Finger mouse is just plain weird

We first saw a finger-mounted mouse more than a year ago, but our opinion of the idea hasn't changed much since then.

Granted, there's a new version that's wireless, which addresses one of our biggest complaints about its predecessor. But the new 3D Optical Computer Wireless Finger Mouse still looks too cumbersome to use comfortably for those of us who type about as much as we breathe on any given day.

And even though it's supposedly more ergonomic than a traditional mouse, according to PClaunches, we still think a bit of contortionism is needed to work the scroll wheel and other controls. Besides, just the thought of it freaks us out because it looks like some kind of robo-leech stuck to the hand.

Via CNET Crave

PC market laughs in the face of economic uncertainty

Despite concerns that a weakening US economy would slow spending here and elsewhere, the PC market is chugging along respectably.

The market's success was foreshadowed by Intel, whose solid quarter demonstrated that there's continued demand for notebook PCs particularly. Shipments of PCs worldwide grew 16 percent in the second quarter of this year, led by the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions, according to IDC. Shipments were down in the Asia-Pacific region, usually a strong market for growth, but the results were even worse in the US, where units shipped grew 3.6 percent, according to IDC. That's the second straight quarter of sluggish growth for the US: Q1 of this year saw 4.6 percent growth.

What we learn from the slowdown in the Asia-Pacific region is that these other international regions are not entirely independent of the US slowdown.

"We haven't seen the impact on international PC shipments yet," said IDC analyst Loren Loverde. "What's remarkable about Asia is we're just starting to see that slower growth."

In the US, Dell put a bit more distance between itself and chief rival Hewlett-Packard, though both continued to do well. HP was up 16.8 percent, just slightly ahead of the market overall. Dell grew 12 percent in the second quarter, which is down from the previous two quarters of 15 percent growth each, but it's clear the company is righting the ship. Its retail strategy, now in place for a year, is working, and its stated goal of growing its international business also appears to be on track, said Loverde.
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E3 2008: Prince of Persia

The Prince of Persia series found much success in the previous generation of video games. Now Ubisoft is back with a new Prince of Persia--complete with a unique art style and a brand-new fighting mechanic. You'll also be joined by a Elika, a female character who helps you fight enemies and solve puzzles. Prince of Persia is set to release by year's end for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Via CNET Crave

E3 2008: EA and BioWare working on a new Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMO

Not mentioned at any of the E3 press conferences, we were surprised to see that Portfolio.com had gotten a very interesting admission from EA CEO John Riccitiello, who says EA and developer BioWare are working on a new version of the Star Wars RPG Knights of the Old Republic. To compete with the very successful World of Warcraft massively multiplayer online game, EA plans on adding MMO-like online multiplayer elements to the new Star Wars game. Riccitiello says:

"We've got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development...the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about--in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it."

Picture Credit: Portfolio.com

Via CNET Crave

From the Bat Cave to eBay

Kevin Core is showing that his imagination as an amateur computer modder is matched by a natural sense of marketing. Last year he impressed many Cravers with his Tumbler Batmobile PC, built from a remote-controlled toy purchased at Wal-Mart. Now, after waiting patiently for several months, he has put the creation up for sale on eBay--just days ahead of the much-publicized release of The Dark Knight.

In addition to the 2.8GHz AMD Sempron chip and other specs mentioned when it first went public, the Bat-PC has a "stealth" power switch and three orange LEDs that "simulate the jet exhaust," according to the auction description. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the bidding hasn't even cracked US$250 as of this writing, a paltry sum that would be an insult to any self-respecting winged avenger.

Via CNET Crave

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