By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Guess this South Korean who died after a 50 hour nonstop gaming session really wasn’t addicted. At least that’s what the AMA says.

Doctors backed away on Sunday from a controversial proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder akin to alcoholism, saying psychiatrists should study the issue more.

Addiction experts also strongly opposed the idea at a debate at the American Medical Association’s annual meeting. Source: Yahoo! News

We Say: Not an addiction, eh? Think this gaming detox center would disagree. As would my psychologist wife. In her opinion, this type of behavior is classic addiction. On the other hand, the AMA was looking at it more in terms of physiology, in that “complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders,” and thus, in that point, they are likely correct. This seems to definitely be a psychological issue.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Video games, simulations, etc. have good points as well. For example, this simulation helps returning Iraq war veterans deal with PTSD. There are even ways games can be used in teaching, of course. But as with anything, even water, it’s all in moderation.

By Jimmy Daniels
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Windows Live Folders, formerly referred to as Live Drive, a much better name, IMHO, has entered beta, or rather, a managed beta, whatever that means. The service is supposed to start with 500Mb of online storage on a new computing infrastructure that Microsoft has been building for Silverlight.

The beta system is pretty straight forward. Users can upload files via a web form or through an ActiveX control. Once on the system, files can be marked public, private, or be shared with other Live users by user name or through email by permalink. Files will be download only since Microsoft doesn’t have an office web suite yet. They will also be continually adding greater integration between Spaces and Folders so that files uploaded to one show up on the other.

The Folders beta is mainly meant to get user feedback to be used in future iterations. Microsoft already has plans to incorporate file syncing into the storage cloud powered by FolderShare, which they acquired back in 2005, stepping on the toes of quite a few startups along the way. Source: TechCrunch

We Say: I asked what a managed beta was because I just went to folders.live.com, it gave me a login prompt already filled in with my id, so I entered my password and now I have 500MB of free online storage. I grabbed some programs I had downloaded from the net, no, they are evaluation or free programs, totaled about 14 or 15 megs and uploaded very quickly, in under a minute. Note, I am currently on a very fast connection, it will be interesting to see how fast it is from home and with lots of people using it. So, if you are looking for free storage online and have a live id, sign in and start uploading and lets test this thing out. Beta, schmeta.

One suggestion is to allow more file uploads at once, five is kind of low, at least go to ten, or allow us to drag and drop files and folders like we can with Internet Explorer and ftp sites.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

The next few days there are going to be so much iPhone news … I can either post them separately or in one fell swoop. Personally I am so overwhelmed … expect them in a roundup format.

a) Pricing for the iPhone voice / data plans was announced. There will be 3 tiers, $59.99, $79.99 and $99.99. All have unlimited data service, varying voice minutes, and, strangely to me, only 200 SMS messages. My guess is they don’t expect very many high school students to be using these. Add this all up, and with the two year contract, you’re looking at $500 or $600 for the iPhone + a minimum of $1440 for the phone plan. $2000 for something that’s likely to be obsolete next year. Keep that in mind!

b) They’re already waiting! At the time of this writing, at the 5th Avenue Apple Store in Manhattan, the line was up to six.

c) Both the WSJ and the NY Times posted reviews of the iPhone. In both cases, the biggest complaint: the AT&T Network and the lack of 3G.

d) Some think that because music on the iPhone will have to be side-loaded, meaning you have to buy music on your PC and then transfer it to the iPhone.

We Say: I’m sure I can find more if I really try hard … or probably if I hardly try at all … BTW, this is post 4000 on the site! Congratulations to RTN and to Alice.

By Martin Regtien
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Just a couple of weeks and you’ll be able to check out the contours of the latest SanDisk Cruzer Contour for yourself. Here’s a sleek new flash drive, a bit like a switchblade: to flick out the USB connector just use your thumb to slide the top of the Cruzer Contour.  It’s a bit like the Titanium model except the switch is invisible…
We just might have this model land on our desk in the very near future when we have a SanDisk Show, featuring their latest models.

In the meantime read more details from Australia here.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

KPIX-TV, AKA CBS 5 in the SF Bay Area, today announced jointly with Sling Media that it is using Sling Media’s Slingbox with 3G wireless networks and video cameras to deliver live video feeds and pictures.

Currently, CBS 5 has 28 live cameras, all of which are supported by Slingbox technology. Seven out of nine bridges spanning the Bay Area have a camera, as do major thoroughfares and airports. CBS 5 uses live video from these cameras on air and can also make the reports available for viewing on the CBS 5 website (www.cbs5.com). CBS5.com also features live still views from all 28 cameras at any time via a desktop, laptop, or compatible mobile web browser. Source: Sling Media

We Say: I can see this being used primarily for traffic feeds, but they already found a different use for it: after the collapse of an I-580 on-ramp in April, they used the technology to send a signal back from a moving car, so viewers could watch a reporter’s progress in rush hour on the day after the event.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

This won’t be a long post, since it’s just a reminder. You may remember my earlier post about the protest over new Internet radio royalty rates. Well, it’s today.

Not everyone is participating, but if you go to Yahoo! Launchcast for example, all you get is savenetradio.org links (as above). And if you’re in the SF Bay Area and listen to KPFA, they’re off the “Internet” air, and telling you about it on the radio broadcast.

We Say: If your favorite station(s) are dead air today, I hope you took my advice and brought something with you …

By Martin Regtien
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Nothing flash… or is it?
Today DigitalReviews.net looked at two USB flash memory drives from PQI, the Intelligent Drive i810 and the Card Drive U510.

Even in the abundant flash memory drive market these drives offer unique form factors that provide that additional option for consumers’ tastes.

Click here for more.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Hastings, Nebraska … yep, in Yahoo!’s Be a Better Planet “Greenest City in America” challenge it’s #1. It’s also the birthplace of Kool-Aid.

As Sam Champion announced on Good Morning America this morning, Hastings is the winner of Yahoo!’s Be a Better Planet “Greenest City in America” challenge. A goodly sum of its 25,000 residents participated in the campaign by taking pledges to reduce their carbon diets on Yahoo! Green, answering green questions on Yahoo! Answers, and conducting eco-friendly mobile searches on Yahoo! oneSearch. Source: Yahoo!

We Say: Honestly, answering green questions helping win this? Shoot, Los Angeles could have overwhelmed them with sheer numbers, and that’s no green city. At any rate, they will get a $250,000 check as opposed to the optional prize of a fleet of hybrid taxis. One good thing though, looking through the list of top 10 cities that Yahoo sent me, 3 were in Northern California (San Carlos, Mill Valley and Walnut Creek).