february 2005
TECHNOLOGY
Innovations in 2005: Playstation 3, iPod minis, and Mac mini are reviewed
Text messaging: what did we ever do without it?
Innovations in 2005: Playstation 3, iPod minis, and Mac mini are reviewed
by Z. G.
Sony’s portable Playstation, otherwise known PSP, is expected to come out early this year. The new device is going to be aimed primarily at 13 to 35 year-olds. The PSP will not only play video games, but will also play music and movies.
The PSP will have USB 2.0 ports, allowing direct connections to Playstation or PC. Additionally, it will use 802.11 wireless connections, similar to the technology in the Nintendo DS and identical to the wireless used in home wireless networks. It will also have infrared capabilities, allowing people to theoretically use the PSP as a remote for a television, or using a remote to control the PSP.
The PSP will be using UMD disks with capacity of 1.8 gigabytes, which is nearly 3 times the capacity of the CD games that the original Playstation used. It also uses SD/MMC cards as memory card with a capacity ranging from 16 megabytes to 2 gigabytes. The PSP currently sells for about $199 in Japan, which is an amazing price considering the advanced technology.
Additionally, Sony will be releasing a Playstation 3 this year. The new Playstation 3’s processor technology will be 200 times faster than the current console technology. The Playstation 3 will be using blu-ray disks to transfer data, which can hold up to 50 Gigabytes of data. That is larger than most computer hard drives. Sony also has plans to make the PS3 a home entertainment system, capable of viewing and recording television, and music.
Apple, the creator of the popular iPod, has also released the iPod shuffle, a 512 megabyte, flash-based mp3 player for less than $100.
Amazingly it is less than half of an inch thick, smaller than a pack of gum. The downside is that it has eight times less memory than the iPod mini, and lacks an LCD screen. The 1 gigabyte version will have twice the capacity of the 512 mb version, for only $50 more.
Apple has also created a desktop “Mac mini” for less than $500. This computer has redefined small form factor PC’s. At just less than 3 lbs, this computer weighs less than most laptop computers. The computer is a 6.5” inch square and is only 2” tall.
The Mac mini has all the features of a full sized computer, for a much lower price. It does not include a monitor, mouse, or keyboard, but those can be found from an older computer, or can be purchased for less than $300 which would make the price equivalent to larger Macs with accessories and screens.
by R. C.
Text messaging, which has become quite popular among teenagers, has become problematic for parents. Those teens, who share plans with their parents, have started to rack up increasingly large cell phone bills due to text messaging fees.
Most teens today are used to free instant messaging through computers. However, they are not used to the fees cell phone carriers charge for sending each text message. Sending a text message costs 10 cents on average, receiving one can cost anywhere from 2-10 cents.
Texting has also become a problem in schools. High schools have made rules that students must have their phones off during class. Some students work around these rules by texting each other behind books and under tables.
Verizon Wireless, one of the most popular service carriers, has a plan in which the customer pays $9.99 for 1,000 text messages per month. Because of this plan, the number of text messages sent and received by Verizon customers has increased from 200 million in early 2003 to almost 1 billion at the present time.
Text messaging was thriving in Europe and Asia long before it came to the United States. This changed in 2002, when cellular services made it possible to text someone who uses a different service provider.
Text messaging has increased from 4% to 8% in many homes and it has become the fastest-growing communication tool. For many Americans today, e-mail is no longer satisfactory because they feel it takes too much time.
People would rather text message because not only is it mobile, but it’s also instant. In the busy lives of most Americans waiting for emails to arrive is just too long. They would much rather be able talk instantly to the person they want, and to do it wherever they want.
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