175w ago - Today the AP reports that Google is planning to build ultra-fast broadband networks in select areas.

Feeling lucky? Apparently Google will seek input from communities that might be interested in getting one of its test networks which will deliver speeds of 1 gigabit per second.

That would be roughly 50 to 300 times faster than the DSL, cable and fiber-optic networks that connect most U.S. homes to the Internet today, at speeds typically ranging from 3 megabits to 20 megabits per second.

To quote: Google envisions systems that will enable consumers to download a high-definition, full-length feature film in less than five minutes; allow rural health clinics to send 3-D medical images over the Internet; and let students collaborate with classmates around the world while watching live 3-D video of a university lecture.

"Our goal is to trial new technologies and figure out what kinds of applications you can send over these big pipes," said Richard Whitt, Google's Washington-based counsel for telecommunications and media. "There may be next-generation applications that are being held back right now."

Google said it is prepared to sell access directly to consumers at prices that are competitive with existing broadband services, but would consider letting Internet service...

252w ago - PlayStation's Home becomes more clear, with the news that the service will host over 18 areas where restricted trailers and possibly casinos will dwell.

If these areas resemble those near my home that have the same services, it might be best to to move.

During the recent Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Peter Edward, director of the PlayStation Home Platform Group, and Jamie McDonald, VP of Sony Worldwide Studios revealed some rather interesting morsels related to Sony's eagerly anticipated virtual life experience Home to Steve Boxer.

When asked whether Home will contain any areas where entrance is governed strictly by age (namely 18 and older), Edward replied that there probably won't be that many cropping up in Home's short term existence, "but in the long-term, we expect to see them."

The Home Platform Group director then suggested that while nothing sinister (read: pornographic or illegal) is likely to appear in Sony's world, it is possible that the odd casino could pop up or perhaps movie theatres where users could go to watch mature-rated videogame trailers.

Acknowledging that many other adult-only themed areas could conceivably come into play, Edward reinforced Sony's ultimate control by saying that "we have the ability to age-protect...

253w ago - It used to be the console war was a question of getting out the sliderule and measuring comparative polygon thoroughput. Now, however, gamers - and even developers - are much more likely to try to measure the relative performance of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo by the online features their consoles offer.

Few have as good a viewpoint on that particular battle as Todd Northcutt, GameSpy's director of technology. Thanks to the company's position as the exclusive online partner for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, as well as its middleware licensing agreements with Sony and Microsoft, Northcutt works closely with each manufacturer.

"I don't think you've seen the same pace of innovation from Microsoft as you have from Sony recently," he told Develop in a pre-E3 briefing. "It's been steadily improving the PlayStation 3 as an online gaming device and an entertainment device while the Xbox 360 has had its half yearly updates but there's nothing groundbreaking that's been released, other than a couple of changes to the marketplace."

"We have a really good relationship with Sony and it's great to see the evolution of the platform.

I think it's experienced a lot of evolution and in some places PlayStation 3 is definitely beating out Xbox."

As for the conventional...