Handful of Nothing

Thoughtfix has just uploaded this very nice (and shaky) video with Canola inside his car. We have been talking about this approach for a long time, and not only being able to have Canola, but what about the sleep screen becoming a on board computer for your car? So while Canola is playing some music, or streaming your favorite internet radio you could be monitoring all your car vital data or even better: the GPS + Canola as thoughtfix also mentioned.

Very very cool, thanks thoughtfix!

So you can read here that these guys at apple inside think that apple’s recent game designers hiring is a signal that the Cupertino company is aspiring to enter the Console market. I really don’t think so, and I think apple’s hiring has other meaning: Focus on great application.

Great gamedesigners have a set of common skills : ability to entertain the user. Lock them into an experience that he fells part of it and can “evolve” in it. Deep understand of user aspiration. They know how to keep the user excited while using their software. So what if Apple has just again foreseen the importance of immersing users into more game-like experiences. I think this is just a warning signal for usability professionals out there =) New times are coming, even if Apple is REALLY thinking about the console market.

Ok, I understand that Brazil is known for the piracy and everything, but there’s also serious gamers like myself, and I would really like to be able to buy consoles and games just like a american guy or european or a japanese can do.
Why can’t I do that? I will show you.

Let’s do first some benchmarks :
imagine that a very good salary for a software developer here in brazil is 5.000 reais. That gives you some 2000 dollars, but if you compare with a guy in the US, it can be almost 1 by 1. So they guy in the US, goes in the store… and want’s to buy a ps3.
He pays 499 dollars, and 60 bucks for a game. and go home. spending a little bit more than 15% of his salary to buy it all.

In Brazil the same guy would have to pay 8000 reais, or 3711 USD. so, more then 1 full salary (not excluding taxes) to have a ps3 at home.

What’s so funny : with 8k reais, I can leave know, pick a flight to new york, buy a ps3 there, come back and I will almost have some money to spend in beers.

This should be a joke but it’s not. What makes me mad is the gov saying : we need to protect the local industry. Sorry politicians… no game industry here.. or even signal of plans for it.