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I just saw an article on Edge saying the Microsoft are testing a build of IE9 for the Xbox 360. This lead me to think, maybe Microsoft’s home media hub strategy is working quite well. The infiltrated our homes as a pure gaming device, not having spent much on making the console a media centre apart from video playback from (DVD and DivX) and music playback.

Keeping things simple at the start meant that the X-Box 360 was (and still is) substantially cheaper than it’s Rival the PS3, which meant it got higher market saturation. Now that they have built up a large install base they have started adding features like Streaming Video and now a browser.

Compare and contrast this with Sony’s strategy of releasing a super expensive console  with everything built into it, by gradually adding features Microsoft have sneakily put a media hub into the homes of gamers, and can now negotiate better deals with content providers as they have a large install base.

I own both a 360 and a PS3 and I’ll admit that the only thing I use the PS3 for it media playback (And playing Final Fantasy XIII, but that’s a different story, I initially bought the console because FF13 wasn’t going to coming out on the 360).

Now the X-Box Costs so little and Microsoft are even talking about releasing it as a subscription service ($99 for the console with a 24 month contract), it will probably live on past the release of the next version of the X-Box and continue making them money as a media hub for people who use it to consume media rather than just play games. Then when people upgrade they can take whatever media features they want with them, I doubt MS will reduce the feature set with the Next-Box 360 they’ve already got the licensing agreements, and a revenue stream.

I think it’s possible that Microsoft and Sony had a Tortoise/Hare race going with this generation of the console war, and it’s looking like Microsoft’s Tortoise strategy has has beaten Sony’s Hare brained plans…

I saw this post on Engadget about a Sony Patent for a phone that had both a QWERTY Keyboard and a Gamepad, I’d love that. I blog from my phone, and I’ve also tried writing on my phone (I think this was during last years NaNoWriMo) so I’d love to have a QWERTY Keyboard that allowed me to see more text and type faster. I also play a lot of casual games on my phone and I’m not 100% sold on touch as a means of control for some of them. Particularly platformers, you just need a D-Pad and Jump buttons and shoe horning them onto a touchscreen is irritating, this is why I’ve not really played FF III on my iPad, it just hurts the pads of my fingers to play it for any amount of time.

If you aren’t going to include on on the device at least sell an addon that allows you use one externally. If I had an iPhone I’d probably have one of these things:

Although the orientation of the buttons would annoy me a little, keyboards are not meant to be a grid…

I guess now Android has support for USB controllers, but as far as I can tell no one is making them… I was to emulate classic games on my phone that is more powerful than the computer I had 10 years ago god-dammit!

There is this Gametel Portable Games Controller for Android but it’s ugly as sin:

Sadly this SNES Toaster from Spinning Hat is an April Fools joke, but it would be quite cool so have a toaster that looked like a SNES and toasted pixel art onto your bread.

This Kickstarter is genius! The idea is to incorporate an iPhone charger into an iPhone case so you physically plug your phone into the wall. The only flaw I can see with the design is that it doesn’t incorporate a docking port which you might want to use to connect your phone to a computer or dock. The only reason I’d not get one (aside from not owning an iPhone) is that it’s designed for an Americanplug socket, I’m sure if the project goes ahead they will create one for UK/European markets though…

Design Boom

In a fit of minimalism designer Yeon Su Kim has taken the camera out of the equation. A bluetooth connection links a small camera on your thumb to your smartphone and uses the smartphone for storage, a ring on your index finger senses the click motion of your finger and takes the picture. I’m not sure how well it would work in practice but the concept it pretty cool.

Via Yanko Design

Wow… I like the concept and at $36 it’s dirt cheap, but I’d hate to be stopped by the police while carrying this thing…

This classic umbrella looks and works like a regular umbrella. But, this self-defense tool hides a secret weapon. Just unscrew the knuckle guard handle and a 15″ stainless steel blade is unveiled to deter would-be attackers. Never leave home without this trusty late night protector. 35″ ov *Note: This item cannot ship to CA, MA, NY.

Like a “regular umbrella” except you know for the knuckle duster handle…

via BUDK.

I saw this on Mike Elgan’s Google+ feed… And now I am going to dedicate my life to owning one!

It’s a Yacht with a VOLCANO on it, and a lagoon too… Apparently these are just concept images but it can be yours for the low low price of $100 Million… Does anyone have any money I can borrow?

Via Discovery Channel.

This is genius on Amazon’s end, can’t afford a full priced Kindle 4 well you can buy the ad supported on and pay the rest later. A $30 upgrade on the device will disable the advertisements.

I see this being a hit on two accounts, i you can’t afford a Kindle outright then you can buy the ad supported one and then disable the ads if they annoy you a few months later, also for people buying the kindle as a gift, they can buy someone the cheaper ad supported Kindle but safe in the knowledge that if they want to remove the ads they can just upgrade the device themselves.

Via engadget

The main reason people will think twice about upgrading…

Damn those Europeans and their crazy non-earthed power sockets! This is just a concept by Art Lebedev but I like it mainly because it minimizes collisions between big DC invertors that all my gadgets seem to use. Also it looks pretty cool.

Via OhGizmo!