Received some photos from a friend about iDog, product from Sega Toys, then I managed to dig out some information about iDog.

It is actually a small little toy, which has a dimension of 116x107x100 and weighted 170g. It operates on 3 AAA batteries.

Basically iDog has the following functionalities:-

1. When you press its noce (the only button on its face) or move its tail, iDog will play you some melodies whie flashing you with combination of LEDs colours. It will sort of shake its head and move its ears as well.

2. iDog is able to act as a small speaker, though the quality is not that good. You just have to plug your source of music, such as a mp3 player, into the jack on its left rear leg.

However, iDog can’t move. It will stay stationary while it is playing with you.

As a conclusion, iDog is a nice toy to play when you are bored, but it will never replace Aibo, from Sony, due to its limited functionality.

I’ve zipped up all full size pictures, feel free to download it here.

Finally I come across article debating this hot issue.

Now Intel and AMD dual core processors are already available in the market, but have you thought that are they value for money spent? It is no doubt dual core processors would certainly take computing to the next level, the question now is by how much and are those two Intel and AMD dual core processors will perform the same?

Anyway, I would have to agree with the following quote from the article regarding the thermal issues. AMD is proud of their Opteron dual core processors regarding low power consumption and low heat generated. AMD stresses on “2 cores with 1 core power consumption“.

Although Intel may have won the race-to-the-launch game, they still lurk behind AMD in majority of the performance tests conducted by various media outlets.

We all know Intel’s recent history with its desktop processors. They were sub-par, to say the least. The Prescott chips were plagued with thermal issues, performance lags due to the use of 31 stage pipelines, high prices and the fact that they couldn’t come anywhere close to what AMD had to offer.

I still remember how Intel was touting “Speed Is King” by emphasizing on the Mhz they labeled on their processors since Pentium III. If you noticed Intel’s move in re-labeling all their processor’s code names last year, you’ll have a doubt why did they do that. I think the reason would be the same as the following quote says: Performance Is Far More Important Than Speed.

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Intel Lost The Dual-Core War ??

Heads up, owners of 64bit PCs that going to upgrade to WinXPx64. If you’re contemplating upgrading your machine to Windows x64, using Microsoft’s tempting “Technology Advancement Program”, which is, basically, a $12 upgrade from XP to x64, you could end up violating your PC’s warranty.

In fact, when you agree on Microsoft’s conditions to get the upgrade, you agree that your PC’s warranty will be voided. In a sense, this is nothing new: PC warranties are often voided in theory if you make any changes to your system. (A show of hands, please: How many of you have never made a single change to your computer?) And according to the eWeek story, different vendors have varying policies on whether they object to the x64 upgrade or not. But it certainly looks as if it’s worth checking in with your manufacturer before you give Microsoft your twelve bucks.

Anyway, clone 64bit PC owners like me, will not be affected, because we are the one warranting the system. :D

[Source]

After 4 months of the launch of Google Video Beta in January 2005, Yahoo on Thursday, May 5, 2005, is releasing a finalized version of its video search engine, after five months of testing.

Google introduced a program in which independent and professional video producers can upload their shows into Google Video. Now, Yahoo said that it will allow video creators to send links of their content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) for inclusion in its database.

Google has alreadt got new liaisons with TV programmers, including the Discovery Channel and CNN, so that people can find still images and text of their shows in Google’s index. Yahoo will also announce alliances with CBS News, MTV, Reuters and others to include their video clips within its searchable database as well.

[Source]

The price of LCD monitor is predicted to rise in the second quarter of 2005, according to source.

That follows carnage for the manufacturers for the last 10 months or so, when prices for panels fell to a point where they were almost being sold at cost.

It’s the 17-inch LCD monitors that the manufacturers are pinning their hopes on, with prices showing a rise in April and expected to rise further during this and next month.

The distribution channel has been awash with monitors for nearly a year, and that’s led some PC makers to bundle smaller monitors with systems.

However, there now appears to be a shortness of supply of 17-inch screens, although whether may be a combination of throttling of supply as well as somewhat increased demand because of increased PC sales.

[Source]

Apple Ipod has been in the market for quite some time already, but did you know the idea of Ipod was not originally from Apple?

The iPod was almost not released by Apple. The products creator, Tony Fadell, had shopped the idea to Phillips and RealNetworks before proposing the idea to Apple. Fadell found a welcoming environment at Apple, who agreed almost immediately to produce and market the device.

Several limitations were found in the first version of Ipod. There was no remote control, this despite a connector designed for such a purpose. There were no games available for it too.

One month after the domestic launch of the iPod, the iPod was launched in Europe and was accompanied by new peripherals, such as charging adapters, FM broadcasters and a plethora of cases. By the end of 2001, Apple had already sold as many as 125,000 units.

In March of 2002, a 10 GB version of the iPod was released. Along with the new iPod, came a software update that included several bug fixes, and a new equalizer. Just four months later, in July 2002, a new 20 GB version was released, with a major price drop for the 5 and 10 GB versions. This new veriosn is IBM PC compatibled.

Shortly before New Years of 2003, Apple announced that it would ship special edition iPods that would feature text or graphics engraved on the back, as their new marketing strategy. A customer could opt for their own design, or choose the signature of Madonna, Tony Hawk, Beck or the NoDoubt logo on the chrome back. The service cost $50.

As a summary of the year 2002, iPod having sold already 700,000 units thoughout the year.

In June of 2003, Apple shipped its millionth iPod, and by September of the same year, it had sold 1.4 million. Apple replaced MusicMatch on the PC with its own iTunes software thus allowing Windows PC users to use the iTunes Music Store and sync the songs with their iPod.

Apple was preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh at the end of 2003, that’s the time their new player — the iPod mini get its debut. It was to be outfitted with a new 4 GB hard drive, in stark contrast to the hundreds of megabytes offered by flash based players of comparable prices.

On January 8, 2004, Apple and HP joined forces to co-market the iPod and iTunes Music Store. The new HP+iPod is based on the 4th generation iPod, and was released in September of 2004.

In the year 2004, Apple also released a U2 special edition of their iPod, in all black with a red scroll wheel. The U2 version was bundled with a discount off a digital boxed set of music from the group. To celebrate the launch, the group did its very first advertisement. Apple did not have to pay U2 for their endorsements — U2 figured the iPod was enough recognition.

Later in the year 2004, Apple’s first flash-based MP3 player, Ipod Shuffle was released. Ipod Shuffle is the only flash player that can play encoded AAC files. Unlike other models, the shuffle does not have a FireWire port. Instead, it relies on USB 2.0.

[Source]