Hasta La Gadget!

Any advanced Internetter knows that the best way to enjoy the pure Internet is to get an ad blocker. It zaps away all the excess and gives you the meaty good stuff. However, it looks like companies are figuring ways to circumvent ad blockers… by paying them off. Google is reportedly paying one of the most popular ad blockers, AdBlock Plus, to not block Google’s ads.

Read more…

If the Wii Vitality Sensor escapes your memory, you’re not the only one – it was announced back at E3 in 2009, and has since then seen very little in terms of development, raising speculation that Nintendo had given it the kibosh. Such was confirmed at the company’s 73rd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, where the company said that due to inconsistent accuracy among different users it won’t be launched.

The idea behind the Wii Vitality Sensor was intriguing – gamers would place their index finger in the device, allowing for measurement of the player’s heart rate. Further expounding on that, Nintendo’s Iwata stated this would help develop an understanding of “human autonomic nerve functions,” thereby showing the state of tension or relaxation the player was experiencing.

Aspects of this functionality were demonstrated to the viewing public, and the company made it known that it was excited about the possibilities of the device. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the problems for it started with mass testing of Vitality that took place within the company. For whatever reason, it was reported, some individuals did not get “expected” readings from the sensor.

Though specifics weren’t given on the inconsistent results that happened with the device, Mr. Iwata said: “We wondered if we should commercialize a product which works as expected for 90 people out of 100, but not so for the other 10 people. Though I am sorry that we did not give any specific updates after this product’s initial announcement, I would say that knowing that a product has a problem we should not launch it for the sole reason that we have already announced it.”

In addition, the Nintendo boss says that upon further work with the Vitality, it became apparent that the device’s various possible applications were smaller than the company had first estimated. For these reasons, the launch has been slated as “pending,” with Nintendo saying that it could see the light of day in the furture if technology advances to such a degree that its results are accurate for a higher percentage of users.

SOURCE: Nintendo

Nintendo confirms Wii Vitality Sensor was nixed due to consistency issues is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A new kind of book has been birthed. The love child of the self-help and craft genres is a book titled The Declaration of You.
Read More…
More on Female Artists

Peter Thum is no stranger to philanthropy and entrepreneurial success. As the founder of Ethos Water, he raised more than $7 million in humanitarian water grants and helped half a million people worldwide gain access to clean water. Starbucks acquired Ethos in 2005. Soon afterwards, he joined Starbucks as vice president and also became the director of the Starbucks Foundation through 2008.

Hungry to continue in his philanthropic ventures, Thum founded Fonderie 47 in 2009. The luxury brand removes AK47s from war zones in Africa and turns them into high-end jewelry. They make anything from cuff links to steel, diamond, 18-karat rose gold and platinum rings, the purchase of which funds the destruction of 160 assault rifles in African war zones. Along the way, Thum has received help from his wife, actress Cara Buono, who stars in popular TV show Mad Men, and has even collaborated with renowned jewelry designer James de Givenchy.

Read More…
More on Culture

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments