Incredible Connection Blog | Dedicated to Technology, Dedicated to You

OK, well now it’s just all-out war in the game-console-with-motion-sensing-controller-or-camera land. It’s always been a lucrative, dog-eat-dog space, but the arrival of some competitors for the Nintendo Wii has just kicked the intensity up a couple of notches. Microsoft and Sony have woken from their slumbers, taken while the Wii forged ahead, and both produced their own, get-off-the-couch controllers. Microsoft is betting on the Kinect (ouch!) for the Xbox 360, which uses a camera and voice control to map your movements “with fine detail precision”, while Sony’s Playstation Move, seen at E3 games conference in Los Angeles, and which we’re looking at here, uses a combination of both approaches. First, there’s a wand, complete with multi-coloured glowing orb, accelerometer, & magnetometer. And then there’s a Playstation Eye camera. The camera tracks the orb on the wand and all the signals are combined to track the controller in 3D.

The wand has the four familiar action buttons and trigger from the regular PS3 controller but some games will need the supplementary navigation controller. This is bought separately and includes a joystick and directional pad.

Gamers who’ve back-to-backed the Move with Nintendo’s Wii, say that the Move system is more accurate, more precise, and more connected. Pity there are so few games which take advantage of the technology, yet. Existing games will be able to include Move support through software updates. Scenes below are from The Fight: Lights Out, which was the hot item to play in the demo pit, at E3.

Y’know, today, we really live in what, a few years ago, would have been regarded as the world of science-fiction. And I don’t mean that in the glib, “duh” way. Even for the most tech-hardened geek, the pace that this stuff is arriving with, is wonder-time. Today, we take our world with us wherever we go. Our phones carry photos and videos of loved ones; our music and images are stored on memory cards. And of course, in the workplace, we have to have access to our business tools on the move. We demand more and more of the products that we take with us every day.
Until now, the ability to share your world with your colleagues and friends meant sharing the screen of your phone/iPad, or relying on laptops and bulky, cantankerous projectors. No more. With devices like the Optoma Pico PK301, your photos, videos and presentations can all be projected onto almost any blank surface, directly from a pocket projector, roughly the size of a 30′s cigarette box.
Smokin’ !!

Packed into it’s sexy, black, 120x70x30mm, slip-me-in-your-pocket enclosure, the PK301 has a 20,000 hr LED lamp, which requires no fan, so it’s quiet. Silent, in fact. And at a range of 3 meters, it’ll throw a HUGE 120″ image on the surface of your choice. And with a 2000:1 contrast ratio, your audience won’t be squinting at a dim, washed out blob, either. It runs off mains or it’s own 1.5hr rechargeable battery, (5 hours with the optional high-capacity version), supports more video and image formats than you could shake a stick at (avi, wmv, mpg, mpeg, mp4, 3gp, 3g2, mov, m4v, rm, rmvb, ogm, flv, asf, jpg, tiff, gif, png, bmp, tga, fpx, pcx, pcd, psd) and has a micro SD slot which accepts cards up to 32GB.

Where can you get one of these little beauties? Just pop into your local Incredible Connection store, and get sorted. Project away, captain!

“In 100 meters, turn left.” “You have reached your destination.”

Sound familiar? Yes, that’s right, the lady who lives in your Garmin PND (Portable Navigation Device), telling you what to do and where to go. Starting now, with the launch of Traffic on Garmin, she’ll also be able to tell you where NOT to go! According to the info sheet,

“Traffic is an information service, Provided by Altech Netstar Traffic (ANT),
that enables the identification of traffic congestion along a planned route,
which is then displayed on a compatible PND.”

That’s right folks, she’ll tell you where the traffic is, so you can take an alternate route and save your nerves. Awesome!

So, how does it work? Information about traffic flow patterns and obstructions is gathered from a network of 1000′s of ANT“probe “ vehicles, recovery helicopters and the like, as well as alliances with key radio stations. This data is transmitted to a receiver, paired with your Garmin device and the data is shown on the device screen. You’ll see details of the cause of the congestion, and the effect or delay that it may have on your journey in minutes. Coverage will initially be available in Gauteng, but will be expanded to other major metropolitan areas “in the near future”.

What will you need? Obviously, a compatible Garmin PND. A compatible GTM receiver, which depends on your nüvi/zúmo model. We’ve included a table below, to help you see which receiver is needed. (we’re cool that way…) A subscription to the Traffic system, and a Traffic Message Channel compatible mapset from Garmap. All mapsets issued from the 2009 TMC 1st edition are good to go.

What will it cost? There’s some good news here. A subscription IS needed to access the system, but is included with the purchase of any new GTM Traffic Receiver, or bundled Traffic device, such as the nüvi 1300T. Subscriptions are valid for 12 months from date of activation and a renewal will cost you just R299 incl VAT. Subscriptions can be purchased and activated from the Garmap website.

Of course, Incredible Connection stocks all the Garmin nüvi models you might want, and you can head over to the Garmap site for more details about Traffic. Bring it!

Looking for a hot new Notebook or Netbook computer? Incredible Connection has SEVEN new models from Packard Bell, and they’re ready to go!

If you’re a MotoGP and/or Valentino Rossi fan, there’s the signature VR46 Netbook, dressed up with artwork (the renowned “the sun & the moon” graphic, on a NightSky Black cover), from Valentino’s personal graphic designer, Aldo Druids. Specifications are: 1,3GHz Pentium Dual Core processor, 3GB RAM, 320GB hard disk drive. It also sports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, an HDMI port, a webcam and a five-in-one card reader. The VR46 weigh in at a svelte 1.35kg, and the 6-cell battery should be good for around 8 hours of work between top-ups.

Other highlights among the new models are the Butterfly XS, which is the first 11,6 inch Netbook with a DVD writer, the dot s2, which has a lifestyle design, and an exceptional 10 hour battery life. The dot s2 is about the size of a magazine: 258mm width and 185 mm height, ultra-thin at 1-inch thick, weighs only 1,25kg. and comes in glossy red, white or black.

The M series leverages the popularity of social networking. It uses a single key to launch a clever, easy-to-use sidebar on the right side of the screen, from where the user can access many social networking websites. The Packard Bell Social Networks software lets you instantly post comments, play games, update their profiles, view or share photos and videos, and easily manage your entire online social life.

The notebook range also includes performance-designed products such as the LM85. This model comes in glossy red or black with a 2,26GHz (up to 2,53GHz) CORE I5 processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 640GB hard disk drive, a Nvidia GT320 1GB graphics card and Bluetooth. The LM85 comes preloaded with Windows 7 Premium.

Just in case you were wondering, here’s “The Doctor”, in full flight:

Gaming Inc is Incredible Connection’s newly launched gaming loyalty club that will be the best way to be kept up to date with the latest news from the technology and gaming market. Not only will Gaming Inc be about news and reviews, as a Gaming Inc member you will qualify for discounts on games and hardware as well as specials from time to time!

Signing up as a Gaming Inc member is free and you’ll be sent a Gaming Inc loyalty card as well as a few goodies. Click here to sign up to the Gaming Inc website.

I asked Trevor “qu1k_shot” Henry, Incredible Connection’s Gaming Specialist a couple of questions about Gaming Inc. Take a read below!

Q: Trevor, what would be the main benefits of being a Gaming Inc member?
A: The main benefit of being a member of Gaming Inc is the discounts on new releases and monthly specials. For example our special for June is a 1TB hard drive that we are selling for R759.95 including free delivery for Gaming Inc Members. Gaming Inc is the first step in getting big corporates like Incredible Connection to work with gamers, for gamers and to communicate with them directly via our Gaming Inc Forums. Gaming Inc is designed for gamers and is run by a gamer, so if you really want to get the best out of Gaming Inc start talking to us.

Q: Can a person sign up in-store for a Gaming Inc card?
A: At the moment you cannot sign up in store for a Gaming Inc card. However training has been planned and we should be able to process in store sign ups within the next few weeks. Once our stores have been trained on the correct procedure we will let you know via Gaming Inc, the Incredible Connection blog and of course the local gaming websites like DoGaming.

Q: As a Gaming Inc member, how will I be kept up to date with the news, events and specials happening for members?
A: Currently all of our information is being communicated through the www.gaminginc.co.za website. Our first few newsletters should also start going out soon and if you have opted in to the newsletter you will be kept abreast of all the latest happenings via email and of course the articles on our site. If you ever want to see what is happening just log onto www.gaminginc.co.za to check it all out.

Lastly, any top secret plans, events or specials that you can reveal? We promise not to tell.
A: At the moment we actually have some really awesome plans in place, some great giveaways, competitions for online gamers, and of course rAge is just around the corner. Gaming Inc has its sights set to go huge at rAge. But in order to hear the details you have to keep checking our site for more information. You can see one of our current competitions, the GUS. Gaming Inc’s Ultimate Setup, it is similar to a Rig of The Month Competition only we take a step back and look at your entire setup. Not just your chassis. Take a look at some of the entries already and if you think your setup is nicer, then create a blog and stand a chance to win!

Visit www.gaminginc.co.za for more information.