Microsoft had big hopes and dreams for Xbox 360 in Japan, given the cold shoulder its predecessor got in that tiny nation, dominated as it is by Sony and its PlayStation 2. Well, cast aside those hopes, Microsoft, because it’s official: The Xbox 360 has completely flopped in Japan. After selling just 326,000 Xbox 360 units during the launch period last week, Microsoft set the kind of record it never wanted to set. Xbox 360 actually sold fewer units during its launch even than the doomed original Xbox did, as that prior console sold 556,000 units when it launched in Japan 3 years ago.

Likewise, Microsoft was able to sell only about 30 percent of the consoles it offered to the Japanese market, while Xbox 360 completely sold out, and instantly, in North America and Europe. What this means is simple: Even though Sony’s PlayStation 3 won’t go on sale for several months, it’s already sewn up Japan, the third largest video game market in the world. Back to the drawing boards.

Source:: Connected Home Magazine

Janet Jackson has topped the list of most searched terms on Google in 2005. Ms Jackson’s name was top query in the search giant’s annual summary of trends on what people have been looking for on the internet. Hurricanes, the London bombings, iPods and Britney Spears’ pregnancy all featured in the round-up, revealing the broad interests of Google users. The results show how net use is maturing and how it has become more than a place people only go to shop. And here was me thinking most people just looked for, er, images…

Although Ms Jackson’s much publicised “wardrobe malfunction” occurred at the 2004 Superbowl, the Google analysis shows that her name was the most searched for term over the last 12 months. Her popularity even topped that of her brother Michael, despite the fact that his legal troubles were played out over many months of 2005.

Also on the list of top searches in 2005 was Britney Spears whose pregnancy managed to keep her in the news. Google reported huge spikes of interest in Ms Spears coinciding with confirmation of her pregnancy and the September birth of her son Sean. Britney was also the top search term on Yahoo. Its top 10 was dominated by pop culture, featuring stars such as 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Eminem.

Digital music was also a notable feature in the list of terms that people looked for on Google’s Froogle shopping site. Four of the phrases in the top 10 were iPod related, reflecting the huge interest in Apple’s sleek music player and downloadable music in general. But Google’s most popular list was not entirely composed of pop singers and celebrities. Also in the list of top terms were 2005’s natural disasters

TOP TERMS IN 2005
1: Janet Jackson
2: Hurricane Katrina
3: Tsunami
4: Xbox 360
5: Brad Pitt
6: Michael Jackson
7: American Idol
8: Britney Spears
9: Angelina Jolie
10: Harry Potter

Source: The BBC and Gooooogle

We all know the average hollywood icon or sportstar is pretty dumb. In this data controlled world, how stupid do you really need to be to know that if (when) you lose your cell phone, the chances of the contents ending up on the web is pretty damn high. To compound the problem, you don’t even need to lose your phone, just ask the pathetic Paris Hilton what it’s like to get your SideKicked hacked and for the world to see your little slideshow…

With all that in mind, a UK company, Staellium, has invented a nice piece of software allowing cell phone SMSers to send personal, private or otherwise confidential messages using their cell phone without the contents of aforementioned message ever being saved for future embarassment. This would help the likes of David Beckham, he of the “love messages” to his assistant from ever being outed or for G.W to quickly let his Generals to press the button - and then deny it took place.

Thousands of people have subscribed to a self-destruct text message service which started on Sunday in the UK, says the firm behind the system. The commercial service allows sensitive messages to be destroyed 40 seconds after being read. Developed by a British firm, Staellium, it is designed to allay worries about incriminating messages. The company said it has had interest from businesses, the Ministry of Defence, as well as celebrity agents.

Staellium likened its system to that of the self-destructing tape recorders featured in the 1970’s TV show, Mission Impossible.

“The technology behind StealthText is derived from military technology, so the comparisons with Mission Impossible are justified,” said Carole Barnum, chief executive of Staellium UK. “The ability to send a self-destruct message has massive benefits for people from all walks of life, from everyday mobile users through to celebrities and business people,” she said.

Privacy comes at a price. Each text using the system costs 50 pence, though users have to sign up for a minimum of 10 messages. People interested in using the service to send messages have to register and download a small program onto their mobile phone.

Once a message has been sent, the recipient receives a text notification showing the sender’s name and a link to the message. After they have opened it, the message disappears after 40 seconds. Despite the fact the message will be removed from phones, users cannot entirely avoid a data trail. For legal reasons, a log of the message will remain on a secure server to which they have no access.

No word yet on whether photo’s taken with the cell-camera can be removed… Watch out Paris, guess you’re not safe yet.

The draw for the World Cup has been made and the big news is that England will kick off against Paraguy on June 10th, face Trinidad in Nuremberg on the 15th before playing Sweden on June 20th. England’s Boss Sven-Goran Eriksson faces another meeting with fellow countrymen Sweden, who England have not beaten in 37 years, after the draw in Leipzig.

Elsewhere, the Argies will face Holland while newcomers Oz have been drawn with Brazil - nice!

Napster, the cool, then uncool and now cool again music service is pushing the boundaries of advertising with the new napstergirl campaign. I, for one will be voting for NapsterGirl if she ever takes a run at the whitehouse. I think the public needs to see more of her and her assets, er, policies. Take a moment to check out what she has to say. On a related subject note, I’m starting to think that Napster is a pretty damn good idea - a bit like leasing a car. For a (relatively speaking) fee, I can get access to a ton of music on my home PC, my audio device and play it in the car, without the worry of heavy footsteps on my door (hello RIAA) and with the knowledge that as new music is released, I’ll be able to grab it… Not a bad idea…

NapsterGirl

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