When Go Go Hamsters first raised their little, furry heads they were predicted to be a best selling toy for Christmas 2009. The Toy Retail Association has now confirmed this. So, what’s this latest craze all about? The manufactureres are selling them as “…sweet loveable and playful interactive pets that make an ideal substitute to the real live pets”. Cool, no feeding, no crap!

These interactive pet hamsters can run around the room and they make noises when they are cuddled, they even make different noises as they move about their go go hamster houses. Hmm, Monty Pythons musical mice?

As you’d expect, the Go Go hamsters have even been given cute names such as Chunk, Mr Squiggles, Num Nums…I’ll stop before you start vomiting. They’ve even got their own Funhouse and the manufacturers have a range of other play sets that can be added keeping the little ones amused for hours at a time!

Ok, I’m being a bit too sarcastic. These toys are aimed at the younger generation rather than grizzled, old men like me. Anyhow, if you’ve interested in getting more info and pricing (they are a very low cost stocking filler option…hint, hint) follow this link to Go Go Hamster prices now

Popularity: 72% [?]

BBFC dropped as PEGI videogame ratings given government approval

Following the wake Byron Report into how children use the Internet and videogames, the government-backed Digital Britain report has finally put an end to the speculation over the BBFC and PEGI age classifications on software packages.
Extensive consultation with industry experts and consumers led to the UK government adoption of the PEGI system as the sole method of classification for videogames. This has means that legally-binding age certificates used by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will be dropped.

Outlined in the Digital Britain report is the statement “PEGI will give consumers a single set of clear logos for video games that will apply across most of Europe, providing an international solution for game content regulation. It has the flexibility required to adapt to the challenge of rapidly-evolving technology in the games sector and will be highly effective in the online world”.
The PEGI system is self-regulatory and not governed by an independent body, but by the videogame publishing industry itself. The parental guidance it provides is clearly through a series of symbols and advisories that highlight age recommendations and game play details.

According to the report’s findings, PEGI offers the “best elements of a pan-European self-regulatory system” that takes into account “the views of the British public.”

Governmental support of PEGI hasn’t gone down well with the BBFC, which maintains that its long-serving classification system, used to classify movies, DVD and Blu-ray releases, is the more effective solution because the organisation is separate from the industry.

In a statement, the BBFC said that, while it supports PEGI and will co-operate completely with the legislative changes, the UK classification system “must be independent in substance as well as appearance, reaching its decisions and providing information on the basis of its own detailed assessments.”

Although the Digital Britain report and the government’s final decision in favour of PEGI do not reflect all recommendations in the report it apparently “meets all the key criteria” laid down by the Byron Report and will also make it illegal for retailers to sell 12+ computer and videogames to underage children.

Popularity: 68% [?]

Strafing the supermarket from 10,000 feet!

Ever wished you could fly to the shops? What about jumping over that traffic jam that’s held you 400m away from your motorway exit for the past hour? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll soon be able to soar high in the Moller M400 Skycar.

Ok, I’ve taken the fantasy a little too far; the Moller M4 isn’t a car that converts into a plane at the flick of switch so you won’t be seeing cars lifting off from the motorways anytime soon.

* the 300mph flying car

The M400 is the brainchild of Canadian-born inventor Paul Moller and it basically the equivalent of an airborne supercar - the Supercar with wings that cruises at 300 mph. And at 20 mpg it’s certainly more economical than some its earth bound brethren.

The Moller M400 is powered by eight, tiny Wankel rotary engines, each cranking out 150 hp. The engines are hidden away inside pods that can rotate to give the M400 VTOL just like the Harrier Jumpjet…the ideal opportunity to imagine yourself as Maverick, Danger Zone blasting out whilst you manouevre your airborne VW Beetle in attack formation. Sweet.

There is a major sticking point - the authorities. Before the M400 gets the green light, Moller needs to convince them that this isn’t going to create a motorway pile-up in the sky. If he’s successful we could soon be seeing the (low level) skies filled with M400’s.

Popularity: 54% [?]

Sun, the UNIX giant has announced a round of what is termed in the industry as ‘restructuring’ - basically, it means lots of people will lose their jobs. In fact, 3,000 people are being made redundant!

The announcement comes following a 7 percent drop in first-quarter revenue last month. It may not seem like a big number but when you considering the billions Sun turns over in revenue it equals an awful lot of pay packets.

The restructuring will see between 15 percent and 18 percent of Suns global workforce being laid off - including Rich Green, executive VP of software.

Sun’s restructuring will result in a charge of between $500 million and $600 million over the next 12 months, with about $375 million to $450 million coming in the current 2009 fiscal year.

The company said it should start seeing cost savings in the third quarter of the current fiscal year. Sun expects the restructuring to save it between $700 million and $800 million annually. I wonder how much of that cash will be eaten up in the first year by redundancy payoffs?

Sun is also planning to realign its software organization into new business groups: Application Platform Software, Systems Platforms, and Cloud Computing & Developer Platforms, with a focus on “boosting open-source momentum and growing new sectors of the market who view technology as a competitive weapon.”

Popularity: 50% [?]

In the words of  MySpace CEO, Chief Executive Chris DeWolfe, “It’s possible”. So, I guess that a ‘yes’. Although MySpace is currently concentrating on improving the MySpace Music service a move into the iTunes territory doesn’t seem unrealistic. By teaming up with the likes of Sony, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group MySpace Music is attempting to become THE online place to access your favourite tracks.

Just like Apple, MySpace Music allows you create and share your playlists and browse those of your friends which is a rather clever way of advertising to users who wouldn’t ordinarily browse for tracks other than those they’re interested in.

Apple currently has the advantage in the form of music downloads to a dedicated device, the iPod which dominates the market. But the growth of social networks as a place to share more than just your personal details and interests represents a tantalising source of revenue for an industry struggling to monetise itself. In these circumstance, MySpace would be unwise to discount something like a ‘MyPod’. Maybe Apple know this already hence Apples game downloads

Popularity: 27% [?]