New, larger hand held gaming device from Nintendo.

Nintendo announces 3DS XL

“Nintendo has announced an upgrade to its handheld 3DS console at its Nintendo Direct Conference.

The 3DS XL is a larger revision of the original console, featuring a 4.88 inch stereoscopic 3D top screen, compared to the 3DS’s 3.53 inch screen, and a 4.18inch bottom screen, compared to 3.02 inches. The new system will weigh 336g and will feature an extended battery life of 3.5 – 6.5 hours of gameplay. The 3DS XL will not feature a second circle pad, however, and the ‘Circle Pad Pro’ attachment will not be compatible with the machine.

The 3DS XL will come with a 4GB SD card, rather than the 2GB card of the original 3DS. However, in order to keep costs down the 3DS XL will not come packed with an AC adaptor in Europe and Japan. The adaptor and charging cradle will be sold separately and the 3DS, DSi and DSi XL AC adaptor will be compatible with the new machine. The 3DS XL will come packaged with an AC adaptor in North America.

The 3DS XL will be available in Europe on 28 July, the console will come in three colours: blue, red and silver.

Nintendo also announced that four new 3DS games will release on the same day as the 3DS XL: Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, New Art Academy and Freaky Forms Deluxe. All 3DS and DS software will be compatible with the 3DS XL.”

Wow! How cool is this? Hold this device up to view a person using sign language, and get a vocalized version of the “translation!”

Prototype Device Translates Sign Language

“ScienceDaily (June 1, 2012) — Too often, communication barriers exist between those who can hear and those who cannot. Sign language has helped bridge such gaps, but many people are still not fluent in its motions and hand shapes.

Thanks to a group of University of Houston students, the hearing impaired may soon have an easier time communicating with those who do not understand sign language. During the past semester, students in UH’s engineering technology and industrial design programs teamed up to develop the concept and prototype for MyVoice, a device that reads sign language and translates its motions into audible words. Recently, MyVoice earned first place among student projects at the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) — Gulf Southwest Annual Conference.

The development of MyVoice was through a collaborative senior capstone project for engineering technology students (Anthony Tran, Jeffrey Seto, Omar Gonzalez and Alan Tran) and industrial design students (Rick Salinas, Sergio Aleman and Ya-Han Chen). Overseeing the student teams were Farrokh Attarzadeh, associate professor of engineering technology, and EunSook Kwon, director of UH’s industrial design program.

MyVoice’s concept focuses on a handheld tool with a built-in microphone, speaker, soundboard, video camera and monitor. It would be placed on a hard surface where it reads a user’s sign language movements. Once MyVoice processes the motions, it then translates sign language into space through an electronic voice. Likewise, it would capture a person’s voice and can translate words into sign language, which is projected on its monitor.”

Cross-Posted from DrBill.TV: According to the web site “The Wrap,” Microsoft has a surprise in store for Apple! A tablet to rival the iPad. Can they pull it off?

Microsoft Manufacturing Tablet to Rival Apple iPad, Says Insider (Exclusive)

“Microsoft is set to unveil a tablet next week that will mark its entry into rival Apple’s territory with its own branded product, TheWrap has learned.

The company has scheduled a secretive event for Monday at 3:30 p.m. June 18 in Los Angeles, where it will make a ‘major’ announcement whose nature has not been disclosed. Even the venue has not yet been announced.

But an individual with knowledge of the company said that Microsoft would introduce a Microsoft-manufactured tablet at the event, marking a foray into a new hardware category that would put the company in direct competition with giant rival Apple.”

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Google buys QuickOffice to compete with Microsoft Windows 8, Hand Held devices like tablets and phones knock specialized hand held gaming devices out for the count!

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Google buys QuickOffice to compete with Microsoft Windows 8, Hand Held devices like tablets and phones knock specialized hand held gaming devices out for the count!

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Tablets are all the rage! It seems that they are cutting into hand held gaming systems sales.

Tablets Eating into Handheld Gaming Device Market

“Over 38 million handheld gaming devices from Sony and Nintendo are expected to ship in 2013 – a maximum that is significantly lower than the previous peak of 47 million units in 2008. Unit shipments following 2013 are expected to decline slightly, but dedicated handheld gaming devices are a sustainable niche, with forecasts relatively flat through 2017. Smartphone and tablet use for gaming continues to expand, making the mobile gaming market an increasingly important companion to dedicated handheld gaming.

Senior analyst Michael Inouye comments, ‘Mobile devices will compete with dedicated handheld gaming devices, but select consumer segments like core gamers and those individuals who do not want or have a smartphone or tablet will still provide some demand. The addition of mobile gaming is not necessarily a zero sum situation; in fact, many feel there is plenty of room in the gaming market for both portable and mobile gaming.’

Following an initially strong 1Q 2011 launch, Nintendo’s 3DS experienced a far weaker second quarter, prompting the company to dramatically lower the price of the handheld (from ~$249 to ~$170). The lower price, with additional titles, spurred sales to over 15 million through the 2011 calendar year. In late 2011, Sony launched the Vita in Japan with a wider launch in February 2012 to decent sales, although the price might prove an issue for Sony as well, despite significantly more robust hardware.

Inouye adds, ‘The mobile and tablet markets have increased consumers’ price sensitivity. First party developers and key game franchises will be vital cogs for the industry in the future, since hardware alone is not going to cut it given the shorter upgrade cycles for mobile devices.’ Recent announcements at E3 from Nintendo and Microsoft, coupled with past mobile-centric initiatives by Sony, make clear that mobile experiences will be integrated into ‘dedicated’ gaming experiences (both console and portable).”

Cross-posted from Dr. Bill.TV: QuickOffice is a simple, yet powerful office suite for mobile devices. Google has scooped them up in order to prepare for their “battle” to come with rival Microsoft once they start pushing Windows 8 on all devices.

Google buys QuickOffice: Mobile reinforcement ahead of Windows 8

“Google has acquired Quickoffice for an undisclosed sum and the move is billed as a way to bridge Google Apps, mobile and Quickoffice.

All of those points are true, but the timing of the Google-Quickoffice deal makes a lot of sense. Why? Microsoft has Windows 8 on the runway, is touting new form factors and Office will be the main productivity case for the company.

When you add up the moving parts, Microsoft Office is probably the most compelling reason to use a Windows 8 tablet going forward—at least for businesses. Microsoft is likely to integrate Windows 8 and Office in a big way. In other words, Microsoft’s big mobile plays will depend on Office.

From the Google side of the equation, the search giant has the following assets:

• Android devices everywhere.
• Google Apps integration with those devices.
• And now Quickoffice, which serves as an almost de facto office suite for many folks.”