If your life revolves around making video games, then you would be in San Francisco this week.  The annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (http://www.gdconf.com/) is THE major event for the game development industry.  GDC is five days of educational sessions, specialized summits, networking events, and expo & career pavilions.

On the final day at GDC, the show continues with lots of activity in the Career Fair.  With the continuing bad economy and poor job outlook, there were many people visiting all the exhibiting companies with resumes and demo reels in hand.  While there were many companies looking for new talent, then number of openings appears to be small.

Many of the final lectures and sessions were very full as the conference attendees eagerly rush to take in a final chance to learn from the many experienced speakers before the close of the show.  As the show ended, hundreds gathered in the main lobby of the convention center reluctant to see this year’s GDC end.

Some things that caught our attention on Friday were:

If your life revolves around making video games, then you would be in San Francisco this week.  The annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (http://www.gdconf.com/) is THE major event for the game development industry.  GDC is five days of educational sessions, specialized summits, networking events, and expo & career pavilions.

The second day for the main part of the show opened today with the Career Fair and Expo Hall as well as more session for Art, Programming, Design, Production, etc.

Some things that caught our attention on Thursday were:

If your life revolves around making video games, then you would be in San Francisco this week.  The annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (http://www.gdconf.com/) is THE major event for the game development industry.  GDC is five days of educational sessions, specialized summits, networking events, and expo & career pavilions.

The main part of the show opened today with the Career Fair and Expo Hall as well as more session for Art, Programming, Design, Production, etc.
Also featured today was a Keynote Address from Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo, who spoke about how Nintendo & Independent Developers can both be successful in the same market and how Nintendo’s Star Designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, approaches design and development.

Some things that caught our attention on Wednesday were:

If your life revolves around making video games, then you would be in San Francisco this week.  The annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (http://www.gdconf.com/) is THE major event for the game development industry.  GDC is five days of educational sessions, specialized summits, networking events, and expo & career pavilions.

We will be roaming the show to bring you tidbits of news that will affect the technology and games you will be playing soon.  Many of the news stories we will bring you will become product reviews in the futures as new products announced at GDC reach your local retail store.

The first two days of GDC are specialized summits including Outsourcing and Mobile.  These summits allow the attendees to get focused instruction on specific areas of the game industry.

Some things that caught our attention today were:

Super Talent Technology today launched an SSD upgrade for the Asus S101 Eee PC in capacities up to 64GB. This is a nice upgrade to the Windows model of the S101 which includes only 16GB SSD local storage.

Models and size:

FPM16RSE / 16GB
FPM32RSE / 32GB
FPM64RSE / 64GB

This new SSD has been rigorously tested in Super Talent’s compatibility labs for both performance and functionality to ensure it meets Super Talent’s high quality standards. According to their testing the new kits deliver 90 MB/sec max sequential read speeds and up to 55 MB/sec write speeds.

All three models are shipping now. The 64GB model will retail for approximately $169.

http://www.supertalent.com/products/ssd_detail.php?type=SATA%20Mini%20PCIe

Here is a brief round-up of the vendors we saw at this year’s Lunch@Piero’s event during CES 2009.

VIA Technologies showcased their latest in ultra mobile and small form factor computing featuring the VIA Nano processor and the VIA C7-M ultra mobile processor. More info at http://www.via.com.tw

VIA Embedded showcased their new ARTiGO A2000 barebone storage system and innovative home server set-up using the touch-screen VIPRO. http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/

Graphics will demonstrated the latest HD video and image applications using the all-new Chrome 500 series graphics cards running on a VIA Nano processor-based board. http://www.s3graphics.com
Blendtec, famous for their “Will it Blend” videos in which they blended an iPhone in their kitchen blender, was on hand to talk about their highly successful viral youtube campaigns. Blendtec CEO Tom Dickson and VP George Wright was on hand throughout Lunch@Piero’s to blend a phone, a garden rake.  http://www.blendtec.com

Developing and organizing your thoughts isn’t always a straightforward linear process, especially in groups. Comappings “mind-mapping” tool helps you make sense of even the most complex topics and projects with its innovative approach to formulating, developing, and organizing ideas. http://www.comapping.com

Continue reading: Round-up of the vendors we saw at this years Lunch@Piero’s event during CES 2009.

I took the new HP Mini 2140 for a spin today and liked what I saw. The feel was nice and the keyboard felt similar to the Mini 1000. Since this unit comes with Vista i decided to run the Windows Experience tool. The processor pulled a 2.9, memory came in with 4.4, graphics got a 4.2, gaming graphics saw a 2.8, and hard disk pulled a 5.7.

The basic specs:

- 10.1-inch LED display with 16:9 aspect ratio available in either standard-definition (1,024 x 576) or high-definition (1,366 x 768) resolutions.
- 92 percent of full-size QWERTY keyboard and a touchpad.
- Scratch-resistant acrylic LCD cover and magnesium hinge bracket.
- The integrated VGA webcam enables video
- Two battery solutions - 3 cell or 6 cell lithium-ion battery.
- 2.6 pounds with 3 cell battery
- Atom 1.6Ghz Proc
- Wifi, bluetooth, etc
- Express Card Slot
- 2 Gigs of RAM

http://h71016.www7.hp.com/html/interactive/mini2140/model.html

The Samsung HT-BD8200 is the first home theater sound bar equipped with a Blu-ray player and wireless subwoofer, which delivers a streamlined, HD surround sound solution built to expand the prowess of any home theater. It features a fully integrated Blu-ray player with Full HD 1080p playback and virtual 5.1-channel surround sound for a lifelike audio presence.

It is only 2.6 inches deep and accented with Samsung’s Touch of Color (ToC) design. The included wireless subwoofer provides a superior blend of effective audio performance and interior design flexibility just about anywhere in the home.

The HT-BD8200 is also equipped with Samsung’s “Smart Volume” technology for volume level adjustments on-the-fly for superb listening levels without the need to continually pick up the remote. It also offers seamless playback of video, photos, or music from digital devices such as media players, mobile phones, and digital cameras, using either the built-in USB port or Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Multimedia disc playback and an included iPod dock add even more versatility to the system’s cachet. <- Their word not ours.

Equipped with wireless networking via an 802.11 b/g/n and optional USB dongle, the HT-BD8200 is compatible with BD-Live (Profile 2.0) interactive features and can access Netflix for instant streaming video or Pandora music.

The Nextar Z10 LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) will display images with a resolution up to 640x480. The unit has a brightness level of between 7 and 12 lumens, a 360-degree lens shift capability with manual adjust, and displays images in 4:3 aspect ratio format.

This fit-in-the-hand projector uses an LED light source with a life expectancy of 30,000 hours. It accepts Micro SD cards and comes equipped with a built-in speaker. Projected image size is up to 20”.

I/O connectors include Micro SD, TF card, L/R audio, USB, and ear jack. Video compatibility is provided for AVI, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, RM/RMVB, ASF, FLV, and WMV9/VC1. Audio compatibility includes MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, APE, ALAC, and MPEG1/2/2.5. Picture compatibility is for images in BMP, JPEG, or GIF formats.

The palm-size Nextar Z10 projector measures 4.13” x 2.32” x 1.0” and weighs approximately one pound. The PS-001 screen measures 18.89” x 1.57” x 15.7” opened and 18.9” x 1.57” x 1.2” folded. It weighs approximately 1.3 pounds.

The two new Nextar presentation units will be available in Spring 2009 at leading retailers across the country. The Z10 micro projector has an SRP of $299.99, The PS-001 portable screen has an SRP of $39.99.

The You Rock Guitar’s functionality works with many gaming and music devices. The You Rock Guitar can interface the Wii and will work with games like Guitar Hero and RockBand. The You Rock Guitar can work with music programs on Macintosh like Garage Band and any Windows PCs music program supporting MIDI. Jam along with your favorite song on your iPod, iPhone, or any MP3 Player, rock out with a real guitar amp or mixer. And you can do all that with the on-board sounds or those from any MIDI sound source.

Features

- G-Stik Multi-Touch Fretboard simulates a “real” Guitar
- Full length Fretboard
- Works with Guitar Hero or Rock Band
- Works with your iPod, iPhone or other MP3 Player
- Connect to any MIDI Device
- Use Music Programs on your Mac or PC
- Includes pre-loaded sounds to play the coolest rifs you’ve ever dreamed of
- Buy Games and Applications from the YouRock Store
- Never Requires Tuning or restringing

The You Rock Guitar will be available in Q2-Q3 of 2009 for $149. The SDK will be available with development units in Spring of 2009.

D-Link unveiled an all-in-one home network router that features of 802.11n Wi-Fi router combined with network attached storage (NAS), SharePort technology for sharing printers and scanners, along with a bright 3.2-inch LCD monitor on the face for displaying photos, desktop applications and network performance. Wow.

The network attached storage (NAS) feature supports both UPnP server functions and BitTorrent downloads. A built-in FTP server allows users to access documents, photos, music and other media locally through the home network or remotely over the Internet.

Both USB ports utilize the new D-Link SharePort technology, enabling multiple users to share USB devices - including printers, multi-function printers (MFP), and external hard drives. To manage the photo frame feature D-Link has partnered with FrameChannel, a free web service (internetphotoframe.com).

The Amulet Remote is the first voice-enabled remote control designed specifically for Vista Media Center. It makes it easy to record and watch TV, listen to your favorite music, and view DVDs, videos and photos - all using simple voice commands.

Using Amulet just say “Watch Channel Cinemax” and the system selects the Cinemax channel. To watch last night’s recorded episode of your favorite bizaro action drama, say “Watch Program Lost”, and Amulet will find and display it.

The same approach works for music. To listen to that new album you bought last week, say “Play Artist Tiffany” and after the system mocks you merclessly the music starts to play.
Don’t recognize that song? Say “Name that tune” and Amulet tells you what’s playing - the product includes a high quality synthesized voice that allows two way conversations, even when the television is turned off.

The Amulet Remote is scheduled to ship in March 2009. http://www.amuletdevices.com

The new NAS device allows iPhone owners to access their photos, videos, files, etc., via Buffalo’s unique Web Access 2.0 feature. Web Access allows users to access data via a web browser from any computer.

The updated LinkStation has a faster processor, two USB 2.0 ports for additional storage, or two or more LinkStation Pro devices can be added to backup each other over the network. It also includes Active Directory Support.

Other features include Gigabit JumboFrame support and an auto-sensing 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet port.

The new LinkStation Pro will be available in January at estimated street prices of $209.99 for the 500GB (LS-XH500L) and $299.99 for the 1TB (LS-XH1.0TL).

Offered in three distinct colors, Blue Onyx, Pearl White and Ruby Red, the MiniStation Cobalt includes easy-to-use backup and sync software for PC and Mac’s.

Shock resistant design as well as Buffalo’s SecureLockMobile software to prevent unauthorized access in the event the drive is lost or stolen.

The MiniStation Cobalt is backed by a limited one-year warranty that includes toll-free 24/7 technical support and will be available late January at estimated street prices of $169.99 for the 500GB (HD-PE500U2), $119.99 for the 320GB (HD-PE320U2), $89.99 for the 250GB (HD-PE250U2) and $79.99 for the 160GB (HD-PE160U2).

Today LaCie announced its Hard Disk MAX high capacity storage system for users who want advanced RAID features with consumer-level ease of use and style. Featuring a Neil Poulton design, the Hard Disk MAX delivers 2 TB (terabytes) of storageness…that’s a word right?

With the the LaCie Setup Assistant you can set up your new RAID as you please. Pop in Genie Backup Assistant for PC and Intego Backup Assistant for Mac and you all set for making backups. The front USB 2.0 expansion port can be used to link to another external drive for additional data backups. The multi-purposed blue LED stripe provides ambient light and changes to red to warn of potential problems.

The Hard Disk Max comes with the exclusive LaCie One Year Unlimited Online Backup service, which provides unlimited online backup for one full year after installation is a complete.

Retail price starting at $269.99 USD. For more product information, visit http://www.lacie.com