Week in gaming: Nude zombies, Limbo, Kinect gets priced
Blizzard has released the final trailer for StarCraft 2, with the game's release mere days away. Our wondrous government warns us against the dangers of naked zombies and games featuring rape, and we give our thoughts on the final version of Limbo. We also explore why 1 vs. 100 might have had a rougher path than many expected, and talk about the free release of Alien Swarm.
Big week! Here is what gamers were talking about in the past five days.
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Signs point to new Mac desktops coming soon
Apple has been busy releasing swaths of new mobile hardware this year, including the iPad, new notebooks, and most recently, the iPhone 4. Apple did manage to squeeze in a revised unibody Mac mini earlier this year, but a couple new pieces of information suggest that new iMacs and Mac Pros could be showing up soon.A report from AppleInsider indicates that Apple is clearing the channel of current iMac models. Distributors and resellers are supposedly being told to not expect any additional new stock and to sell through the stock they currently have on hand. The updated iMacs are expected to ditch the Core2 Duos used in lower-end models for Core i5 and—in the lowest-end models—Core i3 processors.
Additionally, MacRumors reports customers around the country have discovered that Mac Pros are no longer available to reserve for pickup at some retail locations. This suggests that inventory is shrinking, and may be a sign that the long (and we mean long) overdue Mac Pro update is nearing release. Apple hasn't released a new Mac Pro in nearly 18 months, though the update cycle for the workstation averages about 8 months.
These new desktops are expected to feature updated Intel processors, much faster graphics cards, USB 3.0, and perhaps a faster version of FireWire. AppleInsider also suggests that Apple has test prototypes in its labs using processors from Intel-rival AMD. Given what we know about both companies' current line-ups, though, we are doubtful that iMacs or Mac Pros powered by AMD processors will be released anytime soon.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said of the company's recent record breaking quarter that it had "amazing new products still to come this year." In addition to the Mac Pro, other products that have been seemingly ignored for updates include the MacBook Air, 30" Cinema Display, and Xserve, so perhaps desktop fans will get something before the year is out after all.
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Military testing Afghan language translation mobiles for US troops
"How can we communicate?" the alien being asks Captain James Kirk in a vintage edition of Star Trek. "My thoughts . . . you are hearing them? This is interesting."Kirk can hear them because he's got a handy little voice translation gizmo, just perfect for communication with extraterrestrials, and apparently an inspiration for the Pentagon. The government is now testing something like this gadget to aid US forces in Afghanistan.
One of the biggest challenges for troops in that region is the language barrier. To overcome this problem, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been evaluating a trio of new, portable handheld devices that record and then transmit voice translations of that country's two most popular languages.
How do they work? Project manager Craig Schlenoff explains: "An English speaker talks into the phone. Automatic speech recognition distinguishes what is said and generates a text file that software translates to the target language. Text-to-speech technology converts the resulting text file into an oral response in the foreign language. This process is reversed for the foreign language speaker."
The users can both speak into one device, or call each other on their own copies of the handheld.
Afghanistan has two official languages: Pashto and Dari—respectively spoken by 35 and 50 percent of the populace. Then there are the Turkic languages: Uzbek and Turkmen, spoken by another 11 percent. And a small but not insignificant portion of the country speak Baluchi, Pashai, or Nuristani.
These TRANSTAC devices ("spoken language communication and TRANSlation system for TACtical use") are intended to fill the enormous communications gap that US forces presently face. Local human translators are in short supply, and take huge risks when offering their services.
"And, sometimes, translators may have ulterior motives," warns Brian Weiss of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is running the program for DARPA.
In the past, soldiers have tried to make do with microphones hooked up to software empowered portable computers. But those arrangements are pretty clunky. The Pentagon tested voice devices shown in this YouTube video which indeed look like handheld mobile phones. So far they can hear and understand Pashto, Dari, and Iraqi Arabic.
There are already a wide variety of speech-to-speech translators out there, but these DARPA machines are clearly pushing the envelope in terms of functionality. At least that's the hope. NIST has tried these gadgets out in about thirty situations, including vehicle check points, building inspections, and Afghani-US military training events.
The exchanges have been filmed, and a team of judges are evaluating the results.
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