMOs for the PS3 will be a strong feature for the system's longevity. "I think MMOs are going to be a real strong selling point for the PS3 long term - there's going to be some great ones on the PS3."While it's obviously too early to say what those titles might be, Smedley does mention the upcoming title The Agency, by saying that "[SOE is] trying not to distract them." We like the idea of the Agency team as having diffuse enough focus that something shiny might keep them from hitting their development milestones. Whether or not Smedley's right about MMOs being good for the PS3 remains to be seen. Perhaps he ought to check out our earlier post on the topic.[Via CVG]
Looking for a computer for school?
Summer's end is almost upon us, and you know what that means: back to school! Right now I am sure there are millions of students clamoring to get their various school supplies in order. Pens, paper, Trapper Keepers, and computers.Now, it won't come as a shock to you that we are a little biased towards Macs here on TUAW. Luckily, someone who writes for a real newspaper (they still make those?) thinks that no matter what institute of higher learning you're going to a MacBook will be your best companion.I can't agree more, thanks to being able to run Windows (in a number of ways) the MacBook is a great portable for any student.[via Digg]
Microsoft DAP said to be part of Xbox-branded product lineup
Some more details have leaked out about Microsoft's unannounced-but-well-known WiFi-enabled digital music player that shed some light on its role in Microsoft's overall home entertainment strategy -- though you'll still have to deal with that blurry pic for now. According to sources cited by The Seattle Times, the upcoming DAP is only one of several offerings that will be part of a larger lineup of Xbox-branded products, which will also include Microsoft's upcoming online media service -- the one that will dupe all your iTunes tracks for free -- and a dedicated software media player. Codenamed Project Argo, this initiative is said to be spearheaded by Xbox co-founder J Allard, and is rumored to support the so-called XNA toolkit for allowing developers to easily port games to multiple platforms -- possibly setting the stage for that heavily-rumored Xbox2Go. There's not too much here that we didn't already know, but it's becoming increasingly clear that Redmond has a definite battle plan for waging war against Apple and others in your living room (and pocket), and that the company is starting to make good on its promise of turning the 360 into a true digital hub.[Via Joystiq]
