Tweeting tyrants out of Tunisia: the global Internet at its best
Even yesterday, it would have been too much to say that blogger, tweeters, Facebook users, Anonymous, and Wikileaks had "brought down" the Tunisian government, but with today's news that the country's president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has fled the country, it becomes a more plausible claim to make.Of course there was more to such demonstrations than some new technology. An individual act of desperation set off the last month of rioting, as a college-educated young man set himself on fire after police confiscated his unlicensed fruit and vegetable cart. Tunisia's high unemployment rate, rampant corruption, and rising food prices added to the anger at Ben Ali's 20+ year rule.
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Project HiJack uses iPhone audio jack to make cheap sensors
Making accessories that tie into an iOS device's Dock connector is an expensive proposition: it requires getting certain components from Apple and applying for a costly "Made for iPhone" (or iPod or iPad) license. However, it is possible to use the headphone jack for two-way data communication with an iPhone and also to power small electronic circuits. A group of students and faculty from the University of Michigan's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department have developed a small device it calls the "HiJack" to make sensing peripherals easily accessible to those on a tight budget.Project HiJack is a hardware and software platform for enabling communication between a small, low-power peripheral and an iDevice. The system uses a 22kHz audio signal, which is converted into 7.4mW of power at 47 percent efficiency. That power runs a TI MSP430 microcontroller as well as any attached electronics, and allows the HiJack to communicate with an iOS application. The components to build a HiJack cost as little as $2.34 in significant quantities.
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LG disappointed by Windows Phone 7 launch, keeping the faith
LG's marketing director James Choi has made some remarkably frank comments about Windows Phone 7, giving a clear indication that the company has not been blown away by the launch of the new platform. "From an industry perspective we had a high expectation, but from a consumer point of view the visibility is less than we expected," he told Pocket Lint.Choi was nothing but positive about Windows Phone 7 itself, saying that it was "absolutely perfect" for a "huge" part of the market. One particular advantage it has is that it is "very intuitive and easy to use"; he drew a contrast with Google's Android, saying that many consumers find it "extremely complicated." In spite of the early stumbles, it doesn't appear that LG will be abandoning Microsoft's platform; LG itself does not want any one platform to become dominant, with Choi saying that "being dependent on one OS is not beneficial for us." According to Choi, this desire is mirrored by network operators, with some saying "there is too much 'Android' in the portfolio."
Though the third largest manufacturer of cellphones (behind Samsung and Nokia, ahead of Apple and RIM), LG has struggled to make a success of the smartphone market; in 2010 its mobile phone division posted large losses, and last September its CEO resigned. With Samsung appearing to be the clear winner among Windows Phone 7 early adopters—thanks, no doubt, to its striking AMOLED screens and diminuitive size—Choi's comments might be as much a reflection of LG's continued inability to produce truly competitive smartphones as they are a comment on Windows Phone 7's reception in the market.
Choi suggested that the situation would change once mid- and low-priced handsets became available. Windows Phone 7's specification limits it to relatively high-end hardware, with a price to match. However, given the widespread subsidization of phone handsets—including many free or one cent promotions in the US—it's hard to believe that cutting prices is going to make much difference. And if meeting lower price points results in hardware compromises, the operating system might be tarnished by poor screens and weak performance.
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Xbox rising: December sales up 42% from 2009
Nintendo had a good December, selling 2.5 million DS systems and 2.3 million Wii systems, taking the crown for most hardware sold in calendar 2010. That sounds great, until you realize the DS and Wii sold 3.31 million and 3.81 million units respectively in December 2009. Microsoft has much more to brag about, as the Xbox 360 is the only console to see growth year over year, with 42 percent higher sales in 2010 than 2009. $6.2 billion was spent at retail on Xbox 360 hardware, games, and accessories, making it the console earning the most consumer dollars for the year. 1.9 million pieces of hardware were sold in December—the most successful month for Microsoft since the launch of the system. Nintendo may have come out on top, but sales of the Wii and DS are sliding from last year, while the Xbox 360 is gaining momentum. That's an impressive achievement after so many years of availability. It's also worth pointing out that Microsoft claimed to be supply constrained during December, so the sales might have been higher if systems had been in great supply
The other major success story was Call of Duty: Black Ops, selling a staggering 12 million copies in the US year to date, doubling the sales of the second-best-selling game Madden '11. Software sales were down 5 percent from 2009, but that number only accounts for physical sales. Overall though, the industry is hopeful about the future. "December 2010 represented one of the strongest monthly performances the industry has ever had at retail," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association. "It was a robust finish to a year marked by innovation and engaging millions of consumers through a multitude of delivery models.”
So there you go.
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