Yesterday the Oculus Rift price and release date was revealed. It is coming out on March 28 and it will cost 600 dollars. However, you will need a very powerful PC to run the Oculus Rift. The box comes with a headset, a sensor, an Oculus remote and an Xbox controller. I think that the Oculus Rift is a bit overpriced considering that you need an expensive PC to use it. What do you think of the Oculus Rift’s pricing and release date?
Source: IGN
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XYZPrinting has created a printer that transforms ingredients into uncooked food. This printer will make it easier for the consumer to create decorations for cakes. The 3D Printer will also allow the consumer to make cookies. It will be cool to see how creative the consumer can be when making a cookie or decorating a cake. However, the consumer will still need to bake the items after they are created.
IGN even used the 3D Food Printer to create a pizza! I wish I could have tried the printed pizza. It will be interesting to see where food and technology takes us to in the future. The 3D Food printer will be available in the second quarter of 2015 and it will cost around $2000. What would you use a 3D Food Printer to create?
Source: CNET
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Dish Network is launching a new Internet TV service called Sling TV. This new service is not like Netflix or Hulu. It is live TV, but it only includes select channels. It will include ESPN, ESPN2, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Disney Channel, CNN, Food Network, the Travel Channel, HGTV, TNT and TBS. The new service will cost 20 dollars a month. It will be interesting to see how many people switch over from traditional cable. This new service will be available through Xbox One, Roku, Fire TV, PC’s, iOS, and Android.
Hopefully, this leads to the user being able to pick certain packages based on personal preference. For example, the user should be able to pick between a sports package, entertainment package and news package. I would be interested in getting a sports package. The future of traditional TV looks bleak and cable companies must adapt if they want to compete with companies like Netflix and Hulu.
The biggest draw for this Internet TV Service is the sports channels ESPN and ESPN2. These are very popular channels and will most likely draw people to this new service. I hope that Sling does well and attracts a lot of attention. I should be able to pick the channels that I want to digest. Will you be trying out Sling TV?
Source: CNET
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It is now possible for a large company to buy enough shares to takeover Capcom. The company did not renew its takeover defense that protected it from a buyout. I would love to see a company like Nintendo step up and buy Capcom. The company would be a great purchase for Nintendo because of all the franchises that Capcom controls. Some of Capcom’s top franchises include Mega Man, Street Fighter, and Resident Evil. This would also help Nintendo secure more first party exclusives for the Wii U.
Source: IGN
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A company called Aerofex is currently developing a Hoverbike. The technology has been in development for 15 years and it will be available to the public in 2017. The Hoverbike is called Aero X and it will cost $85,000. It looks like the Hoverbikes that are in Starwars Return of the Jedi. I have never rode on a Motorcycle before but I think I would prefer to ride a Hoverbike. It will be interesting to see this technology when it is released to the public. If you had a chance, would you want to ride a Hoverbike?
Source: IGN
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The Retron 5 is a retro console that can play 10 systems in one console. It was delayed earlier this year because of a pin issue. According to Hyperkin’s Facebook page the console is coming out on June 6. It looks like a really capable system and it is really cool that it can play ten classic systems. The Retron 5 can play NES, SNES, Super Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, Famicom, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and GBA games. The Retron 5 has an output of 720p and it includes a Bluetooth Wireless Controller. The system also has original controller ports for NES, SNES and Genesis. Some other features that I thought were pretty neat include the ability to add different filters and the ability to save at any point in a game. The system allows ten save slots per game.
Source: Hyperkin
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Pebble revealed their new smartwatch at CES this year. The new Pebble Steel is crafted with Stainless Steel and Corning Gorilla Glass. The new smartwatch is waterproof. A user could go swimming with it if they wanted to. The new smartwatch focuses on notifications and applications. Pebble also launched their own App Store for iOS. This is going to make it easier for users to download apps. The Pebble Smartwatch originally came out because of a Kickstarter campaign in 2012. I think it would be great to own a smartwatch. I hope that Pebble has color displays in 2015. The Pebble Steel is currently selling for 249 dollars and the battery lasts 5 to 7 days.
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Roku introduced their first ever Smart TV at CES 2014. The interface is similar to the Roku set top box but also features input buttons for Blue Ray players and Cable TV. When the user first boots up the Roku Smart TV they will see a home menu where the user can access their favorite applications such as Netflix. The Roku TV will come out later this year and it will ship in 32 inches and 52 inches. I think Roku has an advantage over other Smart TV’s because of the Roku set top box. They already have an established TV product that has done well.
Source: Roku Blog
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Toyota showed off their new iRoad car at CES 2014. It looks very futuristic and it only has three wheels total. I really like the futuristic look and I also like how it tilts when it is turning. Unfortunately the Toyota iRoad isn’t coming to the United States anytime soon. It is set to be released in Japan and France. The Toyota iRoad gets about 30 miles before it needs to be recharged. If it came to the United States I would definitely take a look at it. What do you think of this futuristic car and would you buy one?
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It looks like there are going to be a lot of Steam Machines in 2014. Thirteen different companies are releasing Steam Machines in 2014. The Steam Machine is a computer that uses the Steam OS to play Video Games. I think there should be five central Steam Machines instead of thirteen. I believe that having too many Steam Machines will confuse the consumer.
Every Steam Machine is different and each Steam Machine has different specifications. Each Steam Machine will come with the unique Steam controller. The thirteen Steam Machines were revealed at CES on January 6th, 2014. Some of the new Steam Machines include Alienware’s Steam Machine, iBuyPower’s SBX and the CyberPowerPc Steam Machine.
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I really enjoy listening to Spotify on my computer. It gives me access to a variety of songs that I wouldn’t normally have access to for free. In the past if a user wanted to listen on a mobile device they had to pay $9.99 or use a free radio. Now Spotify users can listen to their favorite music for free on mobile devices. If the user is using a tablet they can pick any song that they want to listen to. If the user is using a mobile phone they can shuffle artists, albums or songs. However, the free option does have ads. I just downloaded the app to my iPhone and Nexus 7 tablet.
Source: Spotify goes free on mobile devices
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Today the parent company of Blockbuster announced that the remaining Blockbuster stores would be shutdown by January 2014. Blockbuster will also shutdown their mail service in December 2013. It looks like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu all drove Blockbuster out of business. I knew it would only be a matter of time. I used to shop at Blockbuster all the time when I was younger. However the stores in my area shutdown a few years ago. It will be sad to see Blockbuster go, I can still remember going there every Friday to pick movies out.
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