I'm certainly very curious about what they're doing as well. Of course, I had one of these functional MRIs done of my brain too, and I guess I fall into the category where it is not able to detect any specific function. Ha.
Anyway, right now the technology is very very limited, and basically detects if certain parts of the brain are getting increased blood flow in response to the patient being asked to do certain tasks or thinking certain thoughts.
The technology will improve over time and it is hard to predict what it will eventually be used for. That said, right now we use it to try and map brain function, usually before we go in and remove brain tumors or vascular malformations. That way, if we go in and whack out a chunk of brain, we want to make sure that the patient's language center and other important areas are away from where we're working.
I don't think her family deserves a dime. She entered the contest willingly and, at some level, knew there was risk. What's next? Someone ruptures their stomach or chokes while participating in any number of ubiquitous "eating" contests and sues for millions?
Come on, any contest where you eat or drink as fast and as much as you can has some element of risk. Your body just wasn't designed to do that.
Price is too high and "Cingular only" is too exclusionary. With these two criteria alone, you've eliminated a large percentage of the market. Lack of tight integration with Outlook, the de facto corporate standard, effectively eliminates a large portion of the corporate market (wait until Windows Mobile Crossbow comes out). Lastly, lack of 3G is inexcusable in a device that isn't going to come out until June 2007. I pay 50 bucks a month on top of regular cellphone service for high speed internet from Cingular be it EDGE or HSDPA. Why in the world would I go back to EDGE? The only people that will purchase this are the Apple faithful (read: those people over the age of 55, and the funny thing is, they'll need to whip out their reading glasses to effectively use this device). Lastly, this phone will always be expensive -- Apple will never let Cingular discount it so that it's free after rebate a la the RAZR. That would cheapen the brand.
That said, this is a gorgeous device and embodies all the things that cell phone fans have been clamoring for for years (except for 3G). For God's sake Samsung, LG, etc. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that music phones should have standard USB type connectors, be super slim, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, expandable memory slot (though the iPhone doesn't have this), and be easy to use and synchronize with a computer. Any moron should have been able to understand this. I don't know why it takes Apple to "revolutionize" the cell phone....
He's a smart guy, and he knows what the reality of the situation is -- his hands are just, for the most part, tied.
I've always been impressed with Bill Gates and his wife and their insight. Look at their foundation, trying to do the most good with the money that they have. Rather than spending billions on fashionable research areas like breast cancer, they spend their research dollars on things that can the most good for everyone, like the eradication of polio, or new TB or malaria treatments. These are issues that effect millions, if not billions of people in the world.
In short, he's a brilliant guy, knows what the current DRM situation is, and is able to speak his mind about it.
I just don't understand why a guy who's clearly just a few years away from cremation can possibly be considered a credible judge of technology. He may be influential to the readers of the Wall Street Journal (executives and bankers), but does he truly have credibility among the technologically literate? Let me put it another way, would you consider the chick who writes for the Cosmo magazine technology section knowledgeable about actual technology? Why not? She probably has a larger readership...
Anyway, I also like how Mossberg uses non-gamers to judge gaming consoles. That's like pulling non-wine drinkers in to evaluate sophisticated wines. Sure, they may have a preference, maybe they just like something that's super sweet, not too bitter, and has a nice color. But, are they really a good judge of which wine is truly better? And, more importantly, are they really going to go out and buy that wine? I think people who demo the Wii, the grandmothers and non-gamers, might enjoy the small amount of time they spend with it. Heck, some of them might even purchase one on an impulse. But, how many of them are actually going to play it for any significant length of time? Are they going to buy lots of games for it? Or, are they going to enjoy it for a couple of weeks and eventually leave it in the corner collecting dust after their brief experimentation is over?
I ultimately think that if a non-gamer does pick up a Wii (which in and of itself is unlikely), it will lead to one of two things. Either they will play it for a while and then abandon it, returning to their regular lives. Or, maybe they will make gaming a hobby. If that happens, I think the Wii will start to look pretty crappy in comparison to the Xbox and PS3 as time progresses and they will probably upgrade to something better and with lots more games.
Ultimately, maybe the Wii is like a cheap wine. It's good to get non-oenophiles interested in wine but, if they actually become regular wine drinkers, it will probably be abandoned in favor of something better.
I consider Walt Mossberg and the non-gamers that were evaluating the Wii completely ignorant of the finer aspects of gaming. I doubt that any of them will actually go out and purchase a Wii, despite their supposed enjoyment of it. And, should they actually go out and buy one, I doubt they will play it with any regularity. I mean, come on, for all he talks, can you imagine Mossberg playing a Wii regularly a couple of months from now or beyond? Obviously not, he'll be too busy avoiding the Grim Reaper.
I read somewhere that the only expectation Microsoft has for the Zune this Christmas is to make people realize that there are MP3 player options out there besides the iPod. I think they'll probably meet their goal on that.
And, all these Zune bashing comments are just a rehash of stuff that is said every time Microsoft enters a new market. A first generation Microsoft product is always a piece of crap compared to the market leader but, as we all know, Microsoft can be pretty relentless and has a long history in playing catchup and beating market leaders. I'm sure this will be much more of a horse race once the Zune 2.0 and 3.0 come out.
But, let's face it. Standalone mp3 players have no future. Everything will be combined with your phone (for instance, the RAZR alone has sold many many millions more than the iPod).
Bring on the iPhone, which I assume will be GSM. I doubt Cingular will pick it up since it seems like they want to compete with Apple's iTunes store, not partner with it. T-Mobile doesn't really have the bandwidth to support a real music store. And if Apple chooses to go it alone and be an MVNO, look at all companies that have tried this strategy and failed (ESPN, Disney, etc.).
Microsoft has a lot of experience making smartphones with all their PDA functions (I love my Treo and if push comes to shove, there's no question I'll carry a phone before I carry an iPod). They'll have a lot of experience with their Zune platform. Overall, the phone market is what everyone will eventually be fighting over, and I think in this area I really don't see Apple having much of a headstart.
I also think you cannot underestimate the "sharing" feature Microsoft is working on. I mean, who knew that moronic websites like YouTube and MySpace would take off? And yet, millions of teens and pre-teens worship these sites. What would a Zune player be like that could share video, and we all know that this Zune feature is right around the corner... Wouldn't it be great to have a Zune player and then, say on the bus, someone says, "Hey, did you see the latest South Park episode, or Office episode? No? Here, let me send it to you" Digital rights management? Three plays only? I imagine they could just download these episodes from their Tivo or whatever and send it over to me. And, I only need to watch a TV episodes once...
Whatever the case may be, the possibilities for the Zune platform are tremendous, particularly when you realize that standalone mp3 players are a dying breed a la the PDA and that Microsoft can leverage their strengths in other areas to improve the Zune in ways that Apple simply can't. Maybe the Zune 4.0 will be a fancy Treo/iPod/Portable Xbox/Media Center/Tablet PC/and more hybrid. Farfetched? I bet you that's exactly what J Allard and company have planned. And, I can't wait.
P.S. This is Microsoft's first attempt at a portable media player. All other attempts that people are mentioning were devices not actually designed or built by Microsoft. One might also say that the current Zune is actually a rebadged version of the Gigabeat, so really we need to wait for the Zune 2.0 to see a built from scratch Microsoft product.
Neuroscientists read people's intentions with brain scan
Feb 9th 2007 9:01PM (Engadget)Anyway, right now the technology is very very limited, and basically detects if certain parts of the brain are getting increased blood flow in response to the patient being asked to do certain tasks or thinking certain thoughts.
The technology will improve over time and it is hard to predict what it will eventually be used for. That said, right now we use it to try and map brain function, usually before we go in and remove brain tumors or vascular malformations. That way, if we go in and whack out a chunk of brain, we want to make sure that the patient's language center and other important areas are away from where we're working.
Strange family sues KDND-FM and employees for wrongful death
Jan 26th 2007 8:44PM (Engadget)Come on, any contest where you eat or drink as fast and as much as you can has some element of risk. Your body just wasn't designed to do that.
First iPhone pics!
Jan 9th 2007 6:49PM (Engadget)That said, this is a gorgeous device and embodies all the things that cell phone fans have been clamoring for for years (except for 3G). For God's sake Samsung, LG, etc. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that music phones should have standard USB type connectors, be super slim, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, expandable memory slot (though the iPhone doesn't have this), and be easy to use and synchronize with a computer. Any moron should have been able to understand this. I don't know why it takes Apple to "revolutionize" the cell phone....
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XXI : Gates tells consumers to ditch DRMed tunes, buy CDs
Dec 14th 2006 10:01PM (Engadget)I've always been impressed with Bill Gates and his wife and their insight. Look at their foundation, trying to do the most good with the money that they have. Rather than spending billions on fashionable research areas like breast cancer, they spend their research dollars on things that can the most good for everyone, like the eradication of polio, or new TB or malaria treatments. These are issues that effect millions, if not billions of people in the world.
In short, he's a brilliant guy, knows what the current DRM situation is, and is able to speak his mind about it.
Wall Street Journal's Mossberg picks Wii over PS3 [update 1]
Nov 30th 2006 6:07PM (Joystiq)Anyway, I also like how Mossberg uses non-gamers to judge gaming consoles. That's like pulling non-wine drinkers in to evaluate sophisticated wines. Sure, they may have a preference, maybe they just like something that's super sweet, not too bitter, and has a nice color. But, are they really a good judge of which wine is truly better? And, more importantly, are they really going to go out and buy that wine? I think people who demo the Wii, the grandmothers and non-gamers, might enjoy the small amount of time they spend with it. Heck, some of them might even purchase one on an impulse. But, how many of them are actually going to play it for any significant length of time? Are they going to buy lots of games for it? Or, are they going to enjoy it for a couple of weeks and eventually leave it in the corner collecting dust after their brief experimentation is over?
I ultimately think that if a non-gamer does pick up a Wii (which in and of itself is unlikely), it will lead to one of two things. Either they will play it for a while and then abandon it, returning to their regular lives. Or, maybe they will make gaming a hobby. If that happens, I think the Wii will start to look pretty crappy in comparison to the Xbox and PS3 as time progresses and they will probably upgrade to something better and with lots more games.
Ultimately, maybe the Wii is like a cheap wine. It's good to get non-oenophiles interested in wine but, if they actually become regular wine drinkers, it will probably be abandoned in favor of something better.
I consider Walt Mossberg and the non-gamers that were evaluating the Wii completely ignorant of the finer aspects of gaming. I doubt that any of them will actually go out and purchase a Wii, despite their supposed enjoyment of it. And, should they actually go out and buy one, I doubt they will play it with any regularity. I mean, come on, for all he talks, can you imagine Mossberg playing a Wii regularly a couple of months from now or beyond? Obviously not, he'll be too busy avoiding the Grim Reaper.
Zune review
Nov 15th 2006 3:56PM (Engadget)And, all these Zune bashing comments are just a rehash of stuff that is said every time Microsoft enters a new market. A first generation Microsoft product is always a piece of crap compared to the market leader but, as we all know, Microsoft can be pretty relentless and has a long history in playing catchup and beating market leaders. I'm sure this will be much more of a horse race once the Zune 2.0 and 3.0 come out.
But, let's face it. Standalone mp3 players have no future. Everything will be combined with your phone (for instance, the RAZR alone has sold many many millions more than the iPod).
Bring on the iPhone, which I assume will be GSM. I doubt Cingular will pick it up since it seems like they want to compete with Apple's iTunes store, not partner with it. T-Mobile doesn't really have the bandwidth to support a real music store. And if Apple chooses to go it alone and be an MVNO, look at all companies that have tried this strategy and failed (ESPN, Disney, etc.).
Microsoft has a lot of experience making smartphones with all their PDA functions (I love my Treo and if push comes to shove, there's no question I'll carry a phone before I carry an iPod). They'll have a lot of experience with their Zune platform. Overall, the phone market is what everyone will eventually be fighting over, and I think in this area I really don't see Apple having much of a headstart.
I also think you cannot underestimate the "sharing" feature Microsoft is working on. I mean, who knew that moronic websites like YouTube and MySpace would take off? And yet, millions of teens and pre-teens worship these sites. What would a Zune player be like that could share video, and we all know that this Zune feature is right around the corner... Wouldn't it be great to have a Zune player and then, say on the bus, someone says, "Hey, did you see the latest South Park episode, or Office episode? No? Here, let me send it to you" Digital rights management? Three plays only? I imagine they could just download these episodes from their Tivo or whatever and send it over to me. And, I only need to watch a TV episodes once...
Whatever the case may be, the possibilities for the Zune platform are tremendous, particularly when you realize that standalone mp3 players are a dying breed a la the PDA and that Microsoft can leverage their strengths in other areas to improve the Zune in ways that Apple simply can't. Maybe the Zune 4.0 will be a fancy Treo/iPod/Portable Xbox/Media Center/Tablet PC/and more hybrid. Farfetched? I bet you that's exactly what J Allard and company have planned. And, I can't wait.
P.S. This is Microsoft's first attempt at a portable media player. All other attempts that people are mentioning were devices not actually designed or built by Microsoft. One might also say that the current Zune is actually a rebadged version of the Gigabeat, so really we need to wait for the Zune 2.0 to see a built from scratch Microsoft product.