By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Originally designed as a medical device by Dr. Mark Ombrellaro, the “3rd Space” vest by TN Games was unveiled this week at the E for All video game exposition in Los Angeles. The medical version is used to poke and press patients’ bodies remotely and get feedback on what they are feeling. It still needs FDA approval.

The video game version uses 8 pneumatic cells embedded in the vest. The cells are designed to simulate the direction and force of bullet fire in a first-person-shooter (FPS) game.

You can pre-order the vest at their site now, in either black or camouflage. The regular price is $189, but if you pre-order you get a $20 discount. The vests will ship November 21st.

According to their press release, the $189 bundle includes both TN Games’ own Incursion and a 3rd Space enabled version of Activision’s Call of Duty II; it’s unclear if the $169 special does also.

Finally, they also state they have patches to 3rd Space-enable Quake 3, Quake 4, and Doom 3. These patches will be freely downloadable from the TN Games website once the vests ship.

Next year the company plans to ship a version of the vest that will mimic G-forces and turning pressures for flight and car games.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

We know that Apple has been selling tons of iPhones, but the top-selling AT&T phone? With the high price in comparison to many phones? Yes, that is exactly where the iPhone ranks, at least in Q3.

According to research firm Strategy Analytics and its latest ProductTRAX program data, nearly 1.1 million units were sold during Q3, with a total 1.325 million units since the iPhone was launched on June 29th.

The iPhone has become AT&T’s top seller, at 13% of sales, with a rank of #4 overall in cell phone sales.

According to Barry Gilbert, VP of the Strategy Analytics BuyerTRAX programs, “Although the iPhone hasn’t had an expansionary impact in the market, the iPhone has quickly assumed a leading market share position and raised the ante for smart devices. The sales trajectory we are observing with the iPhone could make it the top selling device in the US over the next 1-2 quarters.” Source: Strategy Analytics

We Say: More interesting data: unsurprisingly, the largest segment of buyers is in the 20-30 range, but nearly 25% of buyers were between 50-60 years old.

Currently the Motorola Razr V3 is still the top-selling device in the United States.

By Alice Hill
RealTechNews

Call them Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) or pocket computers - this is a category that just won’t die. Here’s why: I got the PepperPad back when it launched - a small tablet-style device you could stick on a kitchen counter and manipulate with a touch screen, stylus, thumb-wheel mouse, and an odd and mostly not so useful split keyboard. But it had WiFi and if I loaded up five or six tabs of websites I like to visit, it was a fast way to at-a-glance check in on world news, this website, and even driving directions, random facts and weather.

But the PepperPad was not very mobile. The new Nokia N810 adds a slide out keyboard making it something you may want to take along with you. The 810 ships next month with a $479 price tag, and includes WiFi, Bluetooth and integrated GPS.

We Say: without a phone but along for the ride, making this platform more mobile may make it seem less useful after all. Source: Information Week

By Martin Regtien
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

These days it is easy to get systems with integrated almost everything.
Whilst this is great for a standard user but it is hardly a match in performance compared to a custom build one.

Asus is set to launch the Xonar U1 External Audio Processor in six colours with a promise to “improve the laptop or PC’s underachieving audio”, as stated in their press release.

By Martin Regtien
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Straight from the school of innovative thinking, the lineup from Yoggie are devices with every conceivable security function crammed into an unit slightly larger than a thumb drive.  The design philosophy is to offload all IP based security functions into a dedicated piece of hardware and to deliver enterprise grade security to road warriors that are traditionally vulnerable in the field. Review on DigitalReviews.net soon to come.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

This was a widely anticipated announcement, particularly since the 40GB model has already launched in Europe and Japan. Just as in those versions, this model won’t have backward compatibility with PS2 games.

The 40GB version will launch on November 2nd, and will sell for $400. Meanwhile, the price of the 80GB version will be dropped to $500.

The announcement comes as the holiday shopping season approaches, and in the face of the continued huge popularity of the Nintendo Wii.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Wednesday in one of his open letters to the world, on Apple’s Hot News section of their site, Steve Jobs announced that in February of next year, Apple will release a third party SDK to developers, enabling native applications not just on the iPhone but on the iPod Touch.

An interesting comment in his post is:

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc.

We Say: What is most likely unsaid in all this is that they also don’t want to make it easier for hackers to unlock the iPhone, among other things. At any rate, once the SDK comes out, it will be interesting to see what comes of it.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

On February 18, 2009, broadcasters will stop transmitting analog signals. As such, this move should not surprise anyone, but Best Buy is the first consumer-electronics retailer to indicate it has pulled the plug on analog TVs.

In a press release, Mike Vitelli, Senior Vice President of Electronics for Best Buy said, “We are committed to helping people understand the digital television transition, and exiting the analog video business is one way we can help avoid confusion. Customers can now be sure that any television they purchase at Best Buy will be fully compliant with the digital television transition. And for customers who aren’t in the market for a new television, we can help you find the best solution to meet your needs.”

We Say: There’s been much discussion over if the estimated 60 million U.S. households that currently rely on an antennas or analog cable will be ready in time (they will if they have been paying attention!) for the transition in 2009, but no doubt announcements like this and a planned heavy-duty ad campaign by broadcasters will wake people up — unless they aren’t even watching their analog TVs.