Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about Nintendo’s latest creation, Wii Fit. If you haven’t, here’s a brief rundown. Wii Fit is the new lifestyle product for the Wii Console that combines the fun of gaming with the benefits of exercise. The Wii was a revolution in itself in the way that it allowed users to interact with games using wireless motion sensitive controls that were fun and easy to use, appealing to both gamers and non-gamers alike. Wii Fit takes this concept one step further with the introduction of the Wii Balance Board which comes bundled with the game.

The Wii Balance Board

The Wii Balance Board looks a lot like an oversized bathroom scale but it actually contains four pressure sensors that allow it to very accurately determine a user’s weight and their position on the board. This information is sent wirelessly to the Wii Console, allowing games to interpret a whole new range of motions and provides a completely new gaming experience. Wii Fit is the first game to take advantage of the Wii Balance Board and features over forty different exercises and games including yoga, muscle workouts, aerobic exercise and balance games.

Wii Fit is an Instant Hit

Wii Fit was launched in Japan at the beginning of December 2007 and it was an immediate hit, selling almost 1.8 million copies in the first four months. It was then released in the UK on the 25th April 2008 and almost immediately topped the UK gaming charts. Within days, retailers had sold all of their initial stock allocations and it was estimated that over 200 000 copies of Wii Fit were sold within the first week. In fact, one high street chain claimed to be shifting 90 copies a minute on launch day. Wii Fit is scheduled for launch in Australia on the 8th May 2008 and in the US on the 19th.

What’s Next after Wii Fit?

There’s no denying the success of Wii Fit even before its US launch which will no doubt be massive, but I predict that ultimately it’s the Wii Balance Board that’s going to be the big hit in 2008. Wii Fit has taken Wii from being just another games console to being an actual lifestyle product that wouldn’t seem out of place in the average home and this will mean a potentially huge increase in the gaming market. As the buzz and excitement of Wii Fit dies down, many Wii Fit owners will begin to wonder what else they can do with their Wii Balance Boards, and that’s when things will really start to get interesting.

Upcoming Wii Balance Board Games

Right now (1 May 2008), Wii Fit is the only game available for the Wii Balance Board but that will definitely change in the coming months. Namco Bandai has already confirmed the release of We Ski in the US on May 13 and 2k Sports have Don King’s Prizefighter scheduled for June and the list will grow. In fact, Nintendo US COO, Reggie Fils-Aime, confirmed that over 10 games were already in development.

No other games have been confirmed but there are already rumours spreading of Nintendo snowboarding, EA Skate, Rayman Raving Rabbids and even future Mario titles. Like I said, nothing’s been confirmed but whatever the case, Wii Balance Board games are definitely going to be a big hit in 2008.

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The Wiiviewer reviews the Wii Fit Balance Board.

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About Author

Martin Graf

Martin Graf is a recent Nintendo convert and a big fan of Wii Balance Board Games.

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After its October launch, the Windows Mobile 6.5 gets a third version upgrade that finally puts it act right with a slew of finger-touch and more gesture friendly enhancements to bring it at par with the other better smartphone platforms in the market.  With just 8% market share of the word’s smartphone market, it has been falling year-on-year behind with a few makers like HTC junking it in favor of Android.

Of the few smartphone makers left running it, the Japanese mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has the world’s first smartphone to run the new Windows Mobile 6.5.3.  This is the Sony Ericsson Aspen, formerly named Faith.  Looking at its previous handsets, this could well be its first Blackberry-styled smartphone sporting the familiar QWERTY candybar monoblock form factor.

It is also one of the latest addition to its GreenHeart stable of eco-friendly mobile phones that started with the C901 GreenHeart last year.

Eco Friendly Features

The press release form its official announcement leaves little data on its “green” features but we can surmise that it shares many of the first GreenHeart model.  The spec sheet shows it has the WalkMate pedometer and a CO2 calculator that tells you how much carbon emission was saved by walking rather than taking your car.  Its body must have at least 50% made from recycled plastics and painted using waterborne paints, among other green features which are basically found in other eco-friendly phones from LG and Samsung.

Smart Affordable Features

Apart from its Blackberry styling that’s distinctly unique among Sony Ericsson phones, the Aspen takes advantage of the enhanced WinMo 6.5.3 platform to have faster browser page loading performance, a finer memory management as well as providing better zooming, gesture and touch control without the need for a stylus.  The WinMo is said to have capacitive touchscreen and multitouch support though that feature is not found in the Aspen as it only has a resistive touchscreen on its 2.4-inch QVGA display with the usual Windows-constrained 64k colors.

The Aspen is a 3G phone on the dual band UMTS (900/2100) for the European markets and a quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) on 2G.  It has the usual high speed data connectivity that you can expect even for mid-priced 3G feature phones like HSDPA/HSUPA, WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0 for high speed data transfers.

Its QWERTY candybar body comes in either silver white or ivory black and measures 117 x 60 x 12.5mm with a 130g weight that makes it less than pocket-friendly. You get a basic 3.2-megapixel fixed focus camera with smart contrast and video recording that is quite common in low-end smartphones.  You also get A-GPS receiver, 3.5mm headphone jack, an accelerometer, stereo speakers and a modest 100 MB of internal memory expandable to 16 GB with its microSD slot.

Software-wise, the Sony Ericsson Aspen provides seamless social networking with an instant access to Facebook as well as Windows Live Messenger and comes with a bundled Google Maps.  Its multimedia has the usual media players we expect from Sony’s Walkman tradition and now comes with media browsers that support music, photos and videos. There’s also access to PlayNow apps for games and new music.

Watch the video related to Eco Media Player

This week Jon’s got hold of the new Nintendo dsi XL, Ortis looks at the eco media player and Dionne brings us the latest tech news. For more videos, news and reviews go to fwd.five.tv

Help answer the question about Eco Media Player

* From our expanded online assortment; not available in all Best Buy stores
* Intel® Centrino® processor technology with Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor T6400
Mobile Intel® GM45 Express Chipset, Intel® WiFi Link 5100AGN network connection (802.11a/b/g/n) and extended battery life.
* 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 memory
For multitasking power. 800MHz frontside bus, 2MB L2 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed.
* Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible media. Also supports DVD-RAM.
* 14.1" WXGA widescreen display
With XBRITE-ECO technology and 1280 x 800 resolution brings life to your movies and games.
* 250GB SATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
Offers plenty of storage capacity.
* Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
With Intel® Clear Video technology features and up to 1750MB available video memory for intense detail. Intel® High Definition audio.
* Personal musical light show
With a 12-tone music analyzer for translating your music into LED lights.
* Touch sensor A/V slide control
Allows you to easily control your music and movies with the slide of a finger.
* Built-in 1.3MP MOTION EYE camera with microphone
Makes it easy to chat with and send video mail to family and friends.
* i.LINK (IEEE 1394) port and 3 USB ports
For digital data transfer and mobile digital imaging capabilities; Memory Stick PRO memory card slot with MagicGate support and Secure Digital media card slot.
* Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 and EDR interface
With stereo A2DP Bluetooth technology easily link with other Bluetooth-enabled devices such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
* Built-in 10Base-T/100Base-TX Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector
And V.92/V.90 high-speed data/fax modem for flexible wired Web connectivity options.
* Weighs only 5.7 lbs. and measures just 1.6" thin
For easy portability.
* Long battery life
Of up to 3 hours and 47 minutes to give you more time away from an outlet.
* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system with Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled
Software package included with Microsoft Works SE 9.0 and more. 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 included.
* ENERGY STAR compliance
Assures a high standard of energy efficiency.

Total Price (with tax and shipping) is $900. Please give your comment about this product only.

About Author

Simon Drew

You can visit Best Mobile Contracts to see all the latest mobile deals available. You can see what deals are available for Aspen Greenheart and other phones. They also compare mobile broadband so you are always connected.

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Live Anywhere is basically Gates’ vision of seamlessly bringing together gaming on mobile, PC and console platforms. Xbox Live mobile

A new job posting suggests that Microsoft is one step closer to bringing together Windows Mobile and Xbox Live.

Microsoft is now actively recruiting for a Principal Program Manager who would be responsible for bringing “Xbox Live enabled games to Windows Mobile.”

The company wants someone who can develop “avatar integration, social interaction, and multi-screen experiences.”

Xbox LIVE involves a lot more than building software. It’s about changing the way people have fun, interact and live. Help us create and deliver the most advanced online entertainment service on the planet. At Xbox LIVE, we’re accelerating the trend towards connected, social interactive entertainment by designing incredibly rich, multi-platform game and community experiences. We’re connecting players via the LIVE services on new devices beyond the console. We need a Principle Program Manager who can help drive the platform and bring Xbox LIVE enabled games to Windows Mobile. This person will focus specifically on what makes gaming experiences “LIVE Enabled” through aspects such as avatar integration, social interactions, and multi-screen experiences.

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More concerns. It’s tougher to control the ball when receiving a pass. Again it’s a nod to a more realistic take on football where boots aren’t tipped with superglue, but we found passes pinging off the intended recipient and straight to the opposition on an alarming number of occasions. And as for the ‘keepers… They flap, they fail to claim, and they gift the opposition goals. Only the weakest of shots seem to stick in their paws.

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