There’s fast, really fast and then there’s Wii sales. Just a few weeks after it became the nation's favourite, the world has gone and done the same.
Nintendo has managed to flog over 9 million of the little tykes in less than a year and, even more stunning, it has just outsold the Xbox 360 to become the biggest selling next-gen console on the planet. According to the FT, the Xbox 360 has sold 8.9 million units since it launched in November 2005. Remarkably, the Wii hasn’t even had its first birthday yet. The article says:
"The report is based on sales figures from Enterbrain in Japan, NPD Group in the US and GfK of Germany, which tracks European sales. Sales figures from each console's launch date through the end of July (and the end of August in Japan) were added up, with the Wii just barely edging out the 360: 9 million for the Wii, 8.9 million for the 360, and 3.7 million for the PlayStation 3."
While the Wii cannot be compared to either the 360 or PS3 in performance terms [graphics, HD, movies, storage etc], it certainly deserves a pat on the back for shaking up the competition.-Martin Lynch
[FT – subscription required]
wii console PS3 xbox
Trackback: http://blogs.vnunet.com/app/trackback/99175
Boston Acoustics makes some fine audio equipment but for its SoundWare all-weather speakers, the company has decided to go a little mad with the paint pots.
The mini, polyhedron-shaped speakers, which come in seven colours, measure just 6 x 6in and are made from weather-resistant materials, that will cope fine with the odd shower and even tropical storms. Perfect for the British summer then.
Each speaker features a 4.5in driver and 0.75in tweeter built into a toughened plastic cabinet. The odd shape comes in handy for placing them in any number of awkward locations and each pair comes with mounting brackets too.
They may be small but they will still set you back around £150 a pair.-Martin Lynch
[Boston Acoustics]
audio music speakers
Trackback: http://blogs.vnunet.com/app/trackback/99174
Philips, which recently teased us with the next evolution of its Ambilight technology , called Aurea, is obviously not getting rid of Ambilight anytime soon.
The company has just taken the wraps off seven new skinny tellies, all boasting tweaked Ambilight technology, and ranging in size from 32in to 52in. Prices start at £999 for the 32PFL9632D and ramp up to an impressive £2,999 for the 52in 52PFL9632D £2,999. All of the 1080p TVs use the Perfect Pixel HD Engine on 100Hz LCD panels. Response time is just 3ms and there’s a claimed contrast ratio of 8000:, which ain’t half bad.
The TVs boast two-panel Ambilight technology to draw you into the picture. This time though, LEDs are in use to increase the colour spectrum and reduce the TV’s running costs. How considerate.
That said, the 37in 37PFL9732D which costs £1,799 - £300 more than the regular 37in version – has three Ambilight bars.-Martin Lynch
TV philips HDTV ambilight
Trackback: http://blogs.vnunet.com/app/trackback/99173
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
