FocuSoft Tech Blog

GameStop to start testing game downloads early next year
NeuroStar TMS Depression Therapy System First To Be Given FDA Approval [This Cyborg Life]
Trust in Casio’s Japanese Exilim EX-FS10S, it’ll turn your bogeys into birdies
MPAA Shuts Down Entire Town’s Wi-Fi Over Single Illegal Download [Mpaa]
Beautiful Dress Made Out Of 24,000 LEDs [Design]
The Fashion Icons Of Wearable Computing [This Cyborg Life]
Velcro Bus Ads Are Bound to End In Disaster [Advertising]
Ask Engadget: Best multitouch monitor?
Automatic Holy Water Dispenser Dole Out Individual Squirts to Fight Swine Flu [Religion]
Motorola’s MT710 OPhone for China makes us dream of Droids without keyboards

GameStop to start testing game downloads early next year

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 10:33 PM PST

GameStop has been dropping hints about its digital download plans for a little while now, but it looks to have done its most extensive and official talking about the matter yet at the recent BMO Capital Management Digital Entertainment conference, where it confirmed that it will start testing the program “early next year” with kiosks in an unspecified number of stores. That program will apparently work in conjunction with services “such as Microsoft Corp’s Xbox Live and Sony Corp’s PlayStation Network,” and will focus primarily on add-on content rather than full game downloads. Why’s that, you ask? Well it seems that GameStop thinks “a large market for full game downloads is not imminent, (but) the add-on downloadable market will grow” — a view that some would obviously beg to differ with.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

GameStop to start testing game downloads early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NeuroStar TMS Depression Therapy System First To Be Given FDA Approval [This Cyborg Life]

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 09:40 PM PST

Last year, Neuronetics’ NeuroStar TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy system became the first device of its kind to be cleared by the FDA for treating depression. Although, the similarity to a dentist chair was probably not a great idea.

Nonetheless, trials on 164 patients with unipolar, non-psychotic major depressive disorder using the device proved that treatment with short magnetic field pulses to the left prefrontal cortex can be a viable alternative to medication. After 30 40-minute daily sessions, half of the patients in the trial experienced significant improvement, while a third reported complete resolution. Plus, the only statistically significant side effect was mild discomfort in the treatment area. Currently, patients can receive NeuroStar treatments in a psychiatrist’s office while remaining completely awake and alert.

Given all of the uncertainty and danger surrounding many psychiatric drugs, NeuroStar seems like it’s worth a shot for people suffering from serious bouts of depression. It could also be a sign of things to come. Perhaps technology like this will one day be implanted directly into our brains—making us feel awesome all the time. [NeuroStar and Medical News Today via PopSci]

NeuroStar TMS Depression Therapy System First To Be Given FDA Approval [This Cyborg Life]

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NeuroStar TMS Depression Therapy System First To Be Given FDA Approval [This Cyborg Life]

Trust in Casio’s Japanese Exilim EX-FS10S, it’ll turn your bogeys into birdies

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 09:18 PM PST

Sure, we could rattle off a list of specs — and if you’re curiuos, it’s a 9.1 megapixel sensor with 3x optical zoom and 720p video — but you know what’s really gonna have Casio’s Exilim EX-FS10S flying off shelves? The ability to stand it behind your tee and show you exactly how you screw up your swing, with special help of the company’s trademark 1000 frames per second burst mode. The catch is, while the EX-FS10 is already available in US, only the Japanese model seems to have your golf buddy. Bummer.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Trust in Casio’s Japanese Exilim EX-FS10S, it’ll turn your bogeys into birdies originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MPAA Shuts Down Entire Town’s Wi-Fi Over Single Illegal Download [Mpaa]

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST

f37f9395f2x wifi.jpg MPAA Shuts Down Entire Towns Wi Fi Over Single Illegal Download [Mpaa] The citizens of Coshocton, Ohio are without their free Internet after a single download prompted the Motion Picture Association of America to shut down the town’s municipal Wi-Fi network.

This is by no means the first time the MPAA has stepped on the little guy in their crusade to eradicate piracy, but it is a particularly egregious instance of it. The free Wi-Fi network in Coshocton, Ohio supported anywhere from “a dozen people a day to 100 during busy times,” all of whom are left without Internet after the shut down. As nations like Finland move to make broadband access a legal right, it is unfortunately clear that some powerful people in our country still consider it a privilege and not a necessity.

Let this be a lesson to those who not only enjoy but depend on free Wi-Fi networks. Enjoy it while it lasts, because if Dennis the Menace down the block can’t wait for Transformers 3 to come out on DVD, you might be out a connection. [Via BoingBoing]

MPAA Shuts Down Entire Towns Wi Fi Over Single Illegal Download [Mpaa]

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MPAA Shuts Down Entire Town’s Wi-Fi Over Single Illegal Download [Mpaa]

Beautiful Dress Made Out Of 24,000 LEDs [Design]

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 08:20 PM PST

24,000 full-color, super-thin LEDs, 4,000 Swarovski crystals, and enough iPod batteries to keep everything glowing for about an hour. This picture doesn’t do the Galaxy Dress justice, but the video comes close.

This gorgeous thing was designed by Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz and they say that it’s the “the largest wearable display in the world.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I do know that I wanted to cry when I read that the dress went straight from the sewing room to the museum mannequin, without ever being worn by a real woman. [Wired]

Beautiful Dress Made Out Of 24,000 LEDs [Design]

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Beautiful Dress Made Out Of 24,000 LEDs [Design]

The Fashion Icons Of Wearable Computing [This Cyborg Life]

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 07:40 PM PST

I was wondering what Aimee Mullins was running from, and now I suspect that it might’ve been these fellows. I’m sure they’re great people, being a part of MIT’s Wearable Computing team and all, but I would run too.

You can click on the picture for a closer look at those six studs.

Now before you go on and make fun of these handsome fellows, do keep in mind that this picture was taken over a decade ago. Being so far ahead of their times in fashion faux pas deserves some respect.

Photo by Wear Cam

The Fashion Icons Of Wearable Computing [This Cyborg Life]

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The Fashion Icons Of Wearable Computing [This Cyborg Life]

Velcro Bus Ads Are Bound to End In Disaster [Advertising]

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 07:20 PM PST

I don’t know what Coca-Cola was thinking when they used these ads to promote their Grip Bottle in bus stops. They are made with velcro, so if you lean or get anywhere near them wearing woolly cloths, you’d get stuck.

The ads were designed to highlight the better grip the new bottles offer. They placed them in bus stop shelters in Paris, ready to rip cashmere sweaters and expensive clothes. But instead of hating them, the French bought 3.8% more of their sugar water.

What I want to see is an image of one of these ads after a week of being there. I can imagine everything got stuck there, from giant balls of dust to cats to drunk people. [Daily]

Velcro Bus Ads Are Bound to End In Disaster [Advertising]

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Velcro Bus Ads Are Bound to End In Disaster [Advertising]

Ask Engadget: Best multitouch monitor?

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 07:06 PM PST

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Matthew, who just can’t wait to let his fingers do the talking within Windows 7.

“With all the new multitouch capable monitors coming out, which one is the best? With the release of Windows 7 I really want a touchscreen monitor for my desktop. I’m looking to get a Full HD monitor that supports multitouch and can still look great during gaming and movies. Which one has the best specs for the price?”

We know this sector is still in the early stages, but we’re guessing there are a few options out there and on the horizon for those looking to take advantage of one of Win7’s most enticing features. Any tips here, wise ones?

Filed under: Ask Engadget, Displays

Ask Engadget: Best multitouch monitor? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automatic Holy Water Dispenser Dole Out Individual Squirts to Fight Swine Flu [Religion]

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 06:40 PM PST

b4ea91ff3ewater.jpg Automatic Holy Water Dispenser Dole Out Individual Squirts to Fight Swine Flu [Religion] Some churches in Italy are installing automatic holy water dispensers that, much like soap dispensers, squirt out an individual portion when you place your hand underneath it. To fight swine flu, of course!

It’s not that people think holy water cures the dreaded pig disease (although I’m sure some do), it’s that when everyone kept sharing from the same big basin of holy water, it turned into a holy cesspool. This is much more sanitary. And you know what they say about cleanliness and godliness and all that. [Telegraph via Boing Boing]

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Automatic Holy Water Dispenser Dole Out Individual Squirts to Fight Swine Flu [Religion]

Motorola’s MT710 OPhone for China makes us dream of Droids without keyboards

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 06:10 PM PST

While it’s busy trying to rebuild market share on the backs of Android-powered devices in North America and Europe, Motorola’s already got a bustling business in China, so it makes sense that they’d want to contribute some Google juice over there as well. That dovetails nicely with China Mobile’s Android-based Open Mobile System — which runs those so-called OPhones — and Motorola has yet to bring an OPhone to market, so that’s where this little beast appears poised to come into play. The MT710 is said to feature an 854 x 480 display clocking in at 3.7 inches and 3G support (using China Mobile’s up-and-coming TD-SCDMA network), but beyond that, little is known; it’s said that Motorola will intro a total of seven Android models in China over the next year, though, and this is clearly one of them. Shave three or four millimeters off the Droid’s girth with this puppy, and count us in.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola’s MT710 OPhone for China makes us dream of Droids without keyboards originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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