Playing on the Go

First, what the heck is 45 nm processor?

Well, 45nm is the newest processor architecture pioneered by Intel. 45 nm(nano meter) denotes the actual diameter of the processor. The 45nm spec is the likely successor of the 65nm processor, which is found in most computers today. The Intel Core 2 Duo fleet is now comprised of both 45nm and 65nm core processors.

The first 45nm Intel processor is the Yorkfield XE and was released on November 11, 2007. The quad-core Yorkfield XE features a 3.0 GHz clock, 12 mb L2 Cache, in other words, faster that greased lightning. The Penyrn core, released on January 6 2008, is the successor to the Yorkfield XE, and has become the more widely accepted of the two.

The immediate advantage of the 45nm core as opposed to the 65nm are few but great. First, the lead in the 65nm core has been omitted in the 45nm allowing for less unused space and thus shorter processing times. Because of its small size, the 45nm uses about 33% less power than the 65nm.

How does this apply to the mobile gamer?
Simply, leave the charger at home! The power and energy economy of the 45nm core allows for even the most zealous gamer to play long without a thought for power cord or complaint about the latency. These cores will go on sale with HP in late January 2008.

This past week, Sony released the Mylo 2 to replace the Mylo internet communicator. Now you ask, what’s the Mylo? Well i can’t blame you, the Mylo’s fame has been dwarfed by the PSP ever since it was released. The Mylo 1 only had about 2 features that differentiated it from the PSP and that was 1) A microphone for skype calls 2) A full QWERTY keyboard. The Mylo 1 was pretty much a toy that didn’t do very much aimed at the compulsive spenders of America and Japan.

The Mylo 2, however, has a few new features in both hard and software. First, the Internet Browser is a major leap from the previous version’s. It now includes flash able to play youtube videos just as you would on your computer! There is also a text RSS reader that functions much like google reader.

In terms of hardware changes, the Mylo 2 scrolls differently than the original Mylo. Mylo’s PSP style D-pad had been replaced by a stylish wheel. The QWERTY keyboard is also larger to make for quick instant messaging. Finally, the Mylo 2 sports a Camera, the pictures of which could probably be uploaded to flickr or photobucket when the user is in a wifi Hot Spot.

My verdict is: the Mylo 2 is nice, a major improvement over the Mylo 1, but the Mylo brand is completely random and serves no tangible purpose. The wireless b internet only works within a hotspot and is slow at that. Ultimately, a PSP 2000 will get you more bang for your buck and can easily relieve boredom through those award-winning PSP UMD games.

The release of the Apple “Air” was a shocking development. While huddling by warmth of my LCD, Steve Job’s presentation of the Air took me by complete surprise. Well, not entirely because I predicted its release about 2 months ago, but with that aside the Air struck me as an amazing product as it did the nerds at MacWorld. However, like every apple product, it has serious drawbacks.

Pros
Amazingly light- 3 pounds (48 ipod nanos)
Soild State Harddrive-Quiet, Fast, and Cool
Backlit Keyboard- Type in the dark
Multi-Touch Finger Pad- Perform gestures for certain Apple Apps
Media Control Keys- Change or pause the song without moving the mouse

Cons
Lack of ports (Headphone Jack, 1 USB, and Micro DVI) Don’t try to use a USB mouse and Flash drive at the same time!
No CD Drive- Apple is implementing a remote CD system where it can read CDs in other computers but that’s nothing new really
Non-upgradeable Battery- Pay Apple more money to replace it when your battery starts to die
Slow Processor (1.6 ghz) Try racing a Macbook on boot times
Price- ($1,700) To get to a descent speed of 1.8 ghz and 64 Solid State, it’ll run you over $3,098

Verdict
Like all apple products, it really matters how much money you have (and once you spend said money a better toy comes around 6 months later for less). This machine is revolutionary, it boldly rejects the CD drive in the interest of weight and form. However, its slim design catches most buyers off-guard that they don’t consider the compromises.

In comparison to the MacBook the Air-
Is $700 more
Has a 20% slower processor
Has 1 Gig of memory More
Doesn’t have a CD Drive
Has 7 less ports
Will probably snap in half when dropped

So there you have it. In my own opinion, forget it and go for the Asus Eee Pc

Like the shiny ball dropped in times square in the first second of new
years, so did a voip app for the iPod touch deep in the Internet. The
much anticipated app was created by the people over at touchmods.wordpress.com/.
It allows touch owners to call landline phones for free from an iPod
touch.

You may ne asking yourself,”Why would people make a voip app for a
device that doesn’t have a microphone?” Well not for long! The über
nerds devised a microphone out of a dock extender and, with a little
sodering, enabled the user to both talk and listen.

This is the first voip 3rd party app to emerge for the touch. However,
since I own an iPhone without any service contract, cuz seriously, an
AT&T iPhone plan starts at like $60, a voip app would help whenever I
find wifi. Sadly, the app is only supported on the touch with the
iPhone in development. If there’s anybody out there with an iPod touch
or hopefully soon, an iPhone who hasn’t unlocked before, now is the
time, because anybody can utilize this brilliant app for free.

Sony off-handedly made a statement last week that they would be making
a skype for the psp handheld gaming system. My response….nice
thinking sony, you just killed the only edge the mylo had over the
psp, the unpopular mylo costing around $200 compared to the psp’s $120
price tag.

In this move by Sony, they slapped mylo owners in the face and gave
the victory to the homebrew kiddies because they’re really the only
ones still using the, what was it called? PORTABLE GAMING System! When
it came out that was the intention I got no idea what mechanized
horror it has mutated into. Maybe I’m being harsh but it’s the harsh
truth.

I myself am a semi-proud owner of one of these purpose-confused
buggers and am still considering a downgrade to run homebrews. I
scoured the Internet to find a decent voip app but failed the hunt.
This news of SONY supported voip might actually drive me to dust off
my PSP now turned bookend and start chatting with some skype
buddies but don’t hold your breath….