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Recent survey suggests plasmas preferred over LCDs
As the continuing debate between LCD vs. plasma steams ahead, here we have yet another research study that purportedly suggests that nearly four out of five consumers would prefer PDPs over LCDs. The study -- which was conducted by global market research firm Synovate, posed the question to respondents in China, Japan, England, France, and Germany (no North America?) -- and found that an average of 80-percent of individuals preferred the images produced by plasmas when viewing a side-by-side comparison. What's interesting about the supposed results, however, is that recent sales have depicted quite the opposing story, and multiple plasma manufacturers have had to realign their strategies or shut down aspects of the business completely in order to remain afloat. Conversely, LCD sales have been impressive as of late, as consumers have responded positively to the tanking prices and widespread availability. Of course, this whole plasma vs. LCD war could rage on until SED TVs actually go mainstream and never find finality, but until PDPs can once again become price competitive with similar alternatives, we don't see its sales struggles ending anytime soon.
Wii outselling PlayStation 3 'six to one'
Considering that some retail locales in America are still having trouble keeping a fresh supply of Wii consoles in stock (whilst the PlayStation 3 units tend collect thin layers of dust), it's no surprise to see such dramatic sales figures surface. Sure enough, Enterbrain's latest report demonstrates that Nintendo's darling moved into 270,974 new households in June, while only 41,628 PS3s were sold in the same timeframe; just to compare, the even older Xbox 360 was able to sell 17,616 units. That brings the overall sales figures to date for Nintendo to nearly 2.76 million, while Sony has yet to break the magical one million in units sold. But don't count Sony out just yet -- it's coming back, remember?
Study: Gamers read, study less but still socialize
The latest scientific study of gamers is kind of a wash for the image of our favorite hobby. On the plus side, adolescents who play games were shown to spend just as much time socializing with family and friends as non-gamers. On the downside, adolescent gamers were found to spend less time reading and doing homework than non-gamers.The University of Michigan study asked nearly 1,500 10- to 19-year-olds across the country to report how they spent their time during the 2002-03 school year. The roughly 36 percent of the sample that played games spent 30 percent less time reading and 34 percent less time doing homework than their non-gaming peers. Interestingly, the reading deficit came mostly from male gamers while the homework deficit was caused mostly by female gamers, according to a Reuters story on the study. It's not all bad news though; the study also concluded that "gamers and nongamers did not differ in the amount of time they spent interacting with family and friends."Before you go off believing that gamers are more likely to be lazy ignoramuses, understand that reading and homework time are not direct measures of intelligence. The study author herself admitted to Reuters that "there have been some studies that show that high academic achievers spend less time doing homework." In other words, perhaps gamers have just been trained to work smarter, not harder.
Researchers at the University of Texas studying World of Warcraft [Updated]
A tipster informs us that researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are conducting a study to try to determine the "personalities and motivations" of people participating in World of Warcraft and other online games. And they're asking for our help! So if you have 10 or 15 minutes of free time, why not go fill out their MMORPG Survey? (Or if learning about the personalities and motivations of yourself and fellow players doesn't interest you, there's another study running at the university that seeks to understand how people interact in online environments. However, I've got to warn you, that one will take 20 to 30 minutes of your time.) The survey itself looks like a standard personality test, and, I have to say, is pretty uninteresting. However, I'm quite interested in seeing what sort of results they come out with in the end -- and if you're as curious as I am participating will only lead to more varied results in the end.Update: There is a great deal of discussion in our comments about the possibility of this site being a scam of some sort. While I agree that the domain name of the site is fishy, the content looks completely legitimate. (And, yes, I did run through this on my personal computer before passing it on to you.) With the original and subsequent e-mails we've received about the site, I would say it's legitimate. However, I have removed the link to the site pending further verification.Update 2: After trading e-mails with Austin Harley (yes, through a valid University of Texas mailing address), one of the researchers involved in the study, I am convinced that this is, in fact, a valid project. Of the odd hosting arrangement, he says:A good friend of mine offered to build a web page for my site and link it to an already functional database he had. He said this would be easier on him than building one off a webpage on the utexas server so I happily agreed since he was really doing me a huge favor. I had no idea so many people were worried about a potential scam or that my site would cause such a stir.Update 3: To further assure anyone's concerns, I have talked to a member of the UT faculty overseeing this project, who, again, assures me that this is a legitimate study.
Life imitates art: moon to be equipped with frickin' lasers?
Up until now, if you wanted to test some theories about the Moon, its distance, or deviations from general relativity, you would have to shoot a laser from Earth to a group of old, dusty and imprecise reflectors from the Apollo era, which sit on the surface the big cheese -- but that might all be changing. NASA announced recently that it's funding development of a moon-based laser system, which would answer the laser bursts from Earth with its own, thus cutting down on fluctuations in readings and allowing for a more accurate study of the Moon's distance. Because there's no better way to spend several million dollars than sending a laser up to the moon to clarify a few millimeters of uncertainty.
Report: Vista more secure than OS X and Linux
Attention Linux, Vista, and Apple fan boys: put on your gloves... it's time to rumble! A 6-month vulnerability report issued by Jeff "Security Guy" Jones has caught the eye of Redmond and the ire of places beyond. The report which bases its security assessment upon vulnerabilities found (not actually exploited) claims that Vista is "more secure than OS X and Linux." In fact, the much maligned XP even crushes the competition using their calculations. Of course, it's worth noting that Jeff is a member of Microsoft's Security business unit which will probably sway your opinion as to the integrity of the data. Still, as incomplete as the assessment may be, it certainly appears to be a good showing for Vista considering the vast community of hackers attempting to thwart its security. We can predict what Billy G's probably saying right about now: Dy-no-mite JJ![Via vnunet] Read -- 6 Month Vulnerability Report [warning: PDF] Read -- JJ's blog entry
Gaming magazines influence boys' self-image
A study to be published in the journal Body Image this summer shows signs that boys who read video game magazines have an increased desire for muscle mass compared to boys who read Highlights or something like that. The study examined 181 boys and found that those who read game magazines had a greater desire for muscle mass. The study found that the 104 African American boys studied did not have the same result, which the researchers believed was because of the lack of black characters in game magazines.The reason the clear distinction is made between game magazines and actual video games is because the pictures in magazines are "characters [that] are drawn with extreme muscularity and much more realism than in video games themselves." Looks like the the video game magazines are screwing up boys like Seventeen and Cosmopolitan have been messing with girls for years. Sure, sure, we can poke holes in the study all day, but it is interesting to think how many more waxed super muscled characters in video games exist like Dante, Kratos and Guile; than there are "real men" like Dead Rising's Frank West with his chest hair, love handles and average build.[Via GameDaily.biz]
Digital Life America poll profiles iPhone faithful
It would seem Solutions Research Group's Digital Life America has its fingers on the pulse of the average iPhone hopeful (or at least a random 1,230 of them) with a new poll titled "Who Will Line Up for the iPhone." The results seem to suggest that the average iPhone line-camper will be a fairly well heeled individual (we're not surprised here, this is pretty pricey hardware) with a salary 26 percent higher than the national average, aged 31 years, and overwhelmingly male. The interesting bit in all this is that 48% of them don't currently own an iPod, so they do fit the mold Mr. Steve is aiming at. If Apple is following this type of fluff, perhaps being in NYC or somewhere in CA will help your cause come 6pm on the 29th -- but if not, you can always hop in the Lear and hit the other coast in a jiffy.[Via Slashphone]
British study shows 850,000 phones flushed a year
Seems we're all about mobiles in the toilet of late, but today's study is more focused on "lose," not "use." A study conducted by SimplySwitch (which typically studies price comparison and carrier switching) shows that 850,000 handsets are dropped in the crapper each year, 810,000 are left in the pub, 315,000 left behind in the taxi, 225,000 on the bus, and as many as 58,500 get nibbled by the pooch. While we can't confirm just how legit this study was, we do have some experience 'round here with toilet tumbling handsets so we know it can happen. If we can pass along one tip to save your precious mobile: wrist strap, wrist strap, wrist strap!
Laptops are dangerous / not dangerous : back pain edition
Look out, laptop users -- your machines are out to kill you in more ways than one. Not only do you need to worry about exploding batteries, a new article in London's Daily Mail claims that "girls as young as 12 are being diagnosed with nerve damage" from slouching over laptop screens. The main problem appears to be bad posture when using the laptop on your, uh, lap -- hunching over in this way apparently causes chronic back problems in all sorts of people. While we've certainly put a crick or two in our necks after a long work session on an plane, the story strikes us as being classic scare-journalism: although a lot of frightening statistics are trotted out, no published research is cited and the two main sources quoted are chiropractors. On top of that, the article gets one very important aspect of laptop use incredibly wrong -- the reason integrated wireless has made laptops so popular is that you can stretch out on the couch and browse the web instead of slumping over a desk. Funny thing none of those chiropractors mentioned that, eh?
iPods now linked to pacemaker malfunction?
What's a 17 year old doing presenting a study before a gathering of heart specialists? Why, drawing the connection between iPods and heart implants, of course. According to student Jay Thaker, the findings of his study showed that of 100 installed pacemakers, electrical interference was detected 50% of the time when an iPod was held at a distance of 2-inches from the chest for 5-10 seconds. We'd really liked to have been there to see him try and pitch this study of his to the variety of seniors with heart problems who participated (they averaged 77 years of age), but don't get alarmed, we have a feeling your grandparents -- who've probably never even heard of that newfangled iPoddie doohickie -- won't find out first hand whether this is the real deal.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, photo via Rositress]
Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, bee-friendly edition
As the saga continues, we've got yet another flip-flopped story rolling through in regard to the toxicity (or not) of cellphones to our environment. Just under a fortnight ago, a report based on an (admittedly lacking) research study claimed that Colony Collapse Disorder within bees was being encouraged by cellphone radiation. As expected, the researchers began living a life filled with Q&A sessions about the data, and now the "truth" is coming out. Essentially, the scientists are claiming that their data was "misinterpreted," and that the study actually looked at DECT phones and base stations, which transmit a "different frequency than mobiles." Furthermore, another member chimed in and boldly stated that their "studies cannot indicate that electromagnetic radiation is a cause of CCD." So that settles it -- until the next round of bickering begins, of course.[Via Guardian]
Study: video games may incite 'angry' players to violence
In a Villanova University study (PDF), 167 undergraduates played games that were either violent or non-violent, and were then asked to choose an action for a fictitious character in a story. The gamers who had just played violent games like Mortal Kombat or Doom 3 "produced significantly more aggressive responses" than those who'd played inoffensive fare like Tetris Worlds.Seems pretty conclusive, doesn't it? Professor Patrick Markey, who conducted the study, doesn't think so. "Their personality made a big difference. People who are extremely angry tend to be much more affected by violent videogames than people who are not angry and of course the opposite is true that people who are not angry are virtually unaffected by violent videogames. So it's both the person and, in essence, the situation."Markey, himself a gamer, cautioned against sensationalism from the mainstream media, as well as knee-jerk defenses from -- ahem -- game journalists. "I like the rating system so legislatively I hope nothing's done. ... [but] getting out the information that videogames can have an effect if you're [an angry] person is extremely important." For still more on Patrick Markey's research, you can check out his appearance on the Cheap Ass Gamer CAGcast.
High frequency processors could put your GPS on the fritz
Just when you think things couldn't get any more gloomy in the world of in-car navigation systems, here comes news that high frequency processors surrounding your GPS system could actually cause some seriously screwy routing. According to a study by the Swedish Defense Research Agency, "computers used near a NAV could disturb the signals utilized in the GPS receiver." More specifically, Intel CPUs with clock speeds of 1.7GHz, 3.0GHz, and 3.2GHz were pinpointed as potential troublemakers, but a member of the study actually went so far as to suggest that a variety of other (untested) chips could indeed wreak the same havoc. The study showed that "modern computers produce interfering signals that reach as far as the frequency bandwidths used for GPS systems," and while specific reactions weren't apparent, testers did suggest to move any computer equipment further away from the GPS unit if it began to "play up" for no ostensible reason. Of course, we've huddled our own laptops and GPS systems together on many occasions with no ill consequences, so as always, your miles may vary.[Via NaviGadget]
British ratings board: violent video games less harmful than movies
The British Board of Film Classification, which assigns content ratings to both films and video games, says that video game violence is less influential and harmful to young players than violence in films or television. The board came to this conclusion as a result of their 107-page study, "Playing Video Games," featuring interviews with players ranging from very young children to the middle-aged.Says BBFC spokeswoman Sue Clark, "We have traditionally taken the view that because a game is interactive, by definition we need to be more careful. But ... one of the key conclusions of this report is that interactivity actually helps players distance reality from adult experiences in games." The study was conducted to prepare for a revision of the BBFC's video-game ratings system -- which means that their new ratings may actually become less restrictive.A study, huh? Using research, data, and possibly even science to draw conclusions? Silly Brits! We independent-minded Americans can make judgements without any facts whatsoever!
Study: Educational software doesn't work
The U.S. Department of Education issued a report yesterday that educational software of all types, from the video-game-like to the ultra-dry, "has no significant impact on student performance." And folks like Elliot Soloway, professor of educational tech at U. Michigan, are miffed. Says Soloway, "It is the poor kids who will suffer, because it is their schools who will not get technology because of this study."That's one way to look at it. Here's another way: the study could help schools, both underfunded and not, because now their administrators might spend more money on good teachers and less on Oregon Trail. Shooting squirrels in a video game is fun, but it's no substitute for a real human showing you how to shoot squirrels.[via GameLife]
Game addiction on the rise, but 'stable' genes should prevent violent outbursts
When combined, a pair of new studies (conveniently stacked on GamePolitics.com) suggests that game addiction is a rising concern among American youth, but, if we also trust Aussie researchers, violent side effects are not. According to a new Harris poll, 8.5% of the US's youngsters are now clinically addicted to games, and as many as 23% have felt the jonesing itch for a fix. Thankfully, Australia's Swinburne University of Technology has published findings which indicate that violent games ('cause let's face it, violent games are the only kind American tweens get lifted on) don't increase the likelihood of a "stable" child becoming more aggressive.The Swinburne study seems to define "stable" as non-hyper. So, considering that about 7% of children are currently diagnosed with ADHD, presumably about 0.6% of America's young people (percentage of ADHD-diagnosed kids addicted to games) pose a potential threat to society. A small percentage no doubt, but with a reported 73.5 million children in the US in 2005, we could be living among something like 450,000 latent killer gamers -- hit the panic button![Disclosure: blogger's math skills have not been evaluated since December 1999; some calculations may be inaccurate. Call for panic still very real!]Read - Poll Indicates Game Addiction on the Rise Among YouthRead - Study Says Stable Kids Unaffected by Game Violence
Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, no glioma edition
If you are spending a good deal of your day and night fretting about brain cancer and mobile phones, you can rest easy knowing that current thinking (read: by current, we mean for the next 15 minutes when the next study comes out) leans toward cell phones not being associated with glioma, the most common type of brain tumor. The International Journal of Cancer reports that in a study of 1,521 glioma patients and 3,301 controls, 92 percent of glioma patients and 94 percent of controls reported using mobile phones. There is, however, some evidence pointing to increased risk of glioma in people who use cell phones on the same side of their head, though the results were of "borderline statistical significance." So, what can we take from all this? A new study is likely being written as you read this that will contradict these findings, switch up that handset once in a while -- you know, left to right and such, make a game of it -- and if you are really worried, check out a wired headset.
Using an iPod while driving is distracting: duh
Man, we need to get in on the cash cow feeding all these driver distraction studies. A new study conducted by Drexel University found that using an iPod while driving has "significant effect" on driver performance. The study monitored 12 people who were asked to "drive" in a simulator while selecting and playing music, video and podcasts on their iPods. The result? No surprise: searching for media caused drivers to slow down and veer left or right whereas watching videos (!) "significantly affected" car-following speed. Hey, can we get some funding to prove that knitting a sock affects driving performance as well? Hell, let's just ban it all and get back to the intrinsically safe concept of propelling 2,000 pounds of steel and glass down the road at 80 feet per second.
Duke Nukem and the battle against depression
No, Duke Nukem Forever hasn't received a name change (or a release date) -- but there's now a possible explanation for why you've been getting pwned by bubbly 12-year-olds on Xbox Live. Dude, you're depressed.According to a study by the US National Institute of Mental Health, depression sufferers were outperformed by their "healthy" peers in a test that used scenes based on Duke Nukem. It would seem that tests relying on spatial memory -- in this case, locating landmarks in a virtual gameworld -- might provide a method for quantifying depression. Apparently subjects suffering from deep levels of depression located the least number of landmarks. Previous research suggests that depression might be associated with a shrunken hippocampus, a part of the brain that processes spatial memory.[Via Engadget]
