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Sunlight messing with gameplay?
Over at the Nintendo NSider forums, a poster documented their time with the Wii during the NYC event. Yes, late coverage, but it poses an interesting scenario all the same. Turns out, the sunlight affected gameplay for this poster during the event, affected gameplay for the worse. To quote:"We know that the sensor bar goes all wonky when halogen lights are in the room. But did you know that natural sunlight messes it up too? That's right, if you have the sun beaming right onto the sensor bar, it doesn't work. For about an hour or so, the sun shone right into the store, the two MP3:C kiosks had to have curtains above them, and the Wii Sports Tennis and Shooting Game kiosks were unplayable since they were "shrouded" in sunlight. Later the sun went behind a building, and everything was in working order again."Interesting, however does it actually affect most of us? With the advent of curtains (or mini-blinds, if you're that kind of person), we're hard-pressed to believe this will really hurt the experience had on the console. That is, only if you're playing on the front porch or out by the pool.
Marware announces universal Nike + iPod sensor pouch
Aside from all the pioneering DIYers out there, we've already found one retail accessory from Nike themselves that lets you use the Nike + iPod kit with any shoe, but now Marware has joined the race with their Sportsuit Sensor+ (looks like the '+' is becoming a hot new accessory to accessory names). This tiny pouch is form-fitted for the sensor and can attach to any shoe's laces via velcro. As icing on the cake, the pouch also has room to store the wireless receiver when not in use, and it protects the sensor "from all the elements that serious runners encounter." I guess they could've said 'it's weatherproof,' but that doesn't have the same flair.The Sportsuit Sensor+ is a mere $10 and is available for pre-order now.[via iLounge]
Seiko Epson developing tiny fingerprint sensor
With all this paranoia surrounding identity theft, we've seen fingerprint sensors on everything from hard drives to door locks to laptops, but the common feature on all of those is the relative thickness of the device. By "relatively thick," we mean that these current tags would probably bulk up your wallet in a bad way should they ever be used to tag things like credit and debit cards. Seiko Epson is on top of it, however, and are developing a ridiculously thin (0.2mm) fingerprint sensor that will allow mobile devices to be easily secured by biometrics. Potential applications, aside from deterring thieves from swiping your self-authenticating credit card, are tagging cellphones, MP3 players, and essentially anything that can fit into your pocket. The sensor operates by reading the faint electric current that emanates from your fingertip and conveys your specific print pattern for verification -- if it detects somebody trying their best to mimic your phalanges, it deactivates the device, rendering it useless to the perpetrator. While there's a certain sense of security gained by having everything you own equipped with a fingerprint sensor, we can envision that sharing your tagged gadgetry with friends could become tricky, and while Seiko Epson can't quite put a finger on a release date, it's expecting 2010 before this goes full scale.[Via Pink Tentacle]
"3rd-i" cam for spyin' on the go
There are undoubtedly less proprietary ways to go about doing this, but if you're looking for a quick, painless way to get a PC-free camera feed to your phone, a British operation by the name of 3rd-i reckons they have the answer. The concept is simple enough: take your garden-variety video cam, strap on a GPRS modem, and call it good for £199 ($370). Besides accessing live video and up to 30 days of archived footage via pretty much any Java MIDP 1.0- or 2.0-enabled phone, the unit can be set up to immediately text you upon detecting motion. Not bad -- in fact, we'd strongly consider using 3rd-i's cams to secure the Engadgetmobile, but the dual band 900 / 1800 support just doesn't cut it in these parts.[Via Crowdedbrain]
DBZ to include extra peripheral?
Of the latest scans for the DBZ game on the Wii, a weird yellow box is shown. Next to the box, little plastic clips that attach to the player's index fingers are also shown. Now, it's fairly obvious that this is so that the player may toss fireballs in the game by going through the motions in reality and the box is designed to sit atop the television, but why would such a large box be needed in conjunction with the clips. Couldn't they just be made to work with the sensor bar? Or is this the first sign of some startling truths delivered via the rumor train? Also, where is the Wiimote? It's nowhere to be seen!Any readers want to take a stab at translating the text surrounding the image in question?
All aboard the rumor train: Sensors, Wiimotes, and headsets
No better way to start off a Monday than with a nice, piping hot cup of rumor, wouldn't you say?Today's is a whopper, actually, in that some pretty interesting comments are made in regards to the Wiimote functionality we supposedly have yet to see, as well as comments that the sensor bar isn't even needed and is there to incorporate some other as-of-yet unannounced form of gameplay. Check your pockets, make sure you've got your grain of salt with you...In an effort to keep you from having to do the work of clicking links, we've included the most note-worthy bits of the rumors into nice, easy-to-read, bulleted format. "Nintendo should show that the movement in 3D space will allow experiences outside of just the TV screen. And its not 3D projection related." "The official launch date has yet to be set in stone but will indeed launch before Sony's PS3" "The first game that will be shown to the public that demonstrates the full scope of Wii controller potential will be Dragonball Z Budokai 4" "The Wii controller can function exactly as we all have seen demonstrated WITHOUT the sensor bar. So ask yourselves, why need a sensor bar?" "Sensor bar was in all actuality in no use at E3 2006" "There is also word that Nintendo in private sessions has big plans for the Wii headset. The headset would be somewhat sensitive to movement that could be translated into the game. Such as if you get up and move to the right of your television something might correspond for that in the game. Such as dodging things, looking around corners etc." "Developer Nibris has received Wii development kits and has partnered with publisher Majesco" That's an awful lot of rumor to choke down. So how do you feel about all of this, fine reader? Some truth buried in there?
The Nike + iPod Sport Kit is now available
Lace up those running shoes kids, cuz Apple just released the Nike + iPod Sport Kit. You've been able to pre-order it almost since the original announcement, but I just received an announcement email from Apple and sure 'nuff: the store lists them as 'now shipping'.Unfortunately, I can't track down anything about the rumored kit that works with any shoes, not just the $85-100 shoes Nike is pimping as compatible with this kit. Most likely, if this kit exists, I would imagine it'll be some time before it's released so Nike can sell some of these fancy new shoes.
Tinkering with Apple portables' light sensors
He taught the Mac world to wonder again by unearthing the secrets of the Sudden Motion sensor and now Amit Signh is at it again.This time his sights are set on the ambient light sensors on more recent Apple portables (as well as those cool light up keyboards). Amit lays out how someone can programmatically take advantage of those sensors. Hackers, start you engines.
Get your run on - Apple taking preorders for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit
It looks as though Apple is officially taking pre-orders for the $30 Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a customized wireless transmitter and receiver set that helps you track your run by integrating with Apple's iPod nano. The tips started pouring in, and sure enough, it's up in the store in all its über-branding glory. Fortunately, more compatible shoes have also been added to the Nike Plus site, though I'm sure pioneering DIYers are scoffing at the thought of purchasing a pair, and are already hard at work at assembling specs and carving out their present running gear (I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to see a guide for this; send in those tips people!). On a related note, TUAW reader Aaron sent us a question that y'all might want to bat around: has anyone heard about the battery life of this kit? Aaron noticed that this kit's specs mention the battery in the shoe transmitter is not replaceable, so those who run 8 miles a day like Aaron (or who I'll refer to as: RoboRunner) might have to find out how much juice these things hold before they kick the bucket. On the other hand, I'm sure in a couple of months Apple will whip out a $40 charging dock for the $30 sensor kit and make all this worrying about battery life a moot point.
Sensor Bar port revealed
Wii got back. IGN has posted some near-pornographic shots of a nude Wii, revealing its backside in what we can only assume is some drug-induced lapse of common sense on the part of the console. Really, it's always been such a well-behaved machine! IGN has even been so bold as to post pictures of cables plugging into its backside with reckless abandon. Clearly, the machine has gone wild.
Apple and Nike launch $29 Nike+iPod Sport Kit
Maybe the third time's the charm. After rolling out branded MP3 players with Rio and Philips, Nike has now partnered with Apple for its next music-on-the-go solution. But instead of launching another Nike-branded player, the sneaker company is focusing on athletics by working with Apple to roll out the iPod Sport Kit, a $29 device that includes a sneaker-based sensor that combines with another sensor attached to the iPod to allow users to enter and view workout data using the iPod's menus. The iPod Sport Kit will only work with certain compatible shoes, including the new Nike Air Zoom Moire. Audio prompts can also be configured to provide workout info such as distance and time, and workout data can be uploaded to a Nike web site for analysis and comparison with other runners. The iPod Sport Kit is expected to be available within 60 days and will work with the iPod nano.
