Two weeks ago Nvidia’s president Jen-Hsun Huang announced the Nvidia GeForce Grid at the GeForce LAN in Shanghai. This week, the GeForce Grid officially launched.

Nvidia GeForce Grid (and other revolutionary technologies)

If iTunes and Netflix spelled the end of the DVD and perhaps the video store as we know it, then the Nvidia GeForce Grid may represent the same to the gaming console. This undoubtedly is not something Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and other console manufacturers would like to hear, but this may very well be the future.

The Nvidia GeForce Grid is a massive data center and supercomputer that solves some very big gaming issues. The first is the question of cross-platform gaming. In the past, you had to choose your platform. The console, the smartphone, the tablet, TV, and computer — they all required platform-specific games. With the Grid, gamers will be able to have a seamless cloud-based gaming experience on any device.

The second issue is that even if you are dealing with a single platform, the experience will still vary from user to user. For example, PC gamers are limited by their specific hardware, the version of Windows or Mac OS they are running, even the settings within the game. This complex range of systems and platforms has traditionally been one of the biggest stumbling blocks that developers face.

In his keynote address, Jen-Hsun Huang also stated that 4 out of 5 gamers do not bother to adjust the settings that might actually help alleviate some of these system SNAFUs. The Nvidia GeForce Grid will fix this by recognizing a user’s system specs and settings and adjust the game accordingly.

There are other cloud-based gaming companies out there, like OnLive and Gaikai, but none have the kind of hardware that Nvidia can provide to deal with issues of scalability, latency, and virtualization. Cloud-based services need to match one cloud game session with one graphics card. With the Nvidia GeForce Grid and the Nvidia VGX technology, a virtualized GPU board is created that enables one hundred users to share a single VGX board that has a true PC experience with GPU-accelerated VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure).

So, will this spell the end of the console as we know it? Not any time soon (probably). Regardless of if or when, manufacturers need to decide what the console represents, beyond the obvious fiscal value. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo — they all have to figure what would be the necessity of keeping the console alive when the cloud provides so many obvious solutions and benefits.

Perhaps the console has to become a more personalized, fully-integrated center that recognizers the user and enhances the gaming experience. Otherwise, it will simply become just another medium, like the RCA Video Disc before it, the VCRs and the Betamaxes, and even the DVD player now.

For more information on the Nvidia GeForce Grid and GeForce Games, click on the links.

Ghost Recon Alpha has finally been released, and it is a stunning, live-action peak into the upcoming Ubisoft game, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.

Ghost Recon Alpha

The film follows a Ghost Recon leader into a remote, militarized area of Russia. The leader is in plain clothes and in the passenger’s seat next to a suspicious driver. The portly driver recognizes that the Ghost Recon leader is not a local. Never a good sign.

We soon see another Ghost Recon team member in camouflage, checking his high-performance night-vision binoculars. More vehicles. An ambush is about to take place. The truck is eventually pulled over by Russian soldiers. This is where it all goes south.

Ghost Recon Alpha ends where Future Soldier begins. The series, which is the brainchild of writer Tom Clancy, has the player in charge of a fictional squad of United States Army Special Forces operators from Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG). There have been 11 Ghost Recon games to date in the series.

Ghost Recon Alpha was put together by Ubisoft and Little Minx, a company that is under Ridley Scott & Associates. It was directed by Academy Award winners Hervé de Crécy and François Alaux, who won an Oscar in 2010 for Logorama, and penned by screenwriter Timothy J. Sexton (Children of Men, Live from Baghdad).

A year ago, the French publisher launched Ubisoft Motion Pictures to adapt its game franchises into films. Besides the Prince of Persia series, which was brought to the big screen by Jerry Bruckheimer, Ubisoft has other hot titles that would make viable choices for big Hollywood productions, including Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell.

The Ghost Recon Alpha movie is in anticipation of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, launching on May 22 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and June 12 for PC.

The new Kisai Uzamaki whirlpool watch is a stunning timepiece by Japanese watchmakers Tokyoflash. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this watch is that it was designed by fans.

Kisai Uzamaki Whirlpool Watch

Since Tokyoflash set up its Design Studio Blog in 2010, the Kisai Uzamaki whirlpool watch is the sixth non-commissioned design to go into production. The blog has numerous submissions, ranging from a very cool watch whose display changes depending on the angle it is viewed at to a ‘mood’-type watch whose interface looks like a microscopic close-up of an insect’s eyes.

The beautifully designed Kisai Uzamaki gets its name from the Japanese word for whirlpool. The acrylic lens has three concentric circles, each one descending toward the face of the watch, thus simulating a whirlpool. The conceptual design was voted one of the most popular designs by fans on the blog.

The Kisai Uzamaki whirlpool watch is made entirely of stainless steel and is available in black or silver with a blue or green display. The EL backlight can be initiated by pressing the crown, which illuminates the spirals for a short time, thus creating a night-time glow. The outer ring corresponds to the hour and the inner ring to the minutes.

Of course, this watch is not for those who want quick, precise timekeeping. Once you get used to the design, however, timekeeping becomes as easy as hands pointed at a number.

Design Challenge

If you are interested in submitting a design, Tokyoflash offers royalties to designers, which, depending on sales, could be quite lucrative. The Design Challenge is ongoing, so submissions can be made at any time. You do not even need to have a 3D rendering of your design, as Tokyoflash “have staff (who) can handle this part. Your idea is the most important factor.”

The designer, Firdaus Rohman, had this to say about his experience designing the watch:

“I learnt that the development of this watch was extremely challenging. The final product had to be adjusted to meet technical requirements but a million thanks to the Team at Tokyoflash who put in so much effort to technically harmonize the watch to match as closely as possible to the original design. The result is impressive!”

For more information on the Design Challenge, click on the following link.

The Kisai Uzamaki whirlpool watch retails for $129 (qualifies for free shipping) and can be purchased directly from the Tokyoflash website.

A young Kenyan developer has come up with an ingenuous design for a type of shoe charger that would allow you to power-up your devices while you do what comes naturally: walking.

Shoe Charger for Your Smartphone

Anthony Mutua demonstrated this shoe charger technology at the Science and Innovation Week taking place at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi. Mutua’s patented design is able to harvest the energy that is generated while a person walks.

A specialized chip is inserted into the sole of a shoe, where energy in the form of electricity can be stored. Speaking with Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper, Mutua says, “The electricity is generated by the act of walking and running, and can be harvested in two ways.”

One method has your phone or music player connected to the shoe via a thin extension cable so that the device can be charged instantaneously. The alternative is to charge the device immediately following the walk or run, using the energy harnessed in the chip’s crystals.

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Game developer and writer Jane Jensen has unveiled the plans behind her upcoming game Moebius. The game will be the first title for Pinkerton Road Studio, the gaming company she and her husband, composer Robert Holmes, founded April of this year.

Jane Jensen’s Moebius

Jane Jensen’s Moebius has three days to go on Kickstarter, and it has already secured over $350,000, all of which will go toward the development of the first game title for the newly-formed Pinkerton Road Studio. Jane Jensen and her husband Robert Holmes announced the formation of the company on April 5, 2012, with the launch of the Kickstarter project.

Jane Jensen’s Moebius and future Pinkerton Road titles will solely focus on story-driven, third-person adventure games. The concept of the Moebius game is described by Jansen as being in the vein of her novel Dante’s Equation and two of the games she helped develop, Gray Matter and Gabriel Knight (from Kickstarter):

“Malachi Rector is an antiquities dealer who hunts down artifacts all over the world. After his upscale Manhattan store is destroyed in a fire, he’s hired by billionaire Amble Dexter to investigate a series of events and document them in his meticulous way.

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Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker is bringing a little audio cool to the PC. Until now, it was Mac devices that enjoyed audiophilic equipment. Now, Windows PC users can partake in all this sonic, wireless fun.

Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker

Windows 7 and Windows 8 Consumer Preview computers can now wirelessly stream tunes on the Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker using Microsoft’s “Play To,” a kind of iTunes feature for the PC that allows users to access music and video files from any device that is connected to a particular network. Why it has taken this long for Microsoft to get with the times is a revolving question these days. But I digress.

The Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker will also be able to stream music from any tablet and smartphone. The Aperion website states that they will “be providing ARIS Music Apps for Apple iPad and iPhone devices, Android devices, and for Windows 8 Metro very soon. Of course, if you are already using a favorite DLNA App on your device, ARIS will show up on it as a new device under your control.”

Some of the features of the Aperion Aris Wireless Speaker include single-piece brushed aluminum enclosure, adjustable and removable steel base, 100 watt RMS total power, six internal speakers (four powered drivers, two passive radiators), three sound modes (natural, bass boost, and enhanced stereo), as well as simple connection to your home network via push-button or wizard for Wi-Fi and plug-and-play for Ethernet. The Aperion Aris is also DLNA-certified.

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BlackBerry is mobilizing. We have a saying back home that a soldier that runs is good for another battle. At the moment, BlackBerry seems to be the embodiment of that sentiment. Incentives for developers, a new partnership with Gameloft — it is all part of a restructuring that began with the resignation of RIM’s co-founders.

Up to the RIM

We ran a piece on our sister site, Techiezine.net, where we expressed our excitement for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 smartphone and the company’s new direction. Yes, the phones may only be prototypes as part of long promotional campaign and will likely see many changes by the time their doppelgängers are released, but these are all promising signs of change for the Waterloo-based multinational.

First, RIM gave developers the BlackBerry 10 “DevAlpha” device as well as access to the BlackBerry 10 native software development kit (SDK), which gives developers the APIs for unlocking core device functions such as payment services and push alerts. At the same time, the company stated that it would provide $10,000 to coders for any app certified for BlackBerry 10 that of course met their terms and conditions.

These are no just bold moves. They are necessary ones. Sometimes companies become too entrenched in their business models, strategies that worked in the past. But what this new technology and social movement has shown is that to maintain growth, companies need to evolve. And BlackBerry is evolving.

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Brace yourself. The Magic Cube laser iPad keyboard will blow your virtual minds.

Magic Cube Laser iPad Keyboard

The Magic Cube, by Celluon, is exactly what its name implies. The Magic Cube laser iPad keyboard is a revolutionary design that allows you to project a virtual keyboard onto almost any surface. And yes, you can type with it.

The Magic Cube uses 3D Electronic Perception Technology, or EPT, to project a laser projection keyboard. EPT is a unique technology that allows a device to both recognize and interact with its environment. The Magic Cube, in this case, uses this EPT to follow the movements of your fingers and translates them as key strokes on your iOS devices (or other compatible devices).

This is basically how EPT works. When a user strikes a key on the projected laser keyboard, the invisible infrared layer is interrupted. The resultant UV reflections are then recognized by a built-in sensor in three dimensions (3D). The system then assigns the correct keyboard character to the device with which the Cube is integrated.

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Legendary French musician and synth pioneer Jean Michel Jarre introduces the AeroPad iPad docks and reminds us of a time when we believed in high-fidelity.

Hi-Fi

Hi-Fi, or high-fidelity, grew out of the eponymous Bell Laboratories in the 1930s. If you are old enough to remember the “Living Stereo” RCA Victor albums of the 50s, you will recall how the term hi-fi was synonymous with glorious stereo sound.

Now, we of the ‘modern age’ look back on those times and the primitive record player and think that our digital format and toys are the pinnacle of technology. In many ways they are, but what we have gained in convenience and portability, we have lost in sound and fidelity, “the degree to which an electronic device accurately reproduces its effect as sound or picture.” (Merriam-Webster)

AeroPad and the New Hi-Fi

There are a number of consumer electronics companies that are trying to bring back that ideal of hi-fidelity to our digital world. One of those companies is Jean-Michel Jarre’s Jarre Technologies.

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The Sensu Brush for the iPad is a perfect example of necessity meets ingenuity. The iPad and the iPhone have created such a mad rush of creative innovation that one never ceases to marvel at the applications and products that continue to be developed. Even with all the app fatigue that consumers may be experiencing, it is hard not to be impressed.

The Magical Sensu Brush

There are some very fine drawing and painting apps for the iOS, including SketchBook Pro; the multi-layered Procreate app; Art Rage; one of our favorites, Paper; and Brushes, which was one of the first apps for the iPad that showed how truly versatile the tablet was. What all of these applications lacked was a proper stylus tool to bring out their full capabilities. Now, there are some excellent painting styluses on the market, like the Nomad Brush, but we think the Sensu Brush is the best iPad painting brush out there.

The Sensu Brush began as a Kickstarter project and wrapped up funding in October of 2011. The project was so popular that it secured over $65,000 of a $7,500 goal, nearly ten times what the developers were hoping for. The Kickstarter styluses have already been shipped out and more look to be on the way.

The highly-portable Sensu Brush has on one end patent-pending, conductive brush hair that create a sensibility to your drawings and paintings that in some ways surpasses traditional brush painting. Of course, there is no clean up involved, but what truly sets the brush apart is its effortless flow. The synthetic hairs glide over the touchscreen of your iOS device with as much pressure and control as you like.

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