In an interview with Nikkei, SCE's Masayuki Chatani, from the company's strategy planning department, has revealed that not only were Sony looking at making the Slim even smaller, but that they were looking at some fairly radical solutions to the problems of HDD sizing.

One of those was to use flash memory instead of the conventional HDD the PS3 currently uses, which would have cut down on the size, running costs and even noise levels of the console.

Another was to leave local storage out of the equation altogether, and instead rely on the PlayStation Network to save all of a user's game data, personal files and settings (similar to how Gmail works, for example).

Chatani says Sony "considered both options", but in the end, "felt that the price would be too high for the amount of storage capacity the PS3 needs", so they stuck with a conventional HDD.

He also says, when comparing the Slim with the PS2's redesign - a model that made far more drastic cuts to the dimensions of the console than the Slim has managed - that reducing the size of the PS3 even further was a possibility, but that in order to do so, the machine's power supply would have to have been made external (as it was on the PS2 Slim), which "would have imposed restrictions on transport and use, making it harder to use freely."

PS3, PSP Made Smaller, Lighter to Capture New Customer Segments [Nikkei]

It's a lesson news organizations should learn from here: Just make machinima reproductions of events using a Sims 3/GTA 4 style program so that your viewers can see what Tiger Woods getting bitchslapped looks like. I mean, hearing a police spokesperson relay the facts of how Tiger drove away while his wife was attacking his car with a golf club is fine, but nothing beats seeing a virtual woman smack the hell out of a car with your own eyes. [TMZ]

So he heard his parents frantically calling for him, and didn't come out of the garage—apparently because he hides whenever his parents are angry at him. What a wuss. Good thing he's only six years old or we'd sic our resident angry Spaniard on him for a bitchslap.

As an interesting little tidbit (thanks to the commenters for pointing this out), it appears BB says "But we did this for the show" at around 0:45, which is immediately followed by a fart. No lie, go watch it. I'm not really sure what he meant by "the show": It certainly plays into suspicions that this was all done as an attention-getting stunt, but the kid was also on television once before and could have been referring to that. [YouTube]

Once you've gotten over the fact that no, CNN somehow didn't already have an iPhone app, consider the feature list: CNN.com's text content is formatted into swipeable panels, organized by category. You can save stories for offline reading, and select subjects to create personalized news feeds from CNN's stories. (In blogland, we call these "tags," but hey!) If you're particularly reportorial, there's also a panel for iReport submissions—3GS users can upload video, and everyone can upload stories and photos.

The newsreading and reporting functions look fine, but he app doesn't really start to shine until it starts to stream: Video is available in both VOD and live flavors, the first of which is organized in a catalog, and the second of which jumps in and out of service at the whim of CNN. Here's the theory: Users sit tight with their text content and old clips of Anderson Cooper interviewing panda cubs, or whatever he does, until NEWS BREAKS: Anderson has been mauled by mother panda. This is huge. You get a push notification that says, "Hey, CNN's live right now," which means that the station's content is streamed over Wi-Fi, 3G or EDGE. And, you watch.

CNN says this'll kick in fairly frequently, mostly to correspond with big news events— you know, the kind of things you might rush to a TV to find out more about. It might not sound like much, but conceptually, cable news streaming over the air to the iPhone is, well, a pretty big deal. Sadly, CNN seems to have realized this, so they aren't giving this one out for free: the app will run two dollars when it goes live later this morning. [CNN]

While this bundle includes two wireless controllers and a 250GB HDD, there's a few key differences. Firstly, this pack comes with a copy of Forza 3, not MW2. Obviously. And secondly, while MW2 earned itself a custom paint job, the Forza 3 pack will just be a plain, regular 360.

It's only been announced for the European market so far, with a release date of October 23 and the price set at £249.99 (USD$411).

The news program runs on software that collects news from real-life news (politics, the economy, sports and, yes, the anime industry). A Cellius voice synthesis engine is used to have Misato read said news in real time on this Nerv News 24 television program.

It's even possible to customize the show's backdrop to the secret Evangelion Nerv headquarters, Misato's dinning room and whatnot. It's also possible to customize her hair and her clothing.

The Misato Katsuragi News Project goes live in Japan on June 6.

ヱヴァンゲリヲン：葛城ミサトがキャスターに　ＰＳ３でリアルタイムのニュース番組配信 [Mainichi via ANN]

From the article:

Sharon Martin, who began watching Star Trek when she was 11, says it's almost like they're dissing the generations who grew up on Star Trek.

"They keep running this ad on TV," she observes. "It says, 'Forget everything you know.' This does not seem like a positive come-on for someone like me." So she says she will wait and watch it on DVD.

You can read the print version here, but to get the full effect, you really need to listen to the audio. There's a nicer zinger about Obama really being a Vulcan that you really shouldn't miss. [Thanks Ponies!]

And a bonus. Is anyone else getting the idea that video reviewing stuff with Auto-Tune, in song, is a genius proposition? Just us? [YouTube channel via BoingBoing]

Reina Hardesty's excuse for her a 440-page phone bill was, “I just like to talk.” Luckily, she had been signed onto a contract that allowed for unlimited texting—otherwise the bill would have been a whopping $2,811. Still, cruel wretches that they are, Reina's parents have now restricted her cellphone usage. TISNF!! [Daily Mail]

(Art credit: Rebecca Gunter)

Han first showed off his wall at an entertainment and design conference known as TED, where he charmed the CNN crew enough to take his product mainstream. The crew bought an eight-foot long version of his wall, which became an instant hit—garnering about as much screen time as Wolf Blitzer and inspiring parodies all over the place. But what I want to know, and what the article unfortunately doesn't touch on, is... where do I get my own? [CNN]

When Todd placed McCain and Obama bobblehead dolls on the Surface, the national map would change colors to show each candidate's specific chances. Put on the Obama bobblehead, and the map turns varying shades of blue. Use McCain, and it turns red. Then he turned Dark Helmet and made the bobbleheads fight each other, revealing the true reason he ordered them up in the first place. The off-screen newswoman didn't seem too impressed, quipping, "Now the five-year-olds are glued to the television," but I'm 22, so the joke's on her! [MSNBC]

Samsung Introduces High-Performance, Low-Density SATA II SSDs for Low-Priced PC Market
SEOUL, South Korea —(Business Wire)— Aug. 26, 2008 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it has begun sampling low-density, higher-performance solid state drives (SSDs) that are only 30 percent of the size of 2.5-inch SSDs and highly cost-efficient to manufacture. With the introduction of these smaller, low-capacity SSDs, Samsung now offers an attractive replacement for existing hard drives used in low-cost PCs. Available in densities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, the new multi-level-cell SSDs will be mass produced beginning next month.

"We've refined our manufacturing techniques and redesigned our low-density SSDs to get what the low-priced PC market is looking for in the way of improved cost, performance and availability," said Jim Elliott, Vice President, Memory Marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

The low-density Samsung SSDs use the same high-performance SATA II controller technology as that being used on Samsung's just-introduced MLC-based 128GB SSD.

Samsung's new MLC-based SSD at 32GB capacity will read data (sequentially) at 90MB/s and write it (sequentially) at 70MB/s - performance levels much greater than low-density SSDs on the market today. The 16GB reads at 90MB/s and writes at 45MB/s, while the 8GB reads at 90MB/s and writes at 25MB/s.

Samsung incorporates four individual 16 gigabit (Gb) MLC NAND chips in its 8GB SSD, as well as four dual-die packages and four quad-die packages of 16Gb NAND for its 16GB and 32GB SSDs respectively. Furthermore, by including a 32MB DRAM as the buffer and four-channel system for the new low-density SSDs, these solutions are better suited for high-speed reading environments.

Samsung has expanded its SSD market offerings since it introduced its first SSD in 2006 in 16GB and 32GB capacities targeted at the Ultra Mobile PC market. This was followed by the announcement of the 64GB SSD in 2007, a 128GB SSD in 2008, and sampling of a 256GB SSD in the second half of 2008.

With increased sales of low-cost PCs and recent efforts by most major PC manufacturers to develop their own low-cost PC offerings, the market for lower density SSDs has been experiencing explosive growth. By unit sales, the low-density SSD market is expected to increase annually by 57% until 2011, with SSDs for low-priced PCs being the main driver of market demand.

[Samsung]

Hidden within the Download TV, Movies, & Web Video selection, in the Find Programs menu, there will now be a YouTube option. TiVo's YouTube menu page has a different layout than the usual TiVo menus. From this YouTube menu you'll be able to select from popular videos, recent videos or search for videos using the onscreen keyboard. Alongside each video there will be a thumbnail, title and a short description just like YouTube.com. Once a video is selected the player will automatically go full screen and start streaming within seconds. Since the video streams live there is no need to go the Now Playing List and there is no option to save the video there.

Right now there is no way to login into an YouTube account, but TiVo says there's a minor update coming in eight weeks that will incorporate this feature. Overall the YouTube integration sounds pretty legit. We hope now that TiVo has figured out streaming video it will open up options for other services like Netflix and Hulu.

[Video by ZatzNotFunny]

YOUTUBE™ ARRIVES TO THE BOOBTUBE THROUGH THE TIVO SERVICE

TiVo Offers Subscribers More Ways to Discover Relevant and Personalized Content Directly from the TiVo Remote

ALVISO, Calif. — July 17, 2008 — TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the availability of YouTube videos on the TV via a TiVo® DVR. A partnership between the two companies allows broadband-connected subscribers with TiVo Series3™ and TiVo HD DVRs, to access hundreds of millions of user generated videos hosted on YouTube. Whether you like to watch the new up-n-comers, or classic YouTube favorites, TiVo subscribers are in control of the content they want to watch, whenever they want to watch it.

"With YouTube content now available on TiVo, on top of all the movies, music videos, songs and TV shows that are simply unavailable on cable and satellite, TiVo subscribers have more choice on their TV sets than any other TV viewers in the world,” said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo Inc.

YouTube on the Web attracts millions of viewers a day, and now TiVo offers consumers the opportunity to experience YouTube content where it is more comfortably consumed – in front of the TV set. TiVo users can now search, browse and watch their favorite YouTube videos through TiVo’s famously easy-to-use interface. Soon, users will also be able to log into their YouTube accounts directly through the TV to access their videos, channels and playlists, making the experience even richer.

“YouTube brings video where the audience is - across the Web and onto mobile devices, TVs and video games,” said Hunter Walk, YouTube’s director of product management. “The partnership with TiVo extends our ability to make YouTube accessible anywhere and lets people watch what they want, when they want it.”

Over the next few weeks TiVo will roll-out a software upgrade to Series3 and TiVo HD DVRs which will enable this feature. For more information on how to view YouTube videos on the TV via a TiVo DVR visit www.tivo.com/youtube.

Seoul, Korea – July 9, 2008: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing 1.8- and 2.5-inch multi-level cell (MLC)-based solid state drives (SSD) with a 128 Gigabyte (GB) storage capacity. Mass production of the Samsung MLC-based 64GB SSD also began this month.

“With the 64 GB and 128 GB MLC SSDs, we are satisfying the density requirements of most business users and many PC enthusiasts, who will appreciate not only the performance gains and added reliability, but also the more attractive pricing,” said Jim Elliott, vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

Samsung SSDs feature far greater reliability, faster boot times and faster application start-up times than hard disk drives. Power consumption for the Samsung SSD is exceptionally low in standby mode at approximately 0.2 watts and in active mode at 0.5 watts.

The Samsung MLC-based SSD has a write speed of 70MB/s and a read speed of 90MB/s - performance levels that approach those of single-level-cell (SLC)-based SSDs now in mass production. Moreover, the new 128GB SSD will last approximately 20 times longer than the generally accepted 4-5 year life span of a notebook PC hard drive.

Featuring a 3.0 gigabit-per-second interface, the 128GB MLC-based SSD consists of 64 MLC NAND flash memory chips of 16 gigabits each, optimized single-chip controller technology and advanced flash-management firmware technology. Enclosed in a brushed metallic casing, it measures 100mm x 69.8mm and is only 9.5mm thick.

Samsung is aggressively expanding its SSD market offerings. It introduced a 64GB SSD in the second half of 2007, and plans to begin producing a 256GB at the end of this year. Samsung’s mass production of 128GB SSDs helps it to maintain its position as the leading producer of SSDs in the world, with capacities ranging from 32GB to the highest available today.

Samsung expects sales of SSD units to increase 800 percent between now and 2010, keeping SSDs on pace to be the largest growth segment in the NAND flash market over the next few years.

Pathfinder is currently developing two "checkpoint friendly" models: one wheeled trolley with a removable laptop case, one a briefcase that reveals the laptop when it's unzipped. These new foam and nylon cases will set you back between $100 and $200. Targus's X-rayable cases vary from a $39 backpack and a $100 business traveler version. And there are at least four or five other manufacturers also submitting prototypes to the agency for checking.

But there's still a catch, of sorts: the TSA is not certifying these bags, and asks that manufacturers use terms like "checkpoint friendly" instead, and avoid buckles pockets or zips in the design. Does that mean your impractical bag won't seal securely and some officious security guard may still make you fish out your laptop anyway, as he doesn't believe it to be "friendly" to the X-ray machine? Time will tell. [NYTimes]



[Image: Nick Veasey]

But there had to be a catch...

The TSA is only releasing guidelines to manufacturers. The organization is specifically not approving individual bags for use in their X-ray machines. In other words, many who buy "security-friendly" laptop bags may find themselves among the dirty looks of fellow travelers and TSA agents alike.

Then again, the luggage market has certainly played well with airports when it comes to carry-on baggage. But that's just a question of dimensions that can be easily simulated in any warehouse condition, not X-ray interference.

Current prototypes resemble a clamshell that can be opened and laid flat for inspection. Such a design allows the laptop to be stored in one compartment completely isolated from papers, cords or any other objects that might complicate the scan. In other words, it closely mimics the way laptops are inspected now, save for a small bit of fabric.

We'll be interested to see just how practical (i.e. padded) these cases are. Hopefully travel really will get a little bit easier. [USAToday via Consumerist][Image: Nick Veasey]